Spread Stoke » europe

Keeping the Stoke when the Fire Dims

Liz Freeman — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 16:45:09 +0000

Progression in extreme sports is always a journey. You think you have reached your plateau and yet you arrive at another mountain. I guess we chase the thrill of summiting the mountain and secretly hope the next mountain challenges us even more. Are we all chasing our potential? Sometimes, yes. Other times, the hike, assessment of weather conditions, the jump & landing safely all create a unique, personal experience of self-actualization. I fly because I love it. Through in and through out. Similar to the old powder hound trekking for fresh tracks and untouched lines. We fly because it makes us feel whole. This year, I have lost quite a few friends in the community to accidents. Even with tragedy, I still hold on to my love of wingsuit flying. There is something about it I can’t… I won’t give up. Try explaining to this your dad Anyways, while the rest of the world is oblivious, judgmental or just plain angry about dark times, we have to keep spreading the stoke. You don’t quit living because you lost someone or many. I know my friends wouldn’t want that. Each and every one of them taught me to be kind, be strong, and be stoked!

Europe, Summer 2016

Blue Skies, this video is dedicated to Matt, Rami, JVH, Brandon Jackson, Dario, Chris La Bounty, Gage Galle, Kat Donahue, Uli, Alex Poli. Thank you for being my friends, and inspiring me to be a better human

Speed Flying in Chamonix, France

Chris Morgan — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 17:30:00 +0000

This video is a nice break from the hot temps and smoky skies of summer. Last winter my lifelong friend Jon Malmberg and a few of his crazy buddies went on a speed flying vacation to Chamonix, France; the epicenter of big mountain skiing and now “hucking yourself off big mountains in every way imaginable.” He asked me to edit his GoPro footage into something fun, so I carved out some time and created a video that’ll hopefully get us all thinking more and more about the coming winter! It’s not a fancy edit with some insightful story line…just some good old fashioned editing with all effects done inside of Premiere Pro CC 2015.

Thanks to Jon’s sponsors for their support – in particular, KAVU, an outdoor clothing company based out of my old hometown area of Seattle. Enjoy! Chris

Featuring Jon Malmberg, Blake Robinson, Max Toeldte, and Giorgio Traverso

Edited by Chris Morgan (twosherpas.com) | Music: Give Me The Beat – Ghostland Observatory

50 Year Winter in the Southern Swiss Alps

Sierra Quitiquit — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 18:59:40 +0000

I just returned from the trip of a life time to the Southern Swiss Alps. I flew in to Zurich and caught the train to St. Moritz. They’re having the “50 year winter.” It snowed all night and we’d wake up to a fresh 15 – 40 cm! The beauty of the Swiss Alps definitely filled my glass. Between the high alpine terrain and the euro way of life I definitely did not want to come home. I hope everyone has a chance at some point in their lifetime to experience skiing in the Alps. Love, Sierra

Photo credit: Fabian Gattlen

Longboarding in Foreign Concrete Jungles and a Sudden Reality Check

Danny — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 21:48:24 +0000

In late May, a friend of mine, Kyton, sent me an email. He told me that I was good to go if I wanted to stay at his hotel in London for a couple nights. So I packed a few changes of clothes, a tent, some other essentials, and my longboard and I hopped on a flight across the pond. Somehow, in all my travels, I’d never ventured to Europe. I figured what could be a better than exploring Europe via a longboard-backpacking trip through cities and sleeping in a tent in the European countryside for a few weeks by myself?

I landed in London without any plans other than to meet Kyton since I had a place to stay for a few nights while I figured things out. I walked to baggage claim to find out that my bag which contained all my necessities for the next couple weeks had not made the connection in New York City and would be arriving the next morning. I left the airport on a busy train with nothing but my board, passport, and a copy of The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell that I had been reading on the plane. I skated through Picadilly Circus, into Hyde Park, and down the River Thames on a sunny day. I’d spend the next two nights in luxury, staying in a Marriott Hotel overlooking Parliament and Big Ben.

I went to retrieve my bag from Heathrow the next morning. It was sitting on the carousel unharmed. I opened it up to find a note from TSA explaining that they had inspected it for security reasons. My tent poles were gone, probably sitting in a dumpster outside JFK airport in New York. Suddenly my sleeping arrangements for the rest of the trip were gone. I left the airport for the second time in disgust, trying to make the best of my rough start.

I explored London via my longboard- cruising past tourists and businessmen in fancy suits, while I carried my life on my back exploring underground tea shops, pubs, and exquisite architecture in the modern metropolis. I bid farewell to Kyton a couple days later and set off by night coach (bus) for Manchester. I passed through rolling, green meadows and fields while the sun rose en route to the grungy city.

I arrived early in the morning and headed into a coffee shop as soon as I left the bus station. I checked my emails on my iPhone for the first time since landing in England. The first thing I read was a message from my mom. It made my heart drop and eyes swell like I had never experienced before. “Daniel, I’m not sure how much longer Mae is going to make it. If you are near wifi, please Facetime me so you can see her.” I immediately Facetimed home; my mother panned the camera onto my furry best friend whose eyes shifted toward the camera at the sound of my voice. She was having trouble breathing and looked empty for the first time in her life.

I knew that I would regret living in the world if I did not pet her soft ears and run my fingers through her fur one last time, but I was 5,000 miles away and had already booked a ticket to France for the following day. I made the decision to continue a little further with my journey. I arrived in Paris the next day with my belongings, but with the inability to speak even three words of French. I took the metro downtown for a couple of Euros and wandered my way through the streets to a small hostel that had been recommended to me by another traveler. After the sun went down on the city of lights, I ate dinner at a small café with a few fellow backpackers from Chicago. I’ve never been as overwhelmed with compassion and empathy from other human beings as I felt from them after I told them of my situation. They paid for my dinner and wine and took me to the steps of the Sacré-Cœur at midnight to overlook the city of lights.

The next day I rode through Paris’s historical streets and looked upon all of the clichéd icons. I skated around the Louvre, walked through Notre Dame during Mass, walked around the Arc De Triomphe, ate a lunch of wine and a baguette, and drunkenly climbed the steps of the Eiffel Tower. That night, I repacked all my belongings, grabbed my longboard, and found my way to Charles De Gaulle Airport to cut my adventure short. I slept on the ground in the terminal and woke the next morning to board my non-stop flight back to Salt Lake City.

My dad picked me up from the airport in the afternoon heat and we drove back to my parents’ house. I hadn’t showered in a few days and was exhausted from my unfortunate change in itinerary and flight home. As I walked through the door, Mae’s ears perked up and she labored over to me. I hugged my best friend like I never had before. I pressed my face into her fur and felt the same connection I had with her when I was ten years old. A day later she passed away. My childhood best friend and hero was gone. I’ve never felt comparable emptiness in my life as I did then. I knew that I’d made the right decision to cut my adventure short to come home see my dog for the last time.

A few days later, as I stood atop Mt. Olympus overlooking Salt Lake as I had many times before, I reminisced on all the smiles she put on my face whether I was coming home from high school to study with her, taking her for walks around lakes, or on rides in my 4-Runner. I think it is important to take sacrifices to be with the ones you love. Whether it is your spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, father, mother, kids, siblings, best friend, or your dog, it is equally important. As much as I live life for my own adventure and exploration, my loved ones will always be the most important aspect of my life. Every face-shot this winter will be in loving memory of my dog and best friend, pray for snow. Rest in peace Mae, I love you.