Even though I'm no skiier, this stuff is awesome. Brought to us by Line skis and some of the meathead boys (Will Wesson and Andy Parry), the Traveling Circus is super low budget ski/travel/jib awesomeness. They MacGyver rails like no other and are dirt poor. Episode 5 just came out and you can catch the line here. This newest episode is pretty hilarious because they kill themselves well when they finally get into powder.
http://www.lineskis.com/stories/108
Check it out sucka!
3.12.2009
Spring Time Sucks (Little More Season Left)
Well as we are now in the middle of March and the big trips (Jackson, Utah) are in the history books, we can now look forward to mushy skiing and clearance sales.While the NY component of the Moguls is headed up to G305 on Friday, I will likely be attending last weekend festivities at Liberty - coming back as a returning hero after my big win.
Quick recap. Jackson Hole was amazing. It's only a few days since we've been back, but most of us are now reshaved (minus my chin steeze) and back to the grind (the bums lost Dong).
Jackson was a big gnarly mountain. The only thing I didn't like about it was I had to leave. As conditions kept improving while we were there, it was as if the mountain kept getting bigger, more interesting, and more challenging. So many spots
on that hill could be turned into full day sessions. Whether they were cliff drops, tree runs, or steep slopes, endless terrain variety abounded. I'd pay 1200$ any day to have one powder run at the Hole, it is that good. Hell, even the traverses at Jackson are good. First mountain I've ever been on where you can be on a flat traverses on a board yet still be able to cruise to the next trail or across the mountain without ever stopping and having to push.So let's enjoy Spring skiing, t-shirt riding, and goggle tans. Perhaps a trip to Mount Hood is in order for June, and a trip to Chile to ride South American style during the heat of the Summer.
3.08.2009
Corbets Couloir (Someone hold me)
Late in the day on Friday we made a point of hopping a tram and shooting all the way up to scope out the epic Couloir of doom. Alright. It’s big. It’s really big. And wow, steep. Videos, pictures – anything online – don’t do it justice. It is insane. I was getting vertigo just trying to get near the drop-in to scope it out.
We heard from a few other guys that were up there that the couloir – from the storm and recent weird conditions – was gnarly than usual. Instead of just a two-story drop into a
55-degree pitch, it was probably closer to three stories with exposed ice/rock far more prevalent than usual.Heading up (and for the last few weeks) we all teased the idea of dropping in with differing digress of seriousness. After looking at it though, it was just way too epic. Too late in the day after too many days of riding. Even if the conditions on the couloir were a little better, our shot legs wouldn’t have held that first epic drop and then it would have gotten very death inducing.
10+ Inches (Jackson Hole Day 5)
“First box on a pow day. How’s that feel?”
It’s 8:55 A.M. and the tram driver calls that out. Quite the cheer comes out of the 100 person packed out tramcar. Miserable weather for a few days and the promise of a true Jackson Hole pow day put a buzz and energy through the car that couldn’t be imagined. As a goof, the driver put on the MGMT song “Kids” because it is so brutally overplayed since T Rice’s segment in That’s It, That’s All, but quickly, everyone’s heads were bopping and the sight of deep untouched snow at 10,000 feet got everyone pumped.
Off the tram, the first wave of riders were like the troops landing on D-Day. This is what we’ve all trained for; this is what we’ve all waited for. Brown, Dong, and I clipped in, headed to the Rendezvous bowl in howling winds and dumping snow and pointed down.
For a moment we thought the snow didn’t stick. So high and so windy, the cusp of the bowl was icy and rocky. But 25 feet deeper into the bowl and consistently deep and untouched snow launched up on every turn. Perfection. The rock hard ice bumps of the last few days were gone and replaced with soft light snow.
Cheers and hollers went out and pure bliss oozed out. Dong became quite irritated by my supposed “5-year old” attitude, but we don’t all get epic pow days.
One run made the whole trip worth it. But down at the Sublette chair, it was only 9:30. A long day of riding was still available and pow was everywhere.. Soon, Tim and Dan caught up and the riding continued. Lots of snow, lots of powder slashes, and face shots galore. If there were 10 inches on the top, there must have been double that in some of the wind-pushed tree runs. Goodness.
The truth depth and possibility of this mountain truly came alive and opportunities abounded. Cliff drops, rock jumps, random kickers and tree stomps became the norm. Every feature was now doable and every run could be done faster and harder.
By 10-11, the top of the mountain started becoming clearer and clearer but the storm sat between 9000 and 7000 feet. Dropping from the higher chairs down into the bowls was like going into the great abyss. On the Cat tracks around the top of the bowls you would look down into a white nothingness. But we knew what was there. Yummy pow pow. Very nasty.
So turns out Jackson is epic. The only thing I want now is to come back, as fast as possible. With more pow and more time, so many more dangerous situations will present themselves. Till then.
It’s 8:55 A.M. and the tram driver calls that out. Quite the cheer comes out of the 100 person packed out tramcar. Miserable weather for a few days and the promise of a true Jackson Hole pow day put a buzz and energy through the car that couldn’t be imagined. As a goof, the driver put on the MGMT song “Kids” because it is so brutally overplayed since T Rice’s segment in That’s It, That’s All, but quickly, everyone’s heads were bopping and the sight of deep untouched snow at 10,000 feet got everyone pumped.
Off the tram, the first wave of riders were like the troops landing on D-Day. This is what we’ve all trained for; this is what we’ve all waited for. Brown, Dong, and I clipped in, headed to the Rendezvous bowl in howling winds and dumping snow and pointed down.
For a moment we thought the snow didn’t stick. So high and so windy, the cusp of the bowl was icy and rocky. But 25 feet deeper into the bowl and consistently deep and untouched snow launched up on every turn. Perfection. The rock hard ice bumps of the last few days were gone and replaced with soft light snow.
Cheers and hollers went out and pure bliss oozed out. Dong became quite irritated by my supposed “5-year old” attitude, but we don’t all get epic pow days.
One run made the whole trip worth it. But down at the Sublette chair, it was only 9:30. A long day of riding was still available and pow was everywhere.. Soon, Tim and Dan caught up and the riding continued. Lots of snow, lots of powder slashes, and face shots galore. If there were 10 inches on the top, there must have been double that in some of the wind-pushed tree runs. Goodness.
The truth depth and possibility of this mountain truly came alive and opportunities abounded. Cliff drops, rock jumps, random kickers and tree stomps became the norm. Every feature was now doable and every run could be done faster and harder.
By 10-11, the top of the mountain started becoming clearer and clearer but the storm sat between 9000 and 7000 feet. Dropping from the higher chairs down into the bowls was like going into the great abyss. On the Cat tracks around the top of the bowls you would look down into a white nothingness. But we knew what was there. Yummy pow pow. Very nasty.
So turns out Jackson is epic. The only thing I want now is to come back, as fast as possible. With more pow and more time, so many more dangerous situations will present themselves. Till then.
3.05.2009
So it Does Snow in Wyoming (Jackson Day 4)
After a night eating everything cute and furry and boozing at the Cowboy Bar, we all went to sleep to the sight of light light flurries. We awoke to what they were claiming was a max of three inches of the top. As breakfast ensued, snow began to fall again. And it didn't stop. The top was a brutal white out but the Gondy was running and got us into great stuff. While the morning still had some icy bumps, oh boy was there snow. Even the groomers had a nice layer of snow on the sides that made for some great power slashes.
Spirits rose quickly.
A few hard turns in actual snow made life, very, very good. Looking out, it was like the Tetons finally came alive. Everything we saw looked totally different with heavy snow coming down. So many things that were basically unrideable became totally doable and made for big smiles and great turns.
As an aside, it turns out owning a faux suede snowboarding jacket is not awesome when everything gets covered in snow. Powder Seen was out in full force as can be evidenced by photography.
While the Kelly's and the Brown Bear headed to town for some exploring, Dong and I went up and down the Thunder chair and the Gondy. Finding deep snow blown into the woods and epic turns and face shots.
The best turns of the trip thus far occurred and life became very very good. Apres was done at Casscades and we got a bit moist on spicy Margs. YUM YUM YUM.
Just as a note, some of the pics you'll see are from our trip out into Jackson last night. I will not be doing much organizing until I get back.
Spirits rose quickly.
A few hard turns in actual snow made life, very, very good. Looking out, it was like the Tetons finally came alive. Everything we saw looked totally different with heavy snow coming down. So many things that were basically unrideable became totally doable and made for big smiles and great turns.
As an aside, it turns out owning a faux suede snowboarding jacket is not awesome when everything gets covered in snow. Powder Seen was out in full force as can be evidenced by photography.
While the Kelly's and the Brown Bear headed to town for some exploring, Dong and I went up and down the Thunder chair and the Gondy. Finding deep snow blown into the woods and epic turns and face shots.
The best turns of the trip thus far occurred and life became very very good. Apres was done at Casscades and we got a bit moist on spicy Margs. YUM YUM YUM.
Just as a note, some of the pics you'll see are from our trip out into Jackson last night. I will not be doing much organizing until I get back.
3.04.2009
It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times (Jackson Day 3)
Today was all over the place. Finally, we didn't wake up to the drippy drip sound of the thawing Tetons, but instead heard the grind grind crunch crunch of ice.
In yet another attempt to appease the snow gods, I donned the award winning onesie and prepared to shred. We headed up to the summit on a thankfully empty tram and were rocked with one of the iciest bowls I have ever ridden. Once we got out of the super highs though, we headed into some fun stuff off the Thunder bowl and got into the best trees and snow we've had the whole trip. While the runs were short, the snow made everyone forget about the iffy conditions.
As we emerged from the trees, the snow gods smiled down upon us. SNOW SNOW SNOW. While it isn't heavy, it is coming down and finally reminding us that it is in fact winter, and we are at 10,000 feet. Hopefully it keeps up and repairs the gnarly steep ice bumps that cover most of the hill.
And to the worst of times. So we tried 3 different areas today. The first two runs we dropped into awesome trees and had happy times. Then, we tried a different tree section. That was a bad idea. We dropped right in and immediately knew we made a mistake. Super super hard ice. The last few days totally melted the area and it got bumped like crazy. Then last night it froze solid and made for a awful and treacherous decent of almost 3000 vertical feet in a gully that we really couldn't get out of. We had to hike out a traverse with dudes from Jerz that were equally trapped and miserable. Once farther skiers left on the hill, we had to then drop down the final section over a frozen mashed potato field. It was super super hard and covered in bumps. Lots of traversing and ass-slides were required but BIG STRONG UPPER BODIES helped us grind through.
More good stuff though. Dong and I tracked down the "locals" place to eat and drink at the mountain - the village cafe and enjoyed pretending like we were the cool kids.
So good stuff, awful stuff. I'll take a mixed bag any day. Those tree runs reminded us just how good things can be and that's enough.
Off to the town of Jackson tonight to eat anything that once was cute, furry, or with antlers. Let's all hope for cold cold weather tonight and some of this snow to finally show up.
In yet another attempt to appease the snow gods, I donned the award winning onesie and prepared to shred. We headed up to the summit on a thankfully empty tram and were rocked with one of the iciest bowls I have ever ridden. Once we got out of the super highs though, we headed into some fun stuff off the Thunder bowl and got into the best trees and snow we've had the whole trip. While the runs were short, the snow made everyone forget about the iffy conditions.
As we emerged from the trees, the snow gods smiled down upon us. SNOW SNOW SNOW. While it isn't heavy, it is coming down and finally reminding us that it is in fact winter, and we are at 10,000 feet. Hopefully it keeps up and repairs the gnarly steep ice bumps that cover most of the hill.
And to the worst of times. So we tried 3 different areas today. The first two runs we dropped into awesome trees and had happy times. Then, we tried a different tree section. That was a bad idea. We dropped right in and immediately knew we made a mistake. Super super hard ice. The last few days totally melted the area and it got bumped like crazy. Then last night it froze solid and made for a awful and treacherous decent of almost 3000 vertical feet in a gully that we really couldn't get out of. We had to hike out a traverse with dudes from Jerz that were equally trapped and miserable. Once farther skiers left on the hill, we had to then drop down the final section over a frozen mashed potato field. It was super super hard and covered in bumps. Lots of traversing and ass-slides were required but BIG STRONG UPPER BODIES helped us grind through.
More good stuff though. Dong and I tracked down the "locals" place to eat and drink at the mountain - the village cafe and enjoyed pretending like we were the cool kids.
So good stuff, awful stuff. I'll take a mixed bag any day. Those tree runs reminded us just how good things can be and that's enough.
Off to the town of Jackson tonight to eat anything that once was cute, furry, or with antlers. Let's all hope for cold cold weather tonight and some of this snow to finally show up.
3.03.2009
Jackson Hole Day 2 (Rando Weather)
Rain, sun, ice, hard-pack, powder, and mashed potatoes. A very very confusing day at The Big Hole. Thankfully, the 4100 feet of elevation meant that higher up the mountain things froze up nicely and even a few inches of snow came down.
We traveled the mountain. Dong and I shredded a bit with Dirty Jerz and his lady friend. Much strong island - jerz insults were thrown back and forth.
Once the Kellys and the brown bear readied themselves, we hit up the Gondola and then explored the Casper area of the Hole. Because of the shit weather, we mostly stuck to the larger groomed areas, still though, much fun was had.
Great lunch up at the Bridger Gondola lodge. At about 8500 feet, awesome Chinese food was had and beers were crushed. We got an awesome view of Corbets' and even saw a few guys drop in - with great success.
After lunch we headed over to the Rendezvous bowl and finally found some good trees with probably the best snow we've had in the last two days. A brutal mushy traverse was required to get us back to the gondy and we took one final trip down through the big park. Brown may have been a little "moist" and decided to take utilize some adventurous techniques to get down. His front flip was not overly successful.
So long story short, conditions are pretty awful but we're hoping we are finally going to get some snow and lower temps tonight. Everyone, do your snow dances.
Pics to the right
We traveled the mountain. Dong and I shredded a bit with Dirty Jerz and his lady friend. Much strong island - jerz insults were thrown back and forth.
Once the Kellys and the brown bear readied themselves, we hit up the Gondola and then explored the Casper area of the Hole. Because of the shit weather, we mostly stuck to the larger groomed areas, still though, much fun was had.
Great lunch up at the Bridger Gondola lodge. At about 8500 feet, awesome Chinese food was had and beers were crushed. We got an awesome view of Corbets' and even saw a few guys drop in - with great success.
After lunch we headed over to the Rendezvous bowl and finally found some good trees with probably the best snow we've had in the last two days. A brutal mushy traverse was required to get us back to the gondy and we took one final trip down through the big park. Brown may have been a little "moist" and decided to take utilize some adventurous techniques to get down. His front flip was not overly successful.
So long story short, conditions are pretty awful but we're hoping we are finally going to get some snow and lower temps tonight. Everyone, do your snow dances.
Pics to the right
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