Spyder Freeryde Gore Tex Outturn Jacket
Archive for February, 2009
Last night we had the awards dinner for the 2009 Ski Utah Shootout at La Caille in Salt Lake City.
I won the Big Mountain category for the following shot by, Tahoe based, photographer Court Leve:
Fantasy ridge, Solitude UT
Click Here And Vote for Fu Man Chu. My buddy Cody Barnhill is determined to have Neck Beard win. We can’t let that happen now can we? Please oh please click here and vote Fu Man Chu (it’s only winning by 1% over neck beard right now). Tell your friends, don’t let this poor guy have to cut his beard into a not rad neckbeard.
They call this the VISION, the lookers right nob/flank that
comes out to a dynamite air - perhaps someday on a big snowyear.
That’s right. Wizard. I preside in the potions of white fluff. My meanderings are of spectacle. If the sun hits my wizard beard just right, for you shall see into my horizons of the widest, most far off, the future. The mountains speak to me, actually to everyone; my wizard status affords me the ability be chums with the deity of mother earth. When you see me, offer me a token. For I will share with those that share with me. Offer me a chunk of dark chocolate; I will allow you to stare into my beard. Staring into my beard brings good luck. Offer me a good conversation on the chairlift, we both leave enlightened and your time will come. Stare long at my beard, and you might see the wizard beard glistening, telling your fortune. Joke that you are going to shave my beard when I’m sleeping, hear a chuckle from me, but know I got my wizard eyes on you pal.
On powder days, when my beard, long hair, and mustache become one, my wizard magic is most potent. If I have one icicle hanging from my beard, that means we will receive 6” new snow that night. If I have two icicles, 1 foot of new snow is the forecast. 3 icicles and above are very rare, bringing in 2 feet of snow. You need to never touch the wizard beard, if you were to break off a wizard icicle, that brings rain.
Most times, you might just catch a glimpse of the wizard shredding in the Cottonwood canyons. You want to catch me to gain wizard insight, however, it’s a little harder to catch a wizard than you think. The wizard is good. And fast. Oh you just saw the wizard drop into those trees you think you know so well.? Wizard gone. Where did he go?
Scientists recorded a record burst of gamma rays stronger than 9,000 dying suns.
The spectacular blast, which occurred in September in the Carina constellation, produced energies ranging from 3,000 to more than five billion times that of visible light, astrophysicists said.
“This burst’s tremendous power and speed make it the most extreme recorded to date,” a statement issued by the US Department of Energy said.
Gamma-ray bursts are the universe’s most luminous explosions, which astronomers believe occur when massive stars run out of nuclear fuel and collapse
Today I went out skiing in Dry Fork, a relatively short hike out from the Supreme lift due south at Alta. Our plan was to work Dry Fork, go to Mt. Tuscarora, then end the day at the ‘dead tree’ zone in the Brighton backcountry. However, my day got cut short due to being in my first avalanche. Here are a few photos from the experience:
On top of my line enjoying the sights waiting for filmers to get in position.
The sights.
Bout time to drop.. shortly after this photo I dropped in and after my first air, I was suddenly riding an avalanche struggling to get on the surface.
This is a shot looking up at the avalanche path after the avalanche. The rocks on the top right, after I jumped those, when I landed that’s when I was taken in the avalanche.
This is looking down avy debris field, you can see how far I have boot packed up to take the shot, so from where I got taken out up above me, to where I was deposited down there - pretty damn far, about 150 yards. It was my first avalanche, I’ve seen some people get taken out, but I haven’t been taken out. Poignant. I was happy to be ok. The slide took one of my skis and a pole. It made for a interesting hike/ski out from where I was in the backcountry. I’ll remember this day for awhile. Even if I had been buried, the filmers were right there - I would have been saved.
The one ski/one pole look.
Today I awoke at 4:10am, a little early indeed, and hiked my way up to Wolverine Cirque for first light coming into the zone. I was up there with some incredibly talented snowboarders like Ash Christiansen, Tyler Anderson, Aaron Ward and pro skier Elyse Saugstad. Everyone chose great lines and it was very fun to watch. I was the first one to drop, so I got to watch everyone.
A few photos from the morning:
The Moon just hanging out above Alta and Mt. Superior
Sunshine is arm wrestling with the moon, and winning.
A partial glimpse of Wolverine
I am about to drop into my line. This particular line today was special to me. This was the exact spot Billy Poole dropped into last season when he passed away skiing down from this same spot. This one was for you Billy. RIP.
Parker Cook and I had fun at Solitude. Filming for Levitation Project.
Parker getting his boost on.! Photo: Elyse Saugstad
Feels so good to do that. Photo: Elyse
We hit a few more good sized drops this day. Awesome day. Very.
Man, there is a ridge hike/bootpack to access Patsy Marley and Wolverine Cirque from the Supreme gates at Alta - usually the boot takes 30 minutes. Not this time, we broke trail the whole way and it took just over two hours.
Waist deep, moving slow. Only a little more way to go, to that next peak back.
Elyse and I on top. We are stoked.
Enjoying some hard earned turns. Photo by Elyse
