Out There Monthly April 2012

VOL.8 // NO.8 // APRIL 2012 // www.OuttheRemONthLy.cOm

MONTHLY

GReAt cOASteR huNt

the INLAND NORthweSt GuIDe tO OutDOOR RecReAtION FRee

Health And Fitness: Why Yoga?

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Roadtrip: Head Out To Kootenay Lake PG:16

How To Choose A Longboard PG:30

Tips For Fitting Your Bike PG:18

News: New Triathlon In Sandpoint PG:9

hOw DID JAIme ReeS RIDe tO A #2 RANkING IN the u.S.? PG.24

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Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

In This Issue

Win this.

p.6 / Editorial

MONTHLY

Local Clubs to the Rescue

By Jon Snyder

www.outtheremonthly.com

p.9 / Out There News

Out There Monthly / April 2012

Sandpoint Races Team Up, Dirty Dash

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

Jon Snyder jon@outtheremonthly.com

Gets Dirtier In 2nd Year

Art Director

Kaitlin Snyder

p.14 / What’s Your Gear?

Managing Editor

Mark Beattie: Telemark Skiing

Amy Silbernagel McCaffree

By Amy Silbernagel McCaffree

Health & Fitness Editor

Dr. Bob Lutz senior writers

p.15 / Book Reviews

Jon Jonckers, Derrick Knowles

Climbing Dictionary and The Global

Contributing Writers:

Shelley Enlow, Brian Estes, Jeff Ferguson, Kristi Fountain, Ben Greenfield, Hank Greer, Sarah Hauge, Terry Lawhead, Kelly Lerner, Annie Szotkowski, Peter G. Williams

Forest

By Jon Jonckers and Terry Lawhead

Distribution Coordinator

Barbara Snyder To request issues please call 509 / 534 / 3347

p.16 / Roadtrip

Ad Sales

The International Selkirk Loop

Bill Bloom: 509 / 999 / 8214

By Peter G. Williams

Out There Monthly

Mailing Address: PO Box 559 Spokane, WA 99210 www.outtheremonthly.com, 509 / 534 / 3347 Out There Monthly is published once a month

by Snyderco DBA/Out There Monthly. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher.

p.17 / Health and fitness Why Yoga?

Dr. Bob Lutz & Shelley Enlow

©Copyright 2012 Snyderco DBA/Out There Monthly.

The views expressed in this magazine reflect those of the writers and advertisers and not necessarily Snyderco DBA/Out There Monthly.

p.18 / Training Tips Adjust Your Bike For A Better Fit

Disclaimer: Many of the activities depicted in this magazine carry a significant risk of personal injury or death. Rock climbing, river rafting, snow sports, kayaking, cycling, canoeing and backcountry activities are inherently dangerous. The owners and contributors to Out There Monthly do not recommend that anyone participate in these activities unless they are experts or seek qualified professional instruction and/or guidance, and are knowledgeable about the risks, and are personally willing to assume all responsibility associated with those risks.

By Ben Greenfield

p.19 / Everyday cyclist Why Don’t More Women Bike?

By Hank Greer

p.20 / Sustainable Living

Printed on 50% recycled paper with soy based inks in the Inland Northwest

Three Cool New Books About Food

PROUD MEMBER OF

By Kelly Lerner, Brian Estes, & Kristi Fountain

p.23 / Photo of the month And Roadtrip DJ

Out There Monthly also supports

Now in its 4th Generation, the Selk'bag Classic has evolved into the best fitting, more technically advanced Selk’bag made to date. New features allow the wearer to have a more tailored experience with their Selk’bag for easier and more confident movement. Rated to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, the uncommonly comfortable Selk'bag Classic is an excellent solution for those who are uncomfortable in traditional mummy or rectangular sleeping bags.

Submit your Photo of the Month and you could win this cool gear. (in yellow, size XL)

By Ken Hoffman & Annie Szotkowski

p.24 / April INLAND NW OUTDOOR CAlendar & 6 Month Training Calendar

Photo of the Month

p.26 / High School Teacher & Downhill Pro How Did Jaime Rees RideTo A #2 Ranking InThe U.S.?

By Sarah Hauge

p.30 / Last Page Finding The Right Longboard

By Jeff Ferguson

On the cover: Mountain Biker Jaime Rees at Rogers High School, in Northeast Spokane. // Photo by Ben Tobin

Send your vertical (portrait-oriented), outdoor photo, 3 meg or less, with caption to editor@outtheremonthly.com.

Deadline for April 4/14/11. Winner gets Selk Bag size XL. Congratulations to Ken Hoffman, who won March’s photo of the month and recieves an OTM Omega Pacific carabiner. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. By entering the contest you grant non-exclusive rights to Out There Monthly to publish your photo in our Photo of the Month feature. See page 23 for more details.

APRIL 2012

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5

From the Editor: Local Clubs to The Rescue Last month in our Everyday Cyclist column we attempted to locate every no-drop ride around. We missed a few.

Turns out some of the area’s best and most competitive cycling clubs also have some great regular rides for range of abilities. And they all like to recruit new riders.

Vertical Earth in Coeur d’Alene (verticalearth.com) has no-drop mountain bike rides on Tuesday evenings year round except during the summer when they move to Thursday so they don’t conflict with the Twilight Series races held on Tuesdays. They also host Wednesday evening road rides from roughly April through

September. These are no-drop rides but they’re at a 17-18 mph pace.

Emde Sports - Fitness Fanatics USA Cycling and USA Triathlon Team (emdesports. com) is a mix of cyclists, triathletes, and runners.

Outside of racing season they hold regular weekend rides. They welcome other riders to join them. Like Vertical Earth, although the rides are no drop they do have an expected pace to keep.

They have rides set for 15-17mph and as high as 22mph. Fitness Fanatics (fitfanatics.com) has shop rides too, including a no-drop mountain bike ride Mondays at 6pm and a 12 mph and up road ride on Wednesdays, also at 6pm.

Zuster Cycling (www.zustercycling.com) is a women’s racing team. Their training is somewhat spontaneous with members sending an email for rides they want to lead. They do road and mountain bike rides. They try to have a few road rides geared towards beginners so they can work on handling, riding in a group, and riding in traffic. New members must be sponsored by a member who’s been on the team for at least a year.

River City Red is a new team sponsored

by River City Brewing. They will be doing a “Friends of the Shop,” no-drop ride leaving from Steve’s On Cannon Street around 5.30 pm on

the last Thursday of each month, April through August (April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26 and Aug 30). The ride is about 20 miles and paced to keep everyone together or re-grouped. They will ride a loop out to the Seven Mile Bridge on the Aubrey White Parkway and back on the other side of the river. For more information: RiverCityRed@gmail.com.

Thanks for everything these clubs do for our cycling scene. Hope to see you on the road (or trail) soon. // -------------------------------------------------------JON SNYDER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF editor@outtheremonthly.com

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Friends of the Centennial Trail

UNVEIL THE TRAIL

April 21, 2012 Trail clean-up 9 a.m.—12:00 p.m.

After clean up gathering Mirabeau Meadows @ 12:30 p.m.

Join us for our 17th annual Trail clean up “Unveil the Trail” We have the Remedy for your bike dreams…

The Centennial Trail is 20 years old!

This year is special we are having an after event gathering at Mirabeau Meadows Park. Thanks to REI! Prizes:

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Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

To sign up and receive your volunteer packet and mile assignment Contact us before April 12th.

Call: 509-624-7188 or e-mail friends@spokanecentennialtrail.org

Out There News 2nd annual Dirty Dash In June Early Registration Deadline Is April 4

The BE ST selecti

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Getting dirty at the dash. // Photos courtesy of the dirty dash.

tage bik Records-C es-Toys-Tiki-Boo ksD Kulture-L s-Furniture-Kusto owbrow-M m buy, sell, ore! trade 12P

The Dirty Dash Spokane—a 4.5-mile mud in Seattle/Tacoma and Eugene, Oregon.)

Businesses can also donate directly to Peak 7 run obstacle course—is returning for its second year on June 16 at the Riverside State Park and in exchange they will receive a set number of M-6PM Equestrian Area, with race waves beginning free entries to give to their employees, based on the Tues-Sat donation amount, says Loran Kerrigan, sponsorevery 20 minutes starting at 9:00 am.

“We had over 4,000 participants last year and ship coordinator for Peak 7. For example, a $1000 expect well over 6,000 this year. We had some donation will provide 20 entries, $500 donation traffic and parking issues last year that we have will provide 10 entries, and so on.

Peak 7 will be selling biodegradable, earthresolved so the race will be even better,” says John friendly water balloons that spectators can launch Malfatto, founder of the Dirty Dash.

Registration for this year’s race is now open at their friends and family participants, and other online at www.thedirtydash.com, and is $45 until local non-profits will be collecting shoes to donate to those in need.

April 4 ($50 after this date).

The Spokane race will also include a “Piglet This year, the Dirty Dash has partnered with From: local non-profit Peak 7 Adventures to help raise Plunge” for kids ages 2-12 ($5 registration fee, funds to provide outdoor experiences to youth who online or at packet pick-up). Limited to 1,500 kids, normally wouldn’t have that opportunity. Anyone this one-mile race will be held 80 minutes after the giving the “piglets” unobregistering can are use the promo “peak7” and last adult oof. If there anycode corrections to wave be leaves, made, please mark them on the ad and fax the Dirty Dash—who likes giving back to the com- structed access to the slide and mudpit. //

munities.they donate 50 percent of that Ifvisit—will we do not receive any corrections by this date, we will assume your race entry fee to Peak 7 Adventures. Participants 9:00 can also choose ad to make an additional to Spokane Dirty Dash, June 16, starting at edition. orrect.

This will run donation in the Peak 7 during the registration process. (Peak 7 is am, Riverside State Park’s Equestrian Area, 0747; alsoFax a charity(206) recipient for418-0746. the Dirty Dash events www.thedirtydash.com/races/spokane.html

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Out There News Compete all summer long in idaho

Trio of Sandpoint endurance events join for unique “TriSandpoint”

enonation.com

JU

NE

Pedal the CHaFE 150, a magnificent ride through the lake and river valleys of Idaho and Montana. Or do the 80mile 1/2 CHaFE. Pick your challenge!

2,

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

First 350 riders only!

SEE MORE AND REGISTER AT WWW.CHAFE150.ORG 10

Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

es

co o.

id

m

tr

de

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te s

ry to ac kf tre

bi cy cl

TEST RIDE

’12

NEW! We’re now a Gran Fondo ride!

Cycle Hard For Education!

e

could recruit a rider and runner for those events.”

In this inaugural year, signup will be at the respective websites for each event, but more information and links to all the registration forms are available at www.TriSandpoint.org.

Teams must sign up for the TriSandpoint before the CHaFE ride on June 2—and any individuals who want to participate in the TriSandpoint will have to be in the CHaFE as well.

The CHaFE ride, a fundraiser by the Panhandle Alliance For Education that benefits early childhood programs, is marking its fifth year as one of the region’s premier long-distance bike rides.

For the first time, this year the CHaFE will be a timed “Gran Fondo” ride. The decision by CHaFE to offer timing means that, for the first time, the three events can coordinate to offer a “triathlon.”

“Combining them together in the TriSandpoint just adds a new element for any athlete who is looking for a heightened challenge,” said Lewis.

For the 18th annual Long Bridge Swim, organizers anticipate 800 swimmers. Proceeds from the event fund swimming lessons for Bonner County youth who otherwise couldn’t afford them.

The fourth annual Scenic Half Marathon— presented by the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce with proceeds benefitting local charities—will also include 10k and 5k races. //

fre

Three long-standing endurance events in Sandpoint are linking arms, legs and pedals for a unique twist on the idea of multi-sport contests.

This summer the city’s three major, but separate events—a long-distance bike ride, an open water swim and a half marathon run—are coordinating to offer the three legs of a triathlon carried out over the course of the summer. Organizers are calling it the TriSandpoint, to include these three events: • CHaFE 150 Bike Ride: A one-day 80-mile or 150-mile bike ride on June 2.

• Long Bridge Swim: A 1.76-mile open-water swim across Lake Pend Oreille on August 4.

• The Scenic Half: A 13-mile half-marathon run on September 16.

Each event is timed and athletes can register for all three events to record their times, with the final cumulative times and placements declared at conclusion of the Scenic Half. In addition to individual participants, teams are invited to compete.

“The fun idea is that it’s three events, on three different days,” said CHaFE bike ride coordinator Geraldine Lewis. “The possibilities are wide open.

A lot of participants will try all three events just for the fun of pushing themselves or to get a personal best, though we’re expecting some serious competitors too. And we’re encouraging teams to sign up, too. If you’re a strong swimmer, for instance, you

m

Starting line at last year’s chafe 150. // Photo courtesy of chris besseler.

factorydemo LOCATION: Riverside State Park / Bowl & Pitcher Area DATE / TIME: Saturday, May 19th & Sunday, May 20th 10AM - 3PM 4427 N Aubrey L White Parkway, Spokane, Washington 99205 Please note a Discover Pass will be required to enter park.

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Ronde van Palouse Saturday, April 14 The Hardest Road Race in the Northwest

April 10 April 17 April 24

Spokane County Raceway Circuit Chapman Lake Road Race Spokane County Raceway Circuit

Inland Road Race Series presented by Larry H. Miller Downtown Dealerships

May 1 May 8 May 15 May 22

Corsa Brutale Road Race Spokane County Raceway Circuit Spokane County Raceway Circuit Williams Lake Road Race

June 5 June 12 June 19 June 26

Spokane County Raceway Circuit Chapman Lake Road Race Radiant Lake Criterium Corsa Brutale Road Race

July 3 July 10 July 17 July 24 July 31

TBA Steptoe Butte RR/Hill Climb Spokane County Raceway Circuit Corsa Brutale Road Race Williams Lake Road Race

May 5

Liberty Road Race 1 • Spangle, WA

June 2

Cheney-Rock Lake Road Race Cheney, WA Improved course for 2012

June 3

Riverbend Criterium • Post Falls, ID New and improved for 2012

June 30

Whitworth Criterium, Whitworth University • Spokane, WA

July 28

Liberty Road Race 2 • Spangle, WA

Aug. 12

Mt. Spokane Hill Climb & MS Fundraiser Mt. Spokane, WA Races hosted by:

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August 14 Greenstone River District Crit August 21 Spokane County Raceway Circuit August 29 Best of the Bunch Road Race Schedule is subject to change.

Check website for course/date/time changes.

info@baddlands.org | baddlands.org APRIL 2012

/ Out There Monthly

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Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

Out There News Bloomsday Already Booming

New More Accurate Bib Chip And Online R E ERegistration Improvements

F

The Inland NW (Spokane & Coeur d’Alene)

Award-Winning Guide for Sustainable + Healthy Living

Elite competitors tackle the bloomsday course. // photo jeff ferguson.

Maybe it’s the mild winter weather, or maybe it’s the fact that the only way to earn the coveted Bloomsday finisher shirt is by going the distance. Either way, entries for the 36th running of Bloomsday have been pouring in since online registration opened on January 1. And for those whose entries haven’t been part of the early surge, there’s still plenty of time to sign up for the popular 12-kilometer (7.46 mile) road race, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 6.

“We won’t know until race weekend exactly where our numbers are going to end up,” said Bloomsday Association President Carol Hunter.

“But based on early interest it’s pretty clear that this year’s Bloomsday is going to be another big one.”

This year timing will be accomplished with the B-tag, the newest adaptation of RFID technology.

Instead of removing the tag from the bib number and placing it in the laces of the shoes, participants will leave the B-tag on their bib numbers. Timing company EMMI believes the B-tag is even more accurate than the D-tag Bloomsday has used the

past two years. And to take advantage of the technology, participants this year will be given a “Time Up Doomsday” in their results after the run.

Bloomsday has added additional technological enhancements to the experience this year. Online registration has been optimized to make registration smoother for smart phones and tablets, and QR codes on bib numbers will give a direct link to each individual’s results beginning on Monday after the run. Entrants also have the option of purchasing digital training and finisher “medals” during online registration, which can be posted on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.

Along with the run itself, this year’s Bloomsday weekend will feature the seventh annual Marmot March, a non-competitive 1.2-mile kids’ event in Riverfront Park on the day before the run. The Marmot March is for children second grade and younger and their parents,. The Marmot March is sponsored by Franz Bakeries and is open for the first 300 children who sign up. //

HUNDREDS OF LISTINGS ON GREEN + LOCAL BUSINESSES INCLUDING

MADELOCAL More info at blloomsday.org

Native plant landscaping workshop The Northwest chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society is hosting an event on Tuesday, April 24 entitled “Native Plant Landscaping for the Inland Northwest” from 5:30 pm to 8:15 p.m. at the Community Building in downtown Spokane. The evening will include presentations from native plant landscaping experts and showcased examples of native plant gardens by local gardening enthusiasts.

Tonie Fitzgerald, the WSU Master Gardeners volunteer program director, will speak on “Landscaping with Native Plants in the Inland Northwest.” The other presenter is Diane Stutzman, botanist and owner of Desert Jewels Nursery, speaking on “Dryland Natives for Your Landscape.”

“This is the first year we have done a native plant landscaping event of this size,” says event organizer Kassie Swenson. “The inspiration of planning this event is the increased interest in native plant landscaping in an urban setting. The local chapter

has been involved in two demonstration gardens over the past couple years: one at the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife office in Spokane Valley, and the other at Lindaman’s Restaurant on the South Hill (in the garden on the backside of the restaurant).”

Attendees will receive information and resources to take home, Swenson says, “to help newcomers and existing native plant gardeners create a successful and beautiful native plant garden that brings beauty, wildlife and water conservation into their urban landscape.”

A limited number of event tickets are available— cost is $20, available to purchase by contacting Kassie Swenson at (509) 638-8919 or kassie.swenson@yahoo.com. //

2011- 2012

“Native Plant Landscaping for the Inland Northwest,” April 24, 5:30-8:15 p.m., Community Building (35 W. Main, Spokane). For more details, visit www.nechapterwnps.org.

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13

What’s Your Gear: Mark Beattie (telemark skiing)

“I started Telemark because I was getting bored with alpine and just skiing inbounds. I guess I wanted more of an adventure,” says Mark Beattie, now a 30-year veteran of the sport.

“I am apparently built for telemark—my knees feel better after a day of this kind of skiing rather than alpine [skiing],” he says. “…Telemark will build more quadriceps and glutes than most other snow sliding tools. I find the whole experience to be much more fluid and graceful than alpine skiing. Watching a good tele skier is magic—nearly everyone will watch for a moment.”

His first boots were Oslo Snow Pines with 3-pin bindings. “The boots were just low hiking boots with a thicker sole, with little to no control over the skis. The skis sometimes had metal edges, sometimes without. Like most folks at the time I started out with double camber cross-coun-

14

Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

try skis,” he says. “The early telemark skis were referred to as ‘hippy sticks.’ I started putting the 3-pin bindings on old alpine skis just because it was much easier to turn them. We used knotted ropes under the skis for uphill traction before discovering climbing skins.

“With the new gear today, telemark skiing is much easier, more powerful—easier on my body,” says Mark, age 51.

Locally, Mark’s favorite places for inbound skiing are Lookout Pass, 49 Degrees North and Schweitzer. His favorite ski companions include his wife, Anna, and good friends.

Although unwilling to disclose his favorite backcountry slopes, Mark says many of them are near Lookout Pass. “Pressure is increasing on some of these places and more snowmobiles are finding them too,” he says. “Let’s just say I drive a little and hike a lot.”

In many ways, Mark’s life revolves around skiing and outdoor recreation. He is assistant manager at Mountain Gear, and since 1972 has been a ski instructor, starting his career at Lookout Pass.

Now he teaches telemark and alpine skiing at 49 Degrees North. “I love to share the joy that infuses me about every aspect of skiing—the mountains, the weather, the light, the grace of snow riders,” he says. “Watching as someone feels a new movement pattern working is such a marvelous gift.”

Mark also has an AA degree in skiing from New Mexico Highlands University. In 1980, in conjunction with Taos Ski Valley, Mark explains, there was “a degree program attempting to create a better ski professional. We had to earn over 100 credit hours in skiing, a second language, and a background in psychology as well as kinesiology. I also earned

By Amy Silbernagel McCaffree

my PSIA level III in alpine ski instruction as part of the program…I used the degree and taught at several resorts across the west for about 10 years after.”

Mark’s non-winter recreational pursuits include canoeing, flat water kayaking, hiking, backpacking, biking and climbing—and he wants to try fly

“Pressure is increasing on some of these places and more snowmobiles are finding them too.” fishing this year.

Here is his gear list, including backcountry necessities.

TELEMARK SKIS: Favorite is the G3 Tonic 177 cm. “I also ski on Atomic Drifter 174, Ski Logic Howitzer 176, Atomic REX 177 and Atomic TM-20 178.”

------------------------------------------------------BOOTS: Scarpa TX Pro NTN. BINDINGS: Rottefella NTN using the blue cartridges.

------------------------------------------------------POLES: Black Diamond Flick Lock carbon/ aluminum.

------------------------------------------------------SKI WAX: Usually Holmenkol with Swix overlays.

------------------------------------------------------JACKET: Several—Mammut Alto, Arcteryx Beta AR, Patagonia Dimension or Cloudveil Serendipity.

------------------------------------------------------PANTS: Marmot Gore-Tex or Patagonia BC Guide softshell.

------------------------------------------------------CLOTHING: Smart Wool or Ice breaker base layer, Patagonia down sweater or an Arcteryx Atom mid layer.

------------------------------------------------------SOCKS: Bridgedale or Darn Tough.

------------------------------------------------------HAT: Outdoor Research.

------------------------------------------------------GLOVES: Hestra, Cloudviel, Marmot or Black Diamond.

------------------------------------------------------GOGGLES: Smith I/O with the Sol X red lens.

------------------------------------------------------BACKCOUNTRY: CLIMBING SKINS: G3 Alpinist.

------------------------------------------------------AVALANCHE GEAR: Ortovox 3+ beacon, BCA Probes and a Voile shovel.

------------------------------------------------------GPS: Garmin Oregon.

------------------------------------------------------NORDIC SKI GEAR: Crispi CX-P on some old Tua skis.

------------------------------------------------------BACKPACK: Mammut Nirvana 35. //

Book Reviews

Celebrate Spring!

Spring Compost Fair and Arbor Day Event Saturday, April 28, 2012 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

John A. Finch Arboretum The Global Forest Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Viking, 2010, 175 pages

Climbing Dictionary: Mountaineering Slang, Terms, Neologisms and Lingo — An Illustrated Reference to More Than 650 Words Matt Samet, Mountaineers Books, 2011, 250 pages

The Climbing Dictionary by Matt Samet brings together all the terms, phrases and lingo that climbers unconsciously speak, and explains them for everyone to understand. The book easily skips past the dry, serious tone of most definitive books and follows an ingenious path that shares all the comic slang and actual jargon that climbers use.

Surfers, skaters, snowboarders and kayakers all have terms and slang that define their sport as well as their culture. Climbing, a much older sport, follows a similar thread, and English language climbing terms are actually more prevalent around the world.

Samet might be overqualified to write the Climbing Dictionary. Beyond his remarkable career as a freelance editor and writer for dozens of outdoor magazines, he served as editor-in-chief at Climbing magazine. He has bouldered V11 and climbed some of Rifle, Colorado’s earliest test pieces including Fluff Boy (5.13c) and Dumpster BBQ (5.13c/d). He also solo managed an early repeat of Peter Croft’s mega-route Evolution Traverse (VI 5.9), in Sierra Nevada, California.

Truth be told, Samet’s impressive climbing résumé itself contains terms that are not easy to understand, which offers a hint at why he wrote the Climbing Dictionary. The book truly runs the gamut, from technical terms (belay, harness, rappel) to slang (dab, Gaston, old dad, pumpy), to regional (such as the Southwest’s baby-butt slopers), antiquated (Goldline, headpoint), and foreign terms that have achieved universal usage (a cheval, colonnette) and much more.

Each word’s definition includes its part of speech, origin (if known), meaning and a humorous but factually-sound example sentence to demonstrate usage.

Whenever appropriate, illustrations by Mike Tea provide a pinpoint explanation. His illustrations have appeared in numerous publications, but he’s arguably best known as Black Diamond’s technical illustrator. In a sport as complex and equipment-oriented as climbing, knowing the terms and the language are crucial, and Mike’s visual contribution dovetails perfectly with Matt’s definitions.

Seasoned climbers and beginners should definitely read this book because it provides insight into the history and culture of climbing, as well as mountaineering. Best of all, the pages are unique, interesting and often laugh-your-harness-off funny. // Jon Jonckers

I read this book slowly, putting it down several times. I repeatedly found myself having feelings unlike anything I can remember from a text. Sort of like having a sense of well being after returning from a long, solo hike.

Two reasons: first, the author is a poet and a storyteller—Irish, no less. Second, she is telling you scientific information that, for me, was utterly new.

A wide range of good scientists today profess that they balance their evidence-based inquires

Amazing as it may sound, the biochemistry producing human dreaming, melatonin, has a counterpart in trees called auxin. with a religious or mystical awe. There are even a few more writers who possess perhaps a bit less scientific depth but who can somehow use philosophical language to produce a sense of wonder of the non-human world. BeresfordKroeger has raised the bar.

Some things I learned: Talking about how hemoglobin in humans and chlorophyll in plants exchange oxygen, she writes, “It seems like part of a divine plan, these twin sister molecules working hand-in-hand in their quantum homes to forge life for the entire planet.” How bioplanning will, in time, form a new safety net.

The way trees capture and transform sunlight into food and gases could, if we can ever fully understand it and produce technology to mimic it, become a remarkable new source of energy.

How every species finds its own medicine in the world, from plants and trees to ants to hippos.

How the ancient pharmacopoeia of the pines emit a medicinal aerosol that literally has a stimulating effect on the process of breathing itself.

How, as amazing as it may sound, the biochemistry producing human dreaming, melatonin, has a counterpart in trees called auxin. Both are aromatic hydrocarbons produced in response to the changes in sunlight of the seasons. In both humans and trees, sleep and respiration is balanced so dreams may arise.

We know a great deal about what is happening in our world and suffer terribly as a consequence. “Consumerism bores holes of unbearable solitude,” writes Beresford-Kroeger. “Seek the dignity of life, all life.” // Terry Lawhead

Spokane County residents completing the activities can take home a free compost bin. Please arrive by 1:30 p.m. to complete all activities by 2:00 p.m. Bins are provided by the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System & the Washington State Dept. of Ecology.

Limit one bin per household.

For more information Recycling Hot Line 625-6800

&

www.solidwaste.org

Spokane, WA

Free to Spokane County businesses!

Let us show you how to reduce your trash disposal bill while becoming a better recycler Pacific Materials Exchange, in partnership with Spokane Regional Solid Waste System, is offering free assessment services to Spokane County businesses that are interested in reducing their disposal bills and increasing their recycling efforts.

The services are provided completely without charge and all collected data is confidential. Several levels of assessment are available, ranging from a packet of information to an in-depth on-site consultation and survey.

For more information or to schedule a consultation: Call 625-6536 or email jhaynes@spokanecity.org

Partial funding provided by a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology.

APRIL 2012

/ Out There Monthly

15

Road Trips

The International Selkirk Loop beckons What Outdoor Activity Can’t You Do There? / By Peter G. Williams

Consider taking a two-nation vacation. The International Selkirk Loop is a 280-mile international scenic byway that winds around the Selkirk Mountains through Washington, Idaho and British Columbia. Only a few hours from Spokane, it provides great access to an array of outdoor recreation adventures.

The route extends from Newport, Wash., east to Sandpoint, Idaho, then north on Route 95 through Bonners Ferry and along the eastern edge of the Selkirk Mountains across the Canada border to Creston. The Loop then follows Route 3A along Kootenay Lake, eventually crossing Kootenay Lake and going west to Nelson. From Nelson it drops south on Route 6, crosses back into Washington near Metaline Falls and heads south back to Newport.

The Selkirk Loop offers an incredible diversity of outdoor recreation opportunities, including hiking, camping, sailing, fishing, whitewater and flatwater kayaking, bicycle touring, skiing, snowshoeing and bird watching. Lodging is available at a wide range of resorts, bed and breakfasts, hostels and camping areas. The opportunities for adventure expand exponentially as you use the Loop as a base to explore further in all directions. having fun at kootenay lake. // Photo Peter g. Williams.

Between Nelson and Salmo is a 29-mile “rails to trails” route, the Salmo-Troup Trail.

This is a converted abandoned Burlington Northern Railroad line designed for mountain bikes.

The least known part of the Loop is probably the section along Kootenay Lake. This 90-mile long lake, sometimes referred to as the “Norwegian Fjords of North America,” is the largest natural lake in the Kootenay Rockies and the third largest in British Columbia. It lies at 1,736 feet above sea level, between the Selkirk Mountain range to the west and the Purcell range to the east.

Kootenay Lake is beautiful, lightly populated and surrounded by Provincial Parks. Many of the communities along the lake have a fun, funky feel to them, teeming with artists, craftspeople and musicians. The east side of the lake has an enticing variety of accommodations, including cabins right on the water. Boat launches are available for fishing access, and the area provides perfect waters and wind for sailing.

Kootenay Lake is home to Kokanee salmon, huge sturgeon and trout. The region also has extensive wildlife, including deer, elk, lynx, bears and cougars. The area is populated with 265 species of migrating and nesting birds, including wild swans, wild turkeys, pelicans, bald eagles, osprey and pileated woodpeckers.

The north end of the Lake, en route to 16

Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

Nelson, requires the use of the longest free ferry in the world. Just to the north of the ferry crossing, on the western shores of Kootenay Lake, is Ainsworth Hot Springs, a worthy destination unto itself. Ainsworth is a resort with a developed hot springs, and while not the wilderness hot springs experience one may prefer, it is worth a visit. It has three soaking pools, including the memorable horseshoe cave pool.

The northern end of the International Selkirk Loop borders West Arm Provincial Park. In addition, there are 14 B.C. parks, conservancies, protected areas and recreation areas within ten miles of the Selkirk Loop.

At the northwestern point of the Loop, the Kootenay River empties into the West Arm of Kootenay Lake at the rustic town of Nelson, known as the “Heritage Capital” of British Columbia. If you are on a budget, or looking to meet international adventurers, the Dancing Bear Inn is a classic hostel.

Nelson provides a great base for winter adventure. Just outside of town is Whitewater Ski Resort, which is a classic area with great terrain, epic powder and good access to the backcountry.

To the north is Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, which provides great backcountry ski and mountaineering terrain.

To the south of Nelson, on the western leg of the Loop, is the small town of Salmo. Between Nelson and Salmo is a 29-mile “rails to trails” route, the Salmo-Troup Trail. This is a converted abandoned Burlington Northern Railroad line designed for mountain bikes. The internationally renowned Shambhala Music Festival occurs every August at the Salmo River Ranch.

To the east of Salmo is Stagleap Provincial Park and Kootenay Pass, an area with incredible backcountry ski terrain and consistently excellent snow conditions.

Most of the Selkirk International Loop is actually on the U.S. side of the border. The Pend Oreille River provides the Loop border all the way from the Metaline Border Crossing, past Newport at the southernmost point, and on to Sandpoint—situated on Lake Pend Oreille.

The route north from Sandpoint takes you through the beauty of North Idaho between the Selkirk Mountain range and the Cabinet Mountains. Bonner’s Ferry to the north provides access to the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge.

If you are interested in nothing more than a pretty driving tour, it is hard to beat the International Selkirk Loop. Sunset magazine named it “The West’s Best Scenic Drive,” and the 2009 Rand McNally Atlas selected it as one of five “Best of the Roads.”

No matter what your outdoor recreation interests, you’ll find it on the International Selkirk Loop. // WHEN YOU GO Driving directions for accessing the Loop can be found online at www.selkirkloop.org/index. php/travel-info/getting-to-the-loop. For more information, including driving, bicycling and birding maps, visit www.selkirkloop.org.

Health andFitness Why Yoga?

Hughes

Local Teacher Talks About What Brings People To Yoga / By Dr. Bob Lutz

Yoga for health. // Photo R. Wakeman.

A little over a year ago, my wife, Amy, and I made a commitment to revisit our dormant yoga practice. We decided to look into a yoga studio in the neighborhood, and we’re glad we did. We’ve enjoyed the practice from a number of standpoints, not least of which has been our connection with our primary instructor, Shelley Enlow. So I asked her to discuss her form of yoga.

It’s the first night of a new session of a beginner’s yoga course that I teach at Spokane Yoga Shala. For most of the people who have signed up, this is their first experience doing yoga. I look around the room and I ask the question, “Why are you here? Why do you want to learn yoga?”

The responses are a sampling of what I hear every time that I teach this class—one person wants to become more flexible; someone else wants to learn about spirituality; another person wants to get to know him or herself. Someone is trying to cope with the loss of a loved one; another person is dealing with a sick child that requires a lot of physical care and wants to be stronger; chronic back pain, short hamstrings, cancer recovery, stress management, this list goes on. Regardless of the reason, the common theme I hear is because in some way they are suffering and looking for a way to get help.

Yoga can address all of these issues, but I believe these “benefits” are actually only a byproduct of the practice. Yoga can help you become stronger and more flexible, learn to manage stress, reduce pain, etc., but the true benefit of yoga isn’t a physical one. Regular practice will allow you to become more aware of how you physically hold your body, but perhaps even more importantly, how you think, judge, feel and experience emotions. Such awareness provides more clarity for how you’re living your life and the choices you make, and it’s this connection that begins the process of understanding and relating to your own suffering.

I’ve been teaching Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga for more than 15 years, and I’ve learned it’s in the infinitely subtle layers of yoga where the greatest benefits lie. The practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa

Yoga begins with the Primary Series, a therapeutic sequence of postures (asanas) that focuses on forward bends, hip openers and a few twists (some examples of common postures include upward and downward facing-Dog, and Boat). It’s kind of like learning the alphabet from A to Z—we start with pose A and continue through the series until we get to pose Z. Each asana builds on the previous one thereby strengthening and balancing the body.

The foundation of the practice links each breath with a movement (Vinyasa). In this way, breath becomes the truest teacher of present-moment awareness. (If you try to hold your breath for any extended period, you’ll understand exactly what I mean.) This is a daily practice and one that may take years before the next series is taught. As one continues to diligently practice over time, the practice becomes more subtle, ultimately bringing greater levels of internal focus and awareness.

With this relaxed awareness, the yoga practice becomes meditative, revealing the ever-subtle experience of the present moment.

People may come for any number of reasons, but regardless of what brings people to yoga, I’m just happy they’ve come. And my hope is that in some small (or big) way, it helps them make a connection that will help them live their lives. The more I practice yoga, the more I feel connected to something much bigger than myself. Through

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As one continues to practice over time, it becomes more subtle, ultimately bringing greater levels of internal focus and awareness. With this relaxed awareness, the yoga practice becomes meditative, revealing the ever-subtle experience of the present moment. my practice, I have learned I am not alone; I am not the only person who has suffered or struggled; I’m not the only person who has been fulfilled and, I won’t be the last, either. This practice connects me to all of the people who have walked before me and to all of those who will walk in the future. I feel hope and gratitude for humanity. As I step on my mat I feel this connection. So, when someone asks me, “Why Yoga? What are the benefits?” I say, “Yoga is connection.” //

Shelley Enlow has been a teacher for over 20 years and a practitioner of yoga since 1995. She has a degree in Health Education and Exercise Science, and is a licensed massage practitioner and registered yoga teacher. She is the mother

Sunday April 22, 2012 Riverside State Park Spokane’s only 100% dirt race register at www.spokaneriverrun.com Proceeds benefit Garfield Elementary APPLE and Active4Youth

of two, enjoys reading, skiing, walking her dog and spending time with her husband and children.

APRIL 2012

/ Out There Monthly

17

ent is correct. Phone: (206) 418-0747; Fax (206) 418-0746. Thank you.

Training Tips Quick Tips For Your Bike Fit

3 Things You Can Quickly Adjust / By Ben Greenfield As a Serotta certified fitter, I’ve performed a few hundred bike fits. Here are three quick tips that will provide you a decent “self fit.”

Getting a proper fit at your local bike shop is necessary, however, if you want to ride competitively or with high volume.

SEAT HEIGHT: A seat that is too high will affect your ability to produce optimal power, while a seat that is too low will put excessive force upon and eventually injure your knee joint. The best way to determine the correct seat height is to sit on the seat and extend your leg as far down as the crank allows (make sure you’re clicked in if wearing bike cleats). Fully extend your leg by locking the knee back. Make sure your foot is parallel to the ground. If your toes have to point down with the leg fully extended, then your seat is too high. If your heel has to point down with leg full extended, your seat is too low.

HANDLEBAR HEIGHT: A general recommendation is 1-3 inches below the height of your saddle, but this will vary depending on your back flexibility. You should be able to maintain “softness” or a slight bend in the elbows, with-

I’m Going to

I

My Bike

out feeling too much pressure on the palms of your hand. If using aerobars, follow these three recommendations: 1) your forearms should be level when viewed from the side, with your “ears above your elbows”; 2) your elbow angle should be 90-110 degrees; 3) the width of your elbows is not too important and is based on your comfort.

SEAT FORE-AFT: With the crank at 90 degrees, a straight line from the front of your knee should drop near the center of the pedal axle. Your seat tube angle is the adjustment that will affect fore-aft position—ranging from 72 to 78 degrees, with triathletes usually riding at a higher angle. The higher the angle, the more the hamstrings are involved in the pedal stroke, and a high cadence becomes easier to maintain; however, it becomes less efficient as the seat position moves farther forward to push over the top of the pedal stroke.

A good strategy if you’re adjusting the bike fit yourself is to use an indoor trainer, so that you can constantly mount and dismount your bike as you make small changes in the set-up. //

Robby Dunlap

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233 & 222 N.Howard St. Downtown Spokane

Gifts • Cards •Books • Home Furnishings • Coffee •Tea 18

Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

I love my bike because it is smooth and fast. I also love it because I paid for it myself and I

am learning how to fix it up at Pedals2People. //

Everyday Cyclist Why Don’t more women bike?

A Look At Barriers And Solutions / By Hank Greer It turns out that a strong indicator of the health of bicycle commuting is the number of women who participate in it. Women make up only about one-fourth of bike commuters in the United States. The percentage is higher in bikefriendly cities where there is greater emphasis on safe and practical bike routes. In cities like Minneapolis, San Francisco and Portland, women comprise 35 to 45 percent of people rid-

Rachel scrudder rides. // photo hank greer.

ing to and from work on a bike. By comparison, it’s 49 and 55 percent, respectively, in Germany and the Netherlands where there is greater focus on public bike infrastructure.

So what would get more women to ride? A couple years ago, the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) conducted a national survey and found the number one factor was convenience. This included weather conditions, time, shorter distances, tools for mapping trips, less congested traffic, and more bike-friendly traffic rules. The second factor was infrastructure such as improved bicycle accommodations, more investment in maintenance of paths and bike lanes, cleaning and plowing of bike lanes and shoulders, and segregated cycling facilities.

Katherine Widing works from home in Spokane and cycling is her primary mode of transportation. Her concerns echo the survey findings. “My personal challenge is the dreadful state of the road surface—cracks, ruts, potholes, ridges...and also debris/mushy leaves on edge of right hand lanes...where cyclists tend to ride, due to lack of city cleanup. I find that I wish there were more bike lanes, and often wonder why some bike lanes cease for no reason. I see potential for marked bike lanes on streets that are wide enough.”

Rachel Scrudder, a City of Spokane Bicycle Advisory Board member and a bike commuter for a number of years now, says investing in bike infrastructure would reduce traffic and wear on the road and provide a safer place for women and children to ride. “Until we have separated, preferably off-street bikeways, women, as a group, will feel intimidated to ride. We are less likely to take risks than our male counterparts.”

To its credit, Spokane adopted a Master Bike Plan in 2009 to help make the city more bike friendly. Last December it passed a Complete Streets ordinance so all users are considered during the planning, designing, building and opera-

tion of roadways. There have been some infrastructure improvements such as increased bike lanes and the use of sharrows that indicate bikes and vehicles share the roadway. It’s incumbent on all of us—drivers, pedestrians and cyclists—to monitor and encourage the city’s progress because we all benefit from it.

There was one survey finding in particular that struck me as significant. Only 11 percent of the women answered “yes” to the statement: “I am a confident cyclist.” I’m not surprised by that since from my own years of bike commuting I can relate to how the condition of the roadway, the amount and speed of traffic, the accommodation level for bikes, and even the weather and clothing can affect a person’s confidence level.

These factors are not entirely out of your control, ladies, and you can take action to boost your confidence and feel more comfortable while riding. But don’t take my word for it.

“We are less likely to take risks than our male counterparts.”

Three years ago Betsy Lawrence founded a group called Belles and Baskets (www.facebook. com/BellesandBaskets). It’s for women who are interested in commuting, running errands by bike, and other noncompetitive riding. One reason for starting the group was to help encourage and empower women because, from her own experience, Betsy understood why women can be hesitant to ride. From April to October, Belles and Baskets meets twice a month and the rides are a social experience that cover 10-15 miles and include a food stop. Several experienced members are happy to share route tips, clothing ideas, and more with those who want to expand their bike use. The group takes great satisfaction in new riders expressing pleasant surprise at completing a 15-mile bike trip for the first time.

Another alternative, although not just for women, is the Bike Commuter Program hosted by the Spokane Bicycle Club. Eileen Hyatt, a certified instructor for the League of American Bicyclists, is the leader and she has six volunteers helping her. Eileen says that although most of the participants have been experienced riders who are new to Spokane or former cyclists returning to cycling and want to bike commute, the program can be extremely helpful for new riders. The assistance can be as simple as a volunteer sending an email describing a route. Or it can be as involved as having a volunteer rider teach you how to spot check your bike, fix a flat tire, and ride your route with you. They can help you with basic maintenance, bike fit, helmet fit, traffic laws, riding safety and route selection. You can contact Eileen at spokanebikebuddy@aol.com.

Riding a bike involves fun and fitness. Go out with some friends or come out and make new ones. And if you’d like some encouragement with taking that first step before taking the lane, there are some avenues you can take to help you get there. //

Eastern Washington University’s 14th Annual

Get Lit! Festival

April 10-15, 2012 t Spokane, WA

Featuring Steve Almond Rick Bass & Stellarondo Keith Boykin Ted Kooser Lois Lowry Jess Walter Colson Whitehead With readings, workshops, poetry slams, and more!

Mention Get Lit! for a festival rate starting at $99 at the Red Lion Hotel.

Tickets may be purchased from Ticketswest at 1-800-325-SEAT or at www.ticketswest.com.

www.ewu.edu/getlit

Windermere Marathon SPOKANE USA Saturday, May 19 2012

Expo on Friday Full Marathon – Post Falls to Riverfront Park Half Marathon – Mirabeau Park to Riverfront Park Duet-thlon – Couples Relay Friends and Family – 4 person relay Corporate Cup Post Race Party and Beer Garden

The Windermere Marathon supports low income and homeless families through the Windermere Foundation

www.windermeremarathon.com

APRIL 2012

/ Out There Monthly

19

GoGreen: Sustainable Living

Three Cool New Books About Food

Raising It, Growing It, and Cooking It / By Kelly Lerner, Brian Estes, and Kristi Fountain pages

THE SMALL-SCALE POULTRY FLOCK, Harvey Ussery, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2011, 416 pages

Written in an engaging, down home style, reading The Small-Scale Poultry Flock is like talking across the fence with an experienced, curious and inventive neighbor who has spent a lifetime integrating poultry into a viable, self-sustaining farmstead. When answering any question about poultry—from feed to eggs to soil health to broody chickens—Harvey Ussery uses natural systems as his primary guide and offers solutions that minimize your work, maximize the health and happiness of the flock, and take advantage of ecosystem relationships. He sees raising poultry as just one part of a multi-faceted sustainable and resilient system of growing healthy foods (both plant and animal) in your own backyard—an approach both radical and refreshingly practical.

With black and white photos, charts and diagrams and entertaining text, Ussery and his guest experts share a comprehensive knowledge of chicken behavior, anatomy and natural health care, starting a flock, housing and pasturing, feeding, manure, egg production, breeding, slaughter and selling in the local market. Chapters on growing your own feed that includes sprouted seeds, fruits, nuts, red wiggler worms and soldier fly larvae opened my eyes to possibilities of complementing my bagged organic feed from my own backyard. A five-page photo spread illuminated all the steps of butchering and processing poultry. The appendix includes spreadsheets for feed formulation and tracking egg and broiler costs and profits, plans for a mobile chicken coop as well as a nutritional comparison of naturally and industrially produced eggs.

Whether you are just starting out with your first backyard chicken flock or are an experienced poultry producer looking to improve your flock, this book will inspire you to take a deeper look at your systems to grow better, healthier poultry. //

In spite of the romance—and intuitive practicality—growing tree fruit is a bit more daunting than producing vegetables, or even raising small livestock. Trees are a commitment and as any extension agent will tell an aspiring, amateur orchardist, tree fruit can have many problems.

Commitment, yes, says author Michael Phillips, but agricultural problem child? Not if you are willing to take a biological approach.

With a strategy of “stewarding what needs to be right while intelligently setting limits on what might go wrong,” Phillips takes an ecosystems approach to orcharding that seeks to develop and sustain plant and soil-life communities, and that prevents and mitigates problems with minimal and straightforward outside intervention. He challenges the conventional understanding that fruit trees need a lot of active human help to deal with unavoidable pests and diseases. Instead, Phillips asserts, the accepted heavy reliance on sprays (organic or conventional) are far less necessary if trees are part of a healthy ecosystem. He presents a view of tree fruit production that could function on a variety of scales and emphasizes promoting the health of trees as the best route towards eliminating problems.

“Stewarding what needs to be right while intelligently setting limits on what might go wrong.”

simple and flexible recipes using fresh ingredients and organized around the seasons. Within each season, you will learn about the plants that are available in that particular season and their culinary uses, health virtues and tips for buying, storing and growing each. Mixed in with the cultivated plants are a few forageables. I’ll admit that I was glad the book wasn’t too heavy in this area since my foraging takes place at the local co-op or farmer’s market. However, author Didi Emmons provides a good balance that challenges us to get out into the wild, see what we can find and try some new flavors.

But there’s more. Emmons, a chef and former restaurant owner, met Eva Sommaripa when she started buying fresh herbs from Eva’s farm for her restaurant. Over the years, she has installed herself as a regular fixture at the farm and learned much from Eva around the concepts of salvaging, community, bartering, preserving and conserving. As I scanned the recipes in each section, I was charmed by the interspersed stories from the farm. You’ll find tidbits of wisdom shared through short anecdotes that Emmons has collected from Eva, her neighbors and the farmhands over the years. Also included are beautiful photos of the food, farm and plants.

The recipes are easy to follow and provide an array of alternative ingredient options allowing you to cook with what you have on hand and based

on your particular taste preferences. This is one of my favorite features of this book. It’s not often that a recipe gives three or four options for an ingredient. This approach lends to learning the basic techniques, flavor components and ultimately cooking without recipes. I sampled the recipes for “Chambrette’s Cabbage,” “Parsnip, Tomato Water, and Quinoa Soup,” “Potage Bonne Femme,” and “Warm Salad of Cabbage, Green Beans, Blue Cheese, and Bacon.” All were tasty, fresh and— aside from the quantity of butter in “Chambrette’s Cabbage”—healthy. I highly recommend this book for those who are looking to transition to a local, seasonal and whole-foods focused way of cooking and eating. // Kristi Fountain

MO NT HLY

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DAVID BARSAMIAN OF ALTERNATIVE RADIO

This is an engaging text—approachable while carrying some impressive depth. Starting with a strong conceptual backbone and a thorough exploration of the ecosystems-based framework, Phillips provides the reader an in-depth guide to orchard design, maintenance and development.

Whether for the backyard or the back forty, Phillips provides useful and challenging insight into strategies for practicing environmentally conscious, rewarding and productive orcharding. // Brian Estes

Kelly Lerner

$10 TICKETS AT KYRS.ORG OR 509-747-3012 SEATS ARE LIMITED SPONSORED BY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF SPOKANE WILD FLAVORS: ONE CHEF’S TRANSFORMATIVE YEAR COOKING FROM EVA’S FARM THE HOLISTIC ORCHARD: TREE FRUITS AND BERRIES THE BIOLOGICAL WAY Michael Phillips, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2012, 432 20

Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

Didi Emmons, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2011, 320 pages

This is more than just a cookbook. I was thrilled to discover a wonderful selection of

FRIDAY, APRIL 13TH 7PM THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF SPOKANE (4340 W FORT WRIGHT DRIVE)

GoGreen: Sustainable Living SUSTAINABLELIVINGCALENDAR

Place A RUN

(April 7) Planting Tomatoes from Seed Workshop.

When: 1:30 - 3:30 PM. Where: Sun People Dry Goods Co, 32 W 2nd Ave, Ste. 200.

Master Gardener will present a “show-n-tell” class with power point presentation, “handson” activities, demonstrations, and displays.

FREE. Pre-registration required. Info: 509368-9378, sunpeopledrygoods.com.

Race

of ants in the Pacific Northwest including their behavior, life cycle, and place in our local ecosystem. Info: 509-328-2939, inlandnwlandtrust.org.

(April 14) Intro to Chicken Keeping Workshop. When: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Where: Sun People Dry Goods Co, 32 W 2nd Ave, Ste. 200. Learn chicken keeping regulations in Spokane, hous(April 7) Composting 101 Workshop. When: 10:30 ing, breed selection, feeding and caring for AM - 12:30 PM. Where: Sun People Dry chickens, raising baby chicks, and egg producGoods Co, 32 W 2nd Ave, Ste. 200. Master tion. $20. Pre-registration required. Info: 509Composters/Recyclers, will lead the group 368-9378, sunpeopledrygoods.com. through the best outdoor composting covering a variety of techniques. FREE. Pre-registration (April 19) Rainwater Collection 101 Workshop. When: required. Info: 509-368-9378, sunpeopledry- 4 - 5:30 PM. Where: Sun People Dry Goods goods.com.

Co, 32 W 2nd Ave, Ste. 200. Learn how to assemble, install and generally use a rain (April 7) Intro to Growing Potatoes In Spokane. When: barrel from an expert. $5. Pre-registration Noon to 2 PM. Where: Sun People Dry Goods required. Info: 509-368-9378, sunpeopledryCo, 32 W 2nd Ave, Ste. 200. Darcey Byrne goods.com will answer questions about growing potatoes here in the Spokane region. FREE. No Pre- (April 21) All About Birds Workshop for Kids! When: registration Required - Stop by anytime. Info: 1 - 3 PM. Where: Sun People Dry Goods Co, 509-368-9378, sunpeopledrygoods.com 32 W 2nd Ave, Ste. 200. Learn how to identify local bird species, what they eat and where (April 10) Ants in the Pacific Northwest: Why They they live. Make your own amazing feeder Are Smarter, Faster, and More Social Than Humans. to take home. $19. Pre-registration required.

When: 7 PM. Where: Community Building Info: 509-368-9378, sunpeopledrygoods.com. lobby 35 W. Main Ave. Learn about the role //

TO BENEFIT PARKER’S PLACE

A 5k or 10k Run to benefit PARKER’S PLACE Date: Sunday, April 29, 2011 Time: 9:00 AM Location: Mirabeau Park Trailhead • Spokane Valley Race-2-Place is a fun, scenic, out and back, 5k or 10k run/walk along the shores of the Spokane River on the Centennial Trail in the Spokane Valley. All proceeds from Race-2-Place go to benefit PARKER’S PLACE, a camp for families who have lost a child to terminal illness or tragedy. Tech Shirt

Special Pledge Hoodie

Awards

Prizes

COPENHAVER CONSTRUCTION INC.

REGISTER AND INFO AT: WWW.RACE2PLACE.ORG

Concerned About Wasting Costly Water or Energy?

Stressed About Finances or the Quality of Your Food?

Ready to make a change?

Then attend one of our workshops, movies, community service projects or training sessions and become more self-reliant.

Join us Sunday, May 13th at 5pm at Salem Lutheran Church to sign-up or learn more.

The 2012 (MAY 13-19) West Central Gathering: A Convergence of Ideas & People to Promote Neighborhood Resiliency Though Sustainable Food, Water, Energy, Exchange & Transportation Systems in Inner-City Spokane communitybydesign@hotmail.com or www.wcgathering.org

The "Yolkswagon"

It’s a Chicken Coop and a Chicken Tractor!

Feed your babies Whole - Organic Non-GMO Scratch & Peck Starter Feed for Chicks

A Hiking Co-op

Nice people who love to hike or backpack.

Dayhikes or overnight backpacks or snowshoe hikes year-round.

(509) 467-8099

www.backpackingclub.macwebsitebuilder.com

Your source for grit, supplements, feeders, heat lamps and more!

An Urban Homestead and Natural Living Store Mon-Sat 10 to 6 | Closed Sun. SunPeopleDryGoods.com | 509.368.9378 | 32 W. 2nd Ave. APRIL 2012

/ Out There Monthly

21

MAY

E N A K O P S H T N O M E K I B kanebikes.net

is

Featuring Week Bike to Work

MAY

20- 26

22

Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

spo

register today

Photo of the Month

Ken Hoffman

PhotO: Ken Hoffman “My 12 year old, Katie on the lift at 49N. She is a student at Salk Jr. High.” Send your vertical, 3 meg. or less, hi-res (200+ dpi) submission with caption to editor@outtheremonthly.com. Best photos entries will be picked for upcoming issues.

Roadtrip DJ: April ANNIE SZOTKOWSKI “PARANOID ANDROID” / RADIOHEAD / THE BEST OF RADIOHEAD Radiohead is sonic and cosmic. Songs shift gears acoustically and rhythmically, providing an excellent listening experience. Paranoid Android is no exception. The moment the ignition sparks, start your road trip with Radiohead’s synchronization with the rev of the engine. Enjoy the ride.

“100 ROUND THE BENDS” / MISSY HIGGINS / ON A CLEAR NIGHT Missy Higgins invites you to join her adventure: “Jump in my car, we’ll go 100 around the bend… feelin’ great just feelin’ real.” Blaring alongside deserts or driving on backcountry roads, this song has an exertive drumbeat that sets the tone. The open road never sounded so good.

“RIDIN’ IN MY CAR” / SHE & HIM / VOLUME TWO Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward rock at pop. This song is cheerful and nostalgic. Deschanel, indie-folk artist, shares a “soda pop,” 1950s style performance where she and M.Ward’s instrumentation compare to a modern Bobby Day (Rockin’Robin 1958).

“SOUNDTRACK” / PRESTON PUGMIRE / PRESTON PUGMIRE “Love is not speeding up to a spot light, like I used to think.” Pacific Northwest, listen in. Preston Pugmire, currently living in Idaho, performs with artistic ingenuity. Usually he entertains audiences with foot pedals and props and delivers perfect synchronization. “Soundtrack” adds the right mix to any playlist.

“HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS” / BOB SEGER / BOB SEGER GREATEST HITS A road trip would not be complete without rock legend Bob Seger. Fast, edgy sound meets pumped, energetic music. This song has all the “diamonds and thrills” you hope to find on road trips. You’ll definitely be tapping the dashboard or steering wheel. //

25 W. Sprague, Spokane, WA 509-325-9806 APRIL 2012

/ Out There Monthly

23

Outdoor Calendar

SIXMONTHTRAININGCALENDAR

CLIMBING

to you! Info: 509-951-6366, wowcycling.com.

CYCLING

RUNNING

(Ongoing Mondays & Wednesdays) Spider Monkey Climbing Club. When: 5 – 7PM. Where: Wild Walls, 202 W. 2nd Ave. For kids ages 4 – 10 years. Please call ahead. Come climb and meet new friends! Info: 509-455-9596.

(Ongoing) Belles and Baskets. Whatever style your cycle, join other Spokane women for no-drop rides, treats, and friendship. Info: 509-951-4090, facebook.com/bellesandbaskets.

(Ongoing - August 2012) Baddlands Cooper Jones Twilight Series Races. When: Tuesday evenings at 6 PM. Where: Cheney, Spokane, Rathdrum, Liberty Lake, Steptoe Butte. USAC Sanctioned bicycle racing. Road races and crits. A, B, C, and Wms Packs. Info: 509-456-0432, baddlands.org.

(May 6) Lilac Bloomsday Run, the 36th. Info: www. bloomsdayrun.org.

(Ongoing - August 2012) Inland Road Race Series.

When: 8 AM - 2 PM. Where: Various. A series of road races and criteriums on fast, fun courses throughout the Inland area. Cash and merchandise prizes. Info: 509-868-8604, spokanerocketvelo.com.

(June 23) Justin C Haeger 10 Miler. When: 8 AM. Where: Spokane Falls Community College. 10 mile race to celebrate the life of Justin Haeger.

Over the years, this race has raised over $18,000 for Daybreak Youth Services. Info: 509-991-9779, jchtenmiler.com

(May 16 – June 27) Wednesday Night Mountain Bike and Trail Run Series. Info: Info: 509-879-5119, eric@milliseconds.com.

(July 17, 24 & 31) U District Summer Series. 5k and 1 mile fun run Tuesday nights. Kids are FREE! Info: 509-458-7686, kirsten@udistrictpt.com

(May, 20) Tour de Cure. Four routes, 100, 50, 25, and a family ride. All routes are fully supported. Info: 509-624-7478, diabetes.org/tour.

(July 21) Schweitzer Mountain Trail Run. 3.5 and 10 mile trail runs guaranteed to challenge! Info: smtrailrun.com

(May 20) Spokane Trailquest. It’s like a scavenger hunt on a mountain bike. Info: 509-280-5251, spokanetrailquest.weebly.com.

(August 18) Strides For Strong Bones 5k Fun Run/Walk.

Info: 509-953-9924, emdesports.com.

(April 11 & 25) Discover Rock Class. When; 6 - 8 PM. Where: Mountain Gear 2002 N. Division.

Everything you need to harness up, tie in and belay with confidence. This class is for those who wish to get into climbing, as well as for parents wishing to get their young ones climbing safely $20. Info: (509) 325-9000.

(April 14) Youth Intro to Rock. When 1 – 3PM. Where: Where: Mountain Gear 2002 N. Division. Get your child ready for climbing! The class will introduce them to climbing safety, belaying techniques and knots, all taught by a certified instructor. We want to build their confidence so lots of climbing time will be involved. All equipment provided. Mountain Gear Ages 7-11. $20. Info: 509-328-9900.

(April 19) Intermediate Rock. When; 6 - 8 PM. Where: Mountain Gear 2002 N. Division. Are you someone who has gone through an intro climbing course or has some climbing experience? This class is to refresh you with the basics and further your education to help you climb more efficiently.

Previous instruction required. Ages 15+. $20.

Info: (509) 325-9000.

(May 5) Rise and Conquer Climbing Competition. When: All day. Where: Wild Walls, 202 W. 2nd Ave. More than just a local climbing competition, it promises to be a day of fun for all ages. Info: wildwalls.com.

CYCLING (Ongoing) Mountain Bike Rides. When: Varies. Where: Spokane and vicinity. Spokane BOMB (Believers On Mountain Bikes) is a non-denominational Christian fellowship leading monthly group rides starting in April. Everyone welcome, helmets required. Info: spokanebomb@yahoo.com, spokanebomb.com.

(Ongoing Mondays & Wednesdays) Bike Hub Spin Classes.

When: 6 PM. Where: The Bike Hub Basement 12505 East Sprague Ave. Just because it’s cold out doesn’t mean you have to stop riding! Bring your bike and trainer and come join us every Monday and Wednesday night at 6pm for our spin classes. We have a huge projection screen and tons of videos! Info: 509-443-4005, thebikehubspokane.com.

(Ongoing Saturdays) Weekly Urban Bike Races. When: 6 - 7 PM. Where: Cda Park. Bike Races, Format by Popular Vote at time of Race. Formats are : Relay, Picture hunt, Follow the clues, Sticker slap race.

Road bikes Suggested. Prizes! Info: 313-757-1888, facebook.com/event.php?eid&3050340401358 (Ongoing) WOW Cycling Spokane. WOW is excited that Spring is nearly here! Check our FaceBook page for upcoming rides and activities! Tailwinds

(Ongoing) Spokane Bicycle Club. S.B.C. offers eight weekly rides of various lengths and difficulty for members and non-members. Check the web site for ride details. Info: 509-747-5581, spokanebicycleclub.org.

(April 9) Monday Night Mountain bikes. When: 6 PM. Where: Fitness Fanatics. Come ride with us. We will meet at the shop. Call for more information.

We ride rain or snow. No Drop ride. Info: 509922-6080, fitfanatics.com (April 19) Beginner Bike Maintenance Workshop. When: 6 PM. Where: Fitness Fanatics. Learn to saftey check your bike, change your tires and lube your chain. Space is limited, call. Cost is $25. Info: 509-922-6080, fitfanatics.com.

(April 29) Spokane Trailquest. When: registration & start anytime between 8 & 11 AM. Where: Newman Lake boat ramp. It’s like a scavenger hunt on a mountain bike. Ride alone or with a partner. $25 each includes a free T shirt, food, & drinks. Info: 509-280-5251, spokanetrailquest. weebly.com (April 29) Lilac Century. Info: northdivision.com/ lilac.htm (May 16, ending June 27. Wednesday Night Mountain Bike and Trail Run Series. When: 5 PM. Where: Riverside State Park, 7-Mile Airstrip. New this year with the MTB Series, trail running! Running Courses different than the Bike Courses, new course each week. Fun for all abilities! Info: 509435-1304, 2g1devents.com.

RUNNING/WALKING (Ongoing) Gals Get Going. When: Orientation at REI, March 7 at 7pm. Training for Bloomsday for all abilities! Meets weekly on Tuesday AM or Wednesday PM for comraderie and a coached workout! Info: galsgetgoing.com, Kirsten@galsgetgoing.com.

(April 15) Walk MS 2012. When: 10 AM. Where: Spokane Falls Community College 3410 W Fort George Wright Dr. “Join the Movement” towards a world free of MS. Please register for Walk MS 2012 online. Info: 509-482-2022, walkMSnorthwest.org (April 21) Arc of Spokane Community Fun Run. When: 8:15 AM check-in. Where: CenterPlace at Mirabeau Park, 2426 N. Discovery Pl., Spokane Valley. A run, for fun, for everyone! Enjoy this flat, 5K out-and-back run along the beautiful Spokane River. Serious or casual runners are welcome. Times will be provided. $14 per person or $50 for a team of up to 10; children under 5 are free. Sponsored by the Inclusion Network, a volunteer network of The Arc of Spokane. Info:

Have an Event You Would Like to List? // Please visit www.outtheremonthly.com and click the “Submit Your Event” link. // Events MUST be sent in by the 20th of the month to be listed in the following month’s issue. Please follow the when, where format as seen in the calendar. Ongoing events need to be re-submitted each month.

24

Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

(May 26-27) 24 Hours Round the Clock. “Round the Clock” is a 24 hour team relay mountain bike race, beginning at noon on Saturday and ending at noon on Sunday. Info: www.roundandround. com.

(June 2) CHaFE 150. Where: Sandpoint, ID. Oneday, 150 or 80-mile ride. Info: 208-290-7148, chafe150.org.

(June 2) High Tide Ride. Anacortes, WA. Fully supported ride with views: Mt Baker & SanJuan Is. Finish at Anacortes Waterfront Fest. Info: (360) 840-8778, ylnorthislands@hotmail.com.

(May 12) Boys & Girls Club of Kootenai County Jordan Johnson Memorial Fun Run/Walk. 5K & 10K run/ walk. 1 mile run for younger kids. Info: 208457-9089, bgc-northidaho.org

(August 25) Dwight Dash 2012- 5k & 10k Run. The Dwight Dash is a unique 5k and 10k urban trail run showcasing the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex! $19 early registration, $29 day of.

Info: 509-625-6546, bit.ly/dwight_2012 TRIATHALON (June 23) Padden Triathlon in Bellingham. A sprint and super sprint triathlon. Staples of the local triathlon scene. Info: 360-778-7000, cob.org/ services/recreation/races.

(July 21) Tiger Triathlon. The Tiger Triathlon course takes place within the Colville National Forest and surrounding areas. 1k Swim 40k.

Info: 509-684-6037, tigertri.com

(June 9-10) Mountain Bike Skills Clinic. $40 plus variable membership dues. Registration begins March 1. Info: Mtb-clinic@spokanemountaineers.org, spokanemountaineers.org.

(June 24) Ironman, Coeur d’Alene. Info: ironmancda. com.

(July 21) jedermann gran fondo. A 112 mile timed bicycle ride. West of Spokane on typically unridden roadways. Info: 509-326-6983, emdesports.com.

(August 11) Bellingham Youth Triathlon. Three races, start times and distances for kids 15 & younger.

Info: 360-778-7000, cob.org/services/recreation/races/

(July 21) Purpleride: Spoke d’ Alene. 4, 15, 36 or 56 miles or 5K walk. Benefits pancreatic cancer research. Raffle, picnic, concert after ride. Info: 509-990-9119, purpleride.org.

(August 19) West Plains WunderWoman Triathlon. The 6th Annual Sprint Distance and new this year, Olympic Distance Women’s only triathons.

Info: 509-953-9924, emdesports.com.

(July 22) Gran Fondo Mt Bike-50 Miles at the Pass.

4th of July Pass-Nordic Ski Trailhead. A Gran Fondo Mountain Bike ride: 10, 17, 35, 50 mile distances,5 aid stations. Info: 208-667-8969, bicycleservice.com/4thJuly.

MARATHONS (May 19, 2012) Windermere Marathon, Spokane. Info: windermeremarathon.com.

(May 27, 2012) Coeur d’Alene Marathon. Info: 509979-4370.

(June 10) St Joe River Marathon, 1/2 Marathon and 5K Run. Info: 208-582-0898, stjoerivermarathon. com.

MULTI-SPORT (May 5) GORUCK Challenge. Portland, OR. 15-20 Miles. 8-10 Hours. Good Livin’™. Team Challenge event. Designed and led by Green Berets. Info: 202-885-9736, goruckchallenge. com (June 16) Dirty Dash. Enter promo code: ‘PEAK7’ and the Dirty Dash will give back 1/2 of your registration fee to local outdoor charity Peak 7 Adventures! Info: 509-385-3123, www.peak7. org (May 5) Whatcom Classic in Bellingham. Open water, human powered, 13.1 miles and 5.5 miles.

Info: 360-778-7000, soundrowers.org/default. aspx //

Outdoor Calendar (April 22) Spokane River Run. When: 50k 8:15 AM, 25k 8:45 AM, 5k 9:10 AM, 10k 9:45 AM. Where: Riverside State Park. Spokane River Run is a great way to kick off your spring calendar.

Whether you are considering trail running for the first time or are an experienced racer, we promise you a rewarding time in a beautiful environment.

Right in the midst of Riverside State Park and minutes from downtown Spokane is a small piece of trail running paradise – we’ll see you there!

Proceeds go to benefit the APPLE program at Garfield Elementary. Info: spokaneriverrun. com.

(May 16 – June 27) Wednesday Night Trail Run and Mountain Bike Series. When: 5 PM. Where: Riverside State Park, 7-Mile Airstrip. New this year with the MTB Series, trail running! Running Courses different than the Bike Courses, new course each week. Fun for all abilities! Info: 509-435-1304, 2g1devents.com.

HIKING (April 7) Hiking Steamboat Rock. When: 8 – 5 PM. Where: Meet at Mountain Gear. This 4 mile round trip hike with about a 1/2 mile of steep rigorous trail to the top of the butte that explores nearly 640 acres on top of Steamboat Rock.

Wildflowers blooming, beautiful rock formations, lake views and wildlife are what this hike is all about. Transportation included. Meet @ Mountain Gear. Ages 16+. $49. Info: spokaneparks.org, 509-625-6200.

(April 12) Lightweight Backpacking Basics. When: 7 – 8:30 PM. Where: REI 1125 N. Monroe. Do you want to try backpacking but worry about carrying a heavy pack? Join an REI backpacking expert who will provide excellent tips on lightweight backpacking techniques. Info: rei.com/stores/24.

ALPINE SKIING/SNOWBOARDING (April 4 - 8) Spring Break at Mt Spokane. When 9 AM – 4 PM. Where: Main Lodge. Winter keeps coming so head on up and enjoy some excellent Spring Skiing. Final day for the year will be April 8th.

Info: mtspokane.com (April 2 – 8) 49 Degrees North & Toyota Ski Free Week.

When: 9 AM – 4 PM. Where: 49 Degrees North.

Open every day for Toyota FREE Ski and Ride Week! Info: ski49n.com.

TRIATHLONS (April 13 & 14) Snake River Sprint Triathlon. When: Various. Where: Clarkston, WA and Lewiston, ID. SWIM - 4-8:30pm on Friday at Asotin County Aquatic Center (Clarkston, WA). Check website for details on do your swim in the Spokane CdA area. BIKE & RUN - 10am on Saturday at Hells Gate State Park, Lewiston, ID. The Triathlon is a 500 yard swim Friday night with a 12-mile bike

PADDLING / RIVER SPORTS (April 21) Kayak Bonnie Lake. When 9 – 5 PM. Where: tba. Surrounded by 600-foot cliffs and home to Red-Tail Hawks and Turkey Vultures you will enjoy the solitude of this Eastern Washington treasure. Equipment and Transportation provided.

Ages 16+. $37. Info spokaneparks.org, 509-6256200.

YOGA (April 30 - June 22) Iyengar Yoga Classes for Beginners.

When: Mon 9:30 AM, Tues & TH at 6 PM. Where: Sunflower Yoga 6413 E. 14th Ave. Iyengar yoga is known for its therapeutic benefits for all levels, use of props and clear instruction. Gentle and intermediate classes also offered. Info: 509-5357369, sunfloweryoga.net EVENTS/MOVIES/MISC… (April 2-6) Engineering Challenge Spring Break Camp.

When: All day. Where: Mobius Science Center.

Come join the Mobius Science Center’s Engineering Challenge. Students will be presented with design and construction challenges in this entry level engineering class. Info: 509-321-7203. science.mobiusspokane.org.

(April 2-6) LEGO Robotics Spring Break Camp. When: All day. Where: Mobius Science Center, 811 W. Main Ave. Explore the design, construction, and programming aspects of LEGO robotics. Students will face increasing challenges to their robot wrangling skills, culminating in robot battle. Info: 509-321-7203, science.mobiusspokane.org.

Market in Downtown Spokane, WA. We’ll still have the affordable mix of junk you love; vintage, antique, industrial, shabby, salvaged, created, repurposed and more all in a funky urban setting, and right next to a market bursting with fresh produce, fresh treats, and of course, coffee! So come and get your spring started right. Info: funkyjunkantiqueshow.com.

(April 15) Aerial Arts Class Session. When: Varies. Where: 5615 E. Broadway. Get into phenomenal shape while learning the art of aerial dance. Participants will learn basic technique of aerial tissu, lyra and other aerial dance apparatus. Info: 509-435-1576, spokaneaerial.com.

(April 21) Earth Day Spokane. When: All Day. Where: Main St. between Brown and Division. Come Celebrate Earth Day 2012. An All day, music, activities, education, art, and entertainment venue! Info: earthdayspokane.org.

(April 21) Open House: Remember the Lorax. When: 10 AM - 3 PM. Where: West Valley Outdoor Learning Center. Description: Celebrate Earth Day at the Outdoor Learning Center. Create Lorax art with earth-friendly materials, and recycle by making something out of garbage! Info: 509-340-1028. olc. wvsd.org.

(April 22) Sandpoint’s Earth Day Festival. When; 12 – 4 PM. Where: Sandpoint Charter High School (614 S. Madison). Come out and enjoy an afternoon for the whole family! Exhibits from more than 25 local conservation groups and vendors, fun-filled kids activities, conservation films, eco-art and ecofashion shows, great local food, valet bike parking and live music. No-host beer and wine bar. Info: facebook.com/sandpointannualearthday.

(April 28) Mountain Gear Scuff and Ding Sale. When: 10 AM – 6 PM. Hundreds of gently used, out of the box, demo and rental products at deeply discounted prices. Camping and climbing gear, clothing, water sports gear and more. Browse the racks for that perfect find! Info: 509-325-9000.

(April 30) Chasing The Fireweed A Summer In Alaska.

When: 7 PM. Where: Corbin Senior Center, 827 W. Cleveland. Join Bill and Debbie Pierce as they share highlights of a 15-week trip exploring Alaska in their conversion van, loaded with bikes and kayaks. Info: 509-209-3066. //

(April 7) Merlyn’s Mini Comic Day. When: 11 AM – 6 PM. Where Merlyn’s - W 19. Main. On Mini-Comics Day, participating cartoonists from around the world will write, draw, and print copies of a mini-comic, completing the entire process from start to finish in a day or less. Anyone in the world can participate. Info: merlyns.biz.

(April 10) Ants in the Pacific Northwest: Why They Are Smarter, Faster, and More Social Than Humans. When: 7 PM. Where: Community Building lobby 35 W. Main Ave. Learn about the role of ants in the Pacific Northwest including their behavior, life cycle, and in our local ecosystem. Info: 509-3282939, inlandnwlandtrust.org.

(April 14 & 15) Funky Junk. When: 10 AM – 4 PM. Where: Spokane Public Market. It’s time to get ready to come and experience the original Funky Junk Antique Show and Crafts Market!

We are excited to announce our new location this spring~in cooperation with the Spokane Public

We’ve moved.

And we need your help!

We’re at 1527 E 16th Ave. Thursday 2-6, Friday 2-6 Saturday 11-6

OUTDOOR CALENDAR

(April 22) Dishman Hills Natural Area - Spring Service Day. When: 1 – 4 PM. Where: Dishman Hills Natural Area – Camp Caro. The Spring Service Day is a chance to provide Stewardship back to this property that so many people enjoy and wildlife call home. At last year’s event we had over 340 volunteers help and this year we are looking for just as strong of a turnout. Info: dhnaa.com.

and 2-mile run on Saturday. The swim will be at the Asotin County Family Aquatic Center from 4:00-8:30pm on Friday. The bike (both mountain and road bikes are welcome) will start at 10:00am + your swim time (IE - if you swim time was 7:47 then you will start at 10:07:47am). The bike portion leaves the parking lot area, heads out the main park entrance road and takes a RIGHT onto Tammany Creek Road. Then proceed out Tammany to the 6-mile turn around then returns to Hells Gate. The run starts at the far North parking lot at Hell’s Gate State Park and heads North on the levee path 1 mile then returns to the transition area in the parking lot. The finish will come into the parallel parking lot as the transition area. Info: lcsc.edu/crosscountry/2012snaketriathlon.html

APR 2012

arc-spokane.org.

Submit your event at www.outtheremonthly.com

Want to volunteer? Email pedals2people.vc@gmail.com APRIL 2012

/ Out There Monthly

25

Jaime racing at Beacon Hill. / / Photo By: Ben Tobin

How did Jaime Rees Ride to a #2 ranking in the U.S.?

BY: Sarah Hauge 26

Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

Jaime outside of Rogers HS where she teaches history and social studies. // Photo By: Ben Tobin

prising that she sees Kintner as an inspiration. Not that Jaime has ever hesitated to compete against or train with men. “It’s what I’ve done my whole life. I’d almost rather be with the guys,” she says. “I really like hanging out with them, racing them… it’s really fun to beat them.”

At the same time, Jaime considers competing in male-dominated sports to be one of her greatest challenges. “I’ve had to work really hard to make myself a place in the middle of it,” she says.

She remembers back in her BMX days when her family traveled to Hawaii, where her grandparents lived. She was six or seven years old at the time. “We took my BMX bike one year because we knew there was a track there,” she says. “We were on the starting gate and all of the boys went to one side and left a big space.

They didn’t want to be near me. They were older.

They were quite appalled that there was a girl racing.

“I beat them, and I became the talk of the town,” Jaime says. “They were all pretty impressed that a girl beat them at their home track.”

“She was used to racing boys, but not ones that wouldn’t even be by her at the starting gate,” remembers Jaime’s mother. Jaime says her parents, Mark and Cheryl Miller, have always been her biggest supporters and fans. “She was in her swimming suit and race pants…she had really long, really blond curly hair,” Cheryl says. “Cars were pulling over on the side of the road to watch.

“Two women pulled over and they were cheering and shouting ‘Woman power!’” Cheryl says, laughing. After it was over, “all of the little boys were around her, asking if she was going to come back the next Wednesday.”

Jaime and her sister with BMX trophies in 1989. // Photo Jaime Rees.

Though decades have passed BMX championship titles in 1988, 1989 and 1990 (Jaime will be 32 in April), preconceived notions and raced in nationals. Her past is full of major of which sports women can or should succeed in athletic accomplishments—including placing in create ongoing issues. “Sometimes it’s kind of hard State for track and field when she was a student to get recognition, being a pro woman. The girls at University High School, and winning the GSL aren’t recognized as much as the guys, and I think in 2006 when she was head track coach at Shadle that’s too bad,” she says.

She doesn’t complain about it—that’s not Jaime’s High School (she was named Coach of the Year for style—but she knows the added difficulties women the GSL the same year).

Last season was a major one for Jaime. She and face within her sport. Women earn less than men her husband, Jeff (her high school sweetheart and do for wins—the pool of men competing is bigger, an expert-level downhiller) raced almost every making men’s pot for winnings bigger, too. But the “I’ve always ridden a bike,” says professional downhill mountain biker and Spokane native Jaime Rees. She’s not exaggerating: Jaime has been racing bikes competitively since she was just past toddlerhood. Her parents, former motocross racers who gave up the sport after having two daughters, got their girls involved in BMX when they were very young. “I was on, and racing, a BMX bike at three years old,” Jaime says.

Jaime, whose day job is teaching at Rogers High School (ninth grade world history and eleventh grade American studies), is currently ranked second in USA Pro Women’s Cycling and 92nd in UCI World. (Seattle rider Jill Kintner is ranked #1 and fellow Spokane rider Chelsey Stevens is ranked #19). She’s entering her third year as a pro and will compete in her first World Cup event this June at the Mont-Sainte-Anne ski resort in Quebec.

Her remarkable success as a downhiller was foreshadowed by how well the self-described “super competitive” Jaime has done in sports since her BMX days, when she won the Washington State

and pushed her in the sport. It has also presented challenges. “When you ride with a group of guys, if you’re riding with someone new they think, ‘It’s a girl,’ and jump in front of you,” she says. “You get kind of slowed down by them…Although one of my biggest thrills is when a guy has to pull over on a trail to let me by. When they see me pass and I hear them say, ‘Dude, that was a chick,’ I smile!”

A helpful amount of ego gets involved when you’re training with the opposite sex. In high school, “I used to practice with the top runners on the boys JV [team] and it made me run faster, as it did [for] them,” Jaime says. “I think my coaches did that on purpose.”

She credits training with her husband as the reason she’s as fast as she is—plus “it makes him ride faster because he doesn’t want to get beat by me—we do have to go home together!

“I’ve been really lucky because the guys I ride with and the guys I ran with have all been really accepting of me,” Jaime says. When she ran track and cross country in high school, Jaime was bothered by the cliquishness she sometimes found among her female peers. “I had great girl teams but I liked hanging out with the guys’ teams a lot better,” she says. This preference presented its own tensions, Jaime’s mother notes. “The women or girls didn’t understand it—‘why is she over there?’”

Cheryl says they’d wonder. But there was something about the added difficulty that she thinks Jaime needed. “It was harder, so it challenged her and made her faster. She just needed that challenge.”

Competitive downhill mountain biking is not for the faint of heart. The sport, which a writer for Outside magazine characterized as “rough and tumble,” has its participants hurtling down mountainsides as quickly as possible, making split-second decisions as they encounter roots, drop-offs

and other obstacles. The more you can address those obstacles head-on and avoid “go-arounds,” the faster you finish—if you stay on your bike.

Downhilling takes a lot of skill and a lot of guts.

Jaime’s got both. She is “very, very determined,” says Chris Andreasen of The Bike Hub, the Spokane Valley bike shop that’s one of Jaime’s sponsors, along with women’s clothing company Loeka (she’s also on a grassroots team for Yeti Cycles). “She understands the hard work and practice it takes to get to the level she’s at. She always has a good attitude. You never see her with a bad day on the bike.”

“Not a lot scares her, and I think that’s kind of obvious,” Cheryl says. “They go pretty fast and they jump over some incredible things and it’s sort of surprising. I’ve seen her on a BMX bike and do that, but to watch her do this downhill is kind of amazing to me.

“It worries me, because it’s a rough sport,” Cheryl adds—perhaps an ironic statement coming from a former motocross racer, but true nonetheless.

Though Jaime’s had some injuries—a broken metacarpal in her hand, a broken elbow on her 30th birthday, and lots of bruises—“I don’t crash all that often,” she says. “I do everything I can to stay on my bike. I stay pretty injury free. I’ve been pretty lucky.”

Jaime didn’t start downhill racing until she was in her late 20s. After her BMX years, she played softball and ran cross country and track. She went to University High School, where in 1998 she broke the two-mile record and went on to finish 5th in the two-mile and 3rd in the mile at State.

She earned a track and cross country scholarship to WSU, where she attended for two years before transferring to the University of Montana.

“I’m a Cougar, my family’s a Cougar family, but WSU wasn’t a good fit for me,” Jaime says. “It was

------------------------------------------------------------------“Bike companies aren’t after women like they are men,” Jaime says. “If you notice the big bike teams, it’s rare to see a lady.”

------------------------------------------------------------------weekend between April and August. “I actually lost count of how many races we did this year,” she says.

The biggest highlight was when she placed third at the U.S. National Gravity Championships at Beech Mountain, North Carolina, where she found herself on the podium with Olympian, World Cup racer and fellow Washingtonian Jill Kintner, who took first. Kintner “is probably my favorite racer, my motivation,” says Jaime. “It’s really fun to race against her. She kicks my ass.”

As a kid, Jaime competed with Kintner in BMX. “I probably beat her when I was little,” she says. “I can’t say for sure. My dad likes to say that I did.”

In a sport where most of the competitors are male (“more and more women are getting into it, but it’s a pretty small field,” Jaime says), it’s not sur-

unfair part, Jaime says, is that “we still pay as much to race as they do. The entry fees don’t change.”

Women also receive fewer sponsorship opportunities. “Bike companies aren’t after women like they are men,” Jaime says. “If you notice the big bike teams, it’s rare to see a lady.” Downhill in general is not a highly-recognized sport, and with relatively few women in it, “when downhillers make the articles, it’s usually the guys.”

Since her BMX days, male competition has been Jaime’s normal. Today, she rides and trains with the downhill community that’s centered around local bike shops like The Bike Hub, and puts in lots of hours with Jeff.

She has strived to do “everything that the guys were doing,” a goal that has sharpened her skills APRIL 2012

/ Out There Monthly

27

and Jeff are big skiers, and when Silver Mountain started a mountain bike program they gradually got into the sport. That’s when their bikes started growing bigger. Over a period of time “we went from cross country to 5-inch bikes,” she says, referring to the size of the shocks. Since both Jeff and Jaime (who met when they ran track and cross country in high school) have backgrounds in riding bikes, it became “the things we did together after college,” Jaime says.

In 2004, they got married and went to Whistler for their honeymoon so they could mountain bike. (Their trip culminated in Oregon, where Jaime raced on an all-woman’s team for the Hood to Coast running relay. Her first leg of the race was “four miles straight downhill, no variation.

It pretty much blew out my hip. It was quite a honeymoon,” she says with a laugh. “Silly us—we always schedule everything around our little adventures.”)

Over the years their interest in the sport grew.

In 2008 they started racing. From there, Jaime says, “I just kept getting better and better, so we just kept doing it.”

Aside from the success she has had, camaraderie is a big part of the appeal of downhill mountain biking. “We just became really close friends with a lot of the groups around here,” Jaime says.

“It’s a pretty tight community. We’ve got teams from Wheel Sport, The Bike Hub, Bicycle Butler, yet we’re all friends, go to the same events, support the same things.” Compared to road bike and cross country bike riders, Jaime says downhillers are “more of a social community,” a bit more laid back. “We do like our beer,” she says, laughing.

Now that Jeff and Jaime are in their 30s, she says they consider themselves “veteran riders” in a sport where most of the “really top people” are in their 20s. The group they hang out with has a couple of people their age, but a lot who are way younger. Ultimately she thinks that age difference doesn’t really matter. At the same time, though, “I really wish we would have gotten into it earlier than we did,” Jaime says, noting that some of the younger downhillers are “maybe a little bit gutsier, willing to go big…when we’re in our 30s we’re more worried about injuries and what it would do to us.”

Having fun with the sport is key. “I love what I do so I take it serious in the sense that I like to be on top, but I also have a lot of fun with it, so it doesn’t control me,” she says. “I’m excited when I have a good day and I’m fine when I have a bad day.”

Any athlete, professional or otherwise, knows it can be tricky to balance a day job with a training and racing agenda. Jaime feels fortunate to have the opportunities a teacher’s schedule allows.

“I think I’m pretty lucky, being a teacher and riding a bike, because I do have good vacation.

Having the summers off really helps,” she says, noting that training is more difficult for many of the others she rides with, whose work schedules aren’t quite as conducive to the sport. She gets off work at 3:00 and can ride in the afternoons (some downhill, but mostly road bikes and cross country bikes on weekdays). When she’s planning to ride after school she’ll bring her bike in to her classroom, where her students, who often ask about her weekend races, “sit and stare at it.”

In the evenings, it’s time to finish any work she brought home. “I usually wait until dark to plan my lessons and grade my papers,” she says. “And I do everything I can to get my work done before the weekend because most likely I won’t touch it until late Sunday night.”

When she talks about teaching and downhilling, Jaime makes it sound almost easy to do

FR E E

Jamie and her husband Jeff at the Sea Otter Classic in California. //

Jaime BMXing back in the day. //

MADELOCAL

On the podium at Nationals. //

2011- 2012

With her husband Jeff at Nationals. // All photos courtesy of Jaime Rees.

a lot of pressure. I didn’t get along with the coaches well. I’m competitive, but it was really competitive.

I was getting kind of tired of so much stress, and I missed Jeff, too.” (Jeff ran cross country for the University of Montana.) “He made it easy to move to Montana. He told me about the places that he got to run, the people he was running with.

“Once I transferred to Montana we started riding bikes again. In Montana everybody commuted to school on bikes. Missoula is absolutely fabulous, and it made it easy to ride there,” Jaime says. She 28

Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

both, but it’s got to be tough. She says she’s off at 3:00, but then casually mentions a recent night when she was at work until 6:30, went home, took a 2-hour power nap, then started prepping for the next day, which kicked off with a 6:45 a.m. meeting at school. Anyone at all familiar with the realities of teaching knows it can actually be incredibly consuming of time and energy.

To Jaime, downhilling and teaching complement each other well.

“Teaching is actually really stressful,” she says.

“They’re two very different things. Downhilling gives me the opportunity to de-stress, be out in the open air, away from the school setting. It’s a good balance…to have—the structure and the freedom.”

The World Cup race in June is easily the biggest highlight in the very full season ahead of Jaime. “Going to the World Cup race is a pretty big deal,” she says. “If I have any major accomplishment it’s doing that. It’s like going to the NCAA for track or the state championships in high school.”

Chris Andreasen of The Bike Hub echoes that sentiment. Now that Jaime’s competing on an international level, “there’s no higher place that she can go,” he says.

In addition to the World Cup, in the coming months she’ll race in the local All Gravity Series and will do the NW Cup Series in the Seattle area, as well as some B.C. Cup races, which she and Jeff have been traveling to more frequently.

She’ll return to Monterey, California, for the Sea Otter Classic, where she placed fifth last year.

She’ll probably go back to the U.S. Nationals in North Carolina. “I really liked racing that course,” she says. Jeff will travel to and compete in all of the same races, except the World Cup. Most free weekends, Jaime and Jeff will head to Silver Mountain, her favorite place to ride. “If I could live there I would,” she says. “Being on a bike up in the mountains makes me the most happy.”

Silver has a “flowy” course that Jaime loves.

You take the gondola up and, “on a casual day,” the ride down is 25-30 minutes.

In Spokane, Jeff and Jaime are often at Beacon Hill, known among local downhillers for fantastic, almost year-round riding. Here it’s a 12-15 minute hike up (carrying your bike) and a jumpy two-minute ride back down.

Jaime’s parents, her “biggest cheerleaders,” will go to all of the upcoming races they can drive to, even though spectators can’t see a whole lot.

“I’m where I am today because of my mom and dad,” Jaime says. Though she’s had great coaches over the years, “my dad has always been and still is my best coach,” she says. “He to this day could tell you all my PRs from middle school, high school, college and as a coach!” Over the years, her family has been “very patient” in planning vacations around downhilling. Her parents often babysit Jeff and Jaime’s yellow lab, Kona (named, of course, for the bike brand), when they travel out of town.

Jaime’s successSPONSORED in the sport “doesn’t surprise me at all,” Cheryl says.BY: “She’s just a very focused individual. She is determined and she has just always been that way. She sets her mind to something and she does it 125 percent. When she takes something on, she goes for the gusto.”

Earlier this spring, Cheryl went up to Beacon to see where Jeff and Jaime ride. She was impressed with the obstacles that Jaime’s already clearing.

“I was like, really, you do this?” she says. There were also obstacles that Jaime has yet to conquer.

True to form, she sees those as motivation for the future. Pointing out what she has not yet done, Cheryl says, Jaime simply told her, “I haven’t tackled that one yet, but I will.” //

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Last Page

Finding the right longboard How Do You Want To Ride? / By Jeff Ferguson Finding the right longboard setup, as a novice, can feel overwhelming. Because manufacturers offer so many styles, it can be hard to decide what to buy. Riders must not only choose the style, but they must also choose the length, shape, flexibility, wheels, trucks and bearings that will best fit them.

Like any sport, new enthusiasts sometimes get discouraged by the thought of buying the wrong gear. If you’ve ever ventured into a new sport you know how expensive gearing up can be. Since the initial cost for the various components can quickly add up, many people hesitate to start.

Here’s what you need to know to be more confident about investing in a longboard.

First, estimate your budget by considering the style of riding you will be doing and how often you will ride. According to Mike Thompson, owner of Concrete Reef Skateboards in Spokane, whatever type of riding you plan to do you want your set-up to fit your needs.

“If you are just getting started I wouldn’t recommend getting into a downhill board… you won’t be able to turn it as well,” he says.

If you plan to ride large hills for speed, you will want a longer, stiffer board for stability. You will also want larger, wider vented wheels with high quality hubs, ultra smooth bearings and stronger trucks for supporting the additional weight and

vibration.

For sidewalk surfing, it’s best to have a shorter board with lighter trucks for better maneuverability and harder wheels for power slides and other tricks. You might also consider a board with a kicktail.

After determining how you want to ride, decide how much you can spend and if you want a kit or if you’d rather piece a board together. A great place to start is a local shop like Mountain Goat Outfitters.

Many websites also offer complete longboard kits ranging from $99.99 to $489.99. Although kits

“Always wear a helmet.

The pavement is a very unforgiving medium for your head.” offer initial savings, often times they’ll need some tweaking. If you go this route, set some money aside so you can replace components you don’t like.

If you’d rather piece one together here’s a general Mike Thompson on a local hill. // Photo courtesy Jeff Ferguson

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Out There Monthly / APRIL 2012

idea of what you’ll need and how much money you can plan to spend.

The board itself is known as a “deck” ($50-$180) and varies according to length, thickness, material, shape, graphics, flexibility and durability. When selecting a deck, you’ll want to make sure it will work with the other components. Some decks have cut-outs or routered wheel wells to prevent rubbing while turning depending on the wheel size you select.

All skateboards, long or short, have “trucks.”

These are what mount the wheels to the board.

Shortboard trucks are wide and light for turning quickly or tricks. They are usually made of lighter materials like aluminum and tend to be cheaper than longboard trucks and less durable.

Longboard trucks are more narrow and sturdy and have a higher stance providing more clearance for larger wheels, which adds leverage for turning. Trucks made for longboards also offer better bushings for a smoother ride. Trucks range in width from 6.125” to 10” (cost $20-$220/pair).

Companies like Randal, Paris Trucks or Gun Metal offer a good value ($40-$50/pair).

Wheels ($18-$120/set) are classified by size and hardness (durometer). Sizes range from 49mm to 107mm in circumference. Wheel hardness on the durometer ranges from 54d to 103a. Lower durometer numbers are softer and grip better to provide a smoother ride. Higher numbers are harder and slide easier. For the rough roads and sidewalks in the Inland Northwest, Thompson recommends a 70mm-85mm wheel. Kryptonics or Sector 9 offer a good value at $30-$45/set.

Bearings ($8-$100/set) vary substantially depending on quality—measured from Abec 3 to Abec 9. Abec 3s are the cheapest. These are commonly made from low-grade steel and tend to pit

providing poor movement. Abec 9s have the best movement and are made from super hard carbon steel, ceramic or titanium. Titanium are considered to be some of the best, but ceramic bearings ($25-$45/set) can be a good value—they won’t pit or rust.

If you’re looking for a more personal approach or prefer to buy local, you can have a board custom made locally by Thompson’s company, Concrete Reef Skateboards—starting around $180.

Be sure to set money aside for safety gear. Basic necessities include a helmet and gloves. Pro-Tec helmets offer a good value for $40-$60. Good gloves with pads in the palms and fingertips are $60-$70. Additionally, elbow, wrist and kneepads are always a good idea for big hills ($40-$60/set).

Although you can drop a couple hundred bucks for safety gear, the investment can be significantly less than a single trip to the emergency room. “Always wear a helmet, the pavement is a very unforgiving medium for your head,” says Thompson.

One of the best ways to get started is to talk to a friend who is already riding. Ask him or her to try his/her board for a few runs and get the feel of it. Then ask about what components are on that board. If you don’t know anyone with a board, try finding a blog or forum with other local people who ride. This will help you figure out what you want.

Over the years, boarders have beautified their boards with paint, decals, carvings, engravings, lacquers, stains, varnishes and just about anything else you can think of. It’s this part of the process that truly allows you to make your board your own. Just remember, no matter what your board looks like, it’s not a matter of what you ride, it’s simply a matter of whether you ride or not. //

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