This time of year the ski shops are getting fresh shipments, ski films are premiering last year’s best turns and resorts like Wolf Creek (Colorado’s first open this year) are getting three-foot dumps of early-season powder. Preseason angst gets skiers fired up year after year.

But isn’t it great to know skiers have been looking forward to the same things for years and years? Check out this amazing video from 1974. Deep powder on skinny skis. Chances are, these guys were sipping malty beers in October, yakking about the turns they’d take in the upcoming season. Some things never change.

Keynote speakers included Don Sharf and Doug Richmond. Admission was only $15, and The Great Northern Brewing Company hosted the after party. Not bad way to spend a Saturday learning skills that just might save your life.

[Via: NBC Montana]

[Photo via: Flickr]

So drink up, boys, and don’t worry about that middle. Because there’s an undergarment for that.

[Via: the Telegraph]

[Image via: Flickr]

I took a look at what was available and wasn’t that impressed with whats out there. From there I decided to go a little wild while making a completely functional daily use delivery bike capable of carrying 200lbs of cargo in the front plus rider weight in the back. We’re using a 36″ wheel in the back mated to twin 26″ in the front. Braking will be controlled by dual 185mm disc brakes in front, for the first trike we’re keeping it a single speed but will most likely use a NuVinci continuously variable hub in the back. As one of the owners of Panda Bicycles where I helped get the company off the ground building frames in my 2-stall garage, and the owner of Loading Dock Designs where we build high end steel and recycled wood furniture we had all the tools and skills to hit the ground running.

Though it’s still in the early stages of production, we’re stoked to see the keg trike in action!

We’ve all car camped, and we’ve all enjoyed, or at least drank enough booze to think we did. But the more you car camp, the more you realize that it’s not that great. The car has a tendency to act like a magnet and when it rains or gets hairy we naturally hunker down in the upholstered metal trap and miss the shitty circumstances that we love sharing about our last backpacking trip. Well, what if the car wasn’t there? Bicycle travel is becoming more viable. Bikes are more comfortable, drivers are becoming more aware of cyclists, microbrews are available in lightweight cans (hell, whiskey too?) and thanks to Cycle Wild, planning a camping trip on your bike just became a lot easier. The organization created a map of campsites within the Portland Rideshed, meaning each location is within a summer day’s ride. Once you see the map, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t thought of how easy riding to a campground could be, because there’s 150+ of them within reach.

Sure, there isn’t cargo room like your parents’ wood paneled station wagon so you’ll have to leave the beer bong at home, but Guenter, a German cyclist I met on my bike tour this summer, reminded me of a good point. “At the end of the day, you are tired and you need only one beer, OK… or two.”

It’s 2011, the beginning of a new year and a new decade (A.D. time started at year one, which means this is the official start of the new decade). And even though you probably had your fill of beer, champagne, what-have-you last night, we raise our proverbial glass to you and hope you have an awesome new year. So sit back, think about those resolutions, and prepare to take a visual journey through Toasts, ‘Round the World.

If you like our ‘Round the World series, you might enjoy some of the previous themes: santa, trees, ice, rainy snowy rides, caterpillars, turkey, fog, autumn, costumes, coffee, waterfalls, mushrooms, lighthouses, snowboarding, rest, yoga, treehouses, campsites, barbecues, scuba diving, sailing, slacklining, spelunking, trekking, water skiing, mountain biking, sand, gliding, kayaking, climbing, buses, skateboarding, surfin’, doorways, hats, boating, gas stations, bicycles, windows, truckin’, glasses, mohawks, beer, authorities, fanny packs, Jesus, swimming, sweaters, mustaches, stairs, chess, foods, silhouettes, donkeys, outhouses, and cemeteries.

Click on the thumbnails to view the images. If you’d like to see more work by any of the photographers featured here then follow the link that appears below each photo.

Enjoy.

This deer, who apparently lives at a resort in China, loves beer. Resort staff discovered the doe’s strange taste when a waitress passed a half empty bottle of beer to the animal as a joke. Apparently it gulped it down in just one sip.

When you watch the above video you’ll agree with Wend Editorial Director Kyle Cassidy’s statement: “He doesn’t just lap it up, he chugs it down.”

[Via: Huffington Post]

To enter, all you have to do is describe your dream bike ride over at the Pyramid website. That’s it. Plus you have a chance of getting the second place prize–a custom steel frame bike from Seven and a messenger bag.

New Belgium Brewery has a contest for aspiring filmmakers, activists, aspiring actors and actresses and all creative souls, so listen up: If you are over 21 years of age and reside in the U.S., submit a video anywhere from 10 seconds to 10 minutes in length on any subject in any genre. Just include one or more of New Belgium’s three main follies: craft beer, sustainability and whimsy. Filmmakers must secure rights to all theatrical performances, music and locations for each submission. Oh, and keep it clean.

If your submission is among the best of the best it will be complied into a feature-length film that will visit 14 hip U.S. cities on the Clips of Faith Beer & Film tour.

And, to sweeten the brew, New Belgium will reward the top three filmmakers with a trip to New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado for a private screening and beer dinner extraordinaire. Get your camera rolling, then click here to submit!

[Via: New Belgium Brewery]

[Photo Via: New Belgium Brewery]

From the study:

Water consumption had no effect on human attractiveness to An. gambiae mosquitoes, but beer consumption increased volunteer attractiveness. Body odours of volunteers who consumed beer increased mosquito activation (proportion of mosquitoes engaging in take-off and up-wind flight) and orientation (proportion of mosquitoes flying towards volunteers’ odours). The level of exhaled carbon dioxide and body temperature had no effect on human attractiveness to mosquitoes. Despite individual volunteer variation, beer consumption consistently increased attractiveness to mosquitoes.

It might be wise to stay away from beer while in the great outdoors if you don’t want to brave the bites of incessant mosquitoes. However, is it really worth chucking the beer in lieu of saving yourself some scratching? We think not. Outdoor beer drinkers, unite. Hungry mosquitoes, bring it on.

[Via: Body in Mind]

Click here to view the embedded video.

While out enjoying the sixty degree weather at the coast last week, I wandered out onto Cape Kiwanda to visit a good napping spot of mine. When I arrived, it was covered in trash. Too many times I’ve let myself walk away, disappointed by the disrespect shown by others, so instead I decided to become proactive and clean up my beloved little nook on the coast.

Follow me on Twitter @lostcascadia

In the 1995 comedy Canadian Bacon (written and directed by filmmaker Michael Moore), Niagara Fall Sheriff Bud B. Boomer (John Candy), frustrates fans at a Canadian hockey game by refusing to sing the country’s National Anthem. But it isn’t until he takes a sip of Canadian beer and exclaims, ‘Man, this beer sucks!” that the fans break into a riot.

Beer, delicious beer, can be found all over this wide world of ours. In Kyrgyzstan you can order a Baater beer, which means ‘beer of the brave’. In Tanzania you can sip on Serengeti Lager. In Peru you can drink Pilsen Callao. Regardless of how far you wander when you finally sit down to rest odds are that you will be able to find a beer to wash the dust from your mouth.

So loosen your belt and pop open a cold one, because this week we are taking you on a visual journey of Beer, ‘Round the World.

If you like our ‘Round the World series, you might enjoy some of the previous themes: authorities, fanny packs, dogs, Jesus, swimming, sweaters, mustaches, stairs, chess, foods, silhouettes, outhouses, cemeteries and donkeys.

Click on the thumbnails to view the images. If you’d like to see more work by any of the photographers featured here then follow the link that appears below each photo.

Enjoy.

Follow me on Twitter @Kyle_Cassidy

Tucked deep in the woods of the misty mountainsides there hides a brewery of legend and lore. Here, Sassy the Sustainable Sasquatch mixes and mashes hops, malts and grains in an array of beers that eventually find their way into microbreweries. The following are Sassy’s most prolific contributions to brew culture.

Sasquatch Stout – Old Yale: With all the abandoned chocolate bars Sassy’s found along trails, he’s developed a bit of a sweet tooth that shows in this stout. A strong chocolate taste is enriched with a slightly bitter hint of coffee that makes this brew a good match for a cold night.

Bigfoot Barelywine – Sierra Nevada: The Bigfoot has a strong malt body and a floral taste reminiscent of a sweet wine. Characteristic of barleywines, this brew has a 9.6% abv. that will have you sitting at the bar with your back slumped like Sassy in no time.

Yeti Imperial Stout – Great Divide: This brew will put some hair on your chest… and maybe the rest of your body. Dark roasted malts give this stout a color as dark as the woods where Sassy lives and a 9.5% abv. to match. Don’t get lost out there.

Skookum Creek Strong Ale – Cascade Lakes: A seasonal release from Cascade Lakes, this brew is a mash of Sassy’s favorite Pacific Northwest bounty. Combining seven malt selections and four hop varieties, this strong ale is has a rich complexion of herbal goodness.

Wild Duck Sasquatch Strong Ale: While the original concoction created by the late Wild Duck brewmaster Glen “Sasquatch” Falconer has been retired, every year several breweries such as Ninkasi and Hopworks brew their own spin on the classic for the Sasquatch Brewfest as an ode to one of Oregon’s most beloved brewers… and legend.

If you haven’t seen the inaugural summit of Skiing Cascadia, which went down a week ago, then you need to check it out. Matt Bedrin is pursuing his dream to ski all 40 of Cascadia’s tallest volcanoes in one year, but he and the snow need your help. On February 20th, Skiing Cascadia is throwing down a fundraiser at the Green Drop Garage where pints of Hopworks will flow like glacial streams, live music will rock like thunder and swag will be given away like candy.

Follow me on Twitter @lostcascadia

If you’ve given blood before, you probably received a measly old chocolate chip cookie in return for voluntarily allowing a large needle to draw a pint of blood from your arm. Shouldn’t you be treated better for your good Samaritan ways?

Tacoma-based Cascade Regional Blood Services thinks so. The blood center has established a “Pint-for-Pint Blood Drive,” meaning donors receive a frosty mug of life’s intoxicating nectar when they donate 16 ounces of blood. Cascade runs it’s beer blood drive every couple months, and has proved successful for both the donation bank and participating pubs.

In order to ensure the donors’ safety, the coupon may not be used within six hours of having blood drawn. Unfortunately, it also appears as though the offer is only good for one beer, so don’t attempt to donate eight pints of bloods in return for an equal amount of beer.

If you’re in the Tacoma area and could use a beer, coupled with a clear conscious, the next blood drive will be at Jimmy Mac’s Roadhouse on January 22, from 11am-1pm. Twenty-one and older only. All others will receive a cookie.

[Via: The News Tribune]

Follow me on Twitter @lostcascadia

On a blustery New Years Eve, 30 Leeds University students and faculty became snowed in at England’s highest pub, the Tan Hill Inn. Unable to leave due to road conditions, the partygoers did the only thing they could; drink. According to students and the inn’s assistant manager, spirits remained high.

Finally, on the third morning of the New Year, snow plows and gritters reached the Tan Hill Inn, and according to the Guardian, just in the nick of time:

Supplies of draught beer were down to Black Sheep’s Riggwelter as the group from Leeds University cross country club consoled themselves amid 7ft drifts.

While the NYE party at the Tan Hill Inn is now over, John and Kay Ure of Scotland are still waiting to share Christmas dinner after Kay was caught in a snowstorm on a trip to buy groceries and stranded in a friend’s caravan, unable to return to the couple’s remote lighthouse home.

[via: Guardian]

What’s better than fishing from an ice hole? Fishing from an ice hole in an igloo. And what’s even better than that? The fact that beer always stays crisp and cold in an igloo, so the mountains will always remain blue (actually more of a a periwinkle) on your Coors Light can. Since igloos come in all shapes, sizes and even colors, here’s a gallery of some of our favorites. Click on the caption for more shots of each igloo.

Beer and climbing… climbing and beer. For a lot of climbers, the two go hand-in-hand. So, in a show of love, I wanted to shoot a photo that incorporates both in a way that hadn’t been done before. I was living in Eugene at the time, and from the local crag you could see the turquoise grain silo at Ninkasi Brewery. I had my sights set. With the help of my buddy Matt Frick, AKA “Darth Aider,” and the generous support of Ninkasi, it all fell into place.

From Ananova:

The Starkenber Beer Myth resort located in and around the medieval castle of Starkenberger in Austria’s Tyrol region has filled seven 13ft long pools with the beer.

The management claims that beer baths heal various skin diseases. However, some guests are said to have enjoyed drinking their favourite brew while swimming in the pools.

Manager Markus Amann, 23, said: “I would rather swim than swallow, as we serve enough of a cold, fresh tapped beer on the bars next to the pools.”

[Via: Ananova]

Two hundred yards from the Canadian border, four cyclists stand with their thumbs sticking up in the parking lot of a duty free store. They’d just been turned down by the border patrol for attempting to cycle across and are now hoping to hitch hike into the Great White North. Cars roll past the desolate duty free, paying no heed to the cyclists. Then Ronnie LaDuke, along with his golden retriever, whom are on their way to Retriever Field Nationals, graciously packs his truck with the four bikers and all their gear and shuttle them across the border.

 Hitch hiking across the border is only one of many endeavors the Bike and Brew Tour cyclists have endured. As rain rolls down the windows of the Deschutes Brewery in Portland, Tracy Montigny and Caroline Renkin share tales of their whimsical cross-country brewery tour. “Our mission is to create awareness of good beer by bike… and blog” says Montigny. Their goal has led the two, along with Sara Morrisson and Anders Scholl, on a snake route across the states, with a brief stint in Canada. Beginning in Brooklyn, the crew headed northeast to southern Maine and looped back down, beginning the westward ho.

 Their route, which they planned using Beermapping.com, is the only premeditated logistic of the trip. Each day carries uncertainty of where they’ll stay and sleep. “A lot of the time we’ll be drinking at a pub, conversing with people and they’ll invite us to stay in their backyard or on their couch.” Renkin says. But finding a place to lay their head at night is wearisome at times. “Sometimes it’s really tough to be social at the end of a long day riding,” Montigny says. Regardless, they’ve been fortunate finding shelter in the oddest of ways.

 “One day we rode eighteen miles in the wrong direction and ended up where we began,” Montigny recalls. In Holland, Michigan, the crew finds an appealing bike path leading out of town and decides to follow it. Eighteen miles later a water tower reading “Holland” comes into sight. “Then it dawned on us,” says Montigny. “We were back where we started.” Already physically exhausted, now the cyclists are emotionally drained… “Except Anders.” Renkin declares. Tired and discouraged, the crew once again crosses paths with man and his dog. Mr. Bolt inquires about the group’s disposition and offers them a ride in his Tahoe. Since only three riders and their bikes fit into the vehicle, Anders volunteers to pedal the rest of the seventeen miles to Grand Haven. Along the way, Mr. Bolt shares stories of his son, Andy, who has biking adventures of his own. Fast forward a month and the four cyclists are crashing at Andy Bolt’s house in Elkton, Oregon. That’s the way things have been falling in place for the tour.

 Now in Portland, the Bike and Brew Tour is only a short distance from their final destination in Seattle. But the show may go on. From Seattle, Tracy and Caroline will be heading south to Australia and New Zealand. There, if they can get their hands on a couple bikes, they hope to set off on a Bike and Brew Tour Down Under.

We already posted a whole gallery of pics of the Hopworks Bike Bar, but it’s such a cool (and local!) contraption that we had to share this video with you as well. A little interview with Hopworks Urban Brewery’s Chris Ettinger to learn more about the bike… because who doesn’t love cycles and beer?

Thanks to Taplister for putting the vid together!

Come drink free beer and get stoked on 350.org tomorrow night with the River of Action crew at Keen HQ.

What: River of Action Pre-Party. Come watch a film on exploratory kayaking, learn about the paddlesports action for October 24th and drink free beer. Most importantly though — BYOC. That’s right, Bring Your Own Cup, because serving up beer in disposable cups isn’t the most environmentally friendly option.

Where: Keen Footwear, 926 NW 13th Ave # 210

When: Thursday October 15, 2009 @ 7pm

Full poster for River of Action can be viewed here.

Here at Wend we’ve known for a long time that there’s no better combination than beer and bikes, so it makes total sense to combine the two into one sustainable and fun contraption. Enter the new Hopworksfiets, a Portland built cargo bike that holds two kegs below an inlaid wood bar, being unveiled this Saturday at Biktobeerfest.

The cargo bike not only has a bar, but the rear rack is built to hold pizzas and on the back wheel is a wood-paneled pannier that holds a sound system. The bike was built by Metrofiets for local brewery Hopworks Urban Brewing. The mobile party is entirely human powered, and if you think that’s not enough, this weekend the bike will be serving Bike Beer, specially brewed for the upcoming Oregon Manifest handmade bike show.

A full gallery of photos after the jump.

Thanks to Elly Blue at Bike Portland for the great pics!

[Via: Bike Portland]

Not to overglamorize our efforts or anything, but we think we know how to throw a really good party. What’s the recipe? Free beer + music + animal costumes + children’s bikes + hay bales.

Last Saturday we threw a benefit minibike race for Defenders of Wildlife, and that’s the exact recipe we used. With the proceeds from the bike race and a sweet raffle, we raised a good chunk of change for Defenders and had a blast while doing it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’d like to thank all of our participants and partyers that made the event a huge success, as well as all of the Wend family and volunteers. And a BIG shout out to all of our event sponsors — Deschutes Brewery, Osprey, Patagonia, Sierra Designs, Go Pro, Optimus, Nutcase, Lizard Lounge, Nau, Icebreaker and Clif Bar — without you, none of this would be possible. And of course, congrats to the night’s race winner Bryon Dorr!

Here’s an excellent picture recap:

You can check out all of the live tweets from the party at #wendbash. And be sure to check back next week when we’ll be posting GoPro headcam footage from the event!

That’s right kids, it’s party time!

Come join the Wend crew and all of our crazy friends at the most epic party of the month. We’ll be dressing like our favorite animals, racing mini bikes, raffling off sweet swag and drinking beer all through the night.

What: Join Wend Magazine and Lizard Lounge for a benefit mini-bike (children’s bikes) cyclocross race and party to celebrate the release of Wend’s latest issue. We’ll be turning the Lizard Lounge warehouse space into an epic mini-bike course, and ten bucks gets you into the race. What’s better than adults racing on children’s bikes for a good cause? Answer: putting helmet cams on them. This promises to be the most entertaining fundraising event you’ll ever attend.

All proceeds from the race will go to our Platform partner for this issue, Defenders of Wildlife. Since we’re teaming up with Defenders of Wildlife, dressing as your favorite wild animal is highly encouraged and all race competitors in costume will get five seconds deducted from their total time. Examples: a monkey suit with downhill gear, a Sasquatch suit with a tutu, or something as simple as a big set of bunny ears.

We’ll also be raffling off some sweet gear to help you in your fall adventures from Sierra Designs, Optimus, Osprey and Patagonia. Support green, independent media, and help raise money for a great cause. Free beer (and lots of it) from Deschutes Brewery. DJ beats will make for booty shaking into the evening.

Where: Lizard Lounge Warehouse Space on NW 10th & Hoyt in the Pearl.

When: Tonight! Saturday September 12 @ 7pm

Note: to sign up for the mini-bike race send an email to anna[at]wendmag[dot]com

A bicycle tour of the three Portland Lucky Lab breweries, the ride takes participants around an 18 mile course — or a 30 miler if you’re feeling really ambitious. There are three rest stops along the way, and at each one participants will pick up their doggy gear: tail, ears and a nose. Then it’s time to grab a pint and relax… a very typical Portland ride to say the least.

Even better, Tour de Lab is a benefit for DoveLewis, Portland’s 24-Hour Emergency and ICU Animal Hospital. We dig the work DoveLewis does, so between now and and the end of the month if you buy a Wend subscription, just type in “dovelewis” at checkout and $5 of your subscription will got to the hospital! Click here to subscribe.

Pre-registration is $30 — at the event it’s $50. Register for Tour de Lab now by clicking here.

Funny as it sounds, “official records” state that 5,500 people are actually “attacked with glasses and bottles every year in England and Wales,” which is an admittedly freaky number. But then again, would changing the pint glass really reduce violence? Or would it simply eliminate the classic broken bottle over the head move? If people want to be violent, they’ll certainly find a way, glass or no glass. So, for the sake of tradition and taste, let’s hope the UK lets glass be glass, and that they can figure out a better way to calm their citizens down after a few drinks.

[Via: BBC News]

[Photo: secretlondon123, Flickr]

We recently reported on the benefits of beer drinking after exercise, but now new studies actually show that moderate to heavy drinkers may in fact be healthier than their sober friends.

From MSNBC:

Using data from a government health survey of U.S. adults, researchers found that in general, the amount of time people devoted to exercise tended to inch up along with the number of alcoholic drinks they had each month.

Compared with abstainers, those considered heavy drinkers — at least 46 drinks in the past month for women, and 76 or more for men — exercised for an average of 20 minutes more per week.

While we here at Wend certainly don’t advocate ridiculous, unhealthy amounts of intoxication, we do believe in living it up and enjoying life. Mix that with a bit of regular exercise [see above] and you’ve got a recipe for success. Cheers!

With Southeast Asia as a backpacking hotspot, it’s no surprise to see a Beer Lao t-shirt roaming the streets. If you’ve never been to Southeast Asia, those “I went somewhere exotic and drank even more exotic beer” t-shirts are a nice slap in the face. Well no longer my friends.

Beer Lao, the staple of any backpacker who has roamed their way through Laos and other surrounding countries that carry the classic brew, might soon be making its way to the US. The New York Times recently wrote a feature article about Lao Brewery’s big push to increase the amount of Beer Lao sold abroad to 10% of total production.

That means you could soon be sipping on Beer Lao from Boston to Bend. But just because people can drink an exotic cult beer, it’s no supplement for being well traveled and educated. “When I travel internationally, people say, ‘I like your beer, but what is Laos?’ ”  Sivilay Lasachack told the NYT. “I tell them it’s the country next to Vietnam, come visit.”

[Via: World Hum]