Mountain Mike

What you may not know is that our friends over at Onion Creek Productions have been following his unbelievable story for nearly two years and are producing a documentary on his life. They just released the “Wrestling Demons” trailer with cameos by a 65 qt. Tundra Series and YETI president Roy Seiders.

“Wrestling Demons” documents the rise of Mountain Mike. After surpassing 520lbs, Mike was at rock bottom. He was a compulsive eater, an alcoholic, a drug addict, had never enjoyed a serious relationship, and was on the verge of ending his own life. After meeting Magic Schwarz, the inspiration for Mickey Rourke’s character in The Wrestler, Mike gained a friend, a mentor, and found a new inspiration. Professional wrestling became his rehab.

Sundance, here we come!   Keep an eye out for the official release of “Wrestling Demons” and don’t hesitate to contact our friends at Onion Creek Productions the next time you need some amazing video work done.  But just remember… they don’t do weddings.

Captain Quint: "I'm talkin' 'bout sharkin'! "

So declares Chief Brody in Jaws after seeing the shark alongside their vessel.  Before he becomes a shark snack himself, the salty Captain Quint makes his feelings known: “I’m not talkin’ ’bout pleasure boatin’ or day sailin’. I’m talkin’ ’bout workin’ for a livin’. I’m talkin’ ’bout sharkin’!” Classic flick, but we all know how it ends:  shark destroyed, boat destroyed.

There is a new white-knuckled, adrenalin-pumping, great white adventure on the screen, but this time things are different.  World-class fisherman Chris Fischer, Captain Brett McBride and their crew have teamed up with hard-core marine biologist Michael Domeier to bring you Expedition Great White, playing now on the National Geographic Channel.  They even convinced Hollywood actor Paul Walker to be a deckhand!

Fischer and McBride first made us jealous of their amazing fishing trips with their previous series, Offshore Adventures. But this time around, the ever-conscious team is focused on understanding and protecting the apex predators.

A hundred sixty miles off the coast of Baja California, a team of world-class anglers will land one of the most challenging fish imaginable: the great white shark. Unlike any other catch ever attempted, they’ll lift an SUV-sized shark onto a platform, mount a long-lasting tracking tag by hand, take measurements and DNA samples, and release it unharmed… all within minutes. Marine biologist Dr. Michael Domeier uses advanced tracking devices to help uncover how this predator lives, with the ultimate goal of conserving and protecting this endangered species.

Chief Brody need not be concerned about this vessel.  The M/V Ocean (a.k.a The Mothership) is a converted crab fishing vessel that has been custom outfitted with a cradle to handle their offshore vessel and, in this case, serve as a shark platform.  It is simply amazing how they are able to handle these 4,000 pound monsters.

Watching the episode “Life and Limb” last Sunday evening, we were even more impressed to see YETI Coolers on there!  The Expedition Great White team has several tan Tundras on the deck of the M/V Ocean (click on “Tour the Boat” tab).  Plus, Second Captain Jody Whitworth is sporting a YETI Coolers trucker hat in the episode and on the Expedition’s facebook page.

YETI Coolers on deck of M/V Ocean

Second Captain Jody Whitworth sports a YETI hat

We love seeing our coolers put to use, especially in such incredible circumstances and helping with such a great scientific cause.  In describing the long road they took to bring the show to fruition, Chris Fischer said, “Sometimes you got to lay it all on the line to make great things happen.”  We couldn’t agree more.

Check out the show and keep you eyes peeled for more YETI Coolers in action!

CK with a nice tuna

Today, Cameron Kirkconnell is arguably the most recognized name in freedive spearfishing. He can hold his breath for four and a half minutes and regularly dives to 100 feet with just the air in his lungs in pursuit of the next big fish. He once saved the life of a friend who had blacked out underwater by spearing him in the fin and hauling him to the surface.

Fins to the left, fins to the right...

His job as an Unlimited-Tonnage Master Mariner takes him around the globe to operate the largest vessels in the sea. When he’s not at the helm, he can be found poring over navigation charts and watching the bottom finder looking for his own kind of treasure. “My favorite place to spearfish is any place where nobody has ever been,” says Cameron. To date, such uncharted waters have seen Kirkconnell shoot several of the largest fish ever taken by spear. He currently holds the world spearfishing records for Blackfin Tuna, Golden Trevally, and his favorite of all fish to chase, the Dogtooth Tuna.

CK with World Record tuna

CK with monster Wahoo

Necessity has spawned in Cameron a deep-rooted passion for quality equipment. It takes some serious gear to wrestle a 201-pound Dogtooth to the surface. World-renowned speargun manufacturer Riffe International has tapped Kirkconnell to assist in the development of new products and the refinement of their existing lines. Together they are currently working on a modernized version of the rudimentary polespear, a primitive tool consisting of a simple shaft with a rubber band attached to the end. Taking a common item and transforming it into its best possible version? Well, this is a project we here at YETI Coolers can wrap our minds around. Cameron hopes to inspire a polespear revolution and take the spearfishing community back to its skill-driven roots.

Whether it’s Hogfish on a Bahamian reef, Cobia off the tail of a cruising Bullshark, or Wahoo under a Florida weed line, Cameron Kirkconnell wants to shoot it. And how will he bring it all home? In a YETI, of course.

Trophies

Follow Cameron’s exploits on his blog (www.spearblog.com) and be sure to check out the rest of the videos on his YouTube page.

United Kingdom

We are very fortunate to have such great distributor in the UK, Cool Boxes UK.  The Brits have really embraced our coolers and utilize them for wing shooting outings, commercial fishing, and much more.

Canada

UK Products Canada, Inc (not to be confused with our UK distributor mentioned above) represents YETI Coolers very well up in Canada.

You may recall that we mentioned them in a previous blog post (Keeping It Cool…Outside) because they supplied the YETI Coolers to the Catlin Arctic Survey where our coolers were used to protect scientific samples from the elements.

Photo: copyright Martin Hartley (www.martinhartley.com)

South Africa & Botswana

Safari guide Cameron Bell of Korongo Safaris and professional photographer Nathaniel Chadwick teamed up to give us these pretty amazing photographs of YETI Coolers in action in Africa.   Cameron recently told us, “In my line of work there are plenty of variables… My gear can’t be one of them! On safari, my YETI is a seat, a gun rest, a storage container… and when things settle down it even cools my beer. Next to a good pair of binoculars and a straight shooting gun my YETI is a must have!”

On the Motloutse riverbed in front of Solomon's Wall in Botswana's Tuli Block region. Photo: copyright Nathaniel Chadwick (www.nchadwick.com)

Looking over to South Africa from the Botswana side of the Limpopo river. Photo: copyright Nathaniel Chadwick (www.nchadwick.com)

Brazil

Back in February we spotlighted PRO Outfitters from Helena, MT (see Outfitter Spotlight: PRO Outfitters). Friend of YETI and PRO guide Charley Perkins sent us some pics from a recent fishing trip down to Brazil.  As you can see here, his YETI Coolers hat was essential in helping to land these peacock bass.

Trinidad & Tobago

The Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament began in 1995 with just a handful of boats but now attracts anglers from near and far; from the Caribbean to North and South America, even as far as Europe.

YETI Coolers are awarded to some of the top teams and always a prized part of the purse.  Here the 3rd place team from 2008 displays their winnings.

3rd place finishers in 2008 stand above their new YETI Cooler.

Stack of the prize YETI Coolers at 2008 TIGFT

As you can see, our coolers (and hats) have been on lots of adventures, yet we know there are many more to come.  We want to know… where will your YETI Cooler take you?

The man in question is Razor Dobbs (www.razordobbsalive.com).  He is a world class big game hunter, adventurer and thrill seeker.  He is also one of the most charismatic and enthusiastic personalities in the hunting world.  After all, his name is Razor.  Whether with bow and arrow, pistol or rifle, he is not afraid to risk it all and go head to head with his prey.

For years Razor has traveled the globe, from Texas to Africa, in search of  game and adventure.  Starting in July, he is now bringing this action to you in his new television show Razor Dobbs Alive. Premiering July 5th on the Pursuit Channel and July 29th on Versus.  So now you can catch all of his adventures from your couch (and let us just say that is probably safer than standing next to him!).

YETI Coolers is excited to sponsor Razor Dobbs Alive and work with Razor himself.  Check out the awesome new YETI commercial Razor did for us that will begin airing soon.  No question this guy puts our coolers to the test.

Be on the lookout for Alive! and the new commercial.  In the meantime, you can follow all his antics on his website, Facebook and Twitter pages.  Needless to say, this Razor is not dull.

Situated on the banks of the Missouri River, about half way between Helena and Great Falls, lies the town of Craig, Montana. A self-proclaimed “Drinking Town with a Fishing Problem”, Craig boasts a population measured in dozens, three fly shops, two bars, and some of the best trout fishing in America. Famous for monster brown trout, it is not uncommon to land 25 fish in a day.

And the best way to catch those big fish is to go to Headhunters Fly Shop. They are some of the best guides in the area and know the “Big Mo” better than anyone. Owners Mark Raisler (a.k.a. Squeaky Oar Lock) and John Arnold (a.k.a. Scumliner) have put together a great team. They can put you on the fish and make you laugh ’til your sides hurt while doing it.

Mark Raisler (a.k.a. Squeaky Oar Lock)

John Arnold (a.k.a. Scumliner)

Headhunters guide Mitch Kowalski (a.k.a. Superguide)

Headhunters staffer Andrew Martineau sporting a YETI lid

Headhunters is also a fantastic fly shop with all the latest and greatest gear, and the best selection of flies. To top that off, they are a huge dealer of YETI Coolers. It is also the only cooler you will find in their drift boats.

New shipment on the Headhunters porch

YETI in snow at Headhunters

The Headhunters team throws all kinds of great events when the fishing day is over… including BBQ’s, Bikini Boat Washes, and hosting the Fly Fishing Film Tour… and have been known to include YETI’s all over the place.

YETI Coolers fan in Craig, MT

Headhunters staffer Sara Roholt in the 250qt YETI

Squeaky Oar Lock serves up some tasty BBQ

So if you are looking for some great fly fishing this summer, go see the team up at Headhunters.  Check out their Headhunter blog and fishing report for the latest info before your trip.

YETI hats help you catch big trout

But we just couldn’t leave well enough alone.  In addition to making our coolers to the highest standards, we also thought they should have some style.  You know, something to make them stand out (or not… see below).  So, we have put together a number of Special Edition Coolers so you can get a cooler that not only performs to your liking but shows off who you are.

Team Colors

We are now making YETI Coolers in a variety of team colors.  Perfect for the ultimate tailgater or diehard fan.  Find the perfect color to match your favorite team: Burnt Orange and White, Red and White, Light Blue, and Purple and Gold.

Custom Logos

A YETI cooler with your logo will go a long way and make a great impression with clients, employees, friends or family. Your logo will be applied with a very high-quality mold-on graphic. This logo will not chip, fade or peel off and is as durable as the YETI cooler itself. Check out this awesome video of the graphic application process:

CCA

Show your support for CCA with their nationally recognized “twisted fish” logo permanently bonded on a YETI cooler for all to see. This logo will not chip, fade or peel off and is as durable as the YETI cooler itself. Plus, a portion of the proceeds from these coolers goes directly to CCA.

Realtree®

Realtree® brand camouflage for the serious hunter.  Available in both the Realtree® MAX-4™ and Realtree® APG™ patterns, these coolers feature camo lids on tan bodies.  Perfect concealment on the perfect cooler.

Call them custom, call them ‘tricked out’, call them trophies.  They are anything but boring.  We just hope you like them enough to call them yours.

But what about keeping ice out?  On a recent scientific expedition to the North Pole, that is exactly what a YETI Cooler did.  The Catlin Arctic Survey set out to study ocean change at the North Pole as a result greenhouse gases.  The mission brought together marine biologists, oceanographers and polar explorers to study the impact of increased carbon dioxide absorption by our seas.

Photo: copyright Martin Hartley (www.martinhartley.com)

Described as three of ‘the world’s toughest’ explorers, Ann Daniels, Charlie Paton and Martin Hartley reached the Geographic North Pole at on 12th May, ending a grueling 60-day trek across the floating sea ice of the Arctic Ocean.

Photo: copyright Martin Hartley (www.martinhartley.com)

The explorers have been collecting water and marine life samples from beneath the floating sea ice as part of the expedition’s leading edge science programme which is assessing the impact of carbon dioxide on the ocean and its marine life.  They are using the YETI Coolers Tundra 45qt to store the seawater samples and prevent them from freezing. “It is critical that the water samples stay liquid. When the ambient air temperature is -45 this causes a significant technical challenge. ”

Photo: copyright Martin Hartley (www.martinhartley.com)

We are flattered that the Catlin Arctic Survey chose YETI Coolers as part of their expedition gear.  We love the fact that one of our coolers has now been to the North Pole, adding another very cool stamp in the passport.  To say the least, we are “on top of the world”. Special thanks to our exclusive distributor in Canada Underwater Kinetics, who supplied the Catlin Arctic Survey expedition with the YETI Coolers.  They are a great partner to have.

Photo: copyright Martin Hartley (www.martinhartley.com)

All images © Martin Hartley (www.martinhartley.com, www.martinhartleypolar.com)

The March 2010 winner of the Photo of the Month Contest was Troy Batzler. He submitted this incredible image of a friend tying flies on his YETI Cooler by the light of a campfire. Although we got a lot of great pictures in March, this one took the prize.

Now Troy is an avid outdoorsman (like many of you) and professional photographer. The pictures on his website and his Facebook page are spectacular. But what really blew us away was this video he sent us… after he had already won the photo contest. Check it out for yourselves:

A good bit of inspiration to say the least. Take Troy’s lead and send us the best shots you can take of your YETI Cooler in action. We are already sifting through the May submissions…

Gayne Tries to Kill the Smell in his Ice Chest
A Guest Blog By Gayne Young

“What is that smell?!”  I barked.  “It reeks!”

My wife looked up from her newspaper to answer with a question, “What’s smell?”

I finished the last of my beer.  “That smell!  That fishy smell.  How can you not smell it?”

“I don’t smell anything.”

I shook my head at her being olfactory challenged and pulled another beer from the ice chest.  I popped the top and went in for a drink.  The smell grew stronger.

“God!  How can you not smell that?  The whole deck smells like cat food.”

My wife walked to me and took the beer from my hand.  She smelled the can and laughed.  “It’s on your beer.  The can smells like fish.”

The beer smelled like fish because I had failed to clean my cooler properly after bringing it back from the lake loaded with catfish. And despite that fact that I spent the rest of that Sunday afternoon scrubbing the interior, the cooler still had the faint odor of dead fish. Several hours and many fishy beers later I gave up. The next day I called Roy Seiders of YETI Coolers for help. His first suggestion was to try soap and water.  After I laughed and explained that I had spent the afternoon scrubbing my cooler with just that he had the following suggestions.

“Use a solution of warm water and Clorox (6:1 ratio) with a sponge or mildly abrasive rag. As odors can easily get trapped in hard to reach areas such as around the gasket and drain plug, be sure to thoroughly scrub those areas.”

When that didn’t work, I called him back for another round.  Again, he was eager to help.
“Try cleaning it with a high pressure soap spray found at a local do-it yourself car wash.  This type of cleaning will bring the cooler back to the condition of the day you bought it.”

Seventy-five cents later I was back in business with a clean ice chest loaded with beer that didn’t smell like Fancy Feast Gourmet Cat Food.

So the next time you’re stuck with a rank cooler take it to the carwash.  It works.  Well, not on Styrofoam coolers.  The car wash jet wash would probably destroy it.

Special thanks to Gayne Young and Outdoor Life for this great story and picture.