A higher level of fitness

When it comes to reaching your fitness goal, steps are just the beginning. Fibit tracks every part of your day - including activity, exercise, food, weight and sleep
- to help find your fit, stay motivated and see how small steps make a big difference.
www.Fitbit.com
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Fitbit via Mode Media.
The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Fitbit.

Mountain travel isn't the easiest way to exercise, but it sure is fun.  It takes time to adjust to the harsh environments and logistics when compared to the comforts of a nice indoor gym!  I've always known how important it is to stay strong and in good shape for the sports that I love, but the idea of a typical gym setting to achieve that makes me cringe.   With a seasonal passion like splitboarding and snowboarding, I've had to find different ways to stay in shape during the off-season.   The combination of hiking, backpacking, biking and climbing provide me with all the activity I need to be strong when the snow starts to fly.
The more you push your limits, the longer you can stay outside doing what you love, no matter what the sport may be.

I've been using the Fitbit Surge to track my exercises out on the splitboard this winter.  It has proven to be super useful to see what actually happens in terms of statistics while out hiking, something I've never really been able to see.   Everything from heart rate to distance traveled, elevation gain and calories burned.   Day after day, you can track your output and see how your body is changing with time in regards to cardio strength and stamina.   I was blown away to see how may calories I was burning on an average ski tour. I've since adjusted the amount of food I bring, and try to eat on an hourly schedule to keep my calorie intake matched to what I'm burning.   Being able to visually see how many calories I'm burning has been a huge help in keeping my energy levels up, to avoid the dreaded "crash"!

With the GPS tracking I have the ability to see a summary of these stats and review my route afterward on the phone app or computer.  This paints a perfect picture of where I'm at physically, and where I want to be in the future.  It can be difficult to see your progress when it comes to sports like splitboarding and mountain hiking in general. Using this watch I'll have a much better idea of how to improve my fitness while keeping track of it as the seasons change.

The largest pillow line of my life - January 2014

In mid January of 2014 an arctic cold front set in over British Columbia, along with blue skies for the rest of the month. With a stable snowpack and good pow high up, the options for snowboarding seemed endless. It's not too often that you get to hike up and ride down just about anywhere with little concern for avalanches. I had been eying up this pillow line for over a year and it was the perfect time to give it a try.

Many thanks to Ian Provo, Pete Alport and Daniel Rönnbäck for capturing the moment that day.

Voile Revelator splitboard 2015-2015

My point of view riding the Revelator Splitboard, about 20 miles away from its birth place in Salt Lake City at Voile Manufacturing. Utah's Wasatch mountains are an incredible place for building and testing splitboards, and this new board from Voile is a perfect match for the terrain. March 2014.

A month in the camper in beautiful BC

What kind of Meat -Trailer

What kind of Meat? - trailer from The Provo Bros


In August of 2013, we traveled to Bolivia. It was the craziest place we've ever been! This remote country has been on our radar ever since we became obsessed with riding mountains and fly-fishing, but it always seemed untouchable. All we wanted to do was catch a big Golden Dorado on the fly in a jungle choked, Amazonian headwater stream, but the trip evolved into something much greater. With the help of our friends Patrick Taendler, Federico Marancenbaum, and The Green Forrest lodge at Caño Negro, we had a rare opportunity to fish for a grand slam in the Amazon, and prepare monkeys for dinner on an open fire. To complete the adventure, we traveled into the Cordillera Real to the source of the river, reaching the highest point we've ever been, and shredded back down. A trip to remember.

Roadside Runs in Alaska- Provo Bros

Roadside runs in Alaska from The Provo Bros on Vimeo.

In the spring of 2013, my brother Ian and I made it back to Alaska for the second time in our lives. We returned with a much better understanding of the dynamics of riding up there and hopes of safe snow conditions. After spending 10 days glacier camping by plane in the Tordrillo Mountains with clear weather and stable snow, we were excited to see what the mountains outside of Anchorage had to offer. For $25 a day, we rented a small car for a week and headed for the hills. The amount of quality ski terrain accessible from the road was mind blowing. Every winding corner presented a new mountain for us, and a new challenge. With a bit of an optimistic eye, long hikes and tricky route finding, we found ourselves on top of some of the craziest roadside runs we’d ever ridden.

Neil Provo & Hip-Deep Alaskan Powder, Big Mountain Shredding | The Backcountry Experience, Ep. 6

A few clips from Powderwhores movie "Elevation". Camping and snowboarding in the Tordrillo Mountains of Alaska- April 2013

Snowboarding Heaven on Earth, Holden Village | The Backcountry Experience, Ep. 1

Holden Village is a Lutheran ministry, nestled in a forested valley at 3,200 feet in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington state. Formerly the site of one of the largest copper mines in the United States, the Holden mine, Holden is accessible only by the Lake Chelan passenger ferry, the Lady of the Lake, or by hiking in through the Cascade Mountains. In 1896, James Henry Holden made his first claim on the area which would later become Holden Village. However, because of the expense and difficulty involved in transporting copper from the isolated mine, the operation did not begin its full productivity until 1937. The Holden Mine and the town of Holden flourished for many years despite the isolation. After World War II the price of metals fell and the resources of the mine began to diminish.
The mine was closed in 1957.

Thanks to the Powderwhores for having me along on this trip. It was a wild place to ride!

This is Backcountry

This is Backcountry. Here, blood meets rock, sweat meets trail, and the well-worn path to a routine existence reaches its terminus. This is an invitation to feed your wanderlust, to rediscover the spark inside you and feel the strain of your muscles against the forces of nature. Every second is about action—it's gas and a match fed to grit and determination. Take a glimpse, and then take another — we get it, and this is what we call #goatworthy



For all of your outdoor needs, visit Backcountry.com

Outdoor Research Tiny House Tour- Season 2, Episode 3 in Utah

Every moment in the mountains lends an opportunity to learn. A lifetime education awaits those willing to explore, watch, and listen. And sometimes we meet purveyors of the knowledge, people who have made it their intention to understand the intricacies of the snow, and share what they've learned about the many varieties of a snowflake. These snow aficionados are our greatest educators, devoted to dissecting the element that brings skiers life and death simultaneously.

The tiny house arrived in Utah at the beginning of a storm cycle that would invigorate the mountain community with pow turns, while burying a weak layer in the snowpack that would require trepidation in the backcountry. In the two weeks the tiny house lived in Utah, many slides were seen and experienced by skiers and snowboarders across the Wasatch. Instead of playing their usual roles in this act, they became the audience and learned from a friend of the Utah Avalanche Center, Trent Meisenheimer, a passionate snow safety ambassador who grew up at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Following Trent and his father Bruce (a man who should be put in the Ski-Loving Father Hall of Fame) into the special ski stashes of the Cottonwoods (yes, they still exist), the OR team investigated their own capacity to learn and re-learn what they already thought they knew. You're never too experienced in the backcountry. And there is always something new to digest.

“Education is the process of living, not preparation for the future.”


Click the link above for smokin' deals on backcountry.com right now!

Steelhead and Spines- The Provo Bros

Steelhead and Spines- The Provo Bros from The Provo Bros on Vimeo.

Our addiction to mountains and rivers has always had us looking north to Alaska, where big fish and mountains existed on a level we had only experienced in our dreams. As the winter of 2012 continued to disappoint in the lower 48, it was obvious that Alaska was being buried in snow. It seemed like the time was right, that maybe after 10 years of "practice" in Utah, we were ready for our journey north. We hit the road in March, putting everything we had into our first and for all we knew, our last adventure to Alaska, with two things on our mind, steelhead and spines.
We joined forces with three of our friends from Utah, for a ski-plane assisted camping expedition in the heart of south eastern Alaska's backcountry. Over 50 miles by wing from the nearest road, our pilot dropped the 5 of us off on a big lonely glacier encircled by jagged mountains, and in the spirit of adventure, wished us good luck. We would need it. From that point on, the feeling of being completely alone in a wild and unknown land for the first time in our lives penetrated every cell in our bodies. Only one person in our group had ever been to Alaska, Chris Coulter. On day 8 when he suddenly left to work in Haines as a heli guide, the feeling of isolation crept deeper into our minds, and it had never felt so good.
We chose to do this trip without any guides, plans, itineraries, or rules simply because we wanted to have our own experience. We wanted it to be raw, unknown, and we wanted it to be an adventure. Of course the style we chose made things much more difficult for us than they could have been, but the feeling of accomplishment was immense. We found glorious spines to ride, and stumbled upon one of the best runs of wild Steelhead in the world. Returning home safely from our first journey to Alaska signified a successful mission, along with the wonderful new memories from the greatest riding and fishing experiences of our lives.

First turns for 2012-2013 season- October 24th

Just like that, old man winter opened the door and flipped the switch. A solid storm came in on October 23rd and skipped over the southern end of the Wasatch, but absolutely pounded up north at Powder Mountain . We headed up early the next morning to find ourselves submerged in mid winter, over the head conditions. A complete opposite to the days prior on the river!

From dirt and rock to this in a matter of 1 day. Ian provo photo^

Ian getting a face full of october blower! what a day...
get ready for the season with good deals from backcountry.com!

Outdoor Research- Sidecountry Sessions Episode 3- Nelson BC

With no snow in the lower 48, Zack, Molly and I had no choice but to tug the tiny house north of the border to one of my favorite places on earth, Nelson British Columbia. The minute we arrived i knew we were in for a good trip.
The snowbanks were stacked high and there were fresh cm's on the road up to Whitewater Resort.
Check out the video!


Link to VIDEO on Teton Gravity


-Words by Molly Baker-
Whitewater is a mythical place for an American skier. Not too distant, but yet so far out of reach. As we drove north, I heard the boys talking of finding a Canadian girl to marry. There’s that option and then there’s ex-pat status. How does an American stay in Canada, land of epic powder for the winter? Or even a lifetime?

As we drove further north, our question went from how we could stay in BC to how we were getting into the country. With a house on wheels and amounts of ski gear that could outfit the entire town of Nelson, our odds seemed low. The border patrol was sure to find something wrong with our situation. But without even a mention of Ullr and his presence in the lower 48, we went north to the border anyways. It would be worth trying and getting turned around.
At least we’d have tried.

We negotiated the border an hour before the crossing in rural eastern Washington closed, hoping the officer wouldn’t want to bother with questioning at the end of his shift. Of course, they pulled us out of our trusty old truck, Rusty Deluxe, and asked us to step inside while they inspected the tiny house and our bags of gear. The two solemn, but friendly (dare I say friendly? Canadians, it’s a stereotype to be proud of…) gentlemen threw our names in a Google search, watched the Sidecountry Sessions videos, laughed and treasured the spectacle of the tiny house, and sent us through to the land of “Neldor”.

Nelson, British Columbia serves up a fruitful combination of new age yoga/hippy culture, fresh prideful food, and Canadian quaintness. The Outer Clove, Baba’s, Oso Negro Coffee, and the two natural grocers in town could feed our crew for a lifetime without dispute. A vanilla chai from the town’s hobbit hole eatery, a.k.a. The Preserved Seed, could satiate our palette after every shred day. Life is easy in a ski town like Nelson. No desire goes unsatisfied.

More importantly than the food, is what quenched our skiing appetite. According to one local gent, “Whitewater gets more fresh centimeters than any resort in BC, eh?” Although this particular winter has been drier than last year’s strong La Nina, centimeters of fresh were common. The skies didn’t clear for our first week in the Whitewater parking lot. Every morning we peered out hoping to see Ymir Peak from the tiny house, but a low ceiling of clouds obscured any such view. We stuck to the trees and enjoyed the BC powder.

Our original schemes of staying in Canada for as long as possible panned out in an inevitable issue with Rusty D. After parking the tiny house in the first row at the ski area, we drove Rusty into Nelson, only to have the 1991 brown Ford catch on fire. Two extinguishers later, plus an appearance by the local fire department and police squad, and Rusty was totaled. We learned we weren’t just “stuck” to the trees.
We also happened to be stranded in Canada, just fifty feet from the lift at Whitewater.

This kind of occurrence had happened once already in Silverton—a tiny house near epic skiing, with no vehicle to tow it away. Luckily, this time we’d fallen down the rabbit hole to Whitewater, a wonderland of sidecountry lines and charming characters—people who smile from ear to ear, yelp, and scream to their friends to come check out the little cabin on wheels.

The tiny house has made it home.

Looking up to Ymir peak from the parking lot as it takes in the last light of the day. Our tracks exiting the cuba chute on the left. Hope to make it back to wh20 to hit that face!


Pray for Powder and pick up a pair of OR mitts on the link below!

Rooster tails on a sunny november afternoon

The last few days in Utah have been unfavorably warm, so the expectations were pretty low on the morning of November 22, 2011. We headed up Big cottonwood canyon and skinned our way to the park city ridge line. I was surprised to find that blower pow the Wasatch is so famous for. The clear days and cold nights have worked up a mean faceted layer on most aspects we passed through. Although it made for great turning conditions, i'm afraid it will become our next weak layer in the snowpack. With another clear night and tomorrows high's of 40, those flakes are only going to grow. The high winds better blow them away, Damn surface hoar. Hope mother nature unleashes soon and drops a heavy load to clear things up! Let the winter begin!

Winter is back! First pow turns at Snowbird on October 7th 2011

Its early October and the first blanket of snow has been laid upon the Wasatch mountains. I couldn't help but go poke around and find some powder! Good friend Nick Russell and i headed up to Snowbird for a hike on the splitboard through the colorful aspens, up to the snow filled cirques that the bird is so well known for.

The transformation from fall to winter in Utah. One of the most beautiful times of the year...


We were stoked to find some pretty good pow high up above the crowds of Octoberfest below.
Nick drops in for his first turn of the season in Upper Cirque.

Just a few days before i was casting dry flies out on the river in the warm sunshine, then BOOM!, winter time.
October 7th, one of the earliest dates i've ever strapped into my snowboard. What a place.....

Provo Bros- Uinta summer solstice 2011

"Utah has had one of the most incredible seasons in history and it's not over just yet. We've been riding for 10 consecutive months and it might be soon time to hang up the boards for the summer, but not because of a lack of snow thats for sure. On the summer solstice Neil and I made a trip to the High Uinta Wilderness to ride off some of the highest peaks in the state. The Uintas have the most alpine terrain in the lower 48, the skiing is vast and seemingly untapped. Neil and I learned everything we know about backcountry riding and camping in these mountains, and it feels awesome to continue to explore our backyard and push further into new, unexplored terrain."
-Ian Provo


Ostler Peak, a classic Uinta decent.


Ostler and Spread Eagle Peak

May 20th was a Powder day!

May 20th 2011 was yet another amazing pow day. Just when i was getting stoked for summer, another mega snow storm hit Utah. It is insane how deep Utah's snowpack is! We pulled up to brighton resort to find the parking lot completely empty. Not a soul in sight. I guess folks in Utah don't enjoy blower powder in May! We had all of Big cottonwood canyon to ourselves!

Ian hikes up Millicent Peak.


The snow was amazing. It felt like January...
Here's ian carving into a nice one


Matt the meteorologist, diving down deep to sample the fresh snow.


Here's a photo Ian took of me on May 18th. An equally stellar day for may!


Ian and Ty standing on top of Fantasy Ridge. Might be dreaming cant be May 18th!

WHEN WILL WINTER END? WHEN WILL SUMMER BEGIN???

Pfeifferhorn skiing & snowboarding - May 1st 2011

AKA, "Little Matterhorn", is a nice little shark tooth of a mountain. Easily recognized by its similarity to the famous peak in the Alps, its the 5th highest in the Wasatch. On may 1st, it was not our original objective, but the unexpected sun forced us to bail on a more exposed line down the road. We were equally stoked on the new mission, and the incredible powder it would deliver for the first day of May.

Photo of the mighty Pfeifferhorn in mid winter 2010.
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VIDEO

^720p for best quality!
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Morning light comes though the trees and consumes you with intense heat, than its back to the frigid shadows.
Then up into the high country!
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The south faces of little cottonwood canyon looked tremendous.
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LEVITATION break!
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Ian makes his way closer to the objective.
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Dropping into the Northwest Couloir off the Pfeifferhorn- the top section was ICE!
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Well that was fun. Finished it off with a four thousand foot exit gully. The strong sun had worked the snow down low, turning it from dry crystal powder to wet mank in a hurry. Its that time of the year. Eventually the snow will melt, but with another cold storm on the horizon, the endless winter continues.
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Words: Ian Provo -Photos and Video by Neil & Ian Provo

Springtime snowboarding in Utah - April 2011

After a long trip up north, it was nice to come back home. Living amongst the clouds for so long in BC i began to miss the blue bird pow days Utah is known for. The snowpack is as deep as i have ever seen it in the Wasatch and Uinta mountains in my 10 years of living here. It is going to be a great spring and summer to get after on the splitboard!

My bro and I linked up with our pops and headed up the mirror lake highway on the sleds for some fun pow turns in the sun! Only get to ride with my pop a few times a year, and this was the first time we got to snowboard together in the mountains where we spend many summer days flyfishing and backpacking. Great day with the old man!


My pop and i, loving the fresh spring pow!




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Zach Siebert, enjoying some fresh powder behind the Canyons resort.

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4/20/2011 High alpine adventure to the High Uinta mountains. My brothers Justin and Ian boot up the ridge with Pouch following.

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The snow just doesn't quit here in utah. Almost may and there seems to be no end in sight!
Looking down the Argenta slide path off Kessler Peak... A mighty force created this nice little ski run. The snow conditions were just right on this day- incredible for April 26th!!


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NATURE. Birds of prey on the mountainside...


Looking forward to riding more pow as it comes, and hitting some big lines when the melt/freeze cylcle begins. Record snowpack!!!!!!