SHRED WAGON: Changing The Planet One Skier At A Time

"It's not a trailer, officer, it's a mobile cabin," says Jesse Swing. He stands at the entrance of the Shred Wagon, propped against the doorframe, one hand on his hip, his blond, unkempt hair sitting pompadour-like on the top of his head while exuding subdued confidence only a designer and builder can pull off.

"I've already discussed this with the city, and they are fully aware of what we're trying to do here."

The officer slowly recedes and lowers his Maglite from our eyeballs to the ground.

"Alright then," the officer says. "I suggest you turn the music down and go to bed."

I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the Shred Wagon. My roommate and co-partner of healthesnow.org, Nate Johansing, and I motored out to Park City for a weekend of talking business and checking out the shed in real-time.

"Wait until you feel the vibe of the wagon," Johansing says to me during the drive. "I can't explain the emotion, you just have to experience it."

After an evening of barbequing on a perfect summer afternoon in the Wasatch, Swing, Johansing, Swing's sister, Jannicke and I move the party into the wagon for a true "Shred Shed" experience. We light candles--including the two-dollar thrift store chandelier--and jam out to tunes ranging from Willie Nelson to Elvis to ski racer and singer Bryon Friedman.

I learn about the details of the wagon: It's appropriately named after Shred Optics, started by 2008 World Cup giant slalom overall winner, goggle producer and first business sponsor, Ted Ligety. Swing assembled the cabin with 90 percent recycled materials, it's powered by 240-watt solar panels and features local spring water from calcium springs bottled between Park City and Salt Lake City in Parley's Canyon. The wood for the frame and interior was milled from dead trees of Salt Lake City and the rest of the materials were comprised from waste, Craigslist, junkyards and thrift stores. Not to mention, it's pulled by a biodiesel Dodge truck. Jannicke may take a back seat in the explaining, but as she chimes in about the details of the wagon, it's clear she's been an integral part of the vision since its inception. You could say she's the cabin's interior designer. Jannicke's taken it upon herself to create the feng shui of the shed, and it shows. From her own artwork placed throughout the walls and ceilings, to the stenciled aspen-tree window curtains and the picture-frame collage that poses as the kitchen cabinet facade, Jannicke's touch enhances the 'home-away-from-home' you can't help but relax to while shacking up in the wagon.

"Everything has multiple uses," Jannicke says and she removes her hair clip to pack her freshly rolled tobacco cigarette. "Ask and you shall receive. Everything has three uses times 18." As I study the 1961 Encyclopedia wallpaper, the poster of Marc Ghiradelli shinning an old-school slalom gate, and the newspaper clippings of ski racer Marco Sullivan and the late freeskier and co-founder Tobias Lee, I daydream of taking the wagon to a ski event, concert or mountain biking adventure.

Swing hopes to partner with Jeep 48STRAIGHT as well as follow the U.S. Freeskiing Tour next season to give competitors a "greener" alternative to travel and accommodation. His mission with both the Shred Wagon and healthesnow.org, is to raise awareness in the skiing world that our culture can strive to leave less of a carbon footprint.

"My aim for this project is to make the world a better place by educating and helping people transition to a healthy, sustainable lifestyle," says Swing. As of now, his focus is not on the monetary aspect of the wagon.

"I don't want it to be associated with cost or money," Swing says. "I want people to take it out, use it and figure out what problems arise and need to be fixed. If anything, you can give a donation of $25 a night. But it's about the concept and spreading awareness right now." For more information on the Shred Wagon hit up healthesnow.org.