The official blog for Vail Valley Foundation free concerts including Bud Light Street Beat, Bud Light Hot Summer Nights, Mountains of Music and ShowDown Town.
Would you like to score free tickets to VPAC shows? Interested in promoting some of the best acts in the Vail Valley in exchange for said free tickets?
Well, if both these options have you dying for more information, click here. The VPAC Street Team might be the perfect opportunity for you.
If you're a veteran of the Teva Mountain Games, you know full well that trying to catch all the action at all the events can be incredibly tiring. And, if you're a newbie to the Mountain Games next week, you're about ready to discover the same thing. Thanks to Trek Light Gear, however, you'll both have spots to rest your weary bones as the Boulder-based company will be supplying their earth-friendly hammocks throughout the Mountain Games' venues to allow participants and spectators to take a load off.
If you find you can't live without one of these lightweight portable hammocks, be sure to visit Trek Light Gear in the Gear Town expo village. Your outdoor adventure doesn't have to end when you go back to work on Monday.
Contests and special promotions abound in Gear Town at the 2009 Teva Mountain Games. Gear Town is the Teva Mountain Games equivalent to a farmers market with one big exception, we've traded the fresh produce and random nick knacks for gear, SWAG, food, beer and the largest collection of outdoor brands to ever take Vail Village by storm. In the coming days we hope to give you the heads-up about many of the brands and promotions happening in Gear Town.
In celebration of the brand’s 125th anniversary they are hitting the road. One of the first stops on the tour will be in Gear Town. The entire traveling exhibition is housed in a really slick tricked out 35-foot custom Airstream towed by a Ford F-450 Super Duty PowerstrokeBiodiesel truck. Check out the photos below and be sure to stop by while you are cruising the Gear Town strip from Meadow Drive to the International Bridge/ Vail Whitewater Park in the heart of Vail Village.
While cruising the Airstream checking out various products, video and history be sure to enter the Tell Your Story Contest for a chance to win a trip to Switzerland.
What is the most creative way you would use a Swiss Army Knife? Think hard, if your answer is creative enough, and, you can tell it in 10 words or less you could win a trip to Switzerland.
1st prize is a free trip for two to Switzerland with a personal tour of the Victorinox Swiss Army factory in Ibach, Switzerland
2nd prize is a one week stay in an Airstream at participating KOA Campground locations.
In addition to the contest above, Victorinox/Swiss Army is also conducting a similar video contest. CLICK HEREfor full details about both contests. The written contest closes on July 31 while the video contest closes October 31.
The 2009 Teva Mountain Games are less than one week away, June 4-7 in Vail, Colorado. Full schedule of events and details can be found here.
Complete information for the Tell Your Story contest from Victorinox/Swiss Army can be found here.
We increased this year’s competitor field by 25 anglers and the event was still the first to sell out.
A huge thanks to Rick Messmer for his diligence in reaching out to the angling community – much of this success can be attributed to his efforts.
Take note other Teva Mountain Games blog readers: register ASAP. Other events will reach capacity very soon. You can register for all events at the Teva Mountain Games, June 4-7 HERE.
This reminded us... to remind you... to go check out the updated schedule as there have been a few minor changes.
The new start time for the Mud Run is 2:30pm from Mountain Plaza located near the Vista Bahn lift at the foot of Vail Mountain.
The new start time for this time-tested-favorite means a few things for competitors and spectators. For one, if it snows, rains, sleets, hails -- or is just plain cold the new time earlier in the day hopefully makes the weather less of an issue. Additionally, unless it takes you four hours to complete this grueling course of mud and gnar you will have plenty of time to wash up and put on your dancing Teva's for Bud Light Mountains of Music featuring Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones...
Not sure what the Teva X-1 Mud Run is all about? Check out the video below. Registration is open.
More build out for the Teva Mountain Games. A boat-load of dirt was delivered to Golden Peak this week to begin construction of the SoBeSlopestylecourse.
The madness started with a couple big piles of dirt and over the course of a single day yesterday began to look like some sweet jumps for maximum huckage.
These jumps are huge and as such, require some pretty heavy duty machinery and expertise to construct.
The SoBeSlopestyle is a crowd favorite at the Teva Mountain Games and is slated for Sunday June 7.
A special thanks goes out to all the crews hard at work making this thing as huck-tastic as possible. For those about to huck, we salute you.
Registration for the SoBeSlopestyle and all events at the Teva Mountain Games is OPEN. CLICK HERE to register.
The build out of the climbing wall at the Teva Mountain Games continues. The weather has improved and crews have begun to unload the wall and construct it at Mountain Plaza, near the Vista Bahn at the foot of Vail Mountain.
Not only does this wall host the IFSC World Cup of Bouldering presented by Pyramide, but, it also hosts all Youth and Citizen Bouldering events at the Teva Mountain Games.
A quick reminder to all climbers planing to compete at the Teva Mountain Games (excluding World Cup athletes) -- if you have not registered yet, do it now.
Climbing will reach capacity.
Register for all events at the TevaMountain Games, June 4-7 HERE.
Owner and cofounder of his namesake Jackson Kayaks, Eric Jackson, a resident of Rock Island, Tenn., is an Olympian and a multiple times kayaking world champion.
GJ: What events will you compete in at the Teva Mountain Games?
I’ll be in the kayaking events, Freestyle, Steep Creek, and 8 Ball competitions. I really enjoy all of them, but the Freestyle is awesome with the crowd being so large and close to the water.
Hip-Hop artist Aceyalone gave us a nice shout out for his performance at the 2009 Teva Mountain Games on Saturday, June 6. He will be performing with his band, "The Lonely Ones," for free at 6pm from Checkpoint Charlie in the heart of Vail Village. Aceyalone and the Lonely Ones will wrap-up Bud Light Mountains of Music at the 2009 Teva Mountain Games which features nightly free concerts from Tamarama with special guest Dj Golden b, Meese with special guests Pete Kilpatrick Band and Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones.
A special thanks goes out to Aceyalone for granting us permission to use songs from his new album on our website and in our Teva Mountain Games training videos.
More training for the Teva Mountain Games. While the weather here the past few days has been bad for things like climbing and biking, the rain and moisture is great for rivers!
We strapped the POV 1.5 on for what we thought would be a quick training run down Gore Creek for the Bud Light Lime Down River Sprint presented by Jackson Kayak. As luck would have it, we experienced a little "wet exit" action, which, would cripple any ones time for this particular event. Oh well... this is why we train.
The Bud Light Lime Down River Sprint is often the crux event for many competitors in the GNC Ultimate Mountain Challenge. The "UMC" is comprised of three biking/ running events, and, the Down River Sprint. Many novice and intermediate boaters find their UMC challenges on Gore Creek.
With careful navigating yes, all of the rapids on Gore Creek are straight forward. However, a momentary lapse in concentration, or missing a line can quickly turn into a swim. Swimming is great for a triathlon... not so great for the GNC Ultimate Mountain Challenge. One swim can kill your time for the Ultimate Mountain Challenge and keep you off the podium.
Check out the footage below for current conditions on Gore Creek. The footage was shot last Friday, May 22nd. We've also posted a little guide to running Gore Creek for the Down River Sprint for novice and intermediate boaters. Take it or leave it!
Music by Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones, "Can't Hold Back." They will be performing for FREE on Saturday, June 6 at the Teva Mountain Games.
DOWN RIVER SPRINT TRAINING:
Our guide to Gore Creek: 1.) Put in and start paddling!
2.) At :30 in the clip above - The entrance to the "triple stack," a set of three consecutive rapids that start immediately as the river makes a hard right below the bridge. Run the first rapid river right -- cut hard right for the second then cut hard left for the third. If you hit all three lines clean it's a non-issue with a little bracing to keep yourself upright.
3.) 1:25 in the clip above - "Betty" is a large wave located below the bridge directly behind the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater and Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. This wave has been known to flip boats if run directly down the gut. We advise running this rapid on either river right or river left. Even more river right or left than in the clip above.
4.) 1:33 in the clip above - Get ready for a swim. The swim in the clip above actually took place immediately following the "triple stack" shown at :30. There is a long wave train here that if run down the gut, in a small boat, can be problematic for a novice or intermediate boater. Have no fear, the boater in the clip above could have run this particular section of river more river left avoiding a cold swim.
Registration for the Bud Light Lime Down River Sprint and GNC Ultimate Mountain Challenge is still open. CLICK HERE to register.
The Teva Mountain Games are slated for June 4-7...
The build-out for the 2009 Teva Mountain Games, June 4-7, is officially underway.
Vail Valley Foundation crews have started to move into event headquarters, located at the foot of Vail Mountain near the Vista Bahn lift, while large-scale projects including the climbing wall and SoBe slopestyle obstacles have started to take shape.
Unfortunately the weather here in the Vail Valley has been quite wet creating difficult working conditions. Bad for working outside... but great for rivers. It's a give and take.
Check out some photos taken earlier today as the climbing wall was delivered. The wall is stored in the Vail Valley near Wolcott, about 20 miles down-valley from Vail. It takes multiple trips via a large semi-truck to get the entire wall delivered. Once on-site, the driver actually controls the delivery via remote control ensuring that each cargo box is deployed and positioned to a precise location.
The photo below shows the new location of ALL climbing events at the Teva Mountain Games. Behind the cargo crates in the picture below you can see the Vista Bahn lift on Vail Mountain, Mountain Plaza in Vail Village and the large lawn area we are formally calling "Mountain Plaza/ Vista Bahn Lawn." The wall will be positioned so that the entire crowd looks up Vail Mountain while taking in the action. We hope this will help to alleviate some of the "sun glare" during the day while creating an amazing viewing area.
We will be publishing a detailed map that clearly outlines all events, by location in the next few days... stay tuned there.
American Idol season seven winner David Cook as been booked to play the Vilar Performing Arts Center on 6.28.09. This landmark occasion will be the first time an American Idol winner takes the VPAC stage.
Ken Hoeve sent us a really cool video he shot this week on May 20th while paddling Homestake Creek at 120 cfs. Homestake Creek drops 480 feet per mile and is the location of the Bud Light Lime Steep Creek Championship at the Teva Mountain Games. Check out his run below, and get ready to kick-off the 2009 Teva Mountain Games on June 4 @ 10am at Homestake Creek for the Bud Light Lime Steep Creek Championship.
Not only is Ken a killer kayaker, as is evident by the amazing footage he sent us below, but, he is also the long-standing host of the Teva Mountain Games TV show alongside the Travel Chanel's Kirsten Gum.
Thanks for the footage Ken.
HOMESTAKE CREEK 5.20.09 - Footage courtesy Ken Hoeve:
After a long winter of waiting... the day has finally arrived! Tickets for the Vail International Dance Festival's Dance for $20.09 performance go on sale Monday, May 25 at 11am MST.
What's the big deal, you ask? Well, it's a showcase evening featuring some of the best - and most diverse - dancers in the world. You've got tap dance... swing... tango... classical ballet... live music... contemporary dance... and much, much more! Check out the full lineup of talent here.
And the clincher is this: tickets are only $20.09 for any reserved seat in the house, and $9 for the lawn! To see a lineup of this caliber in any big city would cost you three times as much - and the seats at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater are only yards from the stage. Or, for less than the cost of a movie ticket, you can spread out a picnic on the lawn and enjoy the show with your friends, a picnic and a bottle of wine.
Monday will be your first opportunity to jump on tickets and ensure you have the best seat in the house. Don't wait to buy - tickets for the other Festival shows have been flying off the shelves all winter, and organizers expect a flurry of activity on Monday when they release these affordable tickets!
Two more bands have been confirmed for Bud Light Mountains of Music at the 2009 Teva Mountain Games.Messe with special musical guests Pete Kilpatrick Band will be performing FOR FREE, starting at 6pm on Friday June 5 at the Teva Mountain Games.
Meese, a vibrant Denver-based band, incorporates their electronic personality with the rock genere to create a dynamic sound. Their debut album Broadcast covers a wide spectrum of stylistic interests; from guitar-driven rock to avant-garde electronic, from melodic piano pop to four-on-the-floor dance. Meese has played with Paramore and they toured with The Fray and Jack’s Mannequin in 2007.
The Pete Kilpatrick Band is easily one of the best kept secrets on the indie music scene. They have shared the stage with the Dave Matthews Band, Guster, Blues Traveler, Dispatch and O.A.R. and their sound is a mixture of melodic and contagious rock that catches your soul.
Check out more MeeseHERE. Check out more Pete KilpatrickHERE.
Meese and the Pete Kilpatrick Band will share the Mountains of Music Stage with Tamarama, Dj Golden b and Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones at the Teva Mountain Games June 4-7.
All shows at the Teva Mountain Games take place at 6pm at Checkpoint Charlie in Vail Village. Every single one of them is totally free.
CLICK HERE for a complete Mountains of Music schedule.
In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, and in conjunction with National Trails Day and the Teva Mountain Games, Bear Naked is spearheading a Trails Day on June 5 to clean up the Spraddle Creek Trail in Vail.
Interested parties should plan to meet at the Spraddle Creek trail head on June 5 at 7:30am. Park in the Vail parking structure and walk from there, or, try your luck at the trail head where there will be limited parking. To get to the Spraddle Creek trail head exit I-70 at exit 176 (Vail Village exit) and head north. It will be an immediate right... DO NOT take the N. Frontage Road towards W. Vail. CLICK HERE to view a Google Map.
Hosted by the Lodge at Vail, Outdoor Reels at the 2009 Teva Mountain Games will feature a collection of outdoor films with focus around outdoor activism, environmentalism and/ or lifestyle. If the weather gets bad or you just need a break from the action take shelter in the International Ballroom at the Lodge at Vail for one, or all of the screenings.
Participating films include Teva's Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk, Fly Fishing Film Tour, Costa Del Mar's Blue Highway and the TellurideMountainfilm Tour, back for its second year.
We received a note from the TellurideMountainfilm Tour people a few weeks ago letting us know about their new TellurideMountainfilm: Zero Emissions Tour... which, will make its debut stop at the Teva Mountain Games. The team is setting off from Telluride on the tour -- a 2,300 unsupported bike tour through Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. We will welcome them to Vail for the 2009 Teva Mountain Games for the first screening of the TellurideMountainfilm: Zero Emissions Tour on Saturday, June 6 at 4pm. Look for more blog posts about their adventures in the coming days...
For a complete Outdoor Reels schedule, please CLICK HERE.
Only 14 days left until the 2009 Teva Mountain Games, June 4-7.
Check out some of the trailers below... more to be posted soon.
The Travel Channel's Kirsten Gum is slated to be the second TV personality alongside Ken Hoeve for the 2009 Teva Mountain Games. Her show Treasure Hunter: Kirsten Gum takes her to some pretty remote parts of the world and requires her to get dusty, dirty and work up a sweat... what a perfect fit for the Teva Mountain Games!
Details for the biggest after-party at the 2009 Teva Mountain Games, June 4-7, have started to fall into place. All you blog readers dying to get lunar plans solidified take note of this one and pack your high-school prom outfits. Yes, we will be crowing a king and queen here people.
Samana Louge is slated to host this year's Mountain Ball called Tuxes and Tevas: Under the Sea Prom on Friday, June 5 at 10pm. Unfortunately for you minors, this one is 21 and up. However, fortunately for those of you of legal drinking age... $5 at the door scores you drink specials all night from Bud, Bud Light, Bud Light Lime and Fetzer Organic Wines.
Bust out your best high school prom outfit, and have a chance to be anointed King and Queen of the Prom. One lucky (best-dressed) couple will win a Dream Date in Vail during the Teva Mountain Games 2010: a limo ride to a classy dinner, entry and drinks at Samana Lounge and a one-night stay at one of Vail’s finest hotels, along with VIP passes to the Games.
Join KZYR’s Teva Games Text Force for updates, deals, swag and more throughout the Teva Mountain Games, June 4-7!
The Teva Mountain Games, Teva and KZYR “The Zephyr” are teaming up for the Teva Games Text Force, your inside line to schedule updates, food and drink specials, give-aways in Gear Town and more! One lucky Text Force member will win a pair of limited edition Teva B-1’s and will be the first in Vail to have one. Join the Teva Games Text Force by texting “games” to 75309. (or clicking here)
Teva Games Text Force members will receive daily specials!
FROM GEAR JUNKIE: At age 49, Mike Kloser, a former world champion mountain biker, still ranks among the best endurance-sports athletes in the country. A case in point: Kloser and his teammate, Jay Henry, recently won the Elk Mountains Grand Traverse Race, a backcountry winter sprint from Crested Butte to Aspen. It took the team 9 hours and 17 minutes to secure Kloser’s fifth overall victory on the course. Other accomplishments include leading Team Nike to win the Eco Challenge and Primal Quest races multiple times; Winter Triathlon National championships; and securing first place in the World Long Distance Orienteering race. Kloser lives in Vail, Colo., with his wife and two children.
GJ: The Teva Games is next month in your home town. What are you racing?
I will be doing the Ultimate Mountain Challenge, which includes the down river paddle, an mtb race, a trail run, and a road bike time trial.
We ran into local climber Chad Thomson at a Vail Valley bouldering spot last week for a little Teva Mountain Games citizen's bouldering training. Chad will be competing and was kind enough to let us stick the VIO POV 1.5 on him while he sent the Valley classic "Return of the Jedi (V8)."
Show us your human powered B1–G Air moments and you could win a trip to the 2010 Teva Mountain Games and a course at the Serac Adventure Film School. All you have to do is submit a video of yourself or that you shot of one of your friends catching some air. Skiing, kayaking, free–riding, snowboarding, rock climbing…whatever. Just show us your B1–G AIR. A panel of judges will select one winner by June 30, 2009 so get your videos up ASAP!
To enter the contest and for more information CLICK HERE.
Consisting of three First Descents camp veterans and Brad Ludden, the team will be competing in the GNC Ultimate Mountain Challenge as part of their quest to raise $20,000. The three athletes, all cancer survivors, have bravely fought their respective diseases into remission and credit their experiences with First Descents as one of the major contributing factors. They will be competing in events across the country this year to reach their monetary goal. The team also hopes to spread the word about the organization so more survivors can have the opportunity to experience the healing power of the camps. Ludden will also compete professionally in the Bud Light Lime Steep Creek Championship on June 4th.
In addition to competing in the Ultimate Mountain Challenge, First Descents will also be hosting a fundraising party at the Samana Lounge on Saturday, June 6 from 8-10pm. Although there is no cost of entry to attend the event, its stated goal is to raise $1000, enough money to send one camper to one of the planned 2009 First Descents summer programs. During the event, free beer will be provided while First Descents founder and whitewater kayaking legend Brad Ludden previews a short clip from his upcoming documentary about the organization and whitewater kayaking.
The August 2 Diana Krall concert at the VPAC is officially sold out! Fans eager to catch the Grammy-winning jazz crooner and pianist were lightening fast in snapping up tickets for her intimate VPAC engagement.
Tickets for the remainder of the VPAC's summer lineup go on sale Friday, June 1 at 11am MST. Check out the schedule at a glance, and we look forward to seeing you at the VPAC this summer!
Check out a really cool interview with Olympian Adam Craig below from Gear Junkie. Craig will be competing at the 2009 Teva Mountain Games in the Sobe X-Country presented by Sprint.
FROM GEAR JUNKIE: A resident of Bend, Ore., Adam Craig, age 27, has collected 12 national championship titles in various disciplines of bike racing, including the 2007 and 2008 Elite U.S. National Cross Country crowns. He was a team rider for the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. At the Teva Mountain Games, Craig will be racing in the SoBe X-Country Mountain Bike competition, on Saturday, June 6.
GJ: What events are you most looking forward to at the Teva Games?
Adam Craig: I’m currently registered for the SoBeXCMTB race. I’m fired up to race on some proper Vail singletrack for that event. I might end up in a kayak competition as well, if Lizzy English and I end up driving out there with our boats so she can race the Downriver Extreme on Homestake Creek and 8-Ball.
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