There’s nothing more heartbreaking than watching our outdoor companion of 10 + years begin to slow down. Their huge hearts push them to follow you on that 20-mile bike ride or 12-mile peak scramble. But the next day, they lay by your feet and struggle to stand as you move to the kitchen. Looks like CBD can really help your dog.
The CBD Pet Study
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in collaboration with Medterra CBD conducted the first scientific studies to assess the potential therapeutic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) for arthritic pain in dogs. (BTW, results could lead the way to studying its effect in humans!) Researchers focused first on dogs because their condition closely mimics the characteristics of human arthritis, the leading cause of pain and disability in the U.S. . Not to mention that arthritis is a common condition in dogs. According to the American Kennel Club, it affects one out of five dogs in the United States.
Published in the journal PAIN, the study first showed both in laboratory tests and mouse models that CBD, a non-addictive product derived from hemp (cannabis), can significantly reduce the production of inflammatory molecules and immune cells associated with arthritis. Subsequently, the study showed that in dogs diagnosed with the condition, CBD treatment significantly improved quality of life according to vets and pet owners.
“CBD is rapidly increasing in popularity due to its anecdotal health benefits for a variety of conditions, from reducing anxiety to helping with movement disorders,” said corresponding author Dr. Matthew Halpert, research faculty in the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Baylor.
The Results of the CBD Pet Study
Researchers found that CBD treatment reduced the production of both inflammatory molecules and immune cells linked to arthritis.
The researchers also determined that the effect was quicker and more effective when CBD was delivered encapsulated in liposomes than when it was administered ‘naked.’ Liposomes are artificially formed tiny spherical sacs that are used to deliver drugs and other substances into tissues at higher rates of absorption.
The 20 client-owned dogs enrolled in the study were randomly provided with identical unidentified medication bottles that contained CBD, liposomal CBD, or a placebo. Neither the owners nor the veterinarian knew which treatment each dog received.
After four weeks of daily treatment, owners and veterinarians reported on the condition of the dogs, whether they observed changes in the animals’ level of pain, such as changes related to running or gait. The dogs’ cell blood count and blood indicators of liver and kidney function also were evaluated before and after the four weeks of treatment.
“We found encouraging results,” Halpert said. “Nine of the 10 dogs on CBD showed benefits, which remained for two weeks after the treatment stopped. We did not detect alterations in the blood markers we measured, suggesting that, under the conditions of our study, the treatment seems to be safe.”
The findings support conducting studies to evaluate CBD for the treatment of human arthritis.
This study was funded in part by a sponsored research agreement between Medterra CBD Inc and Baylor College of Medicine. This project also was supported in part by the Cytometry and Cell Sorting Core at Baylor College of Medicine with funding from the NIH (grants AI036211, CA125123 and RR024574).
The 5Point Adventure Film Festival was born in 2007 to inspire adventure of all kinds, to connect generations through shared experience, to engage passion with a conscience, and to educate through film. Up until this year, they’ve been able to take their show on the road. Instead of bowing to COVID-19, 5Point has gone virtual.
The non-profit centers its mission around “5 Points”: Purpose, Commitment, Respect, Humility, and Balance. By partnering with outdoors brands like Gregory, Yeti and Coalatree the show can hit the road to spread these points across the Rockies. The one held in Salt Lake City last November was a blast to attend and the selection of award-winning shorts kept audiences on the edge of their seat. But, alas, the show couldn’t go on as usual.
5Point Adventure Film Festival Must Go On
5point programmer Julie Kennedy says, “We all can’t be together under one roof but be we can be together on our screens.” This year’s event kicked off on Earth Day, April 22, 2020, with the first of three, all new, 90-minute programs of films from their archives along with special guest vignettes showing “Life in Lockdown.” If you missed it like I did, you can watch it here:
The three-part fest continues tonight (Friday) at 7 p.m. MST over at 5pointfilm.org/events/unlocked/ so grab some popcorn and beer for your Friday night “in”.
The live event in Carbondale, Colo., has been postponed until October. Those who already purchased tickets for the April dates can either get a refund or roll over their tix to the fall. http://5pointfilm.org/festival/
This recipe came from The Dirty Gourmet during the Pursuit Series at Snowbasin Resort last summer. Unfortunately, the Series was cancelled for this summer but whipping up these super easy beignet-type camp donuts, even at home, brought back some fun memories of long days in the sun, great food, challenging adventures and cocktail parties around the campfire.
Camp Donuts and Jam Ingredients
Donut Holes:
1 Roll of refrigerated biscuit dough (such as Pillsbury or Annie’s)
Jam:
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 pinch of kosher salt
CAMP DONUTS RECIPE
In a skillet or a medium pot set over medium heat, place the berries and sugar. Mash the berries with a wooden spoon or a fork, until the berries soften and release their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, chia seeds, and salt.
To make the doughnut holes, cut premade biscuit dough in small 1” pieces and shape in a ball. In a fry pan over low heat, add enough oil to cover half of the donut. Cook the donuts on the griddle for about 5 minutes per side, or until they’re lightly browned and cooked through.
UPDATE: Arapahoe Basin reopened May 28, 2020, with a TBD closing date. All passholders and day ticket purchasers ($99) have to submit to a raffle two days prior and make a reservation if their name is drawn before they can head up. The ski area is allowed to admit only 600 skiers and snowboarders but there will be no tailgating and partying after slushing it up on the 20 open runs and three chairlifts. They will have to wear face coverings in designated areas and no food will be sold. Still, they get to ski!
With no more ski areas open – HUGE shout out to COVID-19 for that- and just a smattering of diehards uphilling for turns, we can officially call an end to the 2019/20 ski season. But what about summer skiing?
According to the National Ski Areas Association, some 460 ski areas in 37 states could lose $2 billion from the shutdown. Most areas began to shutter around March 15, 2020, just when spring ski breakers were marking off their vacation to-do lists. Jackson Hole had already announced that they would stay open a week past their normal closing to accommodate for the late Easter weekend. With fresh snow in the forecast, resorts were primed for a bustling spring before pandemic panic struck. Then everything came to a screeching halt; everything but our desperate need to keep skiing.
We Weren’t Done Skiing
March is not only one of the snowiest months of the year but also the busiest after December, pulling in about 20 percent of overall skier visits for the season. Not so for 2020. We won’t harp on the financial hits that the resorts will sustain. You can read about that here. It’s the emotional hit that rippled through ski communities, causing mass devastation.
Thousands of season passholders sat sad faced, wondering if the areas would reopen or at least if they were going to reimburse them for the lost ski days. Those who only ski two weeks a year won’t understand. When you are a local with six ski areas to choose from and you measure your ego by the number of days you ski, one of the major factors to consider before dropping $1k on a pass are the projected closing dates.
Last year, Snowbird stayed open through June and reopened for a special 4th of July ski day. Whistler closed May 27, A-Basin June 2, Squaw Valley July 7 and Mammoth Mountain on July 28. Therefore, if you lived in Utah and purchased a Bird 19/20 season pass you potentially missed out on three months of skiing. Let’s break it down. With the season starting in December, you might predict seven months of skiing based on last year. Yet even without counting on July 4th skiing, Snowbird traditionally skis through May. That’s six months. They closed March 15 giving you only 3.5 months on a “six-month pass.” Most ski resorts, by the way, have yet to address this concern but perhaps they won’t have to if they can reopen before it’s too late.
Summer Skiing Not out of the Realm of Possibility
There may still be a slim (albeit VERY slim) possibility that a few areas will re-open for summer skiing if the quarantine ends before all of the snow melts. As of this post, Arapahoe Basin posted on their site that they could reopen even if it’s as late as June if conditions allow. “Don’t be discouraged. This is a marathon and A-Basin is a marathon runner. What other area stays open from mid-October to July 4th? We all need to do the right things now if we want to get open again.” Update: The Governor of Colorado extended the closure order through May 23, 2020.
Mount Baldy ski area in Southern California reopened on April 22 when San Bernadino County allowed golf courses to reopen. After 11 days, they closed out the season, “Thanks to the most solid crew any mountain has ever had, several feet of late season snow and some very respectful skiers & riders we were able to open again on 4/22/20 to finish off a season like this properly,” the resort’s website stated.
photo by Gary Westwell
Vail Resorts (which includes Whistler, Breckenridge and Heavenly resorts) posted, “We made the difficult decision to close our North American resorts and retail stores for the 2019/20 winter season. ” Mammoth Mountain’s statement: There is no estimated reopening date for Mammoth Mountain at this time. Reopening the ski area is dependent on the COVID-19 situation, state and federal mandates, as well as other safety factors.
Squaw Valley hasn’t changed their stance that “while the possibility of Squaw Alpine reopening for skiing and riding still remains, we have no estimate for such action. The resort will be closed until further notice.”
Oregon Ski Resorts At The Ready?
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said this week that the state will allow ski resorts to reopen. Mt Bachelor, Ore., had earlier announced they are “closed for now but our goal is to reopen as soon as we can.” In the meantime, they were the first ski area to officially offer a $100 voucher to all 19/20 season passholders and can be used for pass products, lessons and rentals in 20/21. Timberline Ski Area is usually running race camps throughout the summer so this has to be good news for them. The plan as outlined is that guests must make online reservations but prepurchased lift tickets and passes will be valid. Food would be to go and social distancing practiced in the parking lots and chairs.
Season Passholder Reparations Coming
Utah skiers, in particular, were underwhelmed with the response from Alterra’s IkonPass which is good at Solitude and valid for five days at Deer Valley and Snowbird/Alta. Extended purchase deadlines, slight discount for renewals (about $120), interest-free payments, and insurance against another pandemic closure just aren’t enough enticements. My friend and former ski instructor Tony Fantis told the Salt Lake Tribune, “Why would I reinvest now for a season I don’t know is going to happen? From a risk standpoint, I would rather wait and pay more later.” That is despite Alterra promising customers can defer their pass to the 2021-22 season if it looks like they couldn’t use it this season … so long as they do so by December 10.
Vail Resorts announced their “severance package” shortly after a class action lawsuit was filed against them and Alterra. Epic Pass holders will be credited 20-80 percent toward a 2020-21 pass renewal, depending on how often their 2019-20 pass was used. For skiers ready to renew, VR has offered a pass deposit of $49 with the remainder due in September. Mountain Collective is the worst of the bunch and you would be wise to avoid it. From their website- “The Mountain Collective Pass is non-refundable and non-transferable. All purchases are final and may not be refunded, transferred between parties, or transferred to another season.” Basically, you get nothing for last season and if anything happens to cause the season to end early next year, you are SOL.
If the Resorts Do Reopen for Summer Skiing Will We Even Care By Then?
Though we still wish we could ski, many coronavactioners are finally ready for summer; for the rain to stop, the snow to melt, the warm skies to shine because, hell, if you can’t ski and don’t have backcountry skills, at least we can hike and bike. The other thing to consider is once we get in the summer groove, will we want to go back to skiing? TBH, it might take two feet of fresh powder to get me back in the mood.
But after you get your fill of dirt, there’s always a trip to Argentina in July; if the country lifts their air travel ban before September. The resorts down south are poised to open for their winter season but they are tracking the spread of COVID-19 as we speak. If ever there was a time to visit the southern hemisphere, it would be this year, weather and COVID contingent of course.
Must Haves for Summer Skiing
Shred Goggles – Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Ted “Shred” Ligety knows something about skiing year-round. So trust him when he makes goggles that kick butt on summer sun. The Shred goggles won’t fog no matter how heated your dome gets. It has a spherical lens with a dramatically wide field of vision so you can spot bikini-clad Betties from anywhere. The contrast boosting lens (CBL) allows you to see just as well in flat light as bright sun and, even though the lens doesn’t look super dark to the naked eye, it provides plenty of UVA, UVB, UVC protection. The NoDistortion tech in the lenses prevents, yes, distortion you get from a curved lens at altitude while the high quality “Whipped Cream” multilayer face foam ensures that this go-to goggle fits under just about every helmet. Plus, it won’t pack down like most foams so you can count on them for next season too.
BRYNJE Women’s Wool Thermo Longs Base Layer with Inlay might look like something from a steampunk rave but it totally makes sense when you think about the heat generated skiing in 60-degree temps. All you want to wear is a shell pant but that feels nasty against bare skin. You won’t overheat in the Mesh Thermo Longs and the integrated shorts and reinforced knees keep you from chafing.
Helly Hansen’s Odin Mountain Softshell Jacket is the ultimate spring and backcountry shell. It’s a warm, breathable, comfortable worn alone or with a mid-layer or thin puffy underneath for cooler days. This lightweight beauty is made of 4-way stretch with a weather protective membrane and another with maximum breathability. It moves with you whether you climb or ski.
Being stranded inside my own house for who-knows-how-long is forcing me to find ways to bring the adventure home. Travel blogs, YouTube videos and exotic recipes not only relieve stress but help me escape. The one iconic food that will forever take me back to a time where life was rich and filled with ecstasy is Club Med’s White Chocolate Bread.
The sweet pastry, starter and side dish is served at every meal in every village. I’m a Club Med Geek- Cancun, Turquoise, Guaymas, Punta Cana. I even worked at two villages. So I lived off that White Chocolate Bread. If you’ve been to a Club Med, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
White Chocolate Bread
10 Yield: 1 loaf
1 1/2 cups flour 14 grams yeast (2 packets) 1/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup water 6 ounces white chocolate chips 1. Place the flour, salt, & yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium-low or first speed for 1 minute. 2. Add 2/3 of the water at first, then add the rest as needed and mix for 10 minutes. If the dough needs more water, add as needed. The dough should be smooth, homogeneous, and should not stick to your fingers when you touch it. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl. 3. Add the chips and mix for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the chips are well distributed throughout the dough. 4. Take the dough out of the bowl and lightly knead into a ball. Let rest for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 5. After the 5 minutes of resting, pound the dough flat and then form the dough into the desired shape of the loaf you want. This can be done by folding the dough into the middle and sealing it with your palm. Repeat this procedure until you have formed a loaf shape. Place the loaf on a lined sheet pan with silpat or parchment paper and let rest for approximately 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size. If you are in a dry environment, place a damp cloth over the loaf. 6. Once the dough has doubled, place in the oven (make sure to place 1/2 cup of water in a pan or directly on the oven bottom to create vapor) and bake approximately 20 minutes at 400°F or until nicely browned on top. Don’t be alarmed if the white chocolate chips exposed are burned, this is normal. 7. Once the bread is baked, remove from the oven and let rest on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. 8. Serve warm.
One day soon, I hope, this staycation will be over and Club Med will offer amazing deals so that we can fly to a beautiful place, breathe fresh, clean air and eat that delicious bread while admiring this view. Stay safe and healthy, Everyone!
