How This All Started

Two months in a hospital bed in 2010 and what came out of it? My website and Drop In TV. Not too bad eh? Laying in a bed that long, i had time to think. Crazy i only turned the TV on four or five times the entire duration too. I pondered the meaning of my tiny little life here on this Earth and what i realized is that i am here to live an adventure. We all are. That's it. Hopefully, i can stoke YOU out doing it too. I want to travel the world doing fun rad shit and share it with YOU. Originally i thought i would just blog my adventures, but why not make it a show? Enter Drop In TV. The producers of MTV's The Buried Life bought into my passion and here we are shooting the pilot of an expedition to Bloody Couloir this spring!

Lets rewind. Bloody Couloir to me was nothing. I had never heard of it. I had never thought of it. Then, one gorgeous spring day, a couple of my close friends climbed it, enjoyed a peaceful picnic at the peak and skiied it.

"Hm...i kinda want to do that."

Then they did it again...and i started to feel left behind.

"I want to ski and go on this adventure with my friends. How can i get up there?"

Its too steep and remote for snowmobile or mule. Too jagged to land a helicopter.

"You gotta climb it, dude."

"Well, if i'm going to climb it, i'm sure as hell not making my friends carry me."

I don't want to be the first sitskier to do anything. I just want to do this with my friends, eat a pb&j sandwhich at the top and i don't want them to feel like they need to get me there. I don't want to be left behind any longer.

You see, i've got arms. I can get anywhere. It might take a while, but physically, i can get there. I learned that this summer when i left my chair behind trying to figure out the most efficient and duplicatable method of crossing the sand to the waters edge. Climbing Bloody is a little more complicated, but in my mind, the same concept. Just getting from Point A to Point B. Have you seen the movie The Wall: The Journey Up? If not, see it. Steve Wampler has Cerebral Palsy and climbs El Cap. I cried though the entire thing. Unreal. He motivated me. I will climb Bloody. This i know.

OK we've established i'm going to climb it, but what about skiing it? This peak is no joke. 2,600' vert, 43 degree average pitch... rated one of the 50 Classic Ski Descents in North America. Right now, i'm not ready for it and i need to do some serious training before i ski this thing. Its just the first 100 yards or so that are gnarly really and i know i have the skill set. Its just mental. I get freaked in stuff that steep. When it all goes down though, it might not be pretty, but I'll get down.

So here we are documenting my training for the trip up. We're talking 2600 pullups...probably the most physically demanding task of my life...and i need to prepare my little body. Not only my muscles but my heart and lungs too. Swimming, cycling, climbing, paddling, weight training...all while being very mindful of what my body needs to sustain such a regimen. Nutrition is key and i gotta recommend Conscious Nutrition to anyone who cares about their well being. The key: let your body tell you what it wants...and that makes all the difference.

Also, i'm learning the importance of rest. My body can't do what it needs to do without recovering fully after each workout. I'm learning to slow down, which is hard for me sometimes. Otherwise, i tear things down too much and I'm definitely paying the price for too many years of not understanding this. I'm in the market for some magic thumbs under my shoulder blades. I.E. free bodywork. Anyone? Bueller?

In filming all this though, i can't even come close to sharing the validation i feel to have amazingly talented professionals adopt my passion and my ideas and run with them. These guys drive long distances and spend long hours working diligently on something i conjured up in a hospital bed. And here we are! This thing has become bigger than me now and i'm just along for the ride. Hopefully you are too.

Let's let go of everything holding us back and DROP IN!

Doin What i Love

I got the call...or rather the text...that we were on for shooting in just two days. I'm learning that's how things work in this biz. Everything is last minute and you squeeze it all into one day. Since the content of the shooting right now is my training, for me, that meant surfing, paddling, working out and swimming all in one day. This was almost a week ago now and i'm still recovering, feeling the after affects of an insane day...and for an insane person to call a day insane tells you how beyond normal perception the level of exertion had to be.

The producers showed up at my place not early but not late, about mid morning. We discussed the plan, they played around with the equipment (which the technology of blows my mind) and we began shooting promptly. First priority on the shot list was surfing and everything involved,  so after a few life b-roll shots, they captured me loading my big ass board into my 4-Runner and we were down at the beach pretty quickly. The day before, the surf was overhead and the dark sky swirled around. Now, not even 24 hours later, the small surf gently lapped the shore and the sun warmed everything. Much different. Not exciting surf conditions, but perfect light for our project.

Now, i can get my board to and from the water completely solo, but it doesn't happen very often. On a given day, i show up at the beach and 90% of the time some benevolent stranger grabs my board for me. That's the beauty of Cardiff...the people. This day, although i was surrounded by film crew, we were documenting my lone plight to and from the water so no help whatsoever. Depending on the tide, getting down to the water involves a few hundred bar dips. Now, add weight. Dragging the board is a whole other ball game. Especially, when i get down to the sticky wet sand. Like i said, i got this. No big deal, but in a given day that's it. I do that and i'm done. Hot shower, lunch and maybe a nap. No cycling, pull-ups and swimming after. This day meant all the above. You see where this is heading?

The water always feels refreshing at first touch. It covers my hands as i maneuver over the sand and instant excitement always rushes through me no matter what the conditions. I love the ocean. This session was fun and mellow. Small playful waves and the comforting warmth of the sun making it all that much nicer. A telephoto lens on the shore and a waterproof camera at the break captured it all. Even my first little lipper i've ever done since sitting down out there. My roommate and i took off on a waist high right together and as it closed out between us i thought 'I want to put my board up on that lip.' So i did. I bottom turned, propelled my board up the wave and the crashing whitewater rebounded me back into it. After the reentry, the left reformed and i rode it almost all the way to the sand smiling. My first lipper as a butt boarder. It feels good to be getting better.

We shot some paddling, some wipe outs in the shore break and then the hike back up the beach. I feel like a sea turtle inching along. Only i don't have any eggs to lay, just a seriously large board and an unshakeable resolve to get from point A to B regardless. After a hot shower and lunch it was time to head to the gym. Physically, i was spent already, but didn't say anything. This had to be done.

The first shots at the the gym were of the stationary hand bike. I love this thing. Honestly, i call it the lab rat cycle. That's how i feel. Everyone stares and the fluorescent light blares down. Its not inspiring to me, but it is my version of a pure workout. I always talk about the simplicity of throwing on running shoes and heading out the door. That's beauty and i miss it sometimes. Everything involves massive gear and a shit load of preparation, except this. I roll up and start cranking. Simplicity returns.

Now, the director wanted me red faced, sweating and grunting so although i wasn't supposed to get a workout doing this, we turned up the intensity to get it right. After 25 minutes or so, they got the shots and i got tired. Next came pull-ups. Yikes. "Really guys?" Yes, this was happening. After 50 or so pull-ups they got the shots and i wanted to collapse into a little ball in my mommy's lap, but did my best to keep my composure. I might have been tired, but i has happy. Stoked as could be filming what i believe to the purpose for my little life here on this Earth. Fueled by passion, i gritted my teeth and we headed out to the pool to film some laps. I had a little left in the tank still.

At first, i was disappointed because it was now late in the day, the sun was setting and i felt the light was no longer good. Not only that, but the pool was full of people and commotion and i thought the producers would be bummed. A water polo game, shrill whistles, crowd noise, an obnoxious father, swim lessons, lap swimmers, nervous mothers, old men in speedos, lifeguards switching shifts...it all seemed overwhelming, but once the pool lights flicked on the shot became me doing my thing at all hours in the midst of it all. Brilliant.

One producer was in the water with me and i felt as if we were dancing. We've shot together quite a bit now and work really well together. He bosses me around and i like it. No questions. No bullshit. I get clear direction from him and know exactly what he wants. He doesn't need to make it flowery and nice for me and i respect that. This was different though. We were in the silent water passing smoothly within millimeters seamlessly anticipating the other's intentions. I loved it. I'm not gonna lie though. My left arm did not like it. It got very angry and was screaming at me to stop. This was very close to my threshold. By the time we finished, i could barely lift myself out of the pool and the hot tub never felt better.

From there, the crew setup a makeshift studio at my place where we collected some VOs and filler shots. A hot spicy chai giving me a slightly rejuvenated edge, just enough caffeine to be dynamic in front of the camera despite my affliction with a nearly comatosed state.

All-in-all, the day was a success and i'm excited to see the teaser edit when its all finished. It should gain tons of support for the Drop In Project. To read more check out www.facebook.com/dropinproject. Like it if you like it and spread the word.

Thanks for being interesting and staying interested. Ski ya later!

Cardiff-by-the-Sea

My summer began in June when i decided to sleep in my buddy's garage in Cardiff, a bustling little surfer town in North County San Diego. We arranged his things, hung sparkly wall coverings and put down a nice rug to make it more homey, homie. Of course, this ambienced shed had an ocean view and a bathroom. Niice!!! I could urinate and look at the ocean. Many sleepy afternoons were spent watching whales pass by in the distance without even lifting my head from the pillow. Pretty damn sweet spot...even for a garage.

The shower was being used as storage though, so for the first month or so, i showered at the beach, gym and friends houses. Sometimes i would sneak into the campground across the PCH after the guards left for the night for a quick rinse. Remove the shower from your house and guaranteed any fresh water hitting your body feels ten times better. Funny how taking something so simple away creates so much appreciation for it. I try to imagine my life without things like that once in awhile...running water, a refrigerator, my car, legs...just to remind myself to be thankful. I forget. We all do.

Garage or not, i lived the dream this summer...surfing almost every day, enjoying the sun, surviving on nothing and simply bouncing from moment to moment. What a life! I figured out how to get across the sand solo with my big ass board and that changed everything. I could now just go surfing without texting and tweeting and facebooking and harrassing everyone in sight to help me. Autonomy.

This is a monumental transition for me which i can only just begin to explain. Surfers will somewhat understand because they know the power of the ocean...especially if they've grown up with her...but the depth of the pain while sitting and watching is unexplainable. The ocean called and i was driven to answer. The difference this summer? I opened my mind.

It's a matter of simple physics. Wheels and sand don't mix. Now, all of a sudden, fighting to push my chair through the sand and thinking i needed some expensive elaborate contraption or a grueling piggyback ride from a tired friend became obsolete with a simple, yet powerful, thought. Why does any place need to be "wheelchair" accessible? I have arms. I can get anywhere i want to. Why does my chair need to go? A seemingly simple concept, but for some reason i was blind to it for ten years. So i left my chair behind...and my life changed.

A couple very simple devices changed everything too. A minimalist wheelie cart got my big ass board from the car to the sand and a quick releasable fin enabled me to drag it through the sand and paddle out from the shallows. Thats it. I'm surfing solo.

I kind of lost sight of things for a little while there, but the ocean runs through my veins and a hug from her reminds me of who i'm meant to be. Being close to her this summer brought me home. What a summer! Do what you love.