Melissa on the Streets, Teva Mountain Games Style

Howdy! I hope everyone is recovering after a #sick #ridiculous #amazing #gnarly weekend at the 2011 Teva Mountain Games. I chose those hashtags because you may have seen them all over the #tevamtngames tweets for the past 5 days. My word choice was accurate in describing the Games, but also reflected the language I heard all weekend long - "DUDE, check out that SICK whip" "Man, that double back flip was totally rad" and my favorite, "Did you see that full-on river CARNAGE?"

If there is one thing I learned, aside from the vocabulary above, it's that the Teva Mountain Games are the official kickoff to summer in the mountains. It has everything - beautiful people (a new love for world-class kayakers, yum!), gorgeous scenery, incredible athletes, Chipotle burritos, great sponsor giveaways, rockin' nightlife, and of course, an overflow of happy, drooling dogs. As social media ninja here at the Vail Valley Foundation, I was able to experience the Games on the ground, running in my purple Teva Gnarkosis. You may have seen me with a chest pack on (it did not have a radio in it and yes, I did wear it to feel cool) taking photos, interacting with the crowd, or petting dogs. Having this tangible experience of the events allowed me to take in a deeper appreciation for all the work that was put into it to make it what it was - a STELLAR beginning to summer in Vail.

Here are some of my highlights:

(1) Bud Light Lime Steep Creek Championship presented by Thule: Seeing the Leap of Faith Class V rapid for the first time and then watching kayakers go through it forwards, backwards, upside down and under water. Watch a recap below:



(2)Teva Slopestyle presented by Chipotle: Filming the GoPro Bomb Squad in squirrel suites jump out of planes into the area, and then watching Mike Montgomery's winning jumps on the course. Watch a recap below:



(3) Aloha Happy Hour presented by C4Waterman, Maui Jim, & Korbel California Champagne: SUP demos, girls in bikinis (currently inspiring my summer workouts), Korbel champagne. Check out the flickr gallery from stellar photographer Rick Lohre below:




(4) Eukanuba DockDogs: My first time to see the famous leaping pups. My favorite part was just getting to hug and photograph at least 100+ dogs a day and compare them to their owners. Do you think that people look like their dogs? Help me caption the Dog Heaven album on the Teva Mountain Games Facebook page.



(5) Bud Light Lime 8 Ball Kayak: One word (new favorite word): Carnage. I can't tell you how fun it is to watch people smack into each other in their rafts/kayaks. It looked like a bad traffic jam, but funnier because everyone fell into the river as a result. Check out some flickr photos of the madness below:





And, finally, here's a snippet of my tour of the Teva Mountain Games on my iPhone. Short and sweet. Thanks to all for your uploads to our Facebook page, all of your blog posts, and everything else you're doing in the social world. Keep it coming!
- Melissa


teva mountain games. from Melissa Eggert on Vimeo.

Read More

Dakin Recaps Steep Creek at the Teva Mountain Games

This blog post is from John Dakin, VP Communications at the Vail Valley Foundation and media contact for the 2011 Teva Mountain Games.

So just how improbable is it that two of the world’s best kayakers would end up in a dead heat tie…right down to the hundredth of a second…after two runs down a raging creek?

Such is the case with the Bud Light Lime Steep Creek Championship, presented by Thule that officially kicked off competition for the 10th Anniversary Teva Mountain Games June 2, as Honza Lasko from the Czech Republic and New Zealand’s Michael Dawson both recorded combined two-run times of 3:343.62.

Ironically, I was fortunate enough to be here in the Vail Valley for the last historic tie in international competition…the 1999 World Alpine Championships Super-G race in Beaver Creek.  In that one, Austria’s Hermann Maier and Norway’s LasseKjus shared the gold medal, also tying to the hundredth of a second.  However, Super-G is a one-run event.

After witnessing Lasko and Dawson, a ski racing tie seems much more logical.  The gates are in the same location and the course conditions are fairly consistent for all racers.  Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that snow is firm…it doesn’t move with you down the course.

Aside from the fact that Lasko and Dawson tied after two runs, their course was constantly moving and changing with each passing second.  Rocks were covered and then uncovered.  The water was rising and falling and chances are no section was ever the same for any competitor.

All of this adds up to an incredibly special…and logic defying day at the Teva Mountain Games.  Congratulations to Michael and Honza and thanks for an “amazing” performance.
-John

Read More