Going to check out the Spacecraft All-Star sticker sheet release party on the 8th?

Before you go, come see the second best thing going on in Seattle. Visit Twilight Gallery for the First W3 Collective Opening April 8th 6-9pm.

James Haffner, one of our buddies over at Stratton Mountain School, sent us these amazing photos by Thomas Tikos taken on Saturday at the US Open Slope Course.

Commander Sullivan reporting from the dark and wet regions of Alaska. Since our last update we have spent an unearthly amount of time locked in our stationary living vessels. The Pan Pacific jet stream has taken aim directly at our crew and has barraged us with storm after storm. We have seen the stars come out a few times at night, but the clear skies are gone by the time we are set to depart in the helicopter at dawn.
The best chance we had for a flight mission was the morning after my rock and roll concert in the guide school at the Pioneer Bar, when, after going to bed at 3:30 a.m. with raining skies, dawn broke to clear skies for miles. There is some truth to the saying “drinking it blue,” especially here in Alaska. Someone must not have done their share of self-sacrifice, though. Justin Hostynek, the commander in charge of the video division, had opted out of the ceremonies that night, so maybe blame could be placed on him for the clouds rolling in as we approached the helipad. There’s no arguing with Mother Nature up here. You get what you get.
Avalanche conditions are now at an all-time high after a series of storms that packed copious amounts of precipitation and winds. So even if the sun does come out for 24 hours, intrepid is the soul that first sets foot on some of the bigger exposed slopes.
My sarcastic favorite of this past week was when Camera Technician Jake Price and I stood atop one of the funnest lines we had ever planted our flags on, 2 feet of pow, ready to rip it until the Video Squad leader forbade us to ride it so as to save it for the “real” riders. The lookdown on that one was one of the hardest ever to walk away from. At this point our tracks would have been well covered as there is most likely upward of 6 feet of snow on top of it. I will attach some visual proof of Jake looking down it so one might have a taste. Can I have some cheese with my whine?
During this earthlocked interim we have been keeping ourselves busy in various manners. Gigi has been having lots of arts and crafts time, building snowmen/women and doing lots of stop frame photography and Super 8 filming for the new movie he is working on with Jake Price. Jake Blauvelt has his femme-bot, Kristin (who is also working as a guide with one of the outfits), so we don’t see too much of them on the down days (wink , wink). The rest of us are just lonely Cosmonauts awaiting our next deployment and wishing that our femme-bots were here, too.
We recently had some communications with base and it appears we will be having some new arrivals by early this week from the European Sector and the Seattle Satellite. Officers Blair Habenicht, Wolfgang Nyvelt and Nicolas Muller should be arriving by Tuesday if the launch shuttle can penetrate the thick clouds of this viscious storm cycle.

scottout

Spiny

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This morning we got this email from Spacecraft Astronaut Sky Siljeg:

Hi, just wanted to check in and let you know that I’m home again from Florida Bowl Riders this past weekend. Day one at a secret back yard bowl was super fun. Sunny out and really an amazing session.
Didn’t quite skate up to where I wanted to and took a 12th. I guess scores were super tight so over all I didn’t place too far out of 1st really score-wise, just lots of amazing skaters.

Day two at Kona. Looked like it was going to get rained out. I even went to the local movies to pass the time. Got the text that it was clearing up and they were drying the bowl. Left the show early and booked it for the bowl. Some serious skating always goes down at Kona. I love that bowl. Took 6th and felt like I really put out a good show. You would not believe the level bowl skating has come to. Getting into the top ten is really taking a lot. I placed 8th in the overall scores.

I feel lucky to get to even be in the bowl with some of these guys. Thank you for your support in getting me here.

After I came home I spoke at a celebration dinner for “Invest in Youth” for the YMCA. [It] was held in a huge, very full banquet room at the Everett Convention Center. [It] was all the heads of the Ymca, trustees, committee heads, etc. My talk was basically my story and what skating is to me. They put up a pretty cool picture that my mom shot at Kona. [It] was pretty cool to get a standing ovation from that group. My hope is to get more funds for programs at Mukilteo Skate Park and hopefully a roof over it at some point in the next year. I think they see what is possible through skating.

Sky attached some great pictures, too.

Seattle’s Electric Coffin will be presenting a double-feature on April 1st.

In the entryway will be “Cleaning Out the Coffin,” featuring “some awesome affordable art from several established artists throughout Seattle,” leading into the main show, a solo exhibition by Jose Rodriguez III.

The shows will be running from 6-10 pm on Thursday, April 1st–and will probably be surrounded by other outstanding First Thursday festivities. Electric Coffin Studio is located at 212 Alaskan Way S.

Posted by Sally.

This weekend is North by Northwest’s Strapless Weekend at Hurricane Ridge! Admission–$15 for one day or $20 for two–gets you a t-shirt and a raffle ticket. Olympic National Park is not charging for entrance.

Saturday includes a Park Jam at around noon, starting with a one-hour all skate jam, with the top 10 advancing to a half hour jam and the top 5 advancing to a half-hour final. First place gets $700. Also on Saturday: an evening indoor skate jam and a party at the Coo Coo’s Nest in Port Angeles with the T-Bagging Bandits.

Sunday includes the Baked Slalom around noon at the Port Angeles Speed Ditch with a $300 first-place prize, an end-of-the-day raffle, and (most likely) the Snowskate Powder Downhill.

Also, if you can get your triple “S” (Snow, Skate and Surf) all in on either day there’s a hat in it for you–and bring your hotel receipt, because they’ll be raffling off a free hotel room stay, too.

Posted by Sally.

Looking for something to do in Bellingham this Friday?

Funner Fest features DJ Ryan I and The Endorfins, plus art by Dylan Hart, Pat Kennedy, Norman Rogue, Nico Inzerella, Jenny Tofe and Jayme Wiseman. Bellingham has one of the tightest art scenes in the area–it should be a great event.

Posted by Sally.

Words cannot describe the fuzzy feeling I get inside watching this Aero ad.