My Top 3 Ski Tours of 2018-2019 (#1)

I have been ski touring for three seasons now. Every outing has been within 35 minutes of my house, with the exception of one. By the third week in February, we, in the Wasatch, were in the midst of an epic season. We were not the only ones having an stellar year. Much of the west was getting buried on a regular basis, and this included southern Utah.

My co-worker Zach approached me early in the week with a proposition of skiing near Cedar Breaks National Monument (not far from Bryce Canyon, but higher elevation). Skiing the red rocks and hoodoos of southern Utah. I was hesitant at first. We would be outside the safety net of the Utah Avalanche Center’s impeccable daily forecasts. Over the next couple of days, though, I became confident that we could do it safely, and it was also clear that this would be a truly unforgettable and unique experience.

My Top 3 Ski Tours of 2018-2019 (#2)

As I sit on my deck writing this, I can turn to my right and stare at the top of Grandeur Peak. Grandeur has a special place in my heart because it is the closest mountain to our home and because I have spent many hours over the last few years hiking it. The first time I summited it was a few years ago with Lauren, when we hiked it from the east side. Though that trail is better traveled, I have since been climbing the brutally steep west face as a way to train for ski season. The trailhead for the west face (West G, as some like to call it) is a mere 1.5 miles from my house.

Grandeur Peak                                                                                     My House

I think you see where I am going with this. With the amount of snow we had by late January, you could see tracks on West G after a couple of the bigger storms. It was then when the seed was planted in my mind. I wondered if, when we had enough snow in the valley to cover the roads, I could ski Grandeur from my house.

My Top 3 Ski Tours of 2018-2019 (#3)

Ski touring around the Wasatch has quickly become my favorite activity since moving to Utah and beginning work at Black Diamond. I had heard of backcountry skiing when I started at BD, but I had no idea what it involved. After 3 seasons, touring has allowed me to get out into the mountains much more frequently than if I was limited to skiing at resorts only.

Of the 52 times I skied this season, 33 of them were tours. Many of these were your run of the mill gorgeous sunrise/untracked blower powder/both of those things, and get to work by 8:30. Since moving to Utah, my google photos account has become a collection of desktop backgrounds.

Pre-work sunrise. This did not make the list. Photo credit: Brian Kenton

Post-work sunset. This did not make the list.

I do not take the beautiful views for granted, but what does it take for one of these outings to truly set itself apart?

Josh Rogoff Fantasy Hockey Team End Of Year Roundup

Well folks (I don’t know who the hell would be reading this, but), the NHL’s regular season has come to a close, which means fantasy hockey is done for the year. For the first time, I managed 2 different teams. Both leagues were weekly head-to-head style. For hockey, I prefer rotisserie. Alas, I am too lazy to make my own league, so I was stuck with what others prefer. Overall, I would call this year a resounding success. Read on, if you dare, for a full breakdown of my teams and results!

CAMBRIDGE – 9:00 PM – INTERMEDIATE (C), with Pete the Ref

Every monday for the past 6 months, at 9 pm (and often also at 10), I played hockey at the simoni skating rink in cambridge. It will undoubtedly be one of my favorite memories about living here. Having the skate to look forward to every week made my mondays way better than most people’s. The rink is only open during the winter, though, and tonight was the last time I will likely ever play there. Here is a horrible picture I took of it on my way out:

Introducing kookieBot 1

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I would like to introduce my latest robot: kookieBot 1!

kookieBot 1 is a remotely controlled robot that will have the ability to drive around and shoot cat toys at my cat, or anyone, I suppose. It will be able to be controlled from a computer, and will have a camera mounted on the front of it. In an attempt to bore you all to tears, I am going to be as detailed as I can about the concept and progress of the project. I will place videos and pictures strategically to keep your attention. You will now continue to read about how I plan on executing this task.

an open letter to my “spot saving” neighbor

my street in cambridge is considered an “emergency snow route”. as a result, any time a lot of snow is in the forecast, everyone must find a spot on another street. the entire city is permit parking, and everyone in the neighborhood has a permit. during the most recent storm, i got home late, and had to park a few blocks from my apartment.

fast forward to tonight. i got home from work and found a spot that someone had shoveled out right across the street from my apartment. i took it. this note was subsequently left on my windshield:

cat-eye cages are not worth it

monday night i played 2 games in a row. early in the first game, the very first shot, in fact, hit me square in the face. not my actual face, but the cage in front of my face. it was a really good wrist shot from maybe 20 feet out. it was close enough and fast enough for my reaction to be non-existent. i waited for ringing in my ears, stars in my eyes, any sign of pain, but there was nothing. the result was a dull *thunk* and the puck safely in the corner. i finished the game giving up seven goals, but overall being very satisfied with my performance.