Life Out Loud

Business, Interview, Life Out Loud, Madison, Magazines, Stand Up Paddling, SUP The Mag.com / 08.04.2013

SUP evangelist Gary Stone has been in business since 1984. His shop Paddleboard Specialists is a fascinating study in the course of evolution surf sports has taken to transform itself into a popular activity with broad appeal. Originally at a retail location called Isthmus Sailboards in Madison, Wisconsin, Stone started off selling boards for windsurfing. By 1996, Stone opened shop in a new spot where he could service a growing national audience by way of mail order, and today, Isthmus Sailboards is a remote showroom. Stone does a steady...

Adventure Media Review, Climbing, Film Review, Interview, Life Out Loud, Paragliding, Reel Rock Film Tour / 02.04.2013

Adventure media fans got a rare online look at one of the new features set to appear late this year in the REEL ROCK 8 Film Tour. This six-minute short that posted to YouTube is based on the most recent alpine innovations of the high-speed ascender known as the Swiss Machine. Called Ueli Steck: A New Vision, this mini-movie reveals what's next in ultra-light solo mountaineering as the climber becomes a flier sailing from one peak to the next via paraglider. "At the end of this clip, Ueli describes...

Adventure Activism, Commentary, Diversity, Life Out Loud / 28.03.2013

At the turn of the last century a great American hero set an enduring standard of excellence that forged the basis of the modern National Park System. With a "take charge" style of leadership Colonel Charles Young commanded a regiment of U.S. Army soldiers in the construction of improved roads that made it possible for the growing number of wagons and automobiles to safely visit the newly designated national park of Sequoia and its stands of giant redwood trees, the largest in the world. As the first...

Adventure Media Review, Banff, Film Festival, Film preview, Life Out Loud, National Geographic, Radical Reel Tour / 20.03.2013

Heading into the hospital for my second of two hip replacement surgeries I was more than ready for an emotional pick-me-up. Action film highlights from the Banff Mountain Film Festival are making their way across North America and around the globe in the 2013 Radical Reels World Tour. Offering up the same outstanding cinematic quality of the alpine inspired pics from Alberta, Rad Reels delivers a series of shorts and featurettes meant to drive your pulse to a fever pitch in a two-hour "get psyched mix"! With exciting scenes...

Adventure Activism, Climbing, Diversity, Expedition Denali, Life Out Loud, Outdoor Recreation / 08.03.2013

I admit some apprehension to being in front of the camera. As a trained observer I've always been more than a little reluctant to be part of the story. But when it comes to Expedition Denali I’m prepared to make an exception. To be part of the first team of African-American climbers to reach the highest summit in North America is an opportunity tough to pass up. And our little cohort of adventurers aims to change the face of mountaineering and the stories that define what it means...

Adventure Activism, Adventure Film, Charitable Giving, Climbing, Healthy Living, Life Out Loud, Madison, People with disabilities, philanthropy / 20.02.2013

The Joy Trip Project is pleased to present a free screening of the film High Ground by Michael Brown at the Marquee Theater in Union South on the UW Madison Campus on March 5th at 7PM. This inspiring feature follows the true story of 11 wounded Iraq and Afghan war veterans who overcome their injuries to climb a 20,000-foot mountain peak in the Himalaya. Recovering from the catastrophic effects of blindness, amputation and post-trauma stress these fallen heroes rise up to reclaim their lives and overcome a great...