VAIL, Colo.—Tan lines and sport sandals congregated at the sixth annual Teva Mountain Games in lovely Vail this past weekend. The games were graced once again with a majestically beautiful weekend.
The Teva Mountain Games are the self-described country’s largest celebration of adventure sports, art, and music.
The games are a true cacophony of outdoor sports and those who enjoy them.
This year’s sporting events included kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, road cycling, bouldering (type of rock climbing), fly fishing, stand up paddling, trail running, and a half marathon.
The keynote events are the kayak freestyle and the bouldering competitions. Thousands of onlookers gasp and cheer in unison as the athletes strive for perfection.
Logs and debris were hurtled toward the kayakers during the freestyle finals as Gore Creek siphoned the remaining snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains. The creek had never been so fierce and the chocolate milk-like torrent was more than a match for most of the competitors.
The International Federation of Sport Climbing Bouldering World Cup was equally tense with iconic Daniel Woods of the U.S. completing a move that flummoxed the remaining international competition. Belgium’s Chloe Graftiaux Topped the Women’s Ticket.
Origins
Teva is the Hebrew word for nature.
In the 1980s, a raft guide, by the name of Mark Thatcher, created and patented the first sport sandal that would spur the popular and utilitarian trend.
Thatcher added a nylon ankle strap to a pair of thong sandals and presto, Teva sport sandals, and funky foot tan lines, were born. Tan lines aside, sport sandals are truly a great invention and a near necessity for any outdoor adventurer who may spend time near the water.
Fast forward to 2010. Propelled by the Deckers Outdoor Corporation—the current owner of the Teva brand and other well-known footwear such as UGGs and Simple—Teva has become practically a household name and the title sponsor of the Teva Mountain Games.
