Shoe Whore: Me and my LaSportiva Cirque Pros

by Rob Coppolillo June 21, 2011

I feel an intimate kinship with Imelda Marcos. When the nosy newsmen invaded her palace in 1986 they filmed and mocked her 5,400 pairs of shoes. Blowhard ignoramuses, every one of them. The newsmen, not the shoes. These filthy, buttoned-down, hairsprayed philistines had the nerve to question not only the style of the shoes within [...]

Valmont Bike Park is OPEN

by Rob Coppolillo June 12, 2011

After years of wrangling, dreaming, and scheming, the 40-acre Valmont Bike Park is finally open. With the help of the city of Boulder, the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance (BMA), a bunch of generous donors, and an intrepid crew of volunteers (Bobby Noyes, Chris Grealish, Elizabeth Train, Pete Webber, and many [...]

Late-Spring Ski Porn from the Chamonix Insider

by Rob Coppolillo June 11, 2011

I almost feel bad posting so much material from ChamonixInsider.com…but given how badass most of Trey’s content is, the feeling generally passes as soon as I hit “play.” Cham had a terrible mid-late winter, but they have gotten a couple dribbles lately, including a good dump a couple weeks back. The local hooligans all charged [...]

Want 25 Large for Your Fave Crag? Read On!

by Rob Coppolillo June 9, 2011

Yo dirtbags and fellow lovers of the vertical, how about you secure a few grand to maintain, upgrade, or reequip your favorite climbing area? The American Alpine Club has launched an interesting initiative for 2011 by offering $25,000 in grants to qualifying projects. Money can go towards anchor upgrades, parking facilities, waste-management strategies…just about anything [...]

Master of None Returns…Two Grand Lighter

by Rob Coppolillo June 7, 2011

Bottom line: I’m an imbecile. Nearly two weeks ago I settled down to a quiet evening. The boys were asleep and Rebel had gone out with her friends. I brewed a mug of tea, set it on the floor and prepared to “foam roller” my consistently tight IT bands. If you have no idea of [...]

Red Rock Blossoms

by Rob Coppolillo May 18, 2011

For years I’ve been visiting Red Rock(s) outside Vegas, for the world-class climbing and gorgeous scenery. I’ve not been lucky enough to see a full spring bloom…until this past week. The Sierras are still getting feet of snow and there’s been a bit of moisture left over for the desert…to our benefit. We did two [...]