I've spent two decades riding Mt Hood in the summer time. When I was a kid I would pack up my Honda Civic and drive down with dreams of catching a glimpse of Terje Haakonsen boosting in the summer halfpipe’s. A few summers back I lived in my Honda armed with a pass and some peanut butter and jelly fixings. When I saw that the Rat Race was coming up I felt like it was time to go re-kindle those experiences of my youth, working at camp and riding Mt Hood.            The 6th annual Rat Race is a Drink Water event that they organized to raise money for water.org. The Drink Water organization raises money for building clean water wells...
Elysian Brewing - Space Dust IPA Rub-a-dub-dub it’s 2 o’clock on Friday and time for some suds. Got ourselves an Elysian Space Dust IPA comin in at 8.2% alcohol by volume. The stuff is great…great enough that I’m eyeing a second. It’s got a little touch of those citra hops, which I’ve heard are responsible for the slight citrus/foral finish that really gets me; that coupled with the light-ish body so it doesn’t feel like you’re drinking a loaf of bread out of a bottle. I don’t know exactly what I’m talking about but I think it’s great and worth a try. It’s Friday people ditch the office chair and go snag some.  Ballast Point - Watermelon Dorado Double IPA Disclaimer…I’m...
A historic and unprecedented event isn’t occurring, the question of whether or not we’re alone in the universe hasn’t been answered. Bummer. I guess this isn’t the Independence Day where Will Smith throws a hissy fit in the middle of the desert, socks an alien in the face only to light up a cigar following a couple cheeky one-liners. One can still dream. What seems more likely is the earth continuing to revolve around the sun into our nations 241st birthday and what’s more American than hitting the road with a couple pals, a cooler chock-full of beverages and road tripping to a National Park to see some goddamn homegrown beauty. Hot diggity sounds like the most American activity I...
Your guide to Summer Snowboard and Ski Camp from 686 Team Manager Patrick McCarthy. Every year kids descend on glaciers all over the world to keep the dream alive and keep snowboarding/skiing nearly year round. Win the USA, Woodward is our favorite option with two locations - Boreal in CA and Copper Mtn in CO. Mt Hood also has multiple camp opportunities so get out and do some summer riding and you can also get a public park pass there too. In Canada, Camp Of Champions announced no camp this summer due to sub-par conditions, but Whistler Valley Snowboard Club has stepped in to offer a small park on the Glacier. Summer camp is  the best way to keep progressing...
Wake up, drive, park, uber, fly... sleep… land, drive, camp… sleep… wake up, drive, camp… sleep… wake up, drive, destination reached… have a drink. An itinerary not for the faint of heart with nearly 48 hours of travel via trains, planes and automobiles spanning six states, two time zones, about twenty bathroom stops, a small fortune in packaged beef jerky, not enough extra socks and boxers and zero worries except for getting stranded in the middle of the desert out of gas with an unwalkable amount of miles to the nearest help in either direction. Pat McCarthy, Matt Belzile, Sammy Luebke, Matt Wainhouse, Forest Bailey, Ian Post and myself were led here on the word of Montana local, and newest 686 Global...
