http://live.tetongravity.com/service/getFeed.kickAction?quantity=25 New blogs from jeremybenson on Teton Gravity Research Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:31:11 GMT Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:31:11 GMT dev@tetongravity.com (TetonGravityResearch) dev@tetongravity.com (TetonGravityResearch) KickApps Feed Builder 2013-01-29T00:31:11Z 16 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/searchEverything.kickAction?as=75233&sortType=recent&tags=null 0 http://live.tetongravity.com/_So-You-Want-To-Go-To-A-Backcountry-Lodge-In-BC-Eh/blog/6506689/75233.html [image]If you were at a lodge in BC, you would be crushing it. “All you focus on is waking up, skiing all day and getting ready to do it again the next day,” says James Heim, “With the skiing being so close to the lodge you literally roll out the door and can be skiing amazing lines in no time.” Heim, a BC resident and star of numerous films by MSP and Sherpa’s Cinema, has been on three film trips and numerous personal trips to backcountry lodges around BC. Matchstick Productions has filmed several segments at Golden Alpine Holidays’ Meadow Lodge with the likes of Heim, Eric Hjorleifson, and Mark Abma. Other film companies have followed suit, Candide Thovex and Sweetgrass Productions both made trips to Icefall Lodge to film last winter. Filming at a backcountry lodge is great because, “The whole crew is already out in the mountains and so close to great filming terrain,” says Heim, “You can't get caught up in day to day life, instead you focus solely on getting out there and shooting.”Sure, backcountry lodges are a great place to film a sick segment, but they are an equally great place to go shred with your friends for exactly the same reason. Here’s the basic idea: Get a group of like-minded friends together and rent a lodge for a week. Jump in a helicopter, get dropped off at the lodge. Wake up, eat, go skiing, eat, go skiing, eat, sauna, drink beer, sleep, repeat for one week (in roughly that order). Stephane Reindeau, a Revelstoke resident and owner of Tough Guy Productions, has spent time at various lodges around BC and says, “The backcountry lodge environment allows you to enjoy gourmet cuisine and fine camaraderie, in the middle of beautiful mountains, and the powder skiing is unparalleled. This is the dream, and the experience is unprecedented.” That’s weird, I’m pretty sure I’ve had that same dream…[image]Look, it's BC powder!The Canadian Province of British Columbia is home to some of the most dramatic and remote mountains in North America. In addition to countless cat and heli-skiing operations, BC is home to roughly 30 commercial backcountry lodges. Backcountry lodges have played a part in BC’s rich mountain history and they continue to evolve with our modern backcountry skiing boom. From the Coast Range to the Rockies, there are lodges and huts littered throughout western Canada’s mountains. The Backcountry Lodges of British Columbia Association’s (BLBCA) website lists 27 commercial lodges that offer skiing. Most are privately owned and operated while the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) manages some. Countless other hike-to or sled-to lodges exist throughout the mountains of BC, but that’s another story entirely. Generally situated at or near treeline, these lodges provide an ideal base for mountain exploration. When it’s storming you can ski the trees and lower elevation terrain around the lodge. If it’s clear you can head up high and access alpine peaks, chutes, and glaciers. Most lodges are so remote that they are accessed exclusively by helicopter. Icefall Lodge, for example, is a 20-minute heli-ride away from the nearest heli-staging near Golden, BC. Twenty minutes in a helicopter is a damn long time, prohibitively far to walk, so you can rest assured that no one else will be out in your zone. [image]The Icefall Lodge in British Columbia. Larry Dolecki, owner and head-guide of Icefall, started his lodge because, “there is so much terrain in BC, but you are limited by road access. The helicopter gets you out there, then there is no one else around.” With groups ranging between 12-16 people, depending on the lodge, there is plenty of snow and terrain for everyone. “You show up and ski right out the door, no driving, no racing for first tracks,” says Dolecki, “Atmosphere is a big reason lodges are becoming more popular, sharing powder with a group of friends.”Lodges are typically rustic, they are located in the middle of nowhere after all, but they do offer many of the creature comforts we’ve all become used to. Electricity is standard at pretty much every backcountry lodge, and in BC style this is usually from some sort of “green” energy source. Most lodges use hydroelectric or solar power to charge their batteries and when all else fails, they have a gas powered back-up generator. Wood stoves provide heat for the living areas and drying out skins, boots, and other soggy ski gear. Some lodges also feature a designated drying room where all the stinky ski gear can dry by propane heat and fester in its’ own stench. A few modern backcountry lodges have indoor toilets, but many still utilize the good ol’ frosty outhouse. Most lodges pull their drinking water from nearby fresh water sources, many have holding tanks and running water, while others rely on human power to bring water in buckets, either way it’s some of the best tasting water you’ll ever have. Wood fired saunas are common, and when coupled with a watering-can hot shower is the perfect way to wind down after a long day hiking for face shots. Some lodges even have satellite internet so you can maintain your status and give your friends the F.O.M.O.[image]You could be skiing powder in Canada right now. All lodges are different, but most offer both guided and self-guided skiing. Some lodges require you to have a guide, and with avalanche paths longer than most ski areas it can be nice to have someone with terrain familiarity showing you around. Guides are often included in the price, or they typically run around 300-400 bucks a day, when divided among a group ends up being pretty cheap to have someone break trail for you all week. Depending on your group’s level of backcountry savvy you may be able to opt for guiding yourselves, a slightly less expensive option.As for food, the full spectrum of options is generally available, from catered gourmet to do-it-yourself. I love eating mac-n-cheese and quesadillas all week with my bros, but having someone cook for you is undoubtedly easier and way better, albeit slightly more expensive. Waking up to hot coffee and breakfast, and coming home to soup and snacks before a delicious dinner everyday is worth a couple hundred bucks in my book. There are catering companies in BC who specialize in lodge trips and will prepare your week’s worth of food, boxed up and with recipes, to take with you on a self-catered trip to save you the hassle of figuring it out for yourself. [image]Skinning with your friends is the best. Plan ahead, lodges tend to book out early nowadays, so making your reservation up to a year in advance may be necessary. In fact, a couple of the ACC lodges, like Fairy Meadows and Kokanee Galcier, are so popular that they work on a lottery program for reservations. Group leaders can usually book an entire lodge, then fill it with their favorite shredding partners. Booking the whole lodge is the most cost effective approach and brings the price per person down significantly. You can often book just part of the lodge, or help to fill a partially booked week, in which case you’ll be sharing with other folks who are there for the same reasons you are, so they’re probably pretty damn cool. Expect a catered and guided week to cost around $1,800-$2,200, far cheaper than a week of heli skiing, and arguably as much or more fun.If you’re planning a trip to a backcountry lodge in BC, here’s a few helpful tips. Canada is not part of the United States, you’ll need identification to enter, I suggest a passport. Flying to Canada is expensive, and getting around once you’ve landed can be a pain. I recommend driving whenever possible, this saves on airport transfers, car rentals, baggage fees, and you can bring groceries and a small amount of alcoholic beverages with you. Things are more expensive in Canada, so bring the maximum amount of alcohol allowed, a case of beer, or 3 bottles of wine, or a 750 ml of liquor per person, they will probably check at the border. If you’ve had a DUI in the last 5 years, don’t even try to cross the border. Bring earplugs, one loud snorer can keep you up all night, every night, and the better you sleep the harder you can charge. Avalanche training and experience traveling and skiing in avalanche terrain are a must; hire a guide if you are the least bit uncertain of your skills. Know your gear and how to use it. A backcountry lodge trip isn’t the right place to try out your new backcountry boots for the first time because, as James Heim says, “There’s nothing worse than being in an amazing location for a short time and spending most of that time either fixing your gear or practicing avalanche rescue when you could have done that before hand.”Do some online research or talk with friends who’ve been to a lodge to find the one that best suits your needs, there are lots of options. Lodge operators are extremely helpful for planning and can assist with finding guides, catering, and details like lodging before and after and your trip. My backcountry lodge experiences have resulted in the best ski trips that I’ve ever been on. The stress free environment, comfortable lodging, and access to incredible terrain are without equal. In my opinion, there isn’t a better a way to spend your money on skiing and spend time in the backcountry.A few helpful online resources:http://www.backcountrylodgesofbc.comhttp://www.alpineclubofcanada.caCatering: http://www.mosmountaincuisine.com Going on a backcountry hut trip, be sure to load up on Avalanche Safety gear available at: backcountry.com [image]If you were at a lodge in BC, you would be crushing it. “All you focus on is waking up, skiing all day and getting ready to do it again the next day,” says James Heim, “With the skiing being so close to the lodge you literally roll out the door and can be skiing amazing lines in no time.” Heim, a BC resident and star of numerous films by MSP and Sherpa’s Cinema, has been on three film trips and numerous personal trips to backcountry lodges around BC. Matchstick Productions has filmed several segments at Golden Alpine Holidays’ Meadow Lodge with the likes of Heim, Eric Hjorleifson, and Mark Abma. Other film companies have followed suit, Candide Thovex and Sweetgrass Productions both made trips to Icefall Lodge to film last winter. Filming at a backcountry lodge is great because, “The whole crew is already out in the mountains and so close to great filming terrain,” says Heim, “You can't get caught up in day to day life, instead you focus solely on getting out there and shooting.”Sure, backcountry lodges are a great place to film a sick segment, but they are an equally great place to go shred with your friends for exactly the same reason. Here’s the basic idea: Get a group of like-minded friends together and rent a lodge for a week. Jump in a helicopter, get dropped off at the lodge. Wake up, eat, go skiing, eat, go skiing, eat, sauna, drink beer, sleep, repeat for one week (in roughly that order). Stephane Reindeau, a Revelstoke resident and owner of Tough Guy Productions, has spent time at various lodges around BC and says, “The backcountry lodge environment allows you to enjoy gourmet cuisine and fine camaraderie, in the middle of beautiful mountains, and the powder skiing is unparalleled. This is the dream, and the experience is unprecedented.” That’s weird, I’m pretty sure I’ve had that same dream…[image]Look, it's BC powder!The Canadian Province of British Columbia is home to some of the most dramatic and remote mountains in North America. In addition to countless cat and heli-skiing operations, BC is home to roughly 30 commercial backcountry lodges. Backcountry lodges have played a part in BC’s rich mountain history and they continue to evolve with our modern backcountry skiing boom. From the Coast Range to the Rockies, there are lodges and huts littered throughout western Canada’s mountains. The Backcountry Lodges of British Columbia Association’s (BLBCA) website lists 27 commercial lodges that offer skiing. Most are privately owned and operated while the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) manages some. Countless other hike-to or sled-to lodges exist throughout the mountains of BC, but that’s another story entirely. Generally situated at or near treeline, these lodges provide an ideal base for mountain exploration. When it’s storming you can ski the trees and lower elevation terrain around the lodge. If it’s clear you can head up high and access alpine peaks, chutes, and glaciers. Most lodges are so remote that they are accessed exclusively by helicopter. Icefall Lodge, for example, is a 20-minute heli-ride away from the nearest heli-staging near Golden, BC. Twenty minutes in a helicopter is a damn long time, prohibitively far to walk, so you can rest assured that no one else will be out in your zone. [image]The Icefall Lodge in British Columbia. Larry Dolecki, owner and head-guide of Icefall, started his lodge because, “there is so much terrain in BC, but you are limited by road access. The helicopter gets you out there, then there is no one else around.” With groups ranging between 12-16 people, depending on the lodge, there is plenty of snow and terrain for everyone. “You show up and ski right out the door, no driving, no racing for first tracks,” says Dolecki, “Atmosphere is a big reason lodges are becoming more popular, sharing powder with a group of friends.”Lodges are typically rustic, they are located in the middle of nowhere after all, but they do offer many of the creature comforts we’ve all become used to. Electricity is standard at pretty much every backcountry lodge, and in BC style this is usually from some sort of “green” energy source. Most lodges use hydroelectric or solar power to charge their batteries and when all else fails, they have a gas powered back-up generator. Wood stoves provide heat for the living areas and drying out skins, boots, and other soggy ski gear. Some lodges also feature a designated drying room where all the stinky ski gear can dry by propane heat and fester in its’ own stench. A few modern backcountry lodges have indoor toilets, but many still utilize the good ol’ frosty outhouse. Most lodges pull their drinking water from nearby fresh water sources, many have holding tanks and running water, while others rely on human power to bring water in buckets, either way it’s some of the best tasting water you’ll ever have. Wood fired saunas are common, and when coupled with a watering-can hot shower is the perfect way to wind down after a long day hiking for face shots. Some lodges even have satellite internet so you can maintain your status and give your friends the F.O.M.O.[image]You could be skiing powder in Canada right now. All lodges are different, but most offer both guided and self-guided skiing. Some lodges require you to have a guide, and with avalanche paths longer than most ski areas it can be nice to have someone with terrain familiarity showing you around. Guides are often included in the price, or they typically run around 300-400 bucks a day, when divided among a group ends up being pretty cheap to have someone break trail for you all week. Depending on your group’s level of backcountry savvy you may be able to opt for guiding yourselves, a slightly less expensive option.As for food, the full spectrum of options is generally available, from catered gourmet to do-it-yourself. I love eating mac-n-cheese and quesadillas all week with my bros, but having someone cook for you is undoubtedly easier and way better, albeit slightly more expensive. Waking up to hot coffee and breakfast, and coming home to soup and snacks before a delicious dinner everyday is worth a couple hundred bucks in my book. There are catering companies in BC who specialize in lodge trips and will prepare your week’s worth of food, boxed up and with recipes, to take with you on a self-catered trip to save you the hassle of figuring it out for yourself. [image]Skinning with your friends is the best. Plan ahead, lodges tend to book out early nowadays, so making your reservation up to a year in advance may be necessary. In fact, a couple of the ACC lodges, like Fairy Meadows and Kokanee Galcier, are so popular that they work on a lottery program for reservations. Group leaders can usually book an entire lodge, then fill it with their favorite shredding partners. Booking the whole lodge is the most cost effective approach and brings the price per person down significantly. You can often book just part of the lodge, or help to fill a partially booked week, in which case you’ll be sharing with other folks who are there for the same reasons you are, so they’re probably pretty damn cool. Expect a catered and guided week to cost around $1,800-$2,200, far cheaper than a week of heli skiing, and arguably as much or more fun.If you’re planning a trip to a backcountry lodge in BC, here’s a few helpful tips. Canada is not part of the United States, you’ll need identification to enter, I suggest a passport. Flying to Canada is expensive, and getting around once you’ve landed can be a pain. I recommend driving whenever possible, this saves on airport transfers, car rentals, baggage fees, and you can bring groceries and a small amount of alcoholic beverages with you. Things are more expensive in Canada, so bring the maximum amount of alcohol allowed, a case of beer, or 3 bottles of wine, or a 750 ml of liquor per person, they will probably check at the border. If you’ve had a DUI in the last 5 years, don’t even try to cross the border. Bring earplugs, one loud snorer can keep you up all night, every night, and the better you sleep the harder you can charge. Avalanche training and experience traveling and skiing in avalanche terrain are a must; hire a guide if you are the least bit uncertain of your skills. Know your gear and how to use it. A backcountry lodge trip isn’t the right place to try out your new backcountry boots for the first time because, as James Heim says, “There’s nothing worse than being in an amazing location for a short time and spending most of that time either fixing your gear or practicing avalanche rescue when you could have done that before hand.”Do some online research or talk with friends who’ve been to a lodge to find the one that best suits your needs, there are lots of options. Lodge operators are extremely helpful for planning and can assist with finding guides, catering, and details like lodging before and after and your trip. My backcountry lodge experiences have resulted in the best ski trips that I’ve ever been on. The stress free environment, comfortable lodging, and access to incredible terrain are without equal. In my opinion, there isn’t a better a way to spend your money on skiing and spend time in the backcountry.A few helpful online resources:http://www.backcountrylodgesofbc.comhttp://www.alpineclubofcanada.caCatering: http://www.mosmountaincuisine.com Going on a backcountry hut trip, be sure to load up on Avalanche Safety gear available at: backcountry.com Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:32:23 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_So-You-Want-To-Go-To-A-Backcountry-Lodge-In-BC-Eh/blog/6506689/75233.html jeremybenson 2013-01-29T00:31:11Z Teton Gravity Research [image]If you were at a lodge in BC, you would be crushing it. “All you focus on is waking up, skiing all day and getting ready to do it again the next day,” says James Heim, “With the skiing being so close to the lodge you literally roll out the door and can be skiing amazing lines in no time.” Heim, a BC resident and star of numerous films by MSP and Sherpa’s Cinema, has been on three film trips and numerous personal trips to backcountry lodges around BC. Matchstick Productions has filmed several segments at Golden Alpine Holidays’ Meadow Lodge with the likes of Heim, Eric Hjorleifson, and Mark Abma. Other film companies have followed suit, Candide Thovex and Sweetgrass Productions both made trips to Icefall Lodge to film last winter. Filming at a backcountry lodge is great because, “The whole crew is already out in the mountains and so close to great filming terrain,” says Heim, “You can't get caught up in day to day life, instead you focus solely on getting out there and shooting.”Sure, backcountry lodges are a great place to film a sick segment, but they are an equally great place to go shred with your friends for exactly the same reason. Here’s the basic idea: Get a group of like-minded friends together and rent a lodge for a week. Jump in a helicopter, get dropped off at the lodge. Wake up, eat, go skiing, eat, go skiing, eat, sauna, drink beer, sleep, repeat for one week (in roughly that order). Stephane Reindeau, a Revelstoke resident and owner of Tough Guy Productions, has spent time at various lodges around BC and says, “The backcountry lodge environment allows you to enjoy gourmet cuisine and fine camaraderie, in the middle of beautiful mountains, and the powder skiing is unparalleled. This is the dream, and the experience is unprecedented.” That’s weird, I’m pretty sure I’ve had that same dream…[image]Look, it's BC powder!The Canadian Province of British Columbia is home to some of the most dramatic and remote mountains in North America. In addition to countless cat and heli-skiing operations, BC is home to roughly 30 commercial backcountry lodges. Backcountry lodges have played a part in BC’s rich mountain history and they continue to evolve with our modern backcountry skiing boom. From the Coast Range to the Rockies, there are lodges and huts littered throughout western Canada’s mountains. The Backcountry Lodges of British Columbia Association’s (BLBCA) website lists 27 commercial lodges that offer skiing. Most are privately owned and operated while the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) manages some. Countless other hike-to or sled-to lodges exist throughout the mountains of BC, but that’s another story entirely. Generally situated at or near treeline, these lodges provide an ideal base for mountain exploration. When it’s storming you can ski the trees and lower elevation terrain around the lodge. If it’s clear you can head up high and access alpine peaks, chutes, and glaciers. Most lodges are so remote that they are accessed exclusively by helicopter. Icefall Lodge, for example, is a 20-minute heli-ride away from the nearest heli-staging near Golden, BC. Twenty minutes in a helicopter is a damn long time, prohibitively far to walk, so you can rest assured that no one else will be out in your zone. [image]The Icefall Lodge in British Columbia. Larry Dolecki, owner and head-guide of Icefall, started his lodge because, “there is so much terrain in BC, but you are limited by road access. The helicopter gets you out there, then there is no one else around.” With groups ranging between 12-16 people, depending on the lodge, there is plenty of snow and terrain for everyone. “You show up and ski right out the door, no driving, no racing for first tracks,” says Dolecki, “Atmosphere is a big reason lodges are becoming more popular, sharing powder with a group of friends.”Lodges are typically rustic, they are located in the middle of nowhere after all, but they do offer many of the creature comforts we’ve all become used to. Electricity is standard at pretty much every backcountry lodge, and in BC style this is usually from some sort of “green” energy source. Most lodges use hydroelectric or solar power to charge their batteries and when all else fails, they have a gas powered back-up generator. Wood stoves provide heat for the living areas and drying out skins, boots, and other soggy ski gear. Some lodges also feature a designated drying room where all the stinky ski gear can dry by propane heat and fester in its’ own stench. A few modern backcountry lodges have indoor toilets, but many still utilize the good ol’ frosty outhouse. Most lodges pull their drinking water from nearby fresh water sources, many have holding tanks and running water, while others rely on human power to bring water in buckets, either way it’s some of the best tasting water you’ll ever have. Wood fired saunas are common, and when coupled with a watering-can hot shower is the perfect way to wind down after a long day hiking for face shots. Some lodges even have satellite internet so you can maintain your status and give your friends the F.O.M.O.[image]You could be skiing powder in Canada right now. All lodges are different, but most offer both guided and self-guided skiing. Some lodges require you to have a guide, and with avalanche paths longer than most ski areas it can be nice to have someone with terrain familiarity showing you around. Guides are often included in the price, or they typically run around 300-400 bucks a day, when divided among a group ends up being pretty cheap to have someone break trail for you all week. Depending on your group’s level of backcountry savvy you may be able to opt for guiding yourselves, a slightly less expensive option.As for food, the full spectrum of options is generally available, from catered gourmet to do-it-yourself. I love eating mac-n-cheese and quesadillas all week with my bros, but having someone cook for you is undoubtedly easier and way better, albeit slightly more expensive. Waking up to hot coffee and breakfast, and coming home to soup and snacks before a delicious dinner everyday is worth a couple hundred bucks in my book. There are catering companies in BC who specialize in lodge trips and will prepare your week’s worth of food, boxed up and with recipes, to take with you on a self-catered trip to save you the hassle of figuring it out for yourself. [image]Skinning with your friends is the best. Plan ahead, lodges tend to book out early nowadays, so making your reservation up to a year in advance may be necessary. In fact, a couple of the ACC lodges, like Fairy Meadows and Kokanee Galcier, are so popular that they work on a lottery program for reservations. Group leaders can usually book an entire lodge, then fill it with their favorite shredding partners. Booking the whole lodge is the most cost effective approach and brings the price per person down significantly. You can often book just part of the lodge, or help to fill a partially booked week, in which case you’ll be sharing with other folks who are there for the same reasons you are, so they’re probably pretty damn cool. Expect a catered and guided week to cost around $1,800-$2,200, far cheaper than a week of heli skiing, and arguably as much or more fun.If you’re planning a trip to a backcountry lodge in BC, here’s a few helpful tips. Canada is not part of the United States, you’ll need identification to enter, I suggest a passport. Flying to Canada is expensive, and getting around once you’ve landed can be a pain. I recommend driving whenever possible, this saves on airport transfers, car rentals, baggage fees, and you can bring groceries and a small amount of alcoholic beverages with you. Things are more expensive in Canada, so bring the maximum amount of alcohol allowed, a case of beer, or 3 bottles of wine, or a 750 ml of liquor per person, they will probably check at the border. If you’ve had a DUI in the last 5 years, don’t even try to cross the border. Bring earplugs, one loud snorer can keep you up all night, every night, and the better you sleep the harder you can charge. Avalanche training and experience traveling and skiing in avalanche terrain are a must; hire a guide if you are the least bit uncertain of your skills. Know your gear and how to use it. A backcountry lodge trip isn’t the right place to try out your new backcountry boots for the first time because, as James Heim says, “There’s nothing worse than being in an amazing location for a short time and spending most of that time either fixing your gear or practicing avalanche rescue when you could have done that before hand.”Do some online research or talk with friends who’ve been to a lodge to find the one that best suits your needs, there are lots of options. Lodge operators are extremely helpful for planning and can assist with finding guides, catering, and details like lodging before and after and your trip. My backcountry lodge experiences have resulted in the best ski trips that I’ve ever been on. The stress free environment, comfortable lodging, and access to incredible terrain are without equal. In my opinion, there isn’t a better a way to spend your money on skiing and spend time in the backcountry.A few helpful online resources:http://www.backcountrylodgesofbc.comhttp://www.alpineclubofcanada.caCatering: http://www.mosmountaincuisine.com Going on a backcountry hut trip, be sure to load up on Avalanche Safety gear available at: backcountry.com backcountry lodges, canada nonadult false So, You Want To Go To A Backcountry Lodge In BC, Eh? text blog backcountry lodges,canada 126 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false Canada BC Icefall Lodge 0 0 6506689 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Shit-Jobs-Part-5-Beginner-Ski-Instructor/blog/6496291/75233.html I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Shit Jobs Part 5: Beginner Ski InstructorBack in the early 1990s I watched “Aspen Extreme” for the first time. As a young kid in Connecticut, I was enamored by Hollywood’s glamorization of the journey of two ski-bums. I’m pretty sure I dreamed of moving out west, crushing the field in the ski instructor try-outs, bagging a cougar or two, winning the powder eight championships, and eventually ending up with the hot radio chick. I didn’t realize it at the time, but a lot of the story is a surprisingly spot-on representation of life in a ski town. There are obvious exceptions, but if you live in a ski town long enough you might find “Aspen Extreme” to be significantly closer to reality than you ever imagined.By no means is the story completely realistic, Hollywood definitely took some major liberties when dramatizing certain aspects of the film. A prime example of this is the scene where TJ and Dex show up for the “ski-instructor tryouts” wearing blue jeans, boot gaiters, and backwards baseball caps, then proceed to blow doors off the competition. I’m not sure if instructor tryouts of this nature ever existed, but I can assure you that is not how you become an instructor in this day and age. For all the starry-eyed east coast and mid-westerners out there with dreams of moving West and instantly becoming the top-dog hot-shot instructor by dominating a mogul run, sorry to burst your bubble.[image]Two guys talking to one girl in a ski town? That never happens. ....Teaching skiing is one of many shit jobs available at the ski area, and one of several ways to work on snow with skis on your feet. Unfortunately, contrary to Hollywood’s portrayal, you don’t become “Franz’s alternate” overnight. Becoming a top-level instructor is a long an arduous process that begins with the beginners. First-time instructors, regardless of skiing ability, typically start out teaching beginners of all ages. The payscale for newbies starts just above minimum wage and increases with time, experience, and additional certifications. Many people have made careers of teaching ski lessons, and these folks have dedicated serious time, money, and effort to the almighty PSIA to move up in the ranks, like TJ Burke did in a couple minutes at tryouts. Beyond helping perpetuate the sport, the benefits of working as an instructor are many. You get a locker at the mountain so you can keep all your ski stuff there. The uniform helps you save on buying absurdly expensive outerwear. You get the employee discount on food and drinks, making it completely reasonable to eat in the lodge for a change. Your ski pass is free, and a few friends and family tickets allow you to get the family, or your bros, out on the hill in a pinch. The ski school line is much faster than the regular lift line, but you only get to use it when you’re working. Pro-deals on gear are intended for you, so you can afford to pick up those 7-XK’s you’ve been dreaming about since ‘93. Your technique has never been better and your goggle tan is all-time, all-freaking-time! The creative juices even get flowing when you start talking to little kids all day, coming up with various reasons why the forest is smoking, smells funny, and is coughing all the time. [image]You’ve got a job, you can pay the rent, you get to work outside, things are going great, until that first powder day. Teaching skiing is one thing when the conditions are bad, you might as well be snowplowing around with ten 6-year-olds on the bunny slope, at least you’re getting paid to be out there. Powder, however, changes everything. Instead of getting in line with your friends for first chair, you go to line-up. You watch from afar as the chairs start loading, but you meet up with your group at the magic carpet and start going over the basics. Somewhere between pizza and french-fries you start hearing the hoots and hollers of joy, people start emerging from the forest, faces caked with snow. Powder days are a scarce resource and freshies an ever-dwindling commodity, and you’re missing it. Many people have lost their instructor jobs because of powder days, it’s all a matter of priorities.Hopefully you’re good at babysitting, because in many ways teaching beginners how to ski is low-paid babysitting. Kids, however, are probably the easiest to deal with, but large groups of kids can be tough. With ADHD on the rise, keeping track of your kids can be like herding cats, and finishing the day with a full group is worthy of a prize. It’s too bad you don’t get paid according to the number of times you hear the word, “why,” because kids are inquisitive and will ask you questions until they, or you, are blue in the face. [image]Generally speaking though, kids learn quickly, usually have fun with other kids, and they’re smaller so they’re easier to help to their feet. Sure you have to wipe their noses, take hot chocolate breaks, and tell stories, but teaching kids can be a really fun and rewarding experience, as long as it’s not a powder day. Adult beginners are a different story altogether. Unlike children, adults are more likely to be stubborn, out of shape, uncoordinated, and slower to learn. Lucky you, your student Steve, an overweight 38-year-old computer programmer from Dallas hasn’t exercised much in the past 13 years, and you get to teach him how to ski. It’s gonna be so much fun! Babysitting adults is a strange and often horrible experience, and it seems like some people are not destined or predisposed to be skiers. Turns out that many adults, when taken out of their element and comfort zone, may act like your group of 6-year-olds. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly as endearing when an adult starts to cry.[image]Order your copy of Aspen Extreme, currently on sale at Amazon.comMoving up in the world of ski instructing requires you to drink the proverbial PSIA Kool-aid. Not that ski instructors are in a cult or anything, but you do have to subscribe to their newsletter. Continuing education through clinics and acquiring certifications from Level 1 through 3 will keep your skills and teaching techniques up to date. None of these things are free, of course, but the level of skier you instruct and your pay increase in kind.Teaching full-time puts you on the hill in your boots 5 days a week, but other than the occasional ski break, most of that time is spent working. Even though you spend 35-40 hours a week at the mountain, you don’t get to freeski that often. Putting your feet in ski boots on your day off could be one of the last things you want to do when your sixth toes are pissed, your heel spurs enflamed, sometimes your feet just need to breathe. If you’re not careful skiing becomes something you only do when you’re working. You know the saying don’t shit where you eat? Well, that has nothing to do with this, but be careful when mixing business with pleasure as the fun could be taken out of the sport you love.All that said, the world needs teachers, how else we would learn to read, write, swing dance, ski, perform brain surgery, or Dougie? Beginner ski instructors are the corner stone of our sport. They embody many people’s first experience on the mountain and pass on what may become a lifelong passion for sliding on snow. Without people teaching beginners to ski, our sport might fade in to obsolescence and die. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today, a broke aging ski-bum waiter who writes tongue-in-cheek stories about ski town life for the Internet, if I didn’t get the stoke for skiing passed on to me a long time ago by somebody giving a beginner lesson. So, thank you beginner ski instructors, I don’t envy what you do, but I do appreciate it.Read Shit Jobs Part 4: Waiter Read Shit Jobs Part 3: Unemployment Collecting Seasonal Worker Read Shit Jobs Part 2: Ski Tech Read Shit Jobs Part 1: Line Cook I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Shit Jobs Part 5: Beginner Ski InstructorBack in the early 1990s I watched “Aspen Extreme” for the first time. As a young kid in Connecticut, I was enamored by Hollywood’s glamorization of the journey of two ski-bums. I’m pretty sure I dreamed of moving out west, crushing the field in the ski instructor try-outs, bagging a cougar or two, winning the powder eight championships, and eventually ending up with the hot radio chick. I didn’t realize it at the time, but a lot of the story is a surprisingly spot-on representation of life in a ski town. There are obvious exceptions, but if you live in a ski town long enough you might find “Aspen Extreme” to be significantly closer to reality than you ever imagined.By no means is the story completely realistic, Hollywood definitely took some major liberties when dramatizing certain aspects of the film. A prime example of this is the scene where TJ and Dex show up for the “ski-instructor tryouts” wearing blue jeans, boot gaiters, and backwards baseball caps, then proceed to blow doors off the competition. I’m not sure if instructor tryouts of this nature ever existed, but I can assure you that is not how you become an instructor in this day and age. For all the starry-eyed east coast and mid-westerners out there with dreams of moving West and instantly becoming the top-dog hot-shot instructor by dominating a mogul run, sorry to burst your bubble.[image]Two guys talking to one girl in a ski town? That never happens. ....Teaching skiing is one of many shit jobs available at the ski area, and one of several ways to work on snow with skis on your feet. Unfortunately, contrary to Hollywood’s portrayal, you don’t become “Franz’s alternate” overnight. Becoming a top-level instructor is a long an arduous process that begins with the beginners. First-time instructors, regardless of skiing ability, typically start out teaching beginners of all ages. The payscale for newbies starts just above minimum wage and increases with time, experience, and additional certifications. Many people have made careers of teaching ski lessons, and these folks have dedicated serious time, money, and effort to the almighty PSIA to move up in the ranks, like TJ Burke did in a couple minutes at tryouts. Beyond helping perpetuate the sport, the benefits of working as an instructor are many. You get a locker at the mountain so you can keep all your ski stuff there. The uniform helps you save on buying absurdly expensive outerwear. You get the employee discount on food and drinks, making it completely reasonable to eat in the lodge for a change. Your ski pass is free, and a few friends and family tickets allow you to get the family, or your bros, out on the hill in a pinch. The ski school line is much faster than the regular lift line, but you only get to use it when you’re working. Pro-deals on gear are intended for you, so you can afford to pick up those 7-XK’s you’ve been dreaming about since ‘93. Your technique has never been better and your goggle tan is all-time, all-freaking-time! The creative juices even get flowing when you start talking to little kids all day, coming up with various reasons why the forest is smoking, smells funny, and is coughing all the time. [image]You’ve got a job, you can pay the rent, you get to work outside, things are going great, until that first powder day. Teaching skiing is one thing when the conditions are bad, you might as well be snowplowing around with ten 6-year-olds on the bunny slope, at least you’re getting paid to be out there. Powder, however, changes everything. Instead of getting in line with your friends for first chair, you go to line-up. You watch from afar as the chairs start loading, but you meet up with your group at the magic carpet and start going over the basics. Somewhere between pizza and french-fries you start hearing the hoots and hollers of joy, people start emerging from the forest, faces caked with snow. Powder days are a scarce resource and freshies an ever-dwindling commodity, and you’re missing it. Many people have lost their instructor jobs because of powder days, it’s all a matter of priorities.Hopefully you’re good at babysitting, because in many ways teaching beginners how to ski is low-paid babysitting. Kids, however, are probably the easiest to deal with, but large groups of kids can be tough. With ADHD on the rise, keeping track of your kids can be like herding cats, and finishing the day with a full group is worthy of a prize. It’s too bad you don’t get paid according to the number of times you hear the word, “why,” because kids are inquisitive and will ask you questions until they, or you, are blue in the face. [image]Generally speaking though, kids learn quickly, usually have fun with other kids, and they’re smaller so they’re easier to help to their feet. Sure you have to wipe their noses, take hot chocolate breaks, and tell stories, but teaching kids can be a really fun and rewarding experience, as long as it’s not a powder day. Adult beginners are a different story altogether. Unlike children, adults are more likely to be stubborn, out of shape, uncoordinated, and slower to learn. Lucky you, your student Steve, an overweight 38-year-old computer programmer from Dallas hasn’t exercised much in the past 13 years, and you get to teach him how to ski. It’s gonna be so much fun! Babysitting adults is a strange and often horrible experience, and it seems like some people are not destined or predisposed to be skiers. Turns out that many adults, when taken out of their element and comfort zone, may act like your group of 6-year-olds. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly as endearing when an adult starts to cry.[image]Order your copy of Aspen Extreme, currently on sale at Amazon.comMoving up in the world of ski instructing requires you to drink the proverbial PSIA Kool-aid. Not that ski instructors are in a cult or anything, but you do have to subscribe to their newsletter. Continuing education through clinics and acquiring certifications from Level 1 through 3 will keep your skills and teaching techniques up to date. None of these things are free, of course, but the level of skier you instruct and your pay increase in kind.Teaching full-time puts you on the hill in your boots 5 days a week, but other than the occasional ski break, most of that time is spent working. Even though you spend 35-40 hours a week at the mountain, you don’t get to freeski that often. Putting your feet in ski boots on your day off could be one of the last things you want to do when your sixth toes are pissed, your heel spurs enflamed, sometimes your feet just need to breathe. If you’re not careful skiing becomes something you only do when you’re working. You know the saying don’t shit where you eat? Well, that has nothing to do with this, but be careful when mixing business with pleasure as the fun could be taken out of the sport you love.All that said, the world needs teachers, how else we would learn to read, write, swing dance, ski, perform brain surgery, or Dougie? Beginner ski instructors are the corner stone of our sport. They embody many people’s first experience on the mountain and pass on what may become a lifelong passion for sliding on snow. Without people teaching beginners to ski, our sport might fade in to obsolescence and die. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today, a broke aging ski-bum waiter who writes tongue-in-cheek stories about ski town life for the Internet, if I didn’t get the stoke for skiing passed on to me a long time ago by somebody giving a beginner lesson. So, thank you beginner ski instructors, I don’t envy what you do, but I do appreciate it.Read Shit Jobs Part 4: Waiter Read Shit Jobs Part 3: Unemployment Collecting Seasonal Worker Read Shit Jobs Part 2: Ski Tech Read Shit Jobs Part 1: Line Cook Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:30:29 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Shit-Jobs-Part-5-Beginner-Ski-Instructor/blog/6496291/75233.html jeremybenson 2013-01-04T23:35:57Z Teton Gravity Research I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Shit Jobs Part 5: Beginner Ski InstructorBack in the early 1990s I watched “Aspen Extreme” for the first time. As a young kid in Connecticut, I was enamored by Hollywood’s glamorization of the journey of two ski-bums. I’m pretty sure I dreamed of moving out west, crushing the field in the ski instructor try-outs, bagging a cougar or two, winning the powder eight championships, and eventually ending up with the hot radio chick. I didn’t realize it at the time, but a lot of the story is a surprisingly spot-on representation of life in a ski town. There are obvious exceptions, but if you live in a ski town long enough you might find “Aspen Extreme” to be significantly closer to reality than you ever imagined.By no means is the story completely realistic, Hollywood definitely took some major liberties when dramatizing certain aspects of the film. A prime example of this is the scene where TJ and Dex show up for the “ski-instructor tryouts” wearing blue jeans, boot gaiters, and backwards baseball caps, then proceed to blow doors off the competition. I’m not sure if instructor tryouts of this nature ever existed, but I can assure you that is not how you become an instructor in this day and age. For all the starry-eyed east coast and mid-westerners out there with dreams of moving West and instantly becoming the top-dog hot-shot instructor by dominating a mogul run, sorry to burst your bubble.[image]Two guys talking to one girl in a ski town? That never happens. ....Teaching skiing is one of many shit jobs available at the ski area, and one of several ways to work on snow with skis on your feet. Unfortunately, contrary to Hollywood’s portrayal, you don’t become “Franz’s alternate” overnight. Becoming a top-level instructor is a long an arduous process that begins with the beginners. First-time instructors, regardless of skiing ability, typically start out teaching beginners of all ages. The payscale for newbies starts just above minimum wage and increases with time, experience, and additional certifications. Many people have made careers of teaching ski lessons, and these folks have dedicated serious time, money, and effort to the almighty PSIA to move up in the ranks, like TJ Burke did in a couple minutes at tryouts. Beyond helping perpetuate the sport, the benefits of working as an instructor are many. You get a locker at the mountain so you can keep all your ski stuff there. The uniform helps you save on buying absurdly expensive outerwear. You get the employee discount on food and drinks, making it completely reasonable to eat in the lodge for a change. Your ski pass is free, and a few friends and family tickets allow you to get the family, or your bros, out on the hill in a pinch. The ski school line is much faster than the regular lift line, but you only get to use it when you’re working. Pro-deals on gear are intended for you, so you can afford to pick up those 7-XK’s you’ve been dreaming about since ‘93. Your technique has never been better and your goggle tan is all-time, all-freaking-time! The creative juices even get flowing when you start talking to little kids all day, coming up with various reasons why the forest is smoking, smells funny, and is coughing all the time. [image]You’ve got a job, you can pay the rent, you get to work outside, things are going great, until that first powder day. Teaching skiing is one thing when the conditions are bad, you might as well be snowplowing around with ten 6-year-olds on the bunny slope, at least you’re getting paid to be out there. Powder, however, changes everything. Instead of getting in line with your friends for first chair, you go to line-up. You watch from afar as the chairs start loading, but you meet up with your group at the magic carpet and start going over the basics. Somewhere between pizza and french-fries you start hearing the hoots and hollers of joy, people start emerging from the forest, faces caked with snow. Powder days are a scarce resource and freshies an ever-dwindling commodity, and you’re missing it. Many people have lost their instructor jobs because of powder days, it’s all a matter of priorities.Hopefully you’re good at babysitting, because in many ways teaching beginners how to ski is low-paid babysitting. Kids, however, are probably the easiest to deal with, but large groups of kids can be tough. With ADHD on the rise, keeping track of your kids can be like herding cats, and finishing the day with a full group is worthy of a prize. It’s too bad you don’t get paid according to the number of times you hear the word, “why,” because kids are inquisitive and will ask you questions until they, or you, are blue in the face. [image]Generally speaking though, kids learn quickly, usually have fun with other kids, and they’re smaller so they’re easier to help to their feet. Sure you have to wipe their noses, take hot chocolate breaks, and tell stories, but teaching kids can be a really fun and rewarding experience, as long as it’s not a powder day. Adult beginners are a different story altogether. Unlike children, adults are more likely to be stubborn, out of shape, uncoordinated, and slower to learn. Lucky you, your student Steve, an overweight 38-year-old computer programmer from Dallas hasn’t exercised much in the past 13 years, and you get to teach him how to ski. It’s gonna be so much fun! Babysitting adults is a strange and often horrible experience, and it seems like some people are not destined or predisposed to be skiers. Turns out that many adults, when taken out of their element and comfort zone, may act like your group of 6-year-olds. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly as endearing when an adult starts to cry.[image]Order your copy of Aspen Extreme, currently on sale at Amazon.comMoving up in the world of ski instructing requires you to drink the proverbial PSIA Kool-aid. Not that ski instructors are in a cult or anything, but you do have to subscribe to their newsletter. Continuing education through clinics and acquiring certifications from Level 1 through 3 will keep your skills and teaching techniques up to date. None of these things are free, of course, but the level of skier you instruct and your pay increase in kind.Teaching full-time puts you on the hill in your boots 5 days a week, but other than the occasional ski break, most of that time is spent working. Even though you spend 35-40 hours a week at the mountain, you don’t get to freeski that often. Putting your feet in ski boots on your day off could be one of the last things you want to do when your sixth toes are pissed, your heel spurs enflamed, sometimes your feet just need to breathe. If you’re not careful skiing becomes something you only do when you’re working. You know the saying don’t shit where you eat? Well, that has nothing to do with this, but be careful when mixing business with pleasure as the fun could be taken out of the sport you love.All that said, the world needs teachers, how else we would learn to read, write, swing dance, ski, perform brain surgery, or Dougie? Beginner ski instructors are the corner stone of our sport. They embody many people’s first experience on the mountain and pass on what may become a lifelong passion for sliding on snow. Without people teaching beginners to ski, our sport might fade in to obsolescence and die. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today, a broke aging ski-bum waiter who writes tongue-in-cheek stories about ski town life for the Internet, if I didn’t get the stoke for skiing passed on to me a long time ago by somebody giving a beginner lesson. So, thank you beginner ski instructors, I don’t envy what you do, but I do appreciate it.Read Shit Jobs Part 4: Waiter Read Shit Jobs Part 3: Unemployment Collecting Seasonal Worker Read Shit Jobs Part 2: Ski Tech Read Shit Jobs Part 1: Line Cook shit jobs, ski instructor nonadult false Shit Jobs Part 5: Beginner Ski Instructor text blog shit jobs,ski instructor 226 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CO Aspen 0 0 6496291 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Tahoe-Sees-First-Avalanche-Deaths-Of-2012-13-Season/blog/6495129/75233.html [image]A large avalanche crown is seen in the Tahoe backcountry on Dec. 27, 2012. In late Decemeber, as the area saw new snow, it also saw many avalanches, including two that caused fatalities at Alpine Meadows and Donner Ski Ranch. Sunday, Dec. 23, was yet another stormy powder day in a string of many at Squaw Valley, Calif. Ski patrol and mountain operations teams had been doing battle with harsh weather and copious snowfall for days on end. Midway through the morning they managed to open the KT-22 chair to the public. Shortly after opening, a powerful avalanche was triggered above The Fingers, directly beneath the chairlift. The avalanche swept up one skier, a 39-year-old female, and was so powerful that chunks of the avalanching snow deflected up in the air, knocking a 16-year-old male skier from the chairlift and into the avalanche. Both skiers were conscious, and neither completely buried in the slide. The woman was treated and released from the medical clinic, and the young man was taken to the local hospital to be treated for a shoulder injury. This post-control inbounds avalanche was an unfortunate accident, but the outcome could certainly have been much worse.Earlier in December, the Tahoe region experienced above-average temperatures, resulting in rain that created a distinct crust layer in our snowpack. Since then, faceted snow crystals developed both above and below this crust creating some especially weak layers. Significant amounts of new snow piled up above these persistent weak layers resulting in an uncharacteristically unpredictable snowpack for the area. With an advisory rating of “considerable,” a 3 on a scale of 1-5 (low, moderate, considerable, high, extreme), the Sierra Avalanche Center’s advisory for the days before Christmas said, “Overall the data indicates a snowpack teetering on the edge of failure.”The following day, Dec. 24, 2012, broke clear and cold in Tahoe. The blue skies were a welcome respite from the relentless storm that dropped 4-6 feet in four days on the west side of the lake. The holiday crowds were out in force at resorts around the region, eager to ski all the new powder, and I was among them. I went to Alpine Meadows that morning, the “considerable” avalanche danger rating, recent large avalanches, and persistent weak layers in our snowpack kept me from venturing into the backcountry. Summit chair opened shortly after 9 a.m. as patrol finished avalanche control on the front side of the mountain. For my first run I headed out to Art’s Knob, my friends and I shocked to find a 4 foot crown on the convex roll at the top and large cracks in the snow stretching in both directions along the ridge. The entirety of the storm snow had slid down to the rain crust, one of many large intentional avalanches at the resort that day.About an hour later, the distinct blue and white colored Care Flight helicopter flew overhead toward the Sherwood chairlift. I thought it odd due to the fact that Sherwood wasn’t open, nor had it been yet this season. I hoped they were doing some sort of training exercise, not realizing that patrol was doing avalanche control work back there at the time. Later that day, I was saddened to hear the news that Bill Foster, a 28-year veteran of the Alpine Meadows Patrol, was caught in an avalanche while doing control work. According to a press release from Amelia Richmond, the Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows public relations representative, “The avalanche was triggered by an explosive charge that had been thrown by a senior member of the ski patrol team. The patrol team members were positioned in an area that was, based on historical experience, believed to have been a protected area. The charge triggered the avalanche, which broke much higher and wider on the slope than previously observed in past snow safety missions.” With nearly 3 decades of experience on the Alpine Meadows patrol, Foster had routinely performed avalanche mitigation work in this area. “The patroller was found within one minute and uncovered within eight minutes from the time of the avalanche,” wrote Richmond, “After uncovering the buried patroller, members of the ski patrol team immediately began CPR.” Foster was flown via Care Flight Helicopter to Renown Hospital in Reno where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.[image]The site of the in-bounds avalanche at Donner Ski Ranch. That same day at Donner Ski Ranch, a small ski area at the top of Highway 40 on Donner Summit, an avalanche occurred around 9:30 a.m. According to the Tahoe Daily Tribune, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a man around noon on Monday saying that a member of his group was overdue and was feared to have been caught in an avalanche that occurred sometime around 9:30 a.m. The search was assisted by neighboring ski resorts and a body was found in the debris, buried under 2-3 feet of snow, nearly five hours after the slide happened. Truckee resident, 49-year-old Steven “Rocker” Anderson was snowboarding that morning when he was caught up in the inbounds slide. According to reports, Anderson had just moved back to the area and was enjoying his first day snowboarding for the season. Since that tragic day last week, the Tahoe region has received roughly two more feet of snow, burying our weak layers in as much as 7 to 8 feet of snow. As our snow depth increases, triggering avalanches on our persistent weak layers is becoming less and less likely, but remains far from impossible. Any avalanches that propagate along the facets by the buried rain crust are likely to be massive and catastrophic. Our typical “more stable than most” snowpack is clearly different than usual, and it takes some getting used to. Our current weak layers and recent events have reminded me that there is no room for error or complacency when it comes to avalanche safety. Skiing is the best thing in the world, but it’s not worth dying for. Have a happy and safe New Year. [image]A large avalanche crown is seen in the Tahoe backcountry on Dec. 27, 2012. In late Decemeber, as the area saw new snow, it also saw many avalanches, including two that caused fatalities at Alpine Meadows and Donner Ski Ranch. Sunday, Dec. 23, was yet another stormy powder day in a string of many at Squaw Valley, Calif. Ski patrol and mountain operations teams had been doing battle with harsh weather and copious snowfall for days on end. Midway through the morning they managed to open the KT-22 chair to the public. Shortly after opening, a powerful avalanche was triggered above The Fingers, directly beneath the chairlift. The avalanche swept up one skier, a 39-year-old female, and was so powerful that chunks of the avalanching snow deflected up in the air, knocking a 16-year-old male skier from the chairlift and into the avalanche. Both skiers were conscious, and neither completely buried in the slide. The woman was treated and released from the medical clinic, and the young man was taken to the local hospital to be treated for a shoulder injury. This post-control inbounds avalanche was an unfortunate accident, but the outcome could certainly have been much worse.Earlier in December, the Tahoe region experienced above-average temperatures, resulting in rain that created a distinct crust layer in our snowpack. Since then, faceted snow crystals developed both above and below this crust creating some especially weak layers. Significant amounts of new snow piled up above these persistent weak layers resulting in an uncharacteristically unpredictable snowpack for the area. With an advisory rating of “considerable,” a 3 on a scale of 1-5 (low, moderate, considerable, high, extreme), the Sierra Avalanche Center’s advisory for the days before Christmas said, “Overall the data indicates a snowpack teetering on the edge of failure.”The following day, Dec. 24, 2012, broke clear and cold in Tahoe. The blue skies were a welcome respite from the relentless storm that dropped 4-6 feet in four days on the west side of the lake. The holiday crowds were out in force at resorts around the region, eager to ski all the new powder, and I was among them. I went to Alpine Meadows that morning, the “considerable” avalanche danger rating, recent large avalanches, and persistent weak layers in our snowpack kept me from venturing into the backcountry. Summit chair opened shortly after 9 a.m. as patrol finished avalanche control on the front side of the mountain. For my first run I headed out to Art’s Knob, my friends and I shocked to find a 4 foot crown on the convex roll at the top and large cracks in the snow stretching in both directions along the ridge. The entirety of the storm snow had slid down to the rain crust, one of many large intentional avalanches at the resort that day.About an hour later, the distinct blue and white colored Care Flight helicopter flew overhead toward the Sherwood chairlift. I thought it odd due to the fact that Sherwood wasn’t open, nor had it been yet this season. I hoped they were doing some sort of training exercise, not realizing that patrol was doing avalanche control work back there at the time. Later that day, I was saddened to hear the news that Bill Foster, a 28-year veteran of the Alpine Meadows Patrol, was caught in an avalanche while doing control work. According to a press release from Amelia Richmond, the Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows public relations representative, “The avalanche was triggered by an explosive charge that had been thrown by a senior member of the ski patrol team. The patrol team members were positioned in an area that was, based on historical experience, believed to have been a protected area. The charge triggered the avalanche, which broke much higher and wider on the slope than previously observed in past snow safety missions.” With nearly 3 decades of experience on the Alpine Meadows patrol, Foster had routinely performed avalanche mitigation work in this area. “The patroller was found within one minute and uncovered within eight minutes from the time of the avalanche,” wrote Richmond, “After uncovering the buried patroller, members of the ski patrol team immediately began CPR.” Foster was flown via Care Flight Helicopter to Renown Hospital in Reno where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.[image]The site of the in-bounds avalanche at Donner Ski Ranch. That same day at Donner Ski Ranch, a small ski area at the top of Highway 40 on Donner Summit, an avalanche occurred around 9:30 a.m. According to the Tahoe Daily Tribune, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a man around noon on Monday saying that a member of his group was overdue and was feared to have been caught in an avalanche that occurred sometime around 9:30 a.m. The search was assisted by neighboring ski resorts and a body was found in the debris, buried under 2-3 feet of snow, nearly five hours after the slide happened. Truckee resident, 49-year-old Steven “Rocker” Anderson was snowboarding that morning when he was caught up in the inbounds slide. According to reports, Anderson had just moved back to the area and was enjoying his first day snowboarding for the season. Since that tragic day last week, the Tahoe region has received roughly two more feet of snow, burying our weak layers in as much as 7 to 8 feet of snow. As our snow depth increases, triggering avalanches on our persistent weak layers is becoming less and less likely, but remains far from impossible. Any avalanches that propagate along the facets by the buried rain crust are likely to be massive and catastrophic. Our typical “more stable than most” snowpack is clearly different than usual, and it takes some getting used to. Our current weak layers and recent events have reminded me that there is no room for error or complacency when it comes to avalanche safety. Skiing is the best thing in the world, but it’s not worth dying for. Have a happy and safe New Year. Mon, 31 Dec 2012 22:38:30 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Tahoe-Sees-First-Avalanche-Deaths-Of-2012-13-Season/blog/6495129/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-12-31T22:38:30Z Teton Gravity Research [image]A large avalanche crown is seen in the Tahoe backcountry on Dec. 27, 2012. In late Decemeber, as the area saw new snow, it also saw many avalanches, including two that caused fatalities at Alpine Meadows and Donner Ski Ranch. Sunday, Dec. 23, was yet another stormy powder day in a string of many at Squaw Valley, Calif. Ski patrol and mountain operations teams had been doing battle with harsh weather and copious snowfall for days on end. Midway through the morning they managed to open the KT-22 chair to the public. Shortly after opening, a powerful avalanche was triggered above The Fingers, directly beneath the chairlift. The avalanche swept up one skier, a 39-year-old female, and was so powerful that chunks of the avalanching snow deflected up in the air, knocking a 16-year-old male skier from the chairlift and into the avalanche. Both skiers were conscious, and neither completely buried in the slide. The woman was treated and released from the medical clinic, and the young man was taken to the local hospital to be treated for a shoulder injury. This post-control inbounds avalanche was an unfortunate accident, but the outcome could certainly have been much worse.Earlier in December, the Tahoe region experienced above-average temperatures, resulting in rain that created a distinct crust layer in our snowpack. Since then, faceted snow crystals developed both above and below this crust creating some especially weak layers. Significant amounts of new snow piled up above these persistent weak layers resulting in an uncharacteristically unpredictable snowpack for the area. With an advisory rating of “considerable,” a 3 on a scale of 1-5 (low, moderate, considerable, high, extreme), the Sierra Avalanche Center’s advisory for the days before Christmas said, “Overall the data indicates a snowpack teetering on the edge of failure.”The following day, Dec. 24, 2012, broke clear and cold in Tahoe. The blue skies were a welcome respite from the relentless storm that dropped 4-6 feet in four days on the west side of the lake. The holiday crowds were out in force at resorts around the region, eager to ski all the new powder, and I was among them. I went to Alpine Meadows that morning, the “considerable” avalanche danger rating, recent large avalanches, and persistent weak layers in our snowpack kept me from venturing into the backcountry. Summit chair opened shortly after 9 a.m. as patrol finished avalanche control on the front side of the mountain. For my first run I headed out to Art’s Knob, my friends and I shocked to find a 4 foot crown on the convex roll at the top and large cracks in the snow stretching in both directions along the ridge. The entirety of the storm snow had slid down to the rain crust, one of many large intentional avalanches at the resort that day.About an hour later, the distinct blue and white colored Care Flight helicopter flew overhead toward the Sherwood chairlift. I thought it odd due to the fact that Sherwood wasn’t open, nor had it been yet this season. I hoped they were doing some sort of training exercise, not realizing that patrol was doing avalanche control work back there at the time. Later that day, I was saddened to hear the news that Bill Foster, a 28-year veteran of the Alpine Meadows Patrol, was caught in an avalanche while doing control work. According to a press release from Amelia Richmond, the Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows public relations representative, “The avalanche was triggered by an explosive charge that had been thrown by a senior member of the ski patrol team. The patrol team members were positioned in an area that was, based on historical experience, believed to have been a protected area. The charge triggered the avalanche, which broke much higher and wider on the slope than previously observed in past snow safety missions.” With nearly 3 decades of experience on the Alpine Meadows patrol, Foster had routinely performed avalanche mitigation work in this area. “The patroller was found within one minute and uncovered within eight minutes from the time of the avalanche,” wrote Richmond, “After uncovering the buried patroller, members of the ski patrol team immediately began CPR.” Foster was flown via Care Flight Helicopter to Renown Hospital in Reno where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.[image]The site of the in-bounds avalanche at Donner Ski Ranch. That same day at Donner Ski Ranch, a small ski area at the top of Highway 40 on Donner Summit, an avalanche occurred around 9:30 a.m. According to the Tahoe Daily Tribune, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a man around noon on Monday saying that a member of his group was overdue and was feared to have been caught in an avalanche that occurred sometime around 9:30 a.m. The search was assisted by neighboring ski resorts and a body was found in the debris, buried under 2-3 feet of snow, nearly five hours after the slide happened. Truckee resident, 49-year-old Steven “Rocker” Anderson was snowboarding that morning when he was caught up in the inbounds slide. According to reports, Anderson had just moved back to the area and was enjoying his first day snowboarding for the season. Since that tragic day last week, the Tahoe region has received roughly two more feet of snow, burying our weak layers in as much as 7 to 8 feet of snow. As our snow depth increases, triggering avalanches on our persistent weak layers is becoming less and less likely, but remains far from impossible. Any avalanches that propagate along the facets by the buried rain crust are likely to be massive and catastrophic. Our typical “more stable than most” snowpack is clearly different than usual, and it takes some getting used to. Our current weak layers and recent events have reminded me that there is no room for error or complacency when it comes to avalanche safety. Skiing is the best thing in the world, but it’s not worth dying for. Have a happy and safe New Year. avalanche, skiing, snowboarding, tahoe nonadult false Tahoe Sees First Avalanche Deaths Of 2012-13 Season text blog avalanche,skiing,snowboarding,tahoe 276 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA Tahoe 0 0 6495129 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Shit-Jobs-Part-4-Waiter/blog/6485089/75233.html I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Points North Heli and Ice Axe Expeditions guide Andrew Eisenstark moonlights as a waiter. Believe it or not, he wears his work shirt when he skis, seriously.Shit Jobs Part 4: WaiterTen years ago, I took my first restaurant job. My winter employment as a ski tech came to an end with the season and I needed a job so I could pay the rent and not have to call my parents and beg them for money. I never thought I’d work in a restaurant, but I took the job out of convenience and necessity. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that marked the beginning of a long and promising career in the restaurant industry. For the better part of the last decade, I’ve worked in a restaurant in some capacity, bussing, bartending, or serving, both seasonally and year round. Why, you ask? Because I love skiing, and I’m just too damn lazy to figure out a better way to make ends meet while still having the ability to ski all day, every day.Many people in ski towns, and pretty much everywhere else, have made careers out of waiting tables. It makes sense, the hours are ideal for skiing, as long as you work in the evening, and you can make really good money. I know waiters who work full-time, and are damn good at it, that make well over $50,000 a year. Obviously, the amount of money you stand to make waiting tables varies from place to place and fluctuates wildly with the seasons, but there are few jobs in ski towns that allow as much potential for time on the hill and earning money as being a server.Restaurants offer a plethora of shit jobs, and not so shitty jobs, for people in ski towns (see Shit Jobs: Part 1). Typically, the full spectrum of jobs are available, dishwasher, line cook, busser, bartender, manager, and server. Ideally, you can find an evening shift working in the front of the house, unless you don’t like dealing with people, then I suggest something in the kitchen. The front of the house, bussing, bartending, and serving, is generally where the money is. As glamorous as it might sound to “manage” a restaurant, it typically involves longer hours, more responsibility, and no tips, generally resulting in less money for more work. Getting a job as a server or bartender often requires experience, or working your way up through the ranks into the higher paying positions.Working the dinner shift offers some of the best hours available in a ski town. The earliest I ever have to be at work is 4 p.m., and sometimes shifts can start as late as 6 p.m. Depending on the day and how busy your restaurant is, you can be done with work anywhere from 9 until around 11 p.m. That means your shifts range from 4 to around 7 hours max. Not having to be at work until the late afternoon means that you can generally ski to the bell, if that’s what you’re into, and still make it to work on time. It’s unlikely that anyone will notice that you had a couple après beers before work, in fact, that might even help to grease the wheels and put you into a better mood to deal with tourists.As a waiter you work for and primarily get paid in cash. Most servers and front house restaurant workers get paid minimum wage, here in California that is $8 and hour. The vast majority of your take home pay comes in the form of tips, and where I work, your taxable tips are calculated as a percentage of your sales. The taxes come out of your hourly pay, and sometimes you don’t get a paycheck at all, any money in my paycheck is a bonus. A “good” night where I work will bring in $150-$300 in cash in my pocket, I consider anything under $100 to be a “bad” night, and that’s really not that bad at all.Most restaurants provide a meal for their employees. Not only does this save you money, but it really takes the edge off when you show up straight from the hill, ravenous from a bell to bell powder day where all you ate was a Snickers. Depending where you work and the mood of your manager, free drinks after, and sometimes during, your shift are a standard part of the program. This saves you even more money, because it’s not like you weren’t going to have a drink, right?Over the years, I have both loved and loathed my restaurant jobs. The money is great, the schedule is even better, what’s not to love about working as a waiter? Waiting tables in a ski town puts you into extremely frequent and close contact with the dreaded Gapers, Beaters, Cods, and Joeys that support your local economy and lifestyle. Being able to make small talk with them while attending to their every need is a blessing, and a skill that I often struggle to have. Would you find it hard to smile as you explain every single menu item that is Gluten Free to the person you just watched eat a piece of bread? You’re Gluten Free, really?Around the 1,000th time one of your customers says, “You look like you went skiing today,” or, “sure looks like you got some sun today,” it might start to drive you crazy. Of course you went skiing today, you’re a waiter in a ski town, for crying out loud. It doesn’t matter how much sunscreen you use, skiing 6 to 7 days a week, all season long, for years on end results in one thing, semi-permanent raccoon-face. Couple that with a nice dose of wind-burn and you’ve got a winning combination sure to make everyone know that you ski, a lot. It’s unavoidable. And think better of telling anyone that you went backcountry skiing, otherwise you’ll probably find yourself explaining how climbing skins work, again.After a long day on the hill, all you want to do is go home, start a fire, crack a beer, and put your feet up, but that’s not going to happen. You change in the car, rush straight into work, freshen up in the bathroom, crush some employee meal, hope you don’t still look baked, and find some source of caffeine. The rest of the day will be spent on your feet, walking rapidly, kissing ass, and speaking as properly as you can. There are better ways to recover your muscles, but that’ll have to wait. Some busy nights you’ll be stuck at the restaurant ‘til 11 p.m. or later. Nights like these make it hard to get up for dawn patrol or get to the liftline at 5:30 a.m. so you can get 15th chair, if you’re lucky.When you’re done with work you’ve got a pocket full of cash, and a 2 beer buzz. It can be hard not to stop into the bar across the street for a shifter, or two, or three. Interestingly, the same work schedule that is so great for skiing is pretty darn ideal for partying too. Falling into the party scene head-first, like Dexter Rutecki in Aspen Extreme, should be a legitimate concern. Next thing you know you’ve put on 15 pounds of “drinking weight,” and Carlos, the local coke dealer, is on your speed dial. All of a sudden you only make it out skiing after 11, and then only on sunny days. This is only hypothetical, of course, but I’ve seen it happen.It doesn’t take long to get used to the lifestyle that being a waiter provides. The perfect recreation schedule and easy money could be something that you fall in love with and sucks you in for life. What other job in a ski town gives you the freedom to play all day long, both summer and winter, and still make a decent living in an incredible place? Here I am, 10 years after taking my first restaurant job, still working in a restaurant. Not because I love it, but because of how much I love everything else that I do, it’s almost like I’m trapped by the sports that I’m passionate about, unwilling to give up the freedom to play to try something different and break out of the cycle.I’m not entirely sure that I chose to be waiter, it almost seems like it chose me. Fortunately, waiting tables has by far the best schedule to pay ratio of any of the shit jobs I’ve held. Guess I better get used it, I might be doing this for the rest of my life…Shit Jobs Part 3: Unemployment Collecting Seasonal Worker Shit Jobs Part 2: Ski Tech Shit Jobs Part 1: Line Cook I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Points North Heli and Ice Axe Expeditions guide Andrew Eisenstark moonlights as a waiter. Believe it or not, he wears his work shirt when he skis, seriously.Shit Jobs Part 4: WaiterTen years ago, I took my first restaurant job. My winter employment as a ski tech came to an end with the season and I needed a job so I could pay the rent and not have to call my parents and beg them for money. I never thought I’d work in a restaurant, but I took the job out of convenience and necessity. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that marked the beginning of a long and promising career in the restaurant industry. For the better part of the last decade, I’ve worked in a restaurant in some capacity, bussing, bartending, or serving, both seasonally and year round. Why, you ask? Because I love skiing, and I’m just too damn lazy to figure out a better way to make ends meet while still having the ability to ski all day, every day.Many people in ski towns, and pretty much everywhere else, have made careers out of waiting tables. It makes sense, the hours are ideal for skiing, as long as you work in the evening, and you can make really good money. I know waiters who work full-time, and are damn good at it, that make well over $50,000 a year. Obviously, the amount of money you stand to make waiting tables varies from place to place and fluctuates wildly with the seasons, but there are few jobs in ski towns that allow as much potential for time on the hill and earning money as being a server.Restaurants offer a plethora of shit jobs, and not so shitty jobs, for people in ski towns (see Shit Jobs: Part 1). Typically, the full spectrum of jobs are available, dishwasher, line cook, busser, bartender, manager, and server. Ideally, you can find an evening shift working in the front of the house, unless you don’t like dealing with people, then I suggest something in the kitchen. The front of the house, bussing, bartending, and serving, is generally where the money is. As glamorous as it might sound to “manage” a restaurant, it typically involves longer hours, more responsibility, and no tips, generally resulting in less money for more work. Getting a job as a server or bartender often requires experience, or working your way up through the ranks into the higher paying positions.Working the dinner shift offers some of the best hours available in a ski town. The earliest I ever have to be at work is 4 p.m., and sometimes shifts can start as late as 6 p.m. Depending on the day and how busy your restaurant is, you can be done with work anywhere from 9 until around 11 p.m. That means your shifts range from 4 to around 7 hours max. Not having to be at work until the late afternoon means that you can generally ski to the bell, if that’s what you’re into, and still make it to work on time. It’s unlikely that anyone will notice that you had a couple après beers before work, in fact, that might even help to grease the wheels and put you into a better mood to deal with tourists.As a waiter you work for and primarily get paid in cash. Most servers and front house restaurant workers get paid minimum wage, here in California that is $8 and hour. The vast majority of your take home pay comes in the form of tips, and where I work, your taxable tips are calculated as a percentage of your sales. The taxes come out of your hourly pay, and sometimes you don’t get a paycheck at all, any money in my paycheck is a bonus. A “good” night where I work will bring in $150-$300 in cash in my pocket, I consider anything under $100 to be a “bad” night, and that’s really not that bad at all.Most restaurants provide a meal for their employees. Not only does this save you money, but it really takes the edge off when you show up straight from the hill, ravenous from a bell to bell powder day where all you ate was a Snickers. Depending where you work and the mood of your manager, free drinks after, and sometimes during, your shift are a standard part of the program. This saves you even more money, because it’s not like you weren’t going to have a drink, right?Over the years, I have both loved and loathed my restaurant jobs. The money is great, the schedule is even better, what’s not to love about working as a waiter? Waiting tables in a ski town puts you into extremely frequent and close contact with the dreaded Gapers, Beaters, Cods, and Joeys that support your local economy and lifestyle. Being able to make small talk with them while attending to their every need is a blessing, and a skill that I often struggle to have. Would you find it hard to smile as you explain every single menu item that is Gluten Free to the person you just watched eat a piece of bread? You’re Gluten Free, really?Around the 1,000th time one of your customers says, “You look like you went skiing today,” or, “sure looks like you got some sun today,” it might start to drive you crazy. Of course you went skiing today, you’re a waiter in a ski town, for crying out loud. It doesn’t matter how much sunscreen you use, skiing 6 to 7 days a week, all season long, for years on end results in one thing, semi-permanent raccoon-face. Couple that with a nice dose of wind-burn and you’ve got a winning combination sure to make everyone know that you ski, a lot. It’s unavoidable. And think better of telling anyone that you went backcountry skiing, otherwise you’ll probably find yourself explaining how climbing skins work, again.After a long day on the hill, all you want to do is go home, start a fire, crack a beer, and put your feet up, but that’s not going to happen. You change in the car, rush straight into work, freshen up in the bathroom, crush some employee meal, hope you don’t still look baked, and find some source of caffeine. The rest of the day will be spent on your feet, walking rapidly, kissing ass, and speaking as properly as you can. There are better ways to recover your muscles, but that’ll have to wait. Some busy nights you’ll be stuck at the restaurant ‘til 11 p.m. or later. Nights like these make it hard to get up for dawn patrol or get to the liftline at 5:30 a.m. so you can get 15th chair, if you’re lucky.When you’re done with work you’ve got a pocket full of cash, and a 2 beer buzz. It can be hard not to stop into the bar across the street for a shifter, or two, or three. Interestingly, the same work schedule that is so great for skiing is pretty darn ideal for partying too. Falling into the party scene head-first, like Dexter Rutecki in Aspen Extreme, should be a legitimate concern. Next thing you know you’ve put on 15 pounds of “drinking weight,” and Carlos, the local coke dealer, is on your speed dial. All of a sudden you only make it out skiing after 11, and then only on sunny days. This is only hypothetical, of course, but I’ve seen it happen.It doesn’t take long to get used to the lifestyle that being a waiter provides. The perfect recreation schedule and easy money could be something that you fall in love with and sucks you in for life. What other job in a ski town gives you the freedom to play all day long, both summer and winter, and still make a decent living in an incredible place? Here I am, 10 years after taking my first restaurant job, still working in a restaurant. Not because I love it, but because of how much I love everything else that I do, it’s almost like I’m trapped by the sports that I’m passionate about, unwilling to give up the freedom to play to try something different and break out of the cycle.I’m not entirely sure that I chose to be waiter, it almost seems like it chose me. Fortunately, waiting tables has by far the best schedule to pay ratio of any of the shit jobs I’ve held. Guess I better get used it, I might be doing this for the rest of my life…Shit Jobs Part 3: Unemployment Collecting Seasonal Worker Shit Jobs Part 2: Ski Tech Shit Jobs Part 1: Line Cook Fri, 07 Dec 2012 23:47:23 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Shit-Jobs-Part-4-Waiter/blog/6485089/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-12-07T23:47:23Z Teton Gravity Research I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Points North Heli and Ice Axe Expeditions guide Andrew Eisenstark moonlights as a waiter. Believe it or not, he wears his work shirt when he skis, seriously.Shit Jobs Part 4: WaiterTen years ago, I took my first restaurant job. My winter employment as a ski tech came to an end with the season and I needed a job so I could pay the rent and not have to call my parents and beg them for money. I never thought I’d work in a restaurant, but I took the job out of convenience and necessity. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that marked the beginning of a long and promising career in the restaurant industry. For the better part of the last decade, I’ve worked in a restaurant in some capacity, bussing, bartending, or serving, both seasonally and year round. Why, you ask? Because I love skiing, and I’m just too damn lazy to figure out a better way to make ends meet while still having the ability to ski all day, every day.Many people in ski towns, and pretty much everywhere else, have made careers out of waiting tables. It makes sense, the hours are ideal for skiing, as long as you work in the evening, and you can make really good money. I know waiters who work full-time, and are damn good at it, that make well over $50,000 a year. Obviously, the amount of money you stand to make waiting tables varies from place to place and fluctuates wildly with the seasons, but there are few jobs in ski towns that allow as much potential for time on the hill and earning money as being a server.Restaurants offer a plethora of shit jobs, and not so shitty jobs, for people in ski towns (see Shit Jobs: Part 1). Typically, the full spectrum of jobs are available, dishwasher, line cook, busser, bartender, manager, and server. Ideally, you can find an evening shift working in the front of the house, unless you don’t like dealing with people, then I suggest something in the kitchen. The front of the house, bussing, bartending, and serving, is generally where the money is. As glamorous as it might sound to “manage” a restaurant, it typically involves longer hours, more responsibility, and no tips, generally resulting in less money for more work. Getting a job as a server or bartender often requires experience, or working your way up through the ranks into the higher paying positions.Working the dinner shift offers some of the best hours available in a ski town. The earliest I ever have to be at work is 4 p.m., and sometimes shifts can start as late as 6 p.m. Depending on the day and how busy your restaurant is, you can be done with work anywhere from 9 until around 11 p.m. That means your shifts range from 4 to around 7 hours max. Not having to be at work until the late afternoon means that you can generally ski to the bell, if that’s what you’re into, and still make it to work on time. It’s unlikely that anyone will notice that you had a couple après beers before work, in fact, that might even help to grease the wheels and put you into a better mood to deal with tourists.As a waiter you work for and primarily get paid in cash. Most servers and front house restaurant workers get paid minimum wage, here in California that is $8 and hour. The vast majority of your take home pay comes in the form of tips, and where I work, your taxable tips are calculated as a percentage of your sales. The taxes come out of your hourly pay, and sometimes you don’t get a paycheck at all, any money in my paycheck is a bonus. A “good” night where I work will bring in $150-$300 in cash in my pocket, I consider anything under $100 to be a “bad” night, and that’s really not that bad at all.Most restaurants provide a meal for their employees. Not only does this save you money, but it really takes the edge off when you show up straight from the hill, ravenous from a bell to bell powder day where all you ate was a Snickers. Depending where you work and the mood of your manager, free drinks after, and sometimes during, your shift are a standard part of the program. This saves you even more money, because it’s not like you weren’t going to have a drink, right?Over the years, I have both loved and loathed my restaurant jobs. The money is great, the schedule is even better, what’s not to love about working as a waiter? Waiting tables in a ski town puts you into extremely frequent and close contact with the dreaded Gapers, Beaters, Cods, and Joeys that support your local economy and lifestyle. Being able to make small talk with them while attending to their every need is a blessing, and a skill that I often struggle to have. Would you find it hard to smile as you explain every single menu item that is Gluten Free to the person you just watched eat a piece of bread? You’re Gluten Free, really?Around the 1,000th time one of your customers says, “You look like you went skiing today,” or, “sure looks like you got some sun today,” it might start to drive you crazy. Of course you went skiing today, you’re a waiter in a ski town, for crying out loud. It doesn’t matter how much sunscreen you use, skiing 6 to 7 days a week, all season long, for years on end results in one thing, semi-permanent raccoon-face. Couple that with a nice dose of wind-burn and you’ve got a winning combination sure to make everyone know that you ski, a lot. It’s unavoidable. And think better of telling anyone that you went backcountry skiing, otherwise you’ll probably find yourself explaining how climbing skins work, again.After a long day on the hill, all you want to do is go home, start a fire, crack a beer, and put your feet up, but that’s not going to happen. You change in the car, rush straight into work, freshen up in the bathroom, crush some employee meal, hope you don’t still look baked, and find some source of caffeine. The rest of the day will be spent on your feet, walking rapidly, kissing ass, and speaking as properly as you can. There are better ways to recover your muscles, but that’ll have to wait. Some busy nights you’ll be stuck at the restaurant ‘til 11 p.m. or later. Nights like these make it hard to get up for dawn patrol or get to the liftline at 5:30 a.m. so you can get 15th chair, if you’re lucky.When you’re done with work you’ve got a pocket full of cash, and a 2 beer buzz. It can be hard not to stop into the bar across the street for a shifter, or two, or three. Interestingly, the same work schedule that is so great for skiing is pretty darn ideal for partying too. Falling into the party scene head-first, like Dexter Rutecki in Aspen Extreme, should be a legitimate concern. Next thing you know you’ve put on 15 pounds of “drinking weight,” and Carlos, the local coke dealer, is on your speed dial. All of a sudden you only make it out skiing after 11, and then only on sunny days. This is only hypothetical, of course, but I’ve seen it happen.It doesn’t take long to get used to the lifestyle that being a waiter provides. The perfect recreation schedule and easy money could be something that you fall in love with and sucks you in for life. What other job in a ski town gives you the freedom to play all day long, both summer and winter, and still make a decent living in an incredible place? Here I am, 10 years after taking my first restaurant job, still working in a restaurant. Not because I love it, but because of how much I love everything else that I do, it’s almost like I’m trapped by the sports that I’m passionate about, unwilling to give up the freedom to play to try something different and break out of the cycle.I’m not entirely sure that I chose to be waiter, it almost seems like it chose me. Fortunately, waiting tables has by far the best schedule to pay ratio of any of the shit jobs I’ve held. Guess I better get used it, I might be doing this for the rest of my life…Shit Jobs Part 3: Unemployment Collecting Seasonal Worker Shit Jobs Part 2: Ski Tech Shit Jobs Part 1: Line Cook part 3, shit jobs, skiing, tahoe, waiter nonadult false Shit Jobs Part 4: Waiter text blog part 3,shit jobs,skiing,tahoe,waiter 329 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA Tahoe 0 0 6485089 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Kenai-Heli-Launches-This-Season/blog/6481431/75233.html   [image]Kenai Heli Ski's base in Seldovia, Alaska. If you’re planning a helicopter ski trip to Alaska this winter, you’ve got plenty of options. Haines, Cordova, Valdez, Girdwood, and … Seldovia? If Seldovia doesn’t ring a bell, that’s because there’s never been a reason for skiers to know about it, until now. This winter, however, this quiet fishing village will be the home of Alaska’s newest heli operation, Kenai Heli Ski. The Kenai Peninsula begins at the end of the Turnagin Arm, just past the town of Girdwood and Alyeska ski resort, about an hour drive from the state capitol of Anchorage. Other than a couple roads connecting to the coastal towns of Seward and Homer, and some easy access backcountry skiing off Turnagin Pass, the Kenai Peninsula is mostly a remote and rugged wilderness where the mountains meet the sea. Located on the southwestern end of the peninsula, the small town of Seldovia sits on the ocean in the heart of the Kenai Mountains.Similar to the home of Points North Heli in Cordova, the only way to access Seldovia is by plane or Alaska Marine Highway ferry. In order to get their guests to this remote location, Kenai Heli plans to fly them, via private charter, directly from the Anchorage airport to Seldovia. In the off chance that weather doesn’t permit air travel, guests will be driven to the town of Homer and brought to Seldovia by ferry. Unlike parts of the Chugach, where numerous heli operations are flying into the same zone, there are no other companies competing for tracks in the area. The next closest heli operation is over a hundred miles away in the town of Girdwood. Due to the area’s relatively difficult access, the mountains in the Kenai Heli fly-zone have seen little traffic in the past. “There has been some touring and sledding,” said Kenai Heli’s owner, Njord Rota, “but a majority of our over 300,000 acres remains unskied.” Exploration of their massive permit area will take place during their inaugural season, and guests flying with Kenai Heli will take part in it. “Since most of the peaks have yet to get hit, there will be quite a few first descents getting logged,” Rota said.[image]You could shred here this season. Kenai Heli is the only operation in Alaska offering guaranteed vertical, 100,000 feet in a week with unlimited vertical after that. Anyone who’s skied in Alaska knows that it’s a roll of the dice: it could be the best week of your life, you could get shut down completely, or something in between. Up in AK, mother nature is calling the shots, but Kenai Heli hopes to have an ace in the hole. “We’ve got two snowcats and lots of terrain with great tree skiing right outside our base of operations,” Rota said. “When conditions keep the aircraft grounded, we fire up the snowcats and go tree skiing. We think so highly of our tree skiing terrain that we’ve got one of the best refund policies in the industry.”Kenai Heli’s all-inclusive weeks run $8,495, comparable to similar operations. So, if you’re planning to head to AK this winter, you’ve got plenty of options, and Kenai Heli is certainly worth a look.Check out www.kenaiheliski.com for more information.Compare Cat-Skiing Ops Compare Heli-Skiing Ops   [image]Kenai Heli Ski's base in Seldovia, Alaska. If you’re planning a helicopter ski trip to Alaska this winter, you’ve got plenty of options. Haines, Cordova, Valdez, Girdwood, and … Seldovia? If Seldovia doesn’t ring a bell, that’s because there’s never been a reason for skiers to know about it, until now. This winter, however, this quiet fishing village will be the home of Alaska’s newest heli operation, Kenai Heli Ski. The Kenai Peninsula begins at the end of the Turnagin Arm, just past the town of Girdwood and Alyeska ski resort, about an hour drive from the state capitol of Anchorage. Other than a couple roads connecting to the coastal towns of Seward and Homer, and some easy access backcountry skiing off Turnagin Pass, the Kenai Peninsula is mostly a remote and rugged wilderness where the mountains meet the sea. Located on the southwestern end of the peninsula, the small town of Seldovia sits on the ocean in the heart of the Kenai Mountains.Similar to the home of Points North Heli in Cordova, the only way to access Seldovia is by plane or Alaska Marine Highway ferry. In order to get their guests to this remote location, Kenai Heli plans to fly them, via private charter, directly from the Anchorage airport to Seldovia. In the off chance that weather doesn’t permit air travel, guests will be driven to the town of Homer and brought to Seldovia by ferry. Unlike parts of the Chugach, where numerous heli operations are flying into the same zone, there are no other companies competing for tracks in the area. The next closest heli operation is over a hundred miles away in the town of Girdwood. Due to the area’s relatively difficult access, the mountains in the Kenai Heli fly-zone have seen little traffic in the past. “There has been some touring and sledding,” said Kenai Heli’s owner, Njord Rota, “but a majority of our over 300,000 acres remains unskied.” Exploration of their massive permit area will take place during their inaugural season, and guests flying with Kenai Heli will take part in it. “Since most of the peaks have yet to get hit, there will be quite a few first descents getting logged,” Rota said.[image]You could shred here this season. Kenai Heli is the only operation in Alaska offering guaranteed vertical, 100,000 feet in a week with unlimited vertical after that. Anyone who’s skied in Alaska knows that it’s a roll of the dice: it could be the best week of your life, you could get shut down completely, or something in between. Up in AK, mother nature is calling the shots, but Kenai Heli hopes to have an ace in the hole. “We’ve got two snowcats and lots of terrain with great tree skiing right outside our base of operations,” Rota said. “When conditions keep the aircraft grounded, we fire up the snowcats and go tree skiing. We think so highly of our tree skiing terrain that we’ve got one of the best refund policies in the industry.”Kenai Heli’s all-inclusive weeks run $8,495, comparable to similar operations. So, if you’re planning to head to AK this winter, you’ve got plenty of options, and Kenai Heli is certainly worth a look.Check out www.kenaiheliski.com for more information.Compare Cat-Skiing Ops Compare Heli-Skiing Ops Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:28:35 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Kenai-Heli-Launches-This-Season/blog/6481431/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-11-30T20:28:35Z Teton Gravity Research   [image]Kenai Heli Ski's base in Seldovia, Alaska. If you’re planning a helicopter ski trip to Alaska this winter, you’ve got plenty of options. Haines, Cordova, Valdez, Girdwood, and … Seldovia? If Seldovia doesn’t ring a bell, that’s because there’s never been a reason for skiers to know about it, until now. This winter, however, this quiet fishing village will be the home of Alaska’s newest heli operation, Kenai Heli Ski. The Kenai Peninsula begins at the end of the Turnagin Arm, just past the town of Girdwood and Alyeska ski resort, about an hour drive from the state capitol of Anchorage. Other than a couple roads connecting to the coastal towns of Seward and Homer, and some easy access backcountry skiing off Turnagin Pass, the Kenai Peninsula is mostly a remote and rugged wilderness where the mountains meet the sea. Located on the southwestern end of the peninsula, the small town of Seldovia sits on the ocean in the heart of the Kenai Mountains.Similar to the home of Points North Heli in Cordova, the only way to access Seldovia is by plane or Alaska Marine Highway ferry. In order to get their guests to this remote location, Kenai Heli plans to fly them, via private charter, directly from the Anchorage airport to Seldovia. In the off chance that weather doesn’t permit air travel, guests will be driven to the town of Homer and brought to Seldovia by ferry. Unlike parts of the Chugach, where numerous heli operations are flying into the same zone, there are no other companies competing for tracks in the area. The next closest heli operation is over a hundred miles away in the town of Girdwood. Due to the area’s relatively difficult access, the mountains in the Kenai Heli fly-zone have seen little traffic in the past. “There has been some touring and sledding,” said Kenai Heli’s owner, Njord Rota, “but a majority of our over 300,000 acres remains unskied.” Exploration of their massive permit area will take place during their inaugural season, and guests flying with Kenai Heli will take part in it. “Since most of the peaks have yet to get hit, there will be quite a few first descents getting logged,” Rota said.[image]You could shred here this season. Kenai Heli is the only operation in Alaska offering guaranteed vertical, 100,000 feet in a week with unlimited vertical after that. Anyone who’s skied in Alaska knows that it’s a roll of the dice: it could be the best week of your life, you could get shut down completely, or something in between. Up in AK, mother nature is calling the shots, but Kenai Heli hopes to have an ace in the hole. “We’ve got two snowcats and lots of terrain with great tree skiing right outside our base of operations,” Rota said. “When conditions keep the aircraft grounded, we fire up the snowcats and go tree skiing. We think so highly of our tree skiing terrain that we’ve got one of the best refund policies in the industry.”Kenai Heli’s all-inclusive weeks run $8,495, comparable to similar operations. So, if you’re planning to head to AK this winter, you’ve got plenty of options, and Kenai Heli is certainly worth a look.Check out www.kenaiheliski.com for more information.Compare Cat-Skiing Ops Compare Heli-Skiing Ops alaska, helicopter, kenai heli ski, skiing nonadult false Kenai Heli Launches This Season text blog alaska,helicopter,kenai heli ski,skiing 127 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States AK Seldovia 0 0 6481431 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Shit-Jobs-Part-3-Unemployment-Collecting-Seasonal-Worker/blog/6470279/75233.html I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Part 3: Unemployment Collecting Seasonal Worker Collecting unemployment may not sound like much of a job, but if you work a shit seasonal job for the purpose of getting laid off so you can collect unemployment all winter, then you know it can be damn hard work. Mountain towns offer myriad seasonal summer employment opportunities. Carpentry, landscaping, window washing, roofing, painting, excavation, asphalt maintenance, you name it and it’s probably a job that you can find a way to get laid off from. These types of positions are ideal for ski bums because this type of work typically takes place during the warmer months of the year, lets say from sometime in April ‘til around the beginning of November. The hardest part of collecting unemployment all winter is busting your ass working a job that probably involves physical labor and is monotonous as hell all summer. Sure the manual labor is great to keep you buffed during the summer months, but most of the jobs listed above involve pretty much the same thing day in and day out, except for carpentry, maybe.Worried about ski and snowboard gear, don't..  Backcountry.com offers great sales in the spring and fall!The key to being able to collect unemployment all winter is having a boss who will lay you off. In California, where I live, you can’t collect unemployment if you quit a job or get fired, you need to be laid off to be eligible. Generally, if you’re getting laid off for the winter, that means you are likely to be rehired the following summer, so finding work at the end of the season shouldn’t be a worry.Applying for your unemployment benefits is pretty simple and can generally be taken care of online in about 30 minutes. You might have to wait a couple weeks for the first check to arrive, but once it does you are effectively getting paid to go skiing. The maximum benefit amount per week in the state of California is $400, which adds up to around $1600 a month for doing absolutely nothing. The process has been made even easier now that they issue you a debit card and automatically deposit the payments into the account. You don’t even have to pick up a check or put it the bank!Once your unemployment payments are rolling in, you’ve got nothing to do but ski and hang out afterwards. You can ski all day, every day; you’ve got nowhere to be and nothing to worry about. The mental agony of mowing the same 80 lawns every week all summer just melts away. When you’re done shredding you don’t have to go to some shit job and spend the whole night on your feet, you can go home and rest up for the next day, sip some beers, pull some tubes, maybe watch a little TV. Your stress level is at an all-time low. Other than keeping your fridge stocked with beer and frozen pizzas, all you need to worry about is running out of weed or which one of bros has your lighter again, but you put a sticker on it, so you’ll probably find it. Sure, your parents think you’re a “drain on the system,” but it’s your money and you’re crushing it this winter, right?Life on easy street is pretty easy, but don’t get me wrong, collecting unemployment all winter can be fraught with peril if you don’t play your cards right. Every two weeks you’ve got to check your mail, then fill out and send back the form to the unemployment office. In a haze of powder days, bingers, and beers, this can actually pose a bit of a problem. You’ve got no reason to go to the post office other than to pick up the most recent issue of Powder, and that only comes once a month and the last issue is sometime in February.You’ve also got to use your imagination to keep coming up with places that you were “looking for work.” You may end up going through every one of your friends that manages something to get them to pretend you looked for work at their place of employment.When you leave town to chase a storm or go to that backcountry lodge in BC, you’ve got to convince one of your stoner friends to check your mail, forge your signature, and send the form back in for you. Who knows if that’ll actually happen when your friends can’t even remember to give you back your lighter? A single missed unemployment form and all of the sudden you’re cut off for not being “available to accept work.” The potential for boredom is also very real. Believe it or not, you could find the end of the Internet, and it won’t take long to realize how much TV actually sucks, except for the Daily Show. You might also need to buy some new slippers and maybe a nice pair of “house pants” for the hardcore lounging that will ensue. Luckily, you’ll have plenty of time to work on your POV edits. …All of that free time in the evenings could really open up your schedule for extracurricular activities like drinking, video games, and recreational drug use. This usually isn’t a problem, until you start missing powder days because you were up all night playing Halo with your roommates, or you’re “too hung over.” Next thing you know the bar in town has a stool with your name on it, or you achieve true local status with your first DUI. All that said, working a shit job all summer so you can collect unemployment all winter might just be the golden ticket, that is, if you can handle the responsibility. Read Part 2: Ski TechRead Part 1: Line Cook I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Part 3: Unemployment Collecting Seasonal Worker Collecting unemployment may not sound like much of a job, but if you work a shit seasonal job for the purpose of getting laid off so you can collect unemployment all winter, then you know it can be damn hard work. Mountain towns offer myriad seasonal summer employment opportunities. Carpentry, landscaping, window washing, roofing, painting, excavation, asphalt maintenance, you name it and it’s probably a job that you can find a way to get laid off from. These types of positions are ideal for ski bums because this type of work typically takes place during the warmer months of the year, lets say from sometime in April ‘til around the beginning of November. The hardest part of collecting unemployment all winter is busting your ass working a job that probably involves physical labor and is monotonous as hell all summer. Sure the manual labor is great to keep you buffed during the summer months, but most of the jobs listed above involve pretty much the same thing day in and day out, except for carpentry, maybe.Worried about ski and snowboard gear, don't..  Backcountry.com offers great sales in the spring and fall!The key to being able to collect unemployment all winter is having a boss who will lay you off. In California, where I live, you can’t collect unemployment if you quit a job or get fired, you need to be laid off to be eligible. Generally, if you’re getting laid off for the winter, that means you are likely to be rehired the following summer, so finding work at the end of the season shouldn’t be a worry.Applying for your unemployment benefits is pretty simple and can generally be taken care of online in about 30 minutes. You might have to wait a couple weeks for the first check to arrive, but once it does you are effectively getting paid to go skiing. The maximum benefit amount per week in the state of California is $400, which adds up to around $1600 a month for doing absolutely nothing. The process has been made even easier now that they issue you a debit card and automatically deposit the payments into the account. You don’t even have to pick up a check or put it the bank!Once your unemployment payments are rolling in, you’ve got nothing to do but ski and hang out afterwards. You can ski all day, every day; you’ve got nowhere to be and nothing to worry about. The mental agony of mowing the same 80 lawns every week all summer just melts away. When you’re done shredding you don’t have to go to some shit job and spend the whole night on your feet, you can go home and rest up for the next day, sip some beers, pull some tubes, maybe watch a little TV. Your stress level is at an all-time low. Other than keeping your fridge stocked with beer and frozen pizzas, all you need to worry about is running out of weed or which one of bros has your lighter again, but you put a sticker on it, so you’ll probably find it. Sure, your parents think you’re a “drain on the system,” but it’s your money and you’re crushing it this winter, right?Life on easy street is pretty easy, but don’t get me wrong, collecting unemployment all winter can be fraught with peril if you don’t play your cards right. Every two weeks you’ve got to check your mail, then fill out and send back the form to the unemployment office. In a haze of powder days, bingers, and beers, this can actually pose a bit of a problem. You’ve got no reason to go to the post office other than to pick up the most recent issue of Powder, and that only comes once a month and the last issue is sometime in February.You’ve also got to use your imagination to keep coming up with places that you were “looking for work.” You may end up going through every one of your friends that manages something to get them to pretend you looked for work at their place of employment.When you leave town to chase a storm or go to that backcountry lodge in BC, you’ve got to convince one of your stoner friends to check your mail, forge your signature, and send the form back in for you. Who knows if that’ll actually happen when your friends can’t even remember to give you back your lighter? A single missed unemployment form and all of the sudden you’re cut off for not being “available to accept work.” The potential for boredom is also very real. Believe it or not, you could find the end of the Internet, and it won’t take long to realize how much TV actually sucks, except for the Daily Show. You might also need to buy some new slippers and maybe a nice pair of “house pants” for the hardcore lounging that will ensue. Luckily, you’ll have plenty of time to work on your POV edits. …All of that free time in the evenings could really open up your schedule for extracurricular activities like drinking, video games, and recreational drug use. This usually isn’t a problem, until you start missing powder days because you were up all night playing Halo with your roommates, or you’re “too hung over.” Next thing you know the bar in town has a stool with your name on it, or you achieve true local status with your first DUI. All that said, working a shit job all summer so you can collect unemployment all winter might just be the golden ticket, that is, if you can handle the responsibility. Read Part 2: Ski TechRead Part 1: Line Cook Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:22:13 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Shit-Jobs-Part-3-Unemployment-Collecting-Seasonal-Worker/blog/6470279/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-11-19T19:11:45Z Teton Gravity Research I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Part 3: Unemployment Collecting Seasonal Worker Collecting unemployment may not sound like much of a job, but if you work a shit seasonal job for the purpose of getting laid off so you can collect unemployment all winter, then you know it can be damn hard work. Mountain towns offer myriad seasonal summer employment opportunities. Carpentry, landscaping, window washing, roofing, painting, excavation, asphalt maintenance, you name it and it’s probably a job that you can find a way to get laid off from. These types of positions are ideal for ski bums because this type of work typically takes place during the warmer months of the year, lets say from sometime in April ‘til around the beginning of November. The hardest part of collecting unemployment all winter is busting your ass working a job that probably involves physical labor and is monotonous as hell all summer. Sure the manual labor is great to keep you buffed during the summer months, but most of the jobs listed above involve pretty much the same thing day in and day out, except for carpentry, maybe.Worried about ski and snowboard gear, don't..  Backcountry.com offers great sales in the spring and fall!The key to being able to collect unemployment all winter is having a boss who will lay you off. In California, where I live, you can’t collect unemployment if you quit a job or get fired, you need to be laid off to be eligible. Generally, if you’re getting laid off for the winter, that means you are likely to be rehired the following summer, so finding work at the end of the season shouldn’t be a worry.Applying for your unemployment benefits is pretty simple and can generally be taken care of online in about 30 minutes. You might have to wait a couple weeks for the first check to arrive, but once it does you are effectively getting paid to go skiing. The maximum benefit amount per week in the state of California is $400, which adds up to around $1600 a month for doing absolutely nothing. The process has been made even easier now that they issue you a debit card and automatically deposit the payments into the account. You don’t even have to pick up a check or put it the bank!Once your unemployment payments are rolling in, you’ve got nothing to do but ski and hang out afterwards. You can ski all day, every day; you’ve got nowhere to be and nothing to worry about. The mental agony of mowing the same 80 lawns every week all summer just melts away. When you’re done shredding you don’t have to go to some shit job and spend the whole night on your feet, you can go home and rest up for the next day, sip some beers, pull some tubes, maybe watch a little TV. Your stress level is at an all-time low. Other than keeping your fridge stocked with beer and frozen pizzas, all you need to worry about is running out of weed or which one of bros has your lighter again, but you put a sticker on it, so you’ll probably find it. Sure, your parents think you’re a “drain on the system,” but it’s your money and you’re crushing it this winter, right?Life on easy street is pretty easy, but don’t get me wrong, collecting unemployment all winter can be fraught with peril if you don’t play your cards right. Every two weeks you’ve got to check your mail, then fill out and send back the form to the unemployment office. In a haze of powder days, bingers, and beers, this can actually pose a bit of a problem. You’ve got no reason to go to the post office other than to pick up the most recent issue of Powder, and that only comes once a month and the last issue is sometime in February.You’ve also got to use your imagination to keep coming up with places that you were “looking for work.” You may end up going through every one of your friends that manages something to get them to pretend you looked for work at their place of employment.When you leave town to chase a storm or go to that backcountry lodge in BC, you’ve got to convince one of your stoner friends to check your mail, forge your signature, and send the form back in for you. Who knows if that’ll actually happen when your friends can’t even remember to give you back your lighter? A single missed unemployment form and all of the sudden you’re cut off for not being “available to accept work.” The potential for boredom is also very real. Believe it or not, you could find the end of the Internet, and it won’t take long to realize how much TV actually sucks, except for the Daily Show. You might also need to buy some new slippers and maybe a nice pair of “house pants” for the hardcore lounging that will ensue. Luckily, you’ll have plenty of time to work on your POV edits. …All of that free time in the evenings could really open up your schedule for extracurricular activities like drinking, video games, and recreational drug use. This usually isn’t a problem, until you start missing powder days because you were up all night playing Halo with your roommates, or you’re “too hung over.” Next thing you know the bar in town has a stool with your name on it, or you achieve true local status with your first DUI. All that said, working a shit job all summer so you can collect unemployment all winter might just be the golden ticket, that is, if you can handle the responsibility. Read Part 2: Ski TechRead Part 1: Line Cook part 3, shit jobs, skiing, tahoe, unemployed seasonal worker nonadult false Shit Jobs Part 3: Unemployment Collecting Seasonal Worker text blog part 3,shit jobs,skiing,tahoe,unemployed seasonal worker 182 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA Tahoe 0 0 6470279 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Shit-Jobs-Part-2-Ski-Tech/blog/6448699/75233.html I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image] Part 2: Ski TechWhen I moved out west in 2001, I was a fresh-faced college graduate with stars in my eyes. I moved to Tahoe for “a year to ski before I get a real job.” I had a pickup truck full of everything I owned, no job lined up, hell, we didn’t even have a place to live. Fortunately, I had some experience mounting and tuning skis at a shop in my hometown in Connecticut and my connection in the Tahoe area recommended me for a job at a local ski shop working as a night ski tech. In hindsight, I realize it was a pretty coveted position that I was lucky to just waltz right into. I was working in a high volume ski shop, my shift didn’t start until 4 p.m., and I didn’t have to work retail or rentals. As a mountain town newbie, this job helped define my experience as I started merrily down the path of ski-bumhood. Ski shops offer a plethora of shit jobs for mountain town residents. Working the night tuning shift is ideal because you can ski all day, everyday, and still get to work on time. Many ski shops offer flexible hours or ski breaks for their daytime employees, working retail or rentals, however, puts you into close and frequent contact with the general public. Gapers, Joeys, Beaters, Cods, call them what you will, but families on ski vacations can be frightening beasts. Working in the back shop of most ski shops allows you very limited contact with these crazed and confused vacationing animals, especially when you work at night since the shop is closed half the time you’re there.Working in the back is also nice because you can show up looking like you just skied all day, because you did, and nobody is likely to notice how you smell over the stench of ski boots, p-tex, and wax. Taking care of your equipment is a no-brainer, and your skis should generally be running faster than your bros’. Everyone in town will eventually ask you for favors, mounting, basework, tuning, you name it, people in ski towns need your services and are willing to trade for them. A nearly unlimited supply of beer will be available, which is nice since you only make around 11 bucks an hour. When you already have so much beer you don’t know what to do with it, you can arrange for other things you need like food or weed. In some cases you might even get to help out local pros. Eleven years ago I got to work on prototype Spatulas and a number of other ridiculous projects for my hero, the late, great, Shane McConkey.As a shop employee you’re entitled to discounts and deals on equipment. The “shop deal” is generally the highest level of discount, besides getting something for free, and helps a broke-ass ski bum look pro out on the hill. You may also have the opportunity to get to know local ski reps, maybe wrench for them at demos in trade for some hot new gear. Not to mention the nearly unlimited random skis that are left behind at the shop, you’ll have rock skis for life, or be able to build that ski fence or Adirondack chair you’ve always dreamed of. Check out TGR's Deal's section of the website: http://tetongravity.com/dealsSo, you’re everyone’s friend, you’ve got all the beer you can drink, you’ve got the perfect ski schedule, and your skis are in excellent condition all the time, best job ever, right? Well, the story doesn’t end there. The obvious awesomeness of being a night ski tech is balanced pretty equally by some not so awesome stuff, like acids to bases. First, being a ski tech doesn’t pay incredibly well. Back in ‘01, I made 9 bucks an hour for an entire winter, my boss didn’t even consider giving me a raise even though the back shop made him many tens of thousands of dollars of profit. Years of experience later, and I was nearly topping out the ski tech pay scale at 14 bucks an hour, better, but still barely getting by. The likelihood of working 40 hours a week is pretty low, except for holiday weeks when you’d pay to get out by midnight.You may also find yourself working with jaded, crusty locals. The kind of guy who’s pissed at everything for no reason, doesn’t go more than a minute without a chew in his mouth, and has a breathalizer in his car because he’s had so many DUI’s. The kind of person who’ll bring you down no matter how good of a day you had on the hill, or throw a ski across a room because his base-weld didn’t hold.Potential for injury is pretty darn high while working with grinding machines and sharp metal edges. The slightest mistake while working with a belt or stone grinder could permanently disfigure your hand, one slip while hand-edging that “race tune” and you’re on your way to the hospital. Even if you never seriously injure yourself while tuning you’ll probably be plucking metal shavings from your fingertips almost everyday. On the bright side, your thumbs will never be stronger from the constant scraping of p-tex and wax. The ventilation system in your shop is also probably terribly inadequate. Sure there’s a vent hood, but you’re still breathing noxious wax, p-tex, and epoxy fumes on the daily.The generally low-stress environment of the back shop will occasionally be shattered by the retail guy who promises his customers everything to be done immediately. You’ll show up to work to find five “now mounts” that have to be done in the first hour of work, or have your Zen tuning flow interrupted by something that needs to be done “right now.”All the free beer in the world is great, until you find yourself on the fast track to becoming yet another ski town alcoholic. Three to six beers a day is one thing, but that’s before you leave work, the last thing you need is a DUI to end up like the jaded local that you hate working with. Oh, and did I mention the monotony. Believe it or not, doing exactly the same mind-numbing work day after day could drive you a little crazy. It’s exactly the kind of work that could drive a person to drink, at least you’ve already got all that beer. …Low pay and monotony aside, being a ski tech is among the more enjoyable ski town jobs I’ve had. Starting my time in a mountain town with a night job, however, is likely one of the main factors that doomed me to a life of working shit jobs just to ski pow. Once you get used to skiing everyday, there may be no going back. So, consider yourself warned, and if you’ve got an unquenchable thirst for skiing and beer, then this might just be the shit job for you.Click Here For Part 1: Line Cook I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image] Part 2: Ski TechWhen I moved out west in 2001, I was a fresh-faced college graduate with stars in my eyes. I moved to Tahoe for “a year to ski before I get a real job.” I had a pickup truck full of everything I owned, no job lined up, hell, we didn’t even have a place to live. Fortunately, I had some experience mounting and tuning skis at a shop in my hometown in Connecticut and my connection in the Tahoe area recommended me for a job at a local ski shop working as a night ski tech. In hindsight, I realize it was a pretty coveted position that I was lucky to just waltz right into. I was working in a high volume ski shop, my shift didn’t start until 4 p.m., and I didn’t have to work retail or rentals. As a mountain town newbie, this job helped define my experience as I started merrily down the path of ski-bumhood. Ski shops offer a plethora of shit jobs for mountain town residents. Working the night tuning shift is ideal because you can ski all day, everyday, and still get to work on time. Many ski shops offer flexible hours or ski breaks for their daytime employees, working retail or rentals, however, puts you into close and frequent contact with the general public. Gapers, Joeys, Beaters, Cods, call them what you will, but families on ski vacations can be frightening beasts. Working in the back shop of most ski shops allows you very limited contact with these crazed and confused vacationing animals, especially when you work at night since the shop is closed half the time you’re there.Working in the back is also nice because you can show up looking like you just skied all day, because you did, and nobody is likely to notice how you smell over the stench of ski boots, p-tex, and wax. Taking care of your equipment is a no-brainer, and your skis should generally be running faster than your bros’. Everyone in town will eventually ask you for favors, mounting, basework, tuning, you name it, people in ski towns need your services and are willing to trade for them. A nearly unlimited supply of beer will be available, which is nice since you only make around 11 bucks an hour. When you already have so much beer you don’t know what to do with it, you can arrange for other things you need like food or weed. In some cases you might even get to help out local pros. Eleven years ago I got to work on prototype Spatulas and a number of other ridiculous projects for my hero, the late, great, Shane McConkey.As a shop employee you’re entitled to discounts and deals on equipment. The “shop deal” is generally the highest level of discount, besides getting something for free, and helps a broke-ass ski bum look pro out on the hill. You may also have the opportunity to get to know local ski reps, maybe wrench for them at demos in trade for some hot new gear. Not to mention the nearly unlimited random skis that are left behind at the shop, you’ll have rock skis for life, or be able to build that ski fence or Adirondack chair you’ve always dreamed of. Check out TGR's Deal's section of the website: http://tetongravity.com/dealsSo, you’re everyone’s friend, you’ve got all the beer you can drink, you’ve got the perfect ski schedule, and your skis are in excellent condition all the time, best job ever, right? Well, the story doesn’t end there. The obvious awesomeness of being a night ski tech is balanced pretty equally by some not so awesome stuff, like acids to bases. First, being a ski tech doesn’t pay incredibly well. Back in ‘01, I made 9 bucks an hour for an entire winter, my boss didn’t even consider giving me a raise even though the back shop made him many tens of thousands of dollars of profit. Years of experience later, and I was nearly topping out the ski tech pay scale at 14 bucks an hour, better, but still barely getting by. The likelihood of working 40 hours a week is pretty low, except for holiday weeks when you’d pay to get out by midnight.You may also find yourself working with jaded, crusty locals. The kind of guy who’s pissed at everything for no reason, doesn’t go more than a minute without a chew in his mouth, and has a breathalizer in his car because he’s had so many DUI’s. The kind of person who’ll bring you down no matter how good of a day you had on the hill, or throw a ski across a room because his base-weld didn’t hold.Potential for injury is pretty darn high while working with grinding machines and sharp metal edges. The slightest mistake while working with a belt or stone grinder could permanently disfigure your hand, one slip while hand-edging that “race tune” and you’re on your way to the hospital. Even if you never seriously injure yourself while tuning you’ll probably be plucking metal shavings from your fingertips almost everyday. On the bright side, your thumbs will never be stronger from the constant scraping of p-tex and wax. The ventilation system in your shop is also probably terribly inadequate. Sure there’s a vent hood, but you’re still breathing noxious wax, p-tex, and epoxy fumes on the daily.The generally low-stress environment of the back shop will occasionally be shattered by the retail guy who promises his customers everything to be done immediately. You’ll show up to work to find five “now mounts” that have to be done in the first hour of work, or have your Zen tuning flow interrupted by something that needs to be done “right now.”All the free beer in the world is great, until you find yourself on the fast track to becoming yet another ski town alcoholic. Three to six beers a day is one thing, but that’s before you leave work, the last thing you need is a DUI to end up like the jaded local that you hate working with. Oh, and did I mention the monotony. Believe it or not, doing exactly the same mind-numbing work day after day could drive you a little crazy. It’s exactly the kind of work that could drive a person to drink, at least you’ve already got all that beer. …Low pay and monotony aside, being a ski tech is among the more enjoyable ski town jobs I’ve had. Starting my time in a mountain town with a night job, however, is likely one of the main factors that doomed me to a life of working shit jobs just to ski pow. Once you get used to skiing everyday, there may be no going back. So, consider yourself warned, and if you’ve got an unquenchable thirst for skiing and beer, then this might just be the shit job for you.Click Here For Part 1: Line Cook Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:12:12 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Shit-Jobs-Part-2-Ski-Tech/blog/6448699/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-11-06T01:36:44Z Teton Gravity Research I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image] Part 2: Ski TechWhen I moved out west in 2001, I was a fresh-faced college graduate with stars in my eyes. I moved to Tahoe for “a year to ski before I get a real job.” I had a pickup truck full of everything I owned, no job lined up, hell, we didn’t even have a place to live. Fortunately, I had some experience mounting and tuning skis at a shop in my hometown in Connecticut and my connection in the Tahoe area recommended me for a job at a local ski shop working as a night ski tech. In hindsight, I realize it was a pretty coveted position that I was lucky to just waltz right into. I was working in a high volume ski shop, my shift didn’t start until 4 p.m., and I didn’t have to work retail or rentals. As a mountain town newbie, this job helped define my experience as I started merrily down the path of ski-bumhood. Ski shops offer a plethora of shit jobs for mountain town residents. Working the night tuning shift is ideal because you can ski all day, everyday, and still get to work on time. Many ski shops offer flexible hours or ski breaks for their daytime employees, working retail or rentals, however, puts you into close and frequent contact with the general public. Gapers, Joeys, Beaters, Cods, call them what you will, but families on ski vacations can be frightening beasts. Working in the back shop of most ski shops allows you very limited contact with these crazed and confused vacationing animals, especially when you work at night since the shop is closed half the time you’re there.Working in the back is also nice because you can show up looking like you just skied all day, because you did, and nobody is likely to notice how you smell over the stench of ski boots, p-tex, and wax. Taking care of your equipment is a no-brainer, and your skis should generally be running faster than your bros’. Everyone in town will eventually ask you for favors, mounting, basework, tuning, you name it, people in ski towns need your services and are willing to trade for them. A nearly unlimited supply of beer will be available, which is nice since you only make around 11 bucks an hour. When you already have so much beer you don’t know what to do with it, you can arrange for other things you need like food or weed. In some cases you might even get to help out local pros. Eleven years ago I got to work on prototype Spatulas and a number of other ridiculous projects for my hero, the late, great, Shane McConkey.As a shop employee you’re entitled to discounts and deals on equipment. The “shop deal” is generally the highest level of discount, besides getting something for free, and helps a broke-ass ski bum look pro out on the hill. You may also have the opportunity to get to know local ski reps, maybe wrench for them at demos in trade for some hot new gear. Not to mention the nearly unlimited random skis that are left behind at the shop, you’ll have rock skis for life, or be able to build that ski fence or Adirondack chair you’ve always dreamed of. Check out TGR's Deal's section of the website: http://tetongravity.com/dealsSo, you’re everyone’s friend, you’ve got all the beer you can drink, you’ve got the perfect ski schedule, and your skis are in excellent condition all the time, best job ever, right? Well, the story doesn’t end there. The obvious awesomeness of being a night ski tech is balanced pretty equally by some not so awesome stuff, like acids to bases. First, being a ski tech doesn’t pay incredibly well. Back in ‘01, I made 9 bucks an hour for an entire winter, my boss didn’t even consider giving me a raise even though the back shop made him many tens of thousands of dollars of profit. Years of experience later, and I was nearly topping out the ski tech pay scale at 14 bucks an hour, better, but still barely getting by. The likelihood of working 40 hours a week is pretty low, except for holiday weeks when you’d pay to get out by midnight.You may also find yourself working with jaded, crusty locals. The kind of guy who’s pissed at everything for no reason, doesn’t go more than a minute without a chew in his mouth, and has a breathalizer in his car because he’s had so many DUI’s. The kind of person who’ll bring you down no matter how good of a day you had on the hill, or throw a ski across a room because his base-weld didn’t hold.Potential for injury is pretty darn high while working with grinding machines and sharp metal edges. The slightest mistake while working with a belt or stone grinder could permanently disfigure your hand, one slip while hand-edging that “race tune” and you’re on your way to the hospital. Even if you never seriously injure yourself while tuning you’ll probably be plucking metal shavings from your fingertips almost everyday. On the bright side, your thumbs will never be stronger from the constant scraping of p-tex and wax. The ventilation system in your shop is also probably terribly inadequate. Sure there’s a vent hood, but you’re still breathing noxious wax, p-tex, and epoxy fumes on the daily.The generally low-stress environment of the back shop will occasionally be shattered by the retail guy who promises his customers everything to be done immediately. You’ll show up to work to find five “now mounts” that have to be done in the first hour of work, or have your Zen tuning flow interrupted by something that needs to be done “right now.”All the free beer in the world is great, until you find yourself on the fast track to becoming yet another ski town alcoholic. Three to six beers a day is one thing, but that’s before you leave work, the last thing you need is a DUI to end up like the jaded local that you hate working with. Oh, and did I mention the monotony. Believe it or not, doing exactly the same mind-numbing work day after day could drive you a little crazy. It’s exactly the kind of work that could drive a person to drink, at least you’ve already got all that beer. …Low pay and monotony aside, being a ski tech is among the more enjoyable ski town jobs I’ve had. Starting my time in a mountain town with a night job, however, is likely one of the main factors that doomed me to a life of working shit jobs just to ski pow. Once you get used to skiing everyday, there may be no going back. So, consider yourself warned, and if you’ve got an unquenchable thirst for skiing and beer, then this might just be the shit job for you.Click Here For Part 1: Line Cook bums, shit jobs, ski, ski shop, skiing nonadult false Shit Jobs Part 2: Ski Tech text blog bums,shit jobs,ski,ski shop,skiing 292 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA Tahoe 0 0 6448699 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Shit-Jobs-Part-1-Line-Cook/blog/6427979/75233.html The song playing during Aaron McGovern’s segment in MSP’s Ski Movie 2 had a line that went something like, “You may think this life is glamorous but it’s not / Workin’ shit jobs just to play rock.” I’ve never been a musician, nor do I aspire to be, but I’ve been a ski bum for over a decade and something about that song has resonated with me over the years.  I might change the lyrics to say “Workin’ shit jobs just to ski pow,” but you get the idea. Living in a ski town and spending everyday on the hill often requires significant sacrifice, in many cases that means working a job, or jobs, you never imagined you’d have. I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Part 1: Line CookRestaurants offer one of the highest concentrations of shit jobs in any mountain town. The least glamorous job at a restaurant is the dishwasher, hands down. Since I’ve never met a dishwasher that speaks English, or skis, I’m starting this series with the second least glamorous restaurant job: line cook. Like any job, there are pros and cons, good and bad, strikes and gutters. One of the finer points of working in a kitchen is the schedule, as long as you work the dinner shift. If you work breakfast or lunch you are blowing it and probably don’t get to ski that much so this doesn’t really apply. Depending on the restaurant you work at, your shift probably starts between 2 and 4 p.m. This leaves plenty of time to ski at Mt. Gnarnia before it’s tracked out, or session laps in the local backcountry. Once at work, there is a nearly unlimited supply of food and beverages to consume. Free lunch, dinner, and drinks of any kind are a godsend for broke-ass ski bums, and as a line cook the food is at your fingertips, literally. Eating one or two meals a day at work can save you heaps of money, especially when you are forced to shop at absurdly overpriced ski town grocery stores. You can also drink iced tea, coffee, and Coca-Cola until you’re blue in the face or develop heart palpitations. Alcoholic beverages might also be part of the program, but if frowned upon by upper management, you can probably sneak a few beers in the walk-in or bribe one of the waiters with food in trade for some red wine. As a member of the kitchen staff you don’t have to associate with the customers and therefore you can farm your goggle tan to the point of total ridiculousness. Showing up to work with helmet hair and 5 day growth because the skiing has been epic is generally no big deal. Your appearance may hurt your chances with that hot waitress, bartender, or busser, but at least you get to check them out all night at work, and sometimes they actually have to talk to you.Working on the line, however, can be somewhat hazardous. Burns from the oven, hot pans, and fryer oil are nearly impossible to avoid and the scars on your forearms may tell the story for years. One slip with a super-sharp kitchen knife and you’re stuck wearing a finger condom or heading to the hospital for a few stitches. Your mental health may also be in jeopardy listening to the gratuitous use of words like fire, all day, and dragging. Prepping for and making the same 30 dishes day after day could be enough to drive any person insane.Working in a confined space next to an oven, stove, and deep fat fryer isn’t for the weak at heart, it is often really, really hot. You’ll also smell like food, or a fryer, and be covered in airborne grease particles until you take a shower, and sometimes longer. Most of the free food you consume at work is terrible for you and combined with your work environment may cause you to break out like a prepubescent teen. Oh, and that waitress, the one you hit on everyday, isn’t interested because you’re broke and you constantly smell like french fries. Not to mention the fact that anytime anything goes wrong in the restaurant it’s your fault and the uppity wait staff and front-house management are constantly staring at you and asking where the food for table 12 is. That being said, working the line allows you to ski everyday, sleep in if you want, and party like a rock star. No one knows you make 11 bucks an hour when you’re rubbing elbows with local pros in the lift line or smiling ear to ear with a powder mustache. And that guy with three screaming kids, a nagging wife, a $500,000 ski condo, and an $80,000 SUV, whose dinner you made last night is jealous of you. Not because he wishes he was broke, but because he wishes he could live a responsibility free life where skiing is the priority. Because after all, in the end he who has the most fun wins, and at least you’re not washing dishes. The author, uppity waiter Jeremy Benson, crushing pow October 25. The song playing during Aaron McGovern’s segment in MSP’s Ski Movie 2 had a line that went something like, “You may think this life is glamorous but it’s not / Workin’ shit jobs just to play rock.” I’ve never been a musician, nor do I aspire to be, but I’ve been a ski bum for over a decade and something about that song has resonated with me over the years.  I might change the lyrics to say “Workin’ shit jobs just to ski pow,” but you get the idea. Living in a ski town and spending everyday on the hill often requires significant sacrifice, in many cases that means working a job, or jobs, you never imagined you’d have. I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Part 1: Line CookRestaurants offer one of the highest concentrations of shit jobs in any mountain town. The least glamorous job at a restaurant is the dishwasher, hands down. Since I’ve never met a dishwasher that speaks English, or skis, I’m starting this series with the second least glamorous restaurant job: line cook. Like any job, there are pros and cons, good and bad, strikes and gutters. One of the finer points of working in a kitchen is the schedule, as long as you work the dinner shift. If you work breakfast or lunch you are blowing it and probably don’t get to ski that much so this doesn’t really apply. Depending on the restaurant you work at, your shift probably starts between 2 and 4 p.m. This leaves plenty of time to ski at Mt. Gnarnia before it’s tracked out, or session laps in the local backcountry. Once at work, there is a nearly unlimited supply of food and beverages to consume. Free lunch, dinner, and drinks of any kind are a godsend for broke-ass ski bums, and as a line cook the food is at your fingertips, literally. Eating one or two meals a day at work can save you heaps of money, especially when you are forced to shop at absurdly overpriced ski town grocery stores. You can also drink iced tea, coffee, and Coca-Cola until you’re blue in the face or develop heart palpitations. Alcoholic beverages might also be part of the program, but if frowned upon by upper management, you can probably sneak a few beers in the walk-in or bribe one of the waiters with food in trade for some red wine. As a member of the kitchen staff you don’t have to associate with the customers and therefore you can farm your goggle tan to the point of total ridiculousness. Showing up to work with helmet hair and 5 day growth because the skiing has been epic is generally no big deal. Your appearance may hurt your chances with that hot waitress, bartender, or busser, but at least you get to check them out all night at work, and sometimes they actually have to talk to you.Working on the line, however, can be somewhat hazardous. Burns from the oven, hot pans, and fryer oil are nearly impossible to avoid and the scars on your forearms may tell the story for years. One slip with a super-sharp kitchen knife and you’re stuck wearing a finger condom or heading to the hospital for a few stitches. Your mental health may also be in jeopardy listening to the gratuitous use of words like fire, all day, and dragging. Prepping for and making the same 30 dishes day after day could be enough to drive any person insane.Working in a confined space next to an oven, stove, and deep fat fryer isn’t for the weak at heart, it is often really, really hot. You’ll also smell like food, or a fryer, and be covered in airborne grease particles until you take a shower, and sometimes longer. Most of the free food you consume at work is terrible for you and combined with your work environment may cause you to break out like a prepubescent teen. Oh, and that waitress, the one you hit on everyday, isn’t interested because you’re broke and you constantly smell like french fries. Not to mention the fact that anytime anything goes wrong in the restaurant it’s your fault and the uppity wait staff and front-house management are constantly staring at you and asking where the food for table 12 is. That being said, working the line allows you to ski everyday, sleep in if you want, and party like a rock star. No one knows you make 11 bucks an hour when you’re rubbing elbows with local pros in the lift line or smiling ear to ear with a powder mustache. And that guy with three screaming kids, a nagging wife, a $500,000 ski condo, and an $80,000 SUV, whose dinner you made last night is jealous of you. Not because he wishes he was broke, but because he wishes he could live a responsibility free life where skiing is the priority. Because after all, in the end he who has the most fun wins, and at least you’re not washing dishes. The author, uppity waiter Jeremy Benson, crushing pow October 25. Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:11:39 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Shit-Jobs-Part-1-Line-Cook/blog/6427979/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-10-26T20:11:39Z Teton Gravity Research The song playing during Aaron McGovern’s segment in MSP’s Ski Movie 2 had a line that went something like, “You may think this life is glamorous but it’s not / Workin’ shit jobs just to play rock.” I’ve never been a musician, nor do I aspire to be, but I’ve been a ski bum for over a decade and something about that song has resonated with me over the years.  I might change the lyrics to say “Workin’ shit jobs just to ski pow,” but you get the idea. Living in a ski town and spending everyday on the hill often requires significant sacrifice, in many cases that means working a job, or jobs, you never imagined you’d have. I never thought I’d be so obsessed with skiing that I would base my entire life around having the freedom to ski absolutely everyday, but that’s what happened. I never would have thought I’d be a waiter, caterer, part-time landscaper, and half-assed freelance writer all at the same time, but that’s what I do. My college degree isn’t doing me much good, but I haven’t missed a powder day for 11 years and counting. Shit jobs have given me the freedom to ski as much as I can, live in an incredible place, and still make a living, sort of.This series will attempt to profile some of the best and worst shit jobs in a ski town. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I intend to bash professions like these, they are a means to an end, the axis upon which our mountain lives spin. Without jobs like these, how would you ski over 100 days a season and still be employed? [image]Part 1: Line CookRestaurants offer one of the highest concentrations of shit jobs in any mountain town. The least glamorous job at a restaurant is the dishwasher, hands down. Since I’ve never met a dishwasher that speaks English, or skis, I’m starting this series with the second least glamorous restaurant job: line cook. Like any job, there are pros and cons, good and bad, strikes and gutters. One of the finer points of working in a kitchen is the schedule, as long as you work the dinner shift. If you work breakfast or lunch you are blowing it and probably don’t get to ski that much so this doesn’t really apply. Depending on the restaurant you work at, your shift probably starts between 2 and 4 p.m. This leaves plenty of time to ski at Mt. Gnarnia before it’s tracked out, or session laps in the local backcountry. Once at work, there is a nearly unlimited supply of food and beverages to consume. Free lunch, dinner, and drinks of any kind are a godsend for broke-ass ski bums, and as a line cook the food is at your fingertips, literally. Eating one or two meals a day at work can save you heaps of money, especially when you are forced to shop at absurdly overpriced ski town grocery stores. You can also drink iced tea, coffee, and Coca-Cola until you’re blue in the face or develop heart palpitations. Alcoholic beverages might also be part of the program, but if frowned upon by upper management, you can probably sneak a few beers in the walk-in or bribe one of the waiters with food in trade for some red wine. As a member of the kitchen staff you don’t have to associate with the customers and therefore you can farm your goggle tan to the point of total ridiculousness. Showing up to work with helmet hair and 5 day growth because the skiing has been epic is generally no big deal. Your appearance may hurt your chances with that hot waitress, bartender, or busser, but at least you get to check them out all night at work, and sometimes they actually have to talk to you.Working on the line, however, can be somewhat hazardous. Burns from the oven, hot pans, and fryer oil are nearly impossible to avoid and the scars on your forearms may tell the story for years. One slip with a super-sharp kitchen knife and you’re stuck wearing a finger condom or heading to the hospital for a few stitches. Your mental health may also be in jeopardy listening to the gratuitous use of words like fire, all day, and dragging. Prepping for and making the same 30 dishes day after day could be enough to drive any person insane.Working in a confined space next to an oven, stove, and deep fat fryer isn’t for the weak at heart, it is often really, really hot. You’ll also smell like food, or a fryer, and be covered in airborne grease particles until you take a shower, and sometimes longer. Most of the free food you consume at work is terrible for you and combined with your work environment may cause you to break out like a prepubescent teen. Oh, and that waitress, the one you hit on everyday, isn’t interested because you’re broke and you constantly smell like french fries. Not to mention the fact that anytime anything goes wrong in the restaurant it’s your fault and the uppity wait staff and front-house management are constantly staring at you and asking where the food for table 12 is. That being said, working the line allows you to ski everyday, sleep in if you want, and party like a rock star. No one knows you make 11 bucks an hour when you’re rubbing elbows with local pros in the lift line or smiling ear to ear with a powder mustache. And that guy with three screaming kids, a nagging wife, a $500,000 ski condo, and an $80,000 SUV, whose dinner you made last night is jealous of you. Not because he wishes he was broke, but because he wishes he could live a responsibility free life where skiing is the priority. Because after all, in the end he who has the most fun wins, and at least you’re not washing dishes. The author, uppity waiter Jeremy Benson, crushing pow October 25. line cook, shit jobs, tahoe nonadult false Shit Jobs Part 1: Line Cook text blog line cook,shit jobs,tahoe 220 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA Tahoe 0 0 6427979 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Interview-Ingrid-Backstrom39s-Season-Is-A-World-Tour/blog/6034475/75233.html [image]Ingrid Backstrom hikes to her line in Chamonix, France.  Photo by Adam Clark.If you’re a skier then you’ve probably heard of Ingrid Backstrom. The big-mountain skiing phenomenon cut her teeth on the slopes of Crystal Mountain, Wash., and honed her skills on the steeps at Squaw Valley, Calif. For the past eight years Ingrid has filmed with Matchstick Productions, 5 of those years she’s taken home the Powder Video Award for Best Female Performance.As one of the premier big-mountain skiers in the world, she is often on the road for photo shoots, expeditions, and movie premieres. TetonGravity.com caught up with Ingrid while she was skiing at Points North Heli in Cordova, Alaska.Teton Gravity Research: How was your winter?  Ingrid Backstrom: My winter was really fun. Of course there is always stuff I wish I could have done or could have been more productive or gotten more sunny days and all that, but overall I had a great time, got to ski a lot of days, and went to some amazing places. So I am really stoked on my winter. And finishing up healthy is always the goal. So it’s OK to have left some stuff on the table. That’s more important to me these days.TGR: Where are you now?  Backstrom: I’m in Cordova, Alaska! I got to come here for a Volkl Fantasy Camp, where Dash Longe and I are skiing with the contest winners. Although, I’m pretty sure both Dash and I feel like we won at this point. It’s certainly been a fantasy week.  TGR: Where’d you spend your time this season?  Backstrom: I got to hang out in Squaw Valley at home for a few weeks, which is always great. Also in Chamonix, Crystal Mountain, Whistler, and Alyeska in Girdwood, Alaska.  TGR: In January you took your first trip to Chamonix, did it live up to your expectations?  Backstrom: I can safely say it blew my expectations out of the water. I was expecting it to be cool, but for some reason I just only had pictured all of the scary gnar and was prepared to be on guard the whole time. Instead, we skied pow runs to the valley in really safe conditions, with chamois and ibex sightings. I only wore a harness one time!   [image]Ingrid rips it up in Chamonix. Photo by Adam Clark. TGR: After months on the road, do you look forward to some down time, not traveling for a bit?  Backstrom: Yes, for sure! I absolutely love being in Squaw Valley, seeing my friends and enjoying Tahoe. Being at home takes on a whole new meaning when you live out of a bag so much — that’s great, too, but I start really missing my friends and my bed.TGR: Last year you were featured in MSP’s the Sherpa’s movie, who’d you film with this year? Backstrom: I filmed with Matchstick on two trips. I don’t know where the winter went, it seemed like it started late and ended early this year! But I’m honored that they wanted to still film with me, I love skiing with all those guys.TGR: Any plans for the summer, skiing, etc?  Backstrom: I am really excited to be going to Chile for a few things at the end of July. I get to be a judge at the Eye of the Condor event in La Parva, which was so fun last year--plus I will be coaching a women’s camp in La Parva in August followed by [Chris] Davenport’s freeskiing camp in Portillo.  TGR: Could you tell us about the women’s camp in La Parva?  Backstrom: I’m really excited to be partnering with Powder Quest to do a women’s ski camp in La Parva. It will be a small group and it’s the perfect place to ski, relax, and enjoy the culture. We still have spots open also if you know any women who love to ski!TGR: Your brother Ralph crushed it on the Freeride World Tour this year and has been filming with TGR, is it genetics or something in the water that made you and your brothers such incredible athletes?Backstrom: Ralph is amazing — of course I have always known that he is the best snowboarder out there but it’s so great to see all of his hard work pay off with such a great year. I’m simultaneously proud of him and in awe of him. I have to give most of the credit to my parents. They are so amazing.TGR: In addition to being an athlete, what other types of things do you do for your sponsors? Backstrom:  I try to get involved with product feedback and R&D whenever possible — The North Face is really amazing about involving the athletes at every step of the process and it’s so fun to learn more about what goes into making good products. I’ve had some awesome opportunities — really fun product testing trips, speaking engagements, and other stuff that I never thought I would be doing when I wanted to be a skier.TGR: Where do you see yourself and what do you plan to be doing five to 10 years down the road? Backstrom: That’s a hard one — hopefully still skiing, involved in the ski and outdoor industry in some way, perhaps in a different capacity, and maybe traveling a bit less. [image]Ingrid Backstrom hikes to her line in Chamonix, France.  Photo by Adam Clark.If you’re a skier then you’ve probably heard of Ingrid Backstrom. The big-mountain skiing phenomenon cut her teeth on the slopes of Crystal Mountain, Wash., and honed her skills on the steeps at Squaw Valley, Calif. For the past eight years Ingrid has filmed with Matchstick Productions, 5 of those years she’s taken home the Powder Video Award for Best Female Performance.As one of the premier big-mountain skiers in the world, she is often on the road for photo shoots, expeditions, and movie premieres. TetonGravity.com caught up with Ingrid while she was skiing at Points North Heli in Cordova, Alaska.Teton Gravity Research: How was your winter?  Ingrid Backstrom: My winter was really fun. Of course there is always stuff I wish I could have done or could have been more productive or gotten more sunny days and all that, but overall I had a great time, got to ski a lot of days, and went to some amazing places. So I am really stoked on my winter. And finishing up healthy is always the goal. So it’s OK to have left some stuff on the table. That’s more important to me these days.TGR: Where are you now?  Backstrom: I’m in Cordova, Alaska! I got to come here for a Volkl Fantasy Camp, where Dash Longe and I are skiing with the contest winners. Although, I’m pretty sure both Dash and I feel like we won at this point. It’s certainly been a fantasy week.  TGR: Where’d you spend your time this season?  Backstrom: I got to hang out in Squaw Valley at home for a few weeks, which is always great. Also in Chamonix, Crystal Mountain, Whistler, and Alyeska in Girdwood, Alaska.  TGR: In January you took your first trip to Chamonix, did it live up to your expectations?  Backstrom: I can safely say it blew my expectations out of the water. I was expecting it to be cool, but for some reason I just only had pictured all of the scary gnar and was prepared to be on guard the whole time. Instead, we skied pow runs to the valley in really safe conditions, with chamois and ibex sightings. I only wore a harness one time!   [image]Ingrid rips it up in Chamonix. Photo by Adam Clark. TGR: After months on the road, do you look forward to some down time, not traveling for a bit?  Backstrom: Yes, for sure! I absolutely love being in Squaw Valley, seeing my friends and enjoying Tahoe. Being at home takes on a whole new meaning when you live out of a bag so much — that’s great, too, but I start really missing my friends and my bed.TGR: Last year you were featured in MSP’s the Sherpa’s movie, who’d you film with this year? Backstrom: I filmed with Matchstick on two trips. I don’t know where the winter went, it seemed like it started late and ended early this year! But I’m honored that they wanted to still film with me, I love skiing with all those guys.TGR: Any plans for the summer, skiing, etc?  Backstrom: I am really excited to be going to Chile for a few things at the end of July. I get to be a judge at the Eye of the Condor event in La Parva, which was so fun last year--plus I will be coaching a women’s camp in La Parva in August followed by [Chris] Davenport’s freeskiing camp in Portillo.  TGR: Could you tell us about the women’s camp in La Parva?  Backstrom: I’m really excited to be partnering with Powder Quest to do a women’s ski camp in La Parva. It will be a small group and it’s the perfect place to ski, relax, and enjoy the culture. We still have spots open also if you know any women who love to ski!TGR: Your brother Ralph crushed it on the Freeride World Tour this year and has been filming with TGR, is it genetics or something in the water that made you and your brothers such incredible athletes?Backstrom: Ralph is amazing — of course I have always known that he is the best snowboarder out there but it’s so great to see all of his hard work pay off with such a great year. I’m simultaneously proud of him and in awe of him. I have to give most of the credit to my parents. They are so amazing.TGR: In addition to being an athlete, what other types of things do you do for your sponsors? Backstrom:  I try to get involved with product feedback and R&D whenever possible — The North Face is really amazing about involving the athletes at every step of the process and it’s so fun to learn more about what goes into making good products. I’ve had some awesome opportunities — really fun product testing trips, speaking engagements, and other stuff that I never thought I would be doing when I wanted to be a skier.TGR: Where do you see yourself and what do you plan to be doing five to 10 years down the road? Backstrom: That’s a hard one — hopefully still skiing, involved in the ski and outdoor industry in some way, perhaps in a different capacity, and maybe traveling a bit less. Wed, 02 May 2012 20:15:38 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Interview-Ingrid-Backstrom39s-Season-Is-A-World-Tour/blog/6034475/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-05-01T23:33:43Z Teton Gravity Research [image]Ingrid Backstrom hikes to her line in Chamonix, France.  Photo by Adam Clark.If you’re a skier then you’ve probably heard of Ingrid Backstrom. The big-mountain skiing phenomenon cut her teeth on the slopes of Crystal Mountain, Wash., and honed her skills on the steeps at Squaw Valley, Calif. For the past eight years Ingrid has filmed with Matchstick Productions, 5 of those years she’s taken home the Powder Video Award for Best Female Performance.As one of the premier big-mountain skiers in the world, she is often on the road for photo shoots, expeditions, and movie premieres. TetonGravity.com caught up with Ingrid while she was skiing at Points North Heli in Cordova, Alaska.Teton Gravity Research: How was your winter?  Ingrid Backstrom: My winter was really fun. Of course there is always stuff I wish I could have done or could have been more productive or gotten more sunny days and all that, but overall I had a great time, got to ski a lot of days, and went to some amazing places. So I am really stoked on my winter. And finishing up healthy is always the goal. So it’s OK to have left some stuff on the table. That’s more important to me these days.TGR: Where are you now?  Backstrom: I’m in Cordova, Alaska! I got to come here for a Volkl Fantasy Camp, where Dash Longe and I are skiing with the contest winners. Although, I’m pretty sure both Dash and I feel like we won at this point. It’s certainly been a fantasy week.  TGR: Where’d you spend your time this season?  Backstrom: I got to hang out in Squaw Valley at home for a few weeks, which is always great. Also in Chamonix, Crystal Mountain, Whistler, and Alyeska in Girdwood, Alaska.  TGR: In January you took your first trip to Chamonix, did it live up to your expectations?  Backstrom: I can safely say it blew my expectations out of the water. I was expecting it to be cool, but for some reason I just only had pictured all of the scary gnar and was prepared to be on guard the whole time. Instead, we skied pow runs to the valley in really safe conditions, with chamois and ibex sightings. I only wore a harness one time!   [image]Ingrid rips it up in Chamonix. Photo by Adam Clark. TGR: After months on the road, do you look forward to some down time, not traveling for a bit?  Backstrom: Yes, for sure! I absolutely love being in Squaw Valley, seeing my friends and enjoying Tahoe. Being at home takes on a whole new meaning when you live out of a bag so much — that’s great, too, but I start really missing my friends and my bed.TGR: Last year you were featured in MSP’s the Sherpa’s movie, who’d you film with this year? Backstrom: I filmed with Matchstick on two trips. I don’t know where the winter went, it seemed like it started late and ended early this year! But I’m honored that they wanted to still film with me, I love skiing with all those guys.TGR: Any plans for the summer, skiing, etc?  Backstrom: I am really excited to be going to Chile for a few things at the end of July. I get to be a judge at the Eye of the Condor event in La Parva, which was so fun last year--plus I will be coaching a women’s camp in La Parva in August followed by [Chris] Davenport’s freeskiing camp in Portillo.  TGR: Could you tell us about the women’s camp in La Parva?  Backstrom: I’m really excited to be partnering with Powder Quest to do a women’s ski camp in La Parva. It will be a small group and it’s the perfect place to ski, relax, and enjoy the culture. We still have spots open also if you know any women who love to ski!TGR: Your brother Ralph crushed it on the Freeride World Tour this year and has been filming with TGR, is it genetics or something in the water that made you and your brothers such incredible athletes?Backstrom: Ralph is amazing — of course I have always known that he is the best snowboarder out there but it’s so great to see all of his hard work pay off with such a great year. I’m simultaneously proud of him and in awe of him. I have to give most of the credit to my parents. They are so amazing.TGR: In addition to being an athlete, what other types of things do you do for your sponsors? Backstrom:  I try to get involved with product feedback and R&D whenever possible — The North Face is really amazing about involving the athletes at every step of the process and it’s so fun to learn more about what goes into making good products. I’ve had some awesome opportunities — really fun product testing trips, speaking engagements, and other stuff that I never thought I would be doing when I wanted to be a skier.TGR: Where do you see yourself and what do you plan to be doing five to 10 years down the road? Backstrom: That’s a hard one — hopefully still skiing, involved in the ski and outdoor industry in some way, perhaps in a different capacity, and maybe traveling a bit less. chile, dash longe, ingrid backstrom, interview, la parva, marker, matchstick producitons, points north heli, ski camp, technica, the north face, volkl nonadult false Interview: Ingrid Backstrom's Season Is A World Tour text blog chile,dash longe,ingrid backstrom,interview,la parva,marker,matchstick producitons,points north heli,ski camp,technica,the north face,volkl 374 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA Squaw Valley 0 0 6034475 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_New-Woodward-Training-Facility-Tahoe-CA/blog/5962665/75233.html As with anything new and different, I’m usually a little skeptical until I find a reason not to be. So, when I heard there was a new Woodward facility going in up at Boreal Ski area on Donner Summit I wondered, how cool could it really be? I took a little trip up there last Saturday to check it out for myself. After about 5 seconds inside the 33,000 sq. foot facility any preconceived notions that I had of Woodward Tahoe were completely shattered. [image]The front entrance to Woodward Tahoe while still under construction, being blasted by a late season snowstorm. Construction of Woodward Tahoe began last summer.  The massive structure was built right next to Boreal’s base area and parking lot. I’d seen the hulking mass of the building under construction a number of times while driving by on I-80 but it never seemed that impressive from a distance. Pulling up to it the other day, however, I was blown away by its’ massive dimensions, and then I went inside. [image]A welding helmet awaits its’ use. Construction is moving along rapidly in preparation for opening in June. Flanked by Shaydar Edelman, Boreal’s mountain manager, and John Slaughter, Boreal’s marketing manager, I stepped into the most impressive ramp park that I’ve ever seen, and it’s currently only about half finished. We met up with Nate Wessel, Woodward’s head park designer, and I got the grand tour. [image]Overlooking a fraction of the facility, objects are much larger than they appear. Woodward Tahoe is the 6th Woodward facility in the world, with 4 others in the US, and one in China. The brand-new 6 million dollar facility is slated for completion by the first of June, 2012. The unique facility is known as the “Bunker” and was designed with ski and snowboard training in mind. “When I design a park I design it unique to its’ location to try and cater to the clientele and serve a purpose,” says Wessel, “I’m never going to do the same thing in a building, all of the newest ideas I have are in here.” The new Woodward facility will be a great complement to Boreal ski area. Known primarily for their park and pipe, Boreal consistently boasts the longest season in the Tahoe area. [image]Designer Nate Wessel talks me through his 3-dimensional plan of Woodward Tahoe. When completed, Woodward Tahoe will be one of the premier indoor ski and snowboard training facilities in the world. They have recently partnered with Moment Skis and Burton Snowboards to create new models of wheeled skis and snowboards for use on the indoor ramps. “The ‘park’ skis and boards will be a constant progression,” says Wessel, “the current ones work great but we’ll be refining them as we go along.” Woodward Tahoe is the first facility built specifically to cater to the use of ‘park’ wheeled skis and boards. [image]Current wheeled skis made by 2x4. Woodward is collaborating with Moment and Burton for newer models. The Bunker won’t only be for ski and snowboard training. The facility will also cater to skate, bmx, digital media, cheer, and tumbling training. “Everything we’re building here is for the skis and boards, but at the same time we’re trying to cater to everyone,” says Wessel, “It will all be useable for bmx and skate, or for air awareness training.” By incorporating multiple drop-in heights and adjustable angles (depending on your discipline) on their skatelite ramps with foam and resi-pit landings this facility will truly accommodate learning and progression no matter what you ride. Woodward Tahoe’s one-of-a-kind tramp park includes multiple levels, angled redirect walls, 6 Olympic sized trampolines, a super-tramp, a 40 foot long tramp, and 2 foam pits. The super-tramp is one of two in the country, the other at Woodward Copper, and throws the user up to three times higher to practice bigger tricks. A full size gymnastics and cheer spring floor will be available for tumbling or parkour training. A street/flow course takes up the remaining floor space with features built into the underside of the drop-in and viewing platforms. A top-of-the-line digital media lounge takes up otherwise dead space beneath and above some of the ramps for people to hone their digital media skills, the perfect complement to the action going on inside Woodward Tahoe. This summer, the Bunker opens for 9 weeks of summer camps starting June 10th, the first five weeks involve on-snow training just outside the door of the Bunker at Boreal. After camps are finished for the summer, the facility is open to the public starting August 17th and passes are on sale now, 2 hour drop-in sessions will also be available. To sign up for camps, to buy season passes, or for more information visit www.woodwardtahoe.com As with anything new and different, I’m usually a little skeptical until I find a reason not to be. So, when I heard there was a new Woodward facility going in up at Boreal Ski area on Donner Summit I wondered, how cool could it really be? I took a little trip up there last Saturday to check it out for myself. After about 5 seconds inside the 33,000 sq. foot facility any preconceived notions that I had of Woodward Tahoe were completely shattered. [image]The front entrance to Woodward Tahoe while still under construction, being blasted by a late season snowstorm. Construction of Woodward Tahoe began last summer.  The massive structure was built right next to Boreal’s base area and parking lot. I’d seen the hulking mass of the building under construction a number of times while driving by on I-80 but it never seemed that impressive from a distance. Pulling up to it the other day, however, I was blown away by its’ massive dimensions, and then I went inside. [image]A welding helmet awaits its’ use. Construction is moving along rapidly in preparation for opening in June. Flanked by Shaydar Edelman, Boreal’s mountain manager, and John Slaughter, Boreal’s marketing manager, I stepped into the most impressive ramp park that I’ve ever seen, and it’s currently only about half finished. We met up with Nate Wessel, Woodward’s head park designer, and I got the grand tour. [image]Overlooking a fraction of the facility, objects are much larger than they appear. Woodward Tahoe is the 6th Woodward facility in the world, with 4 others in the US, and one in China. The brand-new 6 million dollar facility is slated for completion by the first of June, 2012. The unique facility is known as the “Bunker” and was designed with ski and snowboard training in mind. “When I design a park I design it unique to its’ location to try and cater to the clientele and serve a purpose,” says Wessel, “I’m never going to do the same thing in a building, all of the newest ideas I have are in here.” The new Woodward facility will be a great complement to Boreal ski area. Known primarily for their park and pipe, Boreal consistently boasts the longest season in the Tahoe area. [image]Designer Nate Wessel talks me through his 3-dimensional plan of Woodward Tahoe. When completed, Woodward Tahoe will be one of the premier indoor ski and snowboard training facilities in the world. They have recently partnered with Moment Skis and Burton Snowboards to create new models of wheeled skis and snowboards for use on the indoor ramps. “The ‘park’ skis and boards will be a constant progression,” says Wessel, “the current ones work great but we’ll be refining them as we go along.” Woodward Tahoe is the first facility built specifically to cater to the use of ‘park’ wheeled skis and boards. [image]Current wheeled skis made by 2x4. Woodward is collaborating with Moment and Burton for newer models. The Bunker won’t only be for ski and snowboard training. The facility will also cater to skate, bmx, digital media, cheer, and tumbling training. “Everything we’re building here is for the skis and boards, but at the same time we’re trying to cater to everyone,” says Wessel, “It will all be useable for bmx and skate, or for air awareness training.” By incorporating multiple drop-in heights and adjustable angles (depending on your discipline) on their skatelite ramps with foam and resi-pit landings this facility will truly accommodate learning and progression no matter what you ride. Woodward Tahoe’s one-of-a-kind tramp park includes multiple levels, angled redirect walls, 6 Olympic sized trampolines, a super-tramp, a 40 foot long tramp, and 2 foam pits. The super-tramp is one of two in the country, the other at Woodward Copper, and throws the user up to three times higher to practice bigger tricks. A full size gymnastics and cheer spring floor will be available for tumbling or parkour training. A street/flow course takes up the remaining floor space with features built into the underside of the drop-in and viewing platforms. A top-of-the-line digital media lounge takes up otherwise dead space beneath and above some of the ramps for people to hone their digital media skills, the perfect complement to the action going on inside Woodward Tahoe. This summer, the Bunker opens for 9 weeks of summer camps starting June 10th, the first five weeks involve on-snow training just outside the door of the Bunker at Boreal. After camps are finished for the summer, the facility is open to the public starting August 17th and passes are on sale now, 2 hour drop-in sessions will also be available. To sign up for camps, to buy season passes, or for more information visit www.woodwardtahoe.com Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:10:52 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_New-Woodward-Training-Facility-Tahoe-CA/blog/5962665/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-04-11T17:54:41Z Teton Gravity Research As with anything new and different, I’m usually a little skeptical until I find a reason not to be. So, when I heard there was a new Woodward facility going in up at Boreal Ski area on Donner Summit I wondered, how cool could it really be? I took a little trip up there last Saturday to check it out for myself. After about 5 seconds inside the 33,000 sq. foot facility any preconceived notions that I had of Woodward Tahoe were completely shattered. [image]The front entrance to Woodward Tahoe while still under construction, being blasted by a late season snowstorm. Construction of Woodward Tahoe began last summer.  The massive structure was built right next to Boreal’s base area and parking lot. I’d seen the hulking mass of the building under construction a number of times while driving by on I-80 but it never seemed that impressive from a distance. Pulling up to it the other day, however, I was blown away by its’ massive dimensions, and then I went inside. [image]A welding helmet awaits its’ use. Construction is moving along rapidly in preparation for opening in June. Flanked by Shaydar Edelman, Boreal’s mountain manager, and John Slaughter, Boreal’s marketing manager, I stepped into the most impressive ramp park that I’ve ever seen, and it’s currently only about half finished. We met up with Nate Wessel, Woodward’s head park designer, and I got the grand tour. [image]Overlooking a fraction of the facility, objects are much larger than they appear. Woodward Tahoe is the 6th Woodward facility in the world, with 4 others in the US, and one in China. The brand-new 6 million dollar facility is slated for completion by the first of June, 2012. The unique facility is known as the “Bunker” and was designed with ski and snowboard training in mind. “When I design a park I design it unique to its’ location to try and cater to the clientele and serve a purpose,” says Wessel, “I’m never going to do the same thing in a building, all of the newest ideas I have are in here.” The new Woodward facility will be a great complement to Boreal ski area. Known primarily for their park and pipe, Boreal consistently boasts the longest season in the Tahoe area. [image]Designer Nate Wessel talks me through his 3-dimensional plan of Woodward Tahoe. When completed, Woodward Tahoe will be one of the premier indoor ski and snowboard training facilities in the world. They have recently partnered with Moment Skis and Burton Snowboards to create new models of wheeled skis and snowboards for use on the indoor ramps. “The ‘park’ skis and boards will be a constant progression,” says Wessel, “the current ones work great but we’ll be refining them as we go along.” Woodward Tahoe is the first facility built specifically to cater to the use of ‘park’ wheeled skis and boards. [image]Current wheeled skis made by 2x4. Woodward is collaborating with Moment and Burton for newer models. The Bunker won’t only be for ski and snowboard training. The facility will also cater to skate, bmx, digital media, cheer, and tumbling training. “Everything we’re building here is for the skis and boards, but at the same time we’re trying to cater to everyone,” says Wessel, “It will all be useable for bmx and skate, or for air awareness training.” By incorporating multiple drop-in heights and adjustable angles (depending on your discipline) on their skatelite ramps with foam and resi-pit landings this facility will truly accommodate learning and progression no matter what you ride. Woodward Tahoe’s one-of-a-kind tramp park includes multiple levels, angled redirect walls, 6 Olympic sized trampolines, a super-tramp, a 40 foot long tramp, and 2 foam pits. The super-tramp is one of two in the country, the other at Woodward Copper, and throws the user up to three times higher to practice bigger tricks. A full size gymnastics and cheer spring floor will be available for tumbling or parkour training. A street/flow course takes up the remaining floor space with features built into the underside of the drop-in and viewing platforms. A top-of-the-line digital media lounge takes up otherwise dead space beneath and above some of the ramps for people to hone their digital media skills, the perfect complement to the action going on inside Woodward Tahoe. This summer, the Bunker opens for 9 weeks of summer camps starting June 10th, the first five weeks involve on-snow training just outside the door of the Bunker at Boreal. After camps are finished for the summer, the facility is open to the public starting August 17th and passes are on sale now, 2 hour drop-in sessions will also be available. To sign up for camps, to buy season passes, or for more information visit www.woodwardtahoe.com 2x4 skis, boreal, burton snowboards, ca, califrnia, lake tahoe california, moment skis, nate wessel, park designer, ramp, ramps, roller ski, skatepark, tahoe, woodward, woodward parks, woodward tahoe nonadult false New Woodward Training Facility: Tahoe, CA text blog 2x4 skis,boreal,burton snowboards,ca,califrnia,lake tahoe california,moment skis,nate wessel,park designer,ramp,ramps,roller ski,skatepark,tahoe,woodward,woodward parks,woodward tahoe 544 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA Boreal 0 0 5962665 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_The-Best-Day-Ever/blog/5934441/75233.html [image]The only photographic evidence of "the best day ever". Photo by Jeremy Benson. It’s safe to say this year hasn’t exactly been my year. The notable lack of snow in Tahoe is just the tip of the iceberg, in early January I blew my knee, making an already dismal season even more disappointing.As I sit on my couch or on the bike at the gym and watch late season storms roll through on a weekly basis, my mind drifts to thoughts of my favorite ski days, storm days. One particular day about 4 years ago, which has hitherto been known as the “best day ever”, stands out in my memory. It went a little something like this… Alpine Meadows is closed for the day. Everything’s on wind hold at Squaw. Three to four feet have fallen in the past two days and the forecast calls for more of the same. Its snowing two to three inches an hour at lake level and gusting over 100 miles an hour on the ridge tops, a typical sierra crusher. At 9 am the phone rings, it’s the usual suspects itching to go ski some pow. There won’t be any down days for us, not in the midst of one of the lightest snow years in recent memory.   It’s storming so hard that it’s nearly dark out. We drive slow, not only because it’s hard to see, but we know that no one is racing us for freshies today. Fortunately, the pullout has been plowed saving us from starting our day with back breaking shoveling. We prepare for our ascent in silence shielding ourselves from the bite of the wind driven snow. Skinning up to our zone, the storm just rages around us, we hide behind our hoods, jackets fully zipped, all vents closed.  Hunkered down in a stand of smaller trees we try to hide from the wind but it’s no use, it seems to be blowing all directions at once. We pull our skins and stuff them in our bags as quickly as we can, trying in vain to keep out the snow that threatens to get our extra gloves, layer, and hat wet. I don my goggles with surgical precision, but the fog inducing snow crystals sneak inside regardless of my best efforts.  Traversing from our “windbreak” to the top of our ski it’s obvious that we’re not skiing the typical Sierra Cement. Our new snow is deep blower, five percent, cold smoke. We drop into the most perfect pitch of widely spaced old growth California conifers, the kind of trees that beg to be skied full speed. Every turn is a face shot, sinking waist, chest, neck deep, even on the fattest skis known to man. An hour climb rewarded with 45 seconds of nirvana, euphoric bliss, indescribable glorious powder. We regroup at our skin track. Faces caked with snow reveal toothy grins that confirm my hopes for another round. Our skin track is hardly visible, the wind drifting snow into every spot it can. We walk excitedly uphill, fully aware of how good our reward will be, knowing that on this mountain our own tracks are the only ones we’ll encounter today.   Four laps later we’re forced from our white heaven by waning daylight and the intensifying storm. Ten inches of fresh snow blanket the truck as we exit the forest, our tracks vanishing more quickly than we’d made them. Despite repeated attempts at re-creating the best day ever it hasn’t happened yet. For now the memory of that day will help to pull me through the physical therapy and months at the gym. The most important thing for me is getting better. Even if we can’t re-create the best day ever I can’t wait to give it another shot. [image]The only photographic evidence of "the best day ever". Photo by Jeremy Benson. It’s safe to say this year hasn’t exactly been my year. The notable lack of snow in Tahoe is just the tip of the iceberg, in early January I blew my knee, making an already dismal season even more disappointing.As I sit on my couch or on the bike at the gym and watch late season storms roll through on a weekly basis, my mind drifts to thoughts of my favorite ski days, storm days. One particular day about 4 years ago, which has hitherto been known as the “best day ever”, stands out in my memory. It went a little something like this… Alpine Meadows is closed for the day. Everything’s on wind hold at Squaw. Three to four feet have fallen in the past two days and the forecast calls for more of the same. Its snowing two to three inches an hour at lake level and gusting over 100 miles an hour on the ridge tops, a typical sierra crusher. At 9 am the phone rings, it’s the usual suspects itching to go ski some pow. There won’t be any down days for us, not in the midst of one of the lightest snow years in recent memory.   It’s storming so hard that it’s nearly dark out. We drive slow, not only because it’s hard to see, but we know that no one is racing us for freshies today. Fortunately, the pullout has been plowed saving us from starting our day with back breaking shoveling. We prepare for our ascent in silence shielding ourselves from the bite of the wind driven snow. Skinning up to our zone, the storm just rages around us, we hide behind our hoods, jackets fully zipped, all vents closed.  Hunkered down in a stand of smaller trees we try to hide from the wind but it’s no use, it seems to be blowing all directions at once. We pull our skins and stuff them in our bags as quickly as we can, trying in vain to keep out the snow that threatens to get our extra gloves, layer, and hat wet. I don my goggles with surgical precision, but the fog inducing snow crystals sneak inside regardless of my best efforts.  Traversing from our “windbreak” to the top of our ski it’s obvious that we’re not skiing the typical Sierra Cement. Our new snow is deep blower, five percent, cold smoke. We drop into the most perfect pitch of widely spaced old growth California conifers, the kind of trees that beg to be skied full speed. Every turn is a face shot, sinking waist, chest, neck deep, even on the fattest skis known to man. An hour climb rewarded with 45 seconds of nirvana, euphoric bliss, indescribable glorious powder. We regroup at our skin track. Faces caked with snow reveal toothy grins that confirm my hopes for another round. Our skin track is hardly visible, the wind drifting snow into every spot it can. We walk excitedly uphill, fully aware of how good our reward will be, knowing that on this mountain our own tracks are the only ones we’ll encounter today.   Four laps later we’re forced from our white heaven by waning daylight and the intensifying storm. Ten inches of fresh snow blanket the truck as we exit the forest, our tracks vanishing more quickly than we’d made them. Despite repeated attempts at re-creating the best day ever it hasn’t happened yet. For now the memory of that day will help to pull me through the physical therapy and months at the gym. The most important thing for me is getting better. Even if we can’t re-create the best day ever I can’t wait to give it another shot. Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:06:05 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_The-Best-Day-Ever/blog/5934441/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-04-04T15:44:50Z Teton Gravity Research [image]The only photographic evidence of "the best day ever". Photo by Jeremy Benson. It’s safe to say this year hasn’t exactly been my year. The notable lack of snow in Tahoe is just the tip of the iceberg, in early January I blew my knee, making an already dismal season even more disappointing.As I sit on my couch or on the bike at the gym and watch late season storms roll through on a weekly basis, my mind drifts to thoughts of my favorite ski days, storm days. One particular day about 4 years ago, which has hitherto been known as the “best day ever”, stands out in my memory. It went a little something like this… Alpine Meadows is closed for the day. Everything’s on wind hold at Squaw. Three to four feet have fallen in the past two days and the forecast calls for more of the same. Its snowing two to three inches an hour at lake level and gusting over 100 miles an hour on the ridge tops, a typical sierra crusher. At 9 am the phone rings, it’s the usual suspects itching to go ski some pow. There won’t be any down days for us, not in the midst of one of the lightest snow years in recent memory.   It’s storming so hard that it’s nearly dark out. We drive slow, not only because it’s hard to see, but we know that no one is racing us for freshies today. Fortunately, the pullout has been plowed saving us from starting our day with back breaking shoveling. We prepare for our ascent in silence shielding ourselves from the bite of the wind driven snow. Skinning up to our zone, the storm just rages around us, we hide behind our hoods, jackets fully zipped, all vents closed.  Hunkered down in a stand of smaller trees we try to hide from the wind but it’s no use, it seems to be blowing all directions at once. We pull our skins and stuff them in our bags as quickly as we can, trying in vain to keep out the snow that threatens to get our extra gloves, layer, and hat wet. I don my goggles with surgical precision, but the fog inducing snow crystals sneak inside regardless of my best efforts.  Traversing from our “windbreak” to the top of our ski it’s obvious that we’re not skiing the typical Sierra Cement. Our new snow is deep blower, five percent, cold smoke. We drop into the most perfect pitch of widely spaced old growth California conifers, the kind of trees that beg to be skied full speed. Every turn is a face shot, sinking waist, chest, neck deep, even on the fattest skis known to man. An hour climb rewarded with 45 seconds of nirvana, euphoric bliss, indescribable glorious powder. We regroup at our skin track. Faces caked with snow reveal toothy grins that confirm my hopes for another round. Our skin track is hardly visible, the wind drifting snow into every spot it can. We walk excitedly uphill, fully aware of how good our reward will be, knowing that on this mountain our own tracks are the only ones we’ll encounter today.   Four laps later we’re forced from our white heaven by waning daylight and the intensifying storm. Ten inches of fresh snow blanket the truck as we exit the forest, our tracks vanishing more quickly than we’d made them. Despite repeated attempts at re-creating the best day ever it hasn’t happened yet. For now the memory of that day will help to pull me through the physical therapy and months at the gym. The most important thing for me is getting better. Even if we can’t re-create the best day ever I can’t wait to give it another shot. alpine meadows, blower, blower pow, deep, fresh, jeremy benson, lake tahoe, powder, ski, ski touring, skiing, skinning, snow, squaw valley, storm day, tahoe nonadult false The “Best Day Ever” text blog alpine meadows,blower,blower pow,deep,fresh,jeremy benson,lake tahoe,powder,ski,ski touring,skiing,skinning,snow,squaw valley,storm day,tahoe 183 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA Lake Tahoe 0 0 5934441 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Interview-Brad-Holmes-On-39The-Miserable-Champion39-Shaun-Palmer-Documentary/blog/5903027/75233.html [image] Few professional skiers have a career spanning three decades, but Brad Holmes does. Bad Rad Bumpin’ Brad has been known for many things over the years. He was a mogul skiing phenomenon, winning the Junior World Championships at age 16. He brought his hard-charging and high-flying style to big mountains and the park in movie segments in the 1990s and early 2000s. His dyed hair, tattoos, bad attitude, and hilarious rap lyrics earned him a reputation as a bad boy in skiing. Love him or hate him, Brad Holmes has had an undeniable influence on the sport of skiing over the past few decades.Now in his 40s, Brad still rips. He’s really, really good at skiing. But his focus has shifted over the past several years. In January, Holmes’ movie, Palmer “The Miserable Champion” debuted at the X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival where it took home awards for “Best Biography” and “Athlete of the Year.” The film chronicles the life and career of one of the most prolific and talented extreme sports athletes of all-time, Shaun Palmer. Although the film is complete, Holmes is raising money to distribute the film on kickstarter.com. TetonGravity.com caught up with Brad to chat about the making of the movie and his past, present, and future. TGR: You’ve got a “bad-boy” persona that was perpetuated by your movie segments and in marketing campaigns, is that the real Brad Holmes? Holmes: It depends on what you think a bad boy is? I look at myself as someone who does what he wants. If that’s bad, then yes, I am a bad boy.TGR: You grew up skiing bumps in Squaw Valley and you still ski there now, what was the best time at Squaw for you? Holmes: I think my best day at Squaw was when I was about 16 and Kevin Andrews took me down the fingers.TGR: You’re credited with being one of the most influential skiers of all time, what do you think your biggest contribution to the sport of skiing is? Holmes: I was the first one to start marketing myself as a Freeskier. I helped start Freeze Magazine and was part of the first K2 freeride Team. I would have to say those are the reasons.TGR: For those who are out of the loop, what have you been up to for the past 5 years, skiing, production, etc..? Holmes: I have been bouncing back and forth between skiing and movie making. I was working with Elan designing skis and skiing a bunch. Now I am focused more on the movies again.TGR: When did you start your production company and what movies have you produced? Holmes: I started Chainsaw Productions in 2004-ish to produce ski movies. We did “The People vs. Brad Holmes” and “Stars Skis and Hucks.” Now I am finishing up Palmer “The Miserable Champion.”TGR: Why did you decide to make a movie about Shaun Palmer? Holmes: Shaun and I have been friends since we were 14. Shaun asked me to do it.TGR: How long did The Miserable Champion take to make? Holmes: We started it 5 years ago. Its been an on and off project ever since.TGR: How long have you and Palmer been friends? Holmes: Pushing 28 years.TGR: What made Palmer so dominant at every sport he chose to pursue? Holmes: Raw Talent and his relentless need to win. TGR: Where can people buy the movie/watch the movie? Holmes: WAX is a large distributor in the USA, you will also be able to order from www.chainsawproductions.com, it will be available this June.TGR: Any difficulties in production, funding, injuries, timing, etc? Holmes: It’s been a roller coaster, Shaun blew his Achilles tendon, that put us on hold, for sure. The funding has never been a problem because we never asked for any until now. We did not want to put a time line on finishing the movie.TGR: What’s on the horizon for you and Chainsaw Productions? Holmes: After I finish the Palmer project, I am going to do a Mountain Bike movie called “Dirty Deeds.” I am looking forward to starting a new project. [image] Few professional skiers have a career spanning three decades, but Brad Holmes does. Bad Rad Bumpin’ Brad has been known for many things over the years. He was a mogul skiing phenomenon, winning the Junior World Championships at age 16. He brought his hard-charging and high-flying style to big mountains and the park in movie segments in the 1990s and early 2000s. His dyed hair, tattoos, bad attitude, and hilarious rap lyrics earned him a reputation as a bad boy in skiing. Love him or hate him, Brad Holmes has had an undeniable influence on the sport of skiing over the past few decades.Now in his 40s, Brad still rips. He’s really, really good at skiing. But his focus has shifted over the past several years. In January, Holmes’ movie, Palmer “The Miserable Champion” debuted at the X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival where it took home awards for “Best Biography” and “Athlete of the Year.” The film chronicles the life and career of one of the most prolific and talented extreme sports athletes of all-time, Shaun Palmer. Although the film is complete, Holmes is raising money to distribute the film on kickstarter.com. TetonGravity.com caught up with Brad to chat about the making of the movie and his past, present, and future. TGR: You’ve got a “bad-boy” persona that was perpetuated by your movie segments and in marketing campaigns, is that the real Brad Holmes? Holmes: It depends on what you think a bad boy is? I look at myself as someone who does what he wants. If that’s bad, then yes, I am a bad boy.TGR: You grew up skiing bumps in Squaw Valley and you still ski there now, what was the best time at Squaw for you? Holmes: I think my best day at Squaw was when I was about 16 and Kevin Andrews took me down the fingers.TGR: You’re credited with being one of the most influential skiers of all time, what do you think your biggest contribution to the sport of skiing is? Holmes: I was the first one to start marketing myself as a Freeskier. I helped start Freeze Magazine and was part of the first K2 freeride Team. I would have to say those are the reasons.TGR: For those who are out of the loop, what have you been up to for the past 5 years, skiing, production, etc..? Holmes: I have been bouncing back and forth between skiing and movie making. I was working with Elan designing skis and skiing a bunch. Now I am focused more on the movies again.TGR: When did you start your production company and what movies have you produced? Holmes: I started Chainsaw Productions in 2004-ish to produce ski movies. We did “The People vs. Brad Holmes” and “Stars Skis and Hucks.” Now I am finishing up Palmer “The Miserable Champion.”TGR: Why did you decide to make a movie about Shaun Palmer? Holmes: Shaun and I have been friends since we were 14. Shaun asked me to do it.TGR: How long did The Miserable Champion take to make? Holmes: We started it 5 years ago. Its been an on and off project ever since.TGR: How long have you and Palmer been friends? Holmes: Pushing 28 years.TGR: What made Palmer so dominant at every sport he chose to pursue? Holmes: Raw Talent and his relentless need to win. TGR: Where can people buy the movie/watch the movie? Holmes: WAX is a large distributor in the USA, you will also be able to order from www.chainsawproductions.com, it will be available this June.TGR: Any difficulties in production, funding, injuries, timing, etc? Holmes: It’s been a roller coaster, Shaun blew his Achilles tendon, that put us on hold, for sure. The funding has never been a problem because we never asked for any until now. We did not want to put a time line on finishing the movie.TGR: What’s on the horizon for you and Chainsaw Productions? Holmes: After I finish the Palmer project, I am going to do a Mountain Bike movie called “Dirty Deeds.” I am looking forward to starting a new project. Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:21:09 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Interview-Brad-Holmes-On-39The-Miserable-Champion39-Shaun-Palmer-Documentary/blog/5903027/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-03-26T21:46:10Z Teton Gravity Research [image] Few professional skiers have a career spanning three decades, but Brad Holmes does. Bad Rad Bumpin’ Brad has been known for many things over the years. He was a mogul skiing phenomenon, winning the Junior World Championships at age 16. He brought his hard-charging and high-flying style to big mountains and the park in movie segments in the 1990s and early 2000s. His dyed hair, tattoos, bad attitude, and hilarious rap lyrics earned him a reputation as a bad boy in skiing. Love him or hate him, Brad Holmes has had an undeniable influence on the sport of skiing over the past few decades.Now in his 40s, Brad still rips. He’s really, really good at skiing. But his focus has shifted over the past several years. In January, Holmes’ movie, Palmer “The Miserable Champion” debuted at the X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival where it took home awards for “Best Biography” and “Athlete of the Year.” The film chronicles the life and career of one of the most prolific and talented extreme sports athletes of all-time, Shaun Palmer. Although the film is complete, Holmes is raising money to distribute the film on kickstarter.com. TetonGravity.com caught up with Brad to chat about the making of the movie and his past, present, and future. TGR: You’ve got a “bad-boy” persona that was perpetuated by your movie segments and in marketing campaigns, is that the real Brad Holmes? Holmes: It depends on what you think a bad boy is? I look at myself as someone who does what he wants. If that’s bad, then yes, I am a bad boy.TGR: You grew up skiing bumps in Squaw Valley and you still ski there now, what was the best time at Squaw for you? Holmes: I think my best day at Squaw was when I was about 16 and Kevin Andrews took me down the fingers.TGR: You’re credited with being one of the most influential skiers of all time, what do you think your biggest contribution to the sport of skiing is? Holmes: I was the first one to start marketing myself as a Freeskier. I helped start Freeze Magazine and was part of the first K2 freeride Team. I would have to say those are the reasons.TGR: For those who are out of the loop, what have you been up to for the past 5 years, skiing, production, etc..? Holmes: I have been bouncing back and forth between skiing and movie making. I was working with Elan designing skis and skiing a bunch. Now I am focused more on the movies again.TGR: When did you start your production company and what movies have you produced? Holmes: I started Chainsaw Productions in 2004-ish to produce ski movies. We did “The People vs. Brad Holmes” and “Stars Skis and Hucks.” Now I am finishing up Palmer “The Miserable Champion.”TGR: Why did you decide to make a movie about Shaun Palmer? Holmes: Shaun and I have been friends since we were 14. Shaun asked me to do it.TGR: How long did The Miserable Champion take to make? Holmes: We started it 5 years ago. Its been an on and off project ever since.TGR: How long have you and Palmer been friends? Holmes: Pushing 28 years.TGR: What made Palmer so dominant at every sport he chose to pursue? Holmes: Raw Talent and his relentless need to win. TGR: Where can people buy the movie/watch the movie? Holmes: WAX is a large distributor in the USA, you will also be able to order from www.chainsawproductions.com, it will be available this June.TGR: Any difficulties in production, funding, injuries, timing, etc? Holmes: It’s been a roller coaster, Shaun blew his Achilles tendon, that put us on hold, for sure. The funding has never been a problem because we never asked for any until now. We did not want to put a time line on finishing the movie.TGR: What’s on the horizon for you and Chainsaw Productions? Holmes: After I finish the Palmer project, I am going to do a Mountain Bike movie called “Dirty Deeds.” I am looking forward to starting a new project. brad holmes, chainsaw producitons, shaun palmer, the miserable champion nonadult false Interview: Brad Holmes On 'The Miserable Champion' Shaun Palmer Documentary text blog brad holmes,chainsaw producitons,shaun palmer,the miserable champion 647 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA Tahoe 0 0 5903027 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_How-To-Fly-With-An-Avalanche-Airbag-Safety-Pack/blog/5869331/75233.html Avalanche airbag backpacks are gaining popularity in North America. According to backcountry.com numbers, sales of the avalanche safety devices have increased 12 times from last season to this season. With more people owning and using airbag packs than ever before, more people are traveling with them. Since airport and airline security is a high priority, especially here in the United States, traveling by plane with your airbag pack could seem like a dilemma. Sure you can just wing it and hope that no one notices, but chances are your compressed air cylinder or entire pack could be confiscated. Fortunately, with a little planning, flying with your airbag pack is not a problem, but may pose a few inconvenient challenges.Airbag manufacturers have, and continue to work hard with regulatory agencies both in the US and abroad to make the devices safe and approved for air travel. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has made special considerations to specifically accommodate for these lifesaving devices, their rules regarding them can be found on IATA Dangerous Goods Table 2.3.A. [image]ABS-brand packs use special ABS cylinders to inflate its air bags. It also uses a pyrotechnic handle to deploy the bags. Despite information to the contrary, sealed ABS cylinders and pyrotechnic handles are not currently allowed through TSA screening checkpoints, even if they are US DOT certified.The primary reason that airbags are a challenge to travel with is the compressed gas used to inflate the bladders. Despite using gases classified as Division 2.2, or non-flammable, non-toxic gases, they have still come under scrutiny by airlines, the IATA, and especially the TSA. ABS-brand packs also employ the use of a small pyrotechnic charge to trigger the activation of their system. While incredibly small and rarely noticed, these explosively charged activation handles may be an issue with the TSA.In all cases, when you are flying with an airbag pack it is important to print out applicable Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and IATA Table 2.3.A and keep them with your pack while traveling. Visit your pack manufacturer’s website for the most up to date information regarding your specific brand of airbag pack and to download and print the necessary papers. Outside of North America, travel with an airbag pack is generally easier. In Europe, and any country where air travel is not governed by the TSA, the IATA allows the transport of airbag packs with pressurized cylinders. To fly with your airbag, however, you need to plan ahead. Prior approval is required by the airline and it is recommended that you notify them when booking your flight, or at least 14 days in advance. To prevent accidental activation, both the activation handle and the compressed air cylinder must be detached but kept with the airbag pack. “This is to ensure that the purpose of the cartridge and backpack is obvious to the airport staff,” the ABS website says, “If you check in the cartridge and activation handle separately, they may be confiscated.” The IATA specifically lays out both the quantity and type of gases allowed, refer to the IATA table if traveling outside of North America to make sure that your device falls within these restrictions.On flights originating from or bound for North America, the more stringent regulations of the TSA make flying with your airbag pack a bit more complicated. [image]The BCA Float 30 pack uses a refillable compressed air canister to inflate its airbags. People using BCA, Snowpulse, Mammut, or any other system with a refillable cylinder should be able to fly with it as long as it is completely empty and the valve has been removed prior to your arrival at the airport. According to the TSA website, “Compressed gas cylinders are allowed in checked baggage or as a carry-on ONLY if the regulator valve is completely disconnected from the cylinder and the cylinder is no longer sealed (i.e. the cylinder has an open end).  The cylinder must have an opening to allow for a visual inspection inside.” Vice president of BackcountryAccess Bruce Edgerly simplifies this, “Carrying full cylinders on carry-on, of course, is outta the question.” The TSA prohibits sealed cylinders because, “Our Security Officers must visibly ensure that the cylinder is completely empty and that there are no prohibited items inside.” People using BCA, Snowpulse, Mammut, or any other system with a refillable cylinder should be able to fly with it as long as it is completely empty and the valve has been removed prior to your arrival at the airport. Despite information to the contrary, sealed ABS cylinders and pyrotechnic handles are not currently allowed through TSA screening checkpoints, even if they are US DOT certified. The sealed disc must be punctured and the activation handle expended. Sneaking your sealed canister through security is an option that can result in confiscation and fines. Renting or purchasing a new one at your final destination might be the best idea. Arriving at your destination with an empty cylinder leaves you with the task of refilling, exchanging, renting or purchasing a new one. In most cases your cylinder can only be refilled or exchanged by your pack manufacturer’s authorized dealer or refill location, these usually include scuba, paintball stores, or fire stations. It is recommended that you are aware of a refill location or authorized dealer ahead of time so you aren’t left empty canister-ed. Snowpulse has developed a refill certification process and do-it-yourself equipment which is available to the general public. Ideally, as the use of airbag packs becomes more common, refill locations will also. [image]Snowpulse has developed a refill certification process and do-it-yourself equipment which is available to the general public. Ideally, as the use of airbag packs becomes more common, refill locations will also. Airbag packs are becoming more popular both among users and manufacturers with The North Face, Dakine, and Ortovox joining the existing manufacturers in the coming year. As more companies produce them and their use becomes more common among the general public and athletes throughout the world, traveling with airbags will hopefully become easier. “One thing that I will be working on with ABS in the near future is to write letters to the FAA and Department of Commerce about recognizing and designating the packs as actual life-saving devices,” Avalanche survivor Elyse Saugstad said.If designated, airbag packs would likely become much easier to pass through TSA checkpoints for air travel.Bear in mind that this is relatively new and highly specialized technology.  Many airport employees and security personnel may be unfamiliar with airbag packs. Your experience may vary from one airport to the next and one country to another. As usual, the Internet is one of your best sources of information regarding traveling with an airbag pack. Not only can you find the appropriate documents you need to carry with your pack to the airport, but there are plenty of personal accounts on forums like the one on this website. Feel free to share your experience to help educate others. Below are links to TGR forum conversations regarding avalanche airbag systems: Avalanche Airbag Canister Refills: The Who, What, Where, & How Flying with Airbag Packs? Flying with and refilling Snowpulse Airbag canister / cylinderShop for your next Avalanche Saftety Bag at Backcountry.com Avalanche airbag backpacks are gaining popularity in North America. According to backcountry.com numbers, sales of the avalanche safety devices have increased 12 times from last season to this season. With more people owning and using airbag packs than ever before, more people are traveling with them. Since airport and airline security is a high priority, especially here in the United States, traveling by plane with your airbag pack could seem like a dilemma. Sure you can just wing it and hope that no one notices, but chances are your compressed air cylinder or entire pack could be confiscated. Fortunately, with a little planning, flying with your airbag pack is not a problem, but may pose a few inconvenient challenges.Airbag manufacturers have, and continue to work hard with regulatory agencies both in the US and abroad to make the devices safe and approved for air travel. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has made special considerations to specifically accommodate for these lifesaving devices, their rules regarding them can be found on IATA Dangerous Goods Table 2.3.A. [image]ABS-brand packs use special ABS cylinders to inflate its air bags. It also uses a pyrotechnic handle to deploy the bags. Despite information to the contrary, sealed ABS cylinders and pyrotechnic handles are not currently allowed through TSA screening checkpoints, even if they are US DOT certified.The primary reason that airbags are a challenge to travel with is the compressed gas used to inflate the bladders. Despite using gases classified as Division 2.2, or non-flammable, non-toxic gases, they have still come under scrutiny by airlines, the IATA, and especially the TSA. ABS-brand packs also employ the use of a small pyrotechnic charge to trigger the activation of their system. While incredibly small and rarely noticed, these explosively charged activation handles may be an issue with the TSA.In all cases, when you are flying with an airbag pack it is important to print out applicable Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and IATA Table 2.3.A and keep them with your pack while traveling. Visit your pack manufacturer’s website for the most up to date information regarding your specific brand of airbag pack and to download and print the necessary papers. Outside of North America, travel with an airbag pack is generally easier. In Europe, and any country where air travel is not governed by the TSA, the IATA allows the transport of airbag packs with pressurized cylinders. To fly with your airbag, however, you need to plan ahead. Prior approval is required by the airline and it is recommended that you notify them when booking your flight, or at least 14 days in advance. To prevent accidental activation, both the activation handle and the compressed air cylinder must be detached but kept with the airbag pack. “This is to ensure that the purpose of the cartridge and backpack is obvious to the airport staff,” the ABS website says, “If you check in the cartridge and activation handle separately, they may be confiscated.” The IATA specifically lays out both the quantity and type of gases allowed, refer to the IATA table if traveling outside of North America to make sure that your device falls within these restrictions.On flights originating from or bound for North America, the more stringent regulations of the TSA make flying with your airbag pack a bit more complicated. [image]The BCA Float 30 pack uses a refillable compressed air canister to inflate its airbags. People using BCA, Snowpulse, Mammut, or any other system with a refillable cylinder should be able to fly with it as long as it is completely empty and the valve has been removed prior to your arrival at the airport. According to the TSA website, “Compressed gas cylinders are allowed in checked baggage or as a carry-on ONLY if the regulator valve is completely disconnected from the cylinder and the cylinder is no longer sealed (i.e. the cylinder has an open end).  The cylinder must have an opening to allow for a visual inspection inside.” Vice president of BackcountryAccess Bruce Edgerly simplifies this, “Carrying full cylinders on carry-on, of course, is outta the question.” The TSA prohibits sealed cylinders because, “Our Security Officers must visibly ensure that the cylinder is completely empty and that there are no prohibited items inside.” People using BCA, Snowpulse, Mammut, or any other system with a refillable cylinder should be able to fly with it as long as it is completely empty and the valve has been removed prior to your arrival at the airport. Despite information to the contrary, sealed ABS cylinders and pyrotechnic handles are not currently allowed through TSA screening checkpoints, even if they are US DOT certified. The sealed disc must be punctured and the activation handle expended. Sneaking your sealed canister through security is an option that can result in confiscation and fines. Renting or purchasing a new one at your final destination might be the best idea. Arriving at your destination with an empty cylinder leaves you with the task of refilling, exchanging, renting or purchasing a new one. In most cases your cylinder can only be refilled or exchanged by your pack manufacturer’s authorized dealer or refill location, these usually include scuba, paintball stores, or fire stations. It is recommended that you are aware of a refill location or authorized dealer ahead of time so you aren’t left empty canister-ed. Snowpulse has developed a refill certification process and do-it-yourself equipment which is available to the general public. Ideally, as the use of airbag packs becomes more common, refill locations will also. [image]Snowpulse has developed a refill certification process and do-it-yourself equipment which is available to the general public. Ideally, as the use of airbag packs becomes more common, refill locations will also. Airbag packs are becoming more popular both among users and manufacturers with The North Face, Dakine, and Ortovox joining the existing manufacturers in the coming year. As more companies produce them and their use becomes more common among the general public and athletes throughout the world, traveling with airbags will hopefully become easier. “One thing that I will be working on with ABS in the near future is to write letters to the FAA and Department of Commerce about recognizing and designating the packs as actual life-saving devices,” Avalanche survivor Elyse Saugstad said.If designated, airbag packs would likely become much easier to pass through TSA checkpoints for air travel.Bear in mind that this is relatively new and highly specialized technology.  Many airport employees and security personnel may be unfamiliar with airbag packs. Your experience may vary from one airport to the next and one country to another. As usual, the Internet is one of your best sources of information regarding traveling with an airbag pack. Not only can you find the appropriate documents you need to carry with your pack to the airport, but there are plenty of personal accounts on forums like the one on this website. Feel free to share your experience to help educate others. Below are links to TGR forum conversations regarding avalanche airbag systems: Avalanche Airbag Canister Refills: The Who, What, Where, & How Flying with Airbag Packs? Flying with and refilling Snowpulse Airbag canister / cylinderShop for your next Avalanche Saftety Bag at Backcountry.com Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:19:57 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_How-To-Fly-With-An-Avalanche-Airbag-Safety-Pack/blog/5869331/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-03-16T22:21:24Z Teton Gravity Research Avalanche airbag backpacks are gaining popularity in North America. According to backcountry.com numbers, sales of the avalanche safety devices have increased 12 times from last season to this season. With more people owning and using airbag packs than ever before, more people are traveling with them. Since airport and airline security is a high priority, especially here in the United States, traveling by plane with your airbag pack could seem like a dilemma. Sure you can just wing it and hope that no one notices, but chances are your compressed air cylinder or entire pack could be confiscated. Fortunately, with a little planning, flying with your airbag pack is not a problem, but may pose a few inconvenient challenges.Airbag manufacturers have, and continue to work hard with regulatory agencies both in the US and abroad to make the devices safe and approved for air travel. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has made special considerations to specifically accommodate for these lifesaving devices, their rules regarding them can be found on IATA Dangerous Goods Table 2.3.A. [image]ABS-brand packs use special ABS cylinders to inflate its air bags. It also uses a pyrotechnic handle to deploy the bags. Despite information to the contrary, sealed ABS cylinders and pyrotechnic handles are not currently allowed through TSA screening checkpoints, even if they are US DOT certified.The primary reason that airbags are a challenge to travel with is the compressed gas used to inflate the bladders. Despite using gases classified as Division 2.2, or non-flammable, non-toxic gases, they have still come under scrutiny by airlines, the IATA, and especially the TSA. ABS-brand packs also employ the use of a small pyrotechnic charge to trigger the activation of their system. While incredibly small and rarely noticed, these explosively charged activation handles may be an issue with the TSA.In all cases, when you are flying with an airbag pack it is important to print out applicable Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and IATA Table 2.3.A and keep them with your pack while traveling. Visit your pack manufacturer’s website for the most up to date information regarding your specific brand of airbag pack and to download and print the necessary papers. Outside of North America, travel with an airbag pack is generally easier. In Europe, and any country where air travel is not governed by the TSA, the IATA allows the transport of airbag packs with pressurized cylinders. To fly with your airbag, however, you need to plan ahead. Prior approval is required by the airline and it is recommended that you notify them when booking your flight, or at least 14 days in advance. To prevent accidental activation, both the activation handle and the compressed air cylinder must be detached but kept with the airbag pack. “This is to ensure that the purpose of the cartridge and backpack is obvious to the airport staff,” the ABS website says, “If you check in the cartridge and activation handle separately, they may be confiscated.” The IATA specifically lays out both the quantity and type of gases allowed, refer to the IATA table if traveling outside of North America to make sure that your device falls within these restrictions.On flights originating from or bound for North America, the more stringent regulations of the TSA make flying with your airbag pack a bit more complicated. [image]The BCA Float 30 pack uses a refillable compressed air canister to inflate its airbags. People using BCA, Snowpulse, Mammut, or any other system with a refillable cylinder should be able to fly with it as long as it is completely empty and the valve has been removed prior to your arrival at the airport. According to the TSA website, “Compressed gas cylinders are allowed in checked baggage or as a carry-on ONLY if the regulator valve is completely disconnected from the cylinder and the cylinder is no longer sealed (i.e. the cylinder has an open end).  The cylinder must have an opening to allow for a visual inspection inside.” Vice president of BackcountryAccess Bruce Edgerly simplifies this, “Carrying full cylinders on carry-on, of course, is outta the question.” The TSA prohibits sealed cylinders because, “Our Security Officers must visibly ensure that the cylinder is completely empty and that there are no prohibited items inside.” People using BCA, Snowpulse, Mammut, or any other system with a refillable cylinder should be able to fly with it as long as it is completely empty and the valve has been removed prior to your arrival at the airport. Despite information to the contrary, sealed ABS cylinders and pyrotechnic handles are not currently allowed through TSA screening checkpoints, even if they are US DOT certified. The sealed disc must be punctured and the activation handle expended. Sneaking your sealed canister through security is an option that can result in confiscation and fines. Renting or purchasing a new one at your final destination might be the best idea. Arriving at your destination with an empty cylinder leaves you with the task of refilling, exchanging, renting or purchasing a new one. In most cases your cylinder can only be refilled or exchanged by your pack manufacturer’s authorized dealer or refill location, these usually include scuba, paintball stores, or fire stations. It is recommended that you are aware of a refill location or authorized dealer ahead of time so you aren’t left empty canister-ed. Snowpulse has developed a refill certification process and do-it-yourself equipment which is available to the general public. Ideally, as the use of airbag packs becomes more common, refill locations will also. [image]Snowpulse has developed a refill certification process and do-it-yourself equipment which is available to the general public. Ideally, as the use of airbag packs becomes more common, refill locations will also. Airbag packs are becoming more popular both among users and manufacturers with The North Face, Dakine, and Ortovox joining the existing manufacturers in the coming year. As more companies produce them and their use becomes more common among the general public and athletes throughout the world, traveling with airbags will hopefully become easier. “One thing that I will be working on with ABS in the near future is to write letters to the FAA and Department of Commerce about recognizing and designating the packs as actual life-saving devices,” Avalanche survivor Elyse Saugstad said.If designated, airbag packs would likely become much easier to pass through TSA checkpoints for air travel.Bear in mind that this is relatively new and highly specialized technology.  Many airport employees and security personnel may be unfamiliar with airbag packs. Your experience may vary from one airport to the next and one country to another. As usual, the Internet is one of your best sources of information regarding traveling with an airbag pack. Not only can you find the appropriate documents you need to carry with your pack to the airport, but there are plenty of personal accounts on forums like the one on this website. Feel free to share your experience to help educate others. Below are links to TGR forum conversations regarding avalanche airbag systems: Avalanche Airbag Canister Refills: The Who, What, Where, & How Flying with Airbag Packs? Flying with and refilling Snowpulse Airbag canister / cylinderShop for your next Avalanche Saftety Bag at Backcountry.com abs pack, avalanche airbag pack, avalanche safety, bca, snowpulse nonadult false How To Fly With An Avalanche Airbag Safety Pack text blog abs pack,avalanche airbag pack,avalanche safety,bca,snowpulse 557 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 5869331 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Praxis-Skis-To-Offer-Custom-Boards-For-2012-3913-Season/blog/5849041/75233.html [image] For the past seven years, Praxis Skis have been crafting some of the highest quality hand-made boards available. From the company’s humble beginnings in owner Keith O’Meara’s garage on Donner Summit to its new production facility in Incline Village, innovation and quality have always been the focus at Praxis. Starting this April, Praxis is offering a new customization program for next season’s skis. Customers can pre-order, at a discounted price, with the option to choose the flex and graphics of their skis from the 2012-’13 Praxis line-up.Back in 2005, O’Meara had become fed up with the fact that the ski industry was not making what he considered “real powder skis.”“The freeride powder segment was not getting the love it is today. I wanted to change that,” O’Meara said. “My main focus was to develop modified sidecut and rocker powder skis that were being ignored by mainstream industry leaders.” That’s exactly what he did. With the help of his cousin Kevin and a dedicated group of friends and skiers, Praxis carved out a niche for themselves in the market.It wasn’t just Keith who was fed up with the industry’s lack of progressive powder ski designs. Passionate skiers around the world responded and Praxis has sold skis from Switzerland to Utah. As with many of the smaller independent ski brands, the Internet has been one of Praxis’ greatest assets. Online forums are to thank for helping spread the word and drum up sales. Praxis has shown their gratitude in turn by selling their skis direct via the Internet. [image]“Selling direct is what makes Praxis Skis one of the best values on the market, our goal is to provide a higher quality ski at a good price,” O’Meara said. “The margins involved with retail outlets would not allow for that.”Online discussion can also be credited in the creation of one of their newest models, the Wootest. “The community hashed out the specifics of the design and we went from there,” O’Meara said. “It was nice getting the input of the ski community and having solid backing on an idea.” This thinned-down version of their popular model, the Protest, also gave birth to the concept of customizing the flex, weight, and graphic of the ski, a concept they soon realized could carry over to the entire Praxis line. “The move to custom skis has always interested me,” O’Meara said. “Like a boot fitter does with a ski boot, we can take a standard ski design and fit it to a persons specific preferences and needs. Building off of staple ideas and tweaking the design to the specific customer is without a doubt the best ski you can offer.”Praxis’ ability to innovate and to customize skis is a result of their flexibility as a manufacturer. The time from concept to completion of a new ski design is incredibly short and instrumental in their quest to push the conventions of ski design. “I could wake up in the morning with an idea and go ski it the next day,” O’Meara said. “Every step of the process is done in house, from design, CNC, parts creation, pressing, to finishing. We rely on no one for the creation of any part of our ski.” For evidence of Praxis’ quality craftsmanship and progressive designs look no further than the podiums of the Freeskiing and Freeride World Tours. Drew Tabke, the 2011 overall Freeskiing World Tour champion, currently sits in third place overall on the Freeride World Tour. Tabke has skied on Praxis for years and even designed his own ski, the Protest. Kevin O’Meara, Keith’s cousin and co-owner of Praxis, took third at the Ski Arpa, Chile, stop of the Freeskiing World Tour last summer and competes on skis that he makes himself. “Its such a great feeling to stand atop a line or in the start gate on my own skis,” Kevin said. Luckily, you don’t need to be a contender on the competition circuit to appreciate a pair of Praxis skis. “It’s skiers in the mountains making skis that sets us apart,” O’Meara said. “This love of what we are doing and passion for skiing shines through in the finished product in both design and quality.” Go to www.praxisskis.com for more information or to purchase a pair for yourself. [image] For the past seven years, Praxis Skis have been crafting some of the highest quality hand-made boards available. From the company’s humble beginnings in owner Keith O’Meara’s garage on Donner Summit to its new production facility in Incline Village, innovation and quality have always been the focus at Praxis. Starting this April, Praxis is offering a new customization program for next season’s skis. Customers can pre-order, at a discounted price, with the option to choose the flex and graphics of their skis from the 2012-’13 Praxis line-up.Back in 2005, O’Meara had become fed up with the fact that the ski industry was not making what he considered “real powder skis.”“The freeride powder segment was not getting the love it is today. I wanted to change that,” O’Meara said. “My main focus was to develop modified sidecut and rocker powder skis that were being ignored by mainstream industry leaders.” That’s exactly what he did. With the help of his cousin Kevin and a dedicated group of friends and skiers, Praxis carved out a niche for themselves in the market.It wasn’t just Keith who was fed up with the industry’s lack of progressive powder ski designs. Passionate skiers around the world responded and Praxis has sold skis from Switzerland to Utah. As with many of the smaller independent ski brands, the Internet has been one of Praxis’ greatest assets. Online forums are to thank for helping spread the word and drum up sales. Praxis has shown their gratitude in turn by selling their skis direct via the Internet. [image]“Selling direct is what makes Praxis Skis one of the best values on the market, our goal is to provide a higher quality ski at a good price,” O’Meara said. “The margins involved with retail outlets would not allow for that.”Online discussion can also be credited in the creation of one of their newest models, the Wootest. “The community hashed out the specifics of the design and we went from there,” O’Meara said. “It was nice getting the input of the ski community and having solid backing on an idea.” This thinned-down version of their popular model, the Protest, also gave birth to the concept of customizing the flex, weight, and graphic of the ski, a concept they soon realized could carry over to the entire Praxis line. “The move to custom skis has always interested me,” O’Meara said. “Like a boot fitter does with a ski boot, we can take a standard ski design and fit it to a persons specific preferences and needs. Building off of staple ideas and tweaking the design to the specific customer is without a doubt the best ski you can offer.”Praxis’ ability to innovate and to customize skis is a result of their flexibility as a manufacturer. The time from concept to completion of a new ski design is incredibly short and instrumental in their quest to push the conventions of ski design. “I could wake up in the morning with an idea and go ski it the next day,” O’Meara said. “Every step of the process is done in house, from design, CNC, parts creation, pressing, to finishing. We rely on no one for the creation of any part of our ski.” For evidence of Praxis’ quality craftsmanship and progressive designs look no further than the podiums of the Freeskiing and Freeride World Tours. Drew Tabke, the 2011 overall Freeskiing World Tour champion, currently sits in third place overall on the Freeride World Tour. Tabke has skied on Praxis for years and even designed his own ski, the Protest. Kevin O’Meara, Keith’s cousin and co-owner of Praxis, took third at the Ski Arpa, Chile, stop of the Freeskiing World Tour last summer and competes on skis that he makes himself. “Its such a great feeling to stand atop a line or in the start gate on my own skis,” Kevin said. Luckily, you don’t need to be a contender on the competition circuit to appreciate a pair of Praxis skis. “It’s skiers in the mountains making skis that sets us apart,” O’Meara said. “This love of what we are doing and passion for skiing shines through in the finished product in both design and quality.” Go to www.praxisskis.com for more information or to purchase a pair for yourself. Sat, 10 Mar 2012 01:09:44 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Praxis-Skis-To-Offer-Custom-Boards-For-2012-3913-Season/blog/5849041/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-03-10T01:09:44Z Teton Gravity Research [image] For the past seven years, Praxis Skis have been crafting some of the highest quality hand-made boards available. From the company’s humble beginnings in owner Keith O’Meara’s garage on Donner Summit to its new production facility in Incline Village, innovation and quality have always been the focus at Praxis. Starting this April, Praxis is offering a new customization program for next season’s skis. Customers can pre-order, at a discounted price, with the option to choose the flex and graphics of their skis from the 2012-’13 Praxis line-up.Back in 2005, O’Meara had become fed up with the fact that the ski industry was not making what he considered “real powder skis.”“The freeride powder segment was not getting the love it is today. I wanted to change that,” O’Meara said. “My main focus was to develop modified sidecut and rocker powder skis that were being ignored by mainstream industry leaders.” That’s exactly what he did. With the help of his cousin Kevin and a dedicated group of friends and skiers, Praxis carved out a niche for themselves in the market.It wasn’t just Keith who was fed up with the industry’s lack of progressive powder ski designs. Passionate skiers around the world responded and Praxis has sold skis from Switzerland to Utah. As with many of the smaller independent ski brands, the Internet has been one of Praxis’ greatest assets. Online forums are to thank for helping spread the word and drum up sales. Praxis has shown their gratitude in turn by selling their skis direct via the Internet. [image]“Selling direct is what makes Praxis Skis one of the best values on the market, our goal is to provide a higher quality ski at a good price,” O’Meara said. “The margins involved with retail outlets would not allow for that.”Online discussion can also be credited in the creation of one of their newest models, the Wootest. “The community hashed out the specifics of the design and we went from there,” O’Meara said. “It was nice getting the input of the ski community and having solid backing on an idea.” This thinned-down version of their popular model, the Protest, also gave birth to the concept of customizing the flex, weight, and graphic of the ski, a concept they soon realized could carry over to the entire Praxis line. “The move to custom skis has always interested me,” O’Meara said. “Like a boot fitter does with a ski boot, we can take a standard ski design and fit it to a persons specific preferences and needs. Building off of staple ideas and tweaking the design to the specific customer is without a doubt the best ski you can offer.”Praxis’ ability to innovate and to customize skis is a result of their flexibility as a manufacturer. The time from concept to completion of a new ski design is incredibly short and instrumental in their quest to push the conventions of ski design. “I could wake up in the morning with an idea and go ski it the next day,” O’Meara said. “Every step of the process is done in house, from design, CNC, parts creation, pressing, to finishing. We rely on no one for the creation of any part of our ski.” For evidence of Praxis’ quality craftsmanship and progressive designs look no further than the podiums of the Freeskiing and Freeride World Tours. Drew Tabke, the 2011 overall Freeskiing World Tour champion, currently sits in third place overall on the Freeride World Tour. Tabke has skied on Praxis for years and even designed his own ski, the Protest. Kevin O’Meara, Keith’s cousin and co-owner of Praxis, took third at the Ski Arpa, Chile, stop of the Freeskiing World Tour last summer and competes on skis that he makes himself. “Its such a great feeling to stand atop a line or in the start gate on my own skis,” Kevin said. Luckily, you don’t need to be a contender on the competition circuit to appreciate a pair of Praxis skis. “It’s skiers in the mountains making skis that sets us apart,” O’Meara said. “This love of what we are doing and passion for skiing shines through in the finished product in both design and quality.” Go to www.praxisskis.com for more information or to purchase a pair for yourself. california, praxis skis, ski company nonadult false Praxis Skis To Offer Custom Boards For 2012-'13 Season text blog california,praxis skis,ski company 291 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA 0 0 5849041 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Daron-Rahlves39-Banzai-Tour-Ramps-Up-At-Alpine-Meadows/blog/5816349/75233.html The second stop of Daron Rahlves’ four-stop Banzai Tour ski and snowboard race went off at Alpine Meadows Feb. 23-24. With two more stops in the next two weeks scheduled at Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley USA, competition is ramping up. “We had an insane course, great conditions, and athletes who put it all on the line,” Daron Rahlves said of the event at Alpine Meadows. Last Friday, competitors and spectators alike enjoyed the sunny spring-like weather and the exciting new course layout. Some spectacular crashes along with neck-and-neck finishes kept the excitement level pinned at 11. Former U.S. freestyle team member Shelly Robertson proved that you don’t have to be a racer to win. “I’ve done a few of these and finished second every time,” Robertson said with a smile. “It’s nice to finally get the win.” Others had a different story to tell. Last year’s overall men’s snowboard champion, Sylvain Duclos, took fifth at Alpine but was stoked nonetheless. “Anything can happen,” Duclos said. “It’s such a long course. This is a fun event. I wish there were more like this.” Originally scheduled for January, the race was postponed due to lack of snow. But recent precipitation and a rerouted course made the event possible. Two weeks ago, Kirkwood Mountain Resort played host to the first Rahlves’ Banzai event of the season. The race went well despite the low-tide conditions. “This year has been a challenge,” Rahlves said. “We’ve had to redo the whole thing. The Kirkwood event was probably better because of it. I think we found the course that I had dreamed of. We were forced to go there.” [image]A banzai racer crosses the finish line at Alpine Meadows. Photo by Jeremy Benson. Rahlves’ Banzai Tour was started by four-time Olympian turned big-mountain skiing phenomenon, Daron Rahlves. Last winter, Rahlves created the series based on the Silver Belt race that took place at Sugar Bowl in the 1940s, it’s like a skiercross event mixed with big mountain freeriding. “Rahlves' Banzai is ski and snowboard racing in its purest form, with four at a time going head to head over natural terrain,” Rahlves said. Anyone can enter. The fastest person wins. In 2011 the series had three stops, Alpine Meadows, Kirkwood, and Sugar Bowl. For 2012, the popular and successful series added Squaw Valley as a fourth tour stop. The intense head-to-head racing action will be featured on NBC in a show produced by Teton Gravity Research. The show will air March 27 as part of Red Bull’s Signature Series. “I’m honored to have the Rahlves’ Banzai Tour as part of this amazing series and give the due respect to the athletes that compete,” Rahlves said. Each event has a prize purse of $15,000 split between the men’s and women’s ski and snowboard divisions. An additional $10,000 is up for grabs in winner-take-all Super Final at Sugar Bowl, when Rahlves takes on the men’s ski winners from all four tour stops. That is, if anyone can beat him. Qualifying takes place on Day 1 when racers attack the course alone in time-trial fashion. The fastest qualifiers move on to Day 2, when they race head-to-head, four at a time, down the course’s challenging natural terrain. The top two racers advance from each heat until the competition is whittled down to the top four, who race for Banzai glory and money. Want to compete? Go online to www.rahlvesbanzai.com to register, watch videos, or check results. Want to watch? Come out to Squaw Valley or Sugar Bowl and catch the action for yourself, or watch it on NBC on March 27. [image] The second stop of Daron Rahlves’ four-stop Banzai Tour ski and snowboard race went off at Alpine Meadows Feb. 23-24. With two more stops in the next two weeks scheduled at Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley USA, competition is ramping up. “We had an insane course, great conditions, and athletes who put it all on the line,” Daron Rahlves said of the event at Alpine Meadows. Last Friday, competitors and spectators alike enjoyed the sunny spring-like weather and the exciting new course layout. Some spectacular crashes along with neck-and-neck finishes kept the excitement level pinned at 11. Former U.S. freestyle team member Shelly Robertson proved that you don’t have to be a racer to win. “I’ve done a few of these and finished second every time,” Robertson said with a smile. “It’s nice to finally get the win.” Others had a different story to tell. Last year’s overall men’s snowboard champion, Sylvain Duclos, took fifth at Alpine but was stoked nonetheless. “Anything can happen,” Duclos said. “It’s such a long course. This is a fun event. I wish there were more like this.” Originally scheduled for January, the race was postponed due to lack of snow. But recent precipitation and a rerouted course made the event possible. Two weeks ago, Kirkwood Mountain Resort played host to the first Rahlves’ Banzai event of the season. The race went well despite the low-tide conditions. “This year has been a challenge,” Rahlves said. “We’ve had to redo the whole thing. The Kirkwood event was probably better because of it. I think we found the course that I had dreamed of. We were forced to go there.” [image]A banzai racer crosses the finish line at Alpine Meadows. Photo by Jeremy Benson. Rahlves’ Banzai Tour was started by four-time Olympian turned big-mountain skiing phenomenon, Daron Rahlves. Last winter, Rahlves created the series based on the Silver Belt race that took place at Sugar Bowl in the 1940s, it’s like a skiercross event mixed with big mountain freeriding. “Rahlves' Banzai is ski and snowboard racing in its purest form, with four at a time going head to head over natural terrain,” Rahlves said. Anyone can enter. The fastest person wins. In 2011 the series had three stops, Alpine Meadows, Kirkwood, and Sugar Bowl. For 2012, the popular and successful series added Squaw Valley as a fourth tour stop. The intense head-to-head racing action will be featured on NBC in a show produced by Teton Gravity Research. The show will air March 27 as part of Red Bull’s Signature Series. “I’m honored to have the Rahlves’ Banzai Tour as part of this amazing series and give the due respect to the athletes that compete,” Rahlves said. Each event has a prize purse of $15,000 split between the men’s and women’s ski and snowboard divisions. An additional $10,000 is up for grabs in winner-take-all Super Final at Sugar Bowl, when Rahlves takes on the men’s ski winners from all four tour stops. That is, if anyone can beat him. Qualifying takes place on Day 1 when racers attack the course alone in time-trial fashion. The fastest qualifiers move on to Day 2, when they race head-to-head, four at a time, down the course’s challenging natural terrain. The top two racers advance from each heat until the competition is whittled down to the top four, who race for Banzai glory and money. Want to compete? Go online to www.rahlvesbanzai.com to register, watch videos, or check results. Want to watch? Come out to Squaw Valley or Sugar Bowl and catch the action for yourself, or watch it on NBC on March 27. [image] Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:30:21 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Daron-Rahlves39-Banzai-Tour-Ramps-Up-At-Alpine-Meadows/blog/5816349/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-02-28T18:48:20Z Teton Gravity Research The second stop of Daron Rahlves’ four-stop Banzai Tour ski and snowboard race went off at Alpine Meadows Feb. 23-24. With two more stops in the next two weeks scheduled at Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley USA, competition is ramping up. “We had an insane course, great conditions, and athletes who put it all on the line,” Daron Rahlves said of the event at Alpine Meadows. Last Friday, competitors and spectators alike enjoyed the sunny spring-like weather and the exciting new course layout. Some spectacular crashes along with neck-and-neck finishes kept the excitement level pinned at 11. Former U.S. freestyle team member Shelly Robertson proved that you don’t have to be a racer to win. “I’ve done a few of these and finished second every time,” Robertson said with a smile. “It’s nice to finally get the win.” Others had a different story to tell. Last year’s overall men’s snowboard champion, Sylvain Duclos, took fifth at Alpine but was stoked nonetheless. “Anything can happen,” Duclos said. “It’s such a long course. This is a fun event. I wish there were more like this.” Originally scheduled for January, the race was postponed due to lack of snow. But recent precipitation and a rerouted course made the event possible. Two weeks ago, Kirkwood Mountain Resort played host to the first Rahlves’ Banzai event of the season. The race went well despite the low-tide conditions. “This year has been a challenge,” Rahlves said. “We’ve had to redo the whole thing. The Kirkwood event was probably better because of it. I think we found the course that I had dreamed of. We were forced to go there.” [image]A banzai racer crosses the finish line at Alpine Meadows. Photo by Jeremy Benson. Rahlves’ Banzai Tour was started by four-time Olympian turned big-mountain skiing phenomenon, Daron Rahlves. Last winter, Rahlves created the series based on the Silver Belt race that took place at Sugar Bowl in the 1940s, it’s like a skiercross event mixed with big mountain freeriding. “Rahlves' Banzai is ski and snowboard racing in its purest form, with four at a time going head to head over natural terrain,” Rahlves said. Anyone can enter. The fastest person wins. In 2011 the series had three stops, Alpine Meadows, Kirkwood, and Sugar Bowl. For 2012, the popular and successful series added Squaw Valley as a fourth tour stop. The intense head-to-head racing action will be featured on NBC in a show produced by Teton Gravity Research. The show will air March 27 as part of Red Bull’s Signature Series. “I’m honored to have the Rahlves’ Banzai Tour as part of this amazing series and give the due respect to the athletes that compete,” Rahlves said. Each event has a prize purse of $15,000 split between the men’s and women’s ski and snowboard divisions. An additional $10,000 is up for grabs in winner-take-all Super Final at Sugar Bowl, when Rahlves takes on the men’s ski winners from all four tour stops. That is, if anyone can beat him. Qualifying takes place on Day 1 when racers attack the course alone in time-trial fashion. The fastest qualifiers move on to Day 2, when they race head-to-head, four at a time, down the course’s challenging natural terrain. The top two racers advance from each heat until the competition is whittled down to the top four, who race for Banzai glory and money. Want to compete? Go online to www.rahlvesbanzai.com to register, watch videos, or check results. Want to watch? Come out to Squaw Valley or Sugar Bowl and catch the action for yourself, or watch it on NBC on March 27. [image] alpine meadows, banzai tour, daron rahlves, race, skiing, snowboarding nonadult false Daron Rahlves' Banzai Tour Ramps Up At Alpine Meadows text blog alpine meadows,banzai tour,daron rahlves,race,skiing,snowboarding 271 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States CA Alpine Meadows 0 0 5816349 38504481 Bronze 4210 http://live.tetongravity.com/_Alaska-Heli-Season-Spins-Up/blog/5800831/75233.html In stark contrast to the lower 48, which has largely been starved for natural snow for most of this winter, Alaska has been feasting on a seemingly endless string of storms. The persistent and powerful storms have made national headlines from CNN to the Huffington Post. So far this year, most coastal Alaska towns have received upwards of 20 feet of snow — at sea level. In early January, a declaration of disaster was issued for the town of Cordova when roofs collapsed and homes were buried in snow. National Guardsmen were deployed to help them deal with the excessive snowfall. [image]A sweet, sweet run in Haines, Alaska, as seen from the heli. Photo by Colter Hinchcliffe. Alyeska resort in Girdwood, Alaska, is reporting 568 inches of snow since Nov. 1, only 80 inches shy of its annual average, and it’s only February. Powder hungry pro skiers have been flocking to the resort since before Christmas and their reports have made more than a few people green with envy. A TGR film crew including Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Dash Longe, Dylan Hood, and Tim Durtschi recently made a pilgrimage to the Girdwood area, you can check out video from their trip here.For most operators in Alaska, the heli season starts in late February or early March and goes until May 1. Kevin Quinn, owner of Points North Heli-Adventures in Cordova, is fired up for this one. “This year we are way above normal snowfall,” Quinn said. “We flew around the zone the other day and there is a lot of snow, the holes in the glaciers are all filled in, and we’ve got 8- to 9-foot snowbanks around our heli-pad.” PNH’s first groups of the season are in house, both guides and clients are eager to sample the goods. PNH is also offering a first of its kind heli-assisted yurt-based ski touring program this year. This is the first time this has been available to the public and is a more affordable and unique way for people to experience the Chugach. [image]Seemingly endless Haines, Alaska. Photo by Colter Hinchcliffe. Professional skier James Heim is in Haines with a crew to film for MSP. Haines-based heli-ops Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures (SEABA) and Alaska Heliskiing are both scheduled to get their first groups in the air starting this week. While still en route, Heim said, “We saw a glimpse of the mountains on the flight in and they are looking so caked and amazing, I can't wait to get out there with the crew.” TREW co-owner and founder Tripp Frey is also in Haines with professional skier Colter Hinchcliffe, they are among a lucky few who’ve already had a chance to fly. “We were one of the first groups out this year, we got to ski some of the classic lines,” Frey said, “With all the snow they’ve had and more in the forecast this season is off to a fantastic start.”Thompson Pass has received over 600 inches of snow this winter and the heli-operations in Valdez are getting ready for action. Valdez Heli Ski Guides' brand new Tsaina lodge is scheduled to open in early March. The new 24-room facility will offer the most expensive, but the most modern lodging on the pass, with heli rides right outside your door. Just down the road at 45 mile, Alaska Rendezvous Heli Ski Guides also offers lodging on-site.Ralph Backstrom, the current Freeride World Tour leader, has been accessing terrain by snowmobile and filming near Thompson Pass with TGR. “We’ve been riding big lines, but hiking up them,” Backstrom said, “I’m stoked to bang out some laps in the heli when it goes blue!”Going to Alaska can be a gamble, but this year it’s a pretty safe bet that they have more snow than just about anywhere. If you’re hungry to ski some powder or you’ve just always wanted to go to AK, this is probably the year to do it. In stark contrast to the lower 48, which has largely been starved for natural snow for most of this winter, Alaska has been feasting on a seemingly endless string of storms. The persistent and powerful storms have made national headlines from CNN to the Huffington Post. So far this year, most coastal Alaska towns have received upwards of 20 feet of snow — at sea level. In early January, a declaration of disaster was issued for the town of Cordova when roofs collapsed and homes were buried in snow. National Guardsmen were deployed to help them deal with the excessive snowfall. [image]A sweet, sweet run in Haines, Alaska, as seen from the heli. Photo by Colter Hinchcliffe. Alyeska resort in Girdwood, Alaska, is reporting 568 inches of snow since Nov. 1, only 80 inches shy of its annual average, and it’s only February. Powder hungry pro skiers have been flocking to the resort since before Christmas and their reports have made more than a few people green with envy. A TGR film crew including Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Dash Longe, Dylan Hood, and Tim Durtschi recently made a pilgrimage to the Girdwood area, you can check out video from their trip here.For most operators in Alaska, the heli season starts in late February or early March and goes until May 1. Kevin Quinn, owner of Points North Heli-Adventures in Cordova, is fired up for this one. “This year we are way above normal snowfall,” Quinn said. “We flew around the zone the other day and there is a lot of snow, the holes in the glaciers are all filled in, and we’ve got 8- to 9-foot snowbanks around our heli-pad.” PNH’s first groups of the season are in house, both guides and clients are eager to sample the goods. PNH is also offering a first of its kind heli-assisted yurt-based ski touring program this year. This is the first time this has been available to the public and is a more affordable and unique way for people to experience the Chugach. [image]Seemingly endless Haines, Alaska. Photo by Colter Hinchcliffe. Professional skier James Heim is in Haines with a crew to film for MSP. Haines-based heli-ops Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures (SEABA) and Alaska Heliskiing are both scheduled to get their first groups in the air starting this week. While still en route, Heim said, “We saw a glimpse of the mountains on the flight in and they are looking so caked and amazing, I can't wait to get out there with the crew.” TREW co-owner and founder Tripp Frey is also in Haines with professional skier Colter Hinchcliffe, they are among a lucky few who’ve already had a chance to fly. “We were one of the first groups out this year, we got to ski some of the classic lines,” Frey said, “With all the snow they’ve had and more in the forecast this season is off to a fantastic start.”Thompson Pass has received over 600 inches of snow this winter and the heli-operations in Valdez are getting ready for action. Valdez Heli Ski Guides' brand new Tsaina lodge is scheduled to open in early March. The new 24-room facility will offer the most expensive, but the most modern lodging on the pass, with heli rides right outside your door. Just down the road at 45 mile, Alaska Rendezvous Heli Ski Guides also offers lodging on-site.Ralph Backstrom, the current Freeride World Tour leader, has been accessing terrain by snowmobile and filming near Thompson Pass with TGR. “We’ve been riding big lines, but hiking up them,” Backstrom said, “I’m stoked to bang out some laps in the heli when it goes blue!”Going to Alaska can be a gamble, but this year it’s a pretty safe bet that they have more snow than just about anywhere. If you’re hungry to ski some powder or you’ve just always wanted to go to AK, this is probably the year to do it. Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:57:56 GMT http://live.tetongravity.com/_Alaska-Heli-Season-Spins-Up/blog/5800831/75233.html jeremybenson 2012-02-22T22:11:39Z Teton Gravity Research In stark contrast to the lower 48, which has largely been starved for natural snow for most of this winter, Alaska has been feasting on a seemingly endless string of storms. The persistent and powerful storms have made national headlines from CNN to the Huffington Post. So far this year, most coastal Alaska towns have received upwards of 20 feet of snow — at sea level. In early January, a declaration of disaster was issued for the town of Cordova when roofs collapsed and homes were buried in snow. National Guardsmen were deployed to help them deal with the excessive snowfall. [image]A sweet, sweet run in Haines, Alaska, as seen from the heli. Photo by Colter Hinchcliffe. Alyeska resort in Girdwood, Alaska, is reporting 568 inches of snow since Nov. 1, only 80 inches shy of its annual average, and it’s only February. Powder hungry pro skiers have been flocking to the resort since before Christmas and their reports have made more than a few people green with envy. A TGR film crew including Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Dash Longe, Dylan Hood, and Tim Durtschi recently made a pilgrimage to the Girdwood area, you can check out video from their trip here.For most operators in Alaska, the heli season starts in late February or early March and goes until May 1. Kevin Quinn, owner of Points North Heli-Adventures in Cordova, is fired up for this one. “This year we are way above normal snowfall,” Quinn said. “We flew around the zone the other day and there is a lot of snow, the holes in the glaciers are all filled in, and we’ve got 8- to 9-foot snowbanks around our heli-pad.” PNH’s first groups of the season are in house, both guides and clients are eager to sample the goods. PNH is also offering a first of its kind heli-assisted yurt-based ski touring program this year. This is the first time this has been available to the public and is a more affordable and unique way for people to experience the Chugach. [image]Seemingly endless Haines, Alaska. Photo by Colter Hinchcliffe. Professional skier James Heim is in Haines with a crew to film for MSP. Haines-based heli-ops Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures (SEABA) and Alaska Heliskiing are both scheduled to get their first groups in the air starting this week. While still en route, Heim said, “We saw a glimpse of the mountains on the flight in and they are looking so caked and amazing, I can't wait to get out there with the crew.” TREW co-owner and founder Tripp Frey is also in Haines with professional skier Colter Hinchcliffe, they are among a lucky few who’ve already had a chance to fly. “We were one of the first groups out this year, we got to ski some of the classic lines,” Frey said, “With all the snow they’ve had and more in the forecast this season is off to a fantastic start.”Thompson Pass has received over 600 inches of snow this winter and the heli-operations in Valdez are getting ready for action. Valdez Heli Ski Guides' brand new Tsaina lodge is scheduled to open in early March. The new 24-room facility will offer the most expensive, but the most modern lodging on the pass, with heli rides right outside your door. Just down the road at 45 mile, Alaska Rendezvous Heli Ski Guides also offers lodging on-site.Ralph Backstrom, the current Freeride World Tour leader, has been accessing terrain by snowmobile and filming near Thompson Pass with TGR. “We’ve been riding big lines, but hiking up them,” Backstrom said, “I’m stoked to bang out some laps in the heli when it goes blue!”Going to Alaska can be a gamble, but this year it’s a pretty safe bet that they have more snow than just about anywhere. If you’re hungry to ski some powder or you’ve just always wanted to go to AK, this is probably the year to do it. alaska heli season, alaska heli-skiing, alaska rendezvous, points north, points north heli-skiing, valdez heli-skiing nonadult false Alaska Heli Season Spins Up text blog alaska heli season,alaska heli-skiing,alaska rendezvous,points north,points north heli-skiing,valdez heli-skiing 343 0 0.0 http://live.tetongravity.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=38504481&as=75233 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/75233/photos/PHOTO_18172597_75233_38504481_ap_160X120.jpg false United States AK 0 0 5800831 38504481 Bronze 4210