Friday, January 30, 2009

Big Screens




Well, 3 guys and 'the' gal are down in Vegas at the Sports Industries of America Tradeshow representing who we are what we do up in the upper left. Yale, Chach, and myself are holding down the fort in Bellinghm. But if you know us, you KNOW boredom ain't in our vocabulary.

Today was full of danger, heights, and alcohol. Because everyone knows that bigger is ALWAYS better, we at INNATE are pursuing the biggest screen printed graphics we can manage, but our current lightbox isn't cutting it. After searching for different types of exposure units in the industry, we realized that all we needed was and has been conveniently located 20 feet above our heads the whole time. The shop came with 1200 watts of pure metal-halide power, so we climbed up to the ceiling to see what we could do. After taping (yes, taping) two construction ladders together, shutting down the power to the whole shop, and snipping and taping wires in the dark, we had found our light source. You ever seen a 400 watt metal halide bulb? It's a robot's ostrich egg. After attaching the light unit to the gallery ceiling and a few light tests later, we're printing BIG baby. Dylan, we only spent a few hundred dollars on the Visa today- don't sweat it.
That's all for now- peace y'all.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

1st Annual Winter BellingJAM





INNATE and The Copper Hog present the First Annual Winter BellingJAM this February 15th at 1327 N. State St. in Bellingham, WA. Little do the residents of Bellingham know what's coming mid-February. With a venue like the Copper Hog, support from Red Bull and Monument Snowboards, well-known jams from Seattle's Common Market and the dedication, creative whimsy and anything-is-possible attitude of the INNATE Crew and Friends, a social celebration of mountain culture in the urban environment is in store for all those who wish to experience the elements.

An invite-only rail jam with skiers and snowboarders competing for cash prizes and fame and glory. A curated art gallery with Monument Snowboards Original Art work and process, INNATE's newest graphics and apparel creations and other inspired pieces. A teaser reel of next year's hottest snowboard and ski flicks. Outrageous food and drink specials inside the Copper Hog, and to put the icing the cake, a LIVE musical performance by COMMON MARKET all on a three day weekend!

That's all for now- more to come! PEACE and CHEERS--

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Irie Vibes at INNATE: Feb. 5 6PM


Come down to INNATE for a free all-ages acoustic performance before the big show at the Wild Buffalo!

Thursday February 5th// All Ages // FREE // IRIE

Big UPS to Build Strong Clothing for bringing us all together in the name of music and community- B'Ham would not be the same without them! Boodoowa!

KORE IONZ

Kore Ionz, uniting in Seattle from many corners of the globe, connect roots reggae with dynamic rock and world rhythms, producing high-energy grooves with a conscious message. Water for roots. Love of reggae. Fire for rock.

Kore Ionz believe a community must support itself in order to rise together and are donating 50% of the proceeds from their new album, Half-Hour Revolution, to The Service Board, a Seattle non-profit which provides life-changing programs and opportunites for marginalized youth. Kore Ionz are inspired, committed, and see music as a powerful vehicle for the growth of communities and individuals.

The ethnic makeup of the group represents five continents, with musical backgrounds equally as diverse, resulting in a global sound and culture that is their own. Promoting awareness of social injustice and the need to build a caring intragenerational community, their message is urgent and from the heart.

Kore Ionz have performed with such internationally acclaimed artists as Bob Marley's Original Wailers, Eek A Mouse, Clinton Fearon & the Boogie Brown Band, and John Brown's Body.



All Ages and absolutely free

art show with INNATE crew member Yale Wolf



Come to Museo Gallery in Langley,
Washington on Whidbey Island

Opening Reception Sat. Feb 7th 2009

Art Show 02.07.09 - 03.01.09

Featuring work by

John Sarkis
Paul Sarkis
Zimmermann Studio
Yale Wolf (INNATE REPRESENT)
Derek Yost (amazing! very inspirational artist!)
Jeff Conner
Jayson Smith

Thursday, January 15, 2009

New Goods in Store!

Constant blessings at INNATE...

Surface Skis Collaborative and Tall Tees Productions have arrived at INNATE with a mid-season refresher. Considering the everyday ism of the INNATE M.O., Tall T Productions and Surface Skis Collaborative are a welcome fit in the shop. Come check out some fresh alternatives-

So many innovative and creative ideas spawning from the inspired youth of mountain and urban culture... Fresh, artistic flavors are coming from every angle of the creative mindscape. Keep creating, keep relating. Big Ups to those pushin their passions. PEACE.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

A Shop. A Community. A Culture.



Innate:existing in one from birth.
Deep-Seated
Elemental
Essential
Intuitive
Intrinsic
Instinctive
Natural.

We are Innate Snow & Skate.
Individuals with like-minded ideas, collaborating & creating an environment to entertain, educate, and elevate.
As human beings, we must maintain our responsibility to be true to our roots.
As a group of athletes, artists and musicians, we have the desire to inspire.
As a collective, the possibilities and opportunities seem endless.

Without the support, encouragement, and interest of everyone involved, Innate simply would not be what it is. We adhere to the concept of cultivation through collaboration, and we are constantly striving to distribute the fruit of the roots to those who support us. Big ups to an exceptional community, and on behalf of all of us at Innate, cheers to two-thousand nine.

Much love!
The INNATION

Mt. Baker: Poor Sleep and Fluffy Pillows

Freeskier




By: Jason Tross

Alaskan transplant Sarah Gottstein told me about something she and her friends call the Baker Vortex. It’s a figurative point where everything just gets different traveling west along Mt. Baker Highway. I must have been in that vortex for about four days last week while on assignment to Bellingham and Mt. Baker because my idea of skiing is completely redefined.

My trip was really an extended weekend with skiers Zach Davison, Erich Kunz, photographer Joe Briggs and a host of other Western Washington University students who choose to spend their hours outside the classroom about an hour east of Bellingham at Mt. Baker More snow falls there than any other ski area in North America.

Friday Day 1: We’ve Got an Addiction! // 10-13 inches New Snow
My original plan was to carpool with Zach Davison to Bellingham for a story on Mt. Baker, but the Cascades got about 13 inches of new snow last night, and we don’t want to miss any of it while driving. Plans change.

Zach’s red-eye flight from Alaska lands around 6 a.m. at Seattle, where he meets friend and photographer Joe Briggs and heads straight for Summit at Snoqualmie’s Alpental.

Our timing couldn’t have been better. We hit Alpental just as the upper mountain opens around 11 a.m. The highest avalanche risk in decades keeps us in-bounds, but Alpental is notorious for serving up enough difficult terrain to surprise anyone. Zach and Joe are no exception. We find it more than a foot deep in most places and incredibly steep with plenty of cliffs and trees – the perfect warm up for Mt. Baker.

We’re wasted from a day of skiing harder than expected and ready to drive more than an hour north along I-5 to Bellingham, where Zach and Joe live.

They head straight home to unpack while I meet with Gabrielle Brockett from the Bellingham Whatcom Tourism Agency. She shows me around the local area and brings me to a shop to get some skis mounted. I’m pleasantly surprised to find such an impressive and creative snow and skate shop – especially when I meet Corey Warren who just graduated Western Washington University. He started what he named In8 to help cultivate more community among the large number of snow, skate and art communities. My skis are among the first to be worked on in the shop.

Joe, Zach, Gabrielle and I all rally at In8 and head for some needed Cabin Fever Ale and killer food at Boundary Bay Brew and Bistro. My steak is bleeding the way I like it an the beer is out of this world and the food coma starts to set in. I’m in need of some sleep and head toward my Condo in Glacier – 30 minutes from Bellingham along Mt. Baker Highway. It’s dark, snowing and I’m really overtired. Five hours of skiing with someone like Zach around Alpental and spending three hours looking for my Glacier lodging was enough to send me to sleep – not for long though.


Saturday Day 2: Hit the Ground Running // 4-6 Inches New Snow
Less than four hours later I’m checked out of my condo and ordering coffee and a breakfast bagel inside Graham’s convenience store waiting for Zach and Joe. Outside, the snow hasn’t stopped falling for nearly a week. Mt. Baker is reporting six inches of new snow with more to come all day. Like everywhere else in North America, avalanche danger restricts my tour guides, who were leery to show me all the goods at first. Soon I’ve proven myself worth and we start ducking ropes and hitting the trees.

I’m quickly learning Mt. Baker is pretty intense in a lot of ways. The snow is deep, terrain is steep and natural dangers lurk everywhere. That’s what most people come looking for, but don’t be surprised to find flat light, sticky snow, slow lifts and everyone just charging through it. Zach, Joe and their group pay this price for the most snow in North America. With that said, you just have to keep searching and you will find the goods – especially when you’re with my guides.

We hunt the in-bounds leftovers all morning before convince them I am trustworthy. Then I see and ski every spot I heard about and saw before coming to Baker. Doing the in-bounds stashes is great – as is seeing and skiing the notables. But the out-of-bounds Arm and Elbow of Mt. Shuksan and more really take me back. For everything I see to be unskiable, someone has a great story of the last time it was hit. I find it hard to tell if we are in bounds or not. I only know my quads can’t handle another flat-light drop – so we continue lapping the trees for a while and call it a day.

The ride along Hwy. 482 from the lodge to Bellingham is a great part of the Mt. Baker experience. Zach and I are talking Armada and catching up on the few years since we’ve seen each other and I’m getting to know Joe. I spend the better part of the trip laughing – Joe’s a former NCAA tailback or something, Zach has clear corner tail lights on his Expedition (from high school he claims) and I’m just taking it all in.

I stop laughing and realize we’re back in Bellingham where I check into the Bellingham Best Western. I can smell a pool or hot tub while walking down the hallway to my room – that’s because the pool and hot tub are part of the hallway. This isn’t what I am expecting from a Best Western. Turns out this hotel is one of the nicest in Bellingham. I get settled in and ready for my all-grass-fed organic bison burger with Gabrielle at Fiamma Burger. Afterward, I meet the gruesome crew of riders from my earlier Baker tour at the Up and Up.


Day 3: Keep Running // 7-9 Inches New Snow
Enter Erich Kunz. He spent the last seven years skiing Baker and going to school while providing a fresh perspective – think George Carlin in goggles. Whether the weather is good, these guys and gals have more fun than anyone I know. It’s the personal dynamic between riders of all ages and abilities. Everyone with a good attitude is welcome and it’s refreshing.

Weather rapidly deteriorates on us all morning so we lap the Elbow skier’s left off Chair 5. We manage to find a lot of great snow all over. The more things stabilize, the more we terrain we can access. Suddenly the weather destabilizes. Light goes flat in minutes, followed by flurries and eventually enough wind to stop me mid-descent. Time to haul ass. The storm cuts our day in half and leaves me wanting more, and Baker is about to deliver.

I guess we all overlooked it – even the experienced locals. The storm turns out to be the third and biggest low-pressure system cruising through the Strait of Juan De Fuca in a week packing nearly two feet for Monday morning.

I start realizing leaving on the eve of a big storm, while on assignment for Freeskier, is a really bad idea. I meet up with my long-time ski buddy and Baker local, Lance Rottger, and head out to Casa Que Pasa to let him help me commit to stay. Thanks Lance.


Day 4: Going into Overtime // 15-20 Inches New Snow
I just can’t bring myself to leave. Everything is done by now. I’ve done a bunch of solid interviewing, met a lot of great people, skied incredible snow on consecutive days – game over. Time to thank everyone for an incredible last couple days and jam out. What better way to do it than another couple hours smashing pillow lines in the trees? I officially postpone departure and it is absolutely worth it. We part ways in the trees and I hitch a ride back to the car while they play. I don’t know it yet, but my perspective is very different on a lot of different things.

Terrain parks look odd to me now – almost silly. I feel like someone just let me in on the big secret – why thousands consider Mt. Baker the best skiing in North America. You could call it enlightenment via dream come true. I’ve dreamed of the pillow lines I saw in the movies. Thanks to some great new friends – I will ski those pillows again. Try just as hard to find this group of people as you do the terrain. After all, every mountain has good terrain. Good people are harder to come by.


Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Bellingham Artwalk February 6, 2009























Evan Griffin Christie is our featured artist for the February art walk.

Evan is an artist and designer living in Seattle, Washington. Working primarily within a printmaking format, his previous work has revolved stylistically around antiquated interpretations of futurism. Evan’s work is technically grounded in the interaction between tools of industry and of craftsman.

Get a sneak peak of his work

The Bellingham Business Journal


Business Births

Photo by Isaac Bonnell

Corey Warren (left), Dylan Warnberg and Yale Wolf chill at the new downtown ski and snowboard shop, Innate Snow & Skate. Warnberg and Wolf are seen here sitting on one of the old chairs from Chair One at Mt. Baker Ski Area. Warren won the chair last year as part of a writing contest for the ski area.

Last April, on the final day of skiing at the Mount Baker Ski Area, Corey Warren came home with a chair from the aging Chair 1 lift.

The ski area auctioned off all but 10 of the two-person chairs and held a contest for the remaining relics. Warren’s love letter to Mt. Baker won him a chance to pick through all the chairs to find one he liked.

“They had a whole yard of them and I picked one with the number ‘8,’” he said.

At the time, he didn’t think that his prize would one day be on display at a gear shop he ran with his ski buddy Dylan Warnberg.

But Innate Snow & Skate is more than just a gear shop — it’s part music venue, part art gallery, and part screen printing shop as well.

“Being a gear shop is kind of a disguise. It’s a way to bring people together in one space,” said Warren, who is a co-creator of the shop. “We wanted to start a cooperative art gallery at first. Then we realized it would be difficult to run that kind of business.”

With a love of art, music and snow, Warnberg and a crew of fellow enthusiasts have transformed the former Edge skate shop into a hub of cultural activity. A giant mural, courtesy of artist Yale Wolf, displays local icons such as Mt. Baker and the Herald building — except in this case the red neon sign defines this place as “Heaven.”

The shop is on the monthly Downtown Art Walk and recently showcased the work of local photographer Joe Briggs. One of his photos of Seattle rappers Common Market performing at the store’s grand opening is proudly displayed above the front counter.

Music is also a constant. Already the small stage at the front of the store has hosted local bands Acorn Project and Sweet Beets. During normal business hours, a set of congas sits patiently on stage waiting for anyone to play them. Afternoon jam sessions are common and encouraged, Warnberg said.

In terms of snow gear, the shop offers high-end apparel and equipment designed to handle the wet and windy Northwest weather. The shop offers equal choices for skiers and snowboarders and doesn’t perpetuate the old “us versus them” attitude, Warren said.

“We’re all going to the same spot and we’re all craving the same runs,” Warren said.

After all, searching for the best snow is innate among all skiers and snowboarders.

— Isaac Bonnell