Real Women. Find Out Who Won!

REAL WOMEN.

The X-Games REAL Series started in 2010 with Real Street as a way to bring the worlds of professional skateboarding contests and video production together. Expanding each year, there are now a total of 6 disciplines in the series. Real Women, added this year, is an all female video contest combining 4 different sports, Surfing, Skiing, Snowboarding and Skateboarding, with some of the most talented female athletes in the world. Each athlete submitted a 75-second video edit showing off their skills and showcasing their personalities. Yesterday it was announced that Ingrid Backstrom won the Fan Favorite while Leticia Bufoni won the Gold Medal given by the judges at the X-Games in Barcelona.

Check out the rest of these ladies and their various skills. Who did you vote for?

Around the World on 7 Peaks

This week a group of Nepalese women, who call themselves the Seven Summits Women are receiving international acclaim for being rockstar mountaineers. Women between the ages of 21 and 32 have joined forces to change the perception in Nepal of women in mountaineering. They are on an adventure and on a mission to do just that by climbing the highest peak on each of the seven continents. They are hoping to attract more women to the realm of climbing by visiting schools as a group and explaining their mission, which includes education, empowerment and environment. The team have taken out loans, used up their savings and looked for sponsors in order to make this happen. All in the name of women empowerment through adventure in the great outdoors. Keep up the amazing work ladies! I can’t imagine how many girls you inspire everyday!

Saphalhos!!

Earlier this month, Chhurim, a Nepalese woman, became a Guinness World Record holder by becoming the first woman to scale Mt. Everest twice in same climbing season. In fact the 2 trips were only a week apart. 21 women have reached the peak of Mt. Everest, but only Chhurim has been able to reach it twice in one season. In the article, she addresses that it is rare for women to accomplish physical feats such as this because “they are considered not as strong as men and face many problems like finding toilets,” which shows how much impact all of these women could have if they showed the world that they can hold their own at something most people in the world would never attempt to do.

Here in Crested Butte, a small but significant portion of our community is Nepalese. I have worked with Sonam and Namkha in the restaurant that I worked in for years until just recently. I managed to learn a few basic greetings in both the Nepalese and Sherpa languages, such as “how are you? > Kasto Cha?” or “thank you > Dhanybhad” “good night > subha ratri” They were often  the lights of the restaurant. You never heard them complaining. You never saw them get angry. but you did always see them smiling. I have an intense passion for travel and learning about different cultures, so I can’t imagine how much I probably annoyed them (although you’d never notice it) by asking questions about their lives in Nepal. Most of the Nepalese in CB are Sherpa, and have made a huge mark in town with their out-of-this-world food at both the Sherpa Cafe and Momo. Many were guides back in Nepal, some of them having double digits worth of Everest climbs. Their stories fascinate me. You walk into any bar here and hear the same story a million times of what somebody “hucked” that day or how many ski days they have put in this winter. But if those lovers of bragging rights sat down just once to hear what their busser at dinner that night did in a day back in Nepal, they would quickly be humbled. It is a culture that I had never encountered before moving here, and one of the many things I love so much about our community.

Rad Ladies. Awesome Videos. 1 Kick-ass Prize!

Remember when I told y’all about SheJump’s video contest that is going to send 2 lucky ladies to Tailgate Alaska? Well today, Feb 28, is the LAST day to send in your video. Go to the link below and start voting on your favorite video! The entries are being judged both by a panel of experts and YOU! So all you have to do is follow the link below, watch some rad videos of awesome women showing off their skills in the backcountry, and vote for your favorite! There will be 2 Runners-up Awards, and a People’s Choice Award. Help make 2 ladies very happy, and send them on their way to only progress in the adventure that is skiing!

Good Luck to all of you badass ski-bumettes!

SheJumps to Alaska Videos

#CelebrateSarah

Remembering Sarah

Above is a beautiful article remembering Sarah Burke a year after her death from people in the industry that knew her. A year ago today the world, and closer to home, the ski world, lost an incredible person. While never lucky enough to meet her, I have never heard one bad thing about this beautiful, inspirational woman. Kind, generous, caring, inspiring, happy, talented, these are the words I hear describing this incredible woman who paved the way for other women to join into the world of freeskiing and extreme sports. Her name became a household name as she broke the mold of what women and skiing meant together as she excelled year after year, competition after competition.

 

She is still an inspiration to everyone in the world of skiing, but to women, Sarah is a hero.  These snippets of her short but full life show us that even as a hero, an idol, a super star, and a bad-ass athlete, Sarah was one of us. A dreamer, a lover, a friend, a woman. She represents ski bumettes everywhere, and her story gives us the strength to know that we can do anything we believe we can. Even through her tragic death, she is able to serve as a beautiful reminder of what it is to live by our own standards of happiness, while being a light in others’ lives as well.

Thank you Sarah. From one ski bumette to another.

 

Powder Awards: Best Female Performance

Tonight the ski industry elite are gearing up for their chance to win at least one coveted Powder Award. Powder Magazine, known as “the skier’s magazine” nominates and votes on a number of categories based on the previous year’s ski movies. Best Line, Best Powder, Best Editing, etc. The one that I am focusing on though, big shocker here, is the Best Female Performance. All of these women kicked ass this year, and I am excited to see which lovely lady will take the prize home.

Watch tonight at 7:30 MST.

Nominated are:

Michelle Parker – Superheroes of Stoke – MSP Films

Ingrid Backstrom – Superheroes of Stoke – MSP Films

Angel Collinson – The Dream Factory – Teton Gravity Research

Elyse Saugstad – Kill Your Boredom – Voleurz

Good luck ladies!

SheJumps to Alaska: Get Your Cameras Ready!

Want to go to Alaska for free? SheJumps is hosting a backcountry skiing/riding video contest for women who “demonstrate backcountry skiing/riding abilities, smart decision-making in the mountains and creativity.” 

SheJumps, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase female participation in outdoor activities essentially through creating a community of women who help each other reach their goals, used it’s vision to create a contest that will “help increase the presence of women skiers and riders in the Alaskan mountains.” Flow Tailgate Alaska and SheJumps have joined forces to inspire women to push their own limits while being safe in the backcountry.

Flow Tailgate Alaska is a 10 day festival (March 29-April 7 2013) that started in 2008  as a “way to honor the pioneering spirit of riding in Valdez, while giving access to a whole new group of riders in an affordable way.” Known for having some of the best terrain on earth, Valdez offers bottomless powder, endless mountains for various skill levels and an inspiring setting to get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. You will have the opportunity to take educational classes, meet other powder hounds, scope your lines and head out into paradise doing what we all love so much. Ladies, it is your time to shine this year!

Videos must be 1-5 minutes, and must be from the 2011/2012 or 2012/2013 winters. Submit videos via the SheJumps.org facebook page by 1 am MST February 28, 2013. The videos will be judged by a panel of men and women. Although the public will get a say in who gets 2 Runner-Up prizes and a People’s Choice Award, supported by Flylow Gear and RAMP Skis and Snowboards. Get those cameras out and show the world how you will represent female skiers everywhere!

Prize Package Includes:

Airfare for 2 to Anchorage                                                

Tent Accommodations at the Festival

Transportation from Anchorage to Valdez                  

1 Full Day of Cat Skiing

2 All-Access Passes to TGAK                                           

Swag Bag from Sponsors

For more information visit SheJumps.

Getting Refreshed with GoPro

Maybe I’ve just been watching too many ski movies this off-season, but seeing a video with multiple sports using different mediums is so refreshing. From snow to air to water to trees, these awesome athletes are kicking ass and making it look like we should all be there with them. What especially impressed me with the video though, is that one of the two skiers is a female. Julia Mancuso, a World Cup ski racer and Olympic medalist, takes on the big mountain and rips! I think women in advertising, even this century have too often been strictly selling sex, appearance or cleaning products. So it awesome to see GoPro representing female athletes and giving them just as much camera time as their male equivalents. Not to mention, it is always fun to see a ski racer take on powder. Not discrediting the incredible free diving mermaids, but as opening day here in Crested Butte approaches, I can’t get enough of women ripping on snow.

“If She Can Do It…”

“This is mountain biking! It’s not chemistry class!”

Ladies, if you are in the Seattle area this Thursday evening, stop by Saint Andrews Bar & Grill at 6 pm to see the world premiere of If She Can Do It. Or if you are anywhere else in the world, watch it on Pink Bike at 6pm PT.

The documentary, shot by film maker Mark Brent, known for Awesome Land, was filmed at Sugar Showdown this past July at Duthie Hill Park in Issaquah, WA. The event was hosted by Kat Sweet of Sweetlines, a service dedicated to the coaching, training and empowering of women through mountain bike courses and events. The event itself was a women-specific two-day clinic and competition focusing on providing a supportive environment while bringing women’s freeriding to the forefront.

Watch women from across the country come together to push their fears aside and to learn what it is like to crush it on a mountain bike. It is inspirational to see women just like yourself take it to the next level, doing things on a bike they never thought they would do. It is one thing to follow your man on the trail and write off not doing the tricks he does “because he’s a guy” and it is something totally different to be surrounded by women and think, “well, if she can do it…” Next thing you know, you are flying off that drop-off and landing it better than any dude.

Interested in events and classes through Sweetlines? Continue to check their website for updates and to read all about Miss Badass herself, Kat Sweet.

 

Event Details:
Who: Hosted by Kat Sweet of Sweetlines and Mark Brent of Awesomeland
What: If She Can Do It documentary film premier
Where: Saint Andrews Bar and Grill, 7406 Aurora Avenue North, Seattle, WA and online at www.pinkbike.com
When: Film at 6:00 p.m., PT on Thursday, November 15, 2012 (Saint Andrews Bar festivities begin at 5:30 p.m.)

 

Lindsey Vonn Wants to Ski with the Boys

Lindsey Vonn wins her 51st World Cup Downhill

The name Lindsey Vonn to any woman in the world-wide ski community means strength, determination and badass super woman. She has won four overall World Cup championships as of this year, not to mention a gold medal in the 2010 winter olympics in Vancouver. As far as World Cup victories, she is only nine short of breaking Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Proell’s record of 62 victories.

And now, Ms. Vonn would like a chance to race against the best male ski racers in the world at the World Cup season’s opener in Lake Louise, Alberta. She has written a letter to the International Ski Federation (FIS) asking permission to break new ground by skiing in the November 24 downhill race. Now the United States Ski & Snowboard Association must file a formal request to the FIS. There are a few hurdles to consider as well. If the request is accepted, Vonn will miss the opportunity to pick up points at the competition in Aspen that same weekend. The women’s first speed races of the season are being held at Lake Louise the week after the men’s races, which could be in violation of the World Cup rule Article 14.2: ‘No training shall be allowed on World Cup racecourses during the last five days prior to first training run or competition.’ According to the New York Times, Vonn has said she would be willing to forgo two of the practice runs before the women’s race. She also said she would not race in the men’s downhill, if she is prohibited from racing in the women’s as well.

I want to know what you think. Is she taking away from or adding to the image of women’s ski racing? And what are your next steps to push yourself to your personal next level? Follow Lindsey on Twitter @lindseyvonn  for updates on whether or not she gets to race with the boys this November.

The Invisible Bike Helmet: Symbol of the Impossible

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/43038579″>The Invisible Bicycle Helmet | Fredrik Gertten</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/focusf”>Focus Forward Films</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Whether or not to pass a law requiring cyclists to wear bike helmets is a hot topic around the world. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, 91% of cyclists involved in fatal bicycle crashes in the US in 2009 were not wearing a helmet. It also states that not wearing a helmet increases one’s risk of head injury by at least 85%. And yet every year people are injured in bike accidents because they chose not to take this preventative measure. But why?

At least one reason (albeit a vain one) we could all agree on is helmet hair just doesn’t look good on anyone. And when you are riding from home to the office, a hat doesn’t always work. Not to mention how silly bike helmets look while riding across town. If only there was a way to look good while being safe on wheels.

“Cars are so yesterday. Bikes are the future.”

                                                        – Terese Alstin

Two Swedish designers, Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, spent seven years on the impossible: an invisible bike helmet, the hövding. They teamed up with a head trauma specialist, studied movement patterns of bike crashes and normal riding, and raised 10 million dollars in venture capital to get this revolutionary tool underway. The helmet is actually an airbag, designed with different hairstyles, head gear, and head shapes in mind. It is stored in a collar with a removable outer shell so you can trade out designs based on what you are wearing. The collar includes sensors, which detect the difference in “normal”riding behavior and “accident”  behavior. When it senses the rider is in an accident, it will send a signal to the gas inflator in the back of the collar. The gas inflator, which uses helium, will then inflate the helmet around the rider’s head to protect them as a normal “visible” helmet would.

Thought to be impossible not only because it was a new inconceivable idea, but also because the creators and managers of the operation were women, Anna and Terese were determined to prove critics wrong. Regardless of their gender, regardless of their “place” as a woman according to others, regardless of the impossible, these women created a stylish tool of the future. “It is chicken to be a realist.” I couldn’t agree more.