For mountain town locals who have already made the switch to tele from alpine, from road biking to trail riding, from creek boating to freestyle, what else is there to do? What is the next pursuit, the next sport to conquer, the next reason to keep your medical insurance?

For those sick of the dreary weather and in need of some new inspiration, try training for these three unique competitions.
The Mountain Culture takes no responsibility for injuries occurring as a result of this post

San Francisco’s Bring Your Own Big Wheel Race- On Easter Sunday, San Fran’s Lombard St. celebrates everyone’s favorite childhood form of transportation.

NYC’s Idiotarod- The Iditarod is the famous long-distance race in which yelping dogs tow a sled across Alaska. The IDIOTAROD is pretty much the same thing, except that instead of dogs, it’s people, instead of sleds, it’s shopping carts, and instead of Alaska it’s New York City. Teams of five race for cash, prizes and glory.

International Pack Burro Race- Leadville, CO August 1-3, 2008- 21 miles of dirt, heat, and asses.

Free Spirit Spheres, a company run by Tom Chudleigh in Qualicum, British Columbia manufacturs these hanging habitats from sitka spruce. Chudleigh says the idea came to him during a meditative “dreamspace” and he decided he had to try it out. These newfangled tree houses can be tethered, by 3 nearly vertical ropes, to each of 3 separate trees, or from buildings or rock faces.

The wood spheres are made of “uniwall construction”, two laminations of wood strips over laminated wood frames. The outside is then finished and covered with clear fiberglass to withstand life in the forest. Accessed by spiral stairway and a short suspension bridge, these spheres make living like Swiss Family Robinson fairly easy. They even have a standard power connection and insulation!

Although prices are not address on the website, and I was unable to get ahold of Tom because his new location is “out of range because the trees are better”, more information is available. Tom’s two spheres, Eve and Eryn, are also available for rent, going for $125 and $175 a night, respectively.

Watch CBS News coverage of Free Spirit Spheres or The Discovery Channel’s “Living Like the Ewok’s” story.

The trip was to the Canadian Rockies, my first time there. I was climbing with Jack Jefferies of NYC. We climbed for about 10 days in great climbing conditions with generally good weather throughout. We climbed many classic lines including Polar Circus, Oh les Tabernac and the Meech Lake Memorial, Nightmare on Wolf Street, Stairway to Heaven, in one day French Reality, Nemesis and Suffer Machine and finally the Andromeda Strain. My car broke down on the way back from Andromeda Strain and we spent the night on the side of the Icefields Parkway until hitch hiking the following morning. AAA Plus saved me from a monster tow bill as I had the car towed back to my friends house in Canmore. I ordered the alternator and put it in myself after nobody would look at the car for a week. The following day drove home to Jackson for powder riding!

The off-season street sludge, muddy trails, and closed bars leave some mountain-town locals depressed and eager for spring getaways to warmer climates. But Pro kayaker, Brad Ludden, has already clocked in some frigid spring hours on the river in his hometown of Vail, CO and has some run-off hot spot recommendations for those jonesing to hit the water.

1. The Lochsa River- Northern Idaho
2. Gore Canyon- Colorado
3. Escalante River, Utah
4. Bear Trap Canyon on the Madison or the Gallatin- Bozeman, MT
5. The Snake River- Jackson, WY- Lunch Counter back after taking a year off.

Need to get the hell outta Dodge? check the World River Flow Levels all over the globe or check out the hot spots in your region on the Kayak World Map.

A little inspiration…

With Jackson Hole Mountain Resort closed for the last few weeks, the Hole has been way too quiet. Its almost impossible to go out and get something to eat without resorting to your third choice for a restaurant. Everything is closed and the streets are bare. I guess it gives us a good excuse to take care of those chores that we put off all winter. For a flashback to April 6th the last day of the season at Jackson Hole, check out this little home movie. It seems so long ago already. Life moves fast…take it all in while you can.

Chad is a mountain man raised in the hills of Colorado. He now lives in Jackson Hole where he’s trying not to grow up.

Ahhhhhhh the shoulder season…time for some to enjoy the low traffic flow and take advantage of short lines at the post office (new and old.) Time for others to prolong 2000- gr8 as some snow continues to fall and a little extra work leads to a (repeat) happy powder run. And lastly, time for our favorite local eateries to wrap up finances from a successful ski season and leave our tummy’s to grumble in the melting snow.
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Food for thought…
1% For the Planet