Aspen X Games – Snow, Steeze & Stoke

First off, before I even get to Aspen and the X Games, I just want to say I love Colorado!  The last time I visited was to Denver and Boulder in the summer, and I didn’t want to leave.  Now after a second winter foray into the state, I am entirely convinced Colorado is incredible in every season, in every way.  A quit your job and move there kind of incredible.  Parks & Green Space; Surrounding Mountains; Blue Sky & Sunshine; Active, Attractive & Agreeable People; DOGS Everywhere…seriously I’m hooked.

Now let’s get specific, Colorado knows how to do winter. Perhaps that’s why their famed mountain Aspen has been home to the X Games for the last 13 years.  It was a gorgeous drive from Denver to Aspen, passing through the famous continental divide tunnel and probably a dozen other notable ski resorts like Vail and Snowmass.

Arriving, Aspen has far surpassed quaint. The streets are lined with huge snow/ice sculptures, high end boutiques, and fancy restaurants and bars.  It is a true destination.  The mountains still take center stage, but it is filled out with lots of other ornamental substance to keep everyone happy…calling all snow bunnies…its safe!  The whole aura around town was of excitement.   Whether we were at one of the outdoor concerts, sipping bevvy’s and making friends with mountain hotties, or headed to the venue on the bus, people were amped up and it was contagious.

There was also a unifying feeling and spirit running through the X Games; a strong current, constantly rising and honoring Sarah Burke, an X Games hero who recently passed away at just 29 years of age.  Fellow Canadian athletes honored and paid tribute to her with their wins, and I can’t tell you how many people around where wearing ‘Sarah’ arm bands or other items to mourn and acknowledge her contributions to not only the sport, but the world at large.  Sarah’s hometown mountain of Whistler has a bid in for the 2013 X Games, although tragically ironic in one sense, I think if they win the bid it will really be the ultimate tribute. 

The events I saw, including the SuperPipe, Snowboarder X Course, Skier Big Air, and Snowboard Slopestyle, were unbelievable.  It’s one thing to watch the events on television, it is entirely a different stoke to see them flying into the air and right over your head.  Pretty spectacular!  

I was also lucky enough to enjoy the X Games from a VIP perspective, running into an old co-worker onsite with ESPN.  It was cool to see the Games from the angle of the athletes and take advantage of a few awesome perks they had planned out!  It made me miss event planning and coordinating these kinds of undertakings…X Games Whistler 2013?!  

Adventures in the Great White North

Moving into more familiar Canadian territory, the goal for the weekend was to explore the great white north - ride Cypress Mountain outside Vancouver and then head up to Whistler.

The weekend started out great, a Friday night catching up with old friends and watching the snow fall.  20 new centimeters graced Cypress overnight, which made for powdery bliss.  The clouds cleared and we could enjoy the gorgeous ocean views from the top of the mountain, pretty uniquely spectacular. 

Sunset was incredible, high up on a snowy mountain watching the sky gradually ooze from pink to orange and then bleed into red, wow!  Driving the new and improved ‘Sea to Sky’ highway up to Whistler at dusk was equally as striking - ocean, mountains, trees and clouds all in various shades of a deep greyish blue, it was like the ultimate oil painting of real life.

Whistler and I have a history – driving up my mind sifted through an avalanche of recollections from over the years, here’s a few of my favorites for a quick chuckle.   

    1.)    New Years, Amazing Race style.  We decided at around 6pm this would be a good idea, raced to the Greyhound and caught the last bus to Whistler with about 5 min to spare.  Arrived with nowhere to stay, but quickly invited ourselves to a random acquaintances place when we ran into him.  The next morning was a full course breakfast with his entire extended family.  They definitely thought their son/grandson/nephew/second cousin twice removed/ect. had picked up two random girls the night before and gotten pretty lucky.  Needless to say, a little awkward. 

    2.) Intrawest Day.  This was the coolest experience ever!  Intrawest booked the entire mountain for their staff and a guest…I was lucky enough to be a guest and wow was it legendary.

    3.)    Snowboard Camp.  We were 16 and had the hottest snowboard instructor ever.  It was a bus trip with school and I think my friend and I had been snowboarding like once before.   Anyways, lured by his hotness and our youth, after the lesson this instructor (let’s call him Blaine) led us to the top of the mountain.  Then as we are taking hours to get down cause we are beginners, hello?!…he leaves us stranded.  Slightly traumatized, we finally got down and found the bus like 2 hours late.  My friend never went snowboarding again.

Enough of memory lane, Whistler 2012 was textbook.  One nice thing about getting older is that your friends spread out, which can come in handy.  I still can’t believe how cheaply we killed Whistler, which of course makes it all the more enjoyable!  Staying at a friend’s condo, taking advantage of free and 50% off lift tickets, and hanging with Heidi’s Hawaiian film crew friends in the village…we were lucky girls and will definitely pay the generosity forward…soon and always.  Let's all hook our friends up whenever we can and make the world a more enjoyable place!

It was a very chilly weekend on the mountain, peaking at -17 degrees Celsius our last day.  We bundled up and went on a 5 km snowshoe through the Lost Lake trails, meandering paths leading through the forest to gorgeous mountain views and a frozen lake.  

After a cold weekend we just couldn’t do it any more, I am ashamed to say we chickened out and didn’t shred for fear of freezing to the chair lift on our last day!  

We headed home through the blizzard in daylight, which in hindsight was a very smart ending to a grand Canadian adventure.

Snowcation Report: Baker & Stevens

Well, obviously my blog has taken a hiatus this fall, but its back with all kinds of winter wonder in store.  I have decided to embrace wintertime and see where it takes me.  My first few exploits have been warm up’s into the cold core of it all, but I must say immensely enjoyable.

First up Mount Baker, what a splendidly gorgeous mountain!  Complete with puffy powder snow, igloo caves, and friendly folk, it’s a pure paradise in the winter arena.  Snowshoeing around Bagley Lakes with my friend Necole was on the agenda for Baker.

I had only been once before, and the experience was less than nirvana.  I was 10 or something and promptly into the trek one of my snowshoes broke.  I spent the rest of the trip sinking and limping along, with each step despising the sport a little more!  

Well I am happy to report that these apparatuses have come a long way from wood and sinew, to modern sleek contraptions allowing you to practically float over the snow.  It was a much improved experience.  I’m sure the necessary Baileys/coffee and additional perks (that I didn’t have when I was 10) helped too!

Apparently snowshoeing is one of the world’s fastest growing sports.  Go figure.  I don’t know if I would go that far…but it IS a practically free way to get up into the mountains and take in some rich invigorating air, while surrounded by an awe-inspiring backdrop.  Highly recommended.

Next, Stevens Pass.  One good thing about moving to Edmonds is that the closest Mountain Pass is now Stevens and not Snoqualmie.  Stevens has a lot more to offer and the lifts run until 10pm for night riding, which happens to be my favorite.  Nearly empty lift lines, huge flood lights illuminating the slopes, and dry chalky snow.  


What’s not to love about being in the middle of a dark snow globe with shimmering glitter falling all around you? 

Ninety

Recently my Grandma Eva and her twin sister Evelyn celebrated their ninetieth birthdays.  Although they are both still in excellent health, I couldn’t help but thinking, “Wow I can’t believe they are sooo old!”  What a terrible thought, one fraught with negative attitude and emotion.  Society has told me 90 is old; when in fact age is nothing more than a number.

Ninety is a number; it is preceded by 89 and followed by 91.  Ninety is a right angle.  Ninety is the distance between bases on a Major League Baseball field. Ninety is the age of Gucci.  Ninety signals a hot day in the USA.  Ninety is the number of minutes in a soccer match.  Ninety is a unitary perfect number.  Ninety was the age of a Galapagos Tortoise who gave birth for the first time this June.    

1921 was ninety years ago.  Ninety years ago Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize in Physics; Boeing started to obtain orders for aircraft and abandoned furniture-making; and Coco Chanel introduced "Chanel No. 5".  Einstein’s principals are still central today, Boeing is at the top of current headlines, and Chanel No. 5 is consistently a top selling fragrance.

I challenge everyone to dismiss the limiting principle of numbers as an indicator of age.  Whether someone is 9 or 90 years old treat them with respect, there is undoubtedly something you could learn from them.

  

Beaches, Boats & Booze in Tampa

I geared myself up and was excited to hit American soil once again; unfortunately it was less than a star spangled welcome home.  Searched, residue swabbed, and humiliated, I eventually made it.  My bag was not so lucky.  I can only imagine the hell it went through.  Travelling for 4 months through South America on sketchy buses, collectivos, and hitchhiking…where does my bag go missing?  A direct flight from Miami to Tampa.

Separated from the possessions I held been intimately attached to for so many months, my worries were easily distracted by a real, hot shower.  A shower without an electrical head, a shower I didn’t need to wear slippers in, a shower with equal pressure and temperature (which of course I had scorching with this new freedom).  It was glorious. 

Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater are a humid, tropical trio of cities on the Gulf of Mexico coast. Visiting good friends, Davia and Kevin, it was 5 days of beaches, boats, and booze…exactly as I think Florida is meant to be!

Boating the intercostal waterways and exploring the different keys of St. Pete’s and Treasure Island was so cool.  There were dolphins and manatees around our boat, huge mansions to gauk at, and best of all shallow sand bars to stop at.  Boats stop all around these sand bars, set up volley ball nets, and just party.  Pretty cool scene to be ‘exposed’ in.

Anna Maria Island was also a huge highlight, a sleepy little beach community with fifties rancher homes lining the streets to a beautiful beach on the Gulf of Mexico.  It was a wonderful afternoon taking in the sun and unusual surf, this due to a tropical storm in the Gulf.  

On the other side of the island we stopped at “Rod & Reel Pier” which is a famous fishing spot with a little restaurant which opened in 1947.  I tried the Floridian classic, Grouper, quite a tasty fish.  Also worth mentioning were my other forays into ‘you can only eat that here’ land…Alligator, Conch Sushi, and of course Key Lime Pie!

Weighed down from very successful beach combing, it is finally time to board my last flight (well two), travel through time and space back to Seattle, and see my Mum!

Bogotá – A Love Letter

Dear Bogotá,

I love you.  I love everything about you.  I love the country you capital.  Although misunderstood and judged by some, I will always defend you, fight for you with all that I have.

I love your unassuming beauty; your juxtaposition of historic elegance with modern elements entwined.  I love your sprawl, your sheer expanse of mystery.  I love you for everything you leave to discover over time.

I love your people; open and compassionate, helpful and genuine.   I love all of your hipsters, stylistas, and punks.   I love your striking women and I love your leather boots.  I love your sizzling men in teal pants.

I love your color and raw grittiness.  I love your vibrant street art scene.  I love your Sunday flea markets with coca tea.  I love your ‘only bikes’ on Sunday philosophy.  I love your vibe, your inimitable character, your entire ethos.   

I love that you serve DUFF beer.  I love how you acknowledge you can get cold at night and give me (and your other lovers I suppose) free soup when I leave the bar.  I love your appreciation of the significance of good ‘After Hours’ and I love your Aguardiente.  I love your trees and vistas, and I love walking home with you as the sun rises. 

I just fucking love you OK.  Please don’t think I am an obsessive lunatic, but I know someday we will be together.  Until then you will be in my dreams.

Love, Katie

Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral

This salty underground attraction is about 45 minutes outside of Bogota in a quaint town called Zipaquira.  An actual salt mine in operation today, there is also an underground cathedral that was built in deserted tunnels deep within the mine.

180 meters under the earth’s surface you walk through 14 small chapels which represent the sufferings of Christ and lead to a shrine at the bottom which represents the birth, life, and death of Jesus.  The actual cathedral is 75 meters in length and 18 meters in height, with a capacity for 8,400 people.  The walls are a marbled looking texture of grey to white due to different salt purities; an utterly natural artistic fresco that tastes like salt!

Mining hats adorned we also set into the deeper bowls and tried our hand at mining - chipping away to get a small piece of salt rock for a souvenir.  The whole experience was unique and fun.  I felt like I was in Fraggle Rock, and who doesn’t love Fraggle Rock?