Ace Freeskier Grete Eliassen on the Her New Film, the Future of Women's Skiing

By Tetsuhiko Endo; Photograph courtesy of Stan Evans

This week, Adventure got a chance to chat with one of the best women’s freeskiers of the last decade, Grete Eliassen. What’s that? You’ve never heard of freeskiing? Sure you have, you just didn’t realize it. Think massive snow-park jumps. Think rail sliding. Think back flips off back-country cliffs. Think half pipes, and quarter pipes, and three sixties, and baggy snow pants, and loud music and all those other things that used to attract young people to snowboarding, but think of them on a pair of wide, double tipped skis.

Also known as “freestyle” or “new school” skiing, the sport was developed by the frustrated racers and mogul riders of the late 90s who gradually moved away from their well-established disciplines and into the then snowboard only snow-parks. Among them was a young girl of Norwegian and American parents called Grete Eliassen (pronounced “Gretta”). Growing up between Minnesota and Lilihammer, Norway, Eliassen became a decorated junior ski racer (what else would you do with those two hometowns?). She threw herself into freeskiing full time not long after her father escorted her into her first snow park. Since then, she has gone on to become one of the most decorated women in her sport with four U.S. Open wins, and numerous gold and silver medals in both the half pipe and slope-style X events of the Winter X games. As she has gotten older, she’s pushed into the back country while simultaneously pursuing a degree in Business Management at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

At the ripe old age of 24, Eliassen is probably staring down the barrel of the latter half of her professional skiing career. But as Adventure found out, that doesn’t mean she’s lost a step. After watching her aptly titled movie, Say My Name at the New York City Snow Film Festival this past weekend, we got her on the phone to get the scoop on sexism, business, core strength workout, gangsta rap, and the future of women’s skiing. Luckily, she had just stepped out of class.

Gear Review: New Balance Minimus Takes a Step Toward Barefoot

By Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal

So, there’s this trend in running where you ditch your shoes and run barefoot. You might have heard of it: It’s called barefoot running.

The barefoot or minimalist footwear movement is to running what fast and light was to backpacking a few years ago: It’s hot, sexy, and ambiguous enough of a concept that manufacturers can jump on the trend in just about any way they please. I suspect it appears bigger than it actually is because the media loves nothing better than a good trend, even if it isn’t supported by reality, and I don’t see many people actually running barefoot, not even on the beach below my house. Nevertheless, shoe manufacturers are scrambling to strip away the excesses of their bread and butter models, and New Balance has a new trail shoe hitting retail in a couple months that’s intriguing enough for a closer look.

The Minimus has a mostly mesh upper and thin(ish) Vibram rubber outsole and weighs a tick over eight ounces (230 grams per shoe in my size 10 preproduction sample). When you first put it on (barefoot, of course), it feels like a slipper, soft and gently embracing your foot everywhere except in the toes, where there’s enough room to wiggle your piggies without banging on the front or sides of the shoe. Even unlaced, the upper cups each foot with a secure but tender hug. Your foot feels (and is) lower to the ground, and the heel doesn’t have the pronounced lift of a typical runner (just 4mm above the toe, compared to a more common 12mm). Walking around the house, you think your race flats have mashed up with a soft suede moccasin, and the Minimus seems to have little in common with the average running shoe.

Adventure Photography: About the Shot - Surfing Wamberal, Australia

Photo by Nathan Smith, Red Bull Illume Contest Winner, Category: Close Up

About the Shot
The shot here is of one of my mates and fellow central coaster Andrew Mooney. He’s one damn charger on a surfboard and he’s got all the tricks. He now mainly concentrates on free surfing and is always great to shoot. The photo was taken later in the day when it was pretty dark at Andrew’s home break in Wamberal, which is about 20 minutes from where I grew up.

I love late colors in waves and it always makes for a beautiful shot. I'm happy with the way the picture turned out. I'm sure it will always be one of my favorites. Surf photography is all about moments like this one. That’s what I'm addicted to. —Photographer Nathan Smith

Which photo is your favorite from this year's collection of Red Bull Illume adventure photo contest winners? Click through to see the photo gallery >>

Best Trails: A Toast to Three Upper Midwestern Hikes

Text by Paul Masiarchin of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Photograph of the Superior Hiking Trail by Rose Allen

Editor's Note: In response to our Best Trails package, which includes 30 hikes—none of which are in the Midwest—reader Paul Masiarchin pointed out our (unintentional) ommision and even offered up some of his favorite Midwestern hikes, presented below. Thanks, Paul, for your great suggestions!

Across the Upper Midwest, hikers can explore four seasons of beauty on trails along the region’s lakes and rivers. Here are four of my favorite water-edge trails in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Minneapolis, MN
This 72-mile stretch of the Mississippi River includes surprising beauty hidden deep below the hustle of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Various stretches of the park offer majestic views of Minneapolis’s mill district and downtown skyline. My favorite hike is below the river bluffs, within Fort Snelling State Park (daily fee for cars; parking near the park headquarters), including Pike Island’s winding trails where bald eagles, coyotes, foxes, whitetail deer, wild turkeys, and other wildlife are abundant within minutes of downtown Minneapolis. An added attraction is the well-maintained historical military fort sitting high above the river.

Swedish Free Diver Annelie Pompe on What She Loves About Oxygen Deprivation (Interview)

By Tetsuhiko Endo; Photograph by Stephane Bailliez

The Scandinavians have long been known for their polar exploration so it came as a surprise to us when a Swedish woman named Annelie Pompe snatched the new free diving world record in the Variable Weight Apnea class in October. The smiley 29-year-old rode a weighted sled 126 meters down into the Red Sea, then ascended back to the surface along a line. That’s 413 feet, underwater, with nothing but a mask and some flippers.

 And it doesn’t stop there. An accomplished mountaineer, Pompe is planning to take on Mount Everest in May. Assuming all goes well, she’ll then set her lungs to the task of breaking Nat Geo Adventure favorite, Tanya Streeter’s No Limit class free-dive world record. (For an explanation of the different competitive classes, check out the free diving wikipedia page.)

Clearly, we had to talk to this lady and figure out what she loves so much about oxygen deprivation. We tracked her down to her home in Sweden this week for a few questions. English may not be her first language but she had a lot of interesting things to say.

When people think of free diving, Sweden isn’t the first country that springs to mind. How did you get into the sport?

There's actually quite a lot of divers in Sweden. I grew up close by the sea and I've always felt at home in the ocean. I don't think that feeling has any continental boundaries.

Since I loved being in the sea I got a scuba certification as soon as I was allowed to—and I really enjoyed it. Though I realized after a few years that the best feeling was diving in the water without any clumsy equipment. So I took up free diving and found a free-diving course. I was immediately captured by the challenge of diving as deep as possible on one breath. It's not only a physical challenge. For deep free diving you have to take your mind and mental strength to new levels.

Gear Review: Coleman's Micro-Quad LED Lantern--Bright, Portable, And So Cute

By Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal

It’s so cute!

A year or so ago, Coleman brought out the very clever Quad Lantern, a beefy car-camping light that featured four snap-off panels so you could break it into more portable, usable illumination. Now comes the Micro-Quad ($34.99), which repackages the same innovation in a Lilliputian size. It’s smaller, far less weighty, and easier to pack, without yielding much useful light.

Travel Tech: Into Thin Air: Apple's New Notebooks Are Ideal For Adventure Travelers

By Keene Haywood

There is only one person on the planet who can wrap up aluminum and glass and sell it to the masses in the form of a computer called the Air. That person is Apple's Steve Jobs, and he recently unveiled the new MacBook Air laptops.

Incredibly thin and light as the name suggests, these portables offer some great options for backcountry and adventure travelers who need the power of a full computer with mature operating system wrapped into a solid aluminum enclosure weighing less than your four-season sleeping bag. Two new models were released in 11-inch (2.3 pounds) and 13-inch (2.9 pounds) screen sizes. The 13-inch Air is more or less the same form factor as the original Air introduced in 2008, only slightly thinner and lighter. But this is where the similarities end. There are a number of improved features for the Air line, including the introduction of the second smaller 11-inch model. This smaller model may be the most compelling for those who travel with a backpack instead of briefcase.

Champion Surfers Stephanie Gilmore and Kelly Slater on Books, Travel, and Losing Andy Irons

By Tetsuhiko Endo, reporting from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico for the Rip Curl Pro Search competition 

Last week was one of the most momentous in the history of competitive surfing. In seven wild days near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, 22-year-old Stephanie Gilmore claimed her fourth world title in as many years (a feat unequaled in the history of both the men and women’s tours), three-time world champ Andy Irons withdrew citing illness and later died of unconfirmed causes, and 38-year-old Kelly Slater cemented his reputation as one of the greatest athletes ever with a electrifying tenth world title. Your humble correspondent hopped a last minute flight to be on hand for history.

Banff Radical Reels: Feel the Hill Filmmakers Discuss Longboarding

By National Geographic Digital Media's Amy Bucci

As the opening credits roll for Feel the Hill, the audience is shown someone sawing a kitchen cutting board apart and gluing the pieces onto everyday gardening gloves. We later learn these special gloves are essential gear for a unique extreme sport called longboarding.

This film, a People's Choice finalist in the Banff Mountain Film Festival's Radical Reels category, was made by 19-year-olds Jeremy Comte and Alexandre Auray. What's amazing is that Jeremy and Alex began this project when they were just 17 years old.

The film introduces us to several expert longboarders in each discipline of longboarding: slalom, downhill, footwork, and sliding. Most scenes are filmed in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Q: Why did you decide to make this movie?

Jeremy: We started making short films with skateboarding, but then Jeremy started longboarding in elementary school. There weren't that many movies about it, so we decided to do it. Most people associate longboarding with just the downhill style. I wanted to show all the other styles like sliding and dancing as well. Everyone can enjoy longboarding because you can find your own style.

127 Hours: Director Danny Boyle Says You'd Cut Your Hand Off, Too (Interview)

By Mary Anne Potts; Photographs by Chuck Zlotnick, Fox Searchlight

For his new film, 127 Hours, British director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) takes on the story of Aron Ralston, the then-27-year-old hiker who, in 2003, was canyoneering in Utah’s remote Blue John Canyon when his hand became pinned under an 800-pound boulder. He had told no one where he was going. After five days with just his own urine left for hydration, Ralston had one last option—to cut off his hand. He did it with a cheap multitool. And he survived.

To make the movie, which is based on Ralston’s best-selling autobiography and stars actor James Franco, the film team trekked into Canyonlands National Park and even camped out at Blue John Canyon. The three-foot wide slot canyon was far too hard to access for the majority of filming, so they built a replica on a soundstage, carefully mapping out each contour of the stone.

Here, Boyle talks about camping out in canyon country, the transforming power of life-or-death decisions, and what he believes we’d all do when caught between a rock and a hard place.

What was it like to work on a film that requires so much hiking, climbing, and rappelling in such a remote part of the country?

Danny Boyle: It was shocking. We camped for a week in the actual location in Utah. As I lay in my single-man tent at night, it was so quiet, it woke me up. It was unnervingly quiet, with no sirens going off, no people arguing. I realized then that it had been 33 years since I last went camping. My take on this film was not so much that it was a wilderness film. In some curious way, even though it’s about one guy in the wilderness, it’s actually a film about people. And the film has an urban rhythm more than a meditative wilderness rhythm.