(Flagstaff Mountain 02/15/08) My Gym Membership

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I rarely acknowledge what music I use for trip reports, but today I make an exception. This song was recorded by Utah’s own Marc Andre Belliveau, an awesome skier and musician. If you like this song, you can find it and more at his site here.

Decided to take my Ravens up for their first Alpine Trekking mission today. Since I was having trouble locating support I decided to do something easy and in the open. The north wall of Little Cottonwood Canyon was the perfect proving ground for my badass setup. I managed to meet Mike, an Alta local skiing on 184 Squads with Dukes. Here is what the trip looked like from my perspective.

Base Camp.

North Wall.

Eat My Dust.

Grizzly Gulch.

Alta.

Mike.

The Expanse.

Top of the World.

Don’t Slip.

We Are Not Alone.

Why Did I Move to Utah?

To Drop or Not to Drop.

My Parking Spot.

More to Explore.

My Drop.

The Aftermath.

Sorry about the lack of actual ski photos, I’ll try to do a more traditional TR in the next couple days, it has been very hectic as my external HDD just crashed so we’ll see what goes on.

(Snowbird 02/04/08) Monday Blues.

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Monday was hands down the best day of the season and one of the best of my life. These shots are a composition of my last two runs with Adrian at Snowbird on a day that will forever be remembered as a tribute to Ullr’s awesomeness. Not a bad way to inaugurate my new Rossignol Ravens, the best ski I’ve ever ridden (at least in pow).

My Aspen Grove.

Adrian goes for a pow turn.

My Happy Place.



Adrian Goes Deep.


Adrian finds his way through the trees.

My deep drop.

Adrian gets a big pow turn.

I get buried.

Update:
Shot of Adrian killing it on his Districts made it to the Bluehouse homepage!

(Snowbird 02/01/08) Pow.

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Today was just an all-time pow day, plain and simple.

Pictures are now [CLICKABLE] for higher resolution photos!

Me thinking, ‘this looks promising…’
High-Res Trip Report

Me emerging from the trees

I spy with my left eye something starting with ‘fresh tracks’

I’m going under

My Blind Turn

I don’t think I’ll be seeing my skis today

My Snorkel Time!

My Steep and Deep

I am the flying snowman

Dan says, ‘Anything you can do I can do better’

Dan finds some alone time in the trees

Dan signs the slope, ‘All will know Dan the Pow God was here!’

Dan sends some snow my way

Dan, 20,000 leagues under the snow

Dan, conductor of his own snow train

Me, pulling up some white carpet

I can’t breathe

Call me Jake Treadway

Dan wishing he had bigger powder baskets

Clearing in the canyon

I defy you to find a dorm with a better view than this

(Snowbird 01/29/08) The Days are Just Packed…

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Didn’t get to take too many photos at Snowbird today, but I decided to do a different kind of TR. I’ll try to get more shots of the whiteboard next time, I know that’s the kind of stoke everyone wants to see.

Hard to go to class on a morning like this.

WEB building, not looking as inviting as the Wasatch.

Taking notes and daydreaming.

School’s out, time to shred.

Promise Land.

A different kind of classroom.

Letting out some excess energy.

Recess is fun.

Dan can’t find his skis.

Dan proving that he is not afraid of his new 190cm Gotamas.

Look closely in the bottom right. I’m in this photo.

I’ll be at snowbird bell-to-bell tomorrow and after the storm rolling in tonight I should have enough photos to do an awesome ‘traditional’ trip report.