70 Search Results for ""blower powder""
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Touring The Tirol Valley With Touring The Tirol Valley With Tim Durtschi
- From: TetonGravityResearch
-
Description:
Words By Tim Durtschi
Photos by Dutch Simpson
After our weeklong stay at the Bluebird Mountain Hostel and good times skiing in Hochfugen, Austria, it was off to Fieberbrunn.
Fieberbrunn is a powder paradise. It has five gondolas: more than any other type of lift at the resort. We took advantage of the easily accessible tree skiing during the heavy storm that hit the day of our arrival.
Our trusty guide Marcus informed us that we arrived to one of the biggest storms that they have seen all season, and the cold weather made for some blower pow. Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Dylan Hood, Colter Hinchliffe and myself made laps from open to close and there was still massive amounts of unskied terrain that made us anxious to get up in the morning and do it all over again.
When the pow stopped falling (we were starting to feel like it never would) our friend Matthias Haunholder took us to some really fun lines off the backside near the Wildseeloder Lodge. The Atomic team manager, Chris Mckearin, came over from the Atomic factory, which is a short 1.5-hour drive away, and got to ski with us for two days.
It was pretty cool to be able to ski with your team manager, especially during a film shoot. I mean, you definitely don’t want to crash in front of your team manager … actually he’s a pretty cool guy, so it’s no big deal.
This week in Fieberbrunn marks the end of our month long journey through the Tirol Valley of Austria. It has been awesome, good times the entire way through, we got to see a huge amount of terrain over the course of our migration, but there is still so much that we could experience. I will definitely be back in the Alps in the future, there is so much opportunity here, and with such welcoming people, it’s hard to say “no” when they say kommen sie bald wieder!
Scoping a gap feature in Hochfugen.
Storm skiing in Fieberbrunn.
Stoked in Fieberbrunn.
Farm house drop in Fieberbrunn.
Zero spin in the Fieberbrunn backcountry.
Cork 5 in Arlberg.
Be sure to check out TGR's Austria ski reports, resort news and more at: http://www.tetongravity.com/travel/resorts/europe/austria-653/ - Blog post
- 3 months ago
- Views: 222
- Not yet rated
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Floating In Fieberbrunn With S Floating In Fieberbrunn With Sage Cattabriga-Alosa
- From: TetonGravityResearch
-
Description:
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa gets ready to drop into deep Austrian snow. Photo by Dutch Simpson.
“Oh man! Hehe, I got a Fieber brew'n!”
Excitement was thick in the air after our first run, filled with insanely deep snow.
We had arrived just hours before in the dark of night to Fieberbrunn, Austria, after a wrong turn led us up a snow-covered single-lane road. Once the realization hit that things were not right the crew, Tim Durtchi, Colter Hinchcliff, Dylan Hood, photographer Mark Fisher, cinematographers Dustin Handly, Athan Merick, the TGR production crew, and I, found that one of our vans was basically stuck. The van was not stuck so much as it was ****ed, as it was overloaded, filled with bags on the inside, five ski bags on the roof, and equipped with non-snow tires and without chains.
The steep, single-lane snow-packed road was slick, and the van became a toboggan. We literally inched the van back down the mountain in a full skid, using the crew as anchors dragging along each side, and back, keeping the van from gaining too much momentum and ending up in a creek, ditch or snow bank. The drive, which should have taken about an hour and a half, took almost seven.
That was all behind us now, nearly forgotten, washed away with, as nearly all the crew described, the deepest snow that they had ever skied. Our start to the day was a little slow, but as we made our way up the series of pod gondolas, the first glimpses of terrain revealed steep trees covered in a visibly thick blanket of snow. As soon as we clicked in and made or first turns, verbal excitement erupted in a chain reaction as one by one we dipped into the waist deep snow. Excitement was high, and we were eager to get right to work, capitalizing on the amazing snow, and capturing the phenomenon of really, really deep snow. Immediately we began identifying shoot-able lanes of powder and pillows that inspired us to break out the cameras, line up zones and embark on the blind ride that would start as soon as you began skiing.
This storm was unique to our trip in Austria, it had snowed almost three feet in just over 24 hours, and was sitting on a soft base creating a bottomless, blower, layer of snow that covered the mountain. Skiing already feels like flying, and when conditions are like this, you are flying in slow motion, hovering down the mountain, suspended by a million feathery crystals, where the flying only ends when the fall line stops.
We continued through the day stepping out small takeoffs, floating off pillows and linking turn after turn of blinding fun. The entire crew was glowing, in awe of the experience, and grateful to have made it to this powder paradise.
Sage busts a cork 3 into bottomless pow at Fieberbrunn. Photo by Dutch Simpson.
Charging 50 cm of snow. Photo by Dustin Handley.
Deep, deep snow. Photo by Dustin Handley.
Sage gets pitted. Photo by Dustin Handley.
So pitted. Photo by Dustin Handley.
Yes, yes it was deep. Photo by Dustin Handley.
Field goal. Photo by Dustin Handley. - Blog post
- 3 months ago
- Views: 209
- Not yet rated
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Flying With Sage In Fieberbruu Flying With Sage In Fieberbruun
- From: TetonGravityResearch
-
Description:
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa gets ready to drop into deep Austrian snow. Photo by Dutch Simpson.
“Oh man! Hehe, I got a Fieber brew'n!”
Excitement was thick in the air after our first run, filled with insanely deep snow.
We had arrived just hours before in the dark of night to Fieberbrunn, Austria, after a wrong turn led us up a snow-covered single-lane road. Once the realization hit that things were not right the crew, Tim Durtchi, Colter Hinchcliff, Dylan Hood, photographer Mark Fisher, cinematographers Dustin Handly, Athan Merick, the TGR production crew, and I, found that one of our vans was basically stuck. The van was not stuck so much as it was ****ed, as it was overloaded, filled with bags on the inside, five ski bags on the roof, and equipped with non-snow tires and without chains.
The steep, single-lane snow-packed road was slick, and the van became a toboggan. We literally inched the van back down the mountain in a full skid, using the crew as anchors dragging along each side, and back, keeping the van from gaining too much momentum and ending up in a creek, ditch or snow bank. The drive, which should have taken about an hour and a half, took almost seven.
That was all behind us now, nearly forgotten, washed away with, as nearly all the crew described, the deepest snow that they had ever skied. Our start to the day was a little slow, but as we made our way up the series of pod gondolas, the first glimpses of terrain revealed steep trees covered in a visibly thick blanket of snow. As soon as we clicked in and made or first turns, verbal excitement erupted in a chain reaction as one by one we dipped into the waist deep snow. Excitement was high, and we were eager to get right to work, capitalizing on the amazing snow, and capturing the phenomenon of really, really deep snow. Immediately we began identifying shoot-able lanes of powder and pillows that inspired us to break out the cameras, line up zones and embark on the blind ride that would start as soon as you began skiing.
This storm was unique to our trip in Austria, it had snowed almost three feet in just over 24 hours, and was sitting on a soft base creating a bottomless, blower, layer of snow that covered the mountain. Skiing already feels like flying, and when conditions are like this, you are flying in slow motion, hovering down the mountain, suspended by a million feathery crystals, where the flying only ends when the fall line stops.
We continued through the day stepping out small takeoffs, floating off pillows and linking turn after turn of blinding fun. The entire crew was glowing, in awe of the experience, and grateful to have made it to this powder paradise.
Sage busts a cork 3 into bottomless pow at Fieberbrunn. Photo by Dutch Simpson. 
Charging 50 cm of snow. Photo by Dustin Handley. 
Deep, deep snow. Photo by Dustin Handley. 
Sage gets pitted. Photo by Dustin Handley. 
So pitted. Photo by Dustin Handley. 
Yes, yes it was deep. Photo by Dustin Handley. 
Field goal. Photo by Dustin Handley. - Blog post
- 3 months ago
- Views: 87
- Not yet rated
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Flying In Fieberbruun With Sag Flying In Fieberbruun With Sage
- From: TetonGravityResearch
-
Description:Sage Cattabriga-Alosa gets ready to drop into deep Austrian snow. Photo by Dutch Simpson.
Words by Sage Cattabriga-Alosa
Photos by Dutch Simpson and Dustin Handley
"Oh man! Hehe, I got a Fieber brew'n!"
Excitement was thick in the air after our first run, filled with insanely deep snow.
We had arrived just hours before in the dark of night to Fieberbrunn, Austria, after a wrong turn led us up a snow-covered single-lane road. Once the realization hit that things were not right the crew, Tim Durtchi, Colter Hinchcliff, Dylan Hood, photographer Mark Fisher, cinematographers Dustin Handly, Athan Merick, the TGR production crew, and I, found that one of our vans was basically stuck. The van was not stuck so much as it was ****ed, as it was overloaded, filled with bags on the inside, five ski bags on the roof, and equipped with non-snow tires and without chains.
The steep, single-lane snow-packed road was slick, and the van became a toboggan. We literally inched the van back down the mountain in a full skid, using the crew as anchors dragging along each side, and back, keeping the van from gaining too much momentum and ending up in a creek, ditch or snow bank. The drive, which should have taken about an hour and a half, took almost seven.
That was all behind us now, nearly forgotten, washed away with, as nearly all the crew described, the deepest snow that they had ever skied. Our start to the day was a little slow, but as we made our way up the series of pod gondolas, the first glimpses of terrain revealed steep trees covered in a visibly thick blanket of snow. As soon as we clicked in and made or first turns, verbal excitement erupted in a chain reaction as one by one we dipped into the waist deep snow. Excitement was high, and we were eager to get right to work, capitalizing on the amazing snow, and capturing the phenomenon of really, really deep snow. Immediately we began identifying shoot-able lanes of powder and pillows that inspired us to break out the cameras, line up zones and embark on the blind ride that would start as soon as you began skiing.
This storm was unique to our trip in Austria, it had snowed almost three feet in just over 24 hours, and was sitting on a soft base creating a bottomless, blower, layer of snow that covered the mountain. Skiing already feels like flying, and when conditions are like this, you are flying in slow motion, hovering down the mountain, suspended by a million feathery crystals, where the flying only ends when the fall line stops.
We continued through the day stepping out small takeoffs, floating off pillows and linking turn after turn of blinding fun. The entire crew was glowing, in awe of the experience, and grateful to have made it to this powder paradise.Sage busts a cork 3 into bottomless pow at Fieberbrunn. Photo by Dutch Simpson. Charging 50 cm of snow. Photo by Dustin Handley. Deep, deep snow. Photo by Dustin Handley. Sage gets pitted. Photo by Dustin Handley. So pitted. Photo by Dustin Handley. Yes, yes it was deep. Photo by Dustin Handley. Field goal huck. Photo by Dustin Handley. - Blog post
- 3 months ago
- Views: 132
- Not yet rated
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Flying In Fieberbruun With Sag Flying In Fieberbruun With Sage Cattabriga-Alosa
- From: TetonGravityResearch
-
Description:Sage Cattabriga-Alosa gets ready to drop into deep Austrian snow. Photo by Dutch Simpson.
Words by Sage Cattabriga-Alosa
Photos by Dutch Simpson and Dustin Handley
"Oh man! Hehe, I got a Fieber brew'n!"
Excitement was thick in the air after our first run, filled with insanely deep snow.
We had arrived just hours before in the dark of night to Fieberbrunn, Austria, after a wrong turn led us up a snow-covered single-lane road. Once the realization hit that things were not right the crew, Tim Durtchi, Colter Hinchcliff, Dylan Hood, photographer Mark Fisher, cinematographers Dustin Handly, Athan Merick, the TGR production crew, and I, found that one of our vans was basically stuck. The van was not stuck so much as it was ****ed, as it was overloaded, filled with bags on the inside, five ski bags on the roof, and equipped with non-snow tires and without chains.
The steep, single-lane snow-packed road was slick, and the van became a toboggan. We literally inched the van back down the mountain in a full skid, using the crew as anchors dragging along each side, and back, keeping the van from gaining too much momentum and ending up in a creek, ditch or snow bank. The drive, which should have taken about an hour and a half, took almost seven.
That was all behind us now, nearly forgotten, washed away with, as nearly all the crew described, the deepest snow that they had ever skied. Our start to the day was a little slow, but as we made our way up the series of pod gondolas, the first glimpses of terrain revealed steep trees covered in a visibly thick blanket of snow. As soon as we clicked in and made or first turns, verbal excitement erupted in a chain reaction as one by one we dipped into the waist deep snow. Excitement was high, and we were eager to get right to work, capitalizing on the amazing snow, and capturing the phenomenon of really, really deep snow. Immediately we began identifying shoot-able lanes of powder and pillows that inspired us to break out the cameras, line up zones and embark on the blind ride that would start as soon as you began skiing.
This storm was unique to our trip in Austria, it had snowed almost three feet in just over 24 hours, and was sitting on a soft base creating a bottomless, blower, layer of snow that covered the mountain. Skiing already feels like flying, and when conditions are like this, you are flying in slow motion, hovering down the mountain, suspended by a million feathery crystals, where the flying only ends when the fall line stops.
We continued through the day stepping out small takeoffs, floating off pillows and linking turn after turn of blinding fun. The entire crew was glowing, in awe of the experience, and grateful to have made it to this powder paradise.Sage busts a cork 3 into bottomless pow at Fieberbrunn. Photo by Dutch Simpson. Charging 50 cm of snow. Photo by Dustin Handley. Deep, deep snow. Photo by Dustin Handley. Sage gets pitted. Photo by Dustin Handley. So pitted. Photo by Dustin Handley. Yes, yes it was deep. Photo by Dustin Handley. Field goal huck. Photo by Dustin Handley.
Want to huck like Sage and the crew? Get the right gear from Backcountry.com - Blog post
- 3 months ago
- Views: 82
- Not yet rated
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Flying In Fieberbruun With Sag Flying In Fieberbruun With Sage Cattabriga-Alosa
- From: TetonGravityResearch
-
Description:Sage Cattabriga-Alosa gets ready to drop into deep Austrian snow. Photo by Dutch Simpson.
Words by Sage Cattabriga-Alosa
Photos by Dutch Simpson and Dustin Handley
"Oh man! Hehe, I got a Fieber brew'n!"
Excitement was thick in the air after our first run, filled with insanely deep snow.
We had arrived just hours before in the dark of night to Fieberbrunn, Austria, after a wrong turn led us up a snow-covered single-lane road. Once the realization hit that things were not right the crew, Tim Durtchi, Colter Hinchcliff, Dylan Hood, photographer Mark Fisher, cinematographers Dustin Handly, Athan Merick, the TGR production crew, and I, found that one of our vans was basically stuck. The van was not stuck so much as it was ****ed, as it was overloaded, filled with bags on the inside, five ski bags on the roof, and equipped with non-snow tires and without chains.
The steep, single-lane snow-packed road was slick, and the van became a toboggan. We literally inched the van back down the mountain in a full skid, using the crew as anchors dragging along each side, and back, keeping the van from gaining too much momentum and ending up in a creek, ditch or snow bank. The drive, which should have taken about an hour and a half, took almost seven.
That was all behind us now, nearly forgotten, washed away with, as nearly all the crew described, the deepest snow that they had ever skied. Our start to the day was a little slow, but as we made our way up the series of pod gondolas, the first glimpses of terrain revealed steep trees covered in a visibly thick blanket of snow. As soon as we clicked in and made or first turns, verbal excitement erupted in a chain reaction as one by one we dipped into the waist deep snow. Excitement was high, and we were eager to get right to work, capitalizing on the amazing snow, and capturing the phenomenon of really, really deep snow. Immediately we began identifying shoot-able lanes of powder and pillows that inspired us to break out the cameras, line up zones and embark on the blind ride that would start as soon as you began skiing.
This storm was unique to our trip in Austria, it had snowed almost three feet in just over 24 hours, and was sitting on a soft base creating a bottomless, blower, layer of snow that covered the mountain. Skiing already feels like flying, and when conditions are like this, you are flying in slow motion, hovering down the mountain, suspended by a million feathery crystals, where the flying only ends when the fall line stops.
We continued through the day stepping out small takeoffs, floating off pillows and linking turn after turn of blinding fun. The entire crew was glowing, in awe of the experience, and grateful to have made it to this powder paradise.Sage busts a cork 3 into bottomless pow at Fieberbrunn. Photo by Dutch Simpson. Charging 50 cm of snow. Photo by Dustin Handley. Deep, deep snow. Photo by Dustin Handley. Sage gets pitted. Photo by Dustin Handley. So pitted. Photo by Dustin Handley. Yes, yes it was deep. Photo by Dustin Handley. Field goal huck. Photo by Dustin Handley. - Blog post
- 3 months ago
- Views: 118
- Not yet rated
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High Sierra Backcountry Season High Sierra Backcountry Season Opener
- From: sethlightcap
-
Description:
Story and Photos by Seth Lightcap
The rumors had started to trickle in the previous week. “Crest looking solid. Maybe Negatives?,” said one text message from a Mammoth bro. “Still thin but could be good high, real high,” said another message.
These were the magic words we had been waiting for. Finally our frantic calls to friends living in Mammoth, Calif. asking, “How’s the coverage? Can we ski in the backcountry yet?!” were met with a response other than, “ Ummm...Bring your climbing gear! Perfect bouldering weather in Bishop!”
Snow has been stacking up in the Northern Sierra and the Tahoe Basin since late October but the early season storms didn’t hit the High Sierra peaks near Mammoth Mountain quite as hard. Back to back storms the first week of December changed all that, or at least helped the effort. The couloirs and aprons dropping off the crest got creamed enough to start looking tempting anyway.
A glimmer of hope that we might slay alpine pow lines while our backyard peaks in Tahoe suffered through a nasty melt/freeze cycle was all it took to round-up the posse. Alpenglow Sport’s Jeff Dostie, Brennan Lagasse, Toby Schwindt, Allison Lightcap and I rallied down HWY 395 and went to have a look around near Mammoth in early December.
This Eastern Sierra season opener trip turned out to offer the complete package - good weather, stable snow, sweet alpine pow shots and the distinct feeling that we weren’t in Tahoe anymore. Conditions weren’t epic everywhere and the coverage was still thin at best, but one thing was certain, it was definitely worthy of leaving the climbing shoes at home.
One day we toured out of the recently closed June Mountain. It was an odd feeling being the only two cars in the parking lot on a sunny Saturday. The lower lodge was barren of any signs of life. It looked like no one had lifted a finger at the place since last spring. Starwood Capital Group, the owner of Mammoth Mountain and June, is obviously sticking to their plan to keep June closed this winter. Starwood’s tentative plans are to re-open the mountain next season. We weren’t sure if we were allowed to start hiking from within the resort boundaries but we saw no signs suggesting otherwise. There were also a few sled tracks on top of the first bench for those with braaa-p lapping on the mind.
We toured way back beyond June Mountain’s boundaries and punched a staircase up a chute to the crest. Damn it felt good to get back in the bootpack.
Yet again, Mammoth Mountain proves to be the snow magnet of the High Sierra. Mammoth’s upper mountain is caked with snow, seemingly more than any other peak in the region.
Though it had rained to the top in Tahoe two days previous, the summits near Mammoth were spared the deluge. At 10,000 feet we found drifted panels of boot-top winter pow and a fair bit of wind buff snow. Jeff Dostie lapped it up in between long looks at Mono and June Lakes.
Rippable passageways through the craggy Sierra granite are starting to fill in. Brennan Lagasse carved up this surf gully.
We chased the sun as we best could but it’s warmth was fleeting. Coverage was way better on northern aspects which kept us hiking and riding cold north faces. Allison Lightcap broke out into the sun topping out for another lap.
If you want to shred in the High Sierra you gotta love wind buff. This mission was no exception. Brennan Lagasse ripped into this tasty textured panel of the chalky stuff.
I wish I could say the Sierra snowpack down by Mammoth was super fat. Sad but true, it was not. There are some sweet alpine lines that were ready to ride but a vast majority of the peaks needed more snow to be fully in-season. Toby Schwindt carved into a rock field soon after this shot.
But where the snow was deep enough...Jeff Dostie found some High Sierra bliss opening it up down this alpine face.
Slashing deep pow in the High Sierra is always extremely satisfying. Between the effort it takes to get there and the unfortunate reality that wind or warm temps often strip away the snow with a quickness, you gotta cherish every blower turn you can get in the Sierra. Brennan Lagasse made this turn count.
It’s a distant second to shredding pow yourself but watching your buddy whoop it up takes home the silver everytime. Dostie and Lagasse approve a Toby turn with a hearty pole whack. - Blog post
- 5 months ago
- Views: 186
- Not yet rated
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Backcountry Gear Testing: Dyna Backcountry Gear Testing: Dynafit, G3, Scarpa, And OR
- From: leelau
-
Description:
Southwestern British Columbia has been having an “average” snow year. This has led to some early-season angst among those with short-term memories who've remembered the past two years with above average and near-record snowfall totals.
“Average” is relative, as friends of mine from Utah and Colorado - currently in full on snow drought, again - remind me. Whistler has had 366 centimeters of cumulative snowfall this year and a 155 cm base at the upper mountain weather plot (divide by 2.54 to convert to freedom units). Alpine totals are usually about 1.5 to 2 times the weather plot totals, so coverage is healthy. I recently had the chance to tour into the Duffey area this past week and the snowpack in that area is also getting nice and “average.”
Skinning up to Lesser Flute. Technically this is Whistler inbounds. You can bootpack it, too.
Just an average snow year. Cruising a lap on Lesser Flute.
Just another average snow lap.
Railing Boundary Bowl.
Now that I got some skiing pow stoke shots out of the way, let's cut to the chase. I've got some product reviews to do and some initial impressions to give. Unlike other sites that just go on and on about gear, I like to show equipment in use. Since all of the products I am now going to showcase are ostensibly for backcountry gear, I'm not going to talk about its hardpack performance, but instead going to babble on about how they perform in powder - the environment in which they should be used.
- An “average” snowpack means one can let their skis run a bit more. I've got some G3 Districts in size 179 to try out.
- I need some boots to put on my feet. This year I've got the Dynafit Mercury and the Scarpa Maestrale RS to long-term test.
- Finally, I need something to wear. I'm fully kitted out in OR: Trailbreaker Pants, Ferrosi softshell hoody.
Below are as many products as one can cram into a set of photographs as possible.
Can't remember why I look so constipated. G3 Districts, Dynafit Mercury, OR Ferrosi hoody, Trailbreaker pants. 
More posing - G3 Districts, Scarpa Maestrale RS, OR Trailbreaker pants.
Test Conditions
I chose to try some pow performance in Whistler after 25 cms fell inbounds (see video) in the Lesser Flute slackcountry adjoining the resort and in the Duffey backcountry area. Especially on the Duffey, early season touring usually means a bit of trail breaking.
I filed snow observations with a local conditions service that read something like this: “Nface Chief P. 30 – 50 cms ski pen. 220 cms at ridgeline. No wind affect to speak of. 60 - 80cms fist. Temps -10 atl, -6 valley floor. Enough coverage to ski out comfortably all the way to valley bottom.”
In non-avalanche observations shorthand, that translates to balls deep trail breaking and over-the-head blower pow. Pictures follow.
Some short hand comments about the gear are in the picture descriptions. I've got a pretty heavy geek boot commentary coming, so I restrained myself from nerding out over boot minutiae until sometime in the next week, when I'll put out something specific to the Scarpa and Dynafit boots. More long-term running verbosity about the outerwear and the skis will also be inflicted on readers as I get more time on the gear.
The G3 District is a decently wide ski (140/112/130) with moderate sidecut. It has a 25-meter turn radius in the 179 tested; and is relatively light at 1850 grams per ski. It's got camber underfoot but a fair amount of early rise at tip or tail, but is not a twin tip. This is good, because I pretty much can't stand using twin tips for touring.
With just 8 days on them, impressions are preliminary. At my size, it's almost too fat, as I then need fairly light snow to get skiing in the snow feeling (as opposed to on top of the snow) that I personally enjoy. It's reasonably quick-turning, possibly because the tips and tails are softer than the mid-section. The G3 release video showed that it likes speed and long fast turns, but I found them to get knocked around a bit in chopped up inbounds pow, so maybe it's best for wide-open pow fields. I'll have to get into that kind of terrain to find out for myself.
The Dynafit Mercury is the slightly less expensive version of the much lusted-after Vulcan. This boot is the everyman's variant in Dynafit's "Free Touring" line (oh marketing jargon, how you make me barf) intended to balance downhill and uphill ability and incorporating Dynafit's wonderful deserving-of-praise patented Ultra-Lock walk-mode: In one motion, the top buckle closes top of shell and engages ski mode; reverse for walk mode.
At 1600 grams, the Mercury is average in weight for touring boots with a meaningful walk mode. I've used them about 3 times now, skiing them with tongues inbounds and without tongues in the pow. At my skeletal 75 kg weight (160 lbs in freedom units), I'm not going to stress out boots too much, so I expected to find these things to be plenty of boot. With 60 degrees of floating cuff that's easily engaged (open the top and middle buckle to flip to touring mode), transitions are quick. That same remarkable amount of floating cuff allows for an astounding walk mode that's best in class. Other than the difficulty of farting around with tongue removal and re-insertion in the field (try that in the cold in deep snow) there's not much complain about the Mercury.
Long-term impressions will concentrate on longevity of gear: wear at toe, buckles, cables, liner wear and tear, and how the boot does in varying temperatures.
I've already reviewed the Scarpa Maestrale RS and the Maestrale from which the RS was derived. The mango Maestrales, in particular, pretty much forced every other bootmaker to up their game when Scarpa introduced them in the 2010-'11 model year: A boot that was relatively stiff, had a best-in-class walk mode and that was cheaper than anything else? Impossible!
The Maestrale was Scarpa's best-ever selling AT boot. Other bootmakers have improved their offerings, but so has Scarpa. The RS is basically a stiffer, uglier version of the mango Maestrale with better hardware, but still with a fantastic walk mode - and - weighs in ever so slightly heavier at 1570 grams. I've had the RS since the end of last season and toward the beginning of this, so have had about 12 days on them. Prognosis so far is acceptable with no perceptible wear to rivets, buckles, straps or toe rubber. The RS is noticeably stiffer than the Maestrale (I'd guess 10 percent to 15 percent stiffer) but did not get appreciably softer in spring heat, which is possibly attributable to the Grilamid plastic used in shell construction.
One difference immediately noted is that the RS is even more sensitive to buckle placement than the Maestrale; an effect which extend to touring and to downhill. For example, I found that leaving the top buckle completely unlatched dramatically improved walk mode. The upside is that you can tune the boot to have a totally different feeling descending as opposed to ascending. The downside is slower transistions as you have to fart around more with buckles.
Longer term impressions will follow, of course.
Seattle-based Outdoor Research's Trailbreaker Pants and Ferrosi Hoody perform acceptably in over-the-head blower powder!
The pants are on the heavier side for backcountry-oriented softshells at 690 grams, but they have features normally found in waterproof shells like thigh vents, which allow the heat generated by trail-breaking balls-deep pow to escape. There's a lot of features on these pants which explain the weight: integrated ski gaiters, zippered ankles to let the legs flare out for ski boots, reinforced ankles, nice deep hip and waist pockets out of the way of climbing harnesses and big enough to swallow a VHF radio, and nice tough fabric.
At at 399 grams,t he Ferrosi Hoody is super light and packable. In fact, it packs into a small package into its chest pocket. A minimalist style, it has two deep useful side pockets, a chest pocket and a smallish form-fitting hood that won't quite fit over a helmet. As the jacket's so light, it's not an outer shell for colder temps but is best paired up with another layer for downhills. Perhaps it's best for warmer days (everyone's different, but I'd use it as an outershell if it was around -5C) and useful for skinning up in colder days.
I don't know how well the gear will do in that fugly near-to-freezing temps that we often get, but I doubt it'll be a gloriously comfortable experience. Will report back when I have the displeasure of venturing out in those conditions.
Thanks to Jameson “Barrelled” Florence for the pictures and video.
Thanks also to Sharon “Fully Involved” Bader for pictures. - Blog post
- 5 months ago
- Views: 159
- Not yet rated
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The Pay Off - Sierra Storm Cha The Pay Off - Sierra Storm Chasing
- From: gregfitzsimmons
-
Description:
The promise of precipitation was too much to ignore. A series of late November storms were lining up on the Pacific and barreling towards the Sierra Nevada. A lot of dialogue was swirling around about the systems, though, with everyone wondering, speculating, and predicting a full gamut of outcomes. Ranging from torrential rains up to 10,000 feet that could force the Tahoe communities to start from scratch, to rain at lake level foreshadowing copious amounts of blower above 7,000 feet. It seemed like every pow-starved skier and rider in Northern California fit one of two molds: Negative naysayer or eternal optimist.
For us, it was a worthwhile gamble on the last weekend of November. We knew full well that the potential rain would be a huge drag, forcing our crew to baton down the hatches of our West Shore cabin, watch football and drink whiskey in close quarters to pass the time, and ruminate and brood over what could have been. The other option that proved to be the impetus for us loading in the truck, weathering the pissing rain en route to Tahoe, and risking cabin fever can be summed up by one stat that had our heads spinning: The series of storms — if things lined up and it all came to a cold fruition — could drop as much as 100 inches on the Sierras.
It seemed like a no-brainer; we opted to head to Tahoe.
Friday afternoon was shit. Unrelenting rain followed us from Santa Cruz to Sacramento, but we held onto hope as we started climbing in elevation toward Donner Summit. If the temps started to drop as we climbed, the rain would turn to pow. But, as we crested Donner Pass, at 7,056 feet, the Truckee River raged with runoff and the thermometer on my dashboard read 36 degrees. That night was spent sipping on whiskey and hoping it was pounding up high.
Those predicting rain and a wet weekend nailed it for Saturday. We woke up early to check the snow reports, and drove to the base of Squaw hoping to see something different than what we read online. But, soaking wet tram operators greeted us in front of the closed tram doors. “Not today, guys,” they said beneath dripping hoods. “It’s snowing hard on top but the winds are too strong.”
So, biscuits and gravy in Rosie’s dining room — a Tahoe City institution — were followed immediately by IPAs at Rosie’s bar, which lead to pulling slots and playing cards at the Crystal Bay Casino. The precipitation didn’t stop, but neither did the winds. Kirkwood was spinning its chairs while getting buried by wet snow, but the chairlift-halting winds had most of Tahoe’s mountains in a holding pattern.
Finally, late Sunday morning the rain at lake level turned to heavy wet flakes that accumulated quickly. As the winds started pulling back in the late afternoon we pulled ourselves away from the slot machines and headed up to see what was happening at Mount Rose — the semi-secret hidden gem on the eastside of Lake Tahoe. With a base elevation of 8,260 feet, Rose offered a solid option to rectify the weekend and sample the snow. Skin tracks winding up to the Mount Rose backcountry were promising, 40-plus inches of fresh were sitting untracked on the mountain after two days of weather closure, and we decided to sit around one last night to see if Monday was a-go.
“That shift in weather on Sunday morning was very much expected,” said OpenSnow.com's Joel Gratz. “That was the cold front from the final storm that came through. That whole weekend event wasn’t one storm, but was a series of a few storms that drew a lot of moisture off the Pacific, which also drew a lot of warm air. That final storm was strong enough on Sunday morning to pull in colder air from the north. It just took a stronger storm, a stronger piece of energy, to drag that colder air down.”
As Mount Shasta was getting buried beneath 18 feet of snow, our guys called in sick to work on Monday. It proved to be a solid decision.
From Squaw to Mount Rose, the lift lines were sparse on Monday morning. Most of the pow-hungry masses were either at work or just over the weekend’s waiting game. But, Monday proved to be an all-time, early-winter day for the patient few whose priorities are straight.
Storm totals of 42 inches on the upper mountain at Squaw and 45 mid-winter inches blanketed Mount Rose, and bluebird skies sat over all of Lake Tahoe. The waiting game proved to be a war of attrition, but Monday’s conditions rewarded the patient.
What’s this mean looking forward and for everyone in Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho?
“There’s a difference between an individual storm and a general weather pattern. What happened last weekend in Tahoe was a series of individual storms, but what were tracking now is an overall change in the weather pattern,” Gratz said. “The storm pattern is going to shift to a different orientation which should hopefully bring in colder air for more areas and give some new areas a better chance to see snow. That’s not a guarantee that we’ll see big snowstorms, but at least it sets us up for the PNW, the northern Rockies, and down into Utah and Colorado to have better chances of consistent storms over the next few weeks. That’s the key: consistent cold storms. Some might be big and some might be small, but at least we’ll have [storms] every couple of days, which is the most important part when considering good powder skiing.”
So, here’s to hoping that all of our communal patience pays off this winter just like it did for us in Tahoe last weekend, because my body can’t handle much more waiting-game whiskey and my wallet definitely cannot take one more hand of “maybe-tomorrow-will-be-blower” blackjack.
It was a bluebird pow day at Mt. Rose on Monday, Dec. 3, 2012.
Is that a Soul Pole?
Cutting a rug at Mt. Rose.
Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffttt.
Vapor trails.
What it's all about. 
Pretty much crushing it at Squaw Valley early December 2012.
This is what winter looks like.
Straighten up and fly right. 
Time to track the living shit out of this. 
And now we can all breathe a sigh of relief, winter is here.
Don't Miss Out On Another Storm, Stay Up To Date On Snowfall In The TGR SnowLab - Blog post
- 5 months ago
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#instahashtagmagramstormski201 #instahashtagmagramstormski2012 Headed Right For Us!
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
Many are saying Tahoe and the rest of the West is about to get pummeled with snow. Naysayers predict rain. #whatever #itson #7feetbitches !!
Social media platforms, blogs, and websites are a-buzz, and the chatter in dive bars from Tahoe City to Santa Cruz has been incessant about the series of storms barreling down on the Sierra Nevada. While professional meteorologists—and a few amateur radar watchers—were talking about this four-storm system weeks ago, the general public has just recently become privy to the news: Tahoe is about to get buried!
Over beers in Northern California’s dives and on headlines throughout the area, naysayers and sandbaggers are predicting rain. But those that know know that the first storm of the season—being dubbed “JW” by Kirkwood’s marketing guru Coop Cooper—signifies the actual beginning of winter in Tahoe.
“Everyone in Tahoe keeps saying ‘wet’ because the newspapers keep writing that,” says Bryan Allegretto, the mastermind behind Tahoe’s preeminent weather website TahoeWeatherDiscussion.com — which will soon be joining forces with OpenSnow to create the dream resource for skiers and riders by skiers and riders. “That’s why I keep saying on my site, ‘don’t give in to this media trap.’ Some of the best and most fun days of riding in Tahoe are when the snow level is at like 7,500 feet. Most of these ski resorts — like Squaw who has a ton of lifts up high — have chairlifts that start at like 8,200 feet and go up from there. Everyone looks out their window downtown at lake level, around 6,000 feet, and sees rain and says, ‘It’s wet, I’m not going skiing.’ Meanwhile, up top some of us are skiing powder all by ourselves.”A series of four consecutive storms over a five to six day window are forecasted for the Tahoe region. The first system rolled through yesterday dropping anywhere from 6 to 8 inches. The next storm moves in Thursday night and will settle over Tahoe into Friday night. And, the biggest storm rolls in Saturday and into Sunday, with the possibility of precipitation lingering into Monday.
“I’ve been telling people that we’re looking at a 7,000-foot snow level through Friday with a couple feet of snow and more on Saturday,” says Allegretto. “You have anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500 feet of vertical on these mountains that is going to get 3 to 7 feet of snow!”The good news for pow-starved skiers not located in the Sierra Nevada or Pacific Northwest — which looks to be getting hammered, too—is that these strong storms will be traveling east toward the Tetons and Rockies.
“The strongest piece of the main west-coast storm will head east on Sunday night and Monday,” writes the prescient weather resource OpenSnow, “and should bring decent snow to many Colorado mountains, primarily from Aspen north to I-70 and the Wyoming border.”
So, be patient and brace yourself for the unavoidable onslaught of blower Instagram pics and ubiquitous hashtags from Tahoe and the PNW that will be clogging your feeds this weekend. This beast of a storm is headed your way soon enough.
Check back early next week for a recap from Tahoe. Until then, be safe, think cold, positive thoughts, and share your early season storm photos with us on Twitter and Instagram (@TetonGravity) by using the hashtag: #StormWatch. We’re eager to see those pow pics. - Blog post
- 6 months ago
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Powder Powwow - #TheMeeting8 R Powder Powwow - #TheMeeting8 Rolls Through Aspen
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
The scene inside the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colo., for The Meeting 8. Photo by Jeremy Swanson.Football is cool and all, but ski and snowboard film premieres are the way we, the collective we, bridge the gap between summer and blower pow days — a time otherwise known as fall. Aspen hosts the pinnacle ski and snowboard film fete to coincide with the yellow spruce leaves and first dustings of snow. The Meeting takes place every September and offers up a serious dose of on-screen pow slaying. While the requisite flat-hatted “bros” and “bras” roll out of the sticks to pack the iconic Wheeler Opera House for screenings of the most anticipated flicks of the season and to revel at industry parties, The Meeting is also an annual gathering of the tribes that signifies our countdown to winter has begun.
This year marked the eighth consecutive year that the biggest athletes, brands, and filmmakers from the ski and snowboard industries have converged on Aspen. The Aspen/Snowmass team rolled out the proverbial red carpet for attendees of #TheMeeting8.
As always, the NEPSA Awards served as the weekend’s curtain raiser, and the local amateur filmmakers kicked the weekend off with a bang. Howie Kuhn and Kendall Reiley won the NEPSA’s top honor and took home $2,000 for their hilarious short film titled “Erste Stuhl: 2012.” Geof Stump won second for his quirky film "Before Aspen." Derrin Carelli’s “Circle of Corduroy,” which documents what it’s like to be a snowcat driver on Aspen, won third and the crowd favorite, based on a text in vote.
The big-time operations — like Level 1 Productions, Poor Boyz Productions, Match Stick Productions, and Teton Gravity Research — followed over the course of the weekend. A lot of park rats bedecked in tall-tees turned out to watch Level 1’s film “Sunny,” which boasted spot-on and polished editing, as always. PBP’s roster of skiers produced banger segment after banger segment in “WE: A Collection of Individuals.” “Super Heroes of Stoke” fits in the MSP mold and is another testament that, yes, Japan is a sick place to ski.
Jeremy Jones introduces Further. Photo by Jeremy Swanson.But, without a doubt, “Jeremy Jones’ Further” stole the show. The second installation of the Jeremy Jones/TGR trilogy beckoned a motley mix of viewers. From salty telemarkers to jibbing snowboarders and from bell-to-bell shredders to weekend warriors, everyone turned out to see what Jeremy Jones put together.
And, “Further” did not disappoint. “I got the chance to watch 'Jeremy Jones’ Further,’” says TGR skier Todd Ligare, “and found a lot of inspiration in the film.”
TGR's Colter Hinchcliffe, Todd Jones, Todd Ligare and Griffin Post introduce The Dream Factory. Photo by Jeremy Swanson.
Then, to cap it off, TGR screened “The Dream Factory” to a raucous crowd on Saturday night. The pow-starved skiers and riders packed the Wheeler Opera House, hollering throughout the film for Aspen local Colter Hinchliffe who has his first-ever segment in a TGR film. Although Colter’s segment is small, his line in Haines, Alaska, is big. So huge, it’s one of the most memorable moments in the film. It seemed like that segment helped the whole town send it deep in to the night.
Come Sunday, the skiing and snowboarding tribes dispersed in different directions, heads aching from a weekend of raging and stuffed to the gills, content from consuming an abundance of ski content, and psyched for #TheMeeting9 next year when the tribes will gather again for the annual powder powwow. - Blog post
- 7 months ago
- Views: 188
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Shredding New Zealand’s South Shredding New Zealand’s South Island Part 4
- From: brennanlagasse
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Description:
New Zealand's mountains seem to go on forever.Words and photos by Brennan Lagasse.
Even though Queenstown and Milford Sound couldn’t be more opposite of one another, they happen to be two of the most sought after destinations in all of New Zealand. Milford Sound is rural, undeveloped and pristine. Queenstown is home to arguably the most eclectic mix of adventure sports in the world, and full of travelers keen to go out and party till all hours of the night. It’s also home to some fabulous wine vineyards, a few good ski resorts, and the top heli-skiing outfit in the country, Southern Lakes Heliski.
Southern Lakes also operates out of the Wanaka area, but has several zones they fly that are closer to the Queenstown area. While a day on the hill at the Remarkables ski area is nothing to pass up, coughing up a few extra bucks to spend some time in the bird while you’re in New Zealand is money well spent. In fact, New Zealand is probably home to the most heli-centric activities on the planet. In Queenstown, I saw signs for heli-fishing, heli-hiking, heli-mountain biking, heli-hunting-basically heli-everything. While the many heli options will appeal to a bunch of you out there, if you ski or ride, it’s the Southern Lakes option that’ll get you the most fired up.
Loading the ship at Southern Lakes Heli-Skiing.
One of the cool things about Southern Lakes is they offer a host of different packages so you can get a taste of heli-skiing even if it’s only for two runs. Like a lot of heli-skiing operators in the world, if you want to get after rowdy terrain the access is there, but you’ll need to show up with the proper credentials, gear and crew to get after it. Otherwise you’ll be matched up with other skiers and riders of equal ability and spend your day lapping untouched lines of cold New Zealand smoke while your magic carpet waits for you at the bottom of each run. The whole Southern Lakes outfit was a dream to ski with from the head honcho and main office personnel to the guides. It’s going cost you a few extra bucks for sure, but when all is said and done you’ll be stoked to get have gained the experience of spending some quality time in the high New Zealand alpine before it’s time to head home.
Sampling the New Zealand powder. Photo by Southern Lakes Heli-Skiing.
Heli-skiing might be one of the more mundane activities in New Zealand when compared with the many adrenaline focused activities one can get into in Queenstown. The bungee jumping options are numerous, like the Nevis, one of the highest bungee jumps in the world. Or how about the world’s highest cliff jump via the Shotover Canyon Swing, or a jet boat tour where every second of the ride you think you’re going to die? Sound strange, or strangely appealing? This is the true home of adrenaline based activities, and I guarantee you’ll never have heard of most of them until you get here. It makes sense since this is where commercial bungee jumping started, so when you make the trip, it’s best to give into at least one death-defying activity and scare yourself shitless like the Kiwis want you too.
When you’ve had enough of the late night party scene, the adrenaline junky buffet, and skied as much powder as you can handle, it’s time to slow things down and take the rural drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound. Time seems to stand still when you make your way to the Fiordland National Park area. It’s a gorgeous drive alongside miles of forests, mountains and rivers that anglers travel from all over the world to fish. Once you find yourself in fiordland it’s time to give in and gape as the dramatic relief from the rainforest base up to the high peaks is truly breathtaking. Waterfalls encompass everywhere you look, unique flora and fauna are all around you, and some of the most famous hiking (sorry, tramping) trails in the world-the Routeburn Track and the Milford Track-are accessible from here.
Sometimes it's OK to gape.
If anything a trip to the end of the road to take in Mitre Peak, which rises over a vertical mile from the water’s edge, and all the natural beauty found at the head of the fiordland might just be the highlight of your whole trip. Machu Picchu is the only other place in the world that could be as “touristy” without being touristy at all. In Milford Sound it just doesn’t matter. Everyone’s a gaper as everyone is there to gape. A great way to see some of the surrounding beauty is to take one of the ferry rides that cruise along the fjords, or even better, rent a kayak and go for a paddle. Beyond the snowy mountaintops, huge waterfalls and ominous mists will swirl around you as you check out seals, dolphins and even penguins frolicking in the water. This really is a place that defies the label as touristy because it’s just so breathtaking. As soon as you experience it for yourself you’ll immediately understand why it’s been dubbed a World Heritage site.
Get out there.
Now that you’ve knocked off New Zealand’s best of the best there’s still a whole bunch of country to check out before you have to catch your flight back home in Christchurch. You can head south toward Invercargill to check back in with some surf, head over to the college town of Dunedin for some good beer, quality rock climbing, and more surf, or maybe cut up the middle of the island and peel off for another snow session at Mt. Cook. The options are endless for the adventurous souls that make their way to New Zealand — it’s more a matter of how you want to spend your time having fun as opposed to making the most of it when you’re traveling in this part of the world. There’s literally adventure around every corner.
When Jillian and I had to catch our flight home we had to book it to New Brighton, a small ocean town on the east coast pretty close to the airport, to return the surf gear we hired out from Sisco’s Surf Shop (100 percent highly recommended for any and every surf need in New Zealand — the couple that owns the shop are amazing and will do whatever they can to dial you out!). But we made such good time we couldn’t waste another opportunity for a surf before the long flight home so one more session was had before the gear got returned, the “Backpacker” was tuned in, and we were in our seat ready to fly already wondering when we’d be able to come back. The title of “all-time trip” barely does this one justice. When you finally book your ticket to New Zealand’s south island this summer — whichever way your pleasure tends, if you have the spirit for adventure, there’s no doubt you’re going to harvest well.Click Here To Read Part 3
Click Here To Read Part 2
Click Here To Read Part 1
- Blog post
- 11 months ago
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Skiing South America: Just Go Skiing South America: Just Go
- From: ryandunfee
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Description:
Andres Labbozzetta boosts in the Cerro Catedral trees. Photo by Ryan Dunfee.It’s that time of year again. It’s when we watch the local snowpack fade away, taking with it the memories of the season. Lucky kids start flocking to glacier camps at Mount Hood and Whistler. And webcams start showing evidence of the beginning of the South American ski season, causing the unsatisfied among us to begin researching credit cards with airmiles rewards and to start looking at our calendars and bank accounts. It’s a scenario I’ve found myself summer after summer, and with some good luck, was one I was finally able to act on. At random, on a surf check at a frozen New Hampshire beach, I met the owners of what was then South America Snow Sessions, and within three days had a sales job and my sights set on Argentina.
An unhealthy amount of exuberance led me to believe I could ski every single month of that year despite being based out of New England, and come June I found myself at the base of Tuckerman’s Ravine with a broken ankle, grimacing in pain at the bottom of the last landing strip of snow in the pouring rain. I still made the trip to our backcountry ski camp in Bariloche, Argentina, but the ankle boot never came off during that first trip, and I was left manning the office and watching the flakes pile up outside.
The year after that and after some internal troubles, a new company under the name of SASS Global Travel was formed, I found myself running all the marketing, and most importantly, I was back on the plane down south with two healthy ankles and a long hit list. The skiing at Cerro Catedral, our home base, was everything I’d dreamed about. Perfectly spaced trees with nary a track, even by mid-afternoon, allowed for fall-line GS turns and mountain bike lines over and off of fallen trees. Alpine bowls accessed from a quick hike that kept most of the locals and all the Brazilians at bay offered easy access to as much powder and as many drops as you wanted. One day we spent eight hours skiing and traversing the entire Van Titter valley behind the resort. We saw a total of three other people. And the partying, women, and red meat are reasons to go in and of themselves.
The Bariloche backcountry. Photo by Ryan Dunfee.
But this year, in a move that will seem apocryphal to any of you, I turned down a free trip back to Argentina. I could be looking forward to another season of unreal terrain with amazing friends and life-changing experiences, but I chose not to go. As that dream had been realized, my mind turned to focus on the next life goal, which is to use what talents I have to advance the cause of environmental and social sustainability, whatever that means. I told myself that I could go on as many South American adventures as I wanted to, but they wouldn’t get me much closer to realizing a more fundamental, life-long goal I knew I’d need to satisfy to be truly happy with my life.
But YOU SHOULD GO. Whether it’s with SGT, which I recommend, or not, the South American skiing experience is like no other. It’s short. It’s punchy and can go from shit, to good, to great, to shit, faster than you can order a Quilmes. You cannot see a storm on the horizon for a week, but get fresh tracks everyday thanks to the Andes’ steady winds. It can snow every three days for a month. You can be grinning staring at all the blower out of the gondola window, and then saying your last prayers as gale-force winds blow your thirty-year-old pod with a partly open door sideways. It can snow four feet at the base, and the local government might only have one snowplow. You can shred pow all day, and then walk into a Reef bikini contest at the base area with free Coronas. You will feel like a true explorer like you’ve never felt on snow, as you’ll very likely be the only ones hiking off the trail with a backcountry kit. Or powder skis. Above all, it will in no way resemble any other experience you’ve had on snow.
I’ve had my amazing experiences and memories in South America that will last a lifetime, and I don’t doubt I’ll be back for more at some point down the road. But for both of our sakes, please go south this summer. Just go. You can thank me in the fall.
You could be shredding here in a couple of months. La Laguna, Cerro Catedral, Argentina. Photo by Ryan Dunfee. - Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 210
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Occupy! Alaska With TGR Occupy! Alaska With TGR
- From: PeteObrien
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Description:
Are ski movies scripted? There is a ton of planning and pre-production that goes into every ski film. At the beginning of the winter, a theme and a title are created, but as the peak of the season arrives, it becomes clear that Mother Nature is directing the film.
This year, as it became obvious that the Lower 48 was going to have a drier than average winter and Alaska was on track to have a record snow year. TGR decided to head north and set up shop in AK to film The Dream Factory.Words and Photos by Pete O'Brien.
Toward the end of our second trip to Girdwood, Sage Cattabriga-alosa sessioned this cornice. Here he is bringing around a huge 720 a few days before heading off to Colorado and taking third place at the 2012 Red Bull Cold Rush.
TGR Founder Todd Jones has been on dozens of filming trips to Alaska over the years. Here's Todd, getting some establishing shots at night in downtown Anchorage.
TGR Cinematographer Dustin Handley shoots at one of the many different snowmobile trailheads we visited this winter in AK.
Alaskans are a different breed. It seems like everyone up there owns a snowmachine, a bush plane, or both.
Seth Morrison's AK season pass.
Tim Durtschi was a welcome addition to the TGR crew this year. His laid-back attitude with an element of "disturbed artist" was a perfect match to the rest of the team. Not to mention he's a beast when it comes to getting shots.
Thompson Pass, Valdez. So much has changed since heli skiing was adopted in Alaska. This place continues to be the ultimate spot to get the best run of your life. A visit to Valdez should be on every rider's bucket list.
Driving around AK with sleds and hitting a bunch of different heli zones this winter wasn't all fun and games.
We have to give props to all of the behind the scene's characters who made it possible for the TGR crew to spend the winter in Alaska. It's never easy to split up a dinner check after you're done eating.
Next fall when we're all jonesing to ride powder, everyone will have a stand out memory of a day or a zone or a storm cycle from last winter. Our time exploring the area overlooking Seward, Alaska on snowmobiles will be my stand out memory. Sage cranking through some blower pow a couple of miles outside of Resurrection Bay. - Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 216
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AK Gloat Posts: How To Fight B AK Gloat Posts: How To Fight Back
- From: ryandunfee
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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: 365
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A Lift-Free Ski Area: BC's Han A Lift-Free Ski Area: BC's Hankin Evelyn
- From: brigidmander
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Description:
Words and photos by Brigid Mander
There is a new, under the radar, ski area in North America, in a seldom-traveled place that receives deep, deep snowfall. It boasts constantly refreshed powder, cut, gladed tree runs, towering alpine terrain, trail maps, warming hut, and facilities. What it is missing, however, are ski lifts. Intentionally, that is.
The ski area, called Hankin Evelyn Recreation Area, is located on the east slope of the Coast Range in Northern BC. Claiming fame as North America’s sole lift-free, ski-touring only recreation area, it was begun in 2008, and brought from concept to reality with almost no controversy-a rarity these days.
Avalanche warnings and signage with First Nations historical connection to the area.The peaks above the area, just outside of the town of Smithers, look like a small Alaska, with steep alpine faces, fluted lines, and features. The backcountry options are endless – for motivated and advanced backcountry travelers.
The inception of Hankin as an official area was the brainchild of Smithers resident Brian Hall. Despite the amazing backcountry opportunities around the town, Hall felt the community needed a place where skiers could tour safely in unsafe avalanche conditions, and where beginners could learn without getting over their skill level.
The entrance to the first uptrack.“I wanted to create an area for all levels for backcountry skiers, where people can learn and gain confidence, but also where advanced skiers can access more terrain,” says Hall.
Hall specifically searched an area that would provide good skiing, and access to big terrain, but that was not terrain that was already in use by other backcountry groups such as snowmobilers. He drew up a plan and submitted it to the Canadian government, explaining the benefits, both and short and long term that Hankin would supply to the region.
Leah Evans and Molly Baker following Hankin locals up a skin track.The government responded, awarding Hall’s project $612,000 to begin clearing runs. The funds put displaced forestry workers to work cutting 11 runs through impenetrable forests. Two uptracks were cut, and warming hut built at the treeline. An outhouse and parking lot was built at the base, and a composting outhouse for the upper warming hut.
The community also responded, with a massive amount of volunteer effort put in by local backcountry enthusiasts. “It is time consuming, says Hall. “We are all volunteers.” Yet the community keeps giving back, in money, time, and then heading out to enjoy their work in powder laps.
Brian Hall skins up to the warming hut."Maps with signage, avalanche terrain ratings from the Canadian Avalanche Centre, as well as “Are You Beeping” transceiver signal detectors are at the base and the hut. More runs and another hut for overnights are planned," says Hall, who has raised another several hundred thousand dollars for these improvements, to keep the road to the base plowed, for insurance, and to maintain the hut and other structures.
Guides and avalanche professionals have begun conducting courses on Hankin terrain. Skier visits are on track for 3,000 in 2012, up from 2,000 in 2011, an average of 17 users per day.
Alpine terrain above Hankin.The interest is more widespread than your stereotypical ski tourer or snowshoer as well. “Some kids from Quebec were here recently, and they said to me that we should pile up some of these felled trees and leave them on the ground,” said Hall. They wanted him to create features to jib in the area, backcountry style. And Hall says he is going to look into it - he just wants a playground that offers something to everyone.
Molly Baker inspects terrain above the warming hut. - Blog post
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Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area
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Description:Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area
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Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area
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Description:Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area
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Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area
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Description:Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area
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Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area
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Description:Hankin Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area
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