RUGGED MAGAZINE

THE WORLD IS LIMITLESS

CHRIS SHARMA

SPORTS LEGENDS

E X P LO R E

Learn all about the founder of Meinshao outerwear, where he got started and where he is headed soon.

Check out special edition outerwear for this snowy winter season to keep you warm, dry, & comfortable.

Our featured explorer in our winter edition is the an ice climber with daring moves and expereinces.

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CO T NT

1-2 Chris Sharma

3-4 5-6

Adventure of a Lifetime

Explore the World

ON E TS

7-8

Explore The World

9-10 11-12 Extreme Sports Legends

Meet the Founder

W h e n w o rd s p re a d t h a t a d e a f ri d e r h a d j o i n e d S t. Au gus t ine's amateur motocross circuit, parents

o f F i o l e k 's c o m p e ti to rs rea ct ed a s e x p e c te d . S o m e w o r r ied s he

w o u l d n o t b e a b l e to h ea r t heir kids riding closely behind her, while

others balked at the idea that Jim a n d R o n i w o u l d a l l o w th eir dea f

daughter to ride. Says Roni: "I told them, 'It's a dangerous sport. You

can be concerned that I'm putting m y k i d o n a m o to rc y c l e . But not that I'm putting my deaf kid on a

bike. Most concerns disappeared the instant the other parents saw

Fiolek ride: Even as a 7-year-old, she was careful. And fast. "When

Ash l e y w a s y o u n g , w e ha d a lot of conversations about exiting

END I N G

N E VER

th e tra c k a n d ri d i n g s a f ely," Jim

people wit h profound dea fnes s ,

training. I don't worry about Ash-

no. Cochlea r s would ha ve ma de

sa y s . " We d i d m o re d ri lls , more l e y. S h e 's p ro b a b l y a sa fer r ider

th a n m o s t a n y o n e o n th e t r a ck ."

Later, when doctors asked if they

w o u l d b e i n te re ste d i n cochlea r implants -- electronic devices

placed behind the ear that can provide hearing sensation even for

such as Ashley -- the Fioleks said contact sports such as motocross

more ha z a rdous beca us e t he implant site would be vulnerable to

a b l o w. B u t m o s t l y, t h e F i o l e k s

didn't believe their daughter was brok en, s o t here wa s no need t o

fix her. Fiolek s ends 1,000 t ex t s

"IT JUST HAPPENS, IT'S SO NATURAL. I DON'T THINK ABOUT VIBRATIONS; I DON'T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING AT ALL. I'M PART OF THE BIKE NOW." — ASHLEY FIOLEK

TA K I N G T H E R I S K Skydiving. Ice climbing. Kayaking

with a small team and became the first

f or w h i c h y o u ’d th i n k a p a i r of func-

Mount Everest. Yet to Weihenmayer, his

C l a s s V ra p i d s . T h e se a re th e s por t s

t i on i n g e y e s m i g h t b e e s s e n tia l. But for the past two decades, 48-year-old

Weihenmayer has been proving other-

wise. As an infant, he was diagnosed

with the degenerative eye condition ret in o sc h i s i s , l e a v i n g h i m fu l l y blind

by the time he was a teenager. Rather t ha n g i v e i n to a sa fe l i fe , h e f ought

to stay active. During high school, a c a m p se n t h i m ro c k c l i m b i n g, a nd

We i h e n m a y e r t u r n e d o u t t o b e a nat u ra l , a b l e to fe e l h i s w a y up t he wall. He loved the sport so much that

he took it up in earnest, and in 1996

he p u l l e d o ff h i s fi rs t b i g c l i m b, t he

3,000-foot Nose route on Yosemite’s El Capitan. “Erik is so competent

on h i s o w n , a n d tru s ti n g o f h i s pa r tners,” says climber Hans Florine, who

joined Weihenmayer on El Cap, “that he l u l l s y o u i n to fo rg e tti n g h e ca n’t see.

In 2001, he headed to Nepal

(a nd s t ill only) blind per s on t o s ummit

ha ndica p is bes ide t he point . “ I’m not

o u t t h e re d o i n g t h i n g s t o p ro v e t h a t blind people ca n do t his or t ha t ,” he

says. “I just love it. Weihenmayer spent t he nex t s even yea r s k nock ing off t he

s even s ummit s . And s t ill he cont inued pushing his limits: In 2010, riding with

a tandem pilot, he finished Colorado’s infa mous L ea dville 100 mount a in bik e

r a ce in under 12 hour s . Then, in 2014, he teamed up with blind athlete Lonnie

Bedwell to kayak the 277-mile length of

the Grand Canyon, with Class IV rapids.

The adventurers were directed by team-

ma t es us ing r a dios a nd echo- loca t ion

“ c l i c k s . ” S t i l l , We i h e n m a y e r s t re s s e s

that he is not an adrenaline junkie. “I’ve been motivated by joy and discovery,” he s a ys , “ a nd wha t ’s pos s ible.”

ADVENTURE. ACHIEVE. EXPLORE.

FA I LU R E I S N OT A N O P T I O N

EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME EXTREME FA I LU R E I S N OT A N O P T I O N FA I LU R E I S N OT A N O P T I O N SH F A I L U RCEHIRSI SN O T AARNMOAP T I O N Chris Sharma’s preternatural climbing ability and visionary first ascents

h a v e e a r n e d h i m a n e n d u r i n g re p u t a t i o n a s o n e o f t h e w o r l d ’s b e s t ro c k c l i m b e rs. T h i s Am e r ica n profes s iona l a t hlet e, a mba s s a dor a nd en-

tre p re n e u r fro m S a n ta Cruz , Ca lifor nia , ha s been on a globa l odys s ey, n o w tw o d e c a d e s i n th e ma k ing, in s ea rch of t he pla net ’s mos t difficult

FA I LU R E I S N OT A N O P T I O N a n d b e a u t i f u l ro c k c l i m b s . S h a r m a h a s d e d i c a t e d y e a r s o f h i s l i f e t o d i s c o v e ri n g a n d c l i m b i n g s ingula r, a es t het ic a nd s eemingly impos s ible ro u t e s — a l w a y s w i t h h i s h u m b l e , m e d i t a t i v e a p p ro a c h a n d p o w e r f u l ,

d y n a m i c sty l e o f m o v e m e nt . Toda y he cont inues t o climb a t t he wor ld s ta n d a rd , p u s h i n g th e l i m it s of wha t ’s pos s ible a nd a lwa ys reima gining

th e d i re c ti o n o f h i s re m a r k a bly s t or ied climbing ca reer. Sha r ma ’s con-

tributions to the sport are numerous; including climbing the first routes

FA I LU R E I S N OT A N O P T I O N rated 5.15a and 5.15b in the world, and establishing the grade of 5.15c.

Over the years Sharma has popularized various genres of climbing, from

b o u l d e ri n g to s p o rt c l i m bing t o “ ps icobloc” (a k a deep- wa t er s oloing).

FA I LU R E I S N OT A N O P T I O N FA I LU R E I S N OT A N O P T I O N

"TO TRAVEL IS TO TAKE A JOURNEY INTO YOURSELF." DANNY KAYE

Tr av eli n g i s a n a m a z i n g l y u n d e r-

village in Fiji that runs without

you travel you’re exposed to

a w a re a n d a p p re c i a t i v e f o r t h e

r at ed i n v e stm e n t i n y o u rs e l f. As

more n e w p e o p l e , c u l tu re s, a n d l i f e s t y l e s t h a n y o u a re l i v i n g i n

your homeland all the time. With all the newness in your life, you’re also opened to new insights, ways of seeing the world and living,

whi c h o fte n g i v e s p e o p l e a n e w p ur p os e fo r th e i r l i v e s. If y o u ’re

electricity…we become more

lux ur ies we ha ve ba ck a t home.

I remember a t ime where I vis it -

ed my cous in in Argent ina a ft er

she’d been living there for about a yea r. I wa s vis it ing her a round

Chr is t ma s t ime a nd brought her the new Harry Potter book along

wit h s ome ba s ic goods t ha t you

DISCOVER feeling stuck on what your purpose

ca n find a lmos t a nywhere in L os

life, the career or educational path

filled with gratitude, like she just

is, what you want to do with your y ou wa n t to p u rsu e , g o tra v e l … you might just be surprised about

what you discover as a new sense of life purpose and direction.

When w e s p e n d ti m e a w a y fro m home, especially in a place where

we d on ’t h a v e th e s a m e l u x u ri e s readily available to us…like a

Angeles. She was over joyous and got the greatest gift in the world.

In ot her pa r t s of t he wor ld, lik e India and Ethiopia, people don’t have as much access to clean

dr ink ing wa t er …es pecia lly from w h a t ’s re a d i l y a v a i l a b l e o n t a p .

Traveling through areas like that

re a l l y m a k e u s a p p re c i a t e w h a t

As h l e y F i o l e k (b o rn O c to ber 22,

or recognition of men’s motocross.

now lives in St. Augustine, Florida,

a l w a y s , A s h l e y ’s o u t i n f r o n t .

1990) in Dearborn, Michigan and

i s a d e a f m o to c ro s s ra c e r in t he Wo m e n ’s M o to c ro ss As s ocia t ion

(W M A). In a sp o rt d o m i n a t ed by sound, Women’s Motocross Asso-

c i a ti o n Ch a m p i o n As h l e y Fiolek , profoundly deaf since birth, is just

starting to make some noise. Ashley, now 19, dethroned five-time

WMA Champion Jessica Patterson to become the youngest WMA champion ever. She was the first female rider featured in action on

the cover of Transworld Motocross (or any major American motocross

p u b l i c a ti o n ) a n d s to o d a lone t o

advance women’s racing in the U.S. to the next level of performance, re c o g n i t i o n , a n d p re s t i g e . N o t

bad for her pro debut, which also featured a debilitating mid-season

broken wrist. A competitor to the

c o re , A s h l e y ’s a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s

o n the tra c k sp e a k to h e r t a lent , dedication, and ambition. But it’s n o t j u st h o w s h e ra c e s b u t who

she races that might best tell h e r s to ry. Wo m e n ’s m o to cros s is a fa s t- e m e rg i n g sp o rt th ough it s ti l l g a rn e rs l i ttl e o f th e res pect

B u t t h a t ’s a l l c h a n g i n g , a n d , a s Looking forward into ’09 and beyond, As hley is concent r a t ing

on doing her best to bring home another championship, both here

a n d a b ro a d . I n J a n u a r y, A s h l e y became the first-ever female fa ct or y r ider for H onda Red Bull Racing, a historic achievement.

A potent combo of talent and charisma, Ashley is poised to change the face of women’s racing

i n t h i s c o u n t r y a n d a ro u n d t h e wor ld. Ra cing wit h number pla t e

67, s he wa s t he 2008 WMA P ro

National champion after her first professional win at the WMA Pro National Hangtown. She has also

won many races in the current 2009 season, including Moto 1 a t H a ngt own a nd bot h mot os a t Glen Helen. She repeated as 2009

WMA P ro N a t iona l Cha mpion by

finishing 7th at Steel City Raceway

in Delmont, Pennsylvania on Sept

5, 2009. She finished this race in pa in wit h a colla r bone fr a ct ure,

t h e re s u l t o f a s p i l l d u r i n g t h e r a ce. The ot her big s t or y s o fa r this month for women’s MX is that

LEGENDS OF SHAUN PA L M E R

TRAVIS PA S T R A N A

Wa s t h e re a n y t h i n g t h a t b a d b o y

Bor n in 1983, Tr a vis P a s t r a na is a

u p i n Ca l i fo rn ia wit h a love of a ll

s por t s a t hlet e. H e is a t hree-time

Shaun Palmer couldn’t do? Growing things fast, he became a champion self-taught snowboarder while still

in his teens and

1

dropped out of s chool a t t he a ge

of 15 t o t ur n pro.

But t ha t wa s jus t the beginning – he also became a top downhill mountain

biker, and compet-

ed in the US pro motocross and

s u p e rc ro ss se r ies . H e ha d a lrea dy

achieved great success in snowboarding by the the time he turned h i s h a n d t o t h e r a p i d l y - e m e rg i n g

sport of downhill in 1995. Along

with motocross legends Randy Law-

rence and Mike Metzger, he joined t h e f a c t o r y t e a m o f J e ff S t e b e r ’s

Intense Cycles, and shocked ev-

popular stunt performer and motorchampion of motocross racing and has won gold medals at the X Games

in a va r iet y of dis ciplines . H e has compet ed in N ASCAR event s and

currently participates in its Camping World Truck Series. With his Puerto

Rican heritage on his father's side,

P a s t r a n a h a s b e e n a b l e t o re p res ent P uer t o Rico when competing

internationally. He also ran his own T V s p o r t s s h o w, N i t r o C i r c u s , i n

2009, which branched out into a t our a nd fea t ure film. In 201 8, he

landed three motorcycle jumps previously attempted by famed daredevil

Evel Knievel as part of History's Evel Live event in

L a s Ve g a s . W i t h his Puerto Rican

2

EXTREME SPORTS ASHLEY FIOLEK

SARAH BURKE

ERIK RONER

Ashley Fiolek rides

Hurtling down a towering halfpipe

Even a s a child, Er ik Roner had a

routine. But Sarah Burke had done

story of the time, as a youth, Roner

pretty. In dirt-bike racing, the ability

to pu s h t he ed g e between risky and

re c k l e s s i s o f t e n the difference be-

3

tween becoming a

c h a m p i o n a n d r e m a i n i n g w h a t ’s h e r- f a c e , b u t F i o l e k m a k e s c r a z y

look smooth. She blazes out of the start, full throttle, and rips around co rn er s l i ke a s ur f e r g l i d i n g a to p

a wav e. When F i ol e k h i ts a j u m p ,

she can twist her bike in midair and fl y al m os t p ar a l l el to th e g ro u n d , an exhilarating maneuver called

“scrubbing” that shaves seconds o ff a ra c er ’s t i m e bu t i s a l so d a n g e ro u s — e s p e c i a l l y w h e n t h e m o -

torbike you ride weighs more than

200 pounds, and you weigh less than half that, as the five-foot-two Fiolek does. Motocross fans love to

o n a p a ir of s k is , no ma neuver is

th i s o n e, t he 540 Fla t Spin, count-

l e s s ti mes . Jus t over a week a go,

th o u g h , a s Bur k e, a t op Ca na dia n freestyle skier from Ontario, neared

the end of a normal training run inside a 22-foot halfpipe at a resort in Park City, Utah, something went

wrong. Burke completed the move

and then flipped over — awkwardly,

b u t se e mingly innocuous ly — hit-

ti n g h e r hea d on t he ground. She

then lost her pulse and stopped b re a th i ng. On Thur s da y mor ning, nine days after the fall, Burke died

at the University

4

of Utah Hospital

in Salt Lake City,

where she had been airlifted

that day in an

effort to save

love of da nger. H is mother told a

saw bungee jumpers on a bridge and wanted to join right in. “I’m thinking, ‘I’m going tcsfilm

him falling to

his death,'” she s a i d . T h a t m o r-

bid prediction has, after a fashion, now come

true. A daredevil

5

known for his

r e a l i t y - s h o w s t u n t s , R o n e r, 3 9 , died in a pa r a chut ing ac c ident on

M o n d a y. A m e m b e r o f t h e N i t r o Circus s t unt pos s e, Ro ner, known

f o r h i s i m a g i n a t i v e f e a t s a n d a p-

pearances on the MTV show “Nitro C i rc u s L i v e , ” f e l l v i c t i m t o a b a d

landing during a parachute stunt at a celebrity gold event in Squaw

Tr a vis P a s t r a na wa s the “it” kid in

1 9 9 9 . A t o p - r a n k e d A m a t e u r, t h e Ma r yla nd na t ive won two Loretta Lynn’s titles in his final year before turning Pro. Hand-groomed by

Suz uk i from a n ea r ly age, Pastran a w a s s u p p o s e d t o re i n v i g o r a t e

t h e b r a n d ’s w i n n i n g w a y s . S u z u k i

wa s des per a t e for a 125 National

t it le, s omet hing Suz u ki hadn’t ac-

complished since Guy Cooper in 1 9 9 0 . s t y l e m o t o c ro s s ; h o w e v e r, “ Wonder B

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS BOUNDARIES, ONLY LIMITS THAT GET PUSHED FURTHER AND FURTHER

TRAVIS PASTRANA

BURSTS INTO PROFESSIONAL RACING

The 2000 AMA 125 National

K T M i ts fir s t 125 N a t iona l over a ll

s t ick er s on t heir ches t protec tors

b e i t w a s d e s t i n y t h a t P a s t r a n a ’s

the mud to win his first outdoor

t he s er ies . Ca n you ima gine Coo-

seri e s wa s one f or th e a g e s. M a y -

rookie year fell in the gap between

R i c k y C a r m i c h a e l ’s d e p a r t u r e t o th e 2 50 c l a s s and J a m e s S te w a rt’s impending arrival in 2002. Maybe it was dumb luck. Whatever the case,

Travis captivated crowds across the co u nt r y wi t h hi s f e a rl e s s ri d i n g e n ro u te t o t he 125 N a ti o n a l c ro w n ;

ho w ev er, f ew c oul d h a v e g u e s s e d

t h a t P a s t r a n a w o u l d e m e rg e t h e champion after the opening rounds.

The Suzuki rider finished fourth at Gl en H el en, 10th a t Ha n g to w n and si x t h a t H i g h P o i n t. S te p h a n e

Roncada, Tallon Vohland and Steve Lamson established themselves as

the early favorites. Meanwhile, Pas-

trana’s yo-yo results—crashes and

b i k e f a i l u re s m i x e d w i t h b r i l l i a n t perfor m a nc es — held h i m b a c k .

Many look at Southwick, site of Tra-

vis’ first 125 National victory, as the turning point. That’s not accurate;

in fact, the second moto at High P o i n t w a s P a s t r a n a ’s c o m i n g - o u t

p a r t y. W h i l e K e l l y S m i t h s e c u re d

in the U.S., Travis slogged through

moto. From Southwick onward, P a stra n a finis hed off t he box only once (Troy, Ohio) and slowly clawed

h i s w a y ba ck int o t he point s r a ce.

Ye t , i t w a s S t e p h a n e R o n c a d a ’s

t i t l e t o l o s e . T h e F re n c h m a n w a s on fire, but a crash and twisted

knee at Millville left him powerless

a g a i n s t Tr a v i s ’ re l e n t l e s s a t t a c k s in Minnesota. In the penultimate round of the series at Binghamton,

P a s t r a n a a g a i n w e n t 1 - 1 t o f o rc e

a w i n n e r- t a k e - a l l s i t u a t i o n a t t h e Steel City finale. On September

3 , 2 0 0 0 , Tr a vis P a s t r a na rode lik e a m a n p os s es s ed t o win bot h moto s a n d s t ea l t he t it le a wa y from S te p h a n e Ronca da by t wo point s .

Looking back, the story lines from

that day are bittersweet. It was the only National t itle Pastr ana would ever claim and the closest Roncada

would come to winning an outdoor c ro w n . Ye t , t h e t w o c o m p e t i t o r s

formed an unlikely bond. Believe i t o r n o t, t hey ha d bet s a nd wore

to promote one another during per Webb and Joey Savatgy doing

that? Travis Pastrana’s professional

r a c i n g c a re e r w a s b r i g h t , u n t i l i t e x p l o d e d l i k e a Wo l f - R a y e t s t a r

just days before the 2003 AMA 250/450 Supercross opener. Pastrana la wn- da r t ed hims elf w hile f ree

riding at Castillo Ranch, resulting in a blown-out knee. He would never win again. Roger DeCoster, Suzuki’s

t ea m ma na ger t hrougho ut Travis’

time on the factory program, later quipped, “ We ha d Tr a vis Pastrana

win a 125 t it le in 2000, but Travis w a s m o re i n t e re s t e d i n b e i n g f a-

mous. Between the concussions, t h e f re e s t y l e a n d h i s p a re n t s , h e

squandered what could have been a great racing career.” While that’s

true, Pastrana should have very few regrets. He has gone on to

win r a lly r a ces , ma k e movies and become a household name. Perhaps

h e s h o u l d b e c o m p a re d t o a re d supergiant, the largest type of star in t he cos mos .

UNION

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