Base Camp: Rules of Being a Dirtbag Darling

I finally got around to putting the rules up on the blog. Learn them, live them, play dirty.

Get Inspired to...Enjoy the Simple Things in Life with new Climbing Film "35"

If you’ve ever fallen asleep in a van with a coiled climbing rope for a pillow, be prepared to get hit right in the “feels” while watching the newest short film from Duct Tape Then Beer and outdoor brand Arc’teryx, “35.” It’s a five-minute exploration of growing older and a glorification of the simple joys of the climbing life, and its beautiful commentary will hit home with almost everyone. Stick with it until the end and I promise you you’ll have a tear in your eye and a whole new appreciation for climbing.

Get Inspired To...Slow Down

All photos by Johnie Gall.

During the week my life is a blur—the type of blur where I have to schedule time for yoga between conference calls and editing. On the weekends things slows down; I get to revel in two full days of doing the things that make my soul sing. Slowing down may not be the right word for it—but taking a bike down a mountain and paddling across a lake are types of meditation for me. Sand between my toes, grit under my fingernails, poking around some trees...you know what? It's better than the spa. 

Girl Gone Wild: Surfer Mary Osborne's Journey with 5 Gyres

Patagonia surfer Mary Osborne aboard the Sea Dragon.

It’s a sickening image: A decomposing albatross, its stomach pried opened to showcase a collage of plastic lighters and colorful bottle caps. But the famous photograph, taken by Chris Jordan as part of his Midway series, is quickly becoming just a highlight in a saddening collection of portraits of marine animals stuffed full of plastic waste. The scary part? They weren’t out feasting on some mythical “Island of Trash” floating through the ocean, much like we’ve been led to believe by our morning news hosts. If they had, the problem would be manageable—the reality of the plastic pollution situation is much worse. 

“All I knew was there was this big ‘pile of trash where currents cumulate and it’s the size of Texas,’” says Mary Osborne, a Patagonia Surf Ambassador who, in 2010, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with the 5 Gyres team to witness the pollution firsthand. “I didn’t understand why we couldn’t just fly there, document the gyre, help clean it up, and fly back.” With a team of 13, Osborne voyaged from Brazil to South Africa aboard the ship the Sea Dragon to the South Atlantic Gyre, a massive, slow rotating whirlpool where plastic waste accumulates. We caught up with the 31-year-old Ventura, California, native to learn about what exactly she discovered on her month-long expedition:

Read our interview after the jump!

Guy Lines: Webbed Hands' Burg Thurston

Guy Lines: The men we love, sharing their love for us. Also: A rope that keeps a tent from blowing away.

The Guy: Philip "Burg" Thurston is a fish born without gills, always swimming toward some massive wave with fins on his feet and a camera in his hand. Sure, he gets beat up sometimes, but it's worth it when you see the incredible photographs and videos he creates (often with his brother, pro bodyboarder, Glen Thurston, by his side). Case in point: The Morning Shift.

The Girl: "Often girls can be so different from guys when it comes to adventure," Burg tells me, "but in my opinion it's the similarities that are exciting to see. I recently went on a trip out into the bushland of outback NSW; there were six girls and six guys staying in a remote cabin. The girls mostly stayed at the cabin while the guys scaled the mountains and went exploring. One particular girl, Natasha, came with us one time to a giant rope swing that was semi-intimidating even for the guys, but she was the first to step up and have a go and was actually the first one of us to push the limits and go fully vertical on it! That was so inspiring to see, the enthusiastic, 'let's go' kind of attitude that pushes even the guys and inspires the other girls to do new things. Personally, I think that's an incredible attribute for a girl to have." 

Burg, we couldn't agree more, and when we make it down to Australia we'll have to show you what we're made of! Check out more of Burg's work at webbedhands.com.

Girl Gone Wild: Gillian Gibree Shares SUPYoga Tips

Yoga isn’t easy to begin with (not many people can readily twist themselves into figurative pretzels), and it’s gotten progressively tougher thanks to variations like sweat-inducing Bikram and inverted trapeze yoga. But no form of yoga fires up those little (and rarely used) muscles quite like standup paddleboarding yoga, the art of stretching out while perched on a SUP board in the middle of the water.

SUP yoga is relatively new, too, with the first weekly classes sprouting up in San Diego about three years ago. The woman behind the craze? Paddle Into Fitness’ Gillian Gibree, the lanky blonde beauty you may recognize as one of the models from the new Roxy Outdoor Fitness campaign. The Massachusetts native grew up lifeguarding, ocean swimming, and surfing on Cape Cod, but it wasn’t until she moved to San Diego that she decided to combine two of her favorite fitness pursuits—yoga and standup paddleboarding—and launch the first set of weekly SUP yoga classes through her company, “Paddle Into Fitness.” Here, we catch up with Gillian to get the scoop on the benefits of yoga on the water and her tips for getting started.

What are some of the benefits of practicing yoga on a SUP board versus in a studio?

It’s a fun way to get outdoors when the weather is nice. The unstable surface of the board makes it a little more difficult—even planks and other simple poses become harder and they fire off muscles you may not be working on stable ground or in a studio. It’s a nice change from the mirrors and the studio—our goal is to have fun and enjoy the elements, to get out on the water and try something different.

Gibree wearing Roxy Outdoor Fitness apparel. Photo by Shadow Van Houton.

What are some beginner yoga moves we can try on our boards?

Anything from a seated position—eagle arms to open the shoulders, even meditating from a seated position to get into the routine. From there coming to all fours, doing some cat-cows to warm up the spine before extending the opposite leg and hand, which will get the core firing. Work on some balance moves and you’ll start noticing the board making something like the table top position more difficult. Get into plank pose for a few breaths, then move to downward dog.

More after the jump!

Get Inspired To...Camp in a Van

Photos via Tumblr, collage by yours truly. 

My boyfriend recently bought a Sprinter and...it's huge. And awesome. And hugely awesome. Not only can we fit all of our gear into it and then some (that's kayaks, mountain bikes, surfboards and more), but we can sleep in it, which means less time setting up a tent and more time hiking or whatever it is we're doing. If you ever get the chance to camp out in the van, do it. In fact, add it to your bucket list. 

Girl Gone Wild: Katie Boué's Cross-Country Van Trip

Photo by Katie Boué. The "Craggin Wagon."

In May of 2011, climber Katie Boué and her "big hairy boyfriend," Niko Monteiro, embarked on a five-week cross-country trip in Boué's parents' Pilot—a dream many of us have. After stint doing the whole "normal person" thing back in Miami, the duo decided they wanted to expand on their trip—for an entire year, to be precise.

So they're back on the road again, living in a van with just enough Internet service to stay connected and a stockpile of baby wipes to stay clean. They're calling it Simply Adventure, a year-long jaunt across the country in their van—dubbed the "Craggin' Wagon"—to practice climbing, educate people about the importance of caring for our crags and National Parks, and prove that real adventure is not only possible—it can be practical and inexpensive if you do it right. Two months into their trip, I caught up with Boué, a 24-year-old freelance copywriter, to see how her plans have changed so far and get her tips on making a simple cross-country trip a reality.

Aw so cute! Nike and Katie enjoyed the scenery.

You'd originally set out to visit every state in the country except two. Now that you're on the road, has the plan changed?
During the planning of the trip, Niko and I originally wanted to visit all 48 states on the mainland, but quickly decided to nix Oklahoma and Kansas because we've driven through them so many times. After finding out about some supposedly sweet climbing in the Wichita Mountains, we might be changing our minds again. Nearly two months into the trip and we've visited 10 states, from Florida to California to Utah.

Get Inspired: Write Down Your Reverse Bucket List

For some reason I thought I'd never see the Grand Canyon. I thought wrong!

It starts when we're kids and haunts us well into adulthood: "What do you want to be when you grow up? "Where do you want to go to college?" "Have you set a wedding date yet?" The endless onslaught of questions about the future has left most of us overvaluing what's next. It's why we tend to rush through our days with this sense of urgency, our weeks blurring into an endless scramble for some unattainable "tomorrow." And it can be exhausting.

So when Rebecca of The Uncaged Life introduced the idea of The Reverse Bucket List, it was like I finally had an excuse to chill out and look away from that light at the end of the tunnel. The idea's pretty simple: Instead of listing your goals for the future, you list the accomplishments you've already had. It's a great exercise in being appreciative in the success and adventures you've experienced instead of stressing yourself out over ones you may or may not ever see come into fruition. After all, we explore and travel to make memories—why not look back and enjoy them once in a while? Here's a taste of what's on mine:

-Did my first lead climb.
-Learned how to surf.
-Moved across the country by myself.
-Tried deep-sea fishing (and baited my own hooks).
-Started a blog.
-Became a magazine editor just a few years out of college.
-Rode dirt bikes with Jolene from Nitro Circus.
-Went to the Billabong Big Wave awards.
-Flew in a two-man plane.
-Hiked in Yosemite and Zion.

My list goes on from there, but just that chunk made me both grateful for the past year and even more stoked for this one. Try it!

What It's Like: To Be A Surfing Magazine Swim Issue Model

Amanda Booth in a Beach Riot bikini shooting Surfing Magazine's Swimsuit Issue 2013. Photo via the Swim Issue Facebook page.

Most of us are shy about letting someone take our photo in a bikini, let alone plaster it on the pages of a glossy like Surfing Magazine. Not Amanda Booth, the gorgeous-as-all-getout blonde who graces Surfing's 2013 Swim Issue for the second year in a row. We caught up with her to find out what it's actually like to be a swim issue model— turns out she's a pizza-eating, real-deal surfer with honest advice for living out of a van, and we love her to death:

You've appeared in Surfing's annual swim issue before. Were you excited to get the call again?
I was very excited! I don't often have the chance to partake in modeling jobs that involve things I actually like in my "real" life. Not to mention it was a location shoot—I never get to go on those, so I was most looking forward to traveling with such a rad crew.

Behind-the-scenes. Photo by Amanda Booth.

Tell me about preparing to be in a swim issue. Do you train or eat differently?
I don't do what you would imagine a model to do before shooting swimwear. I guess I eat one less slice of pizza...but I still eat the pizza! The only thing I worry about is poop babies (is that okay to say?). You're up at the butt crack of dawn—pun intended. Four in the morning was our usual call time to be sure to shoot during the best hours of light during the day. Traveling around the world is enough to give you a belly ache, let alone being up that early in a house of 15 strangers. So I just be sure to eat a lot of good fiber a few days before.

Girl Gone Wild: SUP Yoga Instructor Emma Rossoff

Have you ever met someone who you thought was going to be awesome, then she turned out to be even better? That's kind of what I have going on with Emma Rossoff. I got in contact with her when I wrote this piece about Outdoor Vino and immediately wanted to know more. It started with her covetable position as Tasting Room Manager at Naked Winery near Hood River, Oregon, where she gets hands on with sales, staff and, yes, tastes wine. Then it was her summer job running an outdoor yoga program, followed by her winter job running the Sno-Blasters Kids Snow Sports program at Mt. Hood Meadows. To top off it all off, the girl is stunning. Amazing home base, dream jobs, killer body and personality to boot? I think it's safe to say she fits in here.

Oregon is such a wonderful place to live for an outdoorswoman. What activities do you take part in?
I love to ski and snowboard on Mount Hood, and standup paddle board and kite board on the Columbia River. Down winders on the SUP [standup paddle] are some of the best adventures.

You were one of the pioneers of SUPYoga—what are the benefits of practicing on the water?
It challenges your core stabilization muscles and your senses more than on dry land. You're surrounded by beauty, which can sometimes distract or overwhelm you, so you have to be more focused. The consequences of falling in the water are way more fun (and refreshing) than falling on a studio floor, so one might be encouraged to get into an inversion, for example. It's a total confidence booster.

What's one piece of gear you're loving right now?
I'm loving my Marcy ear-flapped beanie by Pistil and my Omni Mitts by DaKine—both essential for winter in Hood River. The Naish 12'6" Glide is the best all-around SUP for me. It's wide and stable enough for SUPYoga, fast in the flat water and easy to carry.

Tell me about picking up kiteboarding.
I had a nightmarish adventure learning how to kite off Jetty Island near Seattle a few years before moving to Hood River. I launched myself into the air and crash-landed into the sand. My friend had to spend an hour saving the kite I was using. When I moved to Hood River, I invested in five or more hours of private lessons...essential! Even though the gear is much safer, everyone should learn from a certified instructor. Kiting on the water together with my husband is one of the coolest things we share, although one of us is usually on the beach with toddler duty.

Working at a winery seems like a great job—how does your career help you lead an outdoorsy lifestyle?
At Naked Winery, "we aim to tease!", so it's always fun. Several of us also work for Mount Hood Meadows during the winter, including one of our owners. He understands the importance of keeping it real and we even have a brand of wine that represents that with Outdoor Vino.

What are the top three items on your bucket list right now?
1. Standup paddle the Colombia River to the Pacific Ocean.
2. Hike the Pacific Crest Trail south to north with my family.
3. Hold Pinca Mayurasana on a SUP.

Check back next month because Emma is showing us three easy yoga moves to try on our SUP boards right here! 

Girl Gone Wild: India's First Female Surfer Ishita Malaviya

This post originally appeared on GrindTV.com.

When Ishita Malaviya, 24, first paddled away from shore on a surfboard, she had no idea she was the first female Indian surfer in history. In fact, she's still one of the only women in her country to venture near the water—India sees over 75,000 drowning deaths every year, a heavy deterrent even for those willing to try the sport. Now, she's hoping her role in "Beyond the Surface"—a new documentary directed by Dave and Crystal Thornburg-Homcy and starring fellow surfers and environmentalists Liz Clark, Lauren Hill, Emi Koch and Kate Baldwin—will encourage more Indians to get into the water and bring a new wave of ecotourism and hope to her country.

When did you first realize you could possibly be the first female surfer in India?
I started surfing in 2007 with the Surfing Swamis and they were the ones who initially told me I was the first Indian girl to start surfing on home shores, but I just couldn't believe it at the time. It felt too unreal. Two years later on a surf trip I would find out it was true. We had decided to travel along the entire South Indian coastline to meet other Indian surfers. I asked them if they knew of any other girls who had started surfing and they said," No Ishita. You really are the first one!"

Photo by Charlie Yacoub

Remember slackliner Dominique Harrison? She sent me this picture the other day. How cool is she? I'm definitely not dedicated to slacking enough to freeze my butt off like she did:

"I haven't been slacking as much as I would like recently as I injured my ankle pretty badly on the line," she tells me. "But I couldn't resist having a quick slack when the snow came."

Ok, Darlings, spill: Do you know an adventurous girl who deserves to be featured in Girl Gone Wild? Tell me so I can reach out to her and share the spotlight!

Guy Lines: Jon Hippensteel

Jon and Heather, just being ripped. Photo courtesy of Heather Hippensteel. 

Guys Lines: The dudes we love, sharing their love for us. Also: a rope that keeps a tent from blowing away.

The Guy: If there were a real "man of steel," it'd be Jon (come on, it's even in his name). He's an Ironman triathlete and adventure traveler and recent corporate world escape artist who's now pursuing a career in modeling.

The Girl: "The outdoorsy girl in my life is my sister, Heather. She's a former gymnast turned collegiate springboard diver who is now a full-fledged Crossfit athlete, training at the renowned Invictus gym in San Diego. When not training or doing yoga, she funds her passions by working as an auditor at Price Waterhouse Coopers."

Get to know the Hippensteels by visiting their About.me profiles here and here. 

Girl Gone Wild: Lindsay Perry

Photo courtesy of Lindsay Perry.

They say God doesn't give with both hands, but after chatting with Billabong surfer and artist Lindsay Perry, I'd have to disagree. She's a bonafied stunner with classic sun-kissed beauty (tousled waves, freckled skin), a knack for art and graphic design and, now, a budding career in music. Sure, she's a triple threat, but she's also too sweet to eat. See what I mean? Two. Hands. I caught up with Lindsay to hear what's new in her life (and snag some awesome packing tips!).

What makes you a Dirtbag Darling?
I like that term, ha ha. I think partially it's being able to just go with the flow. Not being high maintenance—being able to camp all night and surf all day, but still be stylish and feminine. I love all outdoor activities, really. Surfing, fishing, book reading at the beach, bike riding, and even outdoor leisure sports like corn hole, bocce ball, ladder ball.

How does the ocean influence your art and music?
The ocean influences my whole life. It's something that keeps me calm and peaceful. When I go too long without getting a little salt in my hair, I get grumpy.

Art by Lindsay Perry.

Tell me about your album!
Thanks for asking! I'm so excited about it. It's my first album, titled L.O.V.E. and it releases this month. It's a lot of blues, but nothing too emotional. I'm working with a really great group of people in Florida, Studio 18. They've put in so much work with me for it, I can't thank those guys enough.

What's your ideal Saturday?
An early surf, hang at the beach for a while, come back, make a good lunch, cruise for a bit then maybe an evening session. Come home, get dolled up and go out for dinner and a night on the town with my girlfriends.

You've traveled so much—have you become a good packer? Any tips?
You have to be, especially if you travel with boys. After my European road trip with Billabong, I learned to only bring the essentials. For me, I try to not pack an article of clothing unless I know for a fact I'll wear it. If I'm not wearing it at home, chances are I won't wear it traveling. I usually carry:

Guy Lines: Brandon Scherzberg

Photo by Corporate Dirtbagger

Guy Lines: The dudes we love, sharing their love for us. Also: A rope that keeps a tent from blowing away.

The Guy: Brandon, a.k.a. Marlin, is the founder of Corporate Dirtbagger, finance analyst by day. I love that he's showing 9-to-5 desk-dwellers how to break off the shackles of the work week for rad weekend adventures!

The Girl: "'Why not?' is Frannie Root's response when approached with a new adventure. I first met Frannie through a college group and could instantly feel her energy and passion about the outdoors. By trade, she's a special education teacher, but she's also been in the business of getting kids outside to explore nature in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Oregon and California. I'd trust her in any situation we may face in the mountains. Everything from rock climbing to white water boating to mountain biking and dumpster diving, she does it all. She's a true inspiration to myself and countless others."

Check out Brandon's blog at corporatedirtbagger.com!

Guy Lines: Aaron Carerra

Photo courtesy of A. Carerra.

Guy Lines: The dudes we love, sharing their love for us. Also: A rope that keeps a tent from blowing away.

The Guy: Aaron Carerra has my dream job as social media editor at Surfer Magazine, where he rubs shoulders (and Instagrams) athletes like Kelly Slater.

The Girl: "When I was four, I really wanted a little brother. Instead I got a little sister. By default, Megan became my bro-sister. Growing up, whatever sport or outdoor activity I did, she did. And she was good. Really good. She beat people in my age group. I used to think she wanted to do whatever her big brother was doing, but now I think she just loved being outdoors and never accepted 'you can't' as an answer. She's 5'3" but will tell you she's 5'5"...and acts like she's 6'10." A titanium bracelet holds together the collarbone she broke in three pieces snowboarding, but she still walks up to an increasing swell or a challenging mountain with the same grin. She's what I hope my daughters will be someday. Love you, Meggers!"

See Aaron's work at surfermag.com or on Instagram @surfer_magazine.

Guy Lines: Christopher Clark of Shaper Studios

Christopher Clark shaping a board. Photo courtesy of Clark.

Guy Lines: The dudes we love, sharing their love for us. Also: A rope that keeps a tent from blowing away.

The Guy: Christopher Clark, aka Clarky, is the founder of Shaper Studios surfboard workshop in Southern California, were he gets to spend time with some of surfing's top female talent on a regular basis (and just be an all-around stand-up guy).

The Girl: Clarky may spend his time surrounded by many water women, but the adventurous lady with his admiration? Liz Clark, a Patagonia surf ambassador and dedicated sailer who travels solo aboard her 40-foot boat named Swell. "The thought of navigating the planet's oceans all alone would bring discomfort to even the most adventurous swashbuckler. Liz Clark (no relation) has been a bold inspiration in my navigation of the great outdoors."

Learn more about Liz at swellvoyage.com!

Get Inspired: Jeff Luker Photography

Photos by Jeff Luker

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, photographer Jeff Luker is certainly on his way toward writing the next great American novel. A brief interview at an old job was my introduction to his ethereal take on our own backyard—if his work isn't the kick in the pants you need to get up and explore this great, big, beautiful slab of rock we call home, I'm not sure what is.

"I love the outdoors and have much to say, but I thought I'd share one of my favorite quotes by environmentalist Edward Abbey:

'It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: You will outlive the bastards."' —Jeff Luker

Thanks for sharing your work with Dirtbag Darling, Jeff! We love you!

Girl Gone Wild: Lorna Jane Clarkson

Lorna and her pup Roger

I'll admit it: I'm a bit of a workout apparel hoarder. I have more sports bras than I do pairs of pants, and I'll take a pair of sneakers over red-soled pumps any day. But when I find a brand I love, I'm loyal forever, mostly because it's so gosh darn hard to find a brand that lives up to the hype and the ever-important criteria of looking cute, fitting well, and performing perfectly. 

So when a pair of lovely PR ladies introduced me to Australia's leading activewear and sportswear label, Lorna Jane, I was impressed. Since then I've acquired a few pieces from LJ and they've taken me from my local jogging paths all the way to Yosemite and back again. I run in Lorna Jane, I climb in Lorna Jane and I'd sleep in if I could (wait, no I wouldn't, sweatpants are too awesome). I was humbled when the founder herself, Lorna Jane Clarkson, read a review of her apparel on my blog and spread the word—she's definitely a down-to-earth business woman who hasn't let success go to her head. So of COURSE I had to get to know the fitness-guru (and, to my surprise, outdoor enthusiast). Read on to meet Lorna and get majorly inspired to do something healthy for yourself today:

What makes you a Dirtbag Darling?

One of the things I crave as soon as I wake up is to get outdoors, breathe in some fresh air, soak up a little sunlight and get my body moving. I absolutely love an early morning hike, run along the beach or simply walking my dog. It has become a daily ritual that allows me to clear my head, be in the moment and prepare for the work day ahead. On weekends, I might follow my run with a swim in the ocean or some yoga moves on the beach. It's amazing how much positive energy you can generate by simply being outdoors.

The Lavish Zip Through jacket. Photo courtesy of Lorna Jane.