States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
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The Art of the Backyard Park

It’s not that hard to come up with a list of complaints about most ski resort snowboard parks. Too crowded, too small, too many jibs, not enough jibs -- listening to many snowboarders you’d think park quality is a global crisis. But what if your local resort is hours away, and then has only limited Midwest-style park offerings? What could you do besides complain? Nick Trotochaud has an idea, and it’s called Hirschy Lab. The 17-year-old from Venon Hills, IL has, for the past four years, created an ever-growing snowboard park, right in his backyard. It might not be getting him ready for the X Games or whatever it is…
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States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

The Art of the Backyard Park

It’s not that hard to come up with a list of complaints about most ski resort snowboard parks. Too crowded, too small, too many jibs, not enough jibs -- listening to many snowboarders you’d think park quality is a global crisis. But what if your local resort is hours away, and then has only limited Midwest-style park offerings? What could you do besides complain? Nick Trotochaud has an idea, and it’s called Hirschy Lab. The 17-year-old from Venon Hills, IL has, for the past four years, created an ever-growing snowboard park, right in his backyard. It might not be getting him ready for the X Games or whatever it is…
Read More