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How amazing was last year's snow fall over this year's? 
We know that the West has been suffering through a lack luster ski/ride season so far. How bad has it been - check it out. Basically, the places to be are in Canada and Montana. Ironically, it is our local resorts that are enjoying the best snow in California. Don't make excuses, head on up and make some turns. You never know when Mother Nature might change her mind and dump on us. It is better to have a few days on the plank(s) before hittin' the pow. We are jus' sayin'! (Image: Andrew Torlincasi)
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My buddy John Baccobo sent me this. I think there are some great take-aways for everybody regardless of your fitness goals. Happy New Year everyone. You are ready to get healthy for the new year, you join the gym that offers you a great deal, you are pumped and ready to go! Your first few workouts will probably leave you a little sore as your body adapts to the new workouts. Your taste-buds start changing from sugary, processed foods to healthier alternatives that support your health. But what happens after 2 weeks? You generally don't see the results you want, you get bored with the same routine and little by little the momentum you had at the beginning of the year fizzles out faster than a can a soda left in the fridge. Why does this happen? And trust me, it happens each and every year...
3 ways to make your New Years Resolutions work for you
Start with a realistic goal: Most people that want to either lose weight, get stronger, leaner...whatever it may be, starts with setting a realistic goal. Whether it is to lose 20lbs, lower your blood pressure, run a mile or do 20 pushups, the most effective method to attain a goal is to first identify what you want. Once you have a goal in mind and you are ready to go, be prepared to set out a realistic time frame to achieve your goals. For example: If your goal is to lose 20lbs and keep it off, you have to allow enough time for your body to adapt to the stimulus (workouts, meal plans, etc.).
If you don't see a 20lbs weight loss in the first week or two, don't give up! --If you were driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and planned to make it in 3 hours, but after 3 hours you still have an hour to go, would you just stop and turn around? No! You would keep going to reach your destination. Working out is very similar, if you don't see the results right away don't be discouraged and quit. Take a closer look at what you are currently doing and see what needs to be done to improve your situation.
Get evaluated:
Getting a proper evaluation from a fitness/health professional will help to eliminate the guesswork out of your training program. Don't think that following a workout program written in a magazine is going to get YOU there. Those workout programs, while most are very good and add some variety to your workouts, are written for the general population and not SPECIFICALLY for you. You need to see what is going to work for you and what isn't. One way to accomplish that is through a personal health/fitness evaluation that identifies your workout history, current or past injuries, postural alignment, etc. For example: if your job requires you to sit for more than 3-4 hours a day, then using exercise machines that have you sit down, would NOT be recommended. Each person has unique and specific needs and limitations that must be addressed before just jumping into your workout. Without the personal health/fitness evaluation, there is high probability you could be doing something without proper form, technique and frequency that could put you on the injured list.
Be accountable:
I'm not going to beat around the bush. If you want to improve your health and fitness this year, it requires work and commitment. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Professional athletes, corporate executives, coaches all have one thing in common. They have someone that holds them accountable for what they set out to do. It is human nature to be comfortable. However, your comfort zone is part of the reason why your health and fitness level need to be improved. Working out with a partner, friend, co-worker, personal trainer or group and setting time in your schedule to consistently repeat this action will help keep you accountable for the goals that you have set. Expanding your comfort zone with the help of others that can guide you through the pitfalls that come along the journey to a healthier and leaner you, will help insure you get what you set out to accomplish.
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 2011 has been an amazing year. As we start to wrap it up, we at SCOA are reflective. The adventures, photos and videos posted on SCOA have been some of the best EVER. It is time to acknowledge some of the awesomeness.
At the same time, we feel very fortunate to be able to adventure. Not everyone in SoCal has been as fortunate. Let's celebrate the awesomeness and give back at the same time. From now until the end of 2011 we will have a photo and video contest. Here is how it works: find your best photo or video and post it to My Apps> Photos Be sure to TAG your photo "SCOA BEST of 2011" My Apps> Tags When you post, include some background on the photo. Where were you? How did you get there? Photos will be judged not only their artistic merit but also by the write up. So put some thought into the whole process. Photos will be judged by SCOA members online and the best photo will win a bike trainer about a $400 value. You can submit videos into the contest as well. You will need to submit them to My Apps> Member Vids Be sure to TAG your video "SCOA BEST of 2011" My Apps> Tags You must own the content and have all the rights to it. Along the way, SCOA judges will ID photos for the SCOA 2011 Best of Photo Album. The best of photos will be put in a coffee table book and sold online. All of the profit will be donated to a SoCal non-profit designed to get kids outdoors. Similarly the videos will be compiled into a DVD and sold online. So what are you waiting for - git on it! 
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SCOA "Give Back" Urban High Tech Adventure Scavenger Hunt
As it stands now:
everyone registered in the SCOA "Give Back" Urban High Tech Adventure Scavenger Hunt will take something home! We at SCOA couldn't be more happy to be giving this gear away. The system is designed to handle over 1000 participants so if you want in there is still time!
Game Day Logistics:
If you have RSVP'd, and sent in your team's test photo already, all you have to do is show up, Sunday 13 Nov before 10 AM at Pasadena's Central Park with your phone on. While it is a big park :-), SCOA judges will be in the middle of the park. If you want to ask questions - be there before 10AM and ask.
1st - take a picture of you and your team in Central Park. This is the photo SCOA judges will use to ID your team throughout the event.
Promptly at 10AM the questions will be emailed to all participants that have RSVP'd at http://www.scoaoutdoors.net/event.php?event_id=9738. Even if you do not have an Internet enabled mobile device, RSVP! Only participants that have RSVP are eligible to win prizes. RSVP already!
Next figure out the answer for each question. When you have, position your team for a photo. Everyone in your team MUST be visible in the photo for the photo to count. Answer all the questions correctly and be the fastest team - you get to pick your prize first. We will go down the line until the prizes are gone or every team has chosen a prize!
IN EACH PHOTO INCLUDE include: In the subject line put "Team Name_of_your_Team." In the body of the email put "Answer_X" where "X" is the scavenger hint question you are answering. Send the photo as big as you can stand - the server will shrink it down.
Bonus Photo Contest:
On 18 November - 7PM PST - SCOA will announce the best picture award. The winner will receive a mystery prize! So - everyone participating needs to be taking pictures. If you don't have time during the race or you do not have an Internet enabled mobile device - no problem! You can upload your photos AFTER the race!
If you have more questions, now is the time to ask them. We will have a few SCOA staff online this afternoon and evening. Race day is gonna be busy - do it now and avoid the rush!
GOOD LUCK
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Did ya see the snow on Friday? It was there for a minute. Is it possible to both "hate" and "love" the weather. We took a pass on Kernville Saturday and are eyeing Mt. Wilson's mountain bike ride Sunday with apprehension but Mammoth Mountain opens in a few days. . . Only in So.Cal - eh? 
Weekend Update
SCOA Massive!
Did ya see the snow on Friday? It was there for a minute. Is it possible to both "hate" and "love" the weather. We took a pass on Kernville Saturday and are eyeing Mt. Wilson's mountain bike ride Sunday with apprehension but Mammoth Mountain opens in a few days. . . Only in So.Cal - eh?
Here is a sample question for next Sunday's Scavenger Hunt:
"This person had a square named after him in the Art's District. He was an arts district pioneer and activist."
You and your teammates would run around the Art's District or leverage your online friends to figure out who it is. You do have a smart phone don't you? Then you would assemble your team and take a picture with all team members in front of this picture. You would then email this picture to: 9738@scoaoutdoors.net. How simple is that? Still, we reccommend you send in a practice photo BEFORE the event.
In order to count, your whole team needs to be in the photo. Composition, aesthetics, clarity everything counts! Take your best photo.
We received a few emails from would-be-competitiors. Should woulda counda's - look it is happening Sunday. If you register and come prepared there is a good chance you and your group are gonna walk away with some loot. It all has to go so come with your game face on!
Anyone want to hit up Mammy on the 10th?
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As promised, the SCOA "Give Back" Urban High Tech Adventure Scavenger Hunt is posted and everything must go! Jackets, shirts, some pants, fluid containers, some nik naks and maybe a bicycle trainer. We are still working on the trainer. The rest is here and ready to go. Are you RSVP'd and ready to go?  Scavenger Hunt with prizes!As promised, the SCOA "Give Back" Urban High Tech Adventure Scavenger Hunt is posted and everything must go! Jackets, shirts, some pants, fluid containers, some nik naks and maybe a bicycle trainer. We are still working on the trainer. The rest is here and ready to go. Are you RSVP'd and ready to go? It is going to be a fun event! I have personally done it twice and had a blast both times. Even if you were born and raised in LA, trust me there will be parts of the route you have never seen! And if you like to eat and drink, there will be plenty of stops along the way. Registration is open, the instructions are posted and we recommend you give it a try BEFORE the event. While the process isn't hard it must be followed exactly. You can Register, RSVP and send in a sample photo from the UK, Norway, England or your office desk - check it out: Click here to go to the event. Do you see your name on the list of Guests? Make sure there word 'Attending' is below your name on the guest list. Once it is, fire up your camera phone/web enabled camera/video device and take a photo outside. Could be of anything but have fun make it compelling it will help psych out the competition. When going outside, ensure you have cell phone coverage. Email your photo to: 9738@scoaoutdoors.net. In the subject line put "Team Name_of_your_Team." In the body of the email put "Answer_X" where "X" is the scavenger hint question you are answering. Send the photo as big as you can stand - the server will shrink it down. Give it 4-9 minutes and go to the site. If you did everything right your photo will look like this: Sample Photo. If your photo hasn't shown up after 15 minutes - you did something wrong. More than likely, you sent the photo using an email address that you didn't register with OR you sent it to the wrong email address. While this process isn't hard, we urge you to try it out a few days before the event. SCOA UK represent: Tim and Byrony I am counting on you! More as it happens! Main Event!  Event - 2 Nov A unique, one-of-a kind urban adventure that brings together technology, trivia, scavenger hunting, and team adventure. With clues in hand, teams navigate the urban jungle, scouring the city to find secret locations by foot or public transportation. Teams that make it to the most locations (with pictures to prove it) in the shortest period of time win!
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While the year isn’t over – heck summer isn’t over – we at SCOA have been reflecting. What an amazing year 2011 has been so far! SCOA is still clipping along at over 140,000 page views per month. SCOA on Meetup broke the 2000 member mark and MTBOutdoors.com should break 1000 members by years end! While the year isn’nnt over – heck summer isn’t over – we at SCOA have been reflecting. What an amazing year 2011 has been so far! SCOA is still clipping along at over 140,000 page views per month. SCOA on Meetup broke the 2000 member mark and MTBOutdoors.com should break 1000 members by years end SCOA Massive!While the year isn’t over – heck summer isn’t over – we at SCOA have been reflecting. What an amazing year 2011 has been so far! SCOA is still clipping along at over 140,000 page views per month. SCOA on Meetup broke the 2000 member mark and MTBOutdoors.com should break 1000 members by years end. Sponsorship hit a new high this year too: Columbia Clothing, Milk, Mountain High, Mountain River Adventures, CamelBak and The Rock Gym and SureFoot to name a few. My office is loaded with loot! Hmmm what to do with it? In light of our amazing circumstances, we at SCOA want to give back to you the member. After all you are the reason we do this! Are you adventurers interested in a free event and some giveaways? EVENT Announcement! On 13 November, join SCOA on our amazing SCOA SCAVENGER hunt. A unique, one-of-a kind urban adventure that brings together technology, trivia, scavenger hunting, and team adventure. With clues in hand, teams navigate the urban jungle, scouring the city to find secret locations by foot or public transportation. Teams that make it to the most locations (with pictures to prove it) in the shortest period of time win! The event is absolutely free to SCOA members to enter. You will be responsible for an all day Metro Rail Pass (~$6.00). All you have to do is register on SCOAOutdoors.net – which is free - and follow a few steps to RSVP to the event. We are going Green this time – no paper. That means, you will need to have a camera phone with a data plan to upload your photos/videos. No camera phone – no problem. You can participate anyway but you will not be eligible to win any prizes. We have box full of Columbia garments. A few of the jackets have $300+ price tags on them! We have 2 CamelBak Groove Bottles, a Milk handbag and a few other nit noids. They all gotta go but you have to enter to play. Be sure to save the date 13 November starting at 10AM rain or shine! We have a few other events that will take place on-line invlovling best photo/video of 2011 and the best adventure of 2011. Best of all anyone can enter because it will all be online! This is all a way SCOA can say thanks to it's members! Thank you SCOA Adventurers!
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October weather rarely disappoints. While it is in the 80's in SoCal with Tour de Fats and major sections of LA opening up to bicycles for the day, it snowed in the mountains. People are sneaking in early Pow Pow and epic mountain biking at the same time. Aren't you glad that you don't live in Ohio or Michigan? 
October Weather People!October weather rarely disappoints. While it is in the 80's in SoCal with Tour de Fats and major sections of LA opening up to bicycles for the day, it snowed in the mountains. People are sneaking in early Pow Pow and epic mountain biking at the same time. Aren't you glad that you don't live in Ohio or Michigan? Check out the dispatch from the Tetons for your fix of pre-season pow pow. For those with an appreciate for art, feast your eyes on the ESPN's 2011 Body Issue. There is still room on the boat Saturday to dive the HMS Yukon - 3 tanker. Of course Friday, our friends at Arbor are holding a viewing of Ransak Rebellion. Did someone say free beer for those legal to drink it? Westside represent - enjoy the week folks! Upcoming Events Event - 07 Oct Arbor Venice is proud to bring what may be the only snowboard movie premiers in the South Bay area. Check out all the details on the flyer below and don’t miss out on all the fun on Friday October 14th at Arbor Venice.  Event - 07 Oct This will be a three-tank local trip aboard a solid charter boat. If you don't have a buddy you may team up with another single on the boat. The boat provides tanks and weights. (Nitrox for an extra charge.) You provide all other gear. The boat also provides food and drinks between dives.  BLOG - 10 Oct Recently ESPN Magazine put out the 2011 Body Issue. If you appreciate athleticism and the individuals that comprise the term, you will thoroughly enjoy the photo spread.
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 Hey SCOA! How was the weekend? If we based it on the Internet postings we saw by all accounts this last weekend at Mammoth was amazing - and without the gondola no doubt. We saw some sweet photos from Lone Pine as well - 395 was where it was at - eh? We have received a couple of personal emails from SCOA members - please feel free to post away on SCOA - as much as you want. The only caveat is that it needs to be exclusive to SCOA. Yeah we know you organizers are out there posting on all the adventure sites and we aren't mad at you. It's nothing but love to get the same postings from all the different groups. But not at SOCA. Oh very cool Tour de Fat from our friends at New Belguim Brewing. Saturday people check it out. Finally, it is time to get out your ski and board gear. Does it need a tune up? Maybe a base repair. You might as well avoid the rush and get it now as 10 November - Mammoth Opening Day will be here before you know it! Upcoming Events  Event Yes folks, the Tour de Fat will once again be meandering and pandering through LA spreading the good word about the positive societal offerings of the bicycle. Along with our exceptional ability to roust LA's inner-cyclist, in 2011 we hope to drive our message even deeper by bringing you the big... <!-- END DESCRIPTION -->  BLOG - 03 Oct MTBR is running a review of Club Ride Apparel's new line up for 2012. According to the reviewer, "Most of their models utilize a hidden full front zipper, with an overlap flap that closes with snaps, for a nice utilitarian usage. They predominantly use...  BLOG - 03 Oct Bryce Phillips 5k line from NIMBUS INDEPENDENT . Skier Bryce Phillips shows us the big lines, you know "the lines that don't make it [into the movie]". The lines are super steep and the consequences dire. Here is a behind the...
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