The streets were packed with people, race vehicles and teams. It was loud, high-energy and just an amazing scene. Everywhere you looked, people were celebrating off-road racing.

Last week I had the opportunity to join the Cardo Systems and SPEC PR teams in California's beautiful San Bernardino National Forest to help launch one of the most exciting new products in the off-road world; the new Cardo Venture, the world's first off-road helmet with fully integrated Cardo Dynamic Mesh Communication.

Anything you do to improve a street tire’s in the dirt reduces its on-road performance. Larger tread blocks, wider spacing, softer compounds, and more aggressive patterns may improve bite in loose terrain but they will also reduce contact patch, increase movement under load, create noise, and accelerate wear. Likewise, anything done to make an off-road tire better on pavement weakens its dirt performance. Tighter tread spacing, harder compounds, and smoother profiles improve highway manners but reduce the tire’s ability to dig into loose surfaces, conform over rocks and clear mud effectively.

The modern rider has more information available than any generation before, but not everything. Even with all of these tools available, there is a simple reality that anyone who spends time exploring eventually learns. From a computer or a remote location, you can only gather about 80% of the information about a place; that final 20% is something you only discover once you are actually there.

It might come up as “Can you just write a quick post?” or “Throw together a press release real fast?” or even “Just grab a photo for this journalist super quick!” And usually, the person asking doesn’t even realize how loaded that sentence really is. But here’s the truth: Nothing worth doing in PR or in any professional field tied to reputation, storytelling, or brand is actually done in five minutes, or even 15 minutes.

In high-snow years with soft conditions and open terrain, finding the perfect line of untouched powder or leaping off rocks and jumps and tackling steep terrain makes for an ideal ski day. Deep snow requires slightly different techniques than firm snow, however we all can become better powder skiers by practicing on the groomers. On firm snow, every turn provides immediate feedback; you can feel whether your weight is centered or drifting too far back and it’s clear when you get it right.

It’s no secret that snow skiing and snowboarding require a lot of gear, and there’s no shortage of gear on the market. Jackets, pants, helmets, skis/boards, layers and  accessories, walk into any ski or snowboard shop and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of gear, and of course, the price of it all. When it comes to having a truly great day on the mountain, not every piece of gear carries the same weight. In fact, there are three pieces of equipment that matter more than everything else combined. Get these right, and you can figure out the rest along the way.

After a few days climbing up steep hills and over small rocks I was hooked. I started watching videos online, seeing the extreme terrain the pro riders were tackling, and started to get inspired. Then I realized I need to get my own bike and not crash my buddy’s bike (anymore). Off to the FB Marketplace and I was excited to see a lot of things available from $1500-$3500 for what appeared to be ready-to-ride.

Image courtesy of Christy Sports