Ten Tricks at Mt Snow

Ten Tricks

This past weekend I took a trip down to mount snow with my good friend marc. I had been to Mt Snow before but never enough to really appreciate it. This has all changed as I decided to purchase a season pass. With a day ticket costing $90 and a season pass costing $360 it only made sense to buy the season pass.

   Mount Snow is home to Carinthia  which is the first and only all park mountain face on the east coast. Recently redesigned Carinthia is home to 12 parks for all skill ability. The face features over 125 features, a half pipe and a superpipe with 18 foot walls. Carinthia was the host for the 1^st annual winter dew tour stop, redbull buttercup finals and the Freeski Open.  Their park system has been on the receiving end of praise for its amazing conditions and adaptability to these big name tours. It doesn’t matter if you’re a pro skier or a novice, there is something for everyone to ride at Carinthia.

   We hit the road Saturday Afternoon for the 3 hour drive down to West Dover VT where we were going to be staying. It was hard to sleep but when we woke up we immediately headed to the mountain. This was my first time skiing as a season pass holder, not much has changed besides the fact this is going to be my third home mountain.

   We started off the day on the main face where we took some nice warm up laps to get our legs back under us. This was my first day out for the season so my legs were doomed either way. After shredding the main face we ventured on over to Carinthia where the fun began.

   The first couple runs blew my mind, I could not believe how nice of a park setup they had for just opening. As we were taking laps we ran into Aaron, Phil and Tyler and we continued to take laps on the park.

   The day went on until it was closing time and all of our legs were beat. Carinthia had drained me of all my energy. As we went home and reviewed the clips from the day I couldn’t of been more stoked to have bought a season pass to Mt Snow. By just spending a day there I was able to realize how much better I was going to get this season. Carinthia is a perfect training ground and I’m so glad I bought a season pass.

Life at Mt.Snow

For my final project i am going to be telling a story on what its like to be a season pass holder at mt. snow and what its like to be able to ski the best park on the east coast whenever you want. i am going to be making  video to tell this story.

Illegal Art

Art is a medium that has no limits.

The techniques, interpretations, and functions associated with this realm come and go and change every day—however what it will always hold true to at the core of its existence, is that it is a free expression.

 It can capture emotions and ideas that mankind could never form into words and cements them into cultures and history for centuries to come.

So why, are some forms of art frowned upon? Why is it that when a great painter sits down to contemplate the beauty of a landscape, paintbrush in hand, he is seen as genius but when a street artist decides to enhance the public’s viewing experience and provides a mural or message he or she is viewed as not an artist, like the painter, but an offender?

There are several reasons behind this mindset. The first is simple. Many members of society view street art and graffiti as a defacing of private and or public property. They wish to see art hanging on a wall, printed in a magazine or posted on a blog. In the eyes of much of society, to walk down the street and suddenly see a building livened with color or decorated with design is to recognize it as a nuisance. They will rarely be awed by its beauty or struck by its difficulty and effort.

But why is this?

Again the answer is quite simple and comes in two parts. The first is comfort. The majority of human beings do not thrive well during change. They prefer to remain in control of their surroundings and become caught off guard and sore to the idea of individuals, in this case graffiti artists, dictating the appearance of their residence and work areas.

The second reason is due to the association that comes along with graffiti—and that is gangs and violence. This type of graffiti is generally used to ‘mark turf,’ or display signs of violence or threats of that to come. Of course this type of graffiti is relevant and possesses a greater problem than simply artistic taggers however this is only one branch of the graffiti world.

There are so many artists who take to the streets and adopt the public setting as their canvas in order to deepen the thinking of the society in which they take part and express to the greater public the world in which they find their joy and creativity.  

Graffiti

For Our video assignment Sarah and i decided to do a video on Graffiti. While i'm home over break I am going to go with an artist, film and interview him to see why he likes graffiti and how he feels on the issue of it being illegal. For Sound we are going to use the interview and maybe some music to fill in some shots.

iReport

I recently discovered CNN's iReport which is a citizen journalism initiative that allows people from around the globe to contribute pictures and videos of breaking news stories. When i first stumpled onto iReport i didn't know  what it was and i was confused until i did some research and exploring around.
   Overall i think the sight is pretty cool because like any social media page you can favorite (like) someones story and vote on how good it was, you can share it to your facebook as well. If you like the story a lot you can rate it saying it should be on CNN. If you don't like it you can rate it as inappropriate.
  iReport also mentioned how you can meet other reporters through their database and see what stories they have reported or shared. What i don't like about this sight is that it is just like facebook, twitter, myspace basically any other social media platform except its for the news. Its a good idea but i don't think i would use it.

The Best Week Of My Life

Jackson Expedition - Video Maker

We walked into the airport, 6 ski bags and about 10 bags filled with gear, as far as anyone else knew we were pro skiers. At least we looked like we were. We handed all the gear over and made our way to security. As we waited for everyone we noticed Chris was missing. Chris had been brought back into security because he had left a snow saw in his carry-on. 20 minutes later we were on our way to the gate.
    As we walked through the airport it still hadn't hit me yet, we were on our way to Jackson hole! We got to the gate and boarded the plane to fly down to Texas, it was going to be my first time in Texas and it was going to be a short stay. Have you ever heard someone say everything's bigger in Texas? well its true, as i order my medium drink they handed me what had to be a gallon of soda, i thought to myself "i cant drink this", so i shared it with my buddy as we walked to our next gate.
    We loaded onto our next flight, ski boots at my feet. This was going to be a long flight as we were flying right into Jackson hole. I was tired but i couldn't fall asleep so i got myself a coffee and started day dreaming about what the next week was going to be like. We made our way over Colorado and i got my first birds eye view of some of the mountains below, I couldn't help it as a big smile appeared on my face, I was Stoked like a little kid in a toy store.
    We finally got over Wyoming, the mountain ranges were crazy and at this point i was wide awake with excitement. As the plane circled down we landed and this was my first time unloading off a plane right onto the runway. As i stepped off the plane i looked to my left and the Grand Teton was right there in my face. My jaw dropped, my dream was becoming a reality, i couldn't believe it. We made our way to the front where we met our guide Jake. Jake was just as stoked as we were. We loaded up the Van and left the airport. As soon as we left i looked to my right and there were 3 moose, we continued driving and then on the left there was a herd of hundreds of elk, i had never seen anything like it. I knew right from that point, this was going to be the best week of my life. The only thing between me and skiing was avalanche training and a 6 mile hike up 2,800' to our yurt the next day. I went to sleep and the whole week was a dream turned reality.

The Dream Week In Targhee National Forest

   Last year I went on a trip of a lifetime out to Jackson hole Wyoming to ski some backcountry with some fellow students from Lyndon State. We Spent a week living out of a yurt on Baldy Knoll about 5 miles into the Targhee National Forest.

    Ever since I was a kid I would dream about going out to Jackson Hole to ski some powder, its where all the pros were skiing and the best lines were being thrown down.  When I got to go last year I was like a little kid again, my dream had come true.  This dream didn't come easy, it took a lot of hard work and training so I was in prime physical condition for the trip.

   I can specifically remember dropping in on some “Hot Teton Pow” for my first time and I couldn't help but holler with joy.  Each turn was fluffy and smooth, the best run of my life is by far our trophy run which took 6 miles of hiking to get to and 6 miles to get back from, it was incredible. That whole week was like living in a dream for me and I can’t wait to share the experience .

THE TOP GRAPH IS OF JOHNSON STATE COLLEGE EVEN THOUGH IT SAYS LYNDON STATE- For our Data Story, Eric and I thought it would be interesting to investigate some of the statistics that we are surrounded by on an everyday basis—our peers. It is easy to say that Vermont exists as a state that is not extremely ethnically diverse. In fact the United States Census Bureau for Vermont shows that as of 2013, Vermont’s population has consisted of approximately 95.2% white individuals and less than 2% of every other ethnic background. That being said, Eric and I were not entirely surprised but still interested to see that the student body of Lyndon State College is made up of 90.8% white individuals, 2.2% African American individuals and less than 2% of every other ethnicity. After investigating these statistics, we were left with the curiosity of what the ethnic makeup of other Vermont colleges consisted of. We decided to compare our Lyndon State to Johnson State College, seeing as the populations of these two schools are slightly similar. Our findings were not entirely what we expected as 83% of the students attending Johnson State had reported identifying as white, 7% as American Indian, 3% Native Hawaiian, and less than 2% of every other ethnicity. Because the numbers for both Vermont, as a state, and Lyndon, as a reflection of Vermont, had proved to be so dominantly White, we were surprised that the numbers for Johnson did not reflect that same pattern. However, what Johnson’s numbers included that neither Lyndon’s nor Vermont’s did, was a large number of unreported ethnicity. About 8.2% of students had never reported what background they identified as, which left a great deal of room for speculation. Continuing to search for interpretation behind the numbers, Eric and I sought out the admissions office of Lyndon State, to better understand what drew certain ethnic groups to particular places. The admissions office informed us, that while Lyndon may not be extremely diverse, the college is always working on programs and different ways to attract people from all over the country and even the world to its facilities. They also mentioned that despite the number of ethnically diverse students, Lyndon State does in fact have the largest amount of out of state students, then all other state colleges within Vermont.

News Map, Making News Easier To See

So while searching around the internet i came across this website called "newsmap". News map is an online data visualizer that shows the more important news in bigger and more visual boxes, while the less important news is in smaller font in smaller boxes. While this isn't a story, if you click on any of the boxes it will bring you to a news story.i picked this website because it really makes it easy to see all the different news, you can get any news from around the world as well. What i really like about this is that the important stories are clear and easy to see, nothing is confusing about it and it actually makes it more interesting. Along with that all the boxes are color coded to match the story with its category. To be honest there is not much i don't like about this. while there was no story told on this website it did make it easier to see what stories are important and what the headline story is. It was definetily easier to go find out news on this website than any original news site.

Podcast Recently Eric and I got in touch with World Champion White Water Kayaker, Dane Jackson, age 21, in order to get a little insight into his career as well as some advice for future endeavors. We were thrilled with the opportunity to speak with him and when asked, what inspired him to keep going and how he pushes his limits, Dane answered, “I just love kayaking every day, so every chance I get on the water, whether it is white water or just taking people boating for the first time, it’s never hard to remember why I’m kayaking. For me it’s all about just pushing the sport and really staying true to the fact that I would be kayaking even if I wasn’t a professional or even if I didn’t have any sponsors and I was just working and kayaking whenever I could. I would still be doing that just because it’s such an incredible sport to be a part of. So that understanding that I am not in it just for the money really allows me to enjoy each day on the water and push the sport.” While Eric has experience with white water kayaking, I myself have never truly explored the sport. So being able to sit down with the world champion, I was curious to get his advice for beginners. He answered, “In the end it’s really a sport that anyone who loves water at all or even just loves getting outside should try. I think that the most important thing for people to remember is that they can go at any pace they want with kayaking. There is always some form of white water or something easy around that people can get on. They don’t have to worry about jumping right into some of the hardcore stuff, they can progress at their own pace, they can learn with other people. In the end people enjoy kayaking even if it is just flat water, it’s as simple as that, so any form of white water is exciting for most people defiantly when they are starting. So just take it at your own pace and just enjoy being on the water.” And finally, seeing as he has achieved so much in his lifetime, we wanted to know how he would encourage any individual, with any goal. How would he motivate and inspire youths and adults alike, to reach their full potential and achieve their goals. His response was, “Just remember to have fun each day because as long as you are having fun it is easier to enjoy yourself and to think about stuff you can try and where you can go next.” Dane is currently training to compete in the Adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championship, an event which takes place on the "Wellerbrücke” river in Austria's Oetztal Valley. This event will be taking place on the 2nd and 4th of October 2014. For further information on this event, visit www.adidas-sickline.com/en/race-info/ .

Dane Jackson: World Champion Whitewater Kayaker

For my podcast i got in touch with Dane Jackson the world champion for whitewater kayaking right now. Dane was more than willing to have a chat on the phone with me so i did a phone interview with him. The phone interview went well and i cant wait to share it.

AMBER ALERT

12 year old, 5 foot 95 pound French boy  Zachary Lee residing in Sunderland Vermont is missing.

Possibility of mother abducting the son and running away with him is in the air. Prior attempts to take off with her son have been made so police are worried.

Zachary arrived in Vermont in Late august after he was repatriated from France so he does not know the area well. Zachary was last seen when he was dropped off at the foot of the driveway to his foster home at 2327 North Road in Sunderland Vermont but never made it inside.

Patricia Kane is Zachery’s mother who is also from France. Authorities have been concerned that Patricia may take off with Zachery, this concern is based on documented history of such attempts while the kid was in the custody of the Republic of France. Patricia Kane is a 49 year old white female, approximately 6 feet tall, weighing in at 125 pounds, has white or blonde dyed hair, brown eyes and speaks with a French accent. Her direction of travel and mode of transportation is unknown.

As of right now Zachary is absent under circumstances inconsistent with his behavior, Since he has only been here since August 29^th 2014 he is unfamiliar with the area. Vermont state police have concern for his welfare because he is under 13 years old. Law enforcement agencies are using all available techniques and resources to investigate this situation and get it dissolved and bring Zachary home.

ANYONE with information please call 802-442-5421 or submit an anonymous tip to www.vttips.info or send a txt to “CrIMES” (274637) with keyword VTIPS

Podcasts with Potential

Eric Space

While looking through the assortment of pod-casts available for free on itunes i came across two which interested me. The First podcast channel is called SK8 o'clock, which offers weekly skateboard news. The second channel is called The Joe Rogan Experience which is a podcast from the comedian Joe Rogan.

SK8 O'clock

The reason i picked out Sk8 o'clock was mainly because the name intrigued me. I used to be a skater so as i was scrolling through the options and saw this title i was interested. What i mostly liked from the pod-casts was the product reviews and the up to date news. These guys cover everything from injuries to new team pick ups. the only thing i didn't really like about the podcast was the bland and boring tone of voice. the future for me and this podcast remain questionable. i might check back on a podcast in a while but i don't really skate anymore so skate news isn't that important to me. I have not and most likely will not put any of these pod-casts on my phone or ipod.

The Joe Rogan Experience

When i was scrolling through the options i saw the Joe Rogan experience and i immediately clicked and subscribed. The reason to this is because i used to listen to this podcast back in high school with my friend  whenever had a long drive or something. The biggest thing i like about the Joe Rogan Experience podast is that i love is humor. He always makes me laugh with situations that i can relate to. The only thing i don't like about his podcast is how long it is. i can never sit around and listen for that long so i always break it up into parts and it causes me to forget what he was talking about sometimes. I will defiantly listen to more of these podcasts in the future and will probably load some onto my ipod because i love his pod-casts 

Byron Gordon's post about buying car parts online

I found a Post about how more and more people nowadays are turning to the internet to buy car parts since you can find almost any part for your car online for cheaper then it would be in a store. This is a good blog because it is filled with facts, what i don't like about the blog is that it is a little repetitive, we know the point of the blog is that more people are buying car parts online so you don't have to keep repeating it to the reader. The Blog is written  by Byron Gordon, Byron makes a new post around every 2-4 days so it is a active blog. Unfortunately Byron hasn't posted since august 7th so it seems as the blog is going downhill, also on the post i read there were zero comments so it seems as if not to many people are following him. Byron used nothing other than text in his post to explain his post. Overall i give his post a 4-5/10 because it lost my interest before i even got halfway through.

Biking in the city

Went biking in the city of Rochestery, NY and came across some dope graffiti on the side of a water tower. You never know what you'll find while biking in the city, but i am glad i found this art.