Action Sports
Bambi: The Youngest of the Young Guns
John Scott Willardsen is a name not often heard within the Salt Lake skate scene. The name Bambi, on the other hand, comes with a well rounded resume of infamous antics, well known among the fellow followers of the sidewalk surf break. From endless days of cruising around with Bambi, I know he is a skateboarder, wholeheartedly. … read more
Photo Feature: Garrison Conklin
It seems that every time I go out skating with Garrison Conklin, I end up with at least three great photos of him. He’s the kind of guy who skates all those “almost a spot” spots and makes it seem effortless. He’s got massive ollies and quick, little ninja feet. … read more
WRD: Midnight Terror vs. Pikes Peak Derby Dames 04.28
As I walked into the Derby Depot Saturday night, the general vibe was tense. Wasatch Roller Derby’s Midnight Terror and Colorado’s Pikes Peak were warming up on the track, and it felt like shit was going to go down. … read more
Velo City Bags Speeds into Downtown
Since the inception of Velo City Bags in 2008, owner and creator Nathan Larsen has adorned cyclists and others with handmade, colorful and well built messenger bags and backpacks as they cruise around the city. As his bags have caught on, he made the long-awaited move into his first storefront in downtown Salt Lake in mid-February. I sat down with Larsen in his new shop to pick his brain on the new location and the high-quality goods within. … read more
Mountaineers in the Mist: The North Face Masters Final Destination
The North Face Masters free ride competition series returned to Snowbird from April 12-14 with over 100 competitors, both men and women, pre-registered for their chance to ‘huck mad pow,’ take home a decent paycheck and obtain the coveted Katana sword trophy. Usually, the first destination on the tour, the Snowbird event was pushed to the final stop due to lack of early season precipitation. … read more
WRD: Black Diamond Divas vs. Red Rockettes 04.14
Starting the night off, the Divas took an instant, rather cushy, lead. Both teams were using a strategy of slow starts and quick stops, and generally this strategy, in my own humble opinion, is a short term gain for a long term loss, but I guess the Divas knew something I didn’t as shown by the 51 point lead by Jam 12. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Ladies, Leave Your Man at Home
Bike shops intimidate me. I don’t think it’s so much that I walk into a shop and there’s a whole bunch of dudes who know way more about bikes than I ever will throwing around bike mechanic gibberish—I’ve got mad respect for people who can do things I can’t (yet) do. I guess I just feel a little sheepish walking in there and asking them to switch out my pedals when I purchased a fixed gear primarily for its low maintenance. This is why the Salt Lake Bicycle Collective is one of the greatest places in all of Salt Lake. … read more
Photo Feature: Millionaire Michael
I took this photo of my friend, Millionaire Michael (real name withheld to protect his stock market status), last October at this strange spot on the outskirts of Oakland, Calif. This spot is in a city park in a really mellow neighborhood. It actually used to be a skatepark in the 1970s. When the 1980s hit and skateboarding kind of died, the skatepark was torn out and the city turned it into a playground. … read more
Cameron Wood: BMX pro, Jesus Carpenter, Entrepreneur … Anything Else?
For the last 15 years, Cameron Wood has been perusing the back alleys and grungy side-streets of Salt Lake on his BMX bike. Instead of focusing on giving the public more contests or being a poster child for his sponsors, Wood is taking a more unique approach with his involvement in the sport. The Wood Shop, recently opened by Wood, is not just the sole BMX-only shop in Salt Lake, but it is also home to his unique, crafty carpentry designs. … read more
The SLUG Games: Shred the Park After Dark
On Saturday, March 10, Park City Mountain Resort played host to Shred the Park After Dark, the second and final contest of the SLUG Games series. With the sun shining bright, deep into the late afternoon, the snow kids turned up in droves to compete for bragging rights. With nearly 50 competitors, the table was set for another installment of SLUG-style madness. … read more