Back from the Fury of Outdoor Retailer

For the record, when I refer to OR I'm usually talking about Outdoor Retailer not Oregon. Sorry Oregon, I really do want to talk about you / come explore your wonders. Several of my friends in Oregon thought I was coming to see them and friends ask me, "How was Oregon" when I got back from Salt Lake City. Outdoor Retailer is a tradeshow where the entire outdoor industry is in one place showing off it's goods. I go to network with all of the marketing departments and scrounge up future work.

Another OR is over. I rushed to get my new portfolio magazine (take a look!) prepared for the show and skimped on setting up meetings, but the show went well despite my lack of preparation. It was a slow show, so many companies had more time to talk with me. (Many are hurting because of the lack of snow in much of the country).

Now the real work begins, the constant contact after the show. Get companies engaged and make them think of you first when they have photography needs. It's a balance between not contacting them too soon when they're swamped with all the other inquiries and not too long when they forget about you.

So...I have work to do. And I leave you with a random photo from last month.

The Crested Butte backcountry on Mt Evans last month when I was out with Donny Roth for Dynafit

Gear Reviews: Adidas Terrex Fast R Mid GTX - UPDATE!

I originally posted about this shoe back in May without reviewing it thoroughly. The Adidas Terrex Fast R Mid GTX has been my main hiker, adventure approach shoe, and by default, because it is my only GoreTex shoe, my winter/snow boot. I have worn it for a lot of short days, as an approach shoe in Colorado, where approaches to climbs generally take less than 30 minutes. I use it when running around in the snowy streets of Boulder and when going to ski in the mountains. But I hadn't really used it for it's main purpose, hiking, until recently.

Side note: I generally don't like hiking just to hike. I want to be going somewhere. I want to hike to climb, hike to ski, hike to swim in some freezing cold alpine lake. Going hiking for...exercise? I can think of plenty of exercises I would rather do.

One thing that I appreciate about my family is that they're all active. When we get together for a holiday we never just sit in someone's house and watch TV. We go hiking or on bike rides. For New Years this year my family went to Reno to my oldest sister's new place. There is quite a bit of hiking around Reno & Lake Tahoe. There was too little snow for good skiing, and even for snowshoeing. We hiked, everyday, a lot, in many different conditions.

In the week spanning the New Year I put a lot of miles on my Fast R's. And I've never appreciated them more. When I first got them they were too narrow for my oddly shaped wide feet, but now they fit me like a glove, a testament to breaking in your boots. The traction grips on every type of terrain; the Continental Rubber sticky but strong, shows no signs of wear. Walking on uneven ground, aka every trail, your steps feel controlled. I didn't know about the separated heel that helps to stabilize you on descents until I was looking up reviews of the women's version for my sister. I didn't know about it, but it works!

The lacing system took some getting used to, but now that I have it figured out I love it. When I'm just slipping the boot on to go around town in the snow I leave it loose and it's super comfortable. When I'm ready to get into the thicket I can quickly dial in the perfect fit. You pull the loop, cinch down the plastic tab, and tuck the string into an elastic catch. No boots coming untied, ever.

Whether I'm playing in snow, hiking through the mud, jumping across a creek, I'm never worried about my feet getting wet, and because of the build, the boot breathes incredibly well. Oh, and this boot is LIGHTWEIGHT! I even did some trail running and the mid-high boot didn't bother me at all.

I've been very impressed and even helped get a pair for my sister.

Michael O'Rourke on Free Range (v13) for Mad Rock

Last spring I shot with Michael O'Rourke at the Cage Free boulder at Castle Rock in Boulder Canyon. He had previously sent the sit start that ends in a dyno to a less than amazing finishing hold. I was shooting with him for Mad Rock.

In the late spring we had a lot of snow and the runoff caused Boulder Creek to run quite high. We had to build a platform of fallen trees to put the crash pads on over the rushing creek.

This week, it looks like I'm heading up into Cody, Wyoming for an ice climbing adventure with a bunch of great guys. After I'm immediately heading to Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City for my biannual networking fest. I'm missing some really amazing snow right now, but I'm excited to climb in Wyoming! 

Breckenridge on a Full Moon

This last December I was doing a shoot in Breckenridge during the Dew Tour. After the shoot I looked outside and saw a beautiful clear sky and a full moon. I knew I had to try and get to a high point to photograph the town and the mountains. Glad I did.

All of the Breckenridge skiable terrain and most of the town in the multishot panorama

Cover Photo

Happy New Years everyone! I hope that 2014 is a great one for you. 2013 was significantly better than 2012, and I feel like 2014 will on continue to get better. It's starting out great! I nabbed the cover of the latest issue of Denver's Culture Magazine, 5280!

Here's the full photo of Lee France running at Doudy Draw near Boulder, CO in the spring of 2012.

I'm looking forward to a wonderful year! Thanks for everyone's support, I would be nothing without all of you that believe in me and help to push me forward.