Newsletter Issue

Letter from the Editor

Shay, President
Kush, Treasurer
Glen, Event Coordinator
David, National Events Staff
Tamlyn, Membership Administrator
Kristen, Eco Liaison
Me, Newsletter Editor

So, even if your a first year or a washed-up third year, like myself, there's still plenty of outdoor stuff to do. I like to consider sitting on a park bench pretty outdoors, so I'm sure all of you have more interesting things to do. So, get out there and do it outdoors! AND don't forget to share your experiences with the rest of us.

I'd like to give a huge thanks to our winner, Simonette Mallard of Chiba-shi. Some pretty cool things went down in Laos, don't forget to check it out. Thanks, again, Sim for making this newsletter rock.

Also, thanks to Kush for letting us know about the 2nd Annual Snowboarding Camp, and Glen for updating us on Powdatopia.

Read all about it!

Teresa
newsletter@outdoorsig.com

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Letter from the President

Hello OSIGers, new and old,

Allow me to give a brief introduction, my name is Shay Howard and I was born in the sunny, smoggy, urban sprawl of Los Angeles, California, a brief 30 years ago. I fortunately saw the light and left 10 years ago and have since lived in northern California, the Colorado Rockies and a few other cities dotting the globe. I graduated with a BA in history and Spanish and will soon return to grad-school seeking a degree in sustainable development.

When I was twelve, I became inflicted with the travel bug when my Mom took my brother and me backpacking across Europe, and have yet to clear my system of it. I believe it will be like one of those parasites you can pick up in the third world that will stay with you for life, because it just doesn't seem to go away. I started seriously travelling on my own, when in 1993 I moved to Spain to attend university, and haven't stopped ever since. Gratefully, I have met fascinating people, witnessed interesting cultural customs, and participated in a plethora of activities, some stranger than others. Along the way, I became obsessed with throwing my body out of airplanes and racing down steep, snowy slopes. Top that sundae with some mountain biking and you get me.

My adventures have taken me across four continents and have now landed me in Moritake, population 3,000, Akita-ken. Swallowed by the mountains, and valleys filled with yellow oceans of rice, which surround it, this tiny, unassuming place has led me to redefine small-town living. Though it is an hour drive to the closest respectable city, I have come to appreciate the simplicity of this life that surrounds me. I open my front door and there the natural world waits.

Japan is a wonderful place to satisfy anyone's hunger for exploration of the world's resources of adventure, and we are lucky to be here. Don't waste any time and get out there! Your visit will be brief and the opportunities are limitless: Fuji, Powdertopia, Sado Island, just to name a few. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Lead your own event or join another, who cares, just get yourself outside and tell us all about it. I look forward to meeting some of you, and hearing about others. Meanwhile, thank you all for supporting OSIG. Have a great year!

Shay Howard
OutdoorSig Pres

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