Technology has advanced sports in ways that few people could have imagined. Snowboard designs were applied to skis, resulting in the forgiving fat skis that are so popular now. Paragliding technology was combined with wake boarding technology resulting in kitesurfing. You can even ski in the most unlikely of places — like Dubai — thanks to technological advances.

I started surfing a few years ago while living in Taiwan. I suck horribly, but love it. So, after two desert-bound years in Utah, I was ready to try anything. I started asking around about whether there were any standing waves in nearby rivers that could be surfed. That’s when I first heard about Flowrider.

The Artificial Indoor Wave Machine

Flowrider is another of those surprising technological advancements that came out of nowhere and took a well-known sport in an unexpected direction. Flowrider is the brainchild of Tom Lochtefeld. It’s basically a giant franken-wave for indoor boogieboarding and surfing.

There are several models that replicate everything from barrel waves to reef breaks. The model that I rode at the facility in Ogden — about an hour’s drive north of Salt Lake City — was a tamer model that simply creates a nicely-shaped standing wave.

The Flowrider double, which I rode, mimics a standing wave by firing a steady stream of water about six inches deep over a smooth wave-shaped bottom. The riding surface is about 32 ft (9.8m) wide and 54 ft (16.5m) long. A 240hp motor propels 221,000 liters of water over the shaped bottom at a high velocity, mimicking the movement of water in a large wave.

Riding the Flowrider

You can boogie board on a Flowrider like you would on a normal wave. Surfing, however, is a different story. The water is too shallow to ride a surfboard with fins on it, so riders are given a board that’s similar in shape to a twin-tip skateboard, but is about three feet long.

Surfing on the Flowrider is not exactly like surfing on a wave, but it’s excellent practice for learning balance, the feel of the water rushing beneath you, and the subtleties of turning on a board that you’re not strapped into.

It’s also not easy.  In eight or nine attempts that I made during my one-hour session, I was never able to stay standing for more than ten seconds (there’s a sweet video of me falling at the end of this post). However, by the end I was more stable and standing for longer. I think that after another hour I would have gotten the hang of it much better.

Nothing can replace the surfing experience. Paddling out through the break, sitting on the waves in the sun watching the sets come in, and the feeling of catching a wave in the perfect spot are all impossible to recreate.

But, we can’t all be near a break all the time, and Flowrider is definitely a good way to satisfy the beast in the meantime.

Watch Me Wipe Out on the Flowrider

The post Indoor Surfing on the Flowrider appeared first on XpatMatt.

I was fortunate enough to visit Snowbird a few times this year and shoot some of their sponsored riders. It was epic. I rode chutes like the ones I’d only previously seen in movies. Hucked sme pretty big cliffs as well. The conditions weren’t always great for photos, but we still got some pretty spectacular shots.

 Is Snowbird the best ski resort in the United States?

Make your voice heard.

VOTE FOR SNOWBIRD HERE!

The post Snowbird Powder Porn appeared first on XpatMatt.

No Snowboarders Allowed

When I first moved to Utah I was appalled to learn that there are two ski resorts here that don’t allow snowboarders: Alta and Deer Valley.

I was also intrigued.

Alta, one of the oldest hills in North America, is regularly featured on lists of the best ski resorts in in the United States. It’s referred to by many skiers as the mecca of the sport. It’s also a source of tension among local skiers and snowboarders, as can be clearly seen in the video Sh*t Alta Skiers Say About Snowboarding.

When I found out about Alta’s policy, I knew I had to find out what it was about this hill that created such devotion among pass holders and why the management felt it necessary to prevent snowboarders from sharing the hill. 

Going Undercover

In order to slip by unnoticed as a snowboarder on Alta, I needed camouflage; namely, a pair of skis. So I headed down to Ski ‘n See (a partner of Utah Skis) and picked up a pair for a day.

I had skied from the age of three until I was thirteen when I discovered snowboarding and gave up skis forever (or so I thought). So, when I stepped into my bindings last Saturday, it was the first time I’d worn skis in 20 years.

The Conspirators

I made plans to meet the editor of First Tracks Online Ski Magazine and longtime Alta devotee Marc Guido, and ski writer, Kristen Lummis, who also blogs at with me for Liftopia as well as her own site, Brave Ski Mom. They were going to show me the hill, explain it’s legendary attraction and, hopefully, explain to me the reasons why a ski hill would choose to alienate half of their potential lift ticket buyers.

There was just one problem. They were serious skiers, and we were on a serious mountain. Back in my skiing days I wouldn’t have thought twice about my abilities. But after 20 years on a snowboard, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up.

The Warm Up

When I arrived Marc was in the lodge and Kristen was waiting for a ski company rep to bring her some skis to try out, so I decided to take a warm up run alone. It was pitiful. I was leaning way back on my skis, which is exhausting for your legs and makes it hard to turn. I didn’t make a turn that felt good until I was nearly at the bottom of the hill — not a good sign at the beginning of a day with a crew that is loathe to set their edges into anything less challenging than a black or double-black diamond run unless it’s the only way to get to the next steep powder line.

Hitting the Steeps

Knowing my inexperience, the gang took it easy on me. We cruised down the same blue square run I had already tried. Then about halfway down we ducked off into the trees where there was a short, steep pitch. This was a test. If I could do this, we’d be headed for the steeps next.

I made it down, barely. But, it was enough to convince my hosts that they could take me anywhere they wanted to go.

It surprised the hell out of me. I was exhausting myself trying to stay up in the steep powder, but I was thrilled that I was able to do it.

It was time to see what was so special about the skier’s mountain.

ALTA = A Lot of Traversing Around

On the chair Marc, who had skied almost exclusively at Alta for most of a decade, told us, “Alta stands for ‘A Lot of Traversing Around’.” It was true. Most of the parts of the hill that we went to in search of untracked snow required very long traverses. At least one-third of our on-snow time was spent crossing the hill on trails.

On the chair I asked Marc and Kristen why Alta didn’t allow snowboarders. Knowing that I’m a snowboarder — and writer — they spoke carefully.

One of Marc’s friends explained that even if snowboarders were allowed on Alta, they wouldn’t really enjoy it because of all the traversing. Traversing is, after all, easier on skis.

I had to agree, most snowboarders, would not enjoy traversing across the mountain.

On the other hand, I thought, the same logic could be applied to skiers. I don’t know any skiers who traverse for for fun.

One of Marc’s friends suggested that I could not have made it to the places we’d visited that day on a snowboard. I disagreed. It is more difficult to traverse long distances on a snowboard than on skis, but a good snowboarder can traverse very nearly as well as any skier. Since snowboarders don’t have poles to push, they learn how to maintain speed well and gain a bit of momentum by pumping through dips and over mounds. I  could have made it to any of the spots on Alta we visited that day on a snowboard. I’d done traverses equally long and hard on a snowboard before.

There was one spot on a traverse that day where we had to side-step a few feet up the hill to stay on the path. If I encountered that spot on a snowboard I would have simply frog hopped up the hill, which is a bit more work than climbing on skis, but it’s not prohibitively difficult. We also came to one hill on a road that we had to skate up. If I were on a snowboard I would have had to unstrap my back foot and push for a minute, which is never fun, but is also not a big deal.

So, I could not accept their reasoning as justification for not allowing snowboarders on Alta.

The Mystery Deepens

Toward the end of the day, Kristen asked me, “After skiing here, what do you think about snowboarders not being allowed on Alta.”

I thought for a moment, and then replied, “I really don’t care.”

There are 11 ski hills within an hour’s drive of Salt Lake City. Who cares if Alta doesn’t allow snowboarders?

Is it fair? Not really.

Does it matter in any meaningful way? Hell no.

In the USA we’ve got kids walking shooting kids in school, millions of people living without health insurance, a fiscal cliff, and a looming global financial crisis. I can not justify wasting the calories that I’d burn caring whether or not Alta allows snowboarders on the hill. I could snowboard the rest of my life in this Utah without giving it another thought.

Although I don’t mind the fact that Alta will not allow me to bring my snowboard on their hill, I am however, very interested Alta’s ban on boarders as a unique phenomenon in North American alpine culture.

Marc, who is originally from the East Coast, told me something surprising about Mad River Glen, a ski area in Vermont that also bans snowboarders: it’s owned by a co-op of aging former hippie types. “They’ll never lift the ban” He assured me.

This struck me as odd. The scene at Alta was similar to that he described in Vermont. Alta wasn’t run by a bunch of rich prissy skiers living in some elitist fantasy like I’d expected. Alta skiers were cool. Many of them were young. It was actually less stuck-up than many of the other big-name resorts I’d been to in the past. I skied past more than one group of skiers holding a ‘safety meeting’ in the bush that day. The vibe was undeniably chill.

It was the best day on the hill I’d had in a very long time.

Why would the down-to-earth fun-loving folks like these want to close off their hill to others?

I don’t have an answer yet, but I will.

Stay tuned.

The investigation will continue.

Special thanks to  to Ski ‘n See, Utah Skis, and the Ski Utah Yeti for helping me to make this day happen. 

The post A Snowboarder on Alta appeared first on XpatMatt.

First Turns

I made my first turns of the season on opening day at Snowbird and I began my investigation into whether or not Utah actually has The Greatest Snow on Earth ® as the state’s trademarked motto claims. It’s an investigation that I will work long and hard — even on weekends — to complete.

It’s going to be a rough winter. 

I hit the hill with Matthew Karsten of Expert Vagabond, who was crashing at our house for a couple of weeks before taking off to Fiji, where he is now.  We were super lucky that we were able to snag Matthew a demo board from Niche Snowboards with the help of Steve Weiss, their social media manager.

It was a Thursday, so the hill wasn’t too crowded and the lines weren’t too long even though there were really only two lifts open (I’m not counting the bunny hill). The wait was never more than a couple of minutes and everyone was chatting happily in the lift line, excited about the awesome conditions and beginning of another ski season.

Snowbird had received more than 50 inches of snow in the preceding weeks so, although many of the runs were groomed, we were able to find some nice powder runs on the fringes of the open part of the mountain, and that’s where we spent most of our day.

We also spent a lot of time taking photos and videos. Matthew put together this awesome video from the day.

The Best Season of Our Lives

It was a great opening day, and a good omen for things to come. I’ve been working like a crazy man for the past two months on a ski and snowboard campaign for this winter. I can’t say too much yet because all the details aren’t finalized, but the campaign will take Emilie and I to at least a dozen of the best ski resorts in the western United States during the season.

It’s going to be the best season of our lives.

To make things even better, we have some big sponsors and we are going to be doing some epic giveaways.The grand prize will be thousands of dollars in top notch technical outdoors apparel from an industry-leading manufacturer.

As we travel from hill to hill we’ll be giving away smaller prizes to people we meet and trying to decide which are the best ski hills and ski towns in the Western United States.

To do that, we’re going to have polls on the website and are going to be trying to meet up with as many locals as possible to give them free swag and interview them about what makes a mountain great, what they look for in a ski town, and find out what tips they have for visitors to their own town.

We don’t have all our hills and dates finalized yet, so I haven’t been able to put up a full schedule, but we are definitely going to be in Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee in mid-December. So, if you’re in the area and would like to meet up to tell us your thoughts, or even just to make some turns on the hill, leave me a message in the comments below or on my Facebook page.

Stay tuned for more info! An official announcement of the campaign is coming soon!

The post The First Turns of the Best Season of Our Lives appeared first on XpatMatt.

The Angel’s Landing Trail

The hike to Angel’s Landing (formerly known as the Temple of Aeolus) is well-known as being one of the most spectacular hikes in Zion National Park in Utah, which places it among the most beautiful hikes in the world. However, it’s also one of the most dangerous.

The trail to Angel’s Landing is only 3.9 kilometres (2.4 miles), but it rises nearly 500 meters (1500 feet), making it steep and challenging. The dangerous part comes near the end when fatigued hikers must cross a narrow spine of rock and across exposed ledges to the landing. The view from the landing, though, is definitely worth it. Then, hikers have to return the way they came.

It’s one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever done (it about ties with Fisher’s Peak).

The hike takes most people around 3 – 6 hours round trip.

Our Hike to Angel’s Landing

My girlfriend Emilie and I visited Zion with our friend Danielle from Canada who had grabbed a cheap flight to the USA.

Personal vehicles are prohibited in most of Zion National Park, so we took the shuttle bus from the campsite to the sixth bus stop, the Grotto Trailhead, where we zipped into the Zion Lodge to grab a quick cup of coffee to jump start our hike.

Almost immediately we crossed the Virgin River, which had turned the colour of chocolate milk because rain further up the canyon had washed large amounts of Zion’s famous orange dirt into the river.

The Climb to Scout’s Landing

The West Rim Trail slowly climbed across a low-lying plain toward the canyon walls. After about thirty or forty minutes of walking the trail turned into switchbacks that climbed steeply toward Refrigerator Canyon. Huffing and puffing, we took several short breaks during the climb.

In the canyon we came to Walter’s Wiggles, a set of narrow switchbacks carved into an incredibly steep face of rock and held in place by retaining walls. As we rested at one of the switchbacks we heard a loud rumble.

It was falling rocks.

We couldn’t see the rocks, but the rumble was as loud as if they were on top of us because the narrow canyon contained the sound. Danielle was very scared. She’d been convinced they were falling right on us.

We waited a moment to calm our nerves before we continued.

When we got to the top of Walter’s Wiggles we were all winded, so we stopped for a minute to rest. There were several groups of people standing around just up ahead of us. We had arrived at Scout’s Landing.

The First HIker Bites the Dust

“I’m going to wait here.” Said Danielle. Danielle isn’t a fan of heights at the best of times. After being startled by the rock fall, she definitely wasn’t interested in navigating the narrow precipitous trail to Angel’s Landing.

Danielle wasn’t the only person who felt that way. Scout’s Landing was filled with people waiting for friends who had continued on.

Emilie and I left Danielle and continued down the trail. We crossed section of narrow exposed trail hundreds of feet high. The only security was a chain bolted into the cliffside to hold.

At the other side we came to a large plateau. The view was incredible, so we stopped to take a photo. It was the photo at the beginning of this post.

And Then There Was One

Then Emilie looked at the rest of the trail to Angel’s Landing and informed that she would not be joining me. I could see why.

This is what the trail looked like.

I went on alone. I didn’t blame Emilie for turning back. The trail looked had very precarious. The truth was, though, that the most exposed section of trail was the one that we had already crossed to get to the plateau. Although the trail looked sketchy from a distance, there was only one more short section that was exposed.

Finally, I arrived at Angel’s Landing. It was a long tongue of bare rock. About halfway across it was a wind-gnarled tree. And at the end, was this view.

Check out my photoessay of Angel’s Landing

The post Hiking to Angel’s Landing appeared first on XpatMatt.

Not being the types to go parading around in their undies in front of large crowds, I was surprised that they agreed.

So, yesterday at around 5pm we stripped down and headed to the Salt Lake City Public Library where the event was to going to start.

What the Hell is the Utah Undie Run?

You can read all about the run on the organization’s website. The short version is that a lot of Utah residents are frustrated about the conservative political policies in the state and the conservative image that it has. The run is a group effort to combat that.

Runners are encouraged to write slogans on their bodies for whatever political cause they want to draw attention to. There were lots of body paintings critical of the state’s restrictive liquor laws, opposition to gay marriage, and, of course, for the legalization of marijuana.

Those are all causes I can get behind.

 How it Went Down

The atmosphere that of a big party. They had a DJ booth set up at the public library where we started from. Some of the outfits were fantastic.

The run started slowly. There were lots of walkers and lots of shouting and joking around. After about 1K the run proceeded up a fairly steep hill toward the capital building. That slowed a lot of people down.

Police were present all around the course to make sure nobody drove into the race.

It was probably the slowest 5k I ever ran. It probably took us about 45 minutes, but we were in no hurry. It was a pretty awesome scene, with beautiful people in their undies all over the place, and the sun sinking behind the mountains.

Then a guy dressed as Borat ran past us. He was a hit.

We returned to the library where we had to wait for all participants to finish the run. We had to wait quite a while for that. Then we all had to remain in a roped off area for five minutes in order to officially claim the world record for what Sara Wilcox, a spokeswoman for the London-based Guinness World Records Inc. called the “largest gathering of people wearing only underpants/knickers.”

So, Danielle, Emilie, and I (along with 2,267 other Utahians) are now officially World Record holders.

There’s another one I can check off the ‘ol bucket list.

A Few Bonus Utah Undie Run Photos

The post I’m a World Record Holder Thanks to the Utah Undie Run appeared first on XpatMatt.

RECOMMENDED READING
Click on the images for more information

**The above are affiliate links

High in the mountains and near several lakes, Park City is one of America’s favourite outdoors destinations. Outdoors adventure opportunities there are varied and spectacular. Rock climbing around Park City is incredible. There are numerous mountain biking and hiking trails for people of all abilities. There are several world-class ski hillswithin driving distance, and numerous rivers and lakes for canoeing, rafting, and kayaking. Enough cannot be said about this place.

Park City Location

Park City is located in northern Utah, 51km (32m) south of Salt Lake City.

Geography of Park City

Park City is a city of 45.5 square kilometres (17.6 square miles) with a population of 7500 in the Wasatch Back, are region of the Rocky Mountains in northern Utah. It’s located high in the mountains at an elevation of about 2000m (7000ft). The city is surrounded by high mountains and in close proximity to several world-class ski resorts.

Park City Weather and Climate

The summers in Park City are mild with highs around 22 °C (70°F), and the winters are cold and snowy with lows around -12°C (9°F). There is plenty of snow in the winters here, with an average of 360cm (142in) falling each year.

Park City Description

For a small town, Park City has a huge name. The city has held many memorable events, including many events for the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics, and the annual Sundance Film Festival. It has been reported that Park City adds $530 million each year to Utah’s economy through tourism.
Park City’s mountain location makes it a fantastic location for outdoors adventures of all kinds–the best known of which is skiing. Park City is in close proximity to several world-class hills and gets a fantastic annual snowfall. For this reason it is home to the United States Ski Team and is the training ground for the Austrian Freestyle Ski Team.
Park City is quite accessible, located just 58km (36m) from the Salt Lake City International Airport and, as a tourist hot spot, has plenty of restaurants and hotels (although during the busy season Park City hotel reservations are notoriously hard to come by).s

Park City Adventure Highlights

• One of the few via ferrata courses in the US is located nearby in Ogden
• The skiing and snowboarding are world class with 12 resorts close enough for day trips.
• There is a unique warm-water scuba diving opportunity in the Homestead Crater
• There are lots of whitewater rafting companies in Park City offering tours of many local rivers.
• The surrounding mountains are full of trails for hikers, trekkers, and mountain bikers of all levels.

Park City Outdoor Adventure Activities

• Scuba diving
• Snorkeling
• Sailing
• Kitesurfing
• Windsurfing
• Paragliding
• Hang gliding
• Sky diving
• Bungee jumping (nearby in Salt Lake City)
• Hot air ballooning
• Whitewater rafting
• Kayaking (river and lake)
• Canoeing
• Caving and spelunking
• Hiking/trekking (all levels)
• Via Ferrata (nearby in Ogden)
• Ziplining
• Rock climbing (all levels)
• Ice climbing
• Abseiling/rappelling
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Horseback Riding
• Skiing and snowboarding
• Cross-country skiing
• Snowshoeing

Budget Accomodations in Park City

• Some of the cheapest hostel beds in Park City (just under $50) can be found at the AAE Chateau Lodge. Rooms for about half that price can be found in Salt Lake City, 58km (36m) away in Salt Lake City.
Check out this site for more information about hostels in Park City.

Travel Insurance

I like to use World Nomads. It’s not too expensive and signing up is fast and straightforward. They also have pretty good coverage for sports equipment like surf and snowboards, but it varies depending on your country of origin, so be sure double check. You can get a free quote on their website.

Park City Photos

[nggallery id=58]

Images (in order) courtesy tomkellyphoto, a4gpa, Lil’ El, DennyMont, tomkellyphoto, josephdepalma, tomkellyphoto, and Tom/Hancks on Flickr.

Park City Map

View Larger Map

Disclosure: If you purchase insurance, book a hostel, or purchase one of the recommended books on this page using the links provided, I will receive a small commission. I do not, however, recommend these products simply to make money. I recommend World Nomads travel insurance because I use it myself and feel that they offer a good product that suits my needs at a fair price. I recommend Hostelbookers.com because they have the cheapest booking prices that I have seen online and a large selection, and I recommend the selected books from Amazon.com because they have reputations for quality information and were up to date at the time of writing. If you have found my blog useful I hope that you will consider purchasing some of these products using the links on this page to help me to continue providing free information about adventure travel around the world.

The post Park City, Utah Adventure Travel Guide appeared first on XpatMatt.