Norway Pictures

Apologies for the delay. Here are the pictures (click link to go to flickr) from the weekend sojourn to Norway. Here are a few of them (more after the jump): 

Weekend Update: Norway!

I hope everyone had a great Super Bowl weekend stateside. Mine was a little different than years past as I was running around Norway with some friends of mine from London.

Dan and I flew into Oslo Friday night. Chris and Ana had beaten us there by a few hours. Nothing exciting Friday night as Saturday was going to be a long day. On Saturday morning, we hopped on the metro rail to Voksenkollen. This is what is amazing about Oslo. We were on a commuter train for 20 minutes and were walking distance to a ski resort. Many of the locals we talked to said they go there multiple times each week. Pretty cool lifestyle. A map is worth a thousand words:


View Larger Map

I'll post some pictures later, but the views were amazing. I had only cross-country skied once before, but this was on an entirely different level. When I had tried XC in Utah, it was on a snow covered golf course; not alot of elevation to gain. Skiing here involved going up some fairly extended pitches for 1km at times and then kind of steep downhill segments. On those little classic XC skis, hilarity ensued. Chris and I had each been on these types of skis once before, whereas Ana and Dan were entirely new to the concept. Dan had actually never been on skis before at all. Pretty impressive really.

Our best guess is that we covered about 12-15km the first day with almost none of those being flat. There were moments where we felt entirely alone in the woods and then moments where we were reminded that we were 20 minutes from a major city. Lots of people out skiing with their kids, dogs, spouses, etc. Just a great environment: beautiful scenery and really friendly, fit people everywhere.

We also stopped by to check out the somewhat famous ski jump in Holmenkollen. I had never really gotten a sense for how massive/steep these structures are when you watch on TV, but it is somewhat awe-inspiring. Very slim chance I would go anywhere near that thing on skis.

On Saturday night, we went to the waterfront area of the harbor in downtown Oslo and had some of the local fare. I had 'Roast Beef of Whale' and 'Fersk Torsk' with a local pilsner. The whale was fantastic. The cod? Not so much. We also tried a local variety of chowder that was good. The whale was like a really tender beef and was not as fatty as you might imagine. I'd highly recommend it.

Sunday was more of the same: wandering around a wilderness area with a vague notion of what we were doing. By the end of the day, we were all fairly proficient at cross-country skiing as well as pretending we knew which way we were going.

We negotiated our way into a lukewarm soap-less, towel-less shower at a hostel and then headed to the airport to catch our 9pm flights, but not before grabbing some nachos and pizza to celebrate Super Bowl Sunday on the way. Flight landed a little after 10pm in London and I was asleep well before midnight. Stew stayed up and watched the game (which was apparently great), but an 11pm kickoff is a bit much for me.

In summary, it was a fairly cheap, impromptu trip to a beautiful city. I spent almost every hour of daylight outside and my soul is much better off for the effort. I'll post some pictures later in the week. If they are half as good as I think, there should be some memorable ones worthy of a desktop wallpaper.

skål!  ("skoal")

Weekend Update: Berlin and Tough Guy

Friday morning, I caught a flight to Berlin for the World Money Fair. Basically a convention for anyone that trades monetary items in physical form. Lots of different aspects represented from people that trade in rare fiat currencies to numismatic collectors to sovereign mints (UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, etc). Almost purely a business trip, but I did manage to see (and touch) a piece of the Berlin wall.

My overall impressions of Berlin, which shouldn't be taken too seriously because of the nature and duration, is that is very much an industrial city. I guess its good to have seen a little bit of it, but overall I greatly preferred Munich.

On Saturday afternoon, I caught a flight back to London in order to get my kit together for the Tough Guy (www.toughguy.co.uk). I met up with the guys from Thames Crossfit (not Central London, where I normally workout) and we drove for a few hours North to Wolverhampton in the tiniest station wagon I've ever seen. 

I am going to do a separate write-up for the Tough Guy, but in brief: it was miserable. The most fun I NEVER want to have again. They have perfectly figured out how much suffering and abuse a human body can take and that is exactly how much you go through. Hopefully, they will post action pictures in the next couple of days for me to share.

Upcoming Travel!

After a few weeks of getting back into the routine, my travel/adventure calendar is gearing back up a little bit. This weekend had some nightlife in London, indoor bouldering at The Arch Climbing Wall and was supposed to have some paragliding lessons today. Apparently the weather was particularly cold and windy today, so my paragliding lesson was cancelled. While I don't have a huge interest in paragliding alone, it is a good stepping stone to something I definitely want to try: speedflying. Check out a video below (watch in HD for full wow!)



This week I fly to Berlin on Friday (Jan 28) for a trade conference. Fly back Saturday night. Early the next morning, I'll catch a train towards Birmingham to participate in the Tough Guy race. That will be a long weekend. For more info about Tough Guy, check out the video below:





The weekend after that  (Feb 4-5), we have tentative plans to go to Norway (near Lillehamer) and do some winter sports and trekking.

Now you have an update on my itinerary for the near future. Knowledge is power.

Flying out of a tiny mountain airport in winter?

Of course, I am delayed. Good skiing = bad flying. It currently looks like I will make my connection in Denver to get back to Dallas for about 24 hours before I leave again for London. I only have my trusty iPad, so I can't post any cool links or videos, but I promise they are en route.

I had a blast skiing in Steamboat with Blake and Julia. We pushed a couple of comfort zones and tried to kill Julia at one point, but we definitely had fun all around. I used the GoPro POV camera that Mom bought me for Christmas to shoot some (hopefully) cool footage. I'll try to figure out how to edit them down so you don't have to listen to my heavy breathing and/or light swearing. It was bitter cold (minus twenty at the top), but some hiking and steep powder skiing definitely kept me warm. I'll try to get photos or videos posted in the next week or so.

I hope you all had a happy and safe New Year's. Happy Birthday Nancy.

UPDATE: Made it home on time!!!!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Operation: Dallas

The flights to Dallas have managed to escape Dallas the last two days and Heathrow managed to finally open a second runway (after 4 days without any precipitation). There are even some seats opening up on indirect flights to Dallas (some via LAX, now THAT would be a long day).

The bottom line is that it looks like things should proceed as planned. If not, I will have a pay-per-view fight with  British Airport Association Chief Colin Matthews

Here is how it would look:


IF HE DIES, HE DIES

Weekend Update: Exhaustion Edition

I'll spare the details, but here is the executive summary: 24 hours of travel for 48 hours in Dallas. I acquired 6 hours of total sleep and an iPad for my troubles. It was good to touch base with everyone at NTR HQ and even get to make a few unexpected, social guest appearances.

I'll be home again in 12 days or so. Platinum status here I come.

Scotland: Oops! And more videos

Snow and ice here in London caused my airport-bound train to be redirected last night, so I missed my flight to Edinburgh. I'm pretty disappointed, but c'est la vie. Since I won't have any fun scottish/MovNat updates, here are some cool videos that were on my blogroll today:

And as the TSA stuff continues to grab everyone's attention, this is the strangest story I've heard yet: a 52 year old woman in a wheelchair showed up to the airport in only her underwear to simplify things. They still subjected her to a one hour pat down. Too strange to be made up. 

This wingsuit video is a little too long, but still amazing.




A climber in Canada had a rock fall on his head and crack his helmet. He was leading and his first piece of protection pulled out when he fell, so he fell about 60 feet or so I think. Broke his ankle and generally jacked him up. The Canadian Search and Rescue (SAR) team wears GoPro helmet cams. The result: you get to see a badass high elevation rescue on a cliff side. Rescuers are cool as a cucumber.

Links

Good cartoons from the New Yorker regarding Thanksgiving travels (The Big Picture)

5 reasons holiday spending will have an upside surprise (Macrofuge H/T Reformed Broker)

Why the Feds want to bring down SAC (Fortune H/T Reformed Broker)

Are ski bums a dying breed? ESPN looks at a new book that asks the question. Yes, I will probably read it (ESPN H/T Backcountry blog)

Holiday Schedule

For those who care and/or want to rob my flat while I'm gone (nothing in it: TV is Stewart's, you can have the PS3, laptop will probably be with me):

I won't be back for Thanksgiving, but am taking advantage of the British tradition of not working and will be in town for Christmas-New Year's. I fly in on the 24th and out on the 4th with a few days in the middle spent in Steamboat with Blake and Julia Schwarz. Hopefully La Nina will bring me some champagne powder.

Now that I've posted it, it is clearly your responsibility to remember.

Wanderlust: Palau

 From the adventure journal (click for full story):

There is a new marine mammal sanctuary recently declared in the waters surrounding Palau (if you already knew where that was, then props to you). Looks amazing, sounds like fun.

If anyone can figure out how to make it possible for me to do a weekend trip on the other side of the world, I'm in.

Weekend Update: Boyett Nuptials

A very fun, but exhausting weekend. Arrived Thursday afternoon and immediately started by picking up a car for the weekend, spending a little time with Dad (for the first time in almost 6 months) and running a few pre-wedding errands. We'll call the flight over less than restful.

Thursday night was an informal get-together for quesadillas and beer. By the time I retired on Thursday night, I had been awake for a little over 24 hours straight.

Couldn't sleep past 3:30am or so because of time change, so I got up and took care of some things that had piled up from the office. Then, got to enjoy a Crossfit workout at my old box, Crossfit Underworld. Once normal people were awake, it was time for the groomsmen to go on their organized journey to the Texas State Fair. Plenty of fun and a few adrenaline-inducing rides. I left the group a little early to catch lunch with Stephen Coy (mexican!). A few hours later and it was time for the texan-themed rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at the YO steakhouse. Buffalo fillets and plenty of wine (and espresso to boot) helped fuel one of the better rehearsal dinners I've attended. Doesn't hurt that the two people getting married have notoriously rowdy friends and good senses of humor. Best toast by far goes to Holly Bright for uncovering footage of Meghan and Andrew in a student film for a french class where they pretend to be French lovers united by a passion for fromage Behold, the power of cheese). This was years before they started dating.

Saturday morning was more of the same, but I was able to sleep in until 6am this time! Another Crossfit workout with Monk and then brunch with the groomsmen hosted at the Boyett's house. Homemade casseroles, fresh fruit and plenty of caffeine got us all feeling like ourselves again. Then it was off to a really old barber shop for grooming and hot shaves with a straight razor. 

We were left with a little bit of time to grab a quick nap and then it was time to put on the formal attire. Andrew allowed us all to wear our own tuxedos, which was a relief to this odd-shaped participant. He also got us great looking, custom-fit vests and bow-ties as a grooms' gift. All in all, we were a pretty sharp looking bunch, but were definitely outdone by the ladies. I unfortunately was not able to take any pictures, but the ceremony was really pretty. Took place in an already cool room at The Adolphus and the altar was set up in the center for a theater-in-the-round sort of effect. Tricky to execute, but I think it worked out extremely well and allowed for a really small feel to the wedding, even with an already small guest list. And I didn't even forget or drop the rings.

Great food and a bad-ass band made for a perfect reception. It didn't hurt that many of my closest friends and family were all in one place. It made for a really efficient way to see everyone and I wouldn't have changed a thing, except maybe to switch to water a bit earlier...

Sadly, the good times had to end and I caught a noon flight out of DFW to connect in Charlotte en route to London. Landed about 7:30 this morning and took a train directly to the office.... exhausted, without a voice and with a full week of work ahead of me. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat though. 

Boyett wedding here I come

I'm closing the office for two days for a Frenetic touch-and-go in Dallas for Andrew Boyett's wedding. Excited to see friends and family.

I'll report back on Monday.

Weekend Update: Oktoberfest

I've been busy since getting back on Sunday, so apologies for the delayed post. Short version: Munich is pretty, Oktoberfest is huge and a cool experience, Bavarian beer will whup your ass if you're not careful and lederhosen is actually really comfy and apparently still socially acceptable throughout Bavaria.

Long version, and eventually pictures, after the jump (click the title of the post)

Weekend Update: Competition Results

My weekend in Copenhagen involved zero tourism, but I got to know some great people through the competition. The short version: I took second out of 200 competitors. It was extremely hard, but alot of fun. And I'm very tired as a result.

(Very) full report after the jump:

Off to Copenhagen

I'm elaving shortly for the Crossfit Competition in Copenhagen. 200 competitors, 5 workouts in one day (tomorrow). Should be fun. You might be able to follow progress here, though I will be done at 7pm local (noon EST).

Weekend Update

A purposefully slow weekend in London. As much traveling as I have done and have coming up, it was a good chance to catch up on sleep, errands and chores.

This coming Friday, I will leave for Copenhagen for a Crossfit competition. A new European city and something for me to compete in? Should be fun.

The weekend after that (Oct 1-3rd), I'll be in Munich with Will Watters checking out Oktoberfest. Stew was there this weekend, so I should get a good scouting report.

Weekend Update: Italia!

I ducked out of the office a little early on Friday to catch a flight to Bologna. Got in Friday night and took a bus to central Bologna from the airport.

I stayed the first night at the Albergo delle Drapperie, which is a 7 or 8 room hotel off a tiny, quintessentially-Italian street with foot traffic only. Fish and fruit mongers next to cafes and trattorias, etc. My hotel room was not much larger than what you might find on a cruise boat, but it sufficed perfectly for my needs and still had beautiful furnishings, marble floors and all the trimmings. As cool as my area was, this trip was about food and wine and it was time to get to business.

Read more after the jump

Weekend Update

What a whirlwind weekend.


I left London on Friday and landed in Raleigh that afternoon. Two of the other guys in Andrew's wedding picked me up and we fought Labor Day traffic all the way to Greensboro. A 4 hour drive took about 6-7 hours. The bachelor party took place at the Rumbling Bald Resort in Lake Lure, NC. It is a beautiful mountain golf community with two Nicklaus courses. The weather was gorgeous and we had a blast (the cold beer helped).


Nicole drove all the way out to pick me up on Sunday. I got to finally meet our new Rhodesian Ridgeback ("Deacon") and drive back to Winston for the night. I was also able to see Nicole's parents for awhile, which is always fun. I can't wait for our Costa Rican Christmas this year.


Sadly, I had to catch my flight yesterday afternoon out of Raleigh. At first, the flight seemed benign. We were a few minutes late leaving, but no big deal; I had an empty seat next to me and slept straight through. Upon landing, I received an email from my roommate that all of the London Underground was going to be shut down today for labor strikes. Read the WSJ article about this here.


Before I could even get that far, however, I spent two solid hours waiting in line to clear immigration into the UK. Not how I wanted to start the week. Fortunately, its a short one and I get to see Mom in Italy this weekend.

Where in the world is Brad?

For those of you playing along at home

- This weekend (Labor Day): Catching a flight to RDU tomorrow. Going to Lake Lure, NC for the weekend for a bachelor party in the country to celebrate Mr. Andrew Boyett's coming nuptials.
- Next weekend (9/10-9/12): Italy with Mom! Italian cooking classes in Parma.
- 9/23-9/25: Copenhagen for the Fit as Fu*k Crossfit Competiton. 150 entrants in the men's open division. Should be fun.
10/1-10/3 - Will Watters is flying in from ATL to join me in Munich for Oktoberfest