Last weekend was the 1st Annual Great Basin Beer Relay (benefiting the one and only Nevada Land Trust). Basically it's a 40 mile race with teams of four people. Each person runs two 5 mile legs and you get a Great Basin beer for free at the end. Oh, and it's along the river path.....so you know I'm up for it!
Since it's my commute...and the river path....our team decided to ride bikes in between our legs rather than drive. Yep, if you're doing the math, that's ride 30 miles, run 10 miles. It turned out awesome, and looked like this.
The bicycle line up.....note two xtracycles, one with a prepped beer!
At the start, the 55 teams in the ready!
The course included the new cycle track on Nichols Blvd.!
Rolling support crew at the ready. Yep, it was 35 degrees at the start!
The runners hit their stride early! Nine minute miles out of the gate!
The first hand off of the wrist band! From rider to runner!
The reason we're here....word number 3!
Duel xtracycle support means cold beer and hot coffee at the ready....along with all the treats you can eat!
Oh, I mean Gatorade.....yeah, Gatorade on the fly!
At the finish....beer was definitely the only thing getting me across this line!
The rewards!
Ok, so that was one day of my weekend. Hope you had as much fun and suffered as much as we did!
Click the banner to check out Nevada Land Conservancy!!
Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour comes to Reno on Thursday, April 5th
John Ascuaga's Nugget Rose Ballroom Doors open at 6:00 pm Films run from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Cost: $20 in advance, $25 day of event, VIP tickets available for $43
The Banff Mountain Film Festival, a program of The Banff Centre, is the largest, and one of the most prestigious, mountain festivals in the world. Hot on the heels of the festival held every fall in Banff, Alberta, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour hits the road. With stops planned in about 390 communities and 35 countries across the globe, this year's tour features a collection of the most inspiring action, environmental, and adventure films from the festival.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival event is Nevada Land Conservancy's largest annual fundraiser. Established in 1998, the Nevada Land Conservancy is a private, non-profit land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting Nevada's open spaces and special places for future generations. As the state's first "Nevada-Born" land trust, the Conservancy meets open space needs by working closely with area landowners, businesses, environmental organizations, and public officials. The Nevada Land Conservancy has protected more than 40,500 acres to date through acquisition, facilitation and partnership!
For more information on Banff or the Nevada Land Conservancy mission, please call (775) 851-5180.
Film List All.I.Can - Canada, 2011, 11 minutes
Focus: Snow Sports. Best Feature-length Mountain Film, Sponsored by Town of Banff. Stunning time-lapse sequences, creative visuals, great skiers, and deep powder are highlights of this excerpt from the award-winning feature film that looks at snow sports and the environment.
Chasing Water - USA, 2011, 18 minutes
Focus: Environment. Best Short Mountain Film – Chasing Water, Sponsored by The North Face. Pete McBride grew up on a ranch in Western Colorado, in 2008 Pete decided to follow the water from his family's ranch to see where it ends up. This is the story of a journey, and a story about the lifeblood of the West.
The Trail Collector - Switzerland, 2010, 5 minutes
Focus: Mountain Biking. People collect all kinds of things: stamps, coins, art – this is a collection of trails.
Kadoma - USA, 2011, 42 minutes
Focus: Exploration, Kayaking. Best Film - Exploration and Adventure, Sponsored byNemo. "Kadoma" is the nickname for Hendri Coetzee, a legendary South African kayaker who is known for exploring some of Africa's wildest rivers. In December 2010, American pro kayakers Chris Korbulic and Ben Stookesbury followed Coetzee into the Democratic Republic of Congo for a first descent of the dangerous Lukuga River. Seven weeks into the expedition, tragedy struck.
Intermission
C.A.R.C.A. - Canada, 2011, 8 minutes
Focus: Humor, Avalanche Rescue. One man's quest to revolutionize the world of animal avalanche rescue.
Seasons: Winter - USA, 2011, 4 minutes
Focus: Kayaking. Brian Ward discovers an unexpected and new-found love for water, in its frozen and expanded form
Ski Bums Never Die - Canada, 2011, 4 minutes
Focus: Snow sports. What does it take to be a ski bum? An unending dedication to powder skiing? The ability to do anything in your ski boots? A lifelong quest for deep snow? Find out with this unusual and inspiring band of skiers in the Kootenay region of British Columbia.
On Assignment: Jimmy Chin - USA, 2010, 6 minutes
Focus: photography, climbing, outdoor culture. A brief portrait of a passionate athlete who has melded climbing and photography. Jimmy Chin believes that "the most honest photos happen when both the subject and the photographer are just in the moment, and the rest of the world has just fallen away."
The Freedom Chair - Canada, 2011, 15 minutes
Focus: Snow sports. Josh Dueck was an aspiring skier and coach until a ski accident in 2004 changed his life for good. Josh's dream is to tackle the backcountry and the steepest and wildest mountains in the world – and with his infectious outlook, he may just catch his dream.
Reel Rock: Sketchy Andy - USA, 2011, 22 minutes
Focus: Slack lining, BASE Jumping, craziness! American climbing dirtbag Andy Lewis is taking the discipline of slack lining into the future as he solos the world’s longest high-lines and masters the hardest aerial tricks, while pushing his equipment to the limit. As Andy goes higher, harder, and faster with climbing, we all wonder how far he can go before it’ll be one step over the line.
Wow, Monday already. There was a lot going on this weekend and I'm really kind of glad to be sitting for a bit in front of the computer....which isn't always true.
Saturday was the12th Annual Silver Peak "Brews with a View" hike for beer, from Spooner to Marlette lake. If you haven't heard about this I've copied in the official rundown below. The Nevada Land Conservancy hosts this hike each year as a fund raiser to continue to protect open space in Nevada and access to it for those of us who like to play in remote places! The really neat part of this hike (other than drinking good beer in a absolutely gorgeous location, is that every drop of the 15 gallons of beer served is schlep up the trail Sherpa style on the backs of volunteers. This makes really good craft beer taste even better....especially if you participate in the Sherpa adventures (and we're always looking for more Sherpas)! Nothing makes hiking somewhere more fun than carrying a 65 lb backpack!
Next year I'll try to advertise this before it's already happened....sorry, life still gets ahead of me on a regular basis.
The official description from NVLC:
Thirsty conservationists are invited to join Silver Peak Restaurant & Brewery's 12th Annual Beer Hike on behalf of Nevada Land Conservancy. The event will enjoy its second year using the Nevada State Park Spooner-Marlette Lake trail. Participants can enjoy a cold, award-winning Silver Peak beer at Marlette Lake for a suggested donation of $5. The hike begins at 8:30 a.m. from the Spooner Lake parking facilities at the intersection of State Route 28 and U.S. Highway 50.
The hike from Spooner to Marlette Lake is roughly 9.5 miles round trip with a 1,200 foot elevation gain and no more than 5% grade, so participants are encouraged to drink lots of water when hiking (restrooms are available at Marlette Lake!). Participants can hike, bike or ride horses up the trail, and hike-in camping is available near the lake. Bikes are available for rent at Spooner Lake --775-749-5349 and www.flumetrail.com. The trailhead marker to Marlette Lake is located at the eastern most end of the Spooner parking lot past the toilets. Remember, our state parks need help too -- parking is $12 per vehicle with a $2 discount for Nevada residents (please consider carpooling). Silver Peak Restaurant and Brewery is located at 124 Wonder Street and can be reached at 775-324-1864.
