Editor’s Note: Living the dream in Santa Cruz

Welcome to ASJ #75. Though it wasn’t really intentional, it’s fitting that much of the focus of this issue is on Santa Cruz. After all, ASJ was born here and our office is right in the municipal harbor on the east side of town. Santa Cruz has a polarizing effect on...

The Angry Singlespeeder

Singlespeeds are for Angry People At least that’s what my buddy Todd told me one time. I was a little offended at first, but I thought about it for a second and understood where he was coming from. Singlespeeders go against the grain. They typically have some kind of...

Life is a Thru Hike

A thru hiking veteran describes his 2013 PCT odyssey from Mexico to Canada By Stephen Olshansky Hi, you can call me Otter, that’s my trail name. Everyone gets one when they become a thru hiker, going for the really big distances. I have been a long distance hiker for...

Santa Cruz Bicycles

NHS pro skater Rob Roskopp brings the Santa Cruz brand to mountain biking By Matt Niswonger – Photos courtesy of Santa Cruz Bicycles Rob Roskopp was a pro skater for NHS in the eighties who was later mentored by Novak in the world of business. The Roskopp model...

Yosemite’s Forgotten Passage

Old Coulterville Road offers a Journey Through History Words and photos by Matt Johanson Dawn arrived on a clear and chilly day, revealing a gentle stream, wooded hills and a dirt road that extends beyond the horizon. From this spot beside Bower Cave in Mariposa...

Fall Colors in the Sierra

Words and photos by Tim Hauserman Outdoor exercise addicts are always looking for an excuse to get aerobic in nature. We sign up for centuries so we have to “train” by going on a series of great rides leading up to the event. We buy season passes to ski as often as...

Ticket to Ride

Freeskiing legend and Santa Cruz local Scot Schmidt comes full circle in Warren Miller’s latest installment By Matt Niswonger • Photos courtesy of Warren Miller It’s hard to believe that this winter’s Ticket to Ride will be Warren Miller’s 64th ski movie. In the past...

Tenaya

The peak, the canyon, the lake By Leonie Sherman Sometimes you need more than vague plans to galvanize your Tuolumne weekend, lest you find yourself huddled in a parking lot talking more than you climb. For a three-day weekend, my partner and I chose a simple focal...

The Breweries of Santa Cruz County

By Derrick Peterman Say the word “Santa Cruz” and most people think of surfing, mountain biking, or good times at the beach. Now Santa Cruz is getting a reputation for great beer as well, thanks to a small but lively brewing community. Santa Cruz County had a couple...

Rad, inc.

Forty years of NHS By Neil Pearlberg • Photos courtesy of NHS Right before his tenth birthday, young Quintin fractured his wrist while trying a new trick on his skateboard. When his birthday arrived he was sporting a bright blue cast and proudly explaining to his...