2011-12 Season and Beyond

It's been a while since I have posted up here and I can't begin to explain how many great things have happened since then. I have been very fortunate to experience a number of new things over the last year and I couldn't be more excited for the season to arrive. For the sake of time and boredom I wont go into everything that has happened but I will say that I am happily living in Steamboat Springs now with a good job as a fly fishing guide and coaching the CU Freestyle Ski team. I like to say its a tough job being outside everyday for work but someone has to do it. I have also been brought on as part of the Atomic A-Team and as an Ambassador for Helly Hansen for the northern part of Colorado. I'm extremely grateful to be associated with both of these companies and I cant wait to spread the word about both of them around the Colorado ski community. As for last season we struggled in CO with snow totals which made it difficult to get after it in the backcountry but we still made it work and had some great days. I was told a long time ago that you have to experience the bad to really appreciate the good and thats the attitude I took about last season. It can really only get better from here. Not to mention living in a place like Steamboat and getting to ski everyday no matter what the conditions is still a pretty damn good life to live. My brother Frank and I put together an edit from a big storm that came through Steamboat last season, check it out if you have a few minutes. Enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHguMJJJVj4 Here are some of the photos I took with Steamboat's Photographer Larry Pierce

The snow is starting to fall up in the 'Boat and I can't wait for another great season.

Photos From 2010-11 Season

The 2010-11 ski season was one for the record books. Day after day of deep snow and great friends made it a season I will never forget. Here are a few of the pics that I collected over the season.







Thanks to PatrickOrtonPhotography for these two shots out in East Vail




Now is starting to fly and I can't wait!

March 2011: Lots o' Pow

March was a great month for skiing. The month started out with deep snow in East Vail and got my hopes up for a great month. Then in the middle of March we went into a strong high pressure system and the snow only fell in small amounts. Luckily, I got to spend the time skiing in the sun, fishing, working on the farm and hanging out with family and friends in Steamboat.

Then the end of the month came, and along with it came lots of SNOW. I kept wishing for one more deep day before spring, and we got 3.....in a row. Those days at the end of the month were phenomenal to say the least.

I'll stop rambling now and let the video do the talking. Check it out in HD. Enjoy.

February: Great Friends and Great skiing

I spent February all over the state of Colorado, skiing everywhere from Silverton to Steamboat and nearly everywhere in between. I after skiing in some of the deepest snow of my life at the beginning of the month in Vail, I went down to Silverton CO with the ski team to get after some bigger lines. We spent the weekend down there hiking and skiing, and enjoying the exciting night life. On the second day of our trip we took a shot at a big line (1,500 vertical ft of skiing). After setting a boot pack 2000 ft up the mountain we got to the top, and the view alone was well worth it.




VIEW FROM THE TOP OF OUR LINE


VIEW FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LINE

The next week was spent with family in Steamboat. Many laughs were had and some pretty good skiing to. Its always good to get out and skiing with my family and have my dad try and show me a few things.

Then it was off to Aspen to coach the ski team in the Colorado Freeride Championships. With strong winds (80mph) and blowing snow on Friday and Saturday we went through 1 & 1/2 weather days before anyone skied. But all the blowing snow made for some great pillows in the trees at Snowmass.

Overall it was a great month and I can only hope that March grants us with more snow and maybe a few days of sun.

Here is an edit from the month. Enjoy

January Pow Skiing

Growing up in Colorado I have come to realize that January can sometimes be a month to bare the cold temps and ski some, less that great snow. Fortunately, this January was anything but that. There were some great days this January in Colorado, some cold ones too, but 26" of new snow in a day should overcome any doubt of, is it too cold out? Here are some clips of some deep deep days in January.



I also was fortunate enough to make it up to Jackson Hole with my family for a ski trip at the end of the month. It was my first time visiting Jackson and although they didn't get any snow why we were there, I was very impressed by the mountain. I can only imagine what it would be like when a big storm moves through and it sparks the idea of a road trip sometime in the near future.

NYE 2010-11 Steamboat

2010 was a great year filled with good adventure and a whole lot of fun. What would be a better way to end it then continuing the tradition and bringing in the new year in Steamboat with family and friends. It was a great time to be had for all, despite the -24 degree temperatures. The snow was light and there was plenty of it throughout my time I spent up there. Here is a video that I put together and a few pictures capturing some of the times from the last week.



Some pictures from a day on Rabbit Ears Pass

Finals...Ah I think I'll go ski POW!

With the end of the school semester here the library fills up and people in Boulder begin to stress out about grades and things they should have done earlier in the year. I chose to take a different route. I look at it as a time without assignments due or new things to learn in class. In other words I take it as a time to ski. With all my fellow classmates dwelling in books, I woke up Tuesday (12/7) to ( new inches in Vail and a ride on the first bus to the Vista Bahn. My ski team coach Palmer and I, along with two other friends headed to the infamous East Vail to see what we couldn't find.

We we found a lot more than 9 inches, (knee to waist deep) and soft landings. It was my first trip out there this year and it was as good as my days in March last year. December has been great to us for far and I can only hope that it keeps up.


As I drove out of Boulder this morning at 6am with hope that the storm that had been the talk of colorado for the past week had delivered, that and to beat traffic (I didn't), I was anxious to see if today would compare to Tuesday. Then about at Silverthorne the news came over the radio that Breck reported 14 new inches, (@ 530) and the anticipation for the day immediately set in. We got to Breck and be-lined it to the T-Bar (30 min wait) and waited trying to imagine what it was like up there. Amazing, magical and possibly even spiritual were the words of the lifty as we loaded the T-bar. An it was nothing short of all of those, we took two laps down what I call the knoll on Horseshoe bowl, first tracks down this region at 930, hell yes.

We dropped in an it was bottomless; submarining under the snow and coming up for air (and a quick yell) and back in again. All smiles and a snowy face at the bottom only to get back in lines for seconds, which were only tracked by us in the same zone. The second run, as good if not better than the first.


A picture we took that gives the day no way near the credit it deserves


The rest of the day was spent in and out of the trees from Peak 8 and over to Chair E finding the remains of the 14+ inches that we were granted.

Overall it was a great week leading up to winter break, my only hope is that it keeps dumping.

Bring it on La Nina.