In 1973, Bob Mathews traveled west from Minnesota on his way to Mexico City when he stopped in Oregon to help his friends move from Monmouth to Bend. Then something eerily familiar happened—he started bartending, got a job at the mountain and then straight-up moved here. At that time there was a small cross-country loop […]
Taylor Roozen
Posted inOutside
First Ascents
Brooke Sandahl and your favorite routes at Smith Rock
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth installment in our five-part series on the pioneers of Central Oregon’s famed outdoor sports scene. In the past 100 years, a handful of people have helped progress the accessibility and notoriety of our adventure sport scene. These icons of the outdoor world, in a pursuit of their own fresh […]
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Two Men, a Canoe and a Lot of Gumption
How the Langleys put C.O. whitewater on the map
You know that outdoor sport that you love—the one you can’t stop thinking about and you spend all your free time doing? Yeah, that one. Now, imagine that after years of training, sacrifice and dedication, you have the opportunity to compete in the Olympics. But then, without warning, your event is dropped from the Olympic […]
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Religious Rider
Dennis Heater helped track a path to today’s singletrack
In the late '70s Dennis Heater threw fat tires on an old single-speed road frame and, in doing so, created one of the world’s earliest mountain bikes. Off-road cycling became an immediate passion. Nearly a decade later, after years of racing and bicycle upgrades, he found himself in the middle of a 100-mile race with […]
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First Turns
We’re still following Terry Foley’s tracks
Editor’s Note: Over the next few weeks the Source is running a five-part series on a few of the icons of Bend’s outdoor scene. In the early '50s when Terry Foley was an 11-year-old kid, he and a couple of friends from town would often catch a ride with someone’s mom or dad up Skyliners […]