Disconnect

Today there was a death on the river. Jay Lynn and I put on Upper Indian creek and a team of kayakers were putting on right behind us. They asked if they could use our shuttle and we said yes, but continued downstream before them as we were in a hurry to meet other boaters down canyon. Later, we were told that a member of that group had been lost after swimming into a sieve.

Let us take moment to recognize how fragile this life is,
that we cannot take it for granted,
That, though death is immanent,
it should merely show us that we must live each day fully.

Let us think of what blessings we have in our lives and be thankful for them.

My thoughts go out to those kayakers today who lost a friend, and whomever else treasured him.

Don't you hate it when...

Don't you hate it when you are deep in the wilderness, rattled by hours of whitewater, resting on the shore and you look up and see your buddy roll up and he says in a pissed off tone "Hey, why didn't you return my call yesterday? I left you a message!" then stares you down like you just sold his little sister into an underground sex trade network?

Jared on the Entrance Rapid to the MF Feather

Jared on Chunky Monkey, a favorite flavor of the Quincy crew

Daniel Brasuell calming down after an emotional conflict over a phone call

Eddy Mutch in control

Diane Gaydos paddling hard in a rapid called "Just Paddle"

Me too. 

Even in the wilderness you have to call your friends back.

Prosumers

Jeff Contemplates his future. Is his gear good enough?

What is on steep and cheap?

What is he wearing?

Oh, he looks good.

Damn, that is a sick jacket

Those guys are shredders.

Is that next year’s jacket?

How do you like those skis?

Are those the new Volkls?

I am getting next year’s demo skis from the rep.

Oh, I bought these off the rep for 70% off retail.

I pro-dealed these.

I got this for free.

Why is he wearing that?

Gaper.

Status. Power. Perception. What is at stake here? Companies and people alike want all of our skill levels to be identifiable by the gear we wear. This is where sponsorship comes from. It is the thought “Good people wear it, so to be good, you have to wear it”. We accept it, we even begin to exert pressure on our friends to update their skis, boots, poles, PFDs, boats, paddles, dry tops, wetsuits, and forever more. Perhaps we do this to increase our own status, so that we are hanging with the cool kids. We are incited to materialistic competition ubiquitously and it spares no one.

Jeff sporting gear that is all "5 years or older". Lame.

What is the cost? We alienate the beginners, people without endless capital to spend on technical equipment. Look at the impossible price of the stuff that the prosumers (let’s be honest, if you are a pro kayaker or skier you are just professionally consuming gear) wear: Top of the line jacket $700, Pants $400, Bindings $300, skis $900, boots $700. That is $3000 for one outfit to wear what “good” skiers wear. You could crush it on $300 total if you shopped around. You would not be wearing what the “best” wear but you would be comfy. The unfortunate product is a ski class system that creates a false sense of superiority due to financial investment rather than passion, skill, leadership, or experience.

This is stupid; this topic is hardly worth mentioning. There are real problems out there. Women’s wages are statistically significantly less than men, pregnant women and mothers are discriminated against, students are being put through failure factories rather than school while young people’s success is being determined by a lottery. (Watch Waiting for Superman). Immigrants are being deported while creating the backbone to our communities and culture. What the fuck?

Yet this consumer addiction still bothers, still exists in all of us. Beat it back! Un-buy into it. Take a moment to strip away this cultural lens, the corporate propagandizing and look at the person, the passion, the movement, the intention. You will see far more looking for these things than you ever will with a tag. Be weary of those in the garments of prosumers for they may just be seeking to look the part, reap the glory of the cloth, cull the status of the outdoor scene and play the game for their own glorification.

Sending.