So much craziness happening right now.  Had my birthday on New Years Eve.

Mostly, I’ve been busy skiing ridiculously deep powder on my new Roxy skis, the Mumbo Jumbos.

Charging around with the polka dot crew

And eating delicious pizza at the Goldminer’s daughter.

Oh and I gave myself a black eye jumping, which is going to look great as I make my Japanese debut on Monday.

I fly into Tokyo and then to Sapporo where I will be for 18 days of deep powder skiing.  Nisko is the resort I’m going to and they are supposed to get as much snow as Alta (600" a year). 

I will be updating with photos so please check back and e-mail me while I’m gone!

The past week and a half has been a whirlwind.

Finished finals last Wednesday, went to Jackson on Saturday, got back Sunday and then Christmas and tons of snow!

In the midst of lots of skiing and present wrapping, I managed to plan a ski trip to Japan for Jan. 12-29.  I will be going to Niseko to work with Sweetgrass Productions for their next ski flick.  Check out their website www.sweetgrass-productions.com .

I am ridiculously stoked.  I went to Japan when I was 5 1/2 weeks old.  My parents traveled to Japan extensively as I was growing up and would always bring me back treasures like small dolls, origami paper and kimonos.  My best friend growing up was half-Japanese, and I would spent a few weeks of my summer at a Japanese language camp in northern Minnesota through Concordia Language Villages.  I’ve always felt a deep connection to the language, people and culture.

When I get back from that, I will be hopping on the Elements tour and meeting up with some of my Kavu folks to shred pow and film for their upcoming flick.  Right now, it looks like I will join on for a Yurt tour in the Sawtooths and a few days up in Jackson Hole!  Can’t wait.  www.naturepropelled.com

Stay tuned for pics and updates from the trips!

Here are some from the holidays:

Iris and I are those people wearing avalanche beacons in the bar.  With the current avy danger, I’ve been wearing mine almost everyday in bounds (and even keeping it on in my car during the drive down the canyon).  Please everyone be careful out there!

Brant Moles bartending at the P-Dog (Alta’s Peruvian Bar).

Cody Barnhill and Iris Noack chilling at the Alta Peruvian bar.

Drew Stern and I after Christmas dinner.

My mom, Scarp dog and my brother Stephen Gleich

My dad getting ready to open his present from me.

Shaking it up–this series is so funny!

Tearing it open

He was pretending to be Tarzan I think…

Here he is looking super fly in his new goggles and helmet.

Crochet a hat!

Crocheting is so easy and fun, and your friends and family will love these handmade gifts.  The best way to get started is to go to your local yarn store.  My favorite one in Salt Lake is called Soul Spun Yarn.  My friend, Somer Gardiner, started the shop a few years ago, and it has the best selection of yarn and supplies in the valley.  She also teaches crochet and knitting classes.

There are two classes coming up where you can learn to make gifts that will be done by the 25th.  They are on Dec. 17 from 6:30-8:30 and Dec. 20 from 2-4. 

Call ahead and sign up!

3955 Highland Dr
Salt Lake City, UT 84124
(801) 272-7685

Also, go to the website for more info: www.soulspunyarn.com.

Ever since I started crocheting, I’ve had a really hard time putting my hook and yarn down.  It is really addictive, but unlike video games or Facebook chatting, you actually have something to show for yourself when you are done.  It’s a delightful feeling to be able to look at a hat, sweater vest, or pair of hand warmers and say, I made those.

Here are some of my recent projects:

Here’s my cousin, Mara Gronseth, in the birthday hat I made for her.

Me in my new favorite ski hat that I just made.

The possibilities are endless!  And both guys and girls of all ages will enjoy crocheting or knitting. 

The hustle and bustle of the holiday weekend has kept me from updating- so I apologize if it’s been a minute or two since my last update.  I’ll try and keep them more frequent!

It’s been hectic but I love staying busy.  Between school ending and ski season starting, it seems like I’ve been working two full time jobs, but that’s a good thing because I’m much more productive when I’m busy.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday I got to SKI!  Many people have asked me, "How was the skiing?"  I like to respond, "Skiing is always good-it’s my favorite activity in the world!  The snow, on the other hand, can be either good or bad."  On Wednesday and Thanksgiving day, the conditions were wonderful–plenty of sunshine and temperatures warm enough to keep the slopes soft and slushy. 

Ok, so there’s not too much sunshine in this pic, but you can see the FUN!  Here’s me, Drew Stern, Michelle Silver and Vanessa Aadland right before we ripped down through our jib line (I’m stretching for my backscratcher).

Today, it was snowing (WOOHOO) and Alta was starting to look and feel more like Alta, but let’s all keep praying for more snow.  Here’s a silly video clip of me doing a daffy at Alta:

Besides the skiing, I’ve been keeping busy with Roxy events.  On "Black Friday," we did a party at Cole Sport in Park City, where we had free pedicures, mimosas, and delicious appetizers and deserts.  We also gave away coupons for free demos on Roxy skis throughout the season.

Here’s a shot of Jill Adler and her baby Sage, checking out the Roxy Baby skis. 

Of course, no Roxy event would be complete without pogo sticking, so below is a shot of Susan Larson showing off her skills (and the supercute Roxy outerwear).

So if you didn’t make it to Cole Sport to get your free demo coupon, be sure to come to the Canyons on Saturday December 13 to test out the Roxy skis for FREE!  Roxy has skis for every level skier, from the Sweetheart to the Shazam, and I encourage both GUYS and GIRLS to try them.  Hope to see you there!