Redwood Regional Park... and yes, it's still Oakland

Although I've been to it a few times over the past year, I'm just starting to experience the unique splendor of Redwood Regional Park here in Oakland. Hard to believe it's only seven miles from where I live, this park at the top of the Oakland hills feels incredibly remote. The main attraction is an eight mile "fireroad" loop, but the appreciation comes from exploring the singletrack trails that are off the beaten path. In my opinion, there is a lot of technical terrain to be found, with lots of up and down with uneven footing and tight space. My favorit trail is the French Trail (most technical). The past couple of weeks I've found myself here trail running. I'm not much of a runner (although I was a triathlon geek a decade ago!), but the great NorCal weather has been inspiring. Actually, I kinda hate running because of the beating my feet take... but I do appreciate the environment (trail aspect) and exertion (workout). Not sure how long this "kick" will last, but it's nice to just get out and turn my mind off.

Spring Fevor at Squaw

Tahoe is in some desperate need of snow, but that didn't stop me from heading up there to meet up with my good buddy AB and Desiree. AB was only in the country for about a week before heading off to guide his second season on Mt. Everest, so we thought it appropriate to meet up for the weekend. He had just been in France guiding for over a month, so these boney Tahoe conditions made for more of a social weekend than shred weekend. With conditions pretty bright and sunny, the morning was bullet hard ice which turned into spring slush in the afternoon. To kick off the spring weather, Monster energy drinks hosted a "pool party" at the top of the cable car lift "lagoon" and that was a whole lot more fun than than we thought. Glad we had the foresight to wear swim suits under our riding clothes "just in case." 'Cause you never can tell when you're gonna run into a pool party.

Schooled at Kirkwood

Following Jim into the abyss
Zellers and me
Me, Jimmy Hopper and Hailey Caruso
C-leb, Jim , and Heidi Wirtz in the back about the drop in

I was fortunate to land a three day "work" trip to Kirkwood. Not only was it three days of riding, but it was lead by Jim Zellers, Tahoe hardman who has been shredding since before the word shred was used in boarding. Also, my boy Caleb (aka, Bustah Brown, C-leb, C-liberace, Caleb Brown the Grumpy clown) was there with Jimmy Hopper, charging their way down the hill. On day two, school was in session as Jim pushed me out of my comfort zone, which I'm way psyched that he did. Day three we woke up to fresh powder... a great way to end the trip!

What I'm ridin'...

I'm pretty stoked about my new set-up for the (second half) of the season. The Raging Viking Jacket and Raging Viking Pants are constructed with Gore-tex fabric and a part of the Cryptic collection. Pretty dope. I got hooked up with the limited edition Stepchild x 32 Lashed boot from 32 boots. The colorway is sick. My 158 YES snowboard Camrock (camber and rocker) design made my old board seem like a 2x8. And of course... never without Electric Visual... the "windshield", EG2.

Touble Andrew at the YES x TNF party

I've been listening to Trevor Andrew (aka Trouble Andrew) the past few years and he's definitely blowing up now... some of that may be because his girl is Santogold. A pro rider, Trouble had an injury a few years ago and put his efforts into music during his recuperation. The other night he did a show at a launch party for YES snowboards and various other industry sponsors. His set was short, but highly energetic and in a pretty cozy setting. He's signed with a major label and has a new album to release this summer.

Winter Tradeshow Season is here...

I'm on the road for a couple weeks for work, hitting the Outdoor Retailer Tradeshow and then the SIA (ski industry) tradeshow in Denver. OR in SLC is old hat... this is like the 18th time I've been to this twice a year show. This is the first time SIA is in Denver... the vibe is a bit more mellow than Vegas, but fun nonetheless. We killed it with our booth (see pics)... it was pretty cool to bring in a fresh vibe.

First tracks of the season...

Last weekend were my first riding days of the season... and what a start. Being from the East Coast, I haven't really had many powder days, so the 4 ft+ storm was quite an exhausting experience. I consider myself a pretty good athlete, but I have never been so drained from a day of physical activity. That probably correlates to the fact that I was doing more swimming that riding. Day one was Northstar, with empty tree lines and plenty of powder. Day two was my first time at Squaw, and it was quite the experience. We battled the crowds early in the day and were rewarded with a first tracks run as we caught a ski patroller pulling up the closed signs. True chaos nearly erupted while the mob waited for the upper mountain to open up. All said and done, it was well worth the waiting.