90 Search Results for ""ak spines""

• Cherry Picking – Points North Cherry Picking – Points North Heli “Buddy Love”, the Worm Glacier

  • From: kimhavell
  • Description:

    Photo: Grant Kaye
    
    Remote, bold, and mostly unknown, some of the dream, big mountain lines lie deep in Alaska's mountains and are accessible only by helicopter. Over the season, we will cherry pick the modern gems of ski descents from one of the greatest places on the planet for big mountain powder skiing: Alaska, The Dream Factory. It will be a display of mind-blowing, inspiring, and intense moments as we ask the heli-guides and owners to cherry pick a run from each of their permit areas. This is a look into what is possible by some of the best operators in the world and their talented guides, clients and athletes.
    
    Buddy Love - Cherry Picking No. 2 - Points North Heli
    
    The Worm Glacier is a Points North Heli (PNH) treasure. Sitting at the Southern entrance of the Chugach mountain range just north of Cordova, Alaska, the Worm zone offers a vast number of options off the peaks lining its valley. Terrain ranges from the 3,000ft warm-up run “Guilt Trip” to spines galore. The stand-out, however, is a peak named “Buddy Love” that, according to PNH Chef and tail guide Nathan Stone, “is undoubtedly the brains and beauty of the Worm Glacier. Flying in, if you can make it past the temptations viewed on approach, your eyes become fixated on this lone peak at the head of the valley.”
    
    The prominent peak of Buddy Love is roughly 2800 vertical feet and a consistent 50-degree angle pitch. It is named after one of Cordova's most respected citizens and good friend of PNH, Bud Jansen, AKA “Buddy Love”. A third generation Inuit tribesmen, Bud is a central figure of the land-locked community. PNH photographer and friend Keoki Flagg explains, “Like most who were born and raised in Cordova, Buddy has made his living as a commercial fisherman. This giant of a man has a gentle, easy-going manner and he is engaged and committed to supporting any and all activities that help the community thrive.” Janson also owns the famous “Pro Shop” in Cordova, and the Worm Glacier and many of its runs are named in honor of him.
    
    
    
    When Kent Kreitler put the first descent down Buddy Love it was pre-PNH as well as pre-most heli operations in AK. Kreitler was based off the Maritime Maid boat in Prince William Sound, close to the current Points North base. The first descent was documented in TGR’s film, “Harvest”. The segment opens with Kent charging from the top, airing over a rock outcropping, and then sending it to the bottom effortlessly in about eight turns.
    
    Countless pros and film companies have visited the area over the years and superstar big mountain skier Wendy Fisher calls it the best heli run of her life. Pro snowboarders Mitch Toelder, Flo Orley and 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist Seth Wescott have also charged multiple routes off its face.
    
    As Guide and Co-Owner, Jessica Sobolowski-Quinn shares, “Buddy Love used to be a peak I often skied with Kevin (Quinn – husband, guide, & co-owner). The landing zone is small and the adrenaline I would feel on the toe-in would stay with me for the first three turns skiing down. It’s exciting! Dropping onto the massive spine is intimidating, but as soon as you’re a quarter of the way down the run appears, the rollover fades away, and you are skiing a beautiful, consistently steep slope to the bottom.”
    
    Sobolowski-Quinn adds, “It was a special moment when one of our guests, KC, skied it. She is a mom of three and in her forties. I was overcome with pride and awe. It's not often you see a lady just ripping the you-know-what out of a line like Buddy Love and doing it just for the sheer joy of doing it.”
    
    Photo: Court Leve
    
    PNH company man Stone describes the run:
    
    “On the west aspect there are fluted spines, top to bottom. The apron is littered with gaping crevasses that catch your eye like an S.O.S distress signal from a pocket mirror. Due to its sun exposure, this aspect is rarely skied. But in the right conditions, it will be what you dream about. 
    
    Panning around to the northwest aspect, Buddy Love proper, is a beautiful A-framed layout. The tip of the peak is rarely landed on by helis as it occasionally can have wind scoured rock formations and a miniscule landing area; so about fifty percent of the landings are in the saddle just below the summit. This is where I set out for the quick climb to the top.
    
    Once on the summit, as I double check my gear, the bass drum in my chest is increasing in velocity and depth. Peering over the tip of my board, the view is peppered rock and small cliffs scattered about the entrance. Beyond that, the only visual is the valley floor 3,000 feet below. Classic AK roll.
    
    There are safe points. But if you are caught in the wrong area, it's taking you top to bottom in a hurry.
    
    
    
    With a consistent 50-degree pitch, I have no problem finding the accelerator in the first turn. From there it offers several routes—my personal favorite being fall line. I work the mountain from right to left. A third of the way down, a distinct rib just calls for turns. Shedding snow forms rivers on both sides of me, and yet more concentrated on either side of the spine. I make a few surf-style turns, whipping the tail while scrubbing speed in the same motion. A smooth lip. Take off!
    
    Airing a small cliff band, I am now in the gut. The belly of the beast. I have two choices at this point: wait out the slough train, or, my choice, hammer down, working left toward the shoulder, letting the snow fall away from me.
    
    Getting to the bottom third, the thought of pointing to the finish line comes to mind. But keeping one step ahead, I lock onto the open seracs and depressions on the left side of the apron. All of the snow I've been avoiding is now catching me and its destination is the danger zone. Smashing the pedal to the floor, I exit right, just before the slough nips at my heels to pull me back fall line. Arms raised, yelling in ecstasy, I realize that I made it. And I rode it how I wanted.”
    
    
    Be safe in the field, shop for all your avalanche saftey gear online at Backcountry.com

    Photos by

  • Blog post
  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 169
  • Not yet rated

• Video: Steelhead And Spines - Video: Steelhead And Spines - The Provo Brothers

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:

    
    
    The following video text and photos comes from the Provo brothers' trip to ski and fish Alaska. Jesus Christ, looks like they nailed it - and it was their first time to AK. Way to crush, boys! Watch this video and go get after it this season.
    
    Our addiction to mountains and rivers has always had us looking north to Alaska, where big fish and mountains existed on a level we had only experienced in our dreams. As the winter of 2012 continued to disappoint in the lower 48, it was obvious that Alaska was being buried in snow. It seemed like the time was right, that maybe after 10 years of “practice” in Utah, we were ready for our journey north. We hit the road in March, putting everything we had into our first and for all we knew, our last adventure to Alaska, with two things on our mind, steelhead and spines.
    
    We joined forces with three of our friends from Utah, for a ski-plane assisted camping expedition in the heart of south eastern Alaska's backcountry. Over 50 miles by wing from the nearest road, our pilot dropped the 5 of us off on a big lonely glacier encircled by jagged mountains, and in the spirit of adventure, wished us good luck. We would need it. From that point on, the feeling of being completely alone in a wild and unknown land for the first time in our lives penetrated every cell in our bodies. Only one person in our group had ever been to Alaska, Chris Coulter. On day 8 when he suddenly left to work in Haines as a heli guide, the feeling of isolation crept deeper into our minds, and it had never felt so good.
    
    We chose to do this trip without any guides, plans, itineraries, or rules simply because we wanted to have our own experience. We wanted it to be raw, unknown, and we wanted it to be an adventure. Of course, the style we chose made things much more difficult for us than they could have been, but the feeling of accomplishment was immense. We found glorious spines to ride, and stumbled upon one of the best runs of wild Steelhead in the world. Returning home safely from our first journey to Alaska signified a successful mission, along with the wonderful new memories from the greatest riding and fishing experiences of our lives.
    
    facebook.com/provobros
    ianprovo.com
    neilprovo.com
    
    Big thanks to Outdoor Research, Orvis, Backcountry.com, Voile, and Smith Optics
    
    music:
    “Elephant” - Tame Impala
    “Golden” - Tired Eyes Music
    “Bicycle Bicycle” - Early B
    “Distant Time” - Tired Eyes Music
    “Such a Sky” - Tired Eyes Music
    “Shining Sun Riddim” - Riga / Hemp Higher Prod.
    “Heaven's on Fire” - The Radio Dept.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

  • Blog post
  • 5 months ago
  • Views: 199
  • Not yet rated

• Spines in AK Spines in AK

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:
    Spines in AK
  • 5 months ago
  • Views: 141
  • Not yet rated

• timdurtschi

  • Member
  • Points:255
  • Views: 33
  • Since: 7 months ago
  • Not yet rated

• Deeper, Further, Higher: Jerem Deeper, Further, Higher: Jeremy Jones Interview

  • From: SamPetri
  • Description:

    Jeremy Jones’ Further trailer drops Wednesday, July 25, on TetonGravity.com. The two-year snowboard film project produced by Teton Gravity Research and presented by O’Neill is the second installment of the Jeremy Jones trilogy: Deeper, Further, Higher.
    
    Shot in Japan, Norway, Austria, Alaska and California’s Sierra Mountains, this is Jones’ most ambitious film to date. Further explores some of the world's most remote mountain terrain while continuing Jones' mission to camp deep in the backcountry and on the summits of unridden lines to access nearly vertical spines and wide-open powder fields using only human power to get up and down.
    
    In light of the trailer release, we caught up with the boss of big mountain snowboarding to give you some insight on the movie, the trilogy and his company Jones Snowboards.
    
    

    

    What Further trip stands out the most in your mind and why?
    
    Jeremy Jones: All the trips were really special to me. It's hard to pick one. I think going up to Svalbard [Norway] with Terje Haakonsen stands out because I was really out of my comfort zone and in a place that I knew very little about. And, I had never ridden with Terje, and I had all this anxiety going on that trip. It was the only time in 17 years that I didn't go to Alaska, and chose to go to this island right next to the North Pole instead, and I just didn't know. … I had heard that there were decent mountains there, but, you know, really didn't know what to expect, and we ended up scoring really good conditions and riding some of the best lines of my life in the middle of the night under pink skies. We were there in the spring, and it never gets dark at that time of year, so three weeks of not seeing the sun set was a trip.
    
    What was the biggest challenge you faced while filming Further?
    
    JJ: Hiking these lines is the biggest challenge. Primarily because we're trying to get these serious faces, and get them in powder. And there's just no room for error on the calls that you have to make in the mountains. We're on these faces for hours, and if you have one little pocket break on you on the way up it could kill you. And on the contrary, if we were on our boards riding and a little pocket breaks, it’s no big deal. So that just adds this major intensity. Every day. You'll look in the film and see all this happy, cruiser powder and it's … um … That stuff is really serious. Because we're on those slopes for hours, and if something happens, the consequences are high.
    
    What do you look for in a location when planning a trip for Deeper, Further and Higher?
    
    JJ: I’m looking for places with a safe snowpack. So that could be … a lot of these locations are maritime snowpacks. Austria isn't, but they had a great winter. A place like Austria can go either way. Some years it's a very dangerous snowpack, some years it's a much more manageable snowpack. This year was a very good snowpack for them. It was still tricky, but not the deep instability that would shut down a location for me. That, good terrain, and a place that still holds a lot of first descents.
    
    What Jones snowboard do you ride the most?
    
    JJ: I ride the Solution 161 the most.
    
    Why?
    
    JJ: It's just a great, versatile, all around board that works in all conditions. When you go on these trips, you have no idea if you’re going to be riding bulletproof or bottomless pow, and that board kills it on everything. Actually, in the Japan segment, I'm on a Hovercraft because I had some inspiration from Japan when I designed that board, and I felt like that was the place to ride it.
    
    

    

    What's your favorite place to ride in the Tahoe backcountry, if you're just going to go for the morning, or on an average Wednesday?
    
    JJ: When ever I'm out in the mountains with someone I tell them to tell their friends that we're on Donner Pass.
    
    [Laughs] Nice. Over the past two years while filming for Further, who did you ride the most with and why?
    
    JJ: Well, I probably ride with Ryland Bell more than anyone just because in the winter we live in the same town, and Ryland is … He rides every day. And so it's just a guarantee. If I need someone to call to go ride, to go do some mission, to go ride bulletproof ice at the resort, a rainy, slushy day in the backcountry, whatever. Ryland's down. He's happy. He's charging.
    
    What do you hope to show with the whole trilogy of Deeper, Further and Higher?
    
    JJ: I would say in general, just a general kind of vibe, is to get people fired up to go into the mountains. Inspire them to push themselves. Wherever you are on that spectrum, that could mean different things. I want to give the viewer a really good taste of the mountains, and also hopefully educate some people on the mountains. Because I think that's important. If you're inspiring people to go into the mountains, it comes with a responsibility to also educate them about the mountains.
    
    Go To The Further Film Page
    
    Watch Episodes Of Further Unplugged

  • Blog post
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 583
  • Not yet rated

• News: Teton Gravity Research R News: Teton Gravity Research Releases Trailer For The Dream Factory

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:

    

    New feature-length ski and snowboard film will depict the history and modern progression of freeriding in Alaska.
    
    (Teton Village, Wyo.) - Leading multimedia action sports brand Teton Gravity Research (TGR) announces the release of its upcoming feature-length HD ski and snowboard film, The Dream Factory, and releases the trailer.

    
    For the past 16 years, Teton Gravity Research (TGR) has made the pilgrimage to America’s last frontier, Alaska: The Dream Factory. Throughout history, Alaska has been a place of dreams. From the early gold rush days, to the rise of commercial fishing, to the explosion of the ski and snowboard freeride movement, people have left everything to follow their dreams and journey to this foreign, mystical land. Like the frontiersmen before them, the pioneers of the freeride movement like Doug Coombs, Eric Pehota, and Trevor Petersen made the dream of skiing in Alaska a reality.
    
    Follow TGR's modern day athletes on this cinematic voyage through Alaska's awe-inspiring expanse, rich history, and colorful characters. Watch as the TGR crew ventures from AK training grounds Jackson Hole, WY and Pemberton, BC, and delves deep into the Alaskan way of life during last year's record snowfall in AK, skiing terrain most of us only dream about.
    
    Starring: Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Dash Longe, Dana Flahr, Tim Durtschi, Seth Morrison, Erik Roner, Chris Benchetler, Todd Ligare, Griffin Post, Ralph Backstrom, Daron Rahlves, Angel Collinson, Matt Philippi, Clayton Vila, Cam Riley, Dylan Hood, John Spriggs, Rory Bushfield, Max Hammer, Nick Martini, Dave Treadway, Maxim Arsenault, Forrest Shearer, Daniel Tisi
    
    On Location: Jackson Hole, WY / Valdez, AK / Haines, AK / Anchorage, AK / Whittier, AK / Northern Chugach, AK / Valdez Heli Ski Guides / Alyeska Resort / SEABA Heli / Alaska Heli Skiing / Girdwood, AK / Pemberton, BC
    
    "The Dream Factory is the most elaborate TGR film to date," says Todd Jones, TGR co-founder. "We shot over 50 interviews and uncovered the true history of skiing and snowboarding in Alaska. The story will take viewers through Alaska's history as a state, its skiing history, and showcase the modern progression of skiing and snowboarding - from steep spines and big mountain terrain, to urban and all-around progressive freestyle."
    
    The Dream Factory will premiere September 15, 2012, at the Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village, Wyo., followed by a worldwide film tour.

    Click here for information on iTunes, DVD, and Blu-ray releases.
    
    Photos, videos and stories from The Dream Factory
    
    About Teton Gravity Research:

    One of the world's leading action sports brands, TGR has produced 30 award-winning feature-length films, numerous television series, and national television commercial spots. Known for its cutting edge media and lifestyle product, TGR works with the top athletes in their respective disciplines, capturing, celebrating, and bringing to life the passion and enthusiasm associated with action sports. TGR is a proud member of 1% For The Planet and strongly believes in protecting the environment in which the team works and plays. For more information on TGR, please visit tetongravity.com, one of the leading online destinations and communities in the action sports industry.

  • Blog post
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 740
  • Not yet rated

• Jeremy Jones' Further Project Jeremy Jones' Further Project Wraps In The Wrangells

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:

    Jeremy Jones and the Further crew just returned from one of the most breathtaking and heaviest trips to date. Jeremy seems to have an instinctive radar for incredible spines and he was able to find exactly that. For the past three weeks we were camped on the outer reef of Alaska's Bagley Icefield, the largest nonpolar icefield in North America located in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
    
    With the help of Paul Claus of Ultima Thule Lodge, we flew in and set up camp staring at a gorgeous amphitheater of spines. Jeremy, Ryland Bell, and Lucas DeBari spent the better part of a month dissecting the epic, serac-filled land. With stable snow and a stint of unprecedented high pressure, the major concern was the size of inescapable, gargantuan bergschrunds at the base of every line. This placed a heavy weight on the precise execution of every turn and the riders maintained infinite respect for the size of the Wrangells. The culmination of the two-year Further project was a huge success, with everyone returning safely from a land beyond reckoning.

    Traveling into the world's biggest wilderness area was a spectacular sight as the plane gets dwarfed by the seemingly endless Wrangell Mountains.

    Getting a little wider view of camp was a great way of putting ourselves in check of the terrain we were dealing with.

    Venturing out into the unknown, Ryland and Jeremy check out the new location.

    Lucas expresses the feeling he gets when getting to the top of The Town Wall lines.

    With perfect light and a fresh layer of snow, Ryland lays out the hand drag with some style.

    K-Tooth was one of those lines for no mistakes. With exposure in all directions, Jeremy navigates the line perfect.

    It took the Further production team three AK trips to finally dial in the right solar power set up. The Goal Zero Extreme 350 battery and the Boulder panels proved to do the trick.  Having to charge about eight batteries, three Contours and offload around 40 GB of footage each night the Goal Zero products keep the whole camp powered.

    Lucas skins across the world's biggest nonpolar ice cap (Bagley Icefield) looking as though he is on the moon.

    The setting sun lights up the towering seracs and spines that surround the camp.

    The Town Wall getting lit up from the moon kept the creative juices and stoke flowing for the next day.

    The Northern Lights across the Bagley Icefield was always a good reason to get out of the tent at night.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 194
  • Not yet rated

• Update: Still Crushing It In K Update: Still Crushing It In Knik River Valley

  • From: ToddJones
  • Description:

    The heli gets a fresh dusting of new snow.

    New Terrain. Fresh Perspectives. Record Snowfalls.  These have been some of the themes of the last few weeks in the Knik River Valley.

    Everyone knows that Alaska is on fire this year. On April 7, a small storm rolled into South Central Alaska and dumped enough snow to  break a 60-year-old snow total record in Anchorage. Essentially, AK is having the best season since 1954. Wow.  The rest of the world knows this as well, as we have seen the social media universe explode with images of spines and deep powder.

    We chose the Knik area to get away from the crowds and explore new terrain. It has been really exciting.  Essentially, the traffic in this area consists of our group and the Silverton Mountain Guides crew. Oh yeah, and some fixed wing ski-touring groups, one of which crashed into the glacier in front of our very eyes. Fortunately, everyone was OK.

    Our group is made up of  the TGR production team, athletes Daron Rahlves, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Dash Long and Seth Morrison, as well as photographers Adam Clark and Mark Fisher. We have been finding tons of cool peaks and features. Everyone is fired up to be up here and scoring the goods.

    Life quiets down around our lodge when the snow falls.

    Dumping at the Knik River Lodge.
    
    Dash Longe sends a big 180. Dash has been killing it this trip. It is nice to see his perspective on these mountains.

    Bummer. We saw this plane go down. Fortunately, everyone was OK. It is not everyday you witness a plane crash.

    Sage pins a sweet spine line.
    
    Dash hitting a cool cliff feature we found while scoping some bigger lines.
    
    Seth in the sluff mix. It looks like a tight exit window for him.

    Daron Rahlves hits a nice scenic ridge line in the clouds.
    
    Daron Rahlves in the mix on a big spine wall.

    Sage “taking the park to the big mountains.”
    
    Rahlves emerges from a sluff wall. In AK you need to run fast from your sluff or you might get burned.
    
    The boys back at base after a successful day in the hills.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 249
  • Not yet rated

• AK Gloat Posts: How To Fight B AK Gloat Posts: How To Fight Back

  • From: ryandunfee
  • Description:

    Even if you’ll never get this view, that doesn’t mean you can’t prevent others from enjoying it.

    Oh, April.  Usually a glorious month stocked with empty late-season pow days, great stability, and awesome corn and park skiing.  It’s also the golden time for heli-skiing in Alaska, which is a particularly aggravating fact for the majority of us who have no access to the above-mentioned late season in this awful snow year.  With little more than mud left at our home mountains, we’re forced to suffer as videos and photos from our favorite pros and our lucky friends having the time of their lives in Alaska flood our Facebook feeds.  But fear not, snow-less masses, there is something you can do to fight back against the two key constituencies that are currently making that chip on your shoulder so infuriatingly large that you can’t even see around it to change lanes on the highway.

    The Gloating, Social Media-Abusing Pro
    
    If you’re using the popular social media app Instagram these days, you’re likely following your favorite pros as they capture photo after photo of all the amazing places they get to go to that you don’t.  You might have tolerated it in February, when they were chest-deep in Japan while you were at least getting turns, but now that your gear is in the closet and they’re in a helicopter chasing pow, you just can’t take it anymore.

    Not to worry!  Every smirking post glorifying heli-ski life and how sweet it is to ski miles and miles of untracked spines leaves the door open to respond with an equal amount of sarcasm and ridicule. 

    So when you see this:
    
    “Cody Townsend Going Heli Skiing”
    @where ski movies are made
    
    Flying home on a day like yesterday is the best feeling ever.
    
    Respond with this:
    
    “Ryan Dunfee Looking at Dismal NH Surf Forecast”
    @heli filming heli filming my epic vacation you will never have

    Happy Easter from #AK where we are killing it waaaay harder than your stupid family picnic.  Me and the bros and pros are going heli-surfing in a $6 million helicopter made of dark chocolate.  Champagne drinking all day in between epicest faceshots and perfect overhead barrels while I shop for yachts online.  Everyone else is blowing it!!!  Oh yeah, going for a ride in a stealth bomber to blow up your crappy mountain that’s already closed haha!

    And you can keep pushing it from there:

    “Ryan Dunfee Bored Looking for Real-Life Jobs”
    @Alaska and outer space.  Taking a crap on Richard Branson’s weak spaceship.
    
    F#ck yeah #AK is sick!!!  Day five spent outrunning imperial cruisers with a talking bush of fur named #Chewbacca while I played dodgeball with the Lakers girls in the back!!  Also skied a first descent on some random planet… 17,000-foot vert of BLOWER pow while you nerds sit at work!!  I’m the man and my vacation is way better than your life every day!  I rule!!!

    Make sure to tag your favorite pro in every post, and you’ll be sure to see a precipitous drop-off in their gloaty powder posts as they realize us the rest of us have to carry on with our boring lives while they have fun, and we don’t want to hear about how much better it is to be them.

    The Obnoxious and Stoked Bro
    
    Whoops…

    So your best buddy maxed out all his credit cards and booked a week-long heli trip in Haines, and is now enjoying the trip his entire ski life, as well as the Gaper Spirit Animal’s, has led up to.  It’s clear you’re not going to be “winning” a la Charlie Sheen this spring since you’re stuck at work crying over the lack of snow while your buddy sends you picture texts of all the life-changing lines he or she is shredding.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a way better summer than they will.  Place all their prized summer toys in the driveway – mountain bike, surfboard, hiking boots, grill – and promptly run them over with your car.  When they return from heli-skiing with a shit-eating grin that makes you want to puke, you can find solace in the fact that your summer will be way, way better than theirs.  What excuse you use for why you wrecked all your roomie’s gear is up to you.

    Get fired up, read some recent AK gloat posts here, here, here, here and here.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 364
  • Not yet rated

• Jeremy Nobis Harvest Segment ( Jeremy Nobis Harvest Segment (1997)-Blast From The Past Episode 11

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:

    This week's Blast From The Past web series finds Jeremy Nobis in Alaska filming for Harvest. The clip from 1997 shows Nobis absolutely shredding steep spines in AK on cambered straight skis.  Nobis may still be one of the best in the business.    
    
    TGR's Blast From The Past web series will take you back in time to revisit some of our favorite film segments from 15 years of actions sports filmmaking. From shredding Alaska spines set to Metallica to surfing El Salvador's endless beaches, Blast From The Past is your one stop for TGR's greatest film segments.
    
    Click Here To Get Old School And Rip In Blast From The Past

  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 480
  • Not yet rated

• Getting Sick In Knik - TGR Exp Getting Sick In Knik - TGR Explores The Northern Chugach

  • From: ToddJones
  • Description:

    Two years ago, Aaron Brill from Silverton Mountain Guides sent us six photos of big rowdy Alaskan spines. He had been diverted from the Tordrillo Mountains when Mount Redoubt began spewing ash all over the range. His diversion led him down a long winding road to the Knik River Lodge, where he spent that spring. I immediately forwarded the shots to the TGR athletes and crew and asked them what they thought. In a matter of minutes my inbox was filling up with responses indicating everyone’s excitement to go explore a new area. We immediately began planning a trip there the next winter with the help of Brill. The plan was to spend the spring of 2011 at the Knik River Lodge and ride a bunch of unridden lines deep in the Northern Chugach.
    
    The winter of 2010-2011 was one of the worst recorded snowfalls in the history of Alaska.  Almost ninety days of high pressure left the Chugach high and dry and we ended up shifting our spring trip to Juneau.
    
    The winter of 2012 has been a whole different story. This year Alaska has been smashing all of its historical snowfall records. We put the Knik / Northern Chugach trip back on the table. We drove up the long winding dirt road to the Knik River Lodge, which sits at the end of the road. The lodge is made up of fifteen nice cabins and a European-style dinner Yurt. Our heli sits fifty yards from our cabins.  The riders on the first half of the trip are Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Dash Longe, Seth Morrison, and Daron Rahlves. We are truly in The Dream Factory.
    
    We hooked up with Chugach legend Chuck McMahon for a recon flight to start mapping out our goals for the spring. Chuck was the first person to land skiers on Thompson Pass in the late 1980s. Chuck is a true Alaskan bush pilot and one of the best snow plane pilots we have ever met. Sage and Chuck went for a long recon and brought home a plethora of incredible photos that would become our focus over the next five weeks.
    
    After a few days of snow assessment things have begun to come together. We have been getting into some big classic AK spines. Dash and Sage have been bringing the freestyle game into the mix, while Rahlves and Morrison bring a ferocious style of charging to these big peaks. The weather forecast looks good for a while. We will check back in a week or so with updates from this magical place.
    
    silvertonmountainguides.com
    knikriverlodge.com

    Nice to be running the Alaska plates again.

    The Knik River Lodge sits at the end of a long winding road up the Knik River Valley.

    Daron Rahlves and Dash Longe arrive at the Knik River Lodge, our home for the next five weeks.

    The lodge is located right in the thick of the Northern Chugach. We stay in these cool little cabins.

    Sage Cattabriga-Alosa meets up with Chuck McMahon. Chuck was the first ski plane pilot to land skiers in Valdez in the late 80s. He was looking to get back to his roots, so he flew in to scout new terrain in the Northern Chugach.

    Once the scout was done, it was time to get in the heli and get some riding in.

    The boys scoping lines. There is endless possibility up here.

    Sage belays our lead guide Kent Scheler onto the slope for some snow assesement.

    Seth Morrison and Sage standing on a big unridden peak.

    Seth Morrison getting in the mix with a nice spine run.

    Dash Longe bringing the freestyle into the big mountains.

    Sage Cattabriga-Alosa drops into some deep Chugach powder. The snow has been deep and blower.

    Daron Rahlves gets into the thick of it on a big Chugach face with rowdy spines.

    Rahlves in the land of the ice and snow. This place has some of the biggest glaciers we have seen in a long time.

    Seth Morrison stoked to be in Alaska for five weeks.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 265
  • Not yet rated

• Heli-Accessed Ski Touring Camp Heli-Accessed Ski Touring Camp Opens Up New Chugach Terrain

  • From: SamPetri
  • Description:

    Day breaks on the Points North touring camp in the Chugach Mountains near Cordova, Alaska.

    “In the end, to ski is to travel fast and free — free over untouched snow country. To be bound to one slope, even one mountain, by a lift may be convenient but it robs us of the greatest pleasure that skiing can give, that is to travel through the wide wintery country; to follow the lure of peaks which tempt on the horizon and to be alone for a few days or even hours in clear, mysterious surroundings.”
    
    — Johann Wolfgang "Hans" Gmoser, Helicopter-Skiing Pioneer
    
    For a month of the year, ski-guides Brennan Lagasse and Jeff Dostie live in a deluxe ski-camp in the sky. From mid-March to mid-April, the two Tahoe-based backcountry professionals head to Cordova, Alaska, to run Points North Heli-Adventures’ new helicopter-accessed ski-touring base camp — the first of its kind in the Chugach Mountains. A dream of the late Kip Garre, Points North owners Kevin Quinn and Jessica Sobolowski-Quinn obtained the permit last winter to start the 5-star winter camp and opened it to the public March 18, 2012. Now Lagasse and Dostie are the gatekeepers of the ski touring paradise.

    The vital supplies of touring camp.

    Located on a border of the company’s heli tenure, Points North now drops backcountry skiers and snowboarders at the camp in the Chugach for a week to access an area seldom traveled by humans. Opportunities for first ascents and descents abound, and the quiet, remote winter camp provides a serene, non-motorized, less expensive, yet more valuable skiing experience in a mountain range notorious for high-priced heli-skiing operations. In early April, TetonGravity.com traveled to Cordova to check out Points North’s set up. It was so epic, we stayed for 10 consecutive days.

    Mark Keim rips perfect Chugach velvet in the back bowls near the Points North touring camp.

    Situated at 3,500 feet above the Rude River, in the right conditions you can ride that vertical to the valley floor, right out the front door of your heated Arctic Oven tent, which also has electricity thanks to a generator. If the snow is not looking right on that aspect, a 40-minute tour takes you to the top of a ridge where you can view Cordova Peak and Cordova Glacier, then drop about 2,500 vertical-feet of wide-open north facing velvet powder. On lazy days, you can lap this face until you feel like touring home to crack one of the 130-plus craft beers you and your crew flew out for the week. Next year, maybe consider bringing a keg.

    Jeremy Frumkin makes the first descent of Tweezer, an atypical Alaskan line.

    The classic Alaskan spines of Dan O's are accessible from the Points North touring camp.
    

    Stepping it up, you can tour deep — for miles — using low-angle glaciers to warp to other valleys, kind of like a moving sidewalk at the airport. Classic AK ramps, obscure couloirs and delicious, terrifying spine walls toy with your curiosity. What’s around the next corner? How far can we really go? Has anyone skied that? No, they haven’t. But you can. And you do. The mountains are yours. There is no stress — just you, your skis and your friends in freaking Candy Land.

    A crew skins their way up from the Simpson Glacier after descending the prominent ski line in the distance named Shakedown Street.

    Like any ski trip to the Chugach, you are at the mercy of the weather. When it’s snowing, you can’t ski. There are no trees for definition and the vertigo is vicious. So you hunker down and wait for it to go blue. This isn’t so bad when you’ve been touring harder than you have all winter for three days straight.  Don’t forget, you have a generator to power mini speakers, so you can pump the Grateful Dead on blast while you talk about environmental sustainability with Brennan Lagasse — who teaches Environmental Science at Sierra Nevada College — while 24 inches of snow stacks up outside. Or, you know, you might want to fire up the DVD player and watch Talladega Nights or Caddy Shack for kicks. It’s up to you. Meanwhile, Jeff Dostie, who used to work as a sous chef, will be cooking up something hearty and delicious: moose steaks from Cordova, linguini with meatballs, Copper River salmon, tri-tip steak, lasagna, chicken stir-fry, a triple pork stacker sandwich with cheese. Let the sustainability debate begin.

    Guide and chef Jeff Dostie serves up steaming lasagna at camp following a long day of ski touring in the Chugach mountains.

    With a vibe somewhere between skiing the Haute Route and being on military rec leave, the scene at Points North’s touring camp is classic AK. You’re burning diesel and propane to stay comfy at camp, but you’re going long, skiing hard and discovering untouched mountains with good friends using human power. The helicopter simply drops you off and picks you up. At a price of what two days of helicopter skiing would cost, you’re out in the mountains for a week, having a decidedly different Chugach skiing experience.

    
    A 90 second clip of an after-dinner jam at Points North Touring Camp.

    Points North has plans to set up as many as four of these ski-touring camps along its heli tenure border in hopes to open up even more terrain to skiers and snowboarders. This would also allow for groups to travel through the Chugach from “hut to hut” – just like they do in the Alps. The Chugach Mountains hold some of the most perfect ski slopes in the world. Points North’s ski touring program makes this terrain all that more attainable.

    Mountaineering partners and Points North ski touring guides Brennan Lagasse and Jeff Dostie.

    For more, visit the Points North website.

    All photos by David Stubbs.

    A Points North helicopter flies over the Chugach en route to Cordova after picking up a crew at touring camp.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 487
  • Not yet rated

• A classic AK soine wall. Photo A classic AK soine wall. Photo by David Stubbs.

  • From: SamPetri
  • Description:
    The classic Alaskan spines of Dannos are accessible from the Points North touring camp in the Chugach mountains.
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 287
  • Not yet rated

• Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:

    Words by Ryan Dunfee

    Andrew Burns, a dirty Canadian buccaneer of a snowboarder, is one of the true pirates of the snowboard scene.  First-hitting backcountry booters to the bolts with Blackbeard-level talent, Burns has been sending it in the Whistler backcountry for a long hot minute.  Thanks to a mild form of insomnia, he only needs four or so hours or sleep between when he leaves the bar in the Village and hops on the sled for sunrise.   Like a true dirty bandit, he also showers and washes his clothes just as seldom as he sleeps.  Although you may not have heard of him until more recently, this season he’s breaking out of hiding in Whistler.   In the first season of Shipwrecked, Burnsie documents his 2012 season living in a fourteen-foot trailer painted like a pirate ship and navigating his swashbuckling vessel from storm to storm across North America.

    TGR: What is living in a fourteen-foot trailer like and what kind of person do you need to be to live in that sort of space?

    Andrew Burns: Well, first off it’s 15 feet long, let’s not cut me short here… but seriously, it’s pretty awesome.  I have it pretty set up: kitchen, big bed, editing zone, flat screen, surround sound and such. I got it for $600 and put another $300 into it. It’s definitely a little different than a normal living situation, most people probably couldn’t handle it but I like it, I go to lots of cool places and see lots of cool stuff, and spend my money on sled gas or helis instead of rent!

    The pirate ship. Photo courtesy of Andrew Burns.

    TGR: How many days a week do you spend in there, how often do you get to shower, and have you been able to stay warm at night?

    Burns: I live there pretty much full time since I bought it in September, unless perhaps my evening schedule happens to lead me to someone else’s house for the night (haha). It’s been in Nevada, California, Colorado, and now it’s up in Whistler. I like the cold already, so it’s pretty mellow in there at night, but even when it’s like -30 outside, that little nugget stays warm with the tiniest little heating device. 

    I’m up in Haines, AK right now, and the original plan was to drive my trailer and sled up, but The Levitation Project has us dialed with a house and some sleds to use, so I decided to go back to normal living for a minute… I kinda miss the trailer… it’s coming up next year for sure.

    TGR: What has been the deal with “Shipwrecked” this season and who have you been working with for filmers and riders?

    Burns: Well I’ve wanted to do my own thing for a while now, and shit was hectic trying to get me into a good crew this year, so I decided I’d try this out and see what happens. I think my situation is pretty obscure and interesting, and I get to ride and film with such a diverse crew of shreds, so I figured people might be down with an inside view of my Pirate life and the world of backcountry shred boarding. 

    I also feature a crew or shredder in each episode. The first one was a rail trip with the D.O.P.E. crew, episode 2 is Bralorne, BC with my close buddy Andrew Geeves, the third and fourth will be Alaska with the Levitation Project crew, the fifth will be spring boarding in Whistler and some COC and High Cascade action, and the sixth and final episode will be Argentina with SGT. Then I’ll get a part together from my season, and hopefully get a banger placement in a big movie! Got something on the line but it’s not official so I’m keeping it under wraps.

    Burns doing what he does best. Photo courtesy of Andrew Burns.

    TGR:You just signed with Levitation Project.  Seems like their program is expanding pretty quickly with new riders and some new gear like backpacks and snow surfers coming out for next season.  What’s going on with LP right now and what’s it like joining the team?

    Burns: The Levitation Project crew is ridiculous. Nico Nolan (owner) is the man, he’s been working on this for some years now, and the shit that’s about to come out is insane. Super tech first layers, best hoodies ever, backcountry and camera bags, and some collab stuff with Dragon and Northwave. So many heavy hitters are jumping on as well, it’s a straight up take over! Nico is also a part owner at SEABA Heli in Haines, AK so we’re all posted up here right now destroying shit. Watch out for the new Levisodes that LP will be dropping of our crew tearin’ AK a new one.

    “…you gotta make sure you get shots and don’t just throw all your money in the rotors.”  Matthew Borish photo.

    TGR: You have been enjoying quite a bit of heli time on your first trip up there.  What was your first line like and what is something about heli skiing no one told you about before you did it?

    Burns: My first line was called Moby Dick.  I was at the bar the night before getting loose and talking a bit of shit about “fuck warm up lines” and such… so the next morning at 7 am we fly out, having no idea what the line was like, still a little whiskey breath, and get dropped. Pretty mellow line, but the first 50 feet of the drop in was about a 60 degree slope that cliffed out, and the next 1000 feet was about a 50 degree slope. Instead of dealing with the entrance and getting into the line to shred it properly, I decided to send it off the dome about 30 feet, and couldn’t hold the landing on the variable snow… and ate shit. Probably the most expensive fall I’ve taken, but oh well. 

    What people need to keep telling me is to tone it down a bit. Shit out here is HUGE, and getting too agro right off the bat as a rookie can cost a lot of money in time using the heli, you gotta make sure you get shots and don’t just throw all your money in the rotors. 

    TGR: Is everyone and their mom really in AK right now or just the internet just make it seem that way?

    Burns: Actually yes, everyone and their mom is in AK. In the past 3 weeks, almost every heavy hitting big mountain skier or snowboarder has been through Haines. After being up here and getting into it, I see why.

    TGR: How long are you planning on staying up there and what are the plans?

    Burns: Well, with my pirate life I know not to plan returns from trips any more, and after being here a couple weeks, I decided I’m staying till the heli season is over! It’s good up here, Nico and The Levitation Project have me dialed till the start of May, and heli boarding hit me like a new-found crack addiction… I will leave when they say: “No seriously, get the fuck outta here, it’s over!” I love the mountains.

    Check thepirateburns.com to follow the swashbuckling.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 374
  • Not yet rated

• Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:
    Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 299
  • Not yet rated

• Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:
    Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 167
  • Not yet rated

• Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:
    Shipwrecked With Andrew Burns
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 162
  • Not yet rated

• Where It All Began - TGR Revis Where It All Began - TGR Revisits The Tsaina Lodge In Valdez

  • From: ericdaft
  • Description:

    

    Words and photos by Eric Daft.

    The Valdez, Alaska, heli-ski season is in full swing, and the TGR crew has found themselves at the Tsaina Lodge on Thompson Pass, following in the footsteps of founders Todd and Steve Jones. This is how it all began, with a ragtag team of skiers and boarders shredding endless unnamed and untamed peaks at Valdez Heli-Ski Guides. And this is where it goes on today.

    The Tsaina Lodge was recently rebuilt, so of course, we showed up for the grand opening. Everybody came out to support what was, in the past, a legendary lodge. When you walk in, you are greeted by a warm fire and a friendly staff. A lot of the old lodge was used in the new construction, so you also get that nostalgic feeling. If you were here in the ’90s, you will recognize the bar is almost identical to the old one, with the same stove, bar stools and pool table.

    Todd Ligare, Griffin Post, and Ralph Backstrom met up with Scott Raynor, owner-operator of Valdez Heli-Ski Guides, which is based out of the new lodge. Our guide Dylan Freed showed us photos of what the Chugach had to offer. It had us drooling. The hit list was big and the weather looked to be cooperative. We were ready to go deep into the range to charge big lines, spines, and ramps. What we found did not disappoint.

    On Day 1 Griffin and Todd shralped the gun barrels on Mt. Dimond simultaneously, then skied right down to the lodge. The next day was the best day for filming of the trip so far, with perfect light on Python and Pyramid. We hit it hard the first week without a day off, ticking off zones and finding even more objectives.

    Right now, the Chugach is as deep as it gets, and conditions could not be better for the filming of TGR's next film, The Dream Factory.

    Griffin Post at the heli pad.

    Griffin finds some classic flutes.

    TGR flies with VHSG.

    The crew gets dropped off on top of their lines.

    The new Tsaina Lodge.

    Griffin Post, Ralph Backstrom, and Todd Ligare scope some lines.

    Ralph Backstrom sends some air.

    Todd Ligare looks down from Mt. Dimond.

    Our VHSG guide Dylan Freed drops into the gun barrels on Mt. Dimond.

    Classic AK.

    Todd Ligare gets deep in the Chugach pow.

    Python Peak and Cherry Couloir.

    And oil truck drives Thompson Pass under the northern lights.

    Our pilot Mike fuels up the heli.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 335
  • Not yet rated

• Classic AK spines Classic AK spines

  • From: ericdaft
  • Description:
    Classic AK spines
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 234
  • Not yet rated

• Alpenglow All Day - Sage, Dyla Alpenglow All Day - Sage, Dylan, Dash and Durtschi Hit Alaska

  • From: PeteObrien
  • Description:

    Last week, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Dylan Hood, Dash Longe and Tim Durtschi left the lower 48 to hit some of the powder in Alaska that has been making national headlines. The boys rolled into Girdwood on what Alyeska locals were calling "the best day of the season." For most of us, it was our first real powder day of the year and after about six tram laps, our legs were Jell-o and everyone had huge grins on their faces.

    Since then, Girdwood has seen six-strait days of high pressure and cold temps, which has kept the snow soft.  We're slotted for two more days of sun before another storm rolls in this weekend.  It looks like the western U.S. is finally getting the snow they desperately needed, as well.

    Winter has arrived and it's great to know you can wake up, put the boots on, and get after it.

    Below are some photos from the past few days. 

    

    Sage Cattabriga'Alosa taking advantage of the early season light in AK this time of year.

    

    Dylan, gap over some trees.

    

    Tim Durtschi grew up skiing at Alyeska and has been guiding us around to all of his secret stashes.

    

    The Boys scoping the gnar ... from the bar.

    

    Sage is a seasoned AK veteran.  He's been team leader on this trip.

    

    If you've never been to AK, this year would be a great time to go.

    

    Dash Longe throwing one of his signature "Sleepy Threes."

    

    Tim Durtschi railing a turn through last light.

    

    Dash Longe assessing the snow a few days after the storm.

    

    Sage hitting his first of many AK spines he'll shred this year.

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 796
  • Not yet rated