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Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Road Trip to the most remote corner of Oregon with Road Trip Oregon





With the overwhelming wave of  "Van life" advocates flooding the internet as of late, there's no better way to get a taste of what all of the fuss is about than by trying it out for yourself. Unfortunately most of us don't have an extra 30-70k lying around to buy one outright, nor do we have a friend who not only has one but is willing to let you take it out for a spin.

Road Trip Oregon has a brilliant way to help curious adventure seekers and everyone in between by renting you a van that will accommodate all of your needs. Whether you are a single person looking for a weekend getaway, a family of four, or just a couple of friends looking to get lost somewhere remote they have a model that is fully kitted and ready to get you just about anywhere.

Recently, I fell into the latter category and Road Trip Oregon was gracious enough to lend me a Eurovan Camper for a multi-day trip into the remote Southeast corner of Oregon. I rallied a friend, we put together a loose plan with many different options along the way and took off into the sunset Monday evening.

Having never driven a van of this sort, I wasn't sure what to expect. Much to my surprise it was not only insanely easy to drive, but the van had quite a bit of power even going up and down the rolling hills exiting the Mt. Hood area. Our loose plan consisted of some hot spring stops along the way, doing the Steens Mountain Loop overlooking the Alvord Desert,  finally making our way back towards Hart Mountain and finishing the journey through Bend.


After driving for hours, mostly in the dark, we arrived the first night at Crystal Crane Hot Springs where we soaked in the big pool under the night stars almost entirely alone. The following morning we made our way towards French Glen (the gateway to the Steens from the North.)
After a nice chat with the local woman who ran the little country store she encouraged us to do the loop backwards because the views were better and I am so grateful for her sound piece of advice. 


This area is so remote you almost forget you're in Oregon, let alone in the 21st century. Its mainly unfathomably bumpy dirt roads for miles and miles around here, which makes for an incredibly slow drive. However, when you're going that slow you have much more time to take in the scenery that was absolutely mind blowing. Rising straight from the desert floor you are engulfed by a few giant canyons that rise to almost 10,000 feet and you're quickly reminded this is the highest road in Oregon.

Carved by lava flows millions of years ago you can feel the history of the geology around here. I am still baffled at how well the Van handled the washboard dirt roads and elevation climb this road threw at us at every turn. Upon reaching the summit you are exposed to breathtaking 360 degree views of the sheer expanse of the desert surrounding you. The Alvord Desert is directly to the south, while high alpine lakes such as Wildhorse Lake captivate your attention and provide an excellent mirror to the sky above.




After a full day of driving and exploring the famous loop we ended about 18 miles short of the town of French Glen at Fish Lake to camp for the night. This area is so obscure that we only saw two other people the entire day.


The following day some serious deliberations led us from our original plans to go to the Alvord Desert Hot Springs and instead head due West to the even less known Hart Mountain Hot springs. Spending what felt like an eternity on another even less well kept dirt road we finally arrived at the base of Hart Mountain and a completely empty area. There was one other van there but since there were two hot springs at this particular location it didn't matter.

First things first, we went for a soak in both springs, since we obviously had to decide which one was better then finished the afternoon with a little bike ride, and run. Since the recent daylight savings time change, the darkness ensues us at about 5pm and we have many hours to play cards and entertain ourselves. Luckily the van has propane heat that is easy to turn on, a two burner stove so we could cook some immaculate meals, as well as wash our dishes in the sink inside. All in all for a couple of mountain folk like us, we felt as if we were in a 5 star hotel on wheels.

We spent hours in the hot spring that night relaxing, star gazing, and enjoying the pure serenity of the moment. It's also much easier to get out of the hot spring into the cold desert air knowing you have a nice warm van to go dry off and sleep in! The following day we awoke to some of that pure golden light that illuminated the hills around us making it easy to get a jump on the day.


Coming out of the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge was mind blowing. Working your way down from the plateau into the basin below filled with lakes in every direction, herds of Antelope and almost every kind of bird of prey you can think of was an unforgettable experience. Despite the bumpy dirt roads, 10/10 would do it again. About 4 hours later we hit the 97 highway that takes you to Bend and eventually back to Mt. Hood area to finish our mega loop. 



The great thing about having a van is that you can park it anywhere and camp (discretely) even if its right outside your friends house in downtown Bend, or a very desolate desert.
After its all said and done, I completely understand the Van life appeal, and would feel completely satisfied fully engaging in this lifestyle for an extended period of time. But for now if you're looking to have a truly once in a lifetime experience and see what its all about, rent a van from Road Trip Oregon, pick a place you've never been, and let the adventure unfold in front of you.











Sunday, October 14, 2018

So... you want to compete on the FREERIDE WORLD TOUR?

Photo: Mia Maria Knoll

Hello everyone!
I am excited that you are interested in doing Freeride contests and we can help grow this sport in the USA. I found the process to be a bit confusing when I first started, and have since had many people inquiring about how it works and what to expect from doing a Freeride contest, and how to make the Freeride World Tour. This is meant to be a quick overview for people with questions on the process. I've attached links to the full rules and guidelines from IFSA at the bottom of this blog.  I hope you find this informative, short and helpful.


First things first, whether your goal is to make the Freeride World Tour, or enter your very first competition, you will need a membership. This blog is going to focus on those athletes whose goal is to make the Freeride World Tour and what steps are necessary to line themselves up for success, but either way you will need to start here. Based on how many events you'd like to do you can buy a one time membership($25), or a yearly($60).
The link to do this is hereMEMBERPRO WEBSITE

After buying your membership you will be provided login information to the "memberpro" site. This is where you can register for events ONLY. Once you have successfully logged in, you can see upcoming events under the "events" tab hereEVENTS PAGE
On this page you will need to select which region you would like to compete in, whether you are doing an FWQ (Freeride World Qualifier) or FJQ (Freeride Junior Qualifier.) Most people reading this will want to signup for the FWQ contests in REGION 2 (Americas) however, your membership works for the European events as well.
ALL OTHER INFORMATION such as details about events, athlete meeting times, etc can be found on the IFSA website here: IFSA WEBSITE (HOMEBASE)

The tricky thing with events is that they are seeded, meaning you will need to gain enough points by competing in 1*, 2*, and 3* events in order to qualify for the highest tier which is the 4*. However, this year 2* and 3* events are also seeded from the global ranking list because of an influx of participation.
The timeframe to register for the events is always the same and opens 6 WEEKS prior to the contest and closes 4 WEEKS prior to the event. If all of the spots aren't filled in this timeframe, they will reopen registration.

2019 EVENTS CALENDAR

Photo: Jeremy Bernard 

The only events that are first come first served are 1* events. So if this is your first time competing you will need to find 1* events to gain points to qualify for 2* events, and once you have done enough 2* events successfully you will have enough points to qualify for the 3* and so on.
However, if you are an "unranked" rider you need to signup for the higher tier events such as 2* and 3* as soon as registration opens. That will put you higher on the waitlist and give you the best chance of getting spot if people who are seeded higher than you choose not to participate in that event.

Photo: Jeremy Bernard

To simplify, if your goal is to make the Freeride World Tour, you will want to compete in the 4* contests because they are worth more points than a 1,2, or 3*.  Example: Winning a 2* gets you 600 points where winning a 4* gets you 2500. To qualify for the World Tour they take your top 3 results at the end of the season and award the one spot per  category per region for the Tour.
If you're a strategist, you could sign up for every single contest, but that wouldn't guarantee you the most points because they only award the world tour spot from YOUR top 3 results. This year will be different for 4* contests as well, to structure it more like the Freeride World Tour, 4* events will be one day one run events.

The more interest that is shown in these events the better for everyone. Together we can grow this sport in the USA and get it the attention and support it needs. We need to show event organizers that people, especially women are passionate about the world of Freeride in the USA. So ladies, sign up for these events!

Photo: Jeremy Bernard

"Athlete division allocations may vary by event as they are based on the percentage of riders in each division who registered to compete in the event. (Example: If 100 spots were available and 200 riders applied, and 20 of those applicants were female snowboarders, 10 spots would be awarded to the Female Snowboard division.)" - IFSA


Photo: Jeremy Bernard

IFSA RULE CHANGES
IFSA OFFICAL RULES HANDBOOK



Saturday, December 2, 2017

Freeride World Tour 2018 FUNdraiser :)





The Freeride World Tour consists of 45 of the most elite freeride athletes on the globe. After many years spent competing in Slopestyle, I am profoundly grateful to have made this transition and participate at the highest level of freeride competition.

To qualify for this spot, I had to win the one overall spot for North and South America last season. In order to do so I went neck and neck with my fellow competitors and had to land on the podium at every event. 

After an amazing season I was able to do everything I needed to do to qualify for the Freeride World Tour, and I can't wait to share this journey with you. 

Although this is an elite tour, not everything will be covered, such as food, and travel to and from events which is the majority of my expenditure.The events take place in Japan, British Colombia, Andorra, Austria, and Switzerland. My goal is to raise $5,000 to help navigate travel and living costs so I may concentrate all of my efforts on respresenting the USA on the world stage!

Thank you for all of your contributions towards my goal so far, I am so grateful for your support! If you would like to see the campaign please visit:























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