California Dream

The Napa Valley Vine Trail is just one, small piece of a united California trial system. Courtesy: Napa Vine Trail Coalition.... Another long overdue post after dozens of new features and reviews have been published and / or completed over the past few months.

Among my favorites is a new feature for Rails to Trails magazine (the publication arm for a massive and ever-impressive nonprofit organization called Rails-to-Trails Conservancy). The piece won't be published until March, but here's a sneak peek:

For many, California is at once revered and reviled, progressive and backward, emblematic of both realized American Dreams and crushing disillusionment—a tinsel-laden enigma.

For anyone who’s seen it in person, though, the Golden State’s diverse natural beauty is unequivocal. Sometime in the future, that natural beauty will unite the state’s great urban centers, mass transit and regional parks networks by way of far-reaching paths such as the 1,200-mile California Coastal Trail. The trails are a great dream that will change the way the state, its residents—and perhaps those who visit or judge California from afar—navigate transportation, public health and the environment ... [stay tuned for the full article]

Joe Cannon: Major League Soccer's surest hands

Courtesy: Bob Frid / Whitecaps FCIf you follow American soccer, you know Joe Cannon as one of the best goalkeepers in MLS history and a man who's featured between the posts in sold-out stadiums across North America (for both club and country). He’s been the last line of defense for superstar teammates like David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Chris Wondolowski, to name just a few.

At 36, Cannon is now plying his trade for MLS’s newly minted Vancouver Whitecaps, a team partly owned by Canadian NBA star Steve Nash, and he remains among the league’s elite netminders ...

... What many folks don’t know, however, is that Cannon and hisCourtesy: Bob Frid / Whitecaps FC twin brother used to shred the slopes of Sun Valley as alpine ski racers -- frequently referred to as “the next Mahre brothers.”

I recently caught up with Cannon after a match between his current Vancouver squad and the San Jose team he captained the past three seasons. My piece on our conversation about playing ball, ski racing, and hangin’ with the Beckhams (and Will Smith and Tom Cruise) will be out this fall.

Skiing Jaws

Screenshot from Solomon Freeski TV, click to see videoTake a good look at the screenshot to the left: It's world-class surfer and freeskier Chuck Patterson skiing -- yeah, skiing -- the most famous surf on the planet, Maui's epic break, Jaws.

I just wrote a short piece on the guy who made Patterson's feat possible, Jason Starr, founder-inventor of Starr Surf Skis and among a handful of people who're pioneering the sport of surf skiing. If you're a Ski Racing magazine subscriber, you can read about Starr and the sport in the digital magazine here (replete with dynamic video of Patterson and others shredding waves in Hawaii), or you can read a PDF version of the article (sans video) here.

ESPN Radio; 2011 NCAA Skiing Champs; Mac|Life

Colorado's Eliska Hajkova en route to first-team All-America honors at the 2011 NCAA Skiing Championships... Another month gone by very, very quickly.

Beyond the status quo, I embraced a few new opportunities this month, including two guest appearances on  to discuss the 2011 NCAA Skiing Championships (March 9-12), which were hosted by the University of Vermont at Stowe Mountain Resort and Trapp Family Lodge.

Covering the event on site, my stories appeared in two different outlets each day, NCAA.com and skiracing.com. Have a glimpse of a particularly exciting event by clicking here -- a day when Colorado Buff Reid Pletcher made a thrilling escape to win the men's 20 k classic. My six-page feature on the 2011 Champs comes out in Ski Racing magazine on April 4.

I also had the privilege of contributing to Mac|Life magazine and maclife.com this month, reviewing a super-stellar photo editing suite for iOS devices. The print edition doesn't come out until June, but you can see the article online here.

And now? Shifting gears and welcoming spring.

2011 FIS Alpine World Championships, Germany

This was my view from the ladies' giant slalom finish on Feb. 17. Garmisch-Partenkirchen -- Bavaria in general -- is pretty stunning:

Ski Racing's 2010 Twitter Awards

More than half of Twitter’s nearly 200 million users have signed up in the past 18 months. And the spike in ski racing-related tweets was likewise plain for even the most casual observer. Many of our sport’s most prominent athletes are now regularly employing the platform to communicate with fans and each other.

Here, we bring you the year’s best North American ski racing tweets in five very serious categories (compiled and elaborated upon by Twitter newbie, @Bryce_Hubner) ... [read more]

NorCal wilderness

Gaining altitude slowly: Sunrise in the Trinity Alps, no lift service here (iPhone photo)

No Profs on A Powder Day

Ever second-guess where you went to college? Think there mighta been a better fit for you somewhere? If you’re a skier, the following article -- just published in Ski Racing magazine -- might make you ask yourself such questions if you haven’t already.

A fun look at some of the best places in the country to ski ... while you get an education:

U.S. News & World Report famously publishes its “Best Colleges” rankings each fall. We recently examined the 2011 list and found the absence of ski-specific criteria unacceptable. With that in mind, we evaluate the 10 best NCAA and USCSA college ski teams by a non-traditional standard: access to phenomenal terrain ... [read more]

Simon Dumont Flying High

Courtesy Red Bull / Tony Harrington

Before he started collecting a flurry of Winter X Games medals as a 14-year-old, high-flying freeskiing phenom, Simon Dumont was tearing up the slopes of Sunday River resort near his home in Bethel, Maine. In 2008, a 22-year-old Dumont returned to his hometown resort and set the current world record for quarter pipe big air -- 35.5 feet from the top of the pipe.

Epic.

Look for a profile of Dumont and tips on the right way to shred Sunday River in the January issue of GO.

Pictured -- courtesy of Red Bull & Tony Harrington -- Dumont gets upside down at Tahoe's Squaw Valley.

Metaphysics with Stanley Cup Champion Patrick Sharp

Sharp with Stanley Cup, playoff beard in tow. Courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks.Just finished a short piece on Blackhawks captain Patrick Sharp and the city of Chicago. Sharp, a prolific left winger, tallied 11 goals and 11 assists en route to hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup this past June.

In the interview, I asked Sharp some important metaphysical questions. Before the deep stuff, though, we tackled the following: "Pardon the assumption, but since you’re Canadian, we imagine you have discerning taste in beer: Do any Chicago beers meet your high standards? If so, where’s a great place to grab one?"

Look for his answer and more in the Decemeber issue of GO.

The Breck Epic

Courtesy of AirTran's GO... Still in the midst of a busy summer in the mountains and the city, so here's a quick update on one of the cooler cats I've recently covered ...

... The following profile / travel piece on Breckenridge, CO, and Breck Epic founder Mike McCormack appears in this month's edition of GO, AirTran Airways' inflight magazine. Here's the lede and a link to the online version of the piece:

Mike McCormack is the founder and director of the Breck Epic, an ultra-endurance mountain bike stage race through the high-alpine backcountry of Breckenridge, CO. For more than a decade, McCormack—an outdoor industry marketing professional by day— has married environmental advocacy and mountain biking groups in an effort to expand wilderness protection in the region. The race raises money for local nonprofits that focus on backcountry advocacy and stewardship initiatives ... [read more]

2010 US Open at Pebble Beach

This is a shot from an exclusive perch (wish it was because I was special, but alas, it's the company I keep!) adjacent Pebble Beach #6 on the final day of the 2010 U.S. Open. Moments earlier, Shaun Micheel notched a rare double eagle -- also known as an albatross -- after his approach landed just shy of the green and ran straight into the hole, setting the galleries at both #6 and #7 ablaze with cheers.

The MetLife Blimp, Snoopy One, hovers above Monterey Bay and the 17th green in the distance.

Sign it, people, sign it!

It'll take all of two seconds to help bring the World Cup back to the USA. Click here and get on board!

From Major League Soccer Press Box

Getty ImagesNot long ago, I had the privilege of covering pro soccer when the San Jose Earthquakes played the New York Red Bulls. My post-match recap and this brief story on Earthquakes midfielder Bobby Convey went up on the MLS homepage (and each team's website) shortly after the game.

Looking down on a large, exuberant crowd from the press box made me realize just how far MLS has come since its inception -- high-quality play and crowd enthusiasm are now plain for even the most casual observers. Very exciting stuff.

If you're a soccer fan, make sure you check out MLS's new website -- they're still working out the kinks, but it's pretty dynamic and a dramatic improvement over the previous incarnation.

NCAA Championships: Steamboat Springs, CO

Though it didn't last long, a blizzard swept through here this afternoon during the men's second run of giant slalom at the NCAA Championships. At right, one of the day's best shots (despite flat light and snow): New Mexico's Petter Brenna, who hiked in his first run, throws down a blistering second run from the back of the pack and finishes third.

Read a recap of the day's action by clicking here.