Winter in San Diego

What an amazing winter!  Mid to high 70s and barely a cloud in the sky.  I've definitely been taking advantage of it.

Three weeks ago I drove up to Mammoth Mountain with Summer.  Once we reached the mountain, 17'+ base and snowing!  It was, without a doubt, the best conditions I've ever been in.  I've never boarded in such deep powder before.  One of my favorite parts of the trip was when we had one side of the mountain all to ourselves because the main lift to that area was closed.  Such an amazing experience!  One I'll never forget.

We returned to beautiful, warm weather in San Diego.  A week of surfing and spending time with friends before going back to school.  Great vacation :)

Danielle Burt Surfing

My friend Oscar Loreto shot a video of me surfing a few weeks ago. He did an awesome job. I love it! To me it's crazy how real the motion of my prosthetic is while I walk out of the water. Trips me out! :)

Enabled Project

A bit ago, Ian Ruhter asked me to be in the Enabled Project.

"Enabled tells the stories of 9 individuals who overcame unimaginable obstacles in their lives by making the decision to never give up; and to keep their dreams alive, even when they were the only ones who believed they were achievable."

The art opening was held last year in LA.  I'm not sure where the project is going but I hope one day soon everyone can see the amazing photos Ian was able to capture of these 9 rippers.  I don't feel I have the right words to describe the project except that I feel very humbled and honored to have been a part of it.

Thanks, Ian!  I hope we cross paths soon. :)

Here are a few shots.  Be sure to check out his site : Ian Ruhter Photography

Busy, busy.

I'm lagging on posting.  Getting in school mode is hard after having such a fun summer.  :)  Anyway, two weeks ago Ryan Levinson invited me to join his paddle group that he meets every week.  I've never tried a traditional paddle board and he had an extra one for me to use.  The route was 4 miles long and I definitely wanted to see how far I could go.  I have to say, prone paddling is a lot harder than I thought.  I made it the full four miles and can't wait till I have some more free time to join the group again.  Thanks, Ryan!

Torry Pines Kiwanis Club

During my first season of snowboarding, I was given a scholarship from Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club to go snowboarding in Durango, CO. Food, flight, stay, mountain passes all paid for. There's nothing better than having a few solid days on the mountain to teach you how to board or even perfect your skills. You also get adaptive coaches. It was a great experience.

After learningsome basic skills, I went to Windells snow and skate camp to help me out with rails, jumps and pipe that same season. The following year I competed at Nationals at Copper Mountain, CO and won second in BoarderX.

Here is the form  to apply for a scholarship to Durango, CO courtesy of Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club.  Good luck and have fun shredding!


Here is a video of me snowboarding in Durango, CO.

Duke's Festival Oahu, HI

In August I went to Oahu, HI for a vacation before school and support my girlfriend in her longboard competition.  Surfing at Queens was definitely an experience.  Warm, clear waters but small waves and way too many people out.  By chance, I was told that there was an amputee competition the next day so of course I jumped at the chance to surf an uncrowded Queens.  The competition was being held by Access Surf and I was able to register for the amputee division.  This was my first competition that has made me want to do more! I received third place and can't wait to try and improve that next time.  Big thanks to the Duke's festival, AccessSurf and Kaitlin Maguire for giving me the heads up!

Surf shots taking by Hawaiian Water Shots.  Please visit their site to view more at this link.

Wounded Warriors

Throughout the summer I volunteered with exercise physiologist, Betty Michalewicz.  Every thursday I would go out and surf with the Wounded Warriors.  It was always a great experience.  The first time I ever surfed was with Betty so it was even better to go back and show her my progression.

On one of the last Thursdays of this summer, Victory2Victory was there giving out wetsuits and new boards to the program.  Russel Pierre from Surf Action took some surf pictures and I did an interview with Paul Higgins from Aimsports.tv.  Beautiful day at Del Mar!