Nevis Bungy Jump in HD

The jump that cured my fear of heights and left me with a strong craving for adrenaline; the Nevis Bungy Jump (134m or almost 440 ft) in August 2010 near Queenstown, New Zealand.  Enjoy...

Magic Carpet Ride

Some of you may have been wondering what it is like to ride on a magic carpet, so I uploaded a video just for you from when took a ride on one with Silverton Moutain Guides for my 22nd birthday in March of 2012.  Enjoy!

The other two people in the Heli were from Jackson Hole and the other members of the group were Taos Snowboard Instructors.  Here are some pictures from that day:

The Helicopter sits at the top of the mountain waiting for clients.

A Taos Instructor feels the smooth creamy Spring snow.

The group gathers before dropping in to the couloir.

Myself racing to catch the woman from Jackson.

Wishing everyone a Happy Holidays!
-Colin Griffith

A Classic Descent to remember for a lifetime

Seeing as it is 9th of December, the anniversary of Zach and Louis's trip up and down El Dorado Peak in North Cascades National Park.  I thought I would post some of the footage of us strapping in and descending the upper pitches of the mountain and glacier.  The views up there were incredible and the experience was life-changing; a go-pro simply cannot do it justice.  El Dorado Descent on Vimeo

Here are a few more photos just to add to the experience.

With a Big smile on my face

Zach Shredding the Glacial Gnar

-Colin Griffith

Tips for Shoulder Rehab.

Catching some air in Montezuma Bowl at Arapahoe Basin 2011

About 3 seconds before the crash

Some of you may remember that a year after my first knee surgery, in 2011 I lost a ski in some Spring snow and ended up cartwheeling for a good distance before a collision with a large boulder ended my fall.  I ended up needing surgery for a inferior dislocation and a Hills Sachs Fracture on the head of my humerous.  Despite the surgery I was able to quickly heal and I ski'd over 70 days the next season.  During that nexy season though, I crashed again going to fast in very low snow conditions and dislocated my other shoulder.  I relocated this one by myself and fortunately it has never come out again.  Both of my shoulders were prone to pain and to some instability, but neither has fully dislocated on me again.  It took a while but eventually I was able to regain enough strength and stability that by the time Summer came, and Summer came early, I was back to climbing three to four days a week at Thrillseeker's the gym in Denver.

2 seconds

Again this is only meant to supplement an actual physical therapy program. But here are some additional ideas that I found made the recovery easier.

First, warm up with some arm circles, starting small and getting larger, and not letting your arm get behind you.  Do roughly 20 backward and then 20 forward and you will then be ready to move on to the light exercises.  Make sure you keep your hands from floating behind the level of your back and face.

Rotator Cuff Exercises (30 Reps)- These involve having your forearm and your arm above the elbow being perpendicular to each other.  Then, one rotates the arm at the shoulder so that the forearm travels 90 degrees towards the sky.  Finally, you rotate the arm back to the starting position, and that is 1 repetition.  These are usually done in the gym by able bodied people with 10-20 lbs dumbbells.  However, if you had a shoulder injury or surgery you probably will not be able to start out that high.
My solution was to use a Nalgene bottle, you can start out with it empty and add water each time you do the exercise to slowly increase the weight.  Here is a video that demonstrates the technique, he uses a resistance band which is also ok, but pay attention to the motion and how he holds his elbow at 90 degrees and does not over-rotate his arm behind his body or head. Rotator Cuff Exercises

1 second

Shoulder Press (30 reps): Do the samething with the Nalgene bottle that you did with the rotator cuff exercises.  Literally, start out by shoulder pressing an empty or near empty Nalgene bottle.  Once you can do a full bottle, it is then time to move on to weights.  Be very careful that a your shoulder does not go back behind your head, it is for this reason amongst others that you must increase the weight gradually. Here is a good video on proper shoulder press technique Should Press Technique

Tricep Push Ups:  Some of you may have done these. A tricep pushup utilizes the muscles of your arm more than of your shoulders and chest.  This is why they are good to do after a shoulder injury or surgery.  To do a tricep push up, just make a triangle with your hands below the center of your chest.  Properly done it does not take many tricep push ups to really feel your muscles work.  As your shoulder gets stronger you can start to add traditional push ups as well, but don't move to that stage too fast, it could jeopardize the process of your whole recovery.  Here is a video with an attractive women to show you how tricep push ups are done. Tricep Pushups

Finally, it will be very important to stretch your injured and healthy shoulders every day.  Here is a website that has some good information and pictures of multiple stretches that you can do to increase your range of motion after an injury or a surgery.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/Shoulder Stretches

Do these exercises in addition to listening to your Doc and Pt and you will be back to climbing and/or skiing stuff like this in no time!

Finally, I truly believe that acupuncture and massage can help a great variety of injuries.  When I hurt my second shoulder it bothered me for a long time, but it basically healed completely after some rounds of massage of acupuncture.  Insurance may not cover it but it is still cheaper than going in to see a Doctor or Physical Therapist and especially cheaper and less of a hassle than surgery.

Alright that's it for now, Good Luck to Anyone who is injured or expecting surgery and God Bless Everyone!

-Colin Griffith

Exercises that work, knee rehab

Exercises That Work

Knee Rehab:

As some you may know I had my second ACL reconstruction done last February.  However, it was not the same knee as my first.  Both of my grafts healed strong and I was back to playing sports as soon as possible and skiing well again after about 8 months after the first one.

This second time around has been even faster, which they say is common for the second go around with knee surgery.  I do not mean to go against anything your Physician or Physical Therapist tells you, their words matter the most.  However, I can share with you the little routine I developed for the 2-5 month range of exercises that can be done in your bed or living room.  As you get stronger you can add ankle weights or do more reps.

Here is the routine, it may take some time to work up to it:

50 Body-Weight Squats

100 Sit-ups, half normal, half alternating right hand over left knee and visa versa

100 Double Leg Bridges or 50 single leg bridges for each leg

50 Leg Extensions (add 5 lb ankle weight when ready)

100 Leg Lifts in each of the 4 directions (add 5 lb ankle weight when ready) Demonstration of leg lift from Aurora Healthcare: http://www.aurorahealthcare.org/FYWB_pdfs/x09098.pdf

15 Dead Leg Lifts, with a medicine ball when ready

50 Push-Ups

3 min Wall Sits

This is a great, quick routine that can dramatically increase your leg and core strength when done everyday.  If you have a knee injury or surgery doing as much of this as possible will greatly speed your recovery, especially when combined with normal physical therapy.  I found that acupuncture and massage also greatly speed the process.

Good Luck and God Bless!

-Colin Griffith

The Grand Teton - Large Images

Lodging Review: The Hostel, Teton Village, WY

The Hostel in Jackson Hole is truly an exceptional establishment when it comes to North American, especially lower 48, ski lodging.  Offering year round accommodations for travelers on a budget, it fills a niche in the otherwise exorbitantly priced Teton Village and has done so since the 1950's.  The Hostel is not, however, owned or affiliated with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and sits on private property. This offers guests and the staff the chance to have a bit more freedom from the resorts' regulations, although open containers are allowed on resort property.  I spent a summer season, from about March 25 to September 15 working and living at the Hostel, and it was one of the most unique experiences of my life.  These are my thoughts on the Hostel based on my experiences.

The Entrance to The Hostel and Front Yard

The Building: The Hostel is an old wooden building and has a smell that mountain people will find inviting and perhaps even intoxicating.  It is cozy and has a great mountain feel, but I would take care lighting a match anywhere near it.  The lobby is set up with comfortable chairs where you might catch the employees lounging while they harass the manager.  Below the lobby is the basement which has multiple couches, chairs, televisions, board games, bathrooms, a ping pong table, and retro ski posters.  This summer they also installed several large metal-framed gear drying shelves for the coming Winter season.  They also have converted a back room to be gear lockers that can be rented by anyone, guest or not, for the Winter season.

The building has 50 rooms spread over four floors.  All of the rooms have a bathroom with a shower and either one king bed or four bunk style beds.  Both rooms with king beds and "quad" beds cots $99 per night. Several of the rooms are true Hostel bunk rooms where travelers can pay for just their bunk and share the rooms with strangers for about $30 a night.  There is an all male bunk, an all female, and a co-ed bunk room.  If you have never stayed in a Hostel bunk room, or if you are on a strict budget, the bunk rooms could be a valuable experience.  There are discounts for long term stays (for all rooms) with some people living in rooms or even just a bunk for months at a time.  You can call the Hostel to get a quote on these rates.

Looking up at Rendezvous Mountain and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort from the front yard

The Exterior: The Hostel grounds are some of its biggest attributes, especially during the Summer.  The front yard of the Hostel is nicely shaded, with a mowed lawn, a grill for you to use, horseshoes, and several sets of lawn chairs and tables.  There is also a bike rack right next to the parking lot.  Both the staff and guests spend a lot of time mingling on the lawn on Summer days and you will find people to usually be quite approachable.  The front yard of the Hostel is one of the best places in the Valley in my opinion, it truly is a blessing from God that no one has paved over that sacred place.

The staff mingles with tourists at the top of the Tram.

The experience:  Although I was not in Jackson for the Winter season I have stayed in many foreign hostels and I will say that The Hostel in Jackson certainly stands out from the rest.  The smell of the mountains pours out of the Hostel, and if that is something that interests you then you will have an exceptional stay at the Hostel. If that is not the case for you, then you should go stay at the Hostel in order to push yourself out of your comfort zone.  The staff are quite friendly, approachable, and eager to help.  However, questions of the sort that you could just as quickly find the answer yourself, and complaints about things which they have no control over, will get you nowhere with them.  Bring your own shampoo because all they will provide you with is towels and soap.  If you need more than that feel free to walk over to the Mangy Moose and buy them or stay somewhere else.  However, there is no where else in Jackson and perhaps the entire Rocky Mountains that will provide you with the same experience as The Hostel.  Ultimately the Hostel is great for everyone with the right attitude whether they be families on a budget, bums looking for a place to stay for a length of time (and go skiing), or true nomads.

-Colin Griffith

The Hostel Website: http://www.thehostel.us/