incoming incomingJanuary 31, 2012
Frank just sent in some pictures of our crew at Alpental last Friday, just what I needed to remind myself what a gift day that was. Only 4" was reported on the Alpy telemetry, but something in the neighborhood of a foot of fresh had accumulated up high. Somehow the crowds missed the fact that the weather was bluebird, and few people showed up. A few minutes after we topped out on Chair 2, they bombed the cornice over Knoll 2, then opened the high traverse with me #11 in line. What a day.
PS: As many of you know, I'm employed once again, working the upstairs ski and boot department at evo in scenic Freelard (the area between Fremont and Ballard along Leary Way). Stop by and say hello if you're in the hood!
Locals day at the ski area: Bill, Kevin, Francine, me, Frank, Rob and Justin
January 16, 2012
Snow in the streets of Seattle, dumping in the passes, guess what we're doing? Start the clock!
Kevin Curd getting his fill
Elissa Eng: Skinny skis and strong skills = lots of fun
January 14, 2012
Here's a couple of interesting "spy" shots from lift lines around the world. One shows a prototype Plum Guide with an XL (or XW) baseplate and what looks like a support under the heel to either facilitate flat skinning or limit downward travel of the boot in cliff-stomping mode (maybe both). In addition, this example looks like it has heel housings made of solid CNC'ed aluminum rather than the normal Plum black polymer. Got to hand it to Plum for paying attention to the fall-you-die guys and the new-school wide ski set as well as the fast and light crowd - these appear to be mounted on Dynastar Legend Pro 105's, which means those baseplates are pretty damn substantial. In other Plum-related news, it seems that Look is now branding Plum bindings (seen in Chamonix shops already) with their name on the heelpiece top plate rather than Plum's . . . can a distribution agreement be far off?
The other pic shows a prototype Tyrolia randonnée binding that's obviously meant to cut into the Duke/Baron market - burly, with a substantial rail system and 16 DIN, and with a pole-accessible release mechanism to the rear of the heelpiece. With Salomon/Atomic and Hagan joining the fray, the segment seems to be getting pretty competitive. I'm still waiting for someone to come up with a spring-actuated vertical release heel that works with existing tech fittings and gives a more "alpine" set of elasticity values to the upward release - what happened to the Trab TR1 binding?
New Plum Guide "XL" on the left, Tyrolia 16 DIN rail binding at right
January 12, 2012
Been in the market for a burly freeride boot that you can also tour in? I have been, but holding off on making a purchase because of rumors of a new Dynafit/Eric Hjorliefson collaboration in the works . . . and now, after pages and pages of speculative forum jabber and spy photos of Hoji shuffling through the Blackcomb lift line in the test mules, here it is.
Just days in advance of the slate of major retailer shows in München (ISPO), Salt Lake City (OR) and Denver (SIA), Lou Dawson broke news of Dynafits '12-'13 boot line from his privileged post in the Barthel's home in Austria (the Barthels invented the tech binding), with pictures of several of the new boots. In addition to the top-of-the-line Vulcan, which features a carbon/grilamid cuff similar to the TLT 5 Performance, there is an all-grilamid version called the Mercury and a Pebax version called the "One." The "One" also will be available in a lower price-point polyurethane model. All boots share the stroke-of-genius top buckle which doubles as the lean lock device, and feature 3 buckles, plus adjustable lean angles of either 15 or 18 degrees. Soles are compatible with "rail" bindings like the Marker Duke/Baron and Fritschi Freeride Plus in addition to tech bindings. All of these new models, plus the continuing TLT 5, Zzero, and Titan series, makes for a lot of different boots! Seems sick, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I found out the MSRP for the Vulcan was "only" $999. Start saving those $1,000 bills.
The Vulcan weighs in at a reported 1,590 grams in a 27.5 photo courtesy friflyte.no
January 8, 2012
When long-time Pacific Northwest backcountry stalwart Kam Leang and his wife Allyson Spacek shuffled off to Virginia and then Nevada in search of "real" jobs, we suspected it wouldn't be the end of their skiing obsession. Sure enough, they were able to maintain their year-round ski streaks, sometimes by flying cross-country on the penultimate day of the month to access a distant volcano or two over the weekend. Kam's passion for building his own skis never wavered either, and over time morphed into what is now a rather sophisticated mom-and-pop custom operation in Reno.
In addition to his research and professorial duties, Kam has set up Ski Lab, a unique resource for anything from "personalized" skis with custom topsheets and detailing based on stock designs to full-custom designs based on a customer's input. In addition, Ski Lab offers the opportunity to actually participate in the design and construction process "hands-on" for those willing and able to spend time in Reno, shaping and laying up your own skis with their supervision and help.
Kam and Allyson's long-time familiarity with the many different aspects of winter travel gives them an edge over other independents when it comes to conceptualizing touring skis, and it comes as no surprise that some of their first projects have involved skis for some veteran skiers (and old friends) in the Seattle area. The Rondonnier is a 110mm-waisted powder touring ski designed for Paradise legend Ron Jarvis. The new prototype Wildside is an 88mm light-and-fast design for the irrepressible Silas Wild - in keeping with the minimalist theme, I mounted these up this afternoon with a set of La Sportiva RT tech bindings, the lightest adjustable touring binding I've seen yet. Toes matched the Dynafit "heritage" pattern (minus the front screw) exactly, and I used the heelpieces themselves to mark the holes since I had to push them up to the boot anyway with a 4mm spacer in between. Sweet and light setup, and since Silas and I share the same BSL in our TLT 5 boots, I can demo them as well!
Wildside 170 prototype touring skis with La Sportiva RT bindings, 3.02 lbs./1,370 grams per ski and binding . . .
January 4, 2012
Marmot Mountain Works sponsored their annual randonnée and telemark demo event on the evening of January 3, this year moving the venue to Alpental after several years at Summit West. The change of location had been long requested by customers, and worked out very well - skiers were able to sample a wide variety of skis and boots on an equally diverse range of slope angles and snow, and come closer to testing the gear in a "real world" set of simulated backcountry conditions. The snow ran the gamut from rolling hard packed bumps to tracked rain-soaked fresh over partially frozen corn to near spring-like conditions, and it was fun to test each ski in multiple snow types in a single run.
I'm typically able to get a ski dialed and have fun on it in a short period of time, so one run was usually enough. That meant I was able to ski on a bunch of different skis during the demo, everything from the 84mm waisted Dynafit Baltoro 176 (super solid and very precise light ski) to the 115mm waisted Black Diamond Amperage (suprisingly nimble and smooth in transition for a pretty huge "touring" ski). In between I also sampled the Völkl Nanuq, the '11-'12 Manaslu 178, the La Sportiva Hi-5, and Black Diamonds in an ascending assortment of widths (Verdict, Zealot, Amperage). They even managed to keep the rain turned off until the very end of the demo, something that has often accompanied this event in years past.
Favorites included the Baltoro and Nanuq, both rock steady and "alpine-like" in their precision - quite a pleasant surprise considering their light weight. This year's Manaslu, with its added bamboo stringers and more forward mounting point, didn't seem to be a step forward in my opinion; it was hard to tell if edgehold was significantly better, and moving the mounting inserts 1cm forward seems to make the tips a bit twitchier (I never felt the old Manaslu was unresponsive to turn input in the first place). A bit more rocker adds maneuverability to the 180 Verdict, a ski which sometimes can be a handful to turn. The Hi-Five was silky smooth and predictable, but felt a bit "tip-heavy" and hesitant to respond in crud, while the larger Black Diamond skis were a bit tank-like and not especially damp. To be fair all of these over-100mm waisted skis need to be tested in deep snow rather than on the groomed - it's what they're made for and I would expect them to shine in a foot of mank. Hats off to Lock, Dave and the Marmot crew, as well as the reps who froze their fingers off all night adjusting bindings (about half of the skis I tried had Dynafits with the rental plate, FWIW), for providing a chance to test all of these skis back-to-back in short order!
The Black Diamond tent at Marmot's annual ski demo night - Dynafit, K2, Völkl, Rossignol, La Sportiva, Scarpa, Garmont and others were represented
January 3, 2011
Happy New Year to all, and may your 2012 bring deep and frequent snow! We're fortunate in the Pacific Northwest to finally be getting some precipitation; now all we need is consistent sub-freezing temperatures to go with it. Yesterday's tour in a foot of rain-saturated fresh was a great workout for the trailbreakers and a chance to be out with only the company we brought, but the skiing was a challenge. Still, we have lots to thankful for - hope our friends in Utah, Colorado, Tahoe and the East start catching up soon!
Kevin Curd and Scott Otterson survey some freshly covered boulders somewhere in the Commonwealth Basin
December 24, 2011
Sixteen core randonnée skiers showed up at Hyak on Christmas Eve day for a unique 2 hour "time trial" up-and-downhill event in the rain and fog. The format called for putting in as many laps on the frontside of Hyak (Summit East) as possible in 120 minutes, with the rain, fog and grabby isothermal glop over ice making for even more fun (and wetter participants).
As one might imagine, the people who actually showed up in these conditions for a ski competition were the kind that take their suffering seriously, so the pressure was on (at least for the top spots). Everyone professed to have a great time, and hosts Brandon and Heather Kern provided pumpkin pie and hot cider in the lodge after the event. Good stuff! Provisional results: 1.Seth Davis (6 laps, 6,000 vertical feet) 2.Brandon Kern 3.John Mauro 4.Greg Louie 5.Crispin Prahl 6.Heather Kern 7.Holly Walker 8.Kevin Curd 9.John Stimberis 10.Melissa Chapman 11.Elissa Eng 12.Francine Curd 13.Ann Melgaard 14.Cindy 15. Dawn Frearson 16. Katie Smith
Start of the Hyak 120; Seth Davis, Brandon Kern and John Mauro are already stretching it out in front Kevin Curd photo
December 13, 2011
So many things to be thankful for . . . for those of you not on my hard-copy Christmas list, here's the picture for 2011.
Just the kids this year; the parents didn't care for any of the pictures that included them! Here's to a wonderful holiday season, even better 2012, and fresh snow sooner rather than later.
Jordan and Nick wish you the best! Yuen Lui photo
December 5, 2011
Even though it's only the first week of December, it feels like the season's been going for a while.
Most of the local ski areas are open, if only on partial schedules, people are stoked, and new ski gear is flying off the shelves in local stores. The northwest seems to be getting the lion's share of the early season snowfall, with normally dependable spots in Colorado, Utah and California just "scraping" by, but they should be getting theirs soon. Alpental opened for the season with all lifts running on Friday, December 2nd. There was very respectable coverage on the upper mountain, and management even saw fit to open Elevator Gate in the afternoon. Soft snow on the upper mountain, sunny weather with few lift lines and a mellow "family" vibe made it an opener to remember.
There's a high pressure system stuck over our area at the moment, and no new snow in the picture this week, but Kevin, Francine and I did an relaxed trip to Silver Peak today under beautiful clear skies. We found a few patches of wind-hammered fresh snow stuck between ridges of icy hard stuff, and covered enough mileage to make the legs sore. Not bad for early season.
Rolling through the meadows enroute to Silver Peak, Francine is digging the new Speed Radicals! Kevin Curd photo
November 29, 2011
It's always good to get the inside scoop on matters of sport straight from the protagonists - tonight was a unique lecture/Q & A event with famed sports psychologist Dr. Dan Tripps and Garmin-Cervelo pro cyclist Tyler Farrar, held at the new Northcut Landing facility across from University Village. Dr. Tripps peppered his talk on commitment and passion in sport with fascinating anecdotes about a diverse range of athletes and coaches including gymnast Kathy Johnson, backstroker John Naber, basketball coach John Wooden, land speed record holder Craig Breedlove and the Mariners' own Edgar Martinez. He made a strong point for trying to exact the maximum from each of our performances and concentrating on doing everything within our power to perfect those things we can actually control, without getting too fixated on the "win." Dr. Dan and Tyler both donated their time, and the event was a huge success for Husky Cycling from a fundraising standpoint, with a standing-room only crowd.
Tyler was just himself, chatting like any down-home PNW dude about winning the biggest bike races in the world. He conceded that the sprint game might be a bit different now that HTC is no longer there and willing to dedicate an entire team to helping one rider win, and let slip a few "secrets" - the Garmin-Cervelo low-gluten dietary regime doesn't seem to make much difference to him, though he eats what they cook for the team at races, he thinks Mark Cavendish is still going to be fast in 2012, and he loves going fast on skis when he isn't riding his bike. He even admitted to being an avid randonnée skier, with a brand new Trab Stelvio XL/Plum/TLT 5P setup that he's been up Granite Mountain and Mount Hood with in the past week. Nice, and great for the cross-training, but it might be better not to tell Jonathan Vaughters about that randonnée stuff . . .
I quizzed Tyler Farrar about his new ski setup after the lecture Gary Louie photo
November 16, 2011
I've been laid up for over a week with the worst respiratory cold I can remember in my life - and missing some of the normal early season preparatory events like the Northwest Snow and Avalanche Summit. The NSAS was held November 13th at the flagship REI store on Yale Avenue, and featured a number of local and imported avalanche forecasters, educators, and seasoned observers hoping to pass on a story or two to help a fellow backcountry enthusiast avoid a similar situation somewhere down the road. The "talent" included names like Karl Birkeland, Karl Klassen, Rod Newcomb, John Scurlock, Garth Ferber, Oyvind Henningsen, Mike Richardson, and Zach Guy. If you missed it this year, you'll have to wait until 2012. In the meantime, there have already been several avalanche incidents and at least one high profile death in the US this season, so shake off the complacency and keep your eyes and ears open.
The snowpack is gradually building as we speak and people are skinning most of the local areas. Crystal and Baker are set to open this Friday, November 18, with Summit West and Stevens Pass scheduled to spin the lifts on Saturday. Here's a shot from Kevin today at Summit West - maybe a little weedy, but the next few days should take care of that. See you on the hill!
Kinda defines the term "meadowskipping," with the meadow still in evidence - my new coat packs about as small as that snowball on her hat! Kevin Curd photo
October 22, 2011
Crispin and I attended the EVO 10th Anniversary party last night - on the guest list courtesy of Mountain Madness (thanks, Jeremy). It turned out to be a huge bash; Crispin was still in a line that stretched the length of the block when I showed up fifteen minutes late and the beat was already pumping from inside. The venue is a new structure called the Fremont Collective that's part of Bryce Phillips' burgeoning real estate empire - a multi-purpose art/skate/food/retail space on the NE corner of 35th and Stone Way NE that used to be a contractor's tool outlet.
The future of snowsports? Hard to say, but these guys know how to throw a party. Plenty of Red Hook beer, chilled shots of organic Clearwater Vodka (iced in a martini shaker with no mixers, but the Redbull tent was just a few feet away . . .), great fusion Thai food from Bryce's catering company, tons of doughnuts and mini-cupcakes plus lots of souvenir-grade schwag. There was a mechanical bull ride (man, I thought they sent all those to Iraq), a Gore-Tex glove icewater dexterity contest, Nike free T-shirt press, K2 and LibTech snow tool history area, silent benefit auction, slope style fashion show, and much more. I actually didn't see anyone I knew (except former EVO snowboard buyer Gorio Bustamente) and much of the crowd, to be honest, looked like professional "lifestylers" rather than skiers - lots of mini skirts and 5 inch-heeled knee-high boots for the girls, scruffy beards and Hoji-toques worn high on the forehead for the dudes. Quite the cultural enrichment opportunity for us old guys.
My ears gave out around 10:15, but Crispin raved on until the wee hours, saying the imported San Francisco DJ brought out the dance grooves after I left and he felt the urge. Now I know how he stays in such good shape! Bryce's reputation as the only ski bum in the NW who's figured out how to make money is assuming mythic proportions - if nothing else, he could run the "Collective" as a club five nights a week, charge for the beer and vodka, and make a killing.
Shake it, Shake it, Shake it some more. Crispin Prahl photo
They were eaters and drinkers. Crispin Prahl photo
October 19, 2011
My old friend Danny's dad died on Monday at the very commendable age of 98. In the early seventies, when I was discovering how far a bicycle could take you with a little effort, I would ride out to Danny's vintage clothing shop, Oasis Apparel (later Dreamland) in the University District and come home with cowboy, bowling, and Hawaiian-themed clothing (which my mother would refuse to touch but insist that I put immediately into the washing machine). Often we would spend hours ironing and trying on shirts from his enormous collection of vintage Hawaiian garments - we're talking about duffel after duffel full, including an entire warehouse in Belltown - and listening to early punk, "classic" rock (96 Tears was the crowd favorite) and emerging grunge. Once or twice Danny mentioned that his dad was quite a skier in his day, but I didn't pay it much heed.
Yesterday a post by Lowell Skoog on Turns-All-Year.com brought Ralph's passing to my attention; like several other dads of friends he was a pioneer of ski mountaineering in the northwest, and I went all these years without knowing it. Like Mr. Giese and Dr. Trott and Mr. Watson and Dr. Spickard, they were just parents. What could they know? It's sad to think of the opportunities I missed out on by not walking into the kitchen and asking these guys a few questions. A classic video clip, just a sampling of the body of film that Lowell has painstakingly archived and transferred over the past few years from the Mountaineers' collection of films on climbing and skiing, is here, and includes some great shots of skiing on Mt. St. Helens long before the "blast."
Here's a link to the Seattle Times obituary - Rest in peace, Mr. Eskenazi, and thanks for the inspiration.
The All-Jewish Troop 45, circa 1926. From left: Abe Condiotte, Al Caraco, ?, Henry Payloy, Mel Abrams, Ralph Eskenazi, Milton Shindell Photo courtesy of University of Washington Libraries
October 18, 2011
It's what I call the start of the ski season - the first time I ski on fresh, clean snow. This year it happened yesterday, when Kevin, Frank and I took a drive to Paradise in perfect fall weather and did a routine hike to Camp Muir. Somehow the Muir snowfield had managed to completely flatten itself over the past month, and the huge grit-topped suncups of September were nowhere to be seen. What we did find was 3,000 plus vertical feet of perfect inch-deep corn, to several hundred feet below Pebble Creek. Bring on the winter!
Frank can't believe how good the skiing is on the upper Muir Snowfield
October 10, 2011
While Salomon appears to be sitting out this year in terms of retailing their new rando binding, Austrian ski maker Hagan has just announced the availability of their new Z01 and Z02 series. Aimed at new and crossover ski tourists, this binding looks like a Fritschi Freeride Pro that's been put on a diet, with a similar frame and latch configuration and a skimpier toe and heel. With a DIN range from 4-12 for the Z01 and 4-10 for the Z02, this could be a viable option for the "one ski quiver" or a bigger ski that's only going to see limited skinning during the season. The biggest problem may well be finding a pair - Hagan has very limited market availability in the US, even though they are known for making a quality product at very reasonable price points. I recently got an e-mail suggesting I contact the importer, Michael Hagen (not, to my knowledge, any relation) directly through his company, InForm Sports regarding the direct purchase of Hagan skis, and this might work as well for the bindings.
Here's a blurb from the Austrian arm of the company:
“The Hagan Z ski touring binding was developed to serve the growing market for recreational alpine ski touring in the European and U.S. markets,” said Max Kumpfmueller, Operations Director at Hagan Ski headquarters in Austria. “The design priorities were ease of use and adjustability, compatibility with a wide variety of ski boots (AT and downhill), and excellent uphill and downhill performance at a reasonably low weight and price.”
The Z01 retails for $489, the Z02 $389 (not so sure about those reasonably low prices, but you're talking € vs. dollar). The Z01 has an 80mm ski brake, but 90, 100 and 115mm versions are also available. (The Z02 comes with a leash, but the brakes will fit either model). Both bindings come in 3 sizes, small for boot sole lengths of 255-310 mm, medium for 285-340 mm and large for 315-370 mm. A Hagan ski crampon is available and compatible with both bindings.
The Hagan Z02 and Z01 bindings - they look much like a Fritschi but with severely trimmed down toe and heel . . .
October 4, 2011
I've got a couple sets of Marker Dukes that I use on my lift-served skis not because I enjoy the weight or the clumsy touring capabilities, but simply because I've decided life is too short to spend skiing in uncomfortable boots. Yes, I want to wear randonnée boots ALL the time. The Duke allows me to run alpine touring spec boot soles in what is basically an alpine binding, though if the Jester would accomodate my boot soles I'd use them instead.
Now Amer Sports, under the dual-guise of its Atomic and Salomon divisions, is getting in the game with a heavy-duty touring binding (the Atomic-branded version is called the "Tracker") that splits the difference between the Marker Duke/Baron and the Fritschi Freeride Plus, with alloy bars reminiscent of the Silvretta Pure connecting toe to heel. The new binding loses the awkward sliding engagement system of the Markers by substituting a series of four metal hooks that engage the heel unit when you step down. Release is via a smallish sliding flat tab at the very rear of the heel. The binding is still in the testing phase and reportedly won't be available to the public until next season - AmerSports is understandably being very careful after the backwash of very negative publicity following the Salomon Tech boot fiasco.
DIN range is reportedly 7-16. No word yet on weight; the overall structure of the rails uses quite a bit less mass than the Duke, and losing the ramping AFD drops weight as well. Likewise, there is no projected price - all the prototypes seem to have gone to sponsored athletes to flog for the season . . . might be just the thing for comfort-lovers like me or the super-fit cliff hucker in the family. Now how about a Salomon 14 DIN Tech binding?
Here's a few pics of the Atomic courtesy of Daron Rahlves and Philpug/Epicsnow . . . and the Salomon version in blue, courtesy of http://www.freeride.se
September 29, 2011
Whoa.
Arc'teryx has recently and without fanfare introduced a new line of urbanwear based on its stable of proven technical fabrics. Is this move going to prove a hit with the moneyed hipser set? Certainly a Gore-Tex raincoat would be the way to go if I were to own a raincoat, but the downside could be a loss of face among the climbers and skiers who made the brand popular.
Carefully kept separate from the regular Arc'teryx website (presumably not to alienate the core climber/skier customer base), the Veilance collection is a thoughfully wrought line of functional clothing that seems to be done with Arc'teryx' typical attention to detail, in a combination of hardshell, softshell, and windstopper fabrics once reserved for "true" outdoorwear. Come to think of it, though, the Belltown softwear engineer waiting for the bus in the pouring rain because he's trying to go carless needs this kind of protection just as badly as those of us sitting on Chair 2 at Alpental in driving wet snow . . .
Some pictures from the Arc'teryx Veilance jacket collection: from left, Sinter Coat, Blazer, Field Jacket SV
The styling is pretty cool, the blazer is a dead ringer for an Emporio Armani suit jacket I have with hidden buttons (yeah, it sounds incongruous, but I'm a sucker for high-end Italian suits I find in thrift stores, and have a closet full of them), plus it has a hidden "money pocket" under the lapel. Take that, you Marseille pickpockets! You can almost see Keanu Reeves dodging bullets in these clothes. And if you're a tad too slow, the shirt's made of Kevlar weave, it might just stop that slug.
So who's gonna be first to start skiing in this stuff?
From left: Spec Pant, Stealth LS Shirt, Stealth Pant
September 3, 2011
We all come from somewhere.
In the case of my mother's family, they came originally from southern China. No one still living can verify that my maternal grandfather came to America to work on the railroad, or sent for my grandmother as a mail-order bride from the Toisan region (though we heard those stories over the years), but my brother Gary recently made a trip to Nevada to research the family history in the small town of Lovelock where my grandfather put down roots.
Today Lovelock (once known as "Lovelock Gulch" according to my mom) is another sleepy western town, fading in the desert heat and ignored by the drivers that pass overhead on I-80 enroute to Reno. Its most famous resident is arguably O.J. Simpson, currently serving time in the Lovelock Correctional Center for his 2008 convictions on robbery and kidnapping charges, and Mr. Simpson, to my knowledge, has no plans to relocate any time soon. In the distant past, however, Lovelock was home to thousands of Chinese immigrants who worked the railroads and mines; my grandfather "James" catered to them by offering boarding, meals and laundry services and probably a few other amenities as well. When we visited Lovelock as small children, the girls at the local whorehouse (my mother called it the "cathouse") all knew who we were and treated us like royalty.
My uncle Frank Chang, who passed away shortly before O.J. moved to town, was the last Chinese resident of Lovelock, and there's a tiny "Chinese Museum" dedicated to him adjacent to the Cadillac Inn. Frank's US Army dogtags and other memorabilia are on display, along with an odd assortment of Asian trinkets and bric-a-brac. The owner of the motel (Larry deLeeuw) has simply taken a personal interest in this obscure facet of Chinese-American history - he also drove out to the local cemetery to show my brother and cousin what he thinks was once the Chinese portion of the burial ground, with multiple unmarked mounds and various severely weathered markers displaying barely legible Chinese characters. Getting the county to fence and mark the area as the "Chinese Cemetery" was also Larry's doing.
Larry: "You guys want some incense?"
Gary: "Huh?"
Larry: "You know, to pay respects to your ancestors, or whatever you do . . . "
Gary: "Uhhh . . No thanks, I think we'll just shoot some video and look around . . . "
Clockwise, from bottom left: My cousins Bob Louie and John Louie, uncle Bill Chang, uncle Lewis On, Jade and Ken Louie, Wingo the dog,
my paternal grandmother Lily Louie, aunt Dorothy Louie with cousin Elaine Louie on her lap
Lovelock, Nevada. My grandmother with the chickens
My uncle Frank Chang's WWII dogtags, in the window of the Chinese Museum, Lovelock, Nevada Gary Louie photo
More recent but still pretty ancient history: I'm resurrecting my old ski club, the Sunnyside Sliders, mostly in response to requests from offspring of the original members. I had the original patch I'd embroidered back in 1971 scanned and reproduced with a slightly bolder and more regular font, and the quality of the reproductions is superior. If you see these on the hill at your local ski area, don't be alarmed . . .
For a little more background on the Sliders and how the early freestyle scene developed, check out this 2009 interview with the legendary Wayne Wong by Gordy Skoog. I guess we were more influential than I thought, and it's funny to hear Wayne expound on how he's thankful he didn't have my name or he'd never have made a career out of skiing . . . guess it goes both ways, I'm thankful I don't have to tour with those Anton Gliders stuck on my skis!
A scanned and very nicely executed version of the patch I hand-embroidered in 1971
Previous Incoming Pages:
China: Wandering in the Middle Kingdom
"Incoming" covers developments that have personal interest to me (ie. gear I might consider acquiring, or events I feel may impact the sport of skiing) - it is by no means meant to be a comprehensive enumeration of gear or events in the ski world at large. Feel free to contact me via the randosaigai.com link below with news or images that may be of interest . . .
© 2012 Gregory C. Louie
