DR Trip May 2005

2005-05-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

Sunrise on the last day...

2005-05-21T15:02:00.002-07:00

All smiles the last night in the DR!

2005-05-21T15:02:00.001-07:00

Eddie taking in the view

2005-05-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Kate enjoying some relaxation

2005-05-21T15:00:00.002-07:00

Dominican schoolbus

2005-05-21T15:00:00.001-07:00

Downtown Cabarete

2005-05-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

View of the coastal hills

2005-05-21T14:59:00.001-07:00

Bozo Beach view

2005-05-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

Kite Beach beautiful day

2005-05-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Kiting flatwater at La Boca

2005-05-21T14:57:00.001-07:00

Kate stylin on the scooter

2005-05-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

La Boca sunset

2005-05-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

Evening at La Boca

2005-05-21T14:53:00.001-07:00

Checking the view...

2005-05-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

Riggin up at La Boca

2005-05-21T14:52:00.001-07:00

Sosua Bay panoramic

2005-05-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Eddy the bartender

2005-05-21T14:51:00.001-07:00

Kate and Cameron posing...

2005-05-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Eddie with a backside grind

2005-05-21T14:50:00.001-07:00

Lola the Extreme Hotels watchdog

2005-05-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Sunset on Kite Beach

Another day in paradise...

2005-05-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

Life is easy in the DR. When you wake up, it's the same blue skies, gentle breezes with the sun glistening off the azure sea. It beckons you to wake up and enjoy the day. Yesterday evening we rented a 100cc motor scooter and drove east to La Boca, a rivermouth that feeds into the ocean. It is an excellent flat water kiteboarding spot, and I wanted to see it with my own eyes. It was beautiful with the setting sun, and we enjoyed the drive immensely. We met our friend Frank at Extreme Hotels for dinner and enjoyed a quiet Tuesday evening at the hotel. I took a few more runs on the skate ramp without hurting myself.

This morning we headed to Encuentro but the waves were small, so we decided to head west to Sosua. We took a walk on the beach, visited some shops, and bought a few gifts for friends and family. It is a beautiful spot, except for all of the people trying to sell you snorkel tours, beach chairs, and gifts. You learn how to deal with them though, and there are some great deals if you are willing to bargain. Now back at the hotel, the wind is cranking, and I'm getting the itch to head out to the reef for some more kiting in the waves! I'll publish some more photos later. You can see us on the webcams here:
Extreme Hotels Webcam

2005-05-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Testing out the new Strike!

2005-05-03T06:59:00.001-07:00

3's company!

2005-05-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

Toes on the nose...

2005-05-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

Carvin' it up...

2005-05-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Side steppin'

2005-05-03T06:55:00.001-07:00

Playa Encuentro

2005-05-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

A hard day at the office...

2005-05-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Hour!

2005-05-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

The spectacle...

2005-05-03T06:46:00.001-07:00

Kite Beach

2005-05-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

Extreme Hotels

2005-05-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

La Playa Magnifico

2005-05-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

We have a chair waiting for you...

2005-05-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

The beach jacuzzi...

2005-05-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

Hotel Magnifico!

2005-05-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

La Playa

2005-05-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

Motoconcha Cabarete style

2005-05-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

Dmitri, the Russian kiteboarding champion

Back in action!

2005-05-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, since it's been a few days, the wind is here. The past few days have been a little bit of a blur, so I'll just recap the highlights. The wind came up on Sunday and was a little stronger yesterday. Kater and I went surfing Sunday morning, and the waves were small but fun. I did a downwinder to Encuentro on Sunday early afternoon by myself, and rode in the waves there for an hour or so with noone else around. Then I took a motoconcha back to the hotel for $2 and kited at the hotel until almost dark. Yesterday we surfed at Encuentro again in the morning, and then I worked on the computer for a few hours mid-day. Around 2:30 p.m. I couldn't take it any more and had to go kite. Kate went next door for a massage while I was kiting. Our friend Frank showed up early evening and we went out for a nice meal at La Casa del Pescador. We were all exhausted so we called it a night early to get some rest for the coming day! This morning the wind is blowing early, so it looks to be another epic day in paradise...

2005-04-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

Oh no, could it be?

2005-04-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

Relaxing after dinner...

2005-04-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

Kate enjoying dinner

2005-04-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

Watch out!

2005-04-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

Blurring the line...

2005-04-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

Caribe Skate Action!

Ahhhh....

2005-04-30T06:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, finally some relaxation. Nothing like being in the Caribbean and island time to make you slow down and enjoy your day. Life here moves at a different pace than life in the U.S. If you want something to eat fast, you needed to order it an hour ago. As long as you don't hurt anyone you can feel free to do whatever you want, and noone will judge you. Everyone we've met at the hotel has been great. Just really kind people from all over the world, speaking different languages from Russian to German, French to Spanish and English. Hanging out with so many different cultures really opens your eyes and gives you an opportunity to step outside of the cultural box that we all put ourselves in.

There was no wind for the past 2 days with the passage of a cold front, so I actually put on some pads and tested my rusty skills on 6 Feet Under, the hotel's skateboard ramp. It was great fun, although I got out of breath after a few runs! I forgot how much of a workout skating can be. Yesterday I worked most of the day, and then we enjoyed dinner with a DJ at the hotel. After a few drinks we headed downtown around 11:30 to check out the scene. Kate really enjoyed the good music and chill vibe at LAX. Then we went to ONNOs for some dancing, and I found out that Kate does actually like to dance. She just has to have some good music! We called it an early night around 2 a.m., while the party was still going strong. The motoconcha ride back to the hotel was refreshing. I'll post some more pictures soon...

2005-04-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Cabarete Bay

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Six Feet Under

2005-04-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

Rough life...

2005-04-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

Kite Beach

2005-04-29T12:37:00.001-07:00

Extreme Hotels Beach Bar

2005-04-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

Kate relaxing

2005-04-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

Ambiori's perpetual smile

2005-04-29T12:35:00.001-07:00

Mark enjoying the ramp!

2005-04-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Eddie 6 Feet Under

2005-04-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

Kate enjoying LAX

Cabarete, Dominican Republic

2005-04-28T04:40:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, and welcome back to the FAT Tours blog. After a month of kiteboarding and surfing in Florida, I'm back in the DR ready for another blast of the tropics. In case you missed it, check out Surfline Video for a recap.

We flew in yesterday afternoon from Miami on American Airlines, only a 1 1/2 hour flight. Immigration went smooth as usual, and customs was a breeze. The new Extreme Hotels van was waiting for us when we got out, and 20 minutes later we were checking into our room. The wind was blowing, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat, and I pumped up my Slingshot 17 for a quick sunset session. I slightly underestimated the wind, so I ended up being lit! I rode for about an hour with 2 other girl kiters, and enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the water. The view from the water is so incredible with the lush rolling hills just up from the beach.

After kiting, Kate and I cleaned up and headed to the hotel bar to socialize with the rest of the guests. The hotel had setup a DJ mixing house music, and although there were only maybe 20 people, we ended up having a great time. We made some new friends, danced the night away, and called it a night before we got in any trouble!

This morning the wind is already blowing light out of the east, and the sun is shining, so it looks like we will have another day of wind. The swell is forecast to slowly increase as high pressure rebuilds after the next cold front which pushed off the east coast of Florida yesterday. I'll have some pictures of the action later today. In the meantime, check out the webcams, forum, and weather info at Extreme Cabarete.

2005-03-21T17:50:00.000-08:00

Brighton & Mt. Millicent

2005-03-21T17:49:00.000-08:00

Salt Lake City

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Milly Bowl

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Max loving it!

2005-03-21T17:46:00.001-08:00

Time for a shovel!

2005-03-21T17:46:00.000-08:00

Max on the Swallowtail

We found it!

2005-03-20T13:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I came to Utah to film for a TV pilot for The Mission:Snow. Our mission was to track storms using all available technology, and be in the right spot at the right time to catch the best possible conditions. Instead, I just went to Utah, and the storm found us! All of the technology is just telling me that we are in the right spot, and the time is now. Here's the latest NWS forecast discussion for the Northern Wasatch Mountains:
Northern Utah Mountain Weather Forecast

Sunday, March 20, 2005 1300
Discussion:
Heavy snow in the Wasatch: ATT, Cottonwoods 15-18 inches, Park City mts 13 inches, Ogden 10-14 inches, Provo 16 inches. High precipitation rates between 6 and 9am likely major contributor to snow instability. Northwesterly winds light until around noon, picking up to 30-40G55 along the high peaks. Cold air at 500mb will keep showers going through the afternoon and night where areas could pick up another 3-6 inches. Second storm moves in tomorrow early for additional light snowfall. Break on Monday night into Tuesday, with next storm lining up for Tuesday night. Temps tonight and tomorrow set for the upper teens with moderate northwest winds.

New Snowboard!

2005-03-19T17:41:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot the best part! After filming yesterday, we went to Molly Greens, the local watering hole at Brighton Ski Resort for a few cold ones. Uinta Brewing Company was doing a drawing for a new snowboard. We decided to put our names in, and Max was adamant that I was going to win. For some reason, I believed him. They gave out a bunch of T-shirts and beer glasses first, and then came the drawing for the board. 2 names were called, but the people had already left, so their entries were left out. Then they called my name! I almost couldn't believe it, but I had already accepted the possibility when Max called it. Below is a picture of my new board. Cutthroat Ale - Everything else is just carp.

2005-03-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

Everything else is just carp!

2005-03-19T17:21:00.000-08:00

Brighton Ski Resort

2005-03-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

Ben Wheeler in the fluff

2005-03-19T14:31:00.001-08:00

Wolverine Cirque

2005-03-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

Stupid Chute

2005-03-19T14:29:00.000-08:00

Patsy Marley and Superior

2005-03-19T14:27:00.000-08:00

Ben and Sara hiking Millicent

2005-03-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

Steepness anyone?

2005-03-19T14:24:00.000-08:00

The Crew!

2005-03-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

Ben warming up

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Ben and Sara heading back up!

2005-03-19T14:20:00.001-08:00

My line down Granny

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Granny Chute

2005-03-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

Figure 8 Hill

2005-03-19T14:18:00.000-08:00

Will dropping in

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Ben checking his line

2005-03-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

Oh Happy Day!

The Mission: Snow - Day 3

2005-03-19T07:03:00.000-08:00

The thing I love about Utah is that the mountains create their own weather. The weather forecast for Thursday called for 4-8 inches of new snow, and we ended up with a foot of new overnight. The backcountry was in prime condition, with easily a foot and a half windblown into some areas. We headed out to Wolverine, one of our favorite backcountry areas in the Wasatch near Brighton. 2 professional skiers, Ben Wheeler and Sara Clemenson, joined us, as well as videographer Gabe Morin and a photographer named Will. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves on this, but let's just say that the sun came out right on schedule and we got a great deal of filming!

2005-03-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Parks line down Patsy

2005-03-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

Max checking out the goods...

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Ben up to his thighs!

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Looking across Figure 8

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Big Cottonwood Canyon

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Sara floating by

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Jamie Parks sick line

2005-03-19T06:52:00.000-08:00

Wolverine Cirque

The Mission:Snow - Day 2 - Brighton Ski Resort

2005-03-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

Today we awoke to gusty winds and cloudy skies with storm clouds streaming through the front range of the Wasatch. I checked the forecast and confirmed that they were calling for 3-6 inches during the afternoon. About 9 a.m. a knock at the door startled me, and it was UPS delivering the new Sony TRV-900 video camera. Hopefully the helmetcam will be there later today. We headed up the canyon around 10 a.m. and got some establishing shots and scenery of the storm building in the canyons. Once we reached Solitude we started seeing snowflakes, and the road started getting covered with snow. While we were getting some setup shots of the resort, the snow continue to fall more steadily. Brighton has wireless high-speed internet for their guests in the lodge, so we went in to take care of some updates for an hour or so. When we came back out there was 2 inches of snow on the car, and it continued to dump even harder. Oh yeah! This is why I love Utah. The Wasatch mountains are a virtual snow machine, and when the fronts move through, the canyons funnel the precipitation to squeeze out more moisture than the surrounding areas. We did a few runs and some more filming of the blowing snow with 50 mph gusts at the top of Millicent lift. Tomorrow the backcountry should be fantastic, and with partly cloudy skies we are planning a day of filming with the crew. There is another storm forecast for Saturday and Sunday, so it should be good for the next few days.

2005-03-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

Entering the Wasatch

2005-03-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

Fairview - Gateway to Skyline Drive

2005-03-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

Max dreaming of the Twins

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Timpanogos cloud cap

2005-03-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

Salt Lake Twin Peaks - 11000+

The Mission: Snow - Day 1 - Skyline Drive

2005-03-17T08:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first day of my trip to Utah, and with no new snow overnight, we opted to head down to Skyline Drive in search of some daytime softer snow and good wind. It was a long drive, but we finally arrived at Skyline around 1 p.m. The wind was blowing perfectly up the hill from the valley about 15-25 mph. And it was COLD! Skyline Drive goes up to 9800 feet above sea level, and the surrounding peaks are over 10000 feet. I quickly put on my cold weather gear and layed out the lines on the new Flexifoil Sabre 7.0 meter foil kite. I was a little unsure of how steady the wind would be with the new kite, but I launched it and found that the kite flew easily and was really stable. So I grabbed my board and took off up the hill. Unfortunately the snow conditions were very crusty and icy in patches, so as the wind increased I grew more and more uncomfortable. I was riding just upwind from a big bowl with 100s of snowmobile tracks, so I didn't want to get pulled up and over into the bowl. After 15 minutes of riding the kite folded in half as I was going towards it trying to control my speed, and I decided it was time to call it a day. It was a successful first mission, and once the snow conditions improve, I think I will be much more comfortable. A storm is forecast today with 6 inches of new snow possible, so we're planning our first photo shoot for tomorrow morning early. More to come...