Skurka’s upcoming slideshows & clinics

How come no events in Canada? We backpack too :)

Mike

Another vote for Canada….specifically the Toronto area. 8-)

Perhaps Mec.ca could host…or The Toronto outdoor club – http://www.torontooutdoorclub.com/

Well…can speak, will travel

One of the things I've learned about these events is that the most successful ones have an enthusiastic group of supporters who help to organize and market it. If the event isn't supported by such a group, usually it's a relative flop, versus what it could have been. When selecting which events to schedule, the enthusiasm I sense has become a major consideration.

So, if you're serious about having me up to Canada, and want to be involved in making it happen, let's definitely talk about it. But I just want to be clear that there's a certain threshold of interest/dedication that must be reached before it's worth the effort (for all parties) to do.

My email is andrewskurka at gmail dot com

Yep. I agree, Canadians backpack too…the Toronto area would be best…right Philip? :)

Andrew, we posted at the same time. I remember Jen at the TOC was talking about bringing you up some time ago. I'll send your info her way to jog the old memory. She is involved quite a bit with organizing backpack trips/events in the Toronto area.

I was hoping for the MEC in Calgary :)…maybe we can get enough support for a MEC tour of Canada…or have Andrew hike from store to store…lol

Cheers,

Mike

"I bought a wholesale quantity recently and just started selling it on my website, since distribution is not very good. It's $12 with free shipping; CONUS locations only for now."

Doh! Wish I knew that a few days ago before I paid $12 + $6 shipping directly from Bonnie's. Oh well, at least shipping was quick!

Ryan

Andrew the amount of support from family and friends was impressive. I knew you were from around here just not RIGHT there haha.

We both enjoyed the slideshow a lot. My dad's brain will probably hurt for a while thinking about the logistics/planning of it.

i meant to ask what your main choices for "just add water" dinners were.

Jake

Jake –

Thanks for coming to the show. It was a bit crazy with so many people I knew there — getting pulled over the place to say hi to them all.

Re dinners…boil water, than add instant rice, potatoes, beans, couscous, ramen, angel hair pasta, etc. Flavor with butter, cheese and spices.

Andrew

I had the pleasure of attending Andrew's Alaska presentation on his home turf/ old stomping grounds last night. It created a great atmosphere to see such support from his community there–his parents, middle and high school teachers, neighbors. You could feel the love for Andrew in the room. The age of the audience was impressive: from 7 to 90, including a bunch of young people there with their parents. I sat with Steve, another BPLer, who was the first person to arrive, and who had staked out a front row seat.

The trip reports are my favorite part of BPL and this was one inspiring and masterful trip report. Beautiful scenic photos were paired with video clips of Andrew narrating his experiences and emotions, from a scary/ funny bear encounter to a moving moment of deep connection with big wilderness. He had no problem expressing his vulnerability and emotional range, from elation to anxiety to "feeling hosed." To say his accomplishment is impressive is an understatement, yet rather than using it for an ego trip, bragging rights, or a "conquering the wild" attitude, Andrew reflects on the journey with deep humility and awe for the grandeur of the world and the opportunity for profound connection. This attitude was so refreshing, such good life-orientation modeling for the young (and the rest of us!) in the audience.
I almost brought my cat food can stove for him to sign, but got a book instead, which is densely packed with info and kept me reading late into the night.
Thanks Andrew.
-Greg

In March I spoke at Google’s campus in Mountain View.

The recording just went live today. The link is below, but *please* still come out to see one of my remaining slideshows or clinics. I’m in the Midwest tomorrow through next weekend. Then the Northwest. Then Colorado. Then Minneapolis to finish, kind of.

All event details

The video: http://youtu.be/FGQTcQhL08A

You would figure Google would have been….a lot nicer looking on the inside. Maybe you should schedule a presentation at Apple. =)

Thanks so much for putting a video of your presentation for the people who could not make it to your events! With you having no events schedules in southern california, I was bummed but now I get to see it! Any chance you would have a video online about your other presentation? thanks

National Geographic recorded one of my earlier Alaska-Yukon slideshows. You can watch it here: http://andrewskurka.com/slideshows-clinics/national-geographic-live/

Events this week:

* Fin and Feather, Iowa City, IA
* Fontana Sports, Madison, WI
* Western Michigan Univ
* Kalamazoo College
* Lee's Adventure Sports, Portage, MI

Next week: Seattle, Bellingham, and Portland
Week after that: Colorado Front Range

All event details:

I watched the google talk. Good content. The categorization of all hikers other than 20+ milers/day that don't sleep in established campsites as ultimate campers (or other) is disappointing and should be dropped from talks. It can only really come across as condescending, to me anyway.

John –

The Ultimate Hiker/Ultimate Camper spectrum is meant to help audience members consider their backpacking objectives and how their gear, supplies and skills should follow suit. I don't really care why people go out backpacking — I'm happy whenever someone gets out there — but I do hope that they carry the right stuff on their back and between their ears so that they can have a successful trip. These profiles are extremes, not one or the other; most backpackers will find a happy-medium somewhere between the two ends of the spectrum, incorporating some of what they learn from the clinic into their normal routine, which is probably more Ultimate Camper-ish or Camper-by-Default-ish.

Personally, I find these profiles significantly more relateable than the "traditional," "lightweight," and "ultralight" categories that are more commonly used. Backpackers don't pack less/lighter/smarter to achieve the title of a "lightweight backpacker." They pack less/lighter/smarter to enhance their hiking experience, regardless of whether they like to go short, long, slow, or fast. There's much more to being an excellent hiker besides a lightweight pack, and the emphasis on "weight" in UL and LW misses this important piece. Whereas the Ultimate Hiker profile can encompass the optimum balance of weight, durability, comfort, reliability, and efficiency, plus the reliance on skills to supplement gear/supplies.

The end of my Spring speaking/book tour is in sight. It’s been a fun few weeks — the closest thing I’ll ever experience to being a rock star.

Tonight, April 12 I’m in Madison.

Friday and Saturday, April 13 & 14
Western Michigan Univ
Kalamazoo College
Lee’s Adventure Sports

Monday & Wednesday, April 16 & 18
The Mountaineers
Seattle, WA

Tuesday & Thursday, April 17 & 19
Mt Baker Theatre
Bellingham, WA
In conjunction with Tmber.com

Saturday, April 21
Columbia Center for the Arts
Hood River, WA

All event details: http://andrewskurka.com/slideshows-clinics/current-schedule/

Have landed in Seattle. Overcast, no surprise.

Ticket sales have been strong for The Mountaineers event tonight and Wednesday. See some of you there, I'm sure.

I attended Andrew's presentation tonight and I wish I would have brought the whole family. This would have been the perfect family movie night.
If you live anywhere close to where he will be presenting I strongly suggest spending the two hour presentation.
This isn't a trip that I will ever be able to do (made other choices in life) but deep inside it is something I've always wanted to do and exactly where I would want to do it. I was able to live the trip vicariously through Andrew.

The presentation was casual and informal yet informational enough to capture my interest, causing me to want more at the break and end.

Great job, hope to see more of these in the future.

Tad

I also attended his presentation Monday the 17th in Seattle. I introduced myself before the show and thanked him on behalf of the BPL family for joining us in this blog and many others on this site.
He had a great turnout. What an unbelievable journey this man has gone on. His slides were fantastic. I enjoyed that he slipped in some time to talk about finding the route he took thru Alaska……6 months of looking over maps.
Talk about running into bears….he did and has the pictures to show.
Unbelievable man living an unbelievable life!

It was great to see Andrew in Seattle! Both presentations were excellent but I agree with Tad- I wish I had invited my whole family to learn about his amazing Alaska Yukon Expedition.

Thanks for the inspiration Andy! Tonight's bedtime story with Henry (age 5) was about a hike to the origin of a river high in the Cascades…and I think this will surely be one of our summer adventures. Thanks for getting me thinking about real ADVENTURES again!

Best wishes as you head home to Colorado-
Doug

I’m back in Colorado now, but the events continue. This week:

Tuesday, April 24
GoLite
Colorado Springs, CO

Wednesday, April 25
Colorado Mountain Club
Golden, CO

Thursday, April 26
Neptune Mountaineering
Boulder, CO

Saturday, April 28
Midwest Mountaineering Expo
Minneapolis, MN

All event details are available at: andrewskurka.com/slideshows-clinics/current-schedule

I attended both Andy's talks while he was in Seattle. It was a pleasure to meet both him and Doug at the events. Inspiring presentation of the Alaska/Yukon trip. I wish there had been more time to discuss hiking efficiencies and some advanced concepts/techniques at Wednesday's clinic but there was not enough time. Best regards to Andy in future endeavors. -Steven