Suing for Survival: Do Skagit River salmon have legal rights?
Patagonia Journal
What happens when a fish takes the witness stand in a courtroom? The seat probably isn’t very comfortable, and the fish might not be able to see the jury.
During a recent lawsuit in Washington state, salmon had a little help from their allies, the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, who argued “Sahkuméhu (the Sauk-Suiattle) have a sacred covenant with Tsuladxʷ’s (salmon) and the Stulekʷ (river) and all living creatures without which we cannot live.”
When Worlds Collide: Christian Rigal Rides on His Own Terms
Freehub Online
On Christian Rigal’s last visit to his hometown skatepark, he left early because a parent called the cops on him. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, and it likely won’t be the last, but it bothered him nonetheless. When he pointed out that the kid’s scooter wasn’t technically allowed there either, the seething dad responded, “Well, you’re too old to be here.”…
Something out of Nothing: Leigh Woody's Thoughtful Cuts
Craft MTN, Issue 5.2
Leigh Woody first became intrigued by wood carving when she decided to build her friend Vesper a house. She had no prior experience. But as someone with an artistic knack and all-around crafty persona, she figured it wouldn’t be too difficult. A week later, Vesper, a squirrel, moved gleefully into her freshly carved cedar abode, complete with an Ent-like leafy figure carved on the inside…
Deep Enough: Duncan Howat’s Dynasty at Mt. Baker Ski Area
The Ski Journal, Issue 15.4
There are no condos at Mt. Baker Ski Area. No high-rise hotels or luxury storefronts. And if there’s a hot tub, it’s the best kept secret since Bigfoot’s whereabouts. In the day and age of mega-resorts and conglomerate ski passes, this small, locally owned, 1,000-acre-ish ski hill at the end of Washington state’s Highway 542 is as much an anomaly as it is a rarity…
Grease & Grit: Austin Hironaka Is on a Mission to Hotrod the World
Craft MTN, Issue 5.1
Don’t tell Austin Hironaka what to do. In high school, his soccer coach told him he should quit snowboarding to focus on training more—so he quit the team and fully dedicated himself to snowboarding…
Above Alpine: John Scurlock's Aerial Pursuit of the North Cascades
Craft MTN, Issue 4.2
There are some 15,000 rivets in John Scurlock’s bright yellow RV-6 experimental airplane. He might not know this number off the top of his head, but he certainly knows the significance of it, seeing as he installed every single one himself…
End of the Line: Singletrack & Trout in the North Cascades
META, Vol. 19
Summer arrived late in Washington state this year. Usually by June it’s nothing but sun in the forecast with temps peaking in the mid-80s. But 2020, by all accounts, has been anything but normal. So when the misty mornings and favonian gray days extended beyond the summer solstice, a twinge of confusion hung in the air…
Metallic Musings: Aaron Loveitt’s Explorations of Art and Earth
A thicket of bronze vines lays on the ground in Aaron Loveitt’s studio, branches weaving through each other in a methodical and ornate layout. This installment, which will eventually be a driveway gate for a client, has been his focal endeavor for the past four months, a suitably solo activity that’s kept him busy during the coronavirus lockdown…
Subtle Shapes: Maddy Marshall and the Various States of Flow
Craft MTN, 3.1
The first surfboard Maddy Marshall ever shaped, he miscalculated the amount of resin needed for the fiberglassing process. To work around the slight shortage, he opted out of placing a leash plug, which meant when it was finished, there would be no way to connect himself to the board…
Sketch Comedy: Victor Brousseaud’s Funny Take on the Familiar
Freehub Magazine, 11.2
Being funny isn’t always easy. But drawing funny is downright difficult. Combining humor and art walks a fine line in which both must be consistent and harmonious in visual and comedic style. So when it’s said that Victor Brousseaud draws funny, it’s a compliment.
For the Love of Speed: The Ingenious Mind of Mert Lawwill
Freehub Magazine, 11.2
Mert Lawwill never really rode mountain bikes. Perhaps this is because he was more used to doing 100 miles per hour on his motorcycle while racing flat track—the literal and historic definition of “foot-out, flat-out.” When that’s normal, riding something with pedals instead of a motor could understandably be boring...
James Crowe: The Reality of Freedom
META, Vol. 16
Two years ago, James Crowe settled into a little slice of paradise. It’s maybe a quarter of an acre and had two small structures on it at the time. One was a derelict prefabricated house that he wasted no time in tearing down. The second was a garage with a small apartment above that needed a lot of work….
Divine Elements: Leaving a Legacy in Antoine Basin
Freehub Magazine,10.4
The universe has 94 known naturally occurring elements. Hydrogen and helium, the two most common, are understood to have formed during the Big Bang some 13.8 billion years ago, while numbers six (carbon) through 26 (iron) have been formed through stellar nucleosynthesis, or nuclear fusion within stars. Elements 27 (cobalt) and beyond are formed by supernova nucleosynthesis—essentially, exploding stars…
A Thousand Different Feelings: The Legendary Banked Slalom State of Mind
The Snowboarder’s Journal LBS Recap
Every Thrilling 60-plus second run of Mt. Baker’s Legendary Banked Slalom course is preceded by a few moments of tranquility in the race’s hallowed start shack. The 5-foot by 5-foot black plywood box stands at the top of Chair 5, dwarfed by Mount Shuksan and worn by years of weather and racers passing through…
An Omen in Oregon
CMC, Issue 16
The pathway down to Short Sand Beach ducks under Highway 101 and into a tunnel of greenery. As the sounds of zooming cars fade away, the quiet of the forest takes over, along with the trickling waters of Short Sand Creek. The 10-minute walk feels like a portal, leaving behind the modern world and arriving at a beautiful sandy cove, with westward views extending to the horizon…
Wheels to Wax with Brett Tippie
The Snowboarder’s Journal, Issue 17.1
When Craig Kelly tells you that you should race in the pro division, you should probably race pro. The suggestion kicked off Brett Tippie’s professional racing career in 1991. As even more incentive, Craig sold Tippie a speed suit for $150. That was the second time they met…
Let’s Give it Hell:
Slightly Buzzed and Totally Blind at Trans-Cascadia
Freehub Magazine, 9.4
Volcanos are insane. As in, incomprehensible—for me at least. The amount of sheer energy that lies dormant below is something I’ve only witnessed in sci-fi movies or imagined accompanying the apocalypse. But they’re also insanely beautiful…
The King of Fun: Kirt Voreis’ Unconventional Program
Freehub Online, 2018
Kirt Voreis likes to say he’s lucky. The 44-year-old professional mountain biker has an illustrious career that’s evolved with the sport itself, witnessing—and at many times partaking in—the changing disciplines, fashion forays, mainstream surge and cultural changes. But for every life-changing instance that Kirt attributes to luck, there are 10 other equally defining moments that are the direct result of his hard work and persistence…
The Serpentine Experiment
Craft MTN, 2.1
The garage door is open as I park outside of Tony Baumann’s house on a hot July afternoon, but there’s no sign of the man himself. I duck under the door, following voices into the small, hand-built painting studio that occupies a third of the garage, where I find him chatting with professional mountain biker and Bellingham resident Bryn Atkinson. Between them is a red-bellied black snake, a species native to Bryn’s home of eastern Australia…
The Priceless Princess: A Sail and Splitboard Journey to Princess Louisa Inlet
CMC, Issue 15
“Put down your cocks and grab your socks. You’re wasting daylight, boys,” the middle-aged man yells from his boat to ours. We’ve just emerged from the cabin of our sailboat, and as far as he is concerned, we are running late. But with the formidable granite walls and forested steeps of Princess Louisa Inlet towering overhead, a good night’s rest is more important than an alpine start. The snowfields above, which are the basis for our entire splitboard mission, still elude our view.
Coherent Creation: Into the Woods with Mark Matthews
Freehub Online, 2019
On an early spring day in the quiet woods of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the whirring of a hub reverberates through the trees and disappears into the abyss. Petrichor lingers in the air and the recent precipitation is visible in the dark brown dirt. Endless small pebbles line the trail, evidence of a winter’s worth of rain…
The Lorax: Fanie Kok and a Voice for Trail Builders
Freehub Magazine, 9.2
Fanie Kok hasn’t had a physical address in three years. Even if someone did try to ship him something, he’d probably be in their neighborhood before it got to his hometown in South Africa…
Superb Sounds: The Undetectable Work of Keith White
Craft MTN, 2.2
You don’t see Keith White’s artwork, you hear it—and ideally, it goes unnoticed. He’s the master mixer and audio engineer behind many (if not most) of the action sports world’s feature films and polished edits. When you hear the unmistakable whirring of a hub, a tire slow-motion drifting through a loamy corner or birds chirping in the distance, chances are it’s a sound White added or enhanced to bring beautiful shots to a new level...