Bryce Phillips is a true Seattle local. The pro skier and founder of evo has been shredding the Pacific Northwest, from Mt. Ashland to his home mountain of Alpental to Whistler Blackcomb, since he was in the 4th grade. With Poor Boyz Productions’ world premiere of Tracing Skylines set for September 6 in Seattle, we caught up with Bryce for the local’s guide to the Emerald City—let it be your do-everything manual to having a good time while you visit this weekend, or throughout the winter, hitting up destinations like Crystal Mountain, Alpental and Stevens Pass.
The local’s tips:
You’ve poured blood, sweat and tears into growing evo. What makes evo the best go-to shop in Seattle? We hope it’s the fact that we are so focused on making sure that evo is more than just a store. It’s a music venue, place for movie premieres, an art gallery and so much more. We are also about to build an incredible skatepark underneath evo (All Together Skate) and the design of our store is tightly integrated with two incredible restaurants. Our aim has always been to establish evo as the center for the community of people that share the passion for skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding and the entire lifestyle. We also leverage our space and events to raise money and awareness for organizations that work with underprivileged youth.
Of course, since we are in fact a retail shop, we are pretty proud of our selection of gear, streetwear, accessories and outerwear. People have told us time and again that we have the best ski and boot walls in the world.
Best breakfast spot: I’d have to say Besalu on 24th in Ballard. It’s a pastry and coffee spot, so not full breakfast, but I’d argue the best bakery at least in the US, if not beyond.
Best lunch: I’d say Paseo for Cuban sandwiches in Fremont and for the two cocktail lunch, The Whale Wins right next to evo.
Best aprés: Best right now is The Snorting Elk at Crystal Mountain and hot on the Elk’s heals is the Commonwealth Café which will open this winter at Snoqualmie Pass in The Pass Life project. Note my bias as it’s a project that I put together, but the restaurant and entire community is really going to change the region.
Best dinner: Revel! Revel is a great place for food but also a really fun environment. The food is a crazy twist on Korean. Hip-hop is always playing and the art, outdoor space and lively ambience always make for a fun place to eat out. The sister restaurant to Revel is Joule and is also amazing. Best part is that it’s in the Fremont Collective alongside evo.
Best meal under $5: I’d have to say Dick’s late night for a shake and burger. It’s locally owned and definitely the best of fast food and a great value.
Best beer: DruBru. They are up and coming and will make a huge splash at The Pass Life, so stay tuned.
Best cocktail: The entire list of cocktails at Thaiku on Phinney Ridge are top notch as is the food. The owners also love the mountains so that’s a plus.
Must-do activity in Seattle: It may sound cliché but checking out Pike’s Place market is pretty awesome, especially on a sunny day.
Best music venue: evo of course!
Andy Mahre, Eric Pollard and Bryce Phillips get after it on a deep day at Alpental
Best coffee shop: I’d go with Milstead in the Fremont neighborhood. They are new and their coffee kills it. Vivace is right there as well. Both are amazing.
Best off-hill antics: Not sure if it qualifies as ‘antics,’ but kiteboarding in the Puget Sound right in town is a lot of fun. Seattle has such a diversity of activities, some outdoors focused and many urban that it’s hard to call out the best.
Best night life: I’m still calling it LoFi on Tuesday nights for hip-hop and break dancing.
Best terrain park in Washington: Stevens Pass.
Best terrain in Washington: It’s all so good and each place is different. I still have to go with my home mountain, Alpental. See the footage (above) from Nimbus, just off the lift on an epic powder day.
Best powder in Washington: It’s all good of course, but my favorite place to ski powder is The Alpental and Snoqualmie Pass backcountry. Crystal, Stevens, Baker are all right there. I just love the unique terrain features at Alpental.
From Seattle? Have your own hot spots? Share the good word in the comments section below.
One thought on “Local Beta: Bryce Phillips gives the insider’s guide to Seattle, WA”
Comments are closed.