Living, Playing & Writing in the Outdoors
If you know Jackson Hole, you know Corbet’s Couloir- the legendary, epic chute that earns bragging rights around the world. This spring, Cam McCaul and Casey Brown attempted the first-ever Mountain Bike descent of this beastly double black. // From TGR’s 2017 ski film Rogue Elements, presented by REI
I got my first got my taste of Oregon’s craft mastery when I moved to Bend in 2002. My insecure mess of a boyfriend had packed up and run home to Vermont without breaking up with me or even saying goodbye. I could use a stiff drink, hundreds of miles from the scene of the crime.
So there I was, getting up at 5 a.m. for a morning radio show gig, working until noon, napping then going out to check out the town and the legendary Beer in Oregon. There were half the breweries that exist there now but even back then I knew I was basking in hops heaven.
Oregon takes its beer business seriously. And we’re talking “real” beer not the 3.2 stuff of Utah legend. This summer, I went back auspiciously to rock climb but perhaps it was to taste that trophy of taps. I returned to Bend with a much different life; it wasn’t a move but a visit, not single but with a stalwart partner of 14 years and our spunky, 10-year old.
Nothing tastes better after a long day on the rock than a crisp, cold brew. The front desk clerk at our motel made sure we knew that as he slapped a map to the Bend Ale Trail into my hands. Bend has more breweries per-capita than any other city in Oregon. Like Salt Lake City, Bend has often been deemed Beer Town USA but we’re talking a little town of less than 90k people. SLC is more like 2 million. The Ale Trail takes you around to 16 breweries- including my faves for drink and food, Sunriver and 10Barrel. If you are planning a ski trip to Mt Bachelor, make apres at these stops a priority.
Mt Hood, another resortish town in Oregon, is doing the brewmap thing as well. Makes sense when the next best thing to drinking beer after climbing is drinking beer after skiing. To make sure that happens, the Portland neighbor has a brand new Mt. Hood Territory Tap Trail mobile passport.
The free year-long passport showcases some of the newest breweries in Mt. Hood Territory, as well as some perennial favorites, with discounts at participating businesses.
Sample Coin Toss Brewing‘s Heritage Beer Series in Oregon City. Then head across the road to where Shattered Oak Brewing and Batch 1 Brewing share a space called “The Hive Taphouse.” There, you can try meads, ciders and German-inspired brews. And Bent Shovel’s forested barn-house brewery is a hidden gem near the Clackamas River. Science geeks won’t want to miss Bunsenbrewer in Sandy, the gateway to Mt. Hood. Founded by a biochemist, this brewpub features a playful tasting room with lab tables and stools, a Sound Lab fully-equipped with instruments and plenty of video games.
Redeem a discount at 10 of the 13 participating businesses within a year and earn a Mt. Hood Territory Tap Trail stainless steel pint glass by stopping into the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Oregon City.
It took 15 years for me to hit the Oregon Trail for better beer with better company but you don’t have to wait that long. I hear ski season has already begun in the Pacific Northwest. Get thy toast on pronto!
It’s about time Disney reimagined Star Tours. The seats are tattered, the seat belts stick, and the technology feels dated despite the 1987 getting an update in 2011. So it’s epic news that a full-on Star Wars Land is coming to Hollywood Studios and Disneyland.
Each park will grow 14 acres to accommodate the themed area (sure hope they come up with a better label though; maybe Intergalactic World?) where guests will find themselves on an unfamiliar planet, in a trading port and the last stop before the final frontier.
The two main attractions will involve flying the Millennium Falcon on a customized secret mission and participating in an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance. The immersive environment of Star Wars Land will also include stores manned by “locals” and a Cantina. There’s no timeline yet for these rides which are said to be located in the Big Thunder Ranch Area but that doesn’t mean there won’t be something new for Star Wars fans sooner rather than later.
Star Tours itself was renovated to feature the creatures and worlds from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and the Jedi Training Academy; which includes new characters and a new villain from the Disney XD series, “Star Wars Rebels.”
Disneyland’s Tomorrowland has all sorts of Star Wars galaxy twists already with special entertainment, themed food locations and a suped-up Space Mountain called Hyperspace Mountain, to takes guests on an X-wing Starfighter battle.
This December, Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort and Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort will debut a virtual galaxy far, far away at the VOID Experience Center. ILMxLAB, Lucasfilm’s Immersive Entertainment division, created this first of its kind experience, in collaboration with The VOID. Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire will plunge guests directly into the iconic Star Wars galaxy where they will move freely throughout the untethered, social, and multi sensory experience as they interact and engage with friends, family and Star Wars characters.
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced the addition of Star Wars Land at the D23 Fan Expo August 15, 2015, but it wasn’t until this year that the dream leapt from a design to a build. It will be the biggest single-themed expansion/refurbishment ever at Disney.
By the way, Pandora opened this summer in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. The homage to Avatar is filled with jungles, floating mountains, those blue-skinned Na’vi, and two signature rides: AVATAR Flight of Passage will transport guests on dragon-like Banshee creatures over Pandora, and the whole family can take a gentle boat ride through Pandora’s bioluminescent rainforests.
And just to get you amped, take a look at the latest Star Wars Teaser. It’ll send chills up the limbs of any fan:
Omg, I missed the Warren Miller ski film premiere?! Stop the presses! It’s a rite of every fall passage. Why didn’t I go? As the days get shorter and flakes speckle the lingering autumn hours, you gotta step into a ski porn premiere. You just gotta if you want to start your winter off right. Well, I didn’t.
The annual tradition that unofficially kicks off winter – because let’s face it the ‘official’ kickoff is whenever your ski resort opens- is back to titillate your ski senses. WME’s 68th ski film, Line of Descent celebrates the snow tribe, rites of passage and the legendary lineage of snowsports athletes from icons like Tommy Moe, Jonny Moseley and JT Holmes to the fresh faces of Kalen Thorien, Marcus Caston, and Griffin Post. “We explore how skiers are shaped by picking up a pair of skis for the first time,” notes Warren Miller’s veteran producer Josh Haskins. “More often than not, it’s family who introduces us to the sport or steers us on the path towards an ongoing passion—be it a ski bum lifestyle, a professional career or simply the desire to pass on the same feeling to the next generation. There is a kinship unlike any other in the ski community, and Warren Miller is the elder, bringing generations of skiers and riders together for 68 years, and this year is no different.”
Why has WME done it every year for 68 years? Probably because there’s an audience for it every year just drooling to get amped for winter. Oh, and title sponsors like Volkswagen, travel sponsors like Montana and athletes’ sponsors make it possible. Since 1949, most ski families have cheered the official kickoff of winter with a Warren Miller ski film; I started it with my daughter in 2006- her very first winter. They have screening throughout the season and across the states but there’s nothing like catching the premiere vibe. It’s not because a Warren Miller ski film is an epic tale of adventure with an Academy Award-winning cast.
Story is irrelevant in ski porn. You’re along for the white ride as talented rippers slash jaw-dropping spines and chest deep, tree-filled lines in segment after segment until you are arcing those same turns in your head. Athletes visit Jackson Hole, Montana, Silverton, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, the French Alps, New Zealand, British Columbia, and Norway and Steamboat in Line of Descent, teasing, “Wish you were here.” You leave; successfully fluffed for ski season.
Utah’s Kaylin Richardson tears up Norway
Maybe I missed opening night of this Warren Miller ski film because I’m not ready to accept winter. I’m a skier but also a rock climber. The fall in Utah has been a mix of cooler snowy days and gorgeous fall colors under blue skies. If I don’t watch Line of Descent, perhaps I can forestall winter? Just a few more weeks and I’ll be ready for that release. Luckily, there are more screenings coming up if I happen to change my mind.
Salt Lake City – Abravanel Hall – Friday, October 13 & Saturday, October 14 – 7:30
Orem – SCERA Grand Theatre – October 17, 18 & 19
Park City – George S. and Dolores Dore’ Eccles CPA – October 20 & 21
Ogden – Peery’s Egyptian Theater – October 24, 25 & 26
BTW, I was bummed to learn that the super awesome local lift ticket deals to Solitude (free ticket!) and Snowbird (2-for-1) that were offered to moviegoers over so many years are no more. Film attendees instead get a discounted ticket at Solitude ($45) and a 2-for-1 to Snowbasin. But, hey, you can ski free at Steamboat! Other deals include:
– $50 off the Mountain Collective Pass
– 2 lift tickets to Big Sky Resort for $139 + tax
– 25% off a single purchase or 50% off a ski/board/bike rental or tune at Sports Den (*SLC screenings only)
– $20 off at Alpine Sports (*Ogden screenings only)
It snowed last night; it’s going to snow all weekend. That’s mountain weather for you but all of a sudden my inbox is full of ski area opening dates and news. People, today was the first day of Autumn! If you’re getting excited about the recent storms, put a lid on it.
Having snow on the ground is simply a tease for the local resorts to hype up their advertising and get you to think winter skiing (and start spending money on a vacation). Nothing’s open until Thanksgiving so you can’t ski new snow anyway but who cares?! Further, there are no predictions of a successful snow year tied to snowfall in September.
Photo by Lisa Densmore Ballard
I guarantee you that it will all melt next week. We’re still rock climbing and mountain biking around here. Only a few dumb-asses are hiking for one run on snow-covered grass so please stop sending me your resorts-covered-in-snow photos. I have nearly two months for pre-season training.
As of Friday 9/22/17, we still have 56 days until the lifts start spinning in Utah.
Alta Ski Area: November 22
Beaver Mountain: TBD
Brian Head Resort: November 17
Brighton Resort: As Early As Possible
Cherry Peak Resort: December 18
Deer Valley Resort: December 2
Eagle Point Resort: December 21
Nordic Valley Resort: December 9
Park City Mountain: November 17
Powder Mountain: TBD
Snowbasin Resort: November 22
Snowbird Resort: November 22
Solitude Mountain: December 2
Sundance Mountain Resort: December 8