Skate and Explore

February 29, 2016Stay Wild

Landyachtz is constantly making these rad videos reminding us to bring our boards everywhere we travel.

THE MOUNTAIN-SIZED SNOW MANDALAS OF SIMON BECK

February 28, 2016Stay Wild

The journey to complete a half-mile wide snow mandala begins with one step and pockets stuffed with bananas and chocolate chip cookies. This past month, in the high-altitude snowfields of Powder Mountain, the world-renowned snowshoe artist Simon Beck demonstrated just how far the limits of human creativity can be taken with the consumption of several boxes of snacks and multiple ephemeral masterpieces. Equipped with nothing but snowshoes, waterproof gear and a compass, Simon took to the fields of the mighty Wasatch mountain range and traversed well over the equivalent of a marathon to ‘draw’ his large-scale ephemeral snow art.

Simon’s process begins with a drawing or printed image on a regular sheet of printer paper. Once the design is finalized, Simon carefully measures and calculates the steps necessary to enlarge the image for use in the field. Shapes like the Koch triangle or repeating hexagons, which happen to be the basic structural patterns for snowflakes, often make the most successful patterns in Beck’s eyes.

Once in the field, Simon begins by walking the perimeter of the design with the aid of a lensatic compass to accurately calculate his angles. Occasionally, the path of the sun influences the orientation and placement of the drawing since shadows play a vital role in the visual success of each mural. After he finishes the outlines, Simon then begins retracing his steps, in militant fashion, to ‘shade’ the drawings. This process requires less planning and is occasionally carried out by volunteers looking for some quality exercise or artistic inspiration.

Simon has been creating these large-scale ephemeral snow murals for roughly 6 years, traveling around the world to share his talents with art lovers, outdoor enthusiasts and powder hounds alike. This past adventure marks only the second time he has worked in the United States, using the fresh snow canvas of Powder Mountain to create his intricate and geometric works. Invited through the Summit AIR program, he plans to return next season to create more mind-blowingly intricate snow patterns that perfectly capture the human journey through natural terrains, only to be eventually swept away by the wind or covered with a fresh blanket of snow.

For more words and photos check out 'The Mountain-sized Snow Mandalas of Simon Beck' over at the Escape Collective website: http://esccollective.com/mountain-sized-snow-mandalas/

Skate // Camp

February 26, 2016Stay Wild

Elemental Awareness Encourages Skaters in the Woods

Photos by Zach Epstein // zachepstein.format.com // @z_epstein

Words by Steve Mull, Elemental Awareness skate camp instructor

My hands are coarse, my palms blistered, and my ego rocked. I just spent an hour on one knee with a stick between my palms, drilling a hole into a flat, rectangular piece of cedar wood. When I started, my pride swelled at the scent of thick, woody smoke produced by friction: I was about to make a fire from scratch. But after an hour of vigorously rubbing back and forth, abusing muscles in my forearms I never knew existed, I failed to feel the heat of a man-made fire. Bummer.

I am currently in the wilds of the Sequoia National Forest working at the Element YMCA Skate Camp as a skateboard instructor. Despite failing to start a fire on my own, so far the most enriching experience has been attending an Elemental Awareness session. Elemental Awareness is a non-profit organization that connects kids to nature by teaching primitive survival skills, and focuses specifically on educating youth from inner cities and underprivileged backgrounds. Even if you don’t master these primitive techniques, the simple act of rubbing two sticks together offers a therapeutic escape, whether you’re from downtown Los Angeles or the rural hills of New England. Tasks like this remove all frivolity from our lives; they give campers something practical to do with our hands, and provide us with a break from scrolling listlessly through virtual newsfeeds. Outside of camp, our worlds burst with clutter, but by engaging in forgotten skills—whether it’s starting a fire, learning how to hunt small game, or building a weather-proof shelter with sticks and pine needles—we slowly strip down the clutter, piece by piece.

Henry David Thoreau pushes us further: “Our life is frittered away by detail,” he writes. “Simplify, simplify.” I watch campers successfully convert their energy into delicate flames, and the word “simplify” pulses through my veins and into my dirty hands. I get back to drilling, but notice my blisters are leaking. At this point I finally give up, my arms raw and shaking. I notice two other instructors smiling. They’ve probably seen something like this before, but they know—I know—I’ll be back.

Get involved with Elemental Awareness elementalawareness.org // @elementalawareness

Van Camping in Hawaii

February 23, 2016Stay Wild

With Local Fun-Tographer John Hook

Obviously the biggest perk is the year-round good weather. In Hawaii, you never have to line the inside of your Westy camper with foil to keep warm in the middle of a January night.

Even on Oahu, the most populated of the islands, there are still miles of coastline where you can find a spot to park your bed. There is a law in Hawaii that loosely states: If you are fishing at the beach (a pole in the sand, with fishing line cast into the ocean), you are legally allowed to stay at any public beach overnight any day of the week. So pull up in your van, cast a line, and hang out until the sun comes up.

There are a few city and county beach parks that sell weekend permits for beach park camping. Usually those official parks are in nice areas, and they provide bathrooms and public showers. I recommend doing this if you plan on camping in a big group.

In the summer, beach camping provides radical views of stars and the Milky Way, as long as you are far, far away from the city lights of Honolulu.

In the winter, if you are on Oahu, you can park near the beach and wake up to goliath surf right outside your sliding door. If you don’t already own a Vanagon or some type of imaginative Astrovan, no worries—most times, you can find a rental on Craigslist throughout the islands.