Playground is.....

cable cam test #2

Cable Cam Prototype Test #2 from Geoffrey Evan Alexander Vincent on Vimeo.
Test #2 of Robin and Geof's cable cam.  Took it out to do some more shots but got rained out, so you'll only find one shot from off the rig.  Learned a lot though, and got our set-up time down to less than 30min.  Once we get our new cable, we should be able to run about 80meters, and with improved stabilization.

Thanks Anna and Lucy!

Song: Matteah Baim - River

prototype test 1 of cable cam

Cable Cam Prototype Test #1 from Geoffrey Evan Alexander Vincent on Vimeo.

light diffusing creates light show from television

this is a little project i've been working on the past few days.  vs 1.0 is done.  got some tweaks left to do.

Slackline comp on July 16, 2011 for the Squamish Mountain Fest

Check out the SLACKLINE competition in Squamish this Saturday (July 16) from 11 - 2 PM.  At the farmers market.
Part of the Squamish Mountain Fest. Comp starts at 1pm, show up early. fancy Arc'teryx prizes!
Beginner and advanced categories. Don't worry if you're new to slackline
check out the schedule for more info: http://www.squamishmountainfes​tival.com/schedule.asp

let's get some shoes

WARNING: these shoes have been assembled at a facility that may contain traces of children with a peanut allergy

Seconds by Reel Water Productions

Seconds from Tim Loubier on Vimeo.

Reel Water Productions Teaser slo-mo demo

things look amazing at 1000 frames per second!

Reel Water Phantom Tease from Bryan Smith on Vimeo.

Interview about slacklining on Radio-Canada

A few weeks ago Radio-Canada interviewed me about slacklining and highlining The report is in French, but a few of you will understand it.

Sport is unclear if the Slacklining to test his balance and his fear of heights. Sport obscur s'il en est, le slacklining permet de tester son équilibre et sa crainte des hauteurs. Ce type de funambulisme sur une bande élastique est souvent pratiqué au-dessus de cours d'eau ou en forêt. Notre chroniqueuse Evelyne Charuest a testé la discipline et nous en parle.

Great photo of me in Mountain Life Magazine

Dirtbaggery 101: The Frugal Gourmet

Click here to view the video in HD!

Do you want to ski or snowboard every day? Has work got you down? Yes? Well, unless you're capable of living the life of a professional athlete, you'll have to give up some basic comforts. But let's be realistic here, being a professional athlete is totally possible for a select few, but the majority of us have neither the physical prowess, nor do we have the mental commitment to live life in the limelight. But please prove me wrong.

If you'd like to spend everyday of your life screaming down snowy mountains with some boards strapped to your feet, you've gotta be ready to make a few sacrifices. At least until you start riding pro for that steezy new company we've never heard of, who specializes in custom graphics. Until then, are you ready to be a dirtbag? It's not so bad...really! (And don't forget to freeload off Canada for the health care.)

If you're an avid back country skier, you probably don't like working too much either. You'd rather be pushing the limits and doing the Neve traverse in a day. There's no time for work.

If you've decided to thrown down and get a pass to a ski resort, congratulations, you've just drained your bank account. This will further reinforce your dirtbag status. In that case, you're probably surrounded by tourists. Those dreaded tourists. They're all drinking double espresso Kahlua mochas with ten year single-malt for chaser. What about your cafeinated rocket fuel beverage? This is the first installment of Dirtbagery-101 and we'll start with something easy.

How to make a Dirtbag Mocha:

Step one: Select the proper convenience store. You'll need a hot chocolate machine that dispenses syrup. Not the janky type that use powder. Most ski resorts will have the good kind.

Step two: Once you've located your hot chocolate machine, the cover will open on hinges like a door. There'll be a button inside the cover marked "pump". Hold it down, and you'll get straight chocolate syrup. This is the money shot!

Step two: Fill your cup with coffee and leave enough room for two fingers of cream.

Step three: Enjoy your dirtbag beverage.

Step four: Get your butt back outside, strap your planks back on and shred some nipple-deep-gnar.

If getting a real job doesn't sound very appealing, it looks like you're ready to become a full fledged dirtbag. But don't take my word for it, get out there and live your dream everyday.

Video: Multitasking is hard

Dirtbag Tip # 16 from Robin Avery on Vimeo.

Seasons change. Cycles and Multitasking. Life. et-cetera

There’s so much going on around me, that multitasking becomes inevitable. Everything in life seems to come in waves. Seasons build, then come and go. Sometimes the seasons that define the sports we love overlap. The blossoms are falling and this year I’ve really noticed the seasons change. I can’t believe I’m able to ski in the morning then finish the day with a few pitches of sunny crack climbing. So what’s this about multitasking?

The waves and seasons that drive my life trickle down and build to eventually culminate in a wonderful cacophony of controlled chaos. I’m juggling my so-called “real life”, the one that is supposed to make me the big bucks. Someone mentioned something about a career, or something. But then the seasons change again. It starts snowing. Or the rivers start swelling. And maybe it’s time to go climbing. Or go skiing. Or whatever gets the jollies out. I woke up this morning to an instant message from a climbing buddy.

10:44 AM
Michael: i'm outtie pretty soon what are your plans
me: my plans? like for the summer?
working 3 part time jobs. On and off.
Michael: right on
me: you?
Michael: driving to yosemite for a month
looking for a job (still), at the same time
me: tricky business...
like..getting a...gasp! real job?
Michael: yeah. analyst positions
50 hr weeks
time to get seriously about shiz
me: don't be an anal analyst ? har har
Michael: i'll be a finalyst ;)
me: i sure hope so

His trip can only go two ways: either he never leaves the valley and begins his life into full fledged dirtbaggery, or he returns and begins his future life as an anal analyst. How are we to do everything and not get burnt out?

My advice to you: always have more than one part-time job. Never do anything full time. Multiple jobs and activities are best. This makes for flexible vacation times. No one likes weekend warriors. They’ve got no stamina, they gumby up the classic-moderate routes so no one else can climb. And just when you’re getting tired of one job, you can switch over to the other. There’s no way to focus on one thing. A full-time job is out of the question. Plus, doing anything for forty hours per week eventually steals your soul. You used to be cool, man.

Today my worlds collided. Climbing season started back up again. It’s hard to hold back when you see a good thing coming. So it seemed. You need to remember that even though your muscle memory is there, you can’t make the same moves you did months ago. Remember, it’s spring right? I’ve got this monster bruise on my shin that’s there in the first place because the weather is good and I’m climbing again. But suddenly I’m back on skis and there’s still powder in the high alpine. Ski boots are digging into fluid filled shins and the only reason I’m able to deal with this ridiculous situation is the sheer urge to push the season as far as it will go. If this is the worst thing that happens to me all week, I’ll consider myself lucky. (Like when the hardest decision of the day is light roast or dark.) If something were to blame for this, it would be the ominous entity that is multitasking; that’s what got me here in the first place. Then i get home and my inbox is full and its time to get back to “real life”

The moral of the story here is that too much of anything will kill the body and mind. It’s best to find a healthy balance. On the other hand, It’s unfortunate that you’ll never truly excel at anything unless you give it all you’ve got. Dabbling is not necessary either. The dabbler just doesn’t have the milage or experience to really be good at anything. Find your in between and stick with it.

Winter is almost over but the powder keep on coming

Rolling down the windows off a wind lip on 7th Heaven, Blackcomb from Robin Avery on Vimeo.

This is an example of how to stop yourself from landing on your head! ROLL DOWN THOSE WINDOWS...and as demonstrated, you'll land perfectly flat on your feet.

It's been about 13 weeks since I shattered my hand skiing. But don't worry! I'm back in action.
It's always possible to stay within your limits. But life experience reminds us that, it's often difficult to account for extraneous variables — there's always noise in the system.

I've found some truths in life (in no particular order):
• Entropy will always win (See kipple)
  
• You can't argue with the mountain. It will always win in some form.
  
• Rock is harder than bone, but our bodies are resilient
  
• Shit talking is sometimes the best humor.
  
• Everything comes in waves — when it rains it pours.

The only thing we can do is keep moving. Stay safe, stay in your limits, but don't get bummed when it pours.

Some great highline footage in RWP cable cam demo reel

Well, it's been a while since I've posted an update. There are several reasons for this. Foremost, being that about seven weeks ago I broke my 2nd and 3rd metacarpals of my left hand. This puts a damper in your adventure sports life. I've also just graduated from UBC this past semester which kept me busy with "real" responsibilities.

Here is a teaser clip from Reel Water Productions demo real.
At 1:08 is some of the footage that will be used for National Geographic Adventure television show WOW!

Cable Cam Demo Reel from Bryan Smith on Vimeo.

Thanks again to Reel Water Productions for working so hard to get these shots. Check out their new project The Season coming late January.

Architectural Misinterpretation

As promised, this is a follow up to a post on Buildering.net about climbing a new line up the music building.

Video by Warden Films 2009


The video looks spectacular in HD. Click here to view the video in high definition

It was a trip of Mormon proportions

It's 5am and I'm waiting on my porch for Blicker to pick me up. I'm running on one hour of sleep and still drunk. It's time to ride to the airport and make our way to Salt Lake City.

Boarder crossing always go smooth when the driver is a highschool teacher -- little do they know he's the dirtiest-shit-talking-highschool teacher ever to have lived. At least this time The Man didn't think I was in a motorcycle gang, no thanks to the other Robin Avery who probably is! I'm not sure I could have handled that in my zombie-drunken state.

You know someone's an experienced dirtbag when they bring their thermarest to the airport. That was me at 10am at Seatac airport. Snoozing the morning away.

We pick up the rental car in SLC and the shit talking between Stolz and Blicker begins. I will continue to hear this hilarious discourse for the next nine days. There are only two rules: mothers and girlfriends are off limits. Other than that, everything is fair game. By the end of the nine days I spent with these two crazies, every form of both witty and dirty repartee was soon exhausted.

Moab highlines, Indian Creek splitter cracks, cheap beer, missing skin, and burritos were had by all.

Fruit Bowl Highline: helmet cam footage (slackline) from Robin Avery on Vimeo.

Buildering: new line up the music building

Click here to see the HD video on facebook. You'll need a facebook account to access it.
Via: Buildering.net

(p) Hamish Baxter
See: http://www.buildering.net/guidebooks/ubc#route703

I recently sent a new variation of a classic route on campus, the Music building. In the past the chimney was the only practical way of climbing the building, as the crack in the back offered the only protection. However some large air ducting pipes were placed  on the outside of the building in the last few years, offering some new points of protection. Robin Avery and Eddie Rothschild tackled the right rib of the left chimney, i.e. "the arete".

HD video to come soon!

Kudos to the whole crew for a ballsy ascent. Thanks to Hamish Baxter for the photos. Check out his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hbaxter/

(p) Hamish Baxter

(p) Hamish Baxter

Blue Line at Banff Radicals Reels night

There's a short clip of the Blue Line at 1:14 and 5:55

Bryan Smith recently made a short film featuring me highlining the chief. Check it out at the upcoming Radicals Reels Night at the Banff Centre.

The Blue Line

Canada, 2009, 6 minutes

Directed and produced by Bryan Smith

Two giant granite towers separated by 35 metres and a 360-metre ravine – this short film walks a fine line of adrenaline as Robin Avery attempts the crossing.

Finalist in: Best Film on Mountain Sports

Best Short Mountain Film

Click here for more information about the event.

Video from Hevyfest 2009