I just got more photos back from this fun photo shoot I did with Alice Owens and photographer Dan Campbell at liberty park this summer.
I <3 Trees
We did so many cartwheels I was dizzy for the rest of the day!
But I love how the shots came out! Dan is an amazingly talented photographer and Alice and I have a blast working with him.
Be sure to check out his website www.dancampbellphotography.com.
The hustle and bustle of the holiday weekend has kept me from updating- so I apologize if it’s been a minute or two since my last update. I’ll try and keep them more frequent!
It’s been hectic but I love staying busy. Between school ending and ski season starting, it seems like I’ve been working two full time jobs, but that’s a good thing because I’m much more productive when I’m busy.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday I got to SKI! Many people have asked me, "How was the skiing?" I like to respond, "Skiing is always good-it’s my favorite activity in the world! The snow, on the other hand, can be either good or bad." On Wednesday and Thanksgiving day, the conditions were wonderful–plenty of sunshine and temperatures warm enough to keep the slopes soft and slushy.
Ok, so there’s not too much sunshine in this pic, but you can see the FUN! Here’s me, Drew Stern, Michelle Silver and Vanessa Aadland right before we ripped down through our jib line (I’m stretching for my backscratcher).
Today, it was snowing (WOOHOO) and Alta was starting to look and feel more like Alta, but let’s all keep praying for more snow. Here’s a silly video clip of me doing a daffy at Alta:
Besides the skiing, I’ve been keeping busy with Roxy events. On "Black Friday," we did a party at Cole Sport in Park City, where we had free pedicures, mimosas, and delicious appetizers and deserts. We also gave away coupons for free demos on Roxy skis throughout the season.
Here’s a shot of Jill Adler and her baby Sage, checking out the Roxy Baby skis.
Of course, no Roxy event would be complete without pogo sticking, so below is a shot of Susan Larson showing off her skills (and the supercute Roxy outerwear).
So if you didn’t make it to Cole Sport to get your free demo coupon, be sure to come to the Canyons on Saturday December 13 to test out the Roxy skis for FREE! Roxy has skis for every level skier, from the Sweetheart to the Shazam, and I encourage both GUYS and GIRLS to try them. Hope to see you there!
It would also solve other impending crises, such as health care and housing crises.
What if we actually paid people what they brought to an employer or a business? What if we implemented paying people based on comparable worth, where the value of a person’s job (and their wage rate) would be determined by an evaluation of that job’s economic value to a firm? For instance, what if we paid sweatshop laborers in China a legitimate proportion of the retail cost of the item? Corporations have all of this information. But instead of benefiting the workers, corporations are more inclined to benefit their shareholders and CEOs by maximizing profit at the expense of people who actually make and sell all the STUFF they tell us we want.
The labor force is made up of people, it’s not the raw, natural material like cotton or oil used in the production process. Labor should not be treated as such. People are not there to exploit. If we start by paying people proportionately, they would be able to buy food and housing, health care, and all the other necessities of life.
In my Labor Economics class this morning, we watched this video. It’s chilling and touching at the same time.
With the commencement of ski season upon us, I’ve been thinking about the local “core” ski community’s relationship with “beaters,” or in common vernacular, tourists who don’t get the luxury of skiing everyday. On the one hand, I hear loud voices of discontent with these “beaters” or “gapers” from local riders. Locals yell when a fatigued skier from out of state stops in the middle of a run or a traverse, and shop employees get annoyed when tourists ask them seemingly stupid questions about ski or snowboard equipment.
Brant Moles has got it down (including the ski carrying technique).
On the other hand, we have a fascination with these “beaters.” We have annual days at the resorts where we dress up like them and people ride around the mountain, sometimes after consuming copious amounts of alcohol, and imitate them. We mimic their jerky movements down the hill. We try to replicate their outdated methods of clothing themselves in ski wear. We have even perfected and labeled the “gaper gap,” which is the strip of forehead skin that sticks out when ski goggles and helmet or hat don’t match up.
Caroline Gleich, Iris Noack, and Michelle Silver on Alta’s Closing day 2008
Beneath all this fascination and parody is an underlying dependence. We, as local ski bums, are entirely dependent on these “gapers,” these non-locals, to come in and fuel our industry. We need them to buy day passes at the resorts, pay for lodging and services at the hotels, and rent or buy skis from our shops. If all of a sudden, the “beaters” stopped going on their annual ski vacation, most of us would be out of luck.
My gaper gap (the gap between my goggles and helmet is covered by an underlying hat–but you get the idea).
So let’s be fair and realize our true place in the hierarchy. Next time a fatigued Manhattan resident is pausing on a traverse, catching their breath, give them a break. Politely say, “on your left,” and pass them without blowing a bunch of cold smoke in their gaper-gap face from the rooster tail on your twin tip skis. In the shop, do your best to explain to them the difference between reverse camber and regular skis and to answer all their other questions, as ignorant as they may sound. Instead of spraying the poor soul who just wiped out on the groomer, stop and help her/him pick up their equipment from the yard sale.
An unidentified Alta skier at closing day 2006
So let’s all respect the beaters. Besides, it’s good karma. Let’s do what we can to ensure the future persistence of our way of life–our lifestyle of sofa surfing, beer drinking, and endless days of deep powder freeskiing.
