Helly Hansen

Close to a year ago Chris Davenport set into motion a plan to ski 4 of Europe's most marquee ski lines. At the time it seemed bold, almost too bold to ever be possible. In the months that followed the plan progressed and got even more audacious. Helly Hansen talked to Match Stick Productions about getting involved and covering the trip for their new movie, Claim (due out Sept. 2008) and also on their TV show focused. Stian Hagen, fellow Helly Hansen teammate, joined in. Christian Pondella also signed on and is one of the few still photographers in the world who could actually ski these lines with Chris and Stian. Chris is as good of a planner and businessman as he is skier so maybe the plan shouldn't have seemed so far reached. The one thing he could not control was mother nature. Luckily the Alps had an outstanding winter, which extended right into May and then the sun came out when they needed it most. From the beginning it was decided that accomplishing one of the four lines would be a success and 2 out of 4 would still result in a victory dance. We can now proudly announce that Chris and Stian took it to the limit and skied the Matterhorn, Eiger, Mount Blanc and the Marinelli Couloir on Monte Rosa, which is the most skiable vertical in Europe. Unreal! MSP was there to film the whole mission. For MSP this meant hanging out of helicopters, climbing into position and even long lining in from a chopper since it could not land. They got the job done and the results will be see in "Claim" this autumn. A huge congratulation goes out to Chris and Stian for having the dream and seeing it through. Photo credit: Image #1 - Christian Pondella Image #2 - Mike Arzt

Check out the article on Shin at Whitelines. http://whitelines.com/news/shin-campos-summer-holiday

HH UKA UKA RACING IS DIQUALIFIED IN THE TENTH RACE AND IT FINISHES IN SECOND PLACING. ALINA HELLY HANSEN WINS IN STRONG WEATHER CONDITIONS AND IT'S SIXTH. Cagliari, May 4th Seventy Melges24s were in Cagliari to run eleven races in sunny weather conditions and the wind blew up from 8 to 25 knots. At the end of the game, Joe Fly, Giovanni Maspero owner, Olympic 470's Gabrio Zandonà at the helm and with the tactician Andrea Felci, won the Italian title. During the regatta there were different teams in the head of standing Joe Fly one and two Helly Hansen boats HH Uka Uka Racing, Lorenzo Santini owner, with Lorenzo Bressani and Luna Rossa Challenge Francesco Bruni and Alina Helly Hansen, Maurizio Abbà owner, with Luca Valerio and Daniele Cassinari. Joe Fly won by two good last races and thanks to a premature start of HH Uka Uka Racing in the last day when it was in head of standing and it had six points less of the second one. -It has been a riveting championship,- Andrea Felci says -We have been very continuos. Gabrio (Joe Fly helmsman) has always been very good in starting situation and when you can start well and fast it's easy to make some right chooses.- HH Uka Uka Racing says after the last race: -We were happier this morning but we have made some mistakes and we have paid that. Now we are a bit embittered but tomorrow we must think to World Championship that it's our goal.- Alina Helly Hansen is always at ease with strong weather conditions^ in fact it won the strong race, run with more than twenty knots of wind, with a very big and impressive separation. -We are very fast in these conditions. We are faster than almost all boats and so we often achieve good results just in this situation.- Alina Helly Hansen tactician, Daniele Cassinari tells. Alina lost its placing on the podium in the last race where it is damaged during the starting by Alfa Spider. -No problem!- Daniele continues -I'm really satisfied! We are always among the top boats and our boat is fast. Here we have improved our speed also with light wind and it's good for the next World Championship. Our goal is the best of possible but it'll be very difficult because the crews' level is very high but we have a lot of experiences so if we have a good week it's possible a really good final result.- The Melges24 class will remain in Sardinia Island to run the World Championship in the north side of the island in Porto Cervo at the end of May. This is the most important event of this season. HH Teams will be also protagonist of a photoshooting before the start of the Championship to make some pictures to show the new Summer 09 Helly Hansen collection. MPZ Final Standings 1 ITA 633 JOE FLY - Gabrio Zandonà, 46,0 - 1 8 8 4 5 2 (23) 10 4 1 3 2 ITA 715 HH UKA UKA RACING - Lorenzo Bressani, 55,0 - 2 1 7 3 9 11 10 1 3 (bfd) 8 3 ITA 667 BRONTOLO AB MEDICA - Matteo Ivaldi, 63,0 - 3 6 5 2 (14) 8 12 4 6 13 4 4 SUI 521 BLU MOON - Flavio Favini, 63,2 - bfd 18 4 1 (38) 4 3 6 7 9 2 5 ITA 716 SAETTA - Nicolò Bianchi, 64,0 - 6 7 9 (39) 2 6 4 2 14 8 6 6 ITA 722 ALINA HELLY HANSEN - Luca Valerio, 80,0 - 9 4 6 (20) 3 14 8 3 1 18 14 7 ITA 638 MARCHINGENIO - Nicola Celon, 88,0 - 7 5 17 6 6 15 2 (24) 9 16 5 8 ITA 574 ONLINE SIM-FIREBOLT - Roberto Martinez, 90,0 - 16 11 1 5 13 (bfd) 1 15 10 17 1 9 ITA 742 ALFA SPIDER - Gabriele Benussi, 95,0 - 8 10 3 (34) 8 1 16 9 17 7 16 10 GBR 691 TEAM BARBARIANS - Jamie Lea, 111,0 15 3 22 (bfd) 12 3 11 13 2 19 11

HH UKA UKA RACING AND HH CITTA' DI MILANO-TEAM HIROSHI HAVEN'T A GOOD REGATTA 11 May 2008 Malcesine, May 11, 2008 - Luigi Amedeo Melegari onboard Matrix, dressed by Helly Hansen, is the winner of the inaugural Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series 2008. Three days of great racing organized by Audi in collaboration with the Fraglia Vela Malcesine, has delivered action to the Melges 32 fleet and its competitors! There were present twelve boats that is a really good number because this was the first regatta of this new class. It's important remarking that four boats (33% of fleet) were totally dressed by Helly Hansen: Matrix, HH Uka Uka Racing, HH Team Hiroshi-Città di Milano and Sei Tu 32! There were many possibilities as to who could be among the contenders of the Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series and first to respond was Matrix. Matteo Ivaldi, Matrix's tactician, showed great consistency in every race including two first places finishes amongst nine races. The next stage is Cagliari, scheduled to end in June where Matrix will bear the leader's red number on its bow. Melegari's team, (also happens to be the reigning Mumm 30 World Champion) transitioned with ease to the Melges 32, leaving behind Fantastica of Lanfranco Cirillo (with Nicola Celon calling tactics) in second place overall and Pilot Italia of Francesco Martino (with Alberto Bolzan calling tactics). Lorenzo Santini's HH Uka Uka Racing, one of the leading teams with Claudio Recchi at the helm, won the second race of this series but a big problem stopped it. Whilst holding on to second place after the first race of Saturday, moving about 9 knots hit a submerged rock damaging the keel. HH Uka Uka, although fifth was forced to retire from the following race of the day and yet worked through the night to repair the boat to be on the starting line Sunday for the final day of racing. The other Helly Hansen boat, HH Team Hiroshi-Città di Milano had three good placing (2-3-3) but it achieves only a sixth placing in the final standing. If this regatta is anything to judge by then racing in the Melges 32 European circuit is going to be extremely tight. No one boat dominated the event at this regatta and there were seven different race winners with eight teams discarding a position in the bottom two. The start lines and mark roundings were electrifying watch and both upwind and down the Melges 32 showed itself to be a true thoroughbred one design. The next leg of the 2008 Audi Sailing Series takes place in Cagliari in the south of Sardinia from the 27th to the 29th June. The tour goes through 2008 to include Porto Santo Stefano in July, Santa Margherita Ligure in September and Genoa in October. MPZ Final Standing (Scores take into account 1 discard) 1 MATRIX, MELEGARI LUIGI, IVALDI MATTEO - 1 3 4 (8) 1 2 4 5 - 20,0 pts. 2 FANTASTICA, CIRILLO LANFRANCO, CELON NICOLA - 9 2 3 4 6 3 1 (12) - 28,00 pts. 3 PILOT ITALIA, MARTINO FRANCESCO, BOLZAN ALBERTO - 4 5 7 2 (11) 9 3 1 - 31,00 pts. 4 THULE, RUBBINI FAUSTO, BRESSANI LORENZO - 10 7 1 6 2 (11) 5 2 - 33,00 pts. 5 KISMET, LEPORATI STEFANO, BRUNI FRANCESCO - 2 6 8 1 3 6 (11) 7 - 33,00 pts. 6 HH HIROSHI-CITTA' DI MILANO, GIULIETTI ARMANDO, AINSLE IAN - 3 (9) 5 9 8 4 2 3 - 34,00 pts. 7 HH UKA UKA RACING, SANTINI LORENZO, RECCHI CLAUDIO - 5 1 6 5 dnc 7 7 (8) - 36,6 pts

Monday 7th January 2008 dawned like any other great ski day. Photographer Todd Weselake called me early: conditions were epic off the back side of Proctor Mountain (near Fernie in interior British Columbia, Canada). Unfortunately things are never that simple when skiing in the backcountry. Especially on Mondays. The avalanche bulletin, released by the Canadian Avalanche Association, rated the danger as considerable with a 'deep slab instability' lurking in the snowpack. Our game plan was to ski in the mellow trees beside turns made by skiers the previous day. We drove ten kilometres from Fernie before Todd, our ski buddy Ian and I unloaded the sleds. We then ripped up the valley another 15 kilometres to the skin trail. Staring at the back side of the "Three Sisters" and Mt Bizzaro made us giddy with expectation. The Fernie backcountry is world-renowned and today it was all ours. After we gained the ridge we stopped for snacks and coffee, and examined the snow. The early morning light was perfect and we snapped off a few photos. Everything felt good but we were tired of post holing through the deep snow to get in position for each shot. We skinned further up the mountain in preparation for our main decent. Todd stopped us at a nice spot in the trees and described how best to work the surrounding features to maximize our chances of scoring an epic shot. Todd set himself up for his first shot and waved me down. We skied, milking our turns, one at a time down a mellow, semi-clear slope. Halfway down Ian triggered a slab avalanche. Ian's ski cut the edge of a chute that had been skied the previous day and it ripped out way too big for our liking. Ian worded up the group on what happened and we dipped into the tight trees to regroup and decide on a safe way out. One at a time, feeling very vulnerable, we staggered ourselves out and skied tree-to-tree remaining in constant verbal and visual communication. Then as we stood still and without warning the snow pack settled dramatically. The slope began to break into slabs and move rapidly toward Todd who was below us. Slab avalanches are usually larger, more destructive and harder to predict than loose snow avalanches. We clung to the trees for dear life, screaming "Avalanche!" to Todd. I heard Todd yelling as he was washed downhill in the maelstrom. Seconds later the avalanche finished and everything was still. Looking down at Ian I realized that I was standing on the 'hang fire' - the remaining unsupported snow sitting above the fracture line. It was 1.5 metres deep and could release at any moment. I had to jump the hang fire to get to Ian. Ian and I immediately switched our avalanche beacons to search mode. We carefully skied the debris of the class 2.5 avalanche searching for Todd. There was no signal at all. We finally both got a signal right at the end of the debris - 350 metres from the fracture. The lowest reading I got on my Beacon was 4.2 metres. Todd was buried really deep. We began spiral probing and I was lucky enough to randomly hit Todd. We started digging quickly then realized that I had hit his head so we dug all the snow from around his head. Todd's face was blue and he was unconscious but he had a pulse. When we freed Todd's chest he let out a huge breathe of air. Five minutes later he started mumbling. It took us another 20 minutes to dig out the rest of his body from under the two metres of snow. It is not a day I will forget quickly. We were all exremely fortunate to be able to ski another day.

"The Bimbache Race in Spain went on from May11th to May 18th. Team Wilsa HELLY HANSEN rose to the occation and won. "It was hard, difficult - 4 days without sleeping - but we won!" -said a happy team captain, Karine Baillet, after the race! Congratulations! For more information, please take a look at http://www.sleepmonsters.com"

"This unique travel series is begins airing on National Geographic Adventure in September to over 100 million homes worldwide and is premiering Monday March 17th on Canada's Outdoor Life Network reaching nearly 10 million homes coast to coast http://www.tsn.ca/oln/feature.asp?fid=11375 . "Departures" is ready for another break-out year. The show documents the real-life travels of two friends who set out in search of culture, adventure, people and the true travel experience. We are excited to be a part of this opportunity for Departures to use Helly Hansen's products and stay protected with whatever Mother Nature throws their way. Ever dreamt of white water rafting in New Zealand, tearing across Canada in only 10 days or stepping on sacred ground in India? Best friends - and Brantford, Ontario, natives - Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach do just that, and more in OLN's new original Canadian production, Departures. Accompanied by their friend and cameraman, Andre Dupuis, Departures showcases the revelations of two travellers who strive to find themselves and new perspectives while trekking across the globe. Their experiences unfold before a moving camera and daily "diary cam" entries reveal their interpretations of the events, people and places they discover along the way. Set against a backdrop of stunning vistas and incredible landscapes, the series chronicles the unforgettable friendships, personal successes and sometimes crushing disappointments that befall them on their journey. Each episode illustrates Wilson and Lukach's personal evolution as they are pushed to their utmost limits. From hiking through the ancient ruins of Petra in Jordan, to surviving a monsoon in the middle of the Indian Ocean, to facing off against a professional kick boxer in Thailand, to living off the land in Cambodia, join these best friends as they challenge themselves and their attachments to home on the trip of a lifetime There are no prizes and no contests - just real adventures with no safety net. Canada - Ocean to Ocean Mon., March 17 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT Before they can appreciate the countries they are about to visit, Wilson and Lukach set out to appreciate their own country first. They rent an RV in Halifax and hit the road with only 10 days to cross the country. After dipping their fingers in the Atlantic Ocean, watch as they explore Peggy's Cove, visit friends in Ottawa, go fishing in Northern Ontario and hit the beach in Manitoba. Before ending their trip on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, the friends go white water rafting and tour the Rocky Mountains by helicopter. Watch as camping across the country prompts Wilson and Lukach to reflect on what they are leaving behind and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime. Jordan Mon., March 24 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT Wilson and Lukach head to Jordan to attend their friend Ibrahim's wedding. After arriving in Amman, Ibrahim serves as their tour guide for the trip - in between wedding plans! Follow the group as they head out to the Wadi Mujib, a gorge that is one of the lowest nature reserves in the world. While there, watch as they trek through the region's rugged terrain and water trails. Next, join the travellers as they visit the alleged tomb of Moses, spend a night in the desert with the Bedouins, hike through the ancient city of Petra, visit the Roman ruins in Jerash and enjoy some water sports on the Red Sea... all just in time for a traditional Jordanian wedding. India - Sacred Ground Mon., March 31 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT After a long flight to India, Wilson and Lukach meet up with their friend Monica in New Delhi and take a gruelling train ride to the desert just outside of Jaiselmer. Following a camel excursion into the desert, they head off to Varanasi to witness the daily mayhem of a bustling Indian city. Wilson and Lukach develop a new appreciation for the depth of India's different religions before flying to New Delhi for the annual festival of lights, Diwali. India - Quest for Himalayas Mon., April 7 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT In this episode, join Wilson and Lukach as they travel through the more untouched parts of India, a journey that challenges both friends to their utmost limits as they suffer from altitude sickness and food poisoning. From the majestic Himalayas to the tropical heat of Goa, their experiences prove to be more unexpected than they ever imagined. Watch as they are caught off guard by a monsoon and struggle to survive a record-breaking lightning storm while on the water. Ascension Island Mon., April 14 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT Next on their journey, Wilson and Lukach board a military plane from England and head to Ascension Island, a little explored location in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. While there, the friends stay in a cottage atop the highest mountain. From hiking through the lush forests full of land crabs and trekking through rocky landscapes to snorkelling and fishing for tuna, witness their determination to experience all aspects of the island. But, despite the tranquil setting, the boys deal with problems of isolation as they have trouble communicating with the outside world, accessing money from banks at home and saving personal relationships. Japan - The Future Mon., April 21 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT While navigating the extensive train systems in Japan, Scott manages to get them around while Justin struggles with language barriers and very different food. From shops and fish markets in Tokyo, to Geishas in Kyoto the guys finally make their way to Osaka to meet up with a good friend Neel and explore the Japanese night life. Things finally settle down when they rent a car and leave the city behind to search for the more natural side. Japan - The Past Mon., April 28 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT Continuing in Japan, Scott and Justin seek the peace of nature by driving through the Ise-Shima Peninsula, staying overnight in a temple in Koyasan before taking a late-night ferry to the island of Miyajima and try to find camp amongst the hundreds of native deer, ending it all with a flight to the island of Okinawa. Cook Islands Mon., May 5 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT Heading to the Paradise Islands (Cook Islands) Scott and Justin arrive in Rarotonga to find that their luggage is missing - clothing and some camera equipment, not to arrive for another three days. As rain pours down outside, they guys realise that it is the heart of cyclone season. They fly to Mangaia and find that the whole island is out of power so head to the ocean for some sunshine and bamboo pole fishing with locals. Continuing on to Aitutaki, they kayak out to their own private island to set-up camp, drink from coconut shells and hunt crabs for dinner. Scott is tested about his commitments to the year trip while Justin's learns from the locals how to live off the land, that is until his love for animals is challenged in Atiu by "the head hunters" - the local school boys, when they are taken on a traditional pig hunt. New Zealand - Risks & Rewards Mon., May 12 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT Adventure in New Zealand does not come without consequences, especially when Scott and Justin meet up with their "larger than life" kiwi friend Ellis. They head to Auckland for Bungee jumping, go fishing in Kapity, absailing near Cheviot, and to earn their keep they sheer alpacas at Ellis fathers' before rafting on Buller River. They say goodbye and leave to find their own adventure on Mt. Cook. Justin's competitive risk-taking side takes over, while Scott deals with his own fears. New Zealand - Untouched Mon., May 19 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT Continuing in New Zealand, the boys get a bit of Ellis' spirit and step up the adventure. They spend Christmas together in the remote beauty of Milford Sound, then head to Wannaka on their way to Tasman Glacier before hitting the extreme sports in Queenstown. Finding adventure and uninhabited landscape reminds them of how long they've been on the road and of all the family and friends waiting for their return. Thailand Mon., May 26 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT Nearing the end of the trip, Scott and Justin fly to Thailand looking for unique experiences outside of traditional tourist stops. Arriving in Bangkok, they travel to the hill tribes in the north, then head south to the islands, ending their trip with Justin facing off against a Thai kick boxer in-front of hundreds of locals in a sun-drenched ring of Puket. Cambodia Mon., June 2 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT Scott and Justin meet up with their friend Sarorn and his family who show them the untouched parts of Cambodia. They visit the Hill Tribes in Ratanakiri where a traditional sacrifice introduces them to the real side of the country. Next they make their way by road to the majestic temples of Angkor, then on to capital city Phnom Penh and south to the remote region of Takeo. There, they live off the land in a stilt house, taking part in local activities, ceremonies and games. The guys find new purpose with their travels and commit to another year-long trip. Canada - Pushing North Mon., June 9 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT A year out, Scott and Justin arrive back on home soil, but can't part ways without one more challenge. An epic adventure which takes them from Vancouver, through Dawson City, Whitehorse, past the Arctic Circle, and to the very end of the road. Still not ready to go home, they hop in a cargo plane to fly above and beyond the north shoreline seeing the most remote areas that Canada has to offer."

Walter is one of our younger grassroots athletes coming in at 15 years old. He has really started progressing a lot this season and taking some spots on the podium and on TV. Here are a couple shots of Walters season. Srarting out with a local rail jam that he took a first in. Next shot, Walter took an 8th while at the Japan World Cup which he was also the highest placed US participant. This was the 48 straight comp and was Walter's first invitational. He was the youngest competitor and placed 7th. Here's Walter at the US Open which he took a 10th place. A little better here was his 2nd place at the Nationals for halfpipe. And finally taking a break while shooting with Level 1 Productions. Way to go Walter on a great season!

"This past weekend was the first of this years Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race Series presented by Helly Hansen. There were over 200 athletes that took part including Team Helly Vancouver and their rival Team Helly Vancouver Island and our very own Daina Carmichael from our marketing dept. Below is the days event blogged out by Gary Robbins who has become somewhat of a celebrity in the blog world, as far as adventure racing goes. Gary always has a lot to say which is great as he covers off pretty much everything that happened that day so enjoy! Before doing MOMAR Gary was away doing a 100km running race in Miwok. Good on you Gary for doing MOMAR as well! So after getting back from Miwok and feeling completely crippled for three full days I was wondering if I'd be able to race the Squamish MOMAR Adventure Race at all. I spent the entire week between the two events popping Amino Acids like candy and just trying to suffer my way through a few short runs. On Wednesday I told Todd he was going to have to race it solo, then on Thursday I said I might race solo myself, just so I could take it easy and enjoy the course without having to beat my already battered body up any further. I went to bed on Thursday with absolutely no aspirations of actually 'racing' the MOMAR on Saturday. When I awoke Fri morning, I again headed out for a 1hr run, but amazingly, I was finally starting to feel good again. I opened it up a bit on some downhill sections and after telling myself that I still had one full nights rest to go before the race, I e-mailed Todd and told him that we were going to be able to race as a tandem and try to defend out title at the MOMAR. Todd and I had managed a sweep of last years MOMAR races, and something else that I was reluctant to blog about, until now, was also the fact that Todd and I, as a team of two, had yet to lose a race. We were 6-0 since teaming up to tackle adventure races together in December of 2006. This included three MOMAR wins, two BEAST victories, an one Suburban Rush title. Even after all the success we had enjoyed, we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Justin Mark and Jeff Reimer of Team Helly Hansen Vancouver Island would be pushing us to our limits out there all day long. The Squamish MOMAR not only ended up being one of the toughest MOMAR courses to date, it also ended up being a true race between both Helly Hansen teams to make that finish line first! The race started at just after 9am, and we were off on a 2km 'Le mans' running start back to our mountain bikes. We began just behind local Squamish Team 'Live To Tell', and after less than 100 feet of running Graham Schulz lost some gear off of his backpack. I tapped him on the shoulder and notified him of this, then watched in horror as Graham had to turn back and face head on, a stampeding field of over 200 racers! He later accused me of 'removing' his gear for him, and I guess since I was laughing when I told him of this originally, I could see why. For the record I didn't, but wish I had!! After a few minutes of running I knew that although sore, I'd be able to race at 100% on the day. I jumped to the front of the pack and tried to set the pace. Justin followed right along and together we lead it out back to the bikes, with our teammates falling in just behind us. We hit the transition, and were off and climbing up the Mamquam Forest Service Road. A group of us quickly settled in at the front and worked away at the terrain. As we cut left onto a rough single track trail Justin and Jeff were able to put a few seconds into the rest of us. This initial bike ride was only a few km as well, and then we transitioned back to our running shoes for a navigation section of about 10km. Todd and I had a bit of a slower transition here...but in the end it didn't matter for as I raised my head to start running and try to track down the teams in front of us, it became all too evident what was about to happen. There was a pack...literally A PACK of people standing around and watching us while we transitioned. Everyone knows that Todd is the best navigator at most of these events. Team HHVI, having lost over ten minutes to us on the nav section at Suburban Rush just two weeks prior, were not about to make the same mistake again. The funny thing was, Todd and I fully expected this to occur and had discussed in great detail what our plan would be in a situation such as this. We slowed the pace down a bit and were whispering options to each other at the front of this group. Eventually one or two racers decided to go their own route, and then we watched with envy as Shane Ruljancich and Garth Campbell of team 'Pain Is Temporary', went cruising by unchallenged. Todd and I know that these guys can navigate as good as anyone out there, but it seemed no one else recognized them as a 'draft worthy' team! I kept suggesting to Todd that we had to make a move, and he kept telling me to relax for a minute. I could not see the map and did not know exactly what he had in mind. Once I realized that Todd was looking to make a break, I vocalized that my shoes were bothering me and stopped to fix the lacing on them. As I did this Todd made eye contact with me and basically told me to just keep up. He immediately bolted back the way we had just come from, and like a wild Sasquatch he devoured a section of bushwhacking like it had been sporting a strip of pavement down the middle. I just tried to hold on, knowing that we can move faster than most through rough terrain such as this. We hit an intersecting trail within a few hundred feet and then ran as hard as we could for a few hundred meters until we rounded a corner. As I did a quick shoulder check I spotted Justin and Jeff walking in circles a few hundred meters back. I spoke with Justin after the event and he said they came into the bush behind us, and it seemed as though we literally disappeared into thin air. Justin and Jeff thought that Todd and I had to be hiding on them somewhere and their conversation went something like, "They have to be in here somewhere! They're hiding, they have to be, they can probably hear us right now!" Todd and I were fully aware of the fact that we had to hit the bikes with a decent lead as this particular race would definitely favor a strong biking team. We came into transition just ahead of Shane and Garth and with a good transition were out of there quickly. We had another steep climb on the bikes, and this lead us into some of my favorite Squamish trails, the Pseudo Pseuda's (however that's spelled), and then eventually The Powerhouse Plunge, Crumpit Woods and The Farther Side. I know these trails inside out and once we hit the technical downhill riding I was in heaven. Todd wasn't far behind for most of these sections, but as the terrain became rougher, his bike became slower. We were both hoping he would have received his full suspension bike for this race, but it got delayed a few days and left him still riding his hard tail, which I should mention is the only bike I have ever seen Todd race on and we have managed all of our success with this ride. By the time we hit The Plunge however, Todd's body was screaming at him and he came off of his bike a few times in the rougher sections. I knew this was costing us valuable time to team HHVI and tried to verbally let Todd know what was coming around each turn so that he could prepare for it. We hit the bottom of The Plunge still in the lead, and without another team in sight, but as we were turning into Crumpit Woods, just a few short minutes later, we spotted Justin and Jeff charging hard from behind. They had closed our gap of almost five minutes from the trekking stage and I knew we were in for a full on battle to the finish line. As we transitioned onto the final run of the race, that would lead us into our rappel, Justin and Jeff departed right before us. Todd and I caught up to them after about 1km and although we put in a push to try and distance ourselves from them before the rappel we effectively hit the ropes at the exact same time. Todd was clipped in first, and Jeff, on a separate rope second. There was only one rope per team, and although we were first on, we were last off in a big way. The luck of the draw gave us a stiffer rope set up and I was literally using both hands to filter the rope through the damn harness to actually let gravity to its job. We hit the ground running, knowing that there was very little race course left to cover. As we made our way into the final transition back to the bikes we watched Justin and Jeff departing up ahead of us. Unfortunately, we had our absolute worst transition of the entire race as my fingers seemed to fumble with everything. Onto the bikes and hammering on the peddles for all we were worth to try and catch the lead team. All I wanted was a glimpse of them in the hopes of setting off some form of adrenaline within my body to help deaden all the pain I was feeling from head to toe! We blasted through the last sections of the race, and as we rounded the corner to the finish area at Quest University, we peered up and could see Team HHVI about to snag their first victory. I mumbled to Todd, one last gasp of hope for us to win, "Maybe they'll trip and break a collar bones..." We crossed the line in a time of 4hr05m50s, or 1m42s too slow on the day! If we had to lose, and we both knew it would happen sooner or later, I am certainly glad that it was to Justin and Jeff, especially Justin, as he's been racing the MOMAR's for years now and was kinda like the Ray Bourque of the series, always right there at the top of the standings, but never quite exactly where I know he wanted to be, and with a possible semi-retirement on the way as his incredible wife and former racer Carey Sather is now pregnant with twins! Future MOMAR champs in training I'm sure! Special thanks, as always to Bryan Tasaka and the entire MOMAR crew. Jen Segger-Gigg worked long and hard to come up with a completely new course this year, and certainly did not disappoint! Congrats to each and every racer who came out to try their hands at a MOMAR event, hopefully you'll out be out for the next one as well."

Husband and wife team, Julie and Colin Angus rowed from Dover, England to Calais, France earlier today. The four-hour-fifty-six-minute voyage crossed the busiest shipping lane in the world, and the couple experienced swells of 2-3 metres. The Angus's rowed individually in single rowing shells that they built and designed themselves, and reached the shores of France simultaneously. They voyaged a total distance of 41 km, averaging just over 8 km/hr. The record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel in a single rowing shell is three hours fourteen minutes held by Olympic Rowing Gold Medalist Guin Batten. Earlier this year another Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell attempted to beat the record in a custom-built carbon fibre vessel, and made the crossing in just over six hours. Julie and Colin Angus are on an expedition rowing from the northern tip of Scotland to Syria, and the Channel crossing is one leg of this seven-month, seven-thousand-km journey. They are using specialized vessels capable of carrying bicycles and boat trailers for amphibious human-powered travel. During their crossing of the English Channel they were carrying their bicycles and trailers inside the rowing boats. Before departing on the voyage at 4:00 am, Julie Angus admitted feeling apprehensive, "There are so many variables beyond our control. The weather and shipping congestion can slow us down significantly or even necessitate aborting our attempt." The weather forecast called for less-than-ideal conditions with winds blowing force 3-4 and gusting up to force five. With a stiff breeze blowing through the Port of Dover, Julie and Colin departed before dawn in an effort to complete the crossing before wind conditions intensified. The team were escorted by a safety vessel, as required by local regulations. Timing of the crossing began when they departed from the pontoons in Dover marina and finished when the couple stepped onto the sandy beach fronting the ferry port of Calais. The couple are believed to be the first Canadians to row across the English Channel. The Canadian duo will continue their expedition by rowing through the French canals to the Rhine and Danube Rivers. They will voyage through Eastern Europe, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean before completing their expedition in Syria. Both Julie and Colin Angus are adventure authors and were jointly awarded the 2007 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year award. A book, Rowed Trip, outlining the expedition will be released through Doubleday in 2009. More information on the expedition can be found on the website www.rowedtrip.com.

Santa Margherita (Italy), May 5th Canarias Puerto Calero, the Gp42 sponsored by Helly Hansen, skippered by José María Ponce, is currently second in the Quebramar Cup Circuit following the Pirelli Trophy, which came to an end today in the waters off Santa Margherita Ligure. Victory went to the Desafío, with Santiago López-Vazquez calling tactics, followed by HH Canarias Puerto Calero and Airis. The final day of the Pirelli Trophy turned out to be a farcical affair owing to the choose of the Race Committee, which signalled the start of the race with a wind speed of barely four knots, which meant that all the classes competing had to sail very close to the wind. When they reached Portofino, HH Canarias Puerto Calero was greatly hampered as it found itself in practically still waters with very little wind and had great difficulty moving on, instead Desafío reached the windward buoy with an advantage of over ten minutes over Paolo Cian's Roma 02. In addition to the difficulty in understanding the wind, tacticians and helmsmen had to be very careful and attentive to the rest of the 130-strong fleet that was sailing very close, crowding the area around the buoys. Then the wind dropped dramatically and barely reached above 2-3 knots, until eventually it died down completely to the extent that in the last stern section. The Committee decided to short the race, and only the Desafío, Roma and Near Miss arrived within the time limit, in that order. This closing mad race didn't change much the series results, with Desafio distancing their competitors by a full 12 points, while HH Canarias Puerto Calero, Jose María Ponce at the helm, and new Gp42 Airis, closed in with a mere point distance from each other, the latter overcoming Near Miss and getting to the podium thanks to two second places in the previous races. At the end of the race, the owner of the HH Canarias Puerto Calero, Daniel Calero, highlighted that -The most important thing is that we got onto the podium, which is our goal, to be in the top three this season in all the races. So we're happy about that, even though the conditions for this race were not kind to us. But the most important thing is that we're there-. The opening race for the GP 42' class this season has not been good^ during the four days the Pirelli Trophy lasted, not only was the wind not in favour, but also the decision to allow different fleets to sail together significantly hampered GP boats, which were struggling to achieve an initial classification on the circuit and came up against all kinds of obstacles. -It was very difficult to race with such light winds and continuous shifts.- HH Canarias Puerto Calero navigator, Alicia Ageno says -The venue is very attractive, but it's hard to sail in a big fleet, you have to keep your eyes wide open to avoid the big and the little boats coming from everywhere, it's different than having your own race. The luck was a factor too. We are satisfied with our boat's performance^ obviously she's tested from last season. Yet the new designs are fast, they lack some tuning but I guess they will get better and better, and the circuit more interesting with every new event. It's fun to sail in this class.- The next scoring race for the Quebramar Cup Circuit will be the Giraglia in Saint-Tropez (France) from the 8th to the 10th June. CLASSIFICATION 1. ESP, Desafío, Laureano Wizner, 3-1-1-1, 6 points 2. ESP, HH Canarias Puerto Calero, José María Ponce, 2-3-4-DNF, 18 points 3. ITA, Airis, Cameron Appleton, 6-2-2-3, 19 points 4. SVI, Near Miss, Bertrand Pacé, 4-9-5-3, 19 points 5. ESP, Madrid, José María van der Ploeg,, 1-4-6-DNF, 20 points 6. ITA, Roma 02, Paolo Cian, 5-9-5-2, 21 points 7. ITA, SeaWonder 007, Javier Conte, 7-5-7-DNF, 28 points 8. ITA, Roma, Filippo Faruffini, 8-6-8-DNF, 31 points

Valencia, May 6th The HH CXG Corporacion Caixagalicia regatta team, dressed by Helly Hansen, is currently training in Valencia to take first contact following recent structural changes to TP52 and to fully prepare for the imminent Med Cup Circuit, the first leg of which is in Alicante from 12 to 17 May. With the arrival of the HH CXG last April 26th in Valencia, Vicente Tirado's team commenced a series of training programmes. The main focus of these will be on the adaptation to sailing the TP 52 following the structural changes realized on the boat, which imply new trimming and tension adjustments, due to the change to the prow, the stern and the main mast, which now has three spars. -We'll be testing the boat's performance and the sails in different winds following the modifications, so that everything will be ready for Alicante-, commented Roberto Bermúdez de Castro, HH CXG Corporacion Caixagalicia skipper. The very varied meteorological conditions in Valencia are excellent for testing the boat in different wind and sea situations: the recent storms on the Mediterranean coast were perfect for testing the boat's performance in extreme conditions. The HH CXG is moored in the America's Cup sport marina which has a great atmosphere thanks to the arrival of other TP 52s taking part in this year's Audi MedCup, which features six events in which the HH CXG Corporacion Caixagalicia will visit four countries including France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Check out the video from this past weekends HH Invitational Crowd Pleaser i Hemsedal, Norway!

"Thursday, July 31, 2008 LANZAROTE, Canary Islands - The two crews of the Ericsson Racing Team last Friday completed their 3,000-nautical-mile voyage from Sweden to the training base in the Canary Islands. The voyage officially qualified Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 for the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race, of which a 2,000-nautical-mile voyage is required. The 37,000-nautical-mile circumnavigation race is scheduled to start Oct. 11 in Alicante, Spain. With the qualification complete, the team turns to the final preparation phase of its pre-race activities. It will spend the next six weeks at its training camp at the Puerto Calero Marina on Lanzarote tuning and working on its two Juan Kouyoumdjian designs. "It is great that we now have both boats qualified for the Volvo Ocean Race," said Richard Brisius, Ericsson Racing Team Managing Director. "Both crews were pretty happy with the performance of the boats, and the team will now spend the remaining weeks finalizing preparations within all areas of the team." The eight-day passage was the first sail for the new Ericsson 4, which was launched on June 26. Ericsson 3, launched in January, has been sailing at the base since March. The delivery to the Canary Islands proved to be a good shakedown for the race when both crews faced a strong front in the North Sea that produced big waves and strong winds. The crews also battled fog, strong tides and light winds in the passage, allowing them to test how the boats perform across a wide spectrum. "It was pretty good for us and we were in all types of conditions so we were able to push the boat for the first time," said Torben Grael, the Brazilian skipper of Ericsson's International crew. "Weather-wise we had a bit of everything, we were lucky to get through before the front in the North Sea and after that the Bay of Biscay was good, despite the strong winds." Anders Lewander, the Swedish skipper of Ericsson's Nordic crew, led his crew on a 6,000-mile passage. They delivered Ericsson 3 from Lanzarote to Sweden in late June as a means to strengthen their offshore experience as well as test Ericsson 3 in more offshore conditions. "It's been a superb reality check both day and night with a good mix of conditions," said Lewander. "This is the first and last time we'll be able to do a trip in this way, and we are very fortunate to be able to fit this into the program. It feels good to have qualified for the Volvo Ocean Race, and while we have some work to do I'm real happy with the boat's and crew's performance." Ericsson Racing Team is pleased to announce that Guy Salter of Great Britain will be the media crewmember for Grael's International crew. The media crewmember is a new feature of the Volvo Race, with each boat required to carry one crewmember whose time is devoted to chronicling life aboard a Volvo Open 70 and relaying all the information - text, pictures, audio and video - to the race office while at sea. "It's good to have filled the role, especially with such a good sailor as Guy, who also has great media skills," said Grael. "Guy has a good relationship with all of the crew and I think that this going to work very well - both for us as a team and the race as a whole." Salter, 36, is a previous Volvo Ocean Race participant and brother of Jules Salter, the navigator for Grael's crew. Due to his experience, Guy Salter, who has a degree in film and photography, understands the task ahead of him. "I think it going to be tough, but here I am doing it again," Guy Salter said. "The media job is going to be interesting, but it is not necessarily going to be easy." With the sporting side of the campaign on schedule, the management of Ericsson Racing Team is satisfied that Sales & Marketing and Communications preparations also are on schedule. In each stopover selected customers are being invited to tailor-made programs, including seminars and technology demonstrations in the state-of-art Ericsson Pavilion. The pavilion will host thousands of visitors at meetings currently scheduled across the stopovers. An internal communication program targeting Ericsson's 77,000 employees is being activated, as well as an external communication program. "The Ericsson Market Units, especially the stopover markets, have been very proactive in ensuring that they take full advantage of this event at each of the stopover ports," Brisius said. "The experience from our participation in the previous race has been invaluable when planning for this coming one."

In just over seven weeks we have travelled more than 1500 km with our amphibious rowboats from the northern tip of Scotland to the south of England. We have travelled on canals, lakes, shorelines, inlets, rivers and roads. From here we will continue across the English Channel, up the Rhine watershed, and then down the Danube River to the Black Sea. Check out a great slideshow at: http://www.angusadventures.com/gallery/9/slideshow.htm?1

Thursday, April 17 - Miami After the conquest of very stressful Olympic selections, the athletes of Team Helly Hansen Diego Negri and Luigi Viale confirmed to be among the top world sailors gaining a striking silver medal at the World Championship of Star Class in Miami. Miami have demonstrated, even on this occasion, to be the capital of the queen of Olympic classes offering six exciting races run with wind that blew from seven to over thirty knots of the fourth race when six boats broke their masts and one was almost sunk. -I have to pinch my face to understand if it is a dream!- Luigi tells us after the last race -Three weeks ago we won the qualification for my first participation of the Olympic Games, today the conquest of a silver medal in a World Cup run in really hard weather conditions. We were really fast. We started with two thirds placing and we held on to even after the twenty-fifth placing in the third race so after the fourth one we jumped in head of the provisional standing. The Polish was in very fine form in fact he won the first two races in a World series with 104 boats among which all the latest winners.- Our team started the last race in the second position, determined to try to win the gold medal. -We had eight points to gain to Kusznierewicz and 12 ones less of the Brazilian Scheidt, we had to try to win!- Diego Negri says -We started with very little wind but in head of the fleet. We were focused for the entire first upwind and only when we turned the first mark we saw a couple of positions behind us the Brazilian team. At that point we had to accept the verdict, especially as the wind blew up to twenty knots^ we stopped our attacks because Scheidt had already recovered half of disadvantage. So we raced in control closing in sixth placing, a position behind the new world champion!- Diego demonstrates his experience about Olympic Games, Beijing will be the third edition which he will participate and its determination proves it: half an hour after the conquest of its best placement in this class, he is already thinking about the continuation of his training programmes -Next week we will be in Gaeta with the new boat and then again in Sanremo for ten days of speed tests with Scheidt and Kusznierewicz, just the podium of this world championship. We have a new boat to develop and Beijing is close, we can not stop now!- The now 37-year-old Diego Negri keeps to saying -This was the best birthday present, I couldn't have asked for better.- The first time that Negri and Viale sailed together was in the 2006 European Star Championships where they came in fourth. Their boat was old and literally taped together and they said they actually had to call some friends to figure out the rigging. That's when they decided to name their boat "Lady Mianda", Mianda, which literally means old underwear, but in their Ligurian dialect means old sails or not very good sails. Negri has been to the Olympics twice for Lasers and was at one time ranked 4th in the world. He decided to switch to Stars when he wasn't having fun anymore. -Racing Stars was like going home for me,- he said. -At our first competition I saw Hamish Pepper, Robert Scheidt, Mark Mendelblatt, guys I used to race against in Laser.-

WELCHES, Oregon (April 8, 2008) - The wait is over! It's been two months since Nimbus Independent premiered their first installment of a five part webisode series titled, "Hunting Yeti". Now on April 15th, the Nimbus crew delivers another stellar episode of documented ski culture and filmmaking. Witness the crew of Pep Fujas, Chris Benchetler, Andy Mahre, Ike Smith, Justin Wiegand, Eric Pollard, Christian Sirianni, and Shin Campos as they hit the backcountry slopes around Whistler, BC, Sonora, CA and Cooke City, MT. The second webisode takes you more behind the scenes with injuries, travel challenges, down days, herding Bison and the crew's snowmobiling skills, while maintaining the same signature vibe only Pollard edits bring. Also returning are some original music tracks from H-Mob Productions, the group that brought you the original soundtrack to the debut film "IDEA". Nimbus, along with Rip.Tv and its partners, is building a new model for filmmaking and what it means for audiences, athletes and sponsors through exclusive online distribution. "Hunting Yeti", presented by K2 Skis, is streamed using the Rip.Tv media player on our supporting partner websites: K2 Skis, Evogear, Helly Hansen, Oakley, Tecnica, Marker, Dragon, Dakine, Atomic, Line, Bern, VAS Entertainment, Freeskier, Fri Flyt, Transition, Fall Line Skiing, Skieur, Freeskiers.net, Raiders.ch, Skizofrenia, Chill Factor, Poor Boyz Productions, and Rip.Tv. Three versions of "Hunting Yeti" webisode two are available for viewing. Streamed versions on the partner sites consist of two segments at 13 and 16 minutes, with a third full-length 35-minute download version available for computers and iPods. You can find it all on the producer's page at http://www.rip.tv/nimbusindependent. "Hunting Yeti" is presented by K2 Skis and produced by Nimbus Independent in association with Poor Boyz Productions. Nimbus is producing five webisodes premiering on the 15th of February, April, August, and October. Check out the final cut of "Hunting Yeti - The Film" in early September on DVD or on tour in a city near you.

Røldal Freeride Challeng (RFC) has developed into the most important Freeride competition for skiing north of the Alps. It's also looked upon as the unofficial Norwegian Championship within sport. This year will be held for the 8th year in a row, and it is hosted on May 1st to the 4th. RFC is the last qualifying competition to the World Tour - Freeride World Qualifying Series. This means that there will be 22 international talented riders coming to RFC to compete. The top 4 in RFC gets to ride in the world tour 2009. This means that more and more international riders have heard about RFC and wants to come to Norway to compete. To add to this, RFC is the final competition in Norway Freeride Cup (NFC - www.norwayfreeridecup.no ). In other words RFC will be the deciding competition of who are the best free riders in Norway in 2008.The other competitions in Norway has been held in Lofoten, Hemsedal and Sauda the past few weeks. Check it out http://www.roldalfreeride.com/ and good luck to all HH troopers that will participate in this event / Tor Eivind Lindstad Anders Ekkje Slettebo Didrik Falck-Pedersen Haavard Aanesen Hans Gunleiksrud Johanna Erikson Gina Tangen Camilla Ringvold