Utah really is a magical place. Sometimes I hate it, but most of the time I am pretty stoked. I have to hand it to them; the Mormons picked a dialed spot. The state’s varied terrain, moderate climate, beauty, and people (especially the people) make Utah a truly unique place. When you get down to the nitty-gritty, there is a reason why people come to Utah for a winter and then never leave. Once you break out past the ski resorts and see what Utah truly has to offer, you get pretty pumped on being stoked all the time.

I am what you call a “weekend warrior.” Sadly, I jumped the gun and got all professional after college with a silly real job that includes things like “water cooler gossip”, little to no sunlight, horrible office team building activities, and a work structure that keeps me staring blindly at screens from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Actually my job is pretty rad but it really makes me appreciate my weekends. When I heard that our office would be closed on President’s Day, my extremely large and smart brain immediately started thinking about how to get out of Park City.

As cool as Park City is during the winter (and it is pretty cool), the town tends to be a bit of a cluster-fuck come holiday times. President’s Day is the perfect example: The town’s population swells, the lift lines are horrendous, and I yell at transplanted cab drivers for speeding through Old Town in a drunken rage starting well into the night. President’s Day weekend is the opportune time to hit I-15 with mountain bikes and head south to soak in some southern Utah sun.

The Mission

We had it all planned out. At 5 a.m. on Saturday we would start driving with our mountain bikes on board. The Adventure Mazda would be our getaway car and we would get breakfast burritos at Beto’s in Heber. Once the essentials were out of the way, our sites would be set on Virgin and St. George, UT. This trip is easy; driving here only takes about five hours and we were on the trails by noon the same day.

One of the true beauties of Southern Utah, besides being snow free year round, is that there is BLM land everywhere, which means you can camp just about anywhere. We found a new zone, a sweet camping site on North Creek that is right off of Kolob Terrace Road. This camping site also happens to be right across the street from the original Redbull Rampage zone. Find it and stay there, this camping site was a lot of fun.

Trails

After setting up Tent City my buddy Adam and I drove on to find the Grafton Messa Trail. I had never ridden it and it sounded like a lot of fun. This trail is fucking terrifying. I like to think that I’m a good mountain biker, I’ve taught youth camps and given private lessons to add to my credibility. But Park City’s endless ribbons of smooth single-track don’t always build on one’s technical skills. So to be on Grafton Messa and pushing it on big rocky lines on the edges of cliffs that fall/disappear into an endless abyss was pretty exhilarating. All said and done, the Grafton Messa Trail is super fun and a must for those of you who like rocky, fast descents. I recommend a bigger bike with lots of travel, at least six inches.

Next up we hit the old Redbull Rampage zone. Hike-a-biking around this area is really fun and eye opening. And I got a sweet feeling after recognizing lines built by pros like Wade Simmons and Cedric Gracia that I had only seen ridden in videos. Adam and I stuck to the mellower lines that our prissy carbon trail bikes could handle. We aptly called them “children’s lines.” They were less terrifying but still provided us with an accomplished feeling. We hit some jumps, skidded some steep pitches, and generally had an awesome time that left us with big ear-to-ear grins. Getting into Utah’s red dirt and having freedom to ride whatever you want is very empowering as a mountain biker.

We rode some of the trails in St. George and got really lost. They have a serious lack of signage. The Barrel Trail is and will forever have a special place in my heart: Berms, jumps, drops, technical rock stuff conducive of Southern Utah, and an all around good time. The Barrel Trail is a must if you’re in the St. George area.

But by far, the most fun trail we rode was Nephi’s Twist. When the Mormons came to Utah, they brought the angel Nephi who just happened to like mountain biking and he cut his own “twist” into the red dirt of Utah. This trail makes you go really fast on some very exposed spines and steep pitches. We lapped Nephi’s Twist multiple times, the trail has a convenient up-trail that makes riding it multiple times really quick and easy.

In the End

While I do think we could have planned our trip out better and hit some other really fun trails, I left feeling content. Not only had I put my tires in the dirt, but also I had taken part in what makes Utah such a cool state to live in. I went mountain biking in February and in less than half a days drive I would be back to some of the best skiing in the world. Virgin Utah is in the shadow of Zion National Park, another sweet spot that is worth checking out if you can. While I don’t think that I could never live in Southern Utah, a trip to the desert every couple of months should be mandatory for residents of this state. The people are nice, the air is clean, you don’t get very good cell service, and there is a calming aura emanating from all the red rocks. Good times were had and I can’t wait to go back!

I always have to thank Adventure’s First Stop for keeping us stocked with beetle-kill firewood, Hurricane beer (it’s like sparkling water with a low alcohol percentage), marshmallows, and a place to poop in the morning.

It’s about that time to make goals that you won’t keep for 2014. There are lots of goals. One being the quintessential goal to go the gym and get in shape. I give you a month before you give it up. Or you might want to do better at work, or improve your communication with your better half, or maybe you just want to make the goal to get out and ski more or bike or fish or whatever – in general to live a little better.

I’ve been reading stuff lately. And this stuff I’ve been reading is about goals and systems. What is a goal though? If I make my goal than I feel accomplished. If I don’t make my goal… than am I a failure? A goal is the object of a person’s ambition or effort, an aim or desired result. But what if we set our sights too high. What if we fail?

Failure is an ambiguous term. Some people who don’t accomplish their goals won’t see that as a failure. I am one of them. And I don’t focus on the end result because I like to focus on the systems that enable me to reach my goal. If I use realistic, manageable systems, then I know I will reach my desired result. But what is a system?

Let’s revisit the “I’m going to the gym / going to lose weight in the New Year” example. So many people go without the systems in place to accomplish their goal. They don’t have a workout plan, they don’t know what they are doing. They just want to lose weight. Or if your goal is to ride your mountain bike up the tallest hill, condition properly beforehand so you don’t get burned out on it. If you don’t have a routine or workout plan to use at the gym, you’re most likely going to get burned out and stop going. Do the research ahead of time and develop exercises or a plan to help you accomplish your goal of losing X amount of weight. Maybe the best system for people who want to lose weight doesn’t involve the gym. Maybe some of us should start small and do sit-ups and pushups at home. These are small systems that will eventually lead to living a little better.

I recently read a pretty sweet article on Semi-Rad about making goals in 2014. Brendan, the author, wrote down two simple goals for himself: 1. Do Things. 2. Make Things. Simple enough, right? The idea here is to focus on experiences and expression. He wants to do something truly beautiful. Brendan will have to develop the systems to accomplish his goals but he has left his goals wide open and variable. This way he can develop the systems necessary organically, letting him express himself variably.

Your goals in 2014 don’t have to be specific, but they don’t have to be broad. If you want to lose weight, then lose weight. But don’t hold yourself to something you can’t accomplish because the systems are too difficult to manage. Just be stoked in 2014. Live how you want to live and then make it better. That is what Brendan from Semi-rad.com wants to do. That is what I want to do. This is a lot to think about. But by developing systems that work for your life, you can become a better person.  Maybe you want to become a better tree skier? Develop a system that lets you accomplish that goal. If you go all in at once, you may just end up hitting a tree.

Paul Boyle, All Around Rad Guy

*Note – I could not find the original article about systems I read and that ultimately inspired this piece. However, when I asked the Google where it was, Google gave me 10,000 or so other articles that were just like it. To whoever wrote that article? Thank you. 2014 should be a good year for everyone who read your piece.

While winter in Park City is in full swing, I can’t help but think about riding next summer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a bike snob and I love ripping turns and shredding pow as much as the next dirty hippy. But I can’t help but think about putting tires in the dirt next season.

I spend all winter thinking about riding. I’m just stoked to see all the shiny new parts and technology being released throughout the winter. Pouring over magazines and watching all the new bikes come into the shop is very exciting. And it is Summer in Australia and New Zealand right now and a lot of really great riders are putting fresh web edits out all the time. Bike brands are shoving marketing material down your throat, trying to convince you to buy their product. I’m a marketing professional myself for Jans.com and I like to think I wouldn’t fall for these sales ploys. But I inevitably do and I sit twiddling my thumbs all winter, waiting and saving cash for the chance to order a new bike, kit, and spare parts.

Roosting dusty berms and ripping single-track provides a really unique feeling. You really can’t beat riding fast through the woods. To know you’re in control while going that fast is a pretty special feeling, one that I can’t get down on paper. And to get all sensitive about it: the woods are really pretty too. And who doesn’t love summer? Mountain biking aside, just hanging out with your buddies in the park or enjoying a beer OUTSIDE the bar is just straight up relaxing.

Of course, when the summer does come along and I put my ski gear away for four or so months I begin to dream of endless groomers and untouched pow fields. As cheesy as that sounds it makes a lot of sense. I live in a four-season resort town and if you are not making the most of each season, then you are nowhere near being stoked!

Paul Boyle, All Around Rad Guy

What is it about the ski season that gets us so excited? Could it be the dream of endless powder fields? Or maybe park laps with your best buds? Some of us like filming and some of us hate it! What about race dorks who carve a grin from ear to ear when the ski? What about those of us who ski because we love it or because it’s a way out, a way to escape it all?

As the summer has come to a close and fall is heavily upon us, the snow guns are out and the local hill is in a cloud. Some of us hastily make it up to Alta to get our first turns of the season. Others of us are prepping, working out, waxing, tuning… trying to be ready for opening day. We all have our rituals or our means of getting ready. But it all equals to one greater good: Skiing.

Skiing is fast and fluid. It is difficult but fun. Skiing is just straight up skiing. No Instavid or GoPro edit can mimic the feeling awarded when you’re skiing. Now I don’t want to sound preachy or try to “enlighten you with the power of skiing” but there is something that rings a bell, sparks a smile, and makes your heart race when you drop into your favorite run.

I’m not sure if there is an aura or something in the water that gets us so excited. But there is some sort of spark that gets us pumped. Some of us waited all summer and some may have even endured the summer. We build off the hype from others and that feeling is contagious.

I can tell you right now I have no answers as to why we get so STOKED on winter and skiing. But it happens and the bug has caught my mind. My boards are ready, new boots molded, and I’m pretty stoked on watching a bunch of web vids.  I can’t wait for that exhilaration for real though. And for my cliché closing question: Are you ready for winter?