Utah Vagabond
Utah travel, things to see and good eats
About
Hi, I'm Melissa Fields. Welcome to Utah Vagabond, my little corner of the World Wide Web where I get to indulge my love for Utah adventure.
Fifteen years ago I moved here for "just one winter." Now, a husband, two kids and a mortgage later, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
I've been a freelance writer for more than 10 years and contribute regularly to several local and regional publications including Salt Lake Magazine, Utah Style & Design, Park City Magazine, Ski Utah Magazine and others.
I dig doing more than writing, however, which is why I decided to start this blog. Yes, Utah is known for great skiing and the deserts are amazing. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Here I'll let you in on off-the-beaten-path Utah adventure, both outdoors and in.
Want more Utah adventure 411?
Ode to My Favorite Summer Concert Venue
Red Butte Garden kicked off its summer concert season earlier this week with an amazing show by the alternative rock juggernaut Vampire Weekend. The crowd was on its feet before the band started playing and remained there until the end of the boy band’s (They all look like boy bands to me now.) signature show-ending song "Walcott.” I think an apt gauge of how a performer is connecting with an audience is how many people are in the bathroom during the show. I unfortunately didn’t plan ahead and had to make a quick trip to the head after about song three. The place was deserted. Enough said.
VW’s show was a resounding homerun, but even if they’d been just meh, I’d still have had a blast because of A, the company (Thanks, Sheller!) and B, the venue. Summer concerts at Red Butte Garden are—far and away—one of the biggest perks of living in Utah. Owned and maintained by the University of Utah, Red Butte is the largest botanical garden in the Intermountain West. Most of its 100 acres are dedicated to display and natural gardens, walking paths and natural areas with hiking trails save for a gently sloping, grassy hillside on the garden’s north end used to host concerts.
Without fail, every performer I’ve seen at Red Butte comments about how stunning the venue is during their performance. How could they not? The venue itself is surrounding by lush perennial gardens and mature Gambel oak trees, and views from the stage span east up Red Butte Canyon and north along the Wasatch Front. Because of the venue’s foothill location, canyon breezes keep temps comfortable even on summer's hottest days. A sell out show—as was the case for Vampire Weekend—is only about 3,000 people, translating into the place never feeling crowded and post-show traffic jams non-existent.
Red Butte concerts in the early days definitely featured B-level artists. But what I am guessing is due to how stunningly beautiful the venue is, major acts representing a variety of genres now pack the annual schedule. Steely Dan, Dwight Yokum, Tony Bennett, Jackson Brown, She & Him, David Byrne, Michael Franti & Spearhead and The Black Crows are just a few of the acts scheduled to play there later this summer.
And unlike other concert venues where entry entails metal detectors, pat downs and outside food and beverage confiscation, the scene at a Red Butte concert is like having a picnic in the park on a Sunday afternoon. Low slung chairs and coolers are both allowed and encouraged. We usually eat potluck style when we’re there with a group, passing around good eats and bottles of wine.
Communal probably best describes the Red Butte Garden concert experience. The place illustrates perfectly Salt Lake City’s literal and figurative mountain-meets-metro personality. Click here for Red Butte Garden’s amazing 2013 summer concert lineup. My ticket cache includes Brandi Carlile, Michael Franti and Neko Case. Hope to see you there.
Where I Take a Moment for Shameless Self Promotion
Earlier this year I was asked to participate in a new magazine spearheaded by the Downtown Alliance promoting downtown Salt Lake City entitled, you guessed it, Downtown Magazine. My assignment was to write profiles about five people who’ve made their lives, either professionally or by virtue of where they live, in Salt Lake City’s urban core. The predetermined “hit” list included Amy Lukas with Infinite Scale Design Group, DJ and urban hipster Jesse Walker, Squatters owners Peter Cole and Jeff Polychronis, CUAC board member and gay rights advocate Diane Stewart and Liddy Huntsman, social media darling and daughter of former presidential candidate and Utah native son Jon Huntsman, Jr.
I'll admit I approached the job thinking I already had a pretty clear idea what I was going to write about each person. Well, this one took my by surprise. Smart, thoughtful, funny, creative and completely authentic are all adjectives that easily describe each person I profiled. Before meeting with Diane Stewart, for example, I assumed she was just another woman of privilege looking for something to do with those hours between getting her hair done and dinner parties. I found out however that she’s as real as they come: she says what she thinks and, yes, is loaded to the gills but uses her money and influence to help those who’d never get a return phone call much less a meeting. And if you’re looking for signs of intelligent life within the Republican Party, look no further than Liddy Huntsman, who uses social media to call a spade a spade on both sides of the aisle. Finally, I’m still aglow from my conversation with Peter Cole and Jeff Polychronis. Those two have a chemistry even the closest married couples would envy, and most endearingly, aren’t afraid to show it.
In addition to the piece I wrote, titled “My Downtown,” the magazine covers pretty much everything that makes Salt Lake City so cool—food, fashion, events, attractions and the arts—as well as debunking a few myths. Versus a stale guidebook format, Downtown Magazine is presented as a slick, appealing tome that, at the risk of sounding too self-promotional, you’ll actually want to read.
Downtown Magazine is available at the Downtown Alliance offices (175 E. 400 South), at various downtown businesses, and at the Salt Palace Visitors Center (90 S. West Temple). Watch for it also in a coming issue of the Salt Lake Tribune or Deseret News.Pedal Pusher
One of my favorite medium-length Salt Lake City area bicycle road rides is Emigration Canyon. Not only is the climb a nice, gradual ascent and the top almost exactly 20 miles from my front door, but Emigration represents one of the main reasons why I love living here: within just minutes of pointing my bike up the canyon the landscape changes from urban neighborhoods to a mountain wilderness filled with Gambel oaks, wildflowers and aspens.
Emigration is just one of five paved canyons feeding into Salt Lake City proper from the Wasatch Mountains, each of which is neatly aligned with downtown’s tidy grid layout. In other words, if you follow the street I mention with each canyon due east from the city, you’ll eventually find yourself in that canyon. Starting from the north is City Creek (North Temple Street), then Emigration (800 South), next is Millcreek (3800 South) and then Big Cottonwood (7000 South/Fort Union Blvd) and finally Little Cottonwood (9400 South). (Parleys Canyon is located in between Emigration and Millcreek and is indeed paved, but the road is Interstate 80 and obviously not an ideal venue for road biking.) A handful of dedicated road bikers I know – or maybe actually just one, Brad Toland – have pedaled all five of these canyons in a single day. I will likely never be that insane
I shared the road with hundreds of cyclists when I biked Emigration on Saturday. In addition to its consistent five percent grade, this canyon is very popular with cyclists for a couple of reasons. Two restaurants Ruth’s Diner (Located about a mile from the mouth and featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.) and the Sun and Moon Café (About four miles from the mouth.) serve good food on sunny patios providing fun destination points for a more leisurely ride. (I’m a big fan of Ruth’s biscuits and huevos rancheros.) Or, for a more strenuous training ride, once you reach the canyon summit (Little Mountain) continue east to Big Mountain, a killer seven-mile, 2,000-feet elevation gain ride.
If you go: be sure to take two water bottles and a packable jacket. This ride is always hot at the start but after sweating it out during the climb, it’s easy to get chilled on the descent. Also, in the spring and late summer microburst thunderstorms are a common occurrence here. Public restrooms are located in a park just south of the canyon mouth and at the Little Mountain summit. While I don’t advise it, I have on a couple desperate occasions snuck into Ruth’s or and fire station located about halfway up and politely used the facilities.
One final note: Please don’t litter. It may seem a very obvious, condescending request but while riding on Saturday I noticed a new sign along road asking riders to respect the canyon. It was made out of what appeared to be discarded gel packages. A creative reminder that if you pack it in, you need to pack it out.
Happy Trails
I wouldn't say spring has sprung in Utah, but like most other areas of the country, winter's grip is finally loosening a bit, at least below about 7,000 feet. As such my husband and I decided to spend a few hours on Sunday checking out a local bike path neither of us had ridden in awhile, the Legacy Parkway Trail.
The Legacy Parkway Trail is a 14-mile road cyclist's triple threat: flat, smooth and no cars.
This 14-mile cycling, hiking and horseback riding trail runs north from Salt Lake to Farmington. The trail was completed in conjunction with the four-lane Legacy Parkway freeway in 2008 and was built in part to appease environmental groups who opposed the freeway's location, a rich wetlands feeding ground for tens of thousands of migrating birds, used as a resting point on their journeys from Canada to points in Central and South America. (In fact, we came across a hiker who pointed out of pair of Sandhill cranes about 50 yards off the trail.)
We really got cooking at points along this pancake flat path (A welcome reprieve from the climbs we typically ride around our foothill home.), slowed only by barricades at road intersections. Because of the trail's wetland locale, bugs can be a problem particularly if you're a mouth breather. We encountered only a few on Sunday, likely due to this Spring's slow coming.
I wasn't aware of this until surfing the web today but the newly-completed Denver & Rio Grande Western Rail Trail extends from the Legacy Parkway Trail at the Farmington Bay Bird Refuge north for 23.5 miles through Layton, Clearfield, and Clinton to Hinckley Drive (3600 S) north of Roy. And at the Legacy's southern end you can pick up the Jordan River Parkway Trail, running 46.7 miles south to Utah County.
Plenty of commercial areas are interspersed among the suburbs and wetlands surrounding the trail, providing easy access to coffee or bite to eat along the way. None of the Legacy's seven access trail heads offer restroom facilities or water, however.
For details and Legacy Parkway Trail maps, visit udot.gov.
My Favorite Zion Wine
A Utah winery seems about as plausible as eating a ham sandwich in a synagogue. (Well may be not that unlikely—or offensive for that matter—but you get the picture.) But not only is wine being fermented right here in Utah as I type, those made at Kiler Grove actually taste good. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Last month the Utah-based winery swept Arizona’s Southwest Wine Challenge. The winery’s 2009 Petite Sirah won a gold medal, the 2011 Saignée snagged a silver, and the 2009 Trebbiano (my personal favorite) took bronze.
In the spirit of full disclosure, Kiler Grove’s wines are vinted, fermented and bottled here in Utah, but the grapes come from a slightly more hospitable growing locale – you guessed it – California. Since 2000 Micheal and Elva Knight and David Olson, have grown grapes for Kiler Grove wines on ten fertile acres near Paso Robles. The fruit is then shipped to their South Salt Lake winery where they make “Rhône-style wines spanning Old World and New World Styles.” Kiler Grove makes only six wines (The 2010 Interpretation, 2007 and 2009 Zynergy and 2009 and 2010 Zinfandel in addition to the aforementioned award winners.) a choice head winemaker Micheal Knight attributes to quality. “We don’t make many wines because we don’t know of any other grape varietals that would succeed in our vineyard at the same level of quality than those we’ve planted. Our strategy is to grow the best fruit, handle it in the least intrusive manner, and then blend the wines with the goal of making the whole greater than the sum of the parts,” Knight says.
Kiler Grove's little piece of heaven in Paso Robles, California.
That said, earlier this year Kiler Grove announced they’ll be mixing things up a bit with some just-for-fun offerings, along with some wines they’ll just make once, under the label Whimsey. Firm plans include a 2011 Riesling (A good choice for a summer picnic or outdoor concert, perhaps?) and the 2010 Red Thriller. Whimsey wines are scheduled to be released sometime in the next couple of months.
I tasted Kiler Grove’s Trebbiano for the first time a few years ago at Log Haven. It was springtime and, as is typical with me, I ordered fish. When our server recommended the Trebbiano I consented, albeit against my better judgment. What I got was this very clean and drinkable glass of wine walkiing the line between a fruity pinot grigio and buttery chardonnay. A perfect accompaniment for the fish dish I’d ordered and as someone who prefers to drink white wine year-round, ideal with just about anything but the heaviest red meat dishes. Now, whenever I’m heading downtown I make a point of stopping at Kiler Grove’s tasting room and winery to stock up. The location is a little strange, a side street off of State very close to the Interstate 80 off ramp, but I guarantee finding the place is worth the trip.
The Kiler Grove Winery & Tasting room is located at 53 W. Truman Avenue. Hours are Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. Kiler Grove Wines are not sold in Utah State Liquor Stores.
A Living Tribute
Though Marty officially belongs to Snowbird, her primary handler (Her main trainer and whom she lives with.) is Dean Cardinale, a Snowbird ski patrol veteran and owner of World Wide Trekking. Marty comes from Alpine K9 German Shepherds, a police and search and rescue dog breeder located outside of Phoenix, Arizona. “I wanted a female because they are about 10 pounds lighter than a male when full grown,” Dean says. (Ski patrollers need to be able to pick up search and rescue dogs to put them on chairlifts or in helicopters, making size matter.) Marty came from a litter of eight puppies, three female and five male. Dean chose her because Marty is curious, interested, playful and “had the right look in her eye.” As a service dog Marty was able to travel to Utah in the coach area of the plane sitting on Dean’s lap.
Dean and Marty on Snowbird's Hidden Peak, March 31, 2013.
Though Marty seems like an unlikely name to christen a barely 12-pound-puppy with, the moniker holds weighty significance at Snowbird. Marty Hoey was a Snowbird ski patroller and glass-ceiling-busting female climber who died attempting to summit Mount Everest in 1982. She would have been the first American woman to reach the world’s highest point when her climbing harness failed and she plunged over the edge of the Great Couloir.
Hoey was friends and a climbing partner of Snowbird Owner Dick Bass. Prior to her death, she accompanied Bass on his successful ascent of Mount McKinley. Bass was also a member of her climbing group on the day she died. When he eventually summited Everest in 1985, Bass dedicated his ascent to her.
I'd come across photos of Marty Hoey at Snowbird previously, but never knew her story until I asked Dean where the new puppy's name came from. Marty the puppy will likely spend the next decade as a search and rescue dog at Snowbird, during which time hundreds if not thousands of guests are sure to ask how she got her name: a truly lovely way to remember a woman who left such an indelible mark in the world.
Moab Minus Sand Between Your Toes
The Red Cliffs Lodge offers a civilized yet casual alternative to camping in Moab.
“If my brother were here I’d do it,” says the 20-year-old-looking mother from Pleasant Grove, her husband and three kids standing nearby. My husband Dave and I exchange looks. In other words, we say to each other wordlessly, if this guy I’m married to wasn’t such a wuss, I’d climb all the way to the top.
We’re standing at the base of the Moonflower Ladder, a series of logs jammed into a cliff-side chimney by early Native Americans at the base of Moab’s Moonflower Canyon. Dave and I are here to steel ourselves for a day of hiking. By the time we both shimmy up and back down the very narrow, claustrophobia-inducing ladder, the aforementioned family and a few others are standing around waiting their turn. The canyon, located just south of Moab along Kane Creek Road, is thought to have been sacred to early Sabuagana Utes. It’s now a relatively quiet, eight-site campground maintained by the BLM and with the ladder and petroglyphs as one of Moab’s lesser known attractions.We are on our first childless vacation in more than four years, and our first trip to Moab in nearly ten. When we were dating and early on in our marriage, our springtime travels to southern Utah were fairly austere, involving pitching a tent in the sand somewhere and going into town only when the beer ran out. We’d hit all of Moab’s hot spots: mountain biking the Slickrock Trail and Poison Spider Mesa; hiking the Fiery Furnace, to Delicate Arch, and in Negro Bill Canyon. Now, with uninterrupted sleep and solitude rather than partying and showing off our athletic prowess as our main objectives, we’re staying at the dude ranch-like Red Cliffs Lodge, located 14 miles up the Colorado River along Highway 128, and visiting some of Moab’s more obscure attractions and trails.
After getting our groove on at the Moonflower Ladder, we head further up Kane Creek Road to the Hunter’s Canyon Trailhead, a trail (for those familiar with the Moab area) similar to Negro Bill Canyon sans the crowds. A cottonwood-lined creek lines the shady, two-mile, out-and-back hike. Several beaver dam pools are ideal for the few happily drenched dogs we encounter along the way. And then, about half a mile up the trail on the right is a pleasant surprise: a large, very photogenic arch. And best of all, mountain bikes are not allowed on the Hunter’s Canyon Trail making it easy for us to let our guard down and enjoy the day without having to worry about the possibility of collision around every corner.
After the hike we head into town to the Healing Arts Center, a massage therapist collective located behind the Moab Information Center. While Moab’s bodywork options range from mobile therapists who’ll even come to a campsite to the high-end, Western-chic Sorrel River Ranch Resort & Spa, on the recommendation of a friend we’ve chosen what we find out to be a less opulent but very pleasant local’s-preferred option Dave takes a spin on his road bike while Lisa Albert, LMT works out my kinks. Moab’s monthly Art Walk is going on that evening, so after our massages and a shower, we make the quick tour of the town’s half-dozen or so galleries while sipping complimentary wine and taking a voyeuristic glimpse into Moab’s local social scene. We end the idyllic day with dinner and a movie.
The next morning, after a leisurely and enormous brunch at Red Cliffs, we decide to hit Thompson Springs on our way north to our awaiting responsibilities. Thompson Springs was originally established as a railroad stop around the turn of the 20th century. Coal mining fueled the town’s growth through the early 1900s, but when the mine closed around 1950, almost everyone in town left looking for the next paycheck. Besides being a bit of a creepy ghost town, Thompson Springs also boasts some of the best preserved early native-American petroglyphs in the state, dating as far back as 7,000 B.C.
We hang out at the petroglyphs for awhile, munching on crackers and hard salami, trying to wrap our heads around how the landscape probably hasn’t changed all that much in the 9,000 or so years since a young Fremont or Anasazi left their mark here. Walking back to the car we lament about how quickly our Moab weekend has passed and how good it feels to reacquaint ourselves with how we got together in the first place. And all without a hang over and red sand stuck between our toes.
Hitting the Reboot Button in Las Vegas
The soothing aroma of eucalyptus greeted us as soon as we stepped through the doors at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay. The 43-story tower houses 1,120 suites all of which are 750 square feet or bigger. Muted lighting and overflowing snow-white calla lily arrangements create serene drama in the main floor common areas. THEhotel’s spa-like vibe continued into the suite the four of us shared for two days. The main bedroom had a full bathroom with a large glass shower and whirlpool tub. A full sized sofa, coffee tables, a pair of armchairs, desk, huge TV and powder room were in the separate sitting room.
The bedroom of our suite at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay had two queen beds but is also available with a single king-sized bed.
The swanky sitting room included a second bathroom--critical with four women sharing a single suite.
Our first night’s activity was a Celine Dion concert at Caesars Palace. I'd seen her perform in Salt Lake a couple of years ago when a friend gave my husband tickets. And though I was excited to see her again, I assumed her performance at Caesars would be similar to what she’d delivered in Utah. I was wrong. Along with many of her own hits, Celine (Yes, we’re on a first name basis now.) covered classics by the Beatles and Carol King, and performed a cool video duet with Stevie Wonder. The theater itself was top notch, too: the floor were sloped just enough to provide good views from every seat and we were able to buy a glass of wine before going in--so civilized! I realized seeing Celine Dion sing in Vegas is the pinnacle of cliche, but if you're looking for a memorable evening away from the blackjack table, her concert is sure bet.
The Celine Dion venue at Caesars Palace. The hazy light was not pumped in for effect as we originally thought but specifically-controlled humidity ordered by Dion.
The next morning, after sweating out a few of the cocktails from the night before in the Cardio Center, we headed straight for the Mandalay Bay Beach, an 11-acre playground with three heated pools, a wave pool and a lazy river. The wave pool is mind boggling in of itself: 1.6 million gallons of water and kicking up waves with heights ranging from two to four feet. The “shore” is made from 2,700 tons of real sand and is lined with free-of-charge plastic lawn chairs; upholstered loungers and umbrellas you can rent for $25 per day each; and 100 cabanas, villas and gazebos. The Beach also features the infamous Moorea European-style pool with its own private bar that allows female guests to bathe topless.
We counted 17 lifeguards patrolling the wave pool at the Beach at Manadalay Bay.
We’d scoped out the Beach the afternoon before, and with the whole day in front of us, decided to rent a cabana. With it came a shaded area with television, frig stocked with waters and sodas, a private hot tub and access to a shared pool. Our “cabana boys” were two strapping, young bucks from Mexico City, both named Ernesto. (Yeah, right.) We spent the day hanging out at the cabana, floating the lazy river and throwing back icy-cold beers. I haven’t felt that relaxed or laughed as hard in a long time. Ahhh.
We opted for a cabana rental on our second day in Vegas which included dedicated servers, free water and soda, a private hot tub and access to this semi-private swimming pool.
After peeling ourselves off our lounge chairs and taking much-needed showers, we headed up to THEhotel’s top floor to the ultra-hip Mix restaurant. A room-size halo of jelly fish-like Murano glass mobiles greeted us as we entered the white and silver space. We had no reservations and pestered the hostess until she gave us a table on the restaurant's stunning outdoor patio. The incredible views included the glittering strip, desert and the sun setting over the Spring Mountains. The French-inspired dishes at Mix turned out to be pretty amazing too. I had the scallops: tender and perfectly cooked. And we shared a side order of Mix’s signature macaroni and cheese made with fresh cream and ham.
We ended the getaway in style with dinner on the outdoor patio at Mix, located 43 stories above the strip at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay.
The entire time was a much-needed battery recharger. Thanks ladies. I’ll be there same time, same place next year.
Gettin' Jiggy with It at Canyons
Last Sunday while skiing in the wake of a 26-inch storm with my 10-year-old son Charlie, he turned to me and said: "I don't like it when the snow is all cut up like this," he said wrinkling his nose. "I like it better when it's all smooth and no one's skied it before me." A true Little Cottonwood Canyon snob if there ever was one. That said, when he and his sister aren't ripping the freshies, they like to hit the jumps. And their favorite venue to do so is on the other side of the Wasatch Mountains in the Canyons Resort Transitions Terrain Park
Photo credit: Scott Markewitz, Canyons Resort
“Not everyone who rides in a park is a pro,” says Steve Duke, Canyons’ Terrain Park manager. Fueled by this philosophy—that a terrain park should be accessible to most riders, not just the park rats—Duke and his staff debuted the massive Transitions Terrain Park in the 2010-11 winter season, encompassing 63 features on just over a mile of Canyons’ Snowdancer run. What this means is rather than a park with filled with huge intimidating features ridden by a few and watched by many, on any given day of the winter season, Transitions is teeming with skiers and snowboarders of almost all ability levels.
A few of Transitions’ more unique features include the Gong Bonk, a metal bong strung at the top of a banked jump allowing riders to “… air, ching, and then land,” Duke says; the Creeper Wall, a wall with side ledges; a repurposed Volkswagen Rabbit; a lift tower from Canyons old Golden Eagle lift; and the Skullcandy tube, a three-foot-diameter metal tube furnished with speakers giving riders a multi-sensory experience as they jib along the inside. “Duke rides the park everyday, keeping it fresh and making sure everything is fun to hit,” says Jonathan Cheever, pro-snowboarder and Canyons Freeride Team member.
Photo credit: Scott Markewitz, Canyons Resort
Another unique characteristic of Transitions is its modular design. Most features are designed to fit together and movable with a Snowcat, meaning one day where there was a box, rail, tabletop combination, on another day the terrain park staff may have set up a rail, box, and kinked rail combo in the same spot. “As a whole we’re trying to be super creative and freshen the park frequently,” Dukes says. “For everyone who rides the park, but our local riders especially, being dynamic like that is key.”
For a look at how the pros ride man-made features, check out the final day of the Snowboarding Grand Prix off Canyons' Doc's Run, on Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission in the finish area is free; or spectate along the course with a lift ticket. The event concludes with a free concert with the Patwa Reggae Band in the Canyons base area from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Five Questions for Skullcandy CEO Rick Alden
Q. You’re a native Coloradoan. What made you choose Utah as both a personal and professional home base?
A. My family and I were living in New York City and I had recently sold my snowboard binding company, Device. My wife Holly and I wanted to relocate to somewhere more family friendly in the West. We had checked out towns in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado but everywhere we looked was two, three or even four hours from an airport and, from a business perspective, logistically difficult. Then while we were on vacation in Jackson Hole a friend suggested Park City. I got in a car, drove down here, and it was love at first sight. By day four of my visit, Holly and the kids (Four of them, age 12 to 20.) joined me and we purchased a piece of property to build a house. Then and now, I can’t imagine living any place else.
Q. Why did you choose to develop headphones for the action sports market?
A. It’s the only market I know. I’ve snow- and skateboarded my entire life, and before Skullcandy I worked heavily in both of those industries putting on events and developing products. Once I came up with the idea of combining a cell phone and Mp3 player in a pair of headphones, it was very natural for me to develop a brand marketing to a crowd of people I know. Also, it didn’t hurt that headphone technology had not been updated in about 20 years and the heaviest users of headphones are 14- to 24-year-old action sports oriented people.
Q. How did you come up with the name Skullcandy?
A. It was 2002 and our scheduled January 2003 launch was fast approaching and I simply could not come up with a name. And more importantly I could not come up with a name with an available URL. So, I sent an email to about 40 of my most creative friends asking them for ideas. And because we didn’t have any money at the time, I promised that whoever came up with a name we liked with an available URL, I’d send them free product for life. My very first response was from my buddy Dana Bullen, mountain manager at Sunday River, Maine. His two-line email read: Skullcandy and yes, it’s available. Now, every year at Christmas I send Dana a fat box of headphones for him and all his friends.
Q. What do you do when you’re not working?
A. Second to hanging out with my wife and kids, I still do a lot of skateboarding and for the last 15 years have spent many hours in the river flyfishing. Living in Park City, I also mountain bike and hike right out my back door. In winter, I snowboard. I think of winter as 16 sacred weeks of snow and I try not to waste a minute of it.
Q. In addition to the audio industry, you hold a number of patents in the snowboarding and flyfishing industries. What can we expect from you next?
A. I am co-founder of Stance socks with, though totally different, is based on the Skullcandy brand formula. It’s a product everyone uses, but that is completely ignored by the marketplace. If you wear socks, you should try out Stance socks.
