Just South of North

Everest: Beyond the Limit

2009-12-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

In April I wrote a post about Washingtonians that were going to attempt to summit Mount Everest and that the Discovery Channel would be documenting their climb.

International Mountain Guides, based out of Ashford, Washington will be the focus of the 5 episode series called Everest: Beyond the Limit. This will be the third season of the show for Discovery.

The series will run from December 27 to December 30. Here's the complete schedule on the Discovery Channel. But it all starts on the 27th with these showtimes:

Dec. 27, 8:00 PM - Episode 1: First Summit

Dec. 27, 9:00 PM -Episode 2: Impossible Dream

Dec. 27, 10:00 PM - Episode 3: Deadly Countdown

International Mountain Guides’s 2009 expedition put 30 climbers on the summit of Mount Everest. Oh, and also the film crew from the Discovery Channel.

Since 1991, International Mountain Guides has led 209 climbers up Mount Everest.

(This is from Just Northwest)

Dave Christensen

2009-12-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

Since both Brandon and I graduated from Eastern Washington University, we love to feature Eastern Alumni when they succeed.

Today we are featuring Dave Christensen. His photo is to the right. And by the way, I love that hat.

Christensen is the head football coach at the University of Wyoming, and a former Eagle.

This season the Cowboys not only made it to a bowl game, but they beat Fresno State 35-28 in double overtime in the New Mexico Bowl.

But it wasn't an easy win for them. The Cowboys trailed by 11 at the start of the 4th. Only to comeback and win.

In just his first season as the head coach, Christensen led Wyoming to their first bowl game since 2004 and their first winning record (7-6) since 2004.

With an awesome freshman quarterback in Austyn Carta-Samuels, a team that now is learning how to win big games and a lot of momentum for recruiting, I can only see good things in the future for the University of Wyoming.

Christensen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Western Washington in 1985. After that he earned a Master of Science degree in college instruction and sports science from Eastern Washington in 1988.

As for his football history, he played for the Washington Huskies from 1980-82. After that he worked for two seasons as a graduate assistant for the offensive line coach under Don James at the University of Washington for 1988 and 89.

He then went to Idaho State University where he coached the offensive line, tight ends and running backs for two seasons 90 and 91.

After ISU he headed to Toledo where he was the offensive line coach from 1992-96. He then was promoted to offensive coordinator from 1997-2000.

He then went to Missiouri where he was the offensive coordinator from 2001-08.

Following the 2008 season he was announced as the head coach for the University of Wyoming.

Hats off to the Wyoming Cowboys and Dave Christensen.

The worst college basketball defeat ever

2009-12-20T14:10:00.000-08:00

I love my Eags, but good god they were terrible last night. They probably would have gotten beat by Ferris High School with the effort they put fourth.

So Mark Dunn (pictured right) scores the first two points of the game against BYU. And then the Cougars proceed to score 33 straight points as the Eagles failed to score for NINE minutes.

(Bleech.)

And the game only got worse as the final was an absolute slaughter, 91-34 in what has got to be the worst or one of the worst losses in EWU men's basketball history. And this is just 48 hours after playing a very promising game against a good Nevada team. What the hell? I know Provo isn't full of nightlife so they couldn't have been out the previous night or something.

Oh well, looks like back to the ol' drawing board.

Outdoor Photo of the Week: Seattle winter

2009-12-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

Views of the Puget Sound on a cold, crisp, clear winter morning in Seattle, Washington. Photo by Lindsey Barnett/Issaquah, WA.

Click on the photo to make it larger.

Think you've got a great outdoor photo? Want to see it hosted on Just South of North? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location.

Check back each Sunday for a new Outdoor Photo of the Week.

TERRIBLE day for Gonzaga

2009-12-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

I hate Duke, don't like Gonzaga, so naturally I watched Saturday's game at Madison Square Garden and good god did the Zags get a beatdown.

To be fair Duke is Duke, an elite college program that shot well while Gonzaga couldn't hit a bucket to save their life. The result was a 76-41 loss for Spokane's finest and more questions for the young Zag team. It was the team's lowest point total in 25 years, marked by terrible shooting from their biggest stars. Yikes.

Now that being said. This is a young team. You know what young teams do? They're up and down. They'll have bad games and good games. This happen to be a bad team against one of the best teams in the nation. Not a good time for that to happen because the Blue Devils certianly took advantage of that and shelled them but I don't think you can take a whole lot from the game. That's the thing about college basketball, lots of time left in the season and it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

Maybe that's why CBB is losing popularity... just saying :D

With that said, time for Eastern Washington basketball tonight at 6 p.m. on 1050 AM The Key. Listen in and go Eags!

Epic Photo: Hockey at Fenway Park

2009-12-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

Many former Boston Bruins players were on hand to test the ice at Fenway Park in preparation for the upcoming Winter Classic on Jan. 1st to be played between the Bruins and Flyers.

Somebody please tell me that the Green Monster will somehow come into the field of play during this game.

I've noticed something about Mike Holmgren

2009-12-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

Former Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren seems to bear a striking resemblance to somebody famous during the Holiday season. Check this out, so here is the one-time Super Bowl Champion...

And now look at this...

Hmmmm... is that Ho-Ho-Holmgren?

Okay that was a terrible joke. I'm getting a lump of coal for Christmas.

Video Bites: Adam Morrison

2009-12-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

The December 18th edition of the JustSON Video Bites. That's right, bite sized videos!

Send your outdoor photos and cute animal photos to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com

Just Northwest
http://www.justnw.blogspot.com

National Geographic Adventure closing:
http://blog.outdoorzy.com/2009/12/04/...

Mike Holmgren:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html...

So long Silva!

2009-12-18T10:12:00.000-08:00

Wow the Mariners have done the impossible. They've unloaded Carlos Silva's ridiculous contract AND waistline.

The Seattle Mariners have found a way to get rid of one of their last lingering problems. According to major-league sources, the club is on the verge of trading Carlos Silva, who still has two years remaining on the four-year, $48 million contract given him by former general manager Bill Bavasi before the 2008 season, to the Cubs in exchange for outfielder Milton Bradley.

The deal, which could be announced later today, brings the Mariners an outfielder who has been involved in controversy throughout his career, but also has been an extremely productive player as recently as 2008. That year, with the Texas Ranger, Bradley hit .321, third-best in the American League, and led the league with a .436 on-base percentage. He hit 22 homers, drove in 77 runs, and made the American League All-Star team.

Cliff Lee and now you get rid of Carlos Silva? I hear the Mariners bandwagon starting to warm up.

Epic Photo: The worst venus flytrap ever

2009-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Good job dude, hopefully the government sends you food stamps.

Epic Video: Merry Swiftmas

2009-12-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, so since this song has come out Brandon hasn't stopped singing it. Seriously. I mean the song is pretty darn funny. And it's even catchy. But now it's even Brandon's ringtone!

BTW: That is Evan Taubenfeld, the former guitarist for Avril Lavigne.

I've noticed something about John Lackey

2009-12-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

I've noticed something about the Boston Red Sox's latest signing, pitcher John Lackey. Here's the former Angels' ace...

And now I present...

I'm just sayin'... very similar.

Astronauts will have to bring jet skis

2009-12-17T06:00:00.002-08:00

In the great world of astronomy or whatever looking for planets is called, earthlings have found a planet that is full of water. Guess we wont have to worry about water running out if we figure out this whole "space flight" thingy.

Astronomers say they have detected a planet just six and a half times as massive as Earth at a distance so close its atmosphere could be studied, and with a density so low it's almost certain to have abundant water.

The alien world known as GJ 1214b orbits a red dwarf star one-fifth the size of our own sun, 40 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, the astronomers reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

"Astronomically speaking, this is on our block," David Charbonneau of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, lead author of the study, told reporters this week. "This is a next-door neighbor. For perspective, our own TV signals have already passed beyond the distance of this star."

So if there is life planet, chances are they've seen CSI Miami. Which means they hate us.

Rodney Stuckey owns Allen Iverson

2009-12-17T06:00:00.001-08:00

Guess he should have stayed retired...

EWU's Taiwan Jones also an All-American

2009-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Will the All-American honors for Eastern Washington University never end? The Eagles had their third player selected to the All-American team - super-awesome, highlight reel Taiwan Jones.

Jones was selected to the third team as an all-purpose back, while Sherritt was selected on the first team and Nichols also earned a spot on the third team. Previously, Sherritt was selected as a first team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and Walter Camp Football Foundation, and Nichols was also honored on the AFCA first team.

All three players were first team All-Big Sky Conference selections, with Nichols earning Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors in both 2009 and 2007.

Something tells me this year's squad had just a little bit of talent on it. Just a hunch.

Video Bites delay

2009-12-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

I apologize.

But due to unexplained events (let's just say it involved a moose, my camera and butter) there is no Video Bites tonight.

However, don't worry. We'll be back in full force on Friday. And it will be a good one. Oh it will be a good one.

And keep an eye out for the NEW Video Bites intro. It's amazing! (AKA Brandon and I didn't make it)

Epic Photo: Stars from Hubble

2009-12-16T12:47:00.000-08:00

Found this on Huckleberries.

This image provided by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Tuesday shows hundreds of brilliant blue stars wreathed by warm, glowing clouds. The festive portrait is the most detailed view of the largest stellar nursery in our local galactic neighborhood. The massive, young stellar grouping, called R136, is only a few million years old and resides in the 30 Doradus Nebula, a turbulent star-birth region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. There is no known star-forming region in our galaxy as large or as prolific as 30 Doradus. (AP Photo/NASA)

Gonzaga fans don't like to play fair

2009-12-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

Today on one of the morning sports talk shows, the host stated that he thought that Gonzaga shouldn't get to play in Spokane for the opening round of this year's NCAA Tournament - saying that it's an unfair advantage. He was flooded with calls from Gonzaga fans saying that he hated Spokane (since he was from Seattle) and that they didn't want to hear his opinion.

Gonzaga fans, come on now. I know that playing in Spokane would be a great thing for the university and the city but you have to admit that having teams play in or near the that they're located in does give them something of an unfair advantage. Look at how it helped when Gonzaga played in Seattle. Nobody is trying to disrespect you or get on your case, they're just saying the system seems to be a bit skewed.

Now that being said, if the Bulldogs do play in Spokane (assuming they even make the post season), this city would be absolutely electric. Great atmosphere.

But don't dog someone for making a valid point.

Red Sox get Mike Cameron

2009-12-16T06:00:00.002-08:00

Hey remember this guy from Seattle? Well now he's going to be roaming the outfield for my beloved Boston Red Sox. I'm not sure what I think about this...

If the Red Sox are successful in signing Cameron, it further cements a development that has become all but certain in recent days -- Jason Bay will not be returning.

Cameron, a right-handed hitter, could split time with lefty Jeremy Hermida in left. In fact, Cameron would likely serve as an all-purpose backup, allowing center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and right fielder J.D. Drew to get their share of rest.

Cameron, who will turn 37 in January, spent the past two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2009, he hit .250 with 24 homers and 70 RBIs.

A center fielder for most of his career, Cameron has always been a highly regarded defender. He is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, most recently in 2006.

The problem is, the Sox need so serious juice (pun intended) in the lineup and I'm not sure Cameron provides that. Sure he has a good glove, but he's getting up there in age and will probably only decline at this point.

Calgary sets epic low temperature

2009-12-16T06:00:00.001-08:00

BRRRR amd Seattle though they had it cold at 16 degrees. Canadians are tough..

Calgary has beaten a weather record set more than 100 years ago.

At about 7:00 Monday morning, Calgary dipped to minus 32.4 degrees beating the old record by .2 degrees.

And at least twelve low temperature records have been broken, with the coldest being Sundre coming in at minus 41.6C.

That's prompting calls from the Catholic and public schools to warn parents about letting kids stand outside to wait for the bus. The frigid temperatures also cancelled bus service in the Chinook Edge School District.

The lowest windchill was in Camrose, where the wind makes it feel like minus 50C.

The record low temperature for Calgary is minus 32.2 set in 1893.

Seriously Seattle, don't you feel a little lame now complaining about 16 degrees? Nobody cares... you guys are a bunch of wimps. Go drive your Jetta in a car wash now.

I text more than a teenager. No Joke.

2009-12-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

I ran across this story on Huckleberries, saying that teenagers text 2,000 times a month. In fact, they probably text more than they actually talk to people.

... research found the average teen currently sends more than 2,000 text messages per month. About two-thirds of all teens use text messaging, mostly due to its simplicity as well as the privacy of being able to communicate without being overheard.

Lenhart predicted that texting would continue to grow as parents begin using it as an easy way to reach their kids.

At the same time, the average length of a cell phone call declined last year to 2.3 minutes. That's the shortest chat time since the 1990s, before mobile devices and cheap calling plans became widely available to everyday consumers. The peak talk time came in 2004, when a caller on average chatted for 3.05 minutes.

The monthly cell phone bill has remained largely flat over the years, at $50.

Curious and in need of some reference, I went to my phone bill to see how many times i text in a month. And here's the grand total...

My Usage: 2428 Texts

So I actually text more than a teenager. Which is not good. I'm 24-years old.

Epic Video: The Bear Grylls Necessities

2009-12-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

That's right. The star of Man vs. Wild can not only survive anything, but he can sing.

Eastern has plenty of good players

2009-12-15T18:17:00.000-08:00

Already talked about J.C. Sherrit, but apparently accolades were also thrown to EWU's Brandon Moore and Matt Nichols as well.

Nichols was named an All-American at quarterback for this year, after leading the Eagles to a FCS playoff berth.

The American Football Coaches Association has selected Eastern Washington University senior quarterback Matt Nichols and junior linebacker J.C. Sherritt to its 2009 Football Championship Subdivision Coaches' All-America Team, which will be officially announced Wednesday (Dec. 16). Nichols is the only quarterback honored on the prestigious 25-person team selected by the nation's head coaches.

This is the first All-America honor won by Nichols, who was the 2007 and 2009 Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Nichols passed for 3,830 yards and 33 touchdowns in leading Eastern to an 8-4 record in 2009, giving him a total of 12,616 yards and 96 touchdowns in his career. His career yardage total ranks sixth in FCS history and his touchdown total is 10th.

And Brandon Moore earned Big Sky co-player of the week honors in men's basketball after he scored a career high in points against Seattle University.

Eastern Washington University senior 6-foot-9 center Brandon Moore has been selected as this week's co-Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, sharing the honor with Portland State's Phil Nelson. It's the first such honor of Moore's EWU career, which currently totals 95 games (including 54 starts) heading into Thursday's (Dec. 17) game at Nevada.

Moore had a career-best 26-point effort against Seattle University on Dec. 12 in which he made 10-of-19 shots from the field and 6-of-7 free throws in the 100-97 overtime win. Four of his points came in a 7-0 run in overtime, and he also finished the game with 11 rebounds and a career-high four assists. His previous career high for points came as a freshman against The Evergreen State with 23 points.

Wow, how bout that Eastern Washington University, huh?

J.C. Sherrit is a pretty damn good football player

2009-12-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

This Sherrit kid... he's got some potential.

Eastern Washington University junior linebacker J.C. Sherritt has been selected to the Walter Camp Football Foundation 2009 Football Championship Subdivision All-America team. The team was selected by the head coaches and sports information directors of FCS schools.

The 2006 graduate of Pullman (Wash.) High School finished the 2009 season as the leader in NCAA Football Championship Subdivision statistics with an average of 14.17 tackles per game. He helped lead Eastern to an 8-4 record and an appearance in the FCS Playoffs -- EWU's fourth berth in the last six seasons.

He had a total of 170 stops in 2009 to break the school record of 151 set by Greg Belzer in 2000. Besides his 170 tackles, Sherritt had 14 tackles for loss, four passes broken up, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and an interception he returned for a touchdown.

I'd just like to take this time and point out that Greg Belzer is from my very own hometown of Chewelah, Wash. So you know Sherritt is good if he's breaking Belzer's record. We grow them big up there. And mean.

(And sometimes a bit unemployed, but thats how we roll in Chewelah)

Epic Photo: What team is he from? Pluto?

2009-12-15T06:00:00.001-08:00

Might need to test him for performance-enhancing Alien DNA. just saying.