The powder train didn't stop...

It's currently raining at my house, and after a week of hot weather, it seems the powder train has taken a different course. In Utah, we hopped on just before Christmas, and we've been riding that train every day since then. A great start to the winter, although with a complex snowpack always on our mind, we looked for safety in the trees. Steep skiing season is upon us, but I sure hope this thing keeps on chugging. We need the water, and a few more deep days.

Steelhead and Spines - Volume Two

"In the spring of 2015, we began another pursuit for big lines and wild fish. Once again, our direction was north to Alaska, just as it was 3 years ago on our first trip to capture steelhead and spines. Since then, our burning desire to explore around the next bend, to see what's on the other side of the mountain, has grown to an inextinguishable level. We found ourselves back in a corner of southeast Alaska where for a few months of the year, some of the steepest, fluted lines in the world can be ridden, while chromed out steelhead run up and down the coastal rivers. This is the place for us to step outside the bubble of modern society, and into a world of our own making, where skiing and fishing and camping is everything. We returned home with these images, and memories of battling storms and mountains on the glacier and of an island where pure fish swim beneath the old growth hemlocks."

             

              (click images for full size)

           

       

 

Nica November

I've never been a big fan of November in Utah. My emotions are torn between the seasons. Summer is officially over and the skiing hasn't yet begun. For the last two years I've spent my Novembers in Nicaragua. It's such an incredible place to soak it all up before the long winter...

Is this thing still on? Follow cams and Warren Miller...

Ok, I haven't shared anything on here in quite some time. I'm definitely feeling the effects of an aging website platform. Expired photo galleries and the need to liven things up a bit has me thinking it's time for a major upgrade. I've got some ideas to take this show into the future, but that is a battle I'm going to continue to put off for now. So, this is my little slice of the internet for now. Here are a few videos...



^ Last winter wasn't spectacular in Utah. It was better than California though, that's for sure. I wish we could have sent a few storms their way, to keep the spirits up if nothing more. Anyways, It doesn't take much for me these days to have fun in the mountains. We scored some awesome days at home this year with great stability. What more could you ask for other than more of it?


^ Speaking of awesome days at home in Utah, the Warren Miller movie, Chasing Shadows, will premiere this weekend in SLC and continue to play around the world. Look for a screening near you, here:  http://www.skinet.com/warrenmiller/events 
Neil and I spent about 5 days filming with these guys around the Wasatch, hitting some of our favorite classics. We also got hit with the best storm of the year that week which made for some really nice conditions. And, they put us up in the Cliff lodge, which kicked ass. It was like a vacation!

Finding new lines in my backyard

When it comes to reaching your fitness goal, steps are just the beginning. Fibit tracks every part of your day - including activity, exercise, food, weight and sleep - to help find your fit, stay motivated and see how small steps make a big difference.

https://www.fitbit.com 

“Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Fitbit via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Fitbit.” 

^heading up "Jim Bridgers Ridge" 10,790 steps

   Meteorological winter is over, and I must say, it was a good one. Depending on where you live, or where you traveled, it was a bit hit or miss. In places like California and Washington, it seems like winter never even happened. I spent the entire season at my home in Utah. If you look at the snow numbers, you can see that we didn't exactly have a spectacular winter here either, but the lack of snow didn't stop us. 

^feasting on some glorious Uinta powder

  With powder hungry skiers and boarders tracking up every nook and cranny of the Wasatch mountains this year, my brother and I looked to the Uintas for our own secret powder stashes. Living at the foot of this lonely and elusive range has allowed us to develop an intimate relationship with the seemingly infinite sprawl of peaks and valleys. This winter we searched for the perfect line. We developed a routine of going out every day in our backyard, putting in a new skin track, and exploring a new zone. 

   

   I used my Fitbit Surge as a tool to help me get a visual on where we were going, and what was happening with my body on the way there. I've never been big on statistics, but it's been really neat to catalog some stats on the ski tours we've been doing this year. Monitoring my heart rate and pace while on the way up helps me find the right zone for efficiency. But I think the best feature of the Surge for me is being able to log into my account when I get home and see a complete visual of my day. I can see where and when during the tour I was working the hardest and consuming the most calories. By using the GPS function I can map out all of routes we take. 

   Having a catalog of all the tours will be a huge help in the future. If I ever need to remember where to put up the skin track (or where not to) I'll be able to look at my previous routes. 

   Going into the last few months of my ski season, the most important ones, the ones I spend in Alaska, my body is feeling stronger than ever. I credit that to all the days my brother and I spent using our legs to find hidden powder stashes in our backyard. I'm really looking forward to testing out my new levels of fitness in my favorite mountains in the world.

   

Good skiing in Utah lately...

A storm arrived around Christmas time and delivered a much needed coat of fresh snow for the mountains of Utah. Things have been filling in nicely ever since. In the last few weeks, I've skied a lot of powder, some of it better than anything I've had in Utah in years. Granted, the last few years have kinda sucked around these parts, so I've been gone a lot. It sure does feel nice to be skiing pow again in our own backyard. Some photos that my brother Neil and I have shot lately.....

^ It got cold for a little while, and deep.

^ we found solitude and untracked deepness in the Uintas

^ Neil doesn't mind grinding out a few thousand feet of Wasatch wiggles

^Trent and his pops. Father and son Wiggles. Bruce laid down an epic figure eight.

^deep, blower pow for Neil

^ Jonny G, the Uinta snow scientist taking pictures of crystals and stuff

^ Aspen trees catching the glow from the first few moments of sunshine. 

^ Mt. Raymond

^Had a great bluebird day with our friend, Nick Russell, hitting lines off Raymond Peak. Huge smiles all day!!!

#filmisdead

^ Watching my brother slash turns between the sharp rock fins of Raymond's east face

^ Nick Russell following my track because he liked how I worked those waves!

^ Even on a down day, I can't help myself from heading into our backyard for some powsurf laps.