ADVENTURE SPORTS BY WINA STURGEON 4/30
BLACK DIAMOND ONCE AGAIN GOOD GUYS
Black Diamond and founder Peter Metcalf walk the walk, it ain't just talk. The Salt Lake outdoor equipment company is donating nearly $9,000 to help purchase a block of property which gives access to Skaha Bluffs in Canada's British Columbia. The wilderness bluffs are a climber's heaven, with 50 cliffs containing 840 notable short climbs, some with a difficulty of 5.12 or more.
Canada's Mountain Equipment Co-Op is trying to buy a lot that gives right-of-way to the bluffs. The land belongs to a farm that leased access to the climbing area to the public, but the lease ran out last fall. Then the farm was sold by the owner.
The Canadian company and British Columbia's Land Conservancy have already put up nearly half a million dollars for the purchase, and the Black Diamond donation will help meet the goal of raising enough money to get the land by the June 30 deadline.
NO MORE TEXTING FOR YOU!
that bastion of self righteous hypocracy, has passed yet another rule affecting it's slavesThe NCAA, that bastion of self righteous hypocracy, has passed yet another rule affecting it's slaves...er, college athletes. (You know the ones; those hard driving players who make big bucks for their schools, but are not allowed to accept so much as a meal for themselves)
Now the organization's board of directors have banned coaches from text messaging potential recruits. Coaches can try to call the athletes they wish to add to the college or university's lineup, but they are not allowed to txt msg them.
The convoluted NCAA rules are different for high school athletes. Recruits are allowed to text to the coach, but the coach is not allowed to type anything back to the athlete.
TOUR SCANDAL WON'T DIE
Italian cycling star Ivan Basso jumped from the elite Discovery Channel team when Italy reopened the investigation into last year's blood doping scandal in Spain. He quit just weeks before a new book is scheduled to come out that names the names of alleged cheaters.
The scandal has already caused early retirement for a number of top stars who are Tour de France contenders, including Jan Ullrich, who was kicked off his team just before last year's tour, and retired when no other team would pick him up.
The book is written by a former massage therapist who worked with Ullrich's team from 1992 to 1996.
NOT ALL KENYANS ARE PHENOMS
Two Kenyan buddies who train together are as different as night and day. Nelson Lebo won the 2007 Salt Lake City Marathon. His training partner couldn't even finish the race.
Hilary Koech did finish the half-marathon after spending all his reserves to push Lebo to run faster. According to Koech, that was the plan. Lebo's winning time of 2:21.17 was far from the course record. But there were few elite athletes in this year's race once the purse was cut to less than half of last year's prize money, from $77,000 to $33,000. Worse, it took nearly a year to pay the promised victory bucks to last year's winners.
THE 'BIRD STILL GOING STRONG
Not ready to hang 'em up yet? Go to Snowbird, where the coverage and the snow are still good. It may be breaking heat wave records in the valley, but tee-shirt skiing is still going on up in Little Cottonwood Canyon. From the looks of the parking lot early this week, some snowriders are not yet ready to break out their bikes.
The 'Bird will close the second week of May.