World-class athlete, Shaun White, put on a world-class performance in last night’s Snowboard SuperPipe Men’s Final to close out Winter X Games 12 in true X style. Despite the snow storm that moved into Aspen during the competition which slowed down riders and lessened their visibility, White still found a way to throw down one of the best runs in X Games history to win the gold with a score of 96.66.

White’s final run included a huge Lean Air, a flawless McTwist, a clean Frontside 1080 into a Fakey to Forward 1080, Front and Backside 900s, and – to finish it off – a Frontside 1260 at the bottom of the pipe. In true X games fashion, White went bigger than ever before by ending his run with an improbable 1260. White admitted later that he had been practicing the four spins since last season and knew he was ready to throw it down for the fans.

White’s gold medal in last night’s SuperPipe tied him up with Tanner Hall, one of the most influential skiers of his generation from Kalispell, Montana, with seven first place finishes at the X games.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Snowboard SuperPipe Men's Final

Winter X Games 12

Aspen/Snowmass, Colo. - Jan. 27, 2008

Name / Bib # / Hometown / Score

1. Shaun White / 347 / Carlsbad, Calif. / 96.66

2. Ryo Aono / 324 / Matsuyama City, Japan / 88.00

3. Kevin Pearce / 343 / Norwich, Vt. / 85.66

4. Mason Aguirre / 300 / Mammoth, Calif. / 84.33

5. Kazuhiro Kokubo / 377 / Sapporo, Japan / 83.00

6. Antti Autti / 329 / Rovaniemi, Finland / 82.00

7. Danny Kass / 337 / Portland, Ore. / 81.00

8. Iouri Podladtchikov / 384 / Zurich, Switzerland / 73.66

9. Gary Zebrowski / 388 / Papeete, Tahiti / 65.00

10. Elijah Teter / 385 / Belmont, Vt. / 52.33

Jason Lewis set off from Greenwich, London, in July 1994 on a mission to circumnavigate the globe using only human power. Thirteen years later, he has completed his journey using bicycles, in-line skates, kayaks, swimming, rowing, walking and a unique pedal-powered boat to travel more than 45,000 miles across five continents, two oceans and one sea.

His historical adventure is known as Expedition 360 and followed a five-pointed mission:

• To circle the world by means of human power alone.

• To use the adventure as a classroom learning tool.

• To encourage world citizenship between cultures.

• To promote environmental responsibility.

• To live fully and enjoy the experience.

Sounds like a fun and rewarding journey—but it wasn't all enjoyable. The expedition was expected to last only 3.5 years. Lewis broke both legs, narrowly avoided an amputation, spent six weeks in hospital and nine months in recovery before continuing his record-setting skate across America. Another major setback occurred when he was arrested by Egyptian authorities who thought he was a spy. His trip was also interrupted for weeks at a time as Lewis and his team of supporters worked to raise money to continue. Odd jobs along the way included work on a cattle ranch in America and at a funeral home in Australia.

After Lewis takes some time to rest, he plans to start a career organizing "mini expeditions" for young people and giving talks about climate change. I'm not sure how much rest is needed after a 13-year, 45,000 mile trip—but he definitely deserves it.

Don’t be surprised if you see skiers and snowboarders wearing pink tickets on the slopes this year. Mountain High, Southern California’s closest winter resort, has teamed up with Revlon to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. This season, guests at the resort will have the option to upgrade their normal lift tickets to a customized “Pink Ticket” for just $1 more.  Mountain High will match every dollar and the proceeds will go to the Revlon Run/Walk for women, one of the largest events for cancer research. Mountain High hopes to raise over $100,000 this season for the cause and has added a pink terrain on the mountain to further promote and raise awareness for the cause.

It’s really great to see two different sports—skiing and running--come together for one great cause. I’m definitely going to head up to Mountain High for a “Pink Ticket” this winter. 

Here are some links for more information:

Revlon Run/Walk

Mountain High Resort

Hey everyone, Trish and Toby here. We’re firm believers that the active lifestyle involves more than just being physically active--it’s about being intellectually and socially active too. We compiled a list of 10 tips for being active in all areas of life. Because no matter what stage of life you are in, you should always strive to be the best version of yourself.

1. Maintain a positive mental outlook. There's a clear connection between living well and having a cheerful outlook on life. Research has found that people who think positively about life live an average of seven and a half years longer than negative thinkers.  

2. Avoid processed food. Eating processed, boxed, canned and frozen meals guarantee that you are eating unnecessary chemicals, sodium, sugar and fat. Eat fresh, natural food and eliminate trans fat from your diet.

3. Reduce stress. We're so focused on being go-getters that we often forget to de-stress. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like--walk on the beach or in a park, read a book, visit a friend, play with your dog, listen to soothing music or watch a funny movie. Don't forget to take some time to focus on clearing your thoughts and giving your mind, body and spirit a chance to rejuvenate.

4. Invest in a quality pair of shoes and socks. Visit a specialty store that understands that every foot and foot strike is unique. When your feet are happy, so are you. Comfortable, supportive and well-fitting shoes and synthetic socks are worth the investment of time and money.

5. Socialize. Having a social network is important to the body, mind and spirit. People who are socially active tend to be healthier, happier and less likely to become depressed. To stay socially active, make a point of getting out of the house. Make plans with your friends to go out to lunch or better yet, make plans to exercise regularly with a friend or group of friends. Exercising with others is usually more fun than exercising on your own--and it can help you stick with your exercise program. Try joining our online community today!

6. Exercise your brain. The key to keeping your memory sharp is continuing to challenge it. Having a book on hand and discussing what you’ve read with friends or a book club is one way to keep your brain in good shape. Crosswords, Sudoku and puzzles are also excellent ways to keep your brain agile. There is always more learning to do. Find out what works for you.

7. Volunteer. Donating your time at an aid station during a race or soup kitchen over the holidays, puts life into perspective. Be thankful for all you have and give to others who are less fortunate.

8. Omit high fructose corn syrup from your diet. Widespread use of this highly modified sweetener is making us and our children unhealthy. High fructose corn syrup bypasses the digestive process and goes straight to the liver, where it gets turned into fat. Combined with the typical American high-fat diet, the result is increased danger of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Try using honey as sweetener instead. As an added bonus, ingesting locally grown honey before allergy season helps your body acclimate to some pollen levels in advance.

9. Maintain close relationships. Make a point to strengthen ties with your family, friends and loved ones. Volunteer work, religious ties, even petsanything that keeps you involved with othersreduces stress and enhances health. Having a strong network of family and friends and a broad range of activities will support your health.

10. Give yoga a try. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes when your body is limber and flexible. Plus, yoga reduces the chances of injury. Try a beginning yoga class to enjoy the wide range of benefits--your mind and body will both thank you.

Comments are encouraged--please share your tips for staying healthy and active with the rest of us.

Last month we addressed the importance of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals for ensuring a path to success. Whether your goal is to run a marathon, shed some pounds or help your team make the playoffs, staying motivated will get you there. I teamed up with Toby Guillette, the endurance sports specialist, to discuss strategies that will keep you on track to reach your goals.

There will always be obstacles along the way to reaching your goal. When you encounter hardships or setbacks, stay focused by using positive self-talk. Self-talk is the internal dialog that reflects and creates our emotional states. Your self-talk can influence your self-esteem, energy level, performance and even your health.

According to sports psychologist Dr. Andrew Jacobs, a study on negativity and positive thinking found that the average person requires 12 positive statements to overcome one negative statement. For example, if you say that hitting a certain pitcher is "too difficult," you have to say "I can hit this pitcher" 12 times in order to give you a better chance to make it.

So what is the solution? Use awareness and practice to change your negative self-talk. The first step in beating the cycle is recognizing how often you think negatively. The second step is substituting positive thoughts for the negative ones. Instead of telling yourself "I feel slow and tired" remind yourself that "I will keep my pace and finish strong."

In addition to saying the positive statement, visualize yourself being successful in your mind, and see yourself doing it over and over. Once you become aware of your negative thinking, and substitute the negative thoughts with positive ones, you will have a much greater chance at succeeding.

The 13th annual X Games are quickly approaching. Three new events will be featured this year: surfing, BMX freestyle big air and motocross racing.

While X Games 13 will take place August 2 to 5 in Los Angeles, California, the surfing competition is scheduled for July 3 to 6 at Puerto Escondido, also known as the Mexican Pipeline. In addition to women's surfing, this year's competition will feature a "USA vs. the World" format that replaces the "East Coast vs. West Coast" approach from past years. This format pits surfers on opposing teams against one another as they compete for the highest score based on speed, control and power, all in support of a team victory.

The surfing competition is less than a week away. Until then, this video should hold you over.

<span face="Arial" style=""></span>[http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/06/01/surf50_3.jpg]With Memorial Day weekend behind us and schools dismissing their classrooms, summer is (unofficially) here. The season for  vacations and road trips is upon us, and I’ve got a few trips lined up that I’m looking forward to. However, none of my plans are nearly as cool as the trip two Australians, Jonathan Durrant and Stefan Hunt, just completed.

Durrant and Hunt traveled for seven months to complete their mission to surf in all 50 states. When told that they couldn’t possibly surf the inland states, they found &quot;waves&quot; in irrigation ditches, snow and even in a potato field. Raised in St. Louis, I was curious to see where they chose to surf in Missouri and was expecting to find they took on the Mississippi River. I think they did one better in checking off Missouri by surfing down the steps at the Arch.

Their rules were simple: to surf all 50 states, “surf” was defined as being on a surfboard with some sort of momentum, and to document and share the experience with as many people as possible.

To top it all off, they had an ice cream truck donated to them by a sponsor to help minimize their costs. However, during the 20,000 miles they traveled, it seems the truck ended up being more trouble than it was worth. It needed two engines, two alternators, one muffler, one repaired fuel tank, one battery, one ignition coil, two rewiring repairs and three tows.

Judging by their stories and pictures, it looks like it was worth it.

(Photo provided by Getty Images)