The Sled Baron's Incredible Electric Journal

My identity revealed!

2008-11-14T22:36:00.002-05:00

Was it ever really secret though?

Anyway heres this sweet article Greg Ryan wrote up on me and extreme sledding for Hudson Valley mag. I guess I'm pretty cool?

Read it up!

Oh yeah, I do have a blog

2008-10-10T15:17:00.003-05:00

I've been reminded that I indeed do a have blog that never gets updated. For those just tuning in. You didn't miss much. Pay no attention to that MS Paint camera phone stuff, none of those spots really worked out.

I started this blog about two years ago and while I still haven't gotten that much better here's what has changed:

- I bought a D-SLR camera so now I can take some decent photos of my sledding adventures.
- I tried to hit rails last year, they hit back.
- I was starting to throw 540's towards the end of last season
- I'm a little less verbally feisty these days so maybe when I read this post two years from now I won't cringe like I did when I looked back at that other stuff.
- I'm a factory rider on the Mad River Rocket site even if Whit hasn't updated my page info there yet. I have a page, just no description. It'll get there.
- I got a free sled last year due to the above fact.
- I just did an interview for a magazine, a magazine, like, with pictures and all that.
- I'm looking to do some sick stuff this winter so check back in a few months.

Sit tight,
The Sled Baron.

Drop Dead Sled!

2008-04-04T22:11:00.002-05:00

Though somewhat underwhelming "Drop Dead Sled" is finally out! The Sled Baron is currently seeking applications for camera people for next season so if you'd like to film let me know.

It's Like Butta', You Can Cut It With A Knife

2007-12-17T18:45:00.000-05:00

The Sled Baron destroyed Frear Park today, buttery three's were thrown. There was much rejoycing.

R-r-r-r-r-r-rainbow!

2007-10-18T21:10:00.000-05:00

This is just a teaser, there will be more on The Sled Baron's quest to build the rainbow connection soon. (Note: The redhead in the picture is not The Sled Baron)

Aw Man, I Hate Clip Shows

2007-03-23T19:08:00.000-05:00

So I'd call this a winter recap but I haven't really written anything this winter to summarize. Sorry. If I have devoted fans who were just dying for an update, I've let you down. If I don't have devoted fans, oh well. Anyways, here's what went down this winter in terms of sledding.

Early February:

During break I went to Friar (sp?) Park in Troy for some sledding with the AP crew. I'd heard a lot about how nice of a spot it was so I was pretty disappointed when I got there. It was nice for casual sledding but it did not receive The Sled Baron's Seal Of Approval. The highlight was an ok jump made out of a sand trap. I threw a pretty sketchy 180 and busted my knees a few times, then I left.

Valentines Day:

So after months of being a total tease Winter finally stopped being such a damn prude. As it turns out this winter was a total closet freak, give her some time and she'll just dump 3 feet on you. Daaaaaaamn. Ok, enough of this weird metaphor. Upstate New York got rocked with a storm on V-day. Classes were cancelled but did I sleep in? Hell no! I was out sledding by 7:30 at the latest. I tried dropping one of the cliffs behind New Res but decked out. I would have ridden off but I got caught on a rock. Shale sucks. I grabbed some food then went for a little backcountry. I did a few runs up by the top of the hill and ended up back behind New Res again. I should have learned my lesson the first time, but I went for it again. I dropped a different section of cliffs this time but I still decked out. This time was a lot worse though. It was about a four or five foot drop onto another rock. The sled stopped, I got ejected, my helmet went flying and I blew the emergency pads I glued on earlier right off. My sled got a real nasty gash on the underside. It was up by the front though so I doesn't interfere with performance at all. I've heard that someone has a picture of the cliff drop and/or the aftermath, if anyone knows who that is let me know because I really want to see that picture. Anyways, that sucked. I spent the rest of the day out and about showing casual sledders up and whatnot.

The Night Of The Living Sled:

Sometime shortly after the V-day storm, me and some friends (The Shred Poets Society? I think that's a pretty good name) threw some snow on the sidewalk that I discussed a few posts down and turned the snowbanks on it into kickers. They were on boards or skis so they boosted pretty good into frisbee field, like 10-15 foot airs. Once the track got packed down I was getting maybe 5 or 6 feet up, so not bad. The snow was pretty amazing, all fluffy and whatnot. In terms of sledding a few 180's were thrown, I started experimenting rolling off the top of the jump and from there trying to misty flip. Safe to say, I didn't land it. We hit that up for a good two hours then called it a night. Here's some pictures.

The Rest Of February:

The rest of the month had sledding on and off. Nothing as spectacular as The Night Of The Living Sled but we did hit up the snowbank a few more times. A pretty wonky attempt at a 360 led to my sled coming up and hitting me in the face. It wasn't fun but its always nice to have something to show for your efforts. As a friend of mine would say "chicks dig a black eye". Actually, I don't think she'd say "chicks dig" anything, but she still thinks its cute when a guy gets hurt. That's kind of fucked up isn't it? I suppose its better than the people who like to laugh at guys getting hit in the nuts though. I actually didn't have a black eye, but it was red and a little bruised. Close enough, ok? Anyways, after the spinning mishap I took a break for a few minutes. I tried a few mistys but I kept on loosing my tuck about halfway through and landing on my back. Of course my sled then hit me in the chest, but you know, whatevs. I decided to call it quits after catching a little too much of the landing towards my head. I was glad I had my helmet, but The Sled Baron left that jump a little defeated. I think there may have been a few solo sessions on that jump after that, nothing too exciting. I tried jibbing a little bit on a wooden 12 stair or so but was having problems with my jump and couldn't get up on it. Well, the jump and the fact I was being a wuss and didn't want to totally commit just so I didn't fuck up and end up in between a railing or something like that.

The next, and possibly last, real good session I had this winter was hitting up the gap in front of the commons. The best part about the gap is that frisbee field had a ring of snowbanks around the outskirts that made for an excellent quarter pipe after hitting the gap. I was knuckling out on the landing a little bit due to some snow pokiness but the quarter was consistently dope. By the end of the sess I was spinning threes off it. I don't know how much the sled was off the ground but I still kind of spun a three, so I at least half satisfied one of the goals I had for this year. As usual, showmanship was abound. The Sled Baron impressed many Commons-bound students with his daring aerial prowess. I also hit that jump up again during the Winter Carnival. The snow was pretty slow and I was decking out pretty good so I left after an hour or so. All in all, February was a pretty good month for The Sled Baron.

March:

I haven't sledded at all this month. Sorry. I might try to scrap together a jump tomorrow. I'll be home this weekend so maybe I'll have a homecoming session there. I'll keep you updated. Well, actually, don't count on it, but maybe I won't dick around and write something after I go sledding next.

PS: I added a link for my youtube page. Its not very impressive, camera phone and all that.

PPS: If anyone is interested in being The Sled Baron's personal photographer let me know.

PPPS: Isn't this a sweet photo? Props to Tasia!

Beggars can't be choosers...

2007-01-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

and sledders can't be lugers? Maybe, I don't think I'd trade sledding for luging. You can't luge in the woods, or off jumps for that matter. Regardless, what the hell is this post about? Well, on Wednesday I took the first sled of the season. First sled on January 24th? That's preposterous! Absolutely, but better late then never you know? Anyways, it wasn't fantastic, we only had an inch or two, but it was sledding damnit. The first run was down the infamous Leitzel Hill, this kind of terraced monstrosity that dumps off into a parking lot. I bombed it just as a car was coming up the stop sign at the bottom. They totally thought I was going to hit them, until I hockey stopped that shit right next to their car. It was pretty dope. From there we went behind one of the dorms. It was just a nice relaxed hill, nothing too exciting but there is a giant gorilla sculpture in the middle of it. It's fun to sled under it. Next stop was by the aforementioned "Stairway To Nowhere". I didn't hit the rail, I tried to jump one of the terraces on the hill though. Bad call. I more or less dropped 4 or 5 feet flat and completely decked out. My knees slid off my pads and hit the plastic on the sled. I've got paint transfer on my snow pants actually. I more or less called it quits for that hill after that. We hit a few more alright spots, ate shit trying to spin a couple times. Other than that it wasn't that eventful. I took a couple runs back and forth from class on Thursday and waited for better snow on Friday. I was in NYC for most of the day yesterday, but when I got back I had a glorious fluffy inch or two of snow waiting for me. So I was out from like 12:30 to 2ish sledding. Mainly Leitzel, my second or third run I tried to spin off one of the terraces but over rotated and busted my hip up pretty nice. I've been gimping a bit today, which sucks, but it's nice to have something to show for a hard nights sled. I also dropped in from the road and rode across the Gap Of Incomprehensible Dankness (working title). I didn't have a jump or anything, but I did try to hop the bushes before I got to the second half of the hill. That met with mixed results, I kind of did, but I'm also not sure if they'll grow as well when spring comes around. I took a few more runs around campus, but nothing too phenomenal. Hopefully we'll get some more snow soon. I'm itching for a jump. Speaking of things I could do with more snow, I've found another spot. Give me a foot or so and I could turn the Van Ess building into Van Esstreme. Check it out:

The hill is steeper in person, but I could easily build a nice little jump there. I could be out sessioning that all day. But wait, there's more!

The building is perfect for a quarter pipe right up against it. If that's not enough, imagine if you put two quarter pipes. Oh snap!

I think Hartwick should invest in a snowgun.

PS: Wu Tang!

Color Me Awesome

2007-01-08T20:20:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty fond of painting my stuff. I've painted my last two ski helmets, even though I'm pretty sure that voids the warranty. So I guess I have some kind of experience in this kind of thing, not that it ever comes out the way I want to though. Anyways, I decided that The Sled Baron needed a sled fitting of his title. Not that the Rocket isn't the dopest sled ever made, it just could use some color. Also, if you'd like tips on how to paint your own sled (if I have any readers who own bitching sleds like this) this might help.

Alright, Step One. First take out all the bolts and stuff, unless you want to paint them, watch out for gunking up the threads though. You should at least take the strap off though. Next comes the pads, try not to rip them up too bad. If you have a new pair you're putting in it's not that much of a problem, but if you're trying to reuse them you should try to be gentle. I used a chisel to take them out, make sure you don't dig into the plastic with the blade, you just want to separate the pad from the glue. Use a medium/wide chisel for the main part of the pad and a small chisel or even a screwdriver for parts that fit into the narrow grooves on the sides. Lift up on the pad as you get more off the sled, it helps to see how much more you have left to go and how close you are to damaging the pads or the sled. Once you get the pads up make sure the sled is clean. You probably won't be able to get all the residual glue off the sled but if you have any stickers on the sled you might want to get them off. Scrubbing them with steel wool or something coarse like that will help get the rest of the adhesive off. Try not to scratch the sled though. Tape off where you'd like to put the new (or old) pads and maybe the MRR logo too. I like to rep the Rocket so I taped it up, its up to you though. Also, if you thought you'd take a shortcut and just try to cover up the pads instead of taking them off, bad call. If you're spray painting this, the paints will probably eat your pads, no matter how well you mask them I bet some paint will get in. I kind of forgot about the whole "Step One... Step Two" format but whatevs.

Once you get the prep and masking done you can put your base coat down. Rockets are black so pretty much any color you'll be putting on it will be lighter and therefore will need a base coat so it shows up. A flat white or any kind of spray primer will work fine. Do the standard three or four even coats, don't cheap out of getting paint, it kind of sucks when you have a weak coat or a real fragile one. Also, if you buy paint from Wal-Mart, don't make jokes about huffing. Chances are your cashier has at one point and will take you seriously. After your base coat you might want to think about putting a layer of clear coat down on top, I didn't and I ended up pulling paint off with my tape. I wasn't happy. This might be kind of obvious, but don't paint the bottom of your sled. One, its bound to get scratched off, and two, it'll probably act weird on snow.

Ok, so after your base coat you can start doing whatever you like to your sled. Remember to keep the mask on where the pads go though. I just went with a simple two color design to be reminiscent of the Red Baron's plane, and because I'm lazy. If it's your first project like this simple is probably better, if your hopes are too high for this kind of thing it probably won't turn out the way you want, and look like shit at that. Not that I did this, but you should put a layer of clear coat on after each new section of paint/design. It's important to be patient with spray paint, let it dry for the full time. Get hasty with it and you'll probably fuck something up. That's pretty annoying.

Alright, so the paints all done, you've done what ever detail work you wanted, and you put that final layer of clear coat down, now you need to glue the pads on. When you take the masks off you should have an area of virgin sled that shows where the pads used to go. If you're tall like I am you might want to move them up a little bit, not too much though, you'll make it ride funny if you're too far up on it. There might be some black showing on the sled after you glue them back down. I don't have a big problem with it but if it really bothers you, hand paint it. I'm not guaranteeing it'll stick to the sled though, you might just have to deal with it. Anyways, back to gluing down the pads. You need glue. I'm a big fan of Gorilla Glue. That shit's dope. Follow the directions, moisten the surfaces (as much as you can, plastic and foam aren't the most permeable substances) and apply the glue. Not too much or else it'll look sloppy (like mine), but definitely put a generous amount down. I'd prefer a little sloppiness to having my pads fly off mid-run any day, but that's just me. Now you need to clamp the surfaces. You can't really do that with a sled, but you can put weight on the pads to keep them down. Don't use anything with sharp, hard edges. They'll rough up your pads. Bags of water work well. Water can be pretty heavy and as long as you make sure the bags don't touch the glue and get stuck to the sled you'll be set. Let these sit for the 4 or 5 hours it says on the directions. Screw the strap back on and the put the other bolts on you're good to go. Finding snow is another matter entirely though...

Good Luck!

The Sled Baron

PS: Mine's a little sloppy, especially the detail work but I think it came out alright. Hopefully I'll be able to get some shots of it in action soon. Fuck global warming. Fuck El Nino too, no one asked him to come back.

I Drew This The Other Day

2006-12-12T19:18:00.000-05:00

and I think it's pretty cool. It's my final project for Drawing 1. It says "Insert Persona Here" in white in the middle and it looks much better in person. Just thought I'd put it up though.

It Needs To Snow Now....

2006-12-11T17:52:00.000-05:00

...the following are reasons why. So my phone works again and I'm finally able to take you all on a virtual tour explaining why Hartwick winter should be dope. Heeeeere we go.

Spot One: The Cliffs Of Calamitous Intent

Location: Right behind my dorm

Pros: -Just look at them, straight up dope.

-I can wake up and session these all day without having to walk ten minutes back to my dorm afterwards.

-I don't do enough cliff dropping and these look perfect.

Cons: -May not get enough coverage to save my sled from getting all busted up.

-Shale isn't the most stable cliff making material.

-Have to choose lines very carefully, some drops don't look that nice.

The Verdict: So what if it's not 100% child friendly, sack up and hit those shits. Chicks dig people who drop cliffs. Not acid though, I imagine trip sitting isn't the most romantic activity.

Spot Two: The Stairway To Nowhere

Location: By the Art Building

Pros: -Its a rail with no sidewalk that's situated on hill, honestly, do I need to spell it out for you?

Cons: -That handrail is a little sketch, kind of rusty and wobbly you know?

-Stairs might suck to land on if they aren't covered up enough.

The Verdict: I found out today that the reason that these stairs are here is because they have perfect acoustics with this amphitheatre down by the building. Fuck that, they were put there for kids like me looking to go jibbing (grinding for those who aren't down with ski lingo). Throw a coat of paint on it and some wax and these look downright awesome.

Spot Three: The Gap Of Incomprehensible Dankness (Working title)

Location: Outside the Commons

Pros: -Do you have eyes? Just look at it, aaaaaaaaaawesome.

-There are hills on both sides, enough for another little kicker after the initial gap. Could allow for some pretty awesome lines.

-Impress maaaaad bitches

Cons: -I'm doubtful that I'll have enough speed to gap it if the right conditions aren't present.

-Might have to keep in on the DL, I'm not sure campus security would approve. That goes with The Rail To Nowhere as well.

The Verdict: I have been looking forward to this spot since I first got here. I will probably cry if it doesn't work the way I think it will. I've dreamed about gaps like this. Not really, but just look at that gap. Take a second and absorb its majesty. Get back to me about that.

That's it for this tour, there are more spots around campus and loads more in the woods. Therefore, if the weather cooperates, I will spend January sculpting, sledding, and hanging out. I couldn't think of anything more perfect. Wait, actually, I can. A beard trimming would be nice too.

Disaster Strikes!

2006-12-05T20:19:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately the forces of perspective have once again conspired against my cause. I revisited a prospective sledding spot during my adventures through the woods today only to find it was not as steep as I thought. I had big plans for a kicker at the bottom of this hill, but alas, I'll have to find someplace else for it now. Once my phone starts working again I'll be sure to post poor quality pictures of the spots that still look good. That's all I've got. Kind of lame. Current snow amount: less than 1". Really Lame.

Not so update

2006-12-04T17:44:00.001-05:00

It's been snowing off and on all day today. Not enough to sled in mind you, but it's a start. Just goes to show that the squeaky wheel gets the grease...

Update!

2006-12-04T00:14:00.000-05:00

No snow. This is bullshit.

You Are About To Embark On The Most Amazing Experience Of Your Short Lives

2006-12-03T23:49:00.001-05:00

This is the inagural post of The Sled Baron's Incredible Electric Journal. This web log (the word "blog" is awful scene) will be mostly devoted to sledding. How on Earth could someone fill an entire blog just with things about sledding you may ask. Well, to be honest, I probably won't. I'll try to get photos of my sledding expeditions and post them up here, but I either won't have access to a camera or I'll forget.