Bomber Gear founder Franken dies
The Durango community was hit by news of another sudden death last week, with the passing of former resident and Bomber Gear founder, Rick Franken.
The Durango community was hit by news of another sudden death last week, with the passing of former resident and Bomber Gear founder, Rick Franken.
Known in paddling circles as “Rickter” or by his middle name, Tao, Franken died in his sleep sometime during the night of March 16-17 due to respiratory failure. Franken and his son, Kai, 11, an up and coming young paddler, were camping while attending the Alabama Mountain Games.
“The most inspirational thing was watching his relationship with his son blossom,” said local paddler Aaron Lombardo, who knew Franken when he first started tinkering with his sewing machine in Durango in the early ’90s.
“I knew him before he started Bomber Gear, when he was a caver and sewing knee pads in an apartment on Florida Road,” he said.
Franken, who spent time as a child in Thailand, started paddling at the age of 15. A few years later he found his way to Durango, where he founded Bomber Gear, purveyor of technical paddling clothing, in 1995. Eventually, Franken took the manufacturing of Bomber overseas to Thailand, and moved the company to Steamboat Springs. In late 2010, the company was bought by South Carolina-based Confluence Whitewater, owners of Dagger and Wavesport brands. Franken and his family moved to South Carolina, where he stayed on working for Bomber until his death last week.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Rick Franken’s passing,” Confluence CEO Sue Rechner posted last week on Confluence’s web site. “Rick was such an important and well-respected part of our team, and we will greatly miss his creative spirit, infectious passion, inspirational drive, and fearless leadership as our head designer for the Bomber Gear brand.”
Franken’s family is planning a celebration of his life in Durango during Animas River Days, June 7-9.
An educational fund has been set up for Franken’s children, Kai and younger sister, Trina. Contributions to the Franken Children’s Education Fund can be made at any Wells Fargo location or by sending a check to: “Franken Children’s Education Fund,” Wells Fargo, 5820 Calhoun Memorial Highway, Easley, S.C., 29640.
LPEA candidate touts self-reliance
The heat is getting turned up on the La Plata Electric Association Board election.
On Thurs., March 21, Jack D. Turner, 50, who grew up in Durango and recently returned after moving away, announced his candidacy for the LPEA District 4 seat. Turner made the announcement at Carver Brewing Co., where he began by thanking his grandmother, who was moved to Four Corner’s Health Center a few years ago, for bringing he and his family back to the area and creating the opportunity for him to serve the community that raised him.
An instructor at Southwest Community College, Turner is running on a platform of energy independence, renewables and conservation. “Building bridges to energy independence is what my candidacy is about,” he explained to supporters, adding that energy decisions impact the livelihood of the community as a whole. He also stressed the importance of producing energy locally; developing renewables; conservation through “practical, common sense efforts;” and rates that are fair and affordable.
“If families have to make decisions between electricity and food, which they are now, we are in disservice to them and the mission of the electrical co-ops in providing access to this essential service,” he said.
As the son of a family who owned two Durango-based businesses in the 1970s, Turner remembered the fallout of the Mid-East oil embargo of 1973. Both family businesses were dependent on foreign oil and were forced to close. “I learned a lot then, including the risk that comes from dependency on outside sources,” Turner said.
From this, Turner said he learned the importance of community self-reliance, which he carried into his future career with the Orme Ranch Strategic Team, a grassroots roundtable in central Arizona. He and the Ranch are highlighted in the book, Beyond the Rangeland Conflict, Toward a West that Works. Later, Turner represented the Skokomish Indian Tribe in Washington State, negotiating for releases from hydro-electric dams to mimic natural flows and enhance salmon habitat. He also worked on completing one of the largest estuary restoration projects in Puget Sound. “It took building bridges to accomplish these actions,” he recalled.
Turner is running against current Board member Herb Brodsky for the seat in District 4, which covers northern La Plata County. Brodsky narrowly lost re-election last year to renewable-energy newcomer Heather Erb but was appointed to the board last June to serve out the term of Pam Patton, who was named the state Public Utilities Commission.
Each year, four of the 12 seats on the LPEA Board – one in each district – is up for election. Each term is three years.
In District 1 (Archuleta County), incumbent Lindon Stewart is running unopposed; in District 2 (southwest La Plata County) Tom Compton is also running unopposed; and in District 3 (Durango) incumbent Harry Goff is stepping down while Michael Rendon, a former mayor of Durango, is stepping in.
Ballots will be mailed to LPEA members April 19 and are due back to LPEA on May 10.
Season skier numbers a mixed bag
Despite a dismal start to this year’s ski season, Colorado ski resorts are reporting a slight mid-winter rebound. Buoyed by improved snow conditions in January and February, 21 resorts reported an increase in visitation of 1.3 percent over the two-month period as compared to the same time last year, according to Colorado Ski Country USA.
“After a slow start to the season, the second period brought welcome regular snowfall throughout the state and saw skiers turning out in greater numbers,” said Melanie Mills, President and CEO CSCUSA. “There was lots of pent-up-demand after a dry start to the season and all three holidays during the second period, New Year’s, MLK Weekend, and President’s Weekend, performed well.”
Although more consistent snows created a boost in visitation for January-February, season-to-date skier totals still lag behind those of last season. Visitation at CSCUSA resorts was down 4.2 percent compared to the same time last season, defined as opening day through Feb. 28.
However, Mills is optimistic about the waning weeks of winter. “Spring break business is encouraging, as are lodging numbers, and the Easter holiday is well positioned for late-season visitors,” she said.
Skier visits are the metric used to track participation in skiing and snowboarding. A skier visit represents a person participating in the sport of skiing or snowboarding for any part of one day at a resort.
While skier numbers may be lagging, the mountain lodging industry reported big occupancy gains in February, with a 14.2 percent increase over February 2012, according to the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP). The average daily room rate was up too, by 2.6 percent. Looking ahead, the booking for reservations for arrivals in the next six months (February-July) was up a dramatic 20.4 percent over last year.
“For the first time in several years, both the broader markets and the winter weather patterns are showing sustained momentum that have boosted the ski season lodging totals,” said Ralf Garrison, director of MTRiP. “The season is currently up 9 percent in revenues although that is expected to drop slightly in the remaining weeks of the season.”
– Missy Votel