WCH PenacoliWCH Penacolihttp://surfaceskis.squarespace.com/wch-penacoli/2011-07-09T16:26:25ZSquarespaceWORKING CLASS HEROES: JOE PENACOLIhttp://surfaceskis.squarespace.com/wch-penacoli/2011/7/9/working-class-heroes-joe-penacoli.htmlSurface Skis2011-07-09T16:22:23Z2011-07-09T16:22:23Z
WHO I am and WHERE I am From (that's two birds with one stone = 500 G.N.A.R. points):
Hello from planet Earth. My name is Joe Penacoli and I'm somewhat addicted to what's going on over at Surface Skis in a bad way. I began sliding on snow at age two thanks to my Dad, who knows the best gift he ever gave me is my appreciation and love for skiing. 26 years later, I'm still at it, loving every moment from waking up on ski days and making breakfast to great conversation and iPod mixes while driving up the canyon to clicking in, hopping on that first chair of the day and calling out where you want to point them on that first lap in the a.m. Firm corduroy you can bury an edge in to, face shots so deep distractions disappear leaving you with smiles so huge your face hurts and that gratification you walk away with at the end of the day after nailing your line or simply making it out of a sticky situation in one piece; can you taste it? It's reasons like these that help explain why you, me and everyone else that knows of the hidden secrets found in the mountains around our world dedicate so much of our lives to an otherwise seemingly silly sport.

I was born and raised in Colorado, spent nearly all of my teenage years between Delaware and New Jersey (no comment) and have called Salt Lake City, UT, my home now for nearly a decade. I moved here primarily for the snow as well as to attend class at the U of U where I graduated from in 2006. My snow-less months are filled with mountain biking and climbing adventures while skiing occupies a considerable amount of my time during the winter months much like it does for many others here along the Wasatch front.

My Occupation:
I work in sales for another rad, local ski [and climbing] company  based in Salt Lake City, UT. There are so many awesome ski companies out there right now and all of us are cranking out super progressive ski shapes. Skiers who were ripping in the 80's and 90's likely couldn't have nearly fathomed where skis would be today. That being said, I'm amped to see where ski design goes with each coming season as it seems someone introduces something new or adds their own twists and tweaks to existing, and usually proven, design concepts within the art that is ski building. The @SurfaceSki guys and I began high-fiving just before the winter of 2008. I feel a strong importance in maintaining great relationships between other companies within your industry and the fact that we're both local to Salt Lake makes the laughs we share amongst each other that much better. That and the fact we're really good friends, that's a huge bonus.

What's Going on in My Submission:
Well, that's simple. I'm just having a good time. Some of the best times of my life, in fact. I've had a pass at Brighton Resort since moving out here and my buddies and I have had a blast carving out some favorite spots there over time; definitely no shortage of fun to be had! I film here and there throughout the season with a GoPro and enjoy putting together mini edits of the highlights which has become an entertaining and creative outlet over the last couple of years. It's fun to mess around and experiment with different mounts for the camera, too. Nearly all of this footage was filmed along Brighton's side country with a few shots of in bounds riding here and there. This past season was absolutely insane with record amounts of snow everywhere – the season seemed like it was going to go on forever, and for some it still continues. I'm a fan of choice pow and face shots, so there's quite a bit of that in the four minutes of excitement I stitched together for this WCH entry; enjoy!

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