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2007 Summer Outdoor Retailer Show Video Interviews

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Charlie Lozner-- Karhu

August, 2007-- As Karhu's Brand Director under relatively new parent K2 Sports, Charlie has been very busy getting things on track at Karhu for the 2007/2008 season, and when we met up with him at OR Charlie was excited to tell us how far ahead of the game they are already, with many dealers already having received and starting to sell the company's 07/08 line. He also had some interesting things to say about Karhu's new "Greeenlight" core material, as well as the ski industry and environmental issues here on Earth.

Running time: 4:44

 26mb Windows Media

24mb Mpeg4


Craig Dostie-- Part 1

August, 2007-- Former Couloir and Telemark Skier Magazine Publisher Craig Dostie closed up shop recently and joined the editorial staff of one-time rival Backcountry Magazine. For many years, this veteran ski media warrior was the voice in the world of backcountry skiing, and more or less by default, telemark skiing as well. Get to know him in this multi-part interview shot last week in Salt Lake City, UT.

Ladies and gentlemen, Craig Dostie....

Running time: 6:19

 34mb Windows Media

35mb Mpeg4


Craig Dostie Unleashed-- Part 2

September, 2007-- In Part Two of our Interview from the Summer OR show last month (part one can be found at the bottom of this page), Craig Dostie, the former owner/publisher of Couloir and Telemark Skier, and now the new editor at Backcountry Magazine, discusses global warming (the focus of the mag's next issue) and how his own views on the subject differ somewhat from those of his new employers. Dostie also shares his thoughts on the important role backcountry skiing has played in his personal life, as well as in his professional career in the ski media.

Running time: 7:40

 42mb Windows Media

39mb Mpeg4


Dan Abrams-- Flylow Gear

September, 2007-- It's been fun watching owner Dan Abrams grow Flylow's line of outdoor apparel designed with the needs of the telemark skier in mind. This is Flylow's third season and Dan was excited to show us their expaned line, including the new Puff Coat, an innovative design which blends a softshell fabric with synthetic down insulation. The result would seem to be a puffy that is highly breathable and highly skiable, and a jacket that we can't wait to try out on the slopes. Dan also showed us their new Prefontaine, an attractively priced mid-layer that doubles as a water repellent outer on those days when a jacket is too much. Dan's a good guy with a clear vision, and we are stoked to see he and Flylow doing well.

Running time: 5:32

 30mb Windows Media

28mb Mpeg4


Geoff Hurwitch-- Rossignol

September, 2007-- Geoff Hurwitch is the Nordic Product Manager at Rossi, where he oversees the company's telemark ski line, as well as Rossignol's impressive stable of freeheel athletes, including perennial tele extreme skiing comp champion Dylan Crossman, film and TV star Max Mancini, up and coming young ripper Eben Mond, as well as veteran tele athlete B.J. Brewer, among others. In this interview from Summer OR, Hurwitch talks about Rossi's recent move to Park City, their 07/08 ski line, and he shares his thoughts on the debut of Rottefella's NTN advanced boot and binding system.

Running time: 6:04

 33mb Windows Media

31mb Mpeg4


Lou Dawson, Wildsnow.com

August, 2007-- Going way back, Lou Dawson was always my favorite writer in the late Couloir magazine. The recent inductee to the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame tended a little toward off center, taking unexpected positions on issues such as the use of snowmobiles to gain access to big mountain tours and ski mountaineering descents. He's taken a lot of heat from the purists for that one, but as Big Tim would say, "he don't care."

Lou once wrote an article for Couloir titled "Confessions of a lift chair swinger" (December, 1994), I still have a copy of that issue because reading his words was when the whole thing clicked for me, I knew the kind of skier I wanted to be, and the approach I would take to skiing in the future. It would be about the turns...

Explaining why he would "spend time on the ski lifts," Lou wrote that it is a great way to keep his form between big climbs and such... then came the closing couple of paragraphs, and the part that would change my whole outlook on tele skiing forever. No longer would it be only about getting somewhere in the backcountry, it would be about finding and getting into the groove whenever and wherever possible... here's what Lou wrote, and why I think he rules:

"I'll confess to something else. It's about stuffing your hip into a curve, feeling the G-force pull at your cheek, and rocketing out for the next carve on a pair of fiery performance skis. You can take that split second and work it like Da Vinci worked for the perfect smile. Over and over, you refine each tiny part. You feel your hand position change by fractions, you pressure the rear of your boot for a split second longer or shorter. Your actions are micrometer dialed. The world narrows to you, the snow, and the purest path between two snow crystals: the cut of a steel edge.

Voltaire said, "if God didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent him." If Voltaire skied, would he have said the same thing about ski lifts? Who knows, but I'll bet he would've had a good word for the backcountry-- and he might have enjoyed sitting on a chair lift and tasting a snowflake or two." (copyright 1994, Couloir Publications)

Isn't that great? Not long after, the media-led mindset of many a backcountry skier would become far less open minded. It would change to being fully about the "where" instead of the more inclusive "what." But not for all of us, and for my part, somewhat ironically I suppose, I have Lou to thank for this. Ironic because not only is he one of the greats in the history of North American ski mountaineering, but through his work with Couloir he's also closely associated by many with the mag's "Earn Your Turns" ethos, something that in 1994, publisher Craig Dostie had yet to adopt as his publication's mantra.

In this 9 minute plus chat, Dawson shares his thoughts on a number of issues and current events, listen up y'all, 'cause Lou's da man!

 53mb Windows Media

48mb Mpeg4


Noah Howell, Powderwhore Productions

August, 2007-- Noah called the other day all super psyched: they had just completed editing PW07 and got their first look at the entire video, the third telemark feature film from Utah's Powderwhores. In this video interview shot a couple of weeks earlier, Noah talks about the year they had shooting PW07, and explains why the new one will likely have a very different feel than the two well received PW videos that came before....

Running time: 5:53

 32mb Windows Media

30mb Mpeg4


Andrew McLean

August, 2007-- It's always great to catch up with Andrew whenever our paths cross, but it was especially cool to get a chance to congratulate Andrew in person on the birth a day or two earlier of he and wife Polly's new baby girl, Mira Samuels McLean. We covered a number of other subjects as well in this 7 plus minute chat with outdoor product designer, author, film star, extreme skier, globe trotting adventure skier and now new Dad, Andrew McLean, aka "AT Apostle" on our Telemark Talk Forum.

Running time: 7:21

 40mb Windows Media

38mb Mpeg4

 

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