Marketing | Environment | Culture

Tag: snow

From Anonymous Appreciation to Personal Invitation

A quick follow up to the last post about a vibrant painting by a local artist hanging at the Pioneers Museum in downtown Colorado Springs.

I brought the post to the attention of the artist, Tracy Felix.  We had a short email exchange in which he shared a few additional images and gave me insight into his creative and production processes.

In some cases he works from his own photographs, as well as postcards and photos from others.  In other cases he works strictly from imagination, informed by decades of hiking, skiing and exploring our area.

Here is an example of the former, a new painting from a recent trip to Durango:

Grenadier, range, mountains, Colorado, Molas Lake, Durango, Ouray, peaks, lake, nature, painting, fine art, Tracy Felix, Denver

The Grenadier Range from Molas Lake by Tracy Felix

Here’s an example of the latter, an imagined scene generated from the general idea or concept of “northern New Mexico”:

img class=”size-large wp-image-605″ title=”Along the Rio Grande” src=”https://ethanbeute.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Along-the-Rio-Grande_-Tracy-Felix-748×1024.jpg” alt=”Rio Grande, Colorado, New Mexico, fine art, painting, Tracy Felix, Denver, art, artist” width=”534″ height=”725″ />

Along the Rio Grande by Tracy Felix

The point of this post: rather than simply enjoying a painting at a local treasure of a museum, I decided to shoot a couple photos and write a brief piece about it.  From that limited initiative, I received more insight into the person and the process behind the images, images of three additional paintings not in the online gallery, information about a current showing of work by him and his wife, Sushe, and a standing, informal invitation to the Felix’s home and studio.  I think that’s wonderful.

Here’s the third image I received; it’s inspired by the La Plata mountains in the San Juan range near Durango:

La Platas, La Plata mountains, Colorado, painting, Durango, art, fine art, artist, Tracy Felix, Denver

La Platas by Tracy Felix

Here’s a Denver Post feature from July 2008 about Tracy and Sushe Felix.

What I Want in a Purchase

Says what it is.  Does what it says.  Solves your problem.  Exceeds your expectations.  That’s all I want in a purchase – how about you?

I really love to hike and to climb mountains.  I don’t do it as often as I would like, but I appreciate every opportunity I get.

Several times in fall or spring, I’ve been out in conditions in which snowshoes would have been a serious benefit.  I’d casually surveyed the market for several months, never quite serious enough to commit to a purchase.  A friend recommended the MSR Lightning Ascent.

MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoe 22" Orange

MSR Lightning Ascent

It’s a serious product.  Cut from aerospace-grade aluminum.  Lightest in its class.  Heel lift to support steep climbs.  A “total traction” design with teeth around the entire frame.  In short, it was designed to serve my purpose in an exceptional way.  I also expected to have the shoes for decades, perhaps handing them down to my son should he want them.

I probably would not have dropped the full retail price ($260-300); I wanted them, but did not need them.  I did, however, find a pair at one of the finest little shops in downtown Colorado Springs, Mountain Chalet.  End of season – $105 off.  Um, OK.

Picked them up and took them out the same weekend for a visit to Horsethief Park and a climb to Sentinel Point with Matt Payne (side note: check out 100summits.com – a website he built from pure passion and no web design background to speak of prior to initiating the project).

The MSR Lightning Ascent performed beautifully on hard pack, soft snow, deep powder, ice, steep slopes and all else we encountered.  Though only about 3 miles to Sentinel Point, the elevation gain is about 3,000ft.  Much of that gain is in the last mile and a half.  The heel lift proved to be an extremely valuable feature.

Approaching Sentinel Point, west side of Pikes Peak

Approaching Sentinel Point on the west side of Pikes Peak

Said what it was.  Did what it said.  Solved my problem.  Exceeded my expectations.  That’s what I got in the purchase.

Worth noting: they have a similar similar design at a lower price point in the Denali Ascent and Denali Evo Ascent.

Here’s a photo set from the hike.

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