Vail Resorts Epic Race – What is it? We’re doing it!

We might be crazy…or ridiculously out of control awesome, but somehow Hydle, Rhinehart and I decided to go full force and enter the Epic Race… The “Epic Race” which means we’ve decided to try to be three of the first 10 skiiers to ski all 26 Vail resorts in the 2013/14 season!

Our group consists of the following “team”

Cooley “The Chick” – self employed, living in Tahoe, ‘learnable’ skier level, never skied 26 days in a season, let alone in a row, but ready to try…and will 100% chance definitely sleep more than anyone else in the group, or at least get grumpy trying!

Rhinehart “Third Wheel” – corporate job engineer guy who still is going to make this trip happen on paid time off, everything he knows about skiing he learned from Hydle…gluten free

Greg “The Beard” Hydle – “Skiing is fun, and that’s about all!”

The rules are that you can only ski one US resort per day and two Europeans resorts per day, and the estimated day that we could be winning/finishing the race would be December 20 in France, as that is the resort that has the last opening day this season.

The most likely scenario is that there will be a tie up until this final day/final 26th resort (it doesn’t open until December 20, so the assumption is that there will be a LOT of racers that have completed the previous 25 resorts leading into this final opening day, so everyone who has will be ready to win on this final day.)

So, unless we fall behind, we will most likely be tied with the winners all the way up until the final day.
Each day you ski, you are required to document your day of skiing with (1) :15 second video, and (2) photos – each taken from a different location on the mountain that is on a list that is predetermined by Vail Resorts.

So, on the final day, we will have to be in line first, ski to the three locations we need to get to first, and upload our photos/video first. The winner is chosen based on when the actual content is UPLOADED, not when you actually have skiied – so we will have to figure out a good solution on the final day on how to access internet FROM the mountain, ideally from the final spot that we take our photo from.

For those who would like to follow along and aren’t already doing so on Facebook, you can follow our travels and ski days via the following links:

Overall Epic Race Leaderboard – #epicrace

Ashley Cooley Epic Race Profile Page #epicrace

Greg Hydle Epic Race Profile Page #epicrace

Devin Rhinehart Epic Race Profile Page #epicrace

Wish us luck!

Time to go to Lake Tahoe

[Vimeeeeeo] <— 11,400 Hmmmmm... Justin Majeczky has figured out some good timelapse and tracking techniques to make candy for your eyes. Because of this - and a couple *other* things ... I think I will be visiting Lake Tahoe this weekend :) Awesomeness work Majeczky.

Shot with Canon 7d, 5d mkii and 5d mkiii,. Moving shots were accomplished by using the Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Dolly with the Merlin Acuter telescope head.

Red Bull Dreamline – Big Dirt Jumps


[YouTubeUlar] <— 30,518 Starting to get a little serious on the edit... and in the sport. Thanks to Red Bull for pushing the limits - yet again. Great description of where this sport of BMX Dirt is heading.

Everest – A Time Lapse Short Film by Elia Saikaly

[VimeeeeO] <— 540,000 I always had dreams and aspirations for climbing Mount Everest ... Thanks to Elia Saikaly - this is good enough for now :) [Mount Everest – The Death Zone]
[Elia Saikaly Homepage]

Kevin Pearce – “The Crash Reel”


[YouTube] <— 3,789

The Crash Reel

Fifteen years of verite footage show the epic rivalry between half-pipe legends Shaun White and Kevin Pearce, childhood friends who become number one and two in the world leading up to the Vancouver Winter Olympics, pushing one another to ever more dangerous tricks, until Kevin crashes on a Park City half-pipe, barely surviving. As Kevin recovers from his injury, Shaun wins Gold. Now all Kevin wants to do is get on his snowboard again, even though medics and family fear this could kill him. We also celebrate Sarah Burke who crashed in Park City and died January 19, 2012.

I find it difficult to write about this film – simply because I strongly believe ‘the crash reel” is something everyone should just watch… and pay attention to. The soundtrack continues to get better with each viewing and the enjoyment of seeing other people finally learn about the severity of brain injuries and the consequences behind them is mind opening.

Love Your Brain - #loveyourbrain - Tee Shirt

#loveyourbrain Tahiti Blue Tee Shirt

There are so many levels of integration as to why this documentary hits so close to home with me…

  • My mom is a brain injury specialist
  • I practically grew up at Craig
  • Half pipe half pipe half pipe
  • Stephen Murray
  • Sarah Burke – CR Johnson
  • Action Sports
  • Directing and story telling

[Interview with Director Lucy Walker]

Top 10 Reasons People Hate Your Jobs:

This post originally appeared on LinkedIn Influencer program which features content from 300 of the world’s top thought leaders.
Hate Your Job

Not everyone comes into work with the same level of engagement, motivation, and passion each day. But if more than a few of your employees are making a habit out of being tired, stressed, and unmotivated, you might have a problem on your hands.

A recent study by Dale Carnegie Training showed that nearly three-quarters of employees aren’t fully engaged at their jobs. A lack of engagement could be a sign pointing to poor job satisfaction–and dissatisfied employees could be costing you more than you think.

Aside from the high price of employee turnover, you could also be losing money due to their carelessness or lack of engagement. It’s best to spot the signs of unhappy employees early and do your best to get them back on track to being happier, more engaged, and profitable.

Top 10 reasons your employee’s hate their job:

10. They think the grass is greener someplace else. If your employee’s friends are having an amazing experience at another company, why wouldn’t they be envious? The transparency of employee benefits and perks at other companies can sometimes lead your employees to dream about working elsewhere.

Keep an eye on what other companies are doing and try to match where you can. Sure, your company’s perks aren’t going to be on par with Google, but why not try to give your employees something worth bragging about? They’ll be more motivated, eager to spread the good word, and you’ll benefit from an improved company culture.

9. Their values don’t align with the company. Dissatisfaction is bound to take place if your employees aren’t sold on the same things you are. If your company values creativity and collaboration, it’s in your best interest to make screening for these values a mandatory part of your hiring process. Regular feedback and reviews can help you stay in tune with employees’ values and how they align with what the company needs and values most.

8. They don’t feel valued. If you aren’t taking the time to pat your employees on the back, it’s bound to impact employee happiness. Recognition breeds feelings of value and loyalty. What are you doing to show your employees they’re valued members of the company? This doesn’t mean giving monetary rewards for every accomplishment–instead, regularly utilize verbal praise and offer the occasional gift or reward for awesome performance.

7. Job insecurity. It’s easy to dislike your job when you’re worried whether you will still have it a few months or a year from now. If your company is going through hard times, the instability may be taking a toll on your employees. Remain transparent and work on keeping spirits high and your team engaged…or they might end up leaving you out of fear.

6. There’s no room for advancement. What’s your company’s policy for promotions? Many employees end up feeling stuck when there’s no chance of advancing within their company. This often leads to job hopping. Your company may be small, but it’s important to create a plan for employees to grow with you.

5. They’re unhappy with their pay. Nothing extinguishes passion quite like the feeling of being paid less than you deserve. Evaluating the salaries of your employees can be unrealistic at certain times, but you should consider asking your employee what they feel they should be making — their honesty may surprise you.

4. There’s too much red tape. Rules may be ruining your team. Nothing is more frustrating than being unable to make your own decisions. Boost the autonomy of your employees by giving them room to accomplish goals. This establishes a healthy level of trust, productivity, and benefits the company as a whole.

3. They’re not being challenged. Your employees are on a constant search to advance their skills and improve through their work with you. A lack of meaningful, challenging work is certain to breed disdain. Find out whether your employees feel like they’re learning or advancing their knowledge. If they’re not becoming better, they will go someplace where they feel they can improve.

2. The passion’s gone. There’s a huge difference between living to work and working to live. Do your employees love what they do? The current job climate has led many people to take on jobs they don’t love. Focus on hiring thoroughly passionate employees and giving them a purpose to maintain their passion throughout their time on the job.

1. Their boss sucks. Poor management can ruin even the most passionate and well-paid employees love for their job. Don’t let your awful management and leadership skills ruin the drive of your workforce. Do you micromanage and criticize? Are you a bad communicator? If you have unhappy employees, the first thing you should look at is your management habits. The next thing to do is actually talk to your employees to get to the bottom of the problem.

Brushing off unhappy employees will damage your company. Get to the bottom of their troubles before you lose a valuable employee.

Level 1 Productions – Partly Cloudy Trailer

[Vimeeeeooo] <— 61,691 About Partly Cloudy: Everything is baked. The snow has turned to mush and that burn is starting to peel. Fortunately, for those seeking cover from the glare there is a reset on the way. Hot on the heels of Level 1’s award-winning film Sunny comes a slightly different forecast. No major disturbances or low-pressure fronts, just a healthy mix of skiing, music, and personality with a low ultraviolet index. Partly Cloudy. Featuring: Chris Logan, Will Wesson, Ahmet Dadali, Parker White, Adam Delorme, Tanner Rainville, Wiley Miller, LSM, Tim McChesney, Banks Gilberti, LJ Strenio, Torin Yater-Wallace, Josh Bibby, Niklas Eriksson, Logan Imlach, Sammy Carlson, Sig Tveit, Magnus Granér… and friends. Shot on Location in: Utah, Sweden, Whistler Blackcomb, Alaska, Colorado, Wisconsin, New York, British Columbia, Les Arcs France, Kansas, Minnesota, Wyoming, Montana, Finland, Sun Valley Idaho, Mt. Bachelor Oregon Directed by Josh Berman and Freedle Coty Produced by Josh Berman Principal Cinematography by Josh Berman, Freedle Coty, Darren Rayner, Jake Strassman and Ante Olofsson Edited by Josh Berman, Freedle Coty and Blake Kimmel

Happy Fathers Day – Les Hydle Celebration Speech


[YouTube]

1 year ago today, we celebrated the life of my father Les Hydle. At the time, I couldn’t tell you how important it was for me to be writing and sharing my thoughts and feelings about how my dad and I spent his last waking minutes, but now… looking back over the last year – I realize there is absolutely no way I could re-write those feelings to the detail that I have already captured. I’m happy I have these memories, and I’m glad I can access them so easily just by clicking Les Hydle at the top of this page.

I know you like my videos even more than my writing… so here you go. This was the introduction to your Final Playlist at the celebration of your life last June 15th, 2012. Happy Fathers Day Dad… I love you.

Amateur Awesomeness


[YouTubeUlar] <— 14,087,805 As I told Jason McWilliams...

“That’s some good shit… I love seeing videos that have been on the interManets for over 6 years a finally come across my attention span!”

I can’t really put it any better than that. This kid, Kolon Parentes, has been making random music videos and compilations for quite some time. I would have to say I like his humor, and timing… and especially the fact he’s pulling 14 million hits without ad revenue :)

Awesomeness.

[Hyperactive] <— 7,762,722 [Kolon Parentes – YouTube] <— 67,896

HYDLE – The Best RAW Video I have Ever Shot – BHTM 06/07/08


[YouTubeUlar] <— 493 Happy BHTM Day - On this weekend year anniversary of my father Les being involved in a motorcycle accident that ultimately took his life… I give you the best RAW video I have ever shot.

The date was 06/07/08 and Big Head Todd was recording a live set to be released on both album and DVD. They played for 4 hours straight… 31 songs with no opening band … just all BHTM. My sister Jessica and dad managed to buy up some sweet tickets for us to enjoy the awesomeness. With a little help from Sara and Jake Manley and a side of Regier … We had access to everything :)

This was an awesome day in the history of my life… and now you can enjoy the most awesome moment from this amazing night at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Stay classy friends – I still want to find out who the girl in the orange dress is, so if you have any ideas… do share :)

Yard House “We Are Yard House” Web Video Campaign – Genius


[YouTubeUlar] <— 6,332 On March 5th, 2013 the Yard House decided to drop a new series of videos to support their "We Are Yard House" campaign they started a year ago. I'm not going to lie, this is rejuvenating to me because I feel as if Yard House was a dying brand in my book following their $585 million dollar sellout last year to Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s).

At the turn of the century the Yard House was iconic into where I conducted a lot of business due to it’s atmosphere, music, beer and former leader Steele Platt. Steele created a very unique environment based on good music and beer. His automation ability to control all the music at all times in all of his restaurants using an iMac and MegaSeg was revolutionary and ahead of it’s time – kind of like his first restaurant project, the Boiler Room at the Tivoli in Downtown Denver.

Kids, you have to remember this was before your iPhones, iPods and iTunes and way before Apple owned the world. Free wireless internet was all the rage and to see someone who believed in technology (and beer) the way we do was refreshing. I remember emailing Steele from his Colorado Mills Yard House (opened in 2003) thanking him for the awesomeness he was creating, and I’m pretty we sent him an original iPod as a friendly gesture on behalf of Apple Rockies.

We eventually quit populating our bodies into the Yard House as time wore on… they initiated a 45 minute time limit on their free internet, removed the option to drink out of a full yard glass, and honestly – I think it just became a little too popular and busy for us. In no way is that a bad thing in business, but it certainly is difficult to maintain the same “cool” experience to your initial users as you move forward with sizing.

I have nothing against the Yard House, I just feel as if they haven’t reached out to me lately and their new “We Are Yard House” campaign finally fills that void. These stories are long enough to demand respect, which good work is granted, but short enough to keep my attention clicking through them.


[Bringing the Beats to Yard House] <— 1,579 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnAY81xIWL4 [Beer Head] <— 1,767 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iecTCKUIEkU [We Are Yard House (2012)] <— 26,932 If I were to re-open my creative services, these are the kinds of videos I would be producing. They are very similar to the Apple videos I've done in the past... only with cooler toys, cameras and shot options now :) [Steele Platt – Yard House bio]
[Steele Platt – Boiler Room – King of Kegs]
[Yard House $585 Million Acquisition]