tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339722542024-03-07T04:41:57.656-07:00J.T. RobinsonSkier. Guide. Content Creator. Entrepreneur...J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comBlogger225125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-34318562449664563772023-07-04T18:27:00.003-07:002023-07-04T18:29:31.497-07:00Hatcher Passion<p></p><div style="text-align: left;">I first came to Hatcher Pass near Palmer Alaska on a film project I had set up with my media cooperative company, Vertical Integration, about a decade ago. Jon Gurry, Dave Magoffin and I had organized a trip to film for Telemark Skier Magazine's (TSM) annual movie. We invited two young chargers Spencer Jonas and Andrew Schauer. Cody Smith came as the principle cinematographer for TSM. At that point Vertical Integration had become a driving force in the background behind a lot of the telemark industry's media in film, photography, and writing. After years working in Valdez Alaska utilizing helicopters I decided to embark on a different kind of trip utilizing human power and some snowmobile assisted access with the Vertical Integration crew in the Chugach around Girdwood and the Talkeetna Range near Palmer. Jon Gurry had moved to Palmer, and Dave Magoffin was based in Girdwood. The two locations allowed for flexibility of different weather patterns, access to a resort in Alyeska, and a plethora of human power and snowmobile assisted access. Leaving the helicopters out of the equation opened budget space as well as opportunity to build content regardless of weather. We shot under this program for two projects in subsequent years yielding countless content streams for Telemark Skier Magazine's pages, social media, and annual movie. After these projects I had not returned for years as I retired from athlete work to become a backcountry ski guide. Now in my last stages of the American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) ski guide track I needed to chase some bigger lines and some glacier experience. I thought there would be no better way to do so than to go back to the backyard of my long time touring partner, Jon Gurry, in the Talkeetna Range. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdBOFKpIwAhj8ecKrT4_HQx-FJBMxTcCzpH6LDIwZsJrBICFVwFAt4cCyKjnq8iZeuk5M20s3djotFA7LWKLSXxFc1y5-XBbouLp61wI-JYIe8KeDNgb-VeCfbH5DuX-Q9XoCeogcgOZ-MJr9asqpfTIgkejyvnBo05A2CHsQZ7-DiaC-pyiuzA/s3406/6C05301A-2770-4C78-B3DE-B697B3BA9733.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2554" data-original-width="3406" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdBOFKpIwAhj8ecKrT4_HQx-FJBMxTcCzpH6LDIwZsJrBICFVwFAt4cCyKjnq8iZeuk5M20s3djotFA7LWKLSXxFc1y5-XBbouLp61wI-JYIe8KeDNgb-VeCfbH5DuX-Q9XoCeogcgOZ-MJr9asqpfTIgkejyvnBo05A2CHsQZ7-DiaC-pyiuzA/s320/6C05301A-2770-4C78-B3DE-B697B3BA9733.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">From Jon's home in Palmer Alaska the grandeur of the surrounding<a name='more'></a> peaks is evident right outside his door. The zone generally known as Hatcher Pass was one of our most successful zones when we were shooting for our projects all those years ago by the time I returned this particular spring. I had come back training for my last course in the AMGA ski guide track leading into the final exam. As a prerequisite I need to ski ten ski mountaineering lines with five on glaciated terrain. Ski mountaineering is not my strongest skill set as I have been a classic powder hunter ski guide in Utah the last decade simply helping clients find the best snow and teaching avalanche and backcountry skiing courses with Weber State University in Ogden Utah. In deciding to join the AMGA, as it became evident to me that the AMGA is becoming the defacto union for ski guides in the near future, I have had to increase my proficiency in climbing and ski mountaineering to complete their certification for AMGA Ski Guide. Despite my lack of desire to guide ski mountaineering objectives as I am already a fully booked full-time ski guide I have been committed to obtaining a basic skill set in ski mountaineering in order to complete the AMGA track. My old touring partner and comrade in Vertical Integrations media projects Jon Gurry has also been dabbling in the ski mountaineering craft as well. So I reached out to Jon as the Talkeetna Range seemed like a great place to chase down some lines to continue to increase my proficiency in ski mountaineering and begin to gain some glacier experience as well. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWnhDoUK6CigDtBn0IWFyec4kYEjeaJTLBGJxuKBqochegaJaQ-f74hZJ-WgDEmfKeKQ3SuvEWZJ6YvXwTHQYPp-KtzwUGt_Mcu2UnYiSsOgSfRqYSCDFd8h8iPRL5v5_TTNU4ZXFkY79Hbg6wU2-0gZuCmO9PoMb142kGfhfdDbYMFLeYhp4JQ/s4032/2D98ABF6-0250-41BF-922D-508F6A1CF638.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWnhDoUK6CigDtBn0IWFyec4kYEjeaJTLBGJxuKBqochegaJaQ-f74hZJ-WgDEmfKeKQ3SuvEWZJ6YvXwTHQYPp-KtzwUGt_Mcu2UnYiSsOgSfRqYSCDFd8h8iPRL5v5_TTNU4ZXFkY79Hbg6wU2-0gZuCmO9PoMb142kGfhfdDbYMFLeYhp4JQ/s320/2D98ABF6-0250-41BF-922D-508F6A1CF638.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">By the time I showed up to Jon's house I had been through a record breaking snowfall winter in Utah leaving me with a spring ski mountaineering season that never took shape in Utah by the time I was scheduled to depart for Alaska. Ironically the day I showed up I seemingly brought the snowfall with me resulting in 16-24 inches of new snow in the higher elevations and some rampant avalanche problems in the Talkeetnas. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5BUHHYTKXIwnNf_Sz2g4GjkeHrN7RYvxacPrEUBlxykLPpfllWJtSJygE-Akr-sFrxzMxfT7m3sXsQSx8NE2MnP-vryUbRc_IfI32oi1YuIyy-EkIu1V66520F9eUS6szbBraPSPa-SGn_J37jWNbxtAi1nZ_svBC7x2G2r0aUHXG7OZFe1beOA/s3196/IMG_5840.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2397" data-original-width="3196" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5BUHHYTKXIwnNf_Sz2g4GjkeHrN7RYvxacPrEUBlxykLPpfllWJtSJygE-Akr-sFrxzMxfT7m3sXsQSx8NE2MnP-vryUbRc_IfI32oi1YuIyy-EkIu1V66520F9eUS6szbBraPSPa-SGn_J37jWNbxtAi1nZ_svBC7x2G2r0aUHXG7OZFe1beOA/s320/IMG_5840.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">As a result, Jon and I spent our first week scouting low elevation sheltered low angle skiing. I knew this would foil my efforts to get in as many ski mountaineering lines as I had hoped, but mother nature rules the game so we take what she gives us. That is rule number one in the mountains. We're not in charge. I was pleased to find some good low angle powder skiing though because if I ever do decide to host any guided ski trips in the area it is always key to have some good skiing for situations exactly like we found ourselves. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBAhRedXJ1PxoV43cfNnG-6OcYgYtEbDOBXEUPvqTIMwJT49qRlzRqhEv7bxdIvImEm8htSNMQ7opqWO5T0qQUQM8QW3dTpIVxKH45KcpDyKgIIloNsrM_OnnJiRlPsRTDuakYVmt45rAW6_DFpS96xcXOCqUgwSWKAqySOsJirJz94vjJOSojw/s3317/IMG_5872.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2488" data-original-width="3317" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBAhRedXJ1PxoV43cfNnG-6OcYgYtEbDOBXEUPvqTIMwJT49qRlzRqhEv7bxdIvImEm8htSNMQ7opqWO5T0qQUQM8QW3dTpIVxKH45KcpDyKgIIloNsrM_OnnJiRlPsRTDuakYVmt45rAW6_DFpS96xcXOCqUgwSWKAqySOsJirJz94vjJOSojw/s320/IMG_5872.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Even the meadow skipping here has grand views though. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtwR5H07ar3JqthlYw3YylmgeQ0bksdegESKlQ5BqzJixSufTdSHZYPkhGDoj2whbnet0lUWWjA9tF0yZJgshFzXZOxIGWRbXZeZFVpeA2J8dh1ksftF29kHG5-lgM5ndB5sSW2bX7Dv0oK9cdgtoiIcuF7x-2LrCpQLhbW5bTNpoPXPxw08B4g/s2084/IMG_5854.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1518" data-original-width="2084" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtwR5H07ar3JqthlYw3YylmgeQ0bksdegESKlQ5BqzJixSufTdSHZYPkhGDoj2whbnet0lUWWjA9tF0yZJgshFzXZOxIGWRbXZeZFVpeA2J8dh1ksftF29kHG5-lgM5ndB5sSW2bX7Dv0oK9cdgtoiIcuF7x-2LrCpQLhbW5bTNpoPXPxw08B4g/s320/IMG_5854.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The powder skiing was damn good too. I will never complain about good powder skiing either that is for sure. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-ro6ulEJeEXRc_4yvmxwm80y5REnQjgMU8xp9Q_lqgkzFi5GPfKoxWE2BVGqcR_UQoXnWQ__6fFlA8lH150F2OySsow4B1WB9DjRDqlg-z1pqYwKzilitTxKwW2nr2tG_TdtMIZv-Gxxis2I9Yj8B0-E6zj3gP8LzyPMOUVYi85r7f32UMdN_Q/s4032/IMG_5899.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-ro6ulEJeEXRc_4yvmxwm80y5REnQjgMU8xp9Q_lqgkzFi5GPfKoxWE2BVGqcR_UQoXnWQ__6fFlA8lH150F2OySsow4B1WB9DjRDqlg-z1pqYwKzilitTxKwW2nr2tG_TdtMIZv-Gxxis2I9Yj8B0-E6zj3gP8LzyPMOUVYi85r7f32UMdN_Q/s320/IMG_5899.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Eventually the sun came out and I was able to start to get my feet wet in the zone around Hatcher Pass as the avalanche problems began to run their course and heal out. I had a solo day touring around some simpler terrain and getting reacquainted with Hatcher Pass again after all these years. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gZSMlcmup1ENi6vN3B6RA40DzVzQibGCk8oEjvPgtRdGfdDh0yBEuDyNve2JjaBoNoUntwzIflLlRxm2-DKCnF7JZrx2Fa7bxk1Squ2MDZYQ5ANHnaIIF13uhRTQWeeXhA06i40XipEe3JzQ6rs5Jwf1qTsEnKIN33xpE_bYJ2C50J8CnDW8Cw/s3855/IMG_5904.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2891" data-original-width="3855" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gZSMlcmup1ENi6vN3B6RA40DzVzQibGCk8oEjvPgtRdGfdDh0yBEuDyNve2JjaBoNoUntwzIflLlRxm2-DKCnF7JZrx2Fa7bxk1Squ2MDZYQ5ANHnaIIF13uhRTQWeeXhA06i40XipEe3JzQ6rs5Jwf1qTsEnKIN33xpE_bYJ2C50J8CnDW8Cw/s320/IMG_5904.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This view still gets me the same it did all those years ago. The zone has seemingly gained more popularity as people ascended on the terrain in greater numbers than I was used to seeing a decade ago, but as the local community and backcountry skiing in general grows it is no surprise. Just like most mountain towns around the world, this one is growing too. Through the day I covered a lot of ground to scout some potential lines for Jon and I to attempt when his schedule opened up and the snowpack settled in. </div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42S0FAqzBrvamJ7Zq_zSfIe07JaFH4htCzmR5qWCfVlunpzRr_SXCc5zD8UrHeSydaUzzjgkxOV_nmjMw0yuurb8481mqaK7wJVErCOfmEHUV6P2hgLLJgq71-XlMMlEvFFFuPjL5lJanBWuEWu7lhRZTSeYSRRT7mQc2xgxGc83RkekGScKNuw/s3209/IMG_5918.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2407" data-original-width="3209" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42S0FAqzBrvamJ7Zq_zSfIe07JaFH4htCzmR5qWCfVlunpzRr_SXCc5zD8UrHeSydaUzzjgkxOV_nmjMw0yuurb8481mqaK7wJVErCOfmEHUV6P2hgLLJgq71-XlMMlEvFFFuPjL5lJanBWuEWu7lhRZTSeYSRRT7mQc2xgxGc83RkekGScKNuw/s320/IMG_5918.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jon and I began our efforts ascending up into the canyon above Hatcher Pass towards a pair of classic couloirs in the zone named, the Lost & Found Couloirs. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_85VV0KujLkYiiyTUD0ec0atihQiKz6ID8dsCwR0YCJ8Wms1MlBuzXUvdUSDOWduLXxihqfEj1mPnwLTBnHbSIuJhInk_JwNKwBMlxsIoOtc2y0M6ExOPBw2uip58hvcTZXssHKv1oggPwh9PRiXylUfF7mJfOquW2RB_xncDeK7t8uJlAm5yZg/s3124/IMG_5954%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2343" data-original-width="3124" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_85VV0KujLkYiiyTUD0ec0atihQiKz6ID8dsCwR0YCJ8Wms1MlBuzXUvdUSDOWduLXxihqfEj1mPnwLTBnHbSIuJhInk_JwNKwBMlxsIoOtc2y0M6ExOPBw2uip58hvcTZXssHKv1oggPwh9PRiXylUfF7mJfOquW2RB_xncDeK7t8uJlAm5yZg/s320/IMG_5954%202.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The bulk of the mileage is on skins getting up underneath the couloirs and the views along the way are equally up lifting.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCo99LfXG-WPV-ttT3eST1PG0xlD09BwfcjJLNqKTO1PVdL1CIlpD66NgO0dFIhDhRGUDJVfvvdXOQSc_RwOxak_ZAM-1f_A9G7U0HOJy7xVSCYDyXehE-HV7V1LBORzVahETf_K3y8Shge9Cza6KkSb9FdkgQyqynLulkb_TLLX_ttKiNmlibIw/s3576/IMG_5952.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2682" data-original-width="3576" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCo99LfXG-WPV-ttT3eST1PG0xlD09BwfcjJLNqKTO1PVdL1CIlpD66NgO0dFIhDhRGUDJVfvvdXOQSc_RwOxak_ZAM-1f_A9G7U0HOJy7xVSCYDyXehE-HV7V1LBORzVahETf_K3y8Shge9Cza6KkSb9FdkgQyqynLulkb_TLLX_ttKiNmlibIw/s320/IMG_5952.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this picture above Jon ascends with the Lost Couloir and the Found Couloir looming in the background. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeJJu9G0vWYkS15fUsmX5tE62Xw3jzgwqdiM0Q24_S-QCPFcrXv_dWR0__0OOySO0HD0NbpxZgN2a3u3frmkC3Wi9pa0y56SEg47SZB99LT4GgpWpMoRvrpIrQ68K7CgqeQH71BOroXJyW879vAk7gZ1wPTHBFA0wbw69u-Dnitev9ght6v2UVg/s3319/IMG_5958.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2489" data-original-width="3319" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeJJu9G0vWYkS15fUsmX5tE62Xw3jzgwqdiM0Q24_S-QCPFcrXv_dWR0__0OOySO0HD0NbpxZgN2a3u3frmkC3Wi9pa0y56SEg47SZB99LT4GgpWpMoRvrpIrQ68K7CgqeQH71BOroXJyW879vAk7gZ1wPTHBFA0wbw69u-Dnitev9ght6v2UVg/s320/IMG_5958.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Both objectives require some significant boot packing and then some moderate rock scrambling to get to the top. Nothing that we felt the need to rope up for, but since it was both of our first time in the couloirs I had one in the pack just in case. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqw3yMDYjKSPd6HdOE4M8qNzyWwrxfL2I1wl9xhKItCQPE996DHUMNwqzdzIzMisixpb5amTa3iplMuPO4FD9IZ7PSuTy3abCY8rReigUNhZxKJGXpZnQUhEkjJKvfGse4trTKWeIDrICFqdRC2DHAYOjfOdA4_NLozTEW5iUnPchydjdunbKAUg/s3693/IMG_5921.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2770" data-original-width="3693" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqw3yMDYjKSPd6HdOE4M8qNzyWwrxfL2I1wl9xhKItCQPE996DHUMNwqzdzIzMisixpb5amTa3iplMuPO4FD9IZ7PSuTy3abCY8rReigUNhZxKJGXpZnQUhEkjJKvfGse4trTKWeIDrICFqdRC2DHAYOjfOdA4_NLozTEW5iUnPchydjdunbKAUg/s320/IMG_5921.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had to cut through the cornice atop the Lost Coulior as it got rather steep at the top and even the smallest section of cornice required me to cut my way through it to hit the ridge. This picture above gives a little perspective of the exposure we ascended through. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ40P5jFB9stJbQrRZ0uPwjDF-QiJcMNeoMu-GBLXVvAEP7UtViqcKKn1kvsaiMpKfVaSaBOImYiH9VIM1zy1TYizsCSb_Po9SdKTU5n6RGBZ5dDcWu-uzbhX1QrH1iQRLOzaPInNka3ntqz5Qfp1YsPbB8TaeVguZnQGVxI0KS7tKRHkcyqTyxA/s3439/IMG_5961.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2579" data-original-width="3439" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ40P5jFB9stJbQrRZ0uPwjDF-QiJcMNeoMu-GBLXVvAEP7UtViqcKKn1kvsaiMpKfVaSaBOImYiH9VIM1zy1TYizsCSb_Po9SdKTU5n6RGBZ5dDcWu-uzbhX1QrH1iQRLOzaPInNka3ntqz5Qfp1YsPbB8TaeVguZnQGVxI0KS7tKRHkcyqTyxA/s320/IMG_5961.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The ridge views were simply breathtaking. It felt good to be back in the higher elevations after a week of low angle and low elevation relegation. Jon and I moved pretty well together despite the latest years of minimal touring together. There was a time we explored mountain ranges around the world together year in and year out. That kind of comfort and familiarity does not subside much and comes back pretty quickly once put back into practice. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkMa8ZWR56EYRxgh8jInnrBepgBEsU-RubAznOC4BsnlmhREt6FcD8yMBfONerNIeLC9kNizPU3pIDSRDATG5YkHpgec9_mI62WeNFSMYOOarg8kix29vjGVxk8T1QU55FMiU_m7jf3fKYN4rx90fmP38iAj-0mWLKljyPVdr7XiGM1BkCE_QHg/s3640/CADHE8365.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2730" data-original-width="3640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkMa8ZWR56EYRxgh8jInnrBepgBEsU-RubAznOC4BsnlmhREt6FcD8yMBfONerNIeLC9kNizPU3pIDSRDATG5YkHpgec9_mI62WeNFSMYOOarg8kix29vjGVxk8T1QU55FMiU_m7jf3fKYN4rx90fmP38iAj-0mWLKljyPVdr7XiGM1BkCE_QHg/s320/CADHE8365.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Familiar faces, familiar spaces.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRQ_49xsMu1MnemwXbULc3VAJfkwIuz0smKtrFEbQcLfCxR42Mb-apt4FkDvR_AinX1GNxTGkyDVFJQofJsVqMj4ojOW-XIM2-u0oPkWeHaFny_xGETe90qcveyI_e0j3o6AmOYV6aHbyV2g89h8prgDe6SrNYvowDEGgv8DPxaxurRSzX68b3Q/s1440/B7674EBD-94EA-445C-934E-F879F8FEC681.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1440" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRQ_49xsMu1MnemwXbULc3VAJfkwIuz0smKtrFEbQcLfCxR42Mb-apt4FkDvR_AinX1GNxTGkyDVFJQofJsVqMj4ojOW-XIM2-u0oPkWeHaFny_xGETe90qcveyI_e0j3o6AmOYV6aHbyV2g89h8prgDe6SrNYvowDEGgv8DPxaxurRSzX68b3Q/s320/B7674EBD-94EA-445C-934E-F879F8FEC681.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jon slaying in the Found Couloir. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkyDrbKPXMKPub-203dEl2S8QVCqshn_EHmvf_xteek20HFgCS-ENMIFcCPUglJtaJN-g0xXZlBpeRcTRJZyejoF10tJZDJX1xUxhEK-Vm_kxLX0ZcOtCMvw3IZFgx1L28OYd3ebXKkSOKQUlKuuQFgCig4Ml_g00b7b8VpH4w5o6SPJS1kub9Q/s1440/A619A71B-46EF-4ABF-BF1F-F1785757891B.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1440" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkyDrbKPXMKPub-203dEl2S8QVCqshn_EHmvf_xteek20HFgCS-ENMIFcCPUglJtaJN-g0xXZlBpeRcTRJZyejoF10tJZDJX1xUxhEK-Vm_kxLX0ZcOtCMvw3IZFgx1L28OYd3ebXKkSOKQUlKuuQFgCig4Ml_g00b7b8VpH4w5o6SPJS1kub9Q/s320/A619A71B-46EF-4ABF-BF1F-F1785757891B.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Successful tracks, up and down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O5eaLJhXE6AcHJ3UWqBlY_Tdfz7as-MDtVi925fjwz4kLMj_kIhLvMgGA5oA8Hsz5ypATrjdt238sNxvoz2jfZhoBvVh0IeYwOZzbDW4lW_hnDCdA4YrEizu6TDuhYgFoBtNa-zqahJbjYSz9ufD6pn6Z2c6_CoB9tOgGZB6LEWLvvAiygKCZw/s4032/IMG_5946.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O5eaLJhXE6AcHJ3UWqBlY_Tdfz7as-MDtVi925fjwz4kLMj_kIhLvMgGA5oA8Hsz5ypATrjdt238sNxvoz2jfZhoBvVh0IeYwOZzbDW4lW_hnDCdA4YrEizu6TDuhYgFoBtNa-zqahJbjYSz9ufD6pn6Z2c6_CoB9tOgGZB6LEWLvvAiygKCZw/s320/IMG_5946.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Hatcher Pass Lodge has reopened in recent years and was a perfect spot for Jon and I to celebrate finally chasing down a couple worthy objectives. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SrIQ6UhT34XIb3NiukAUul9esE1rmC6g5pViGPpCW_8T17uFlgqJ2hTq_GC2qGIqGjtk4xLriyKqrvTw77JO68k5aGecZS28ePwsYbFDD1w3hdRzXeXzvJUvlFeR6P6JGNwaGHnCaoN6kRChBNCBKiAX9qPhj8OneOEV7ELA_BwnFsaoFYx4aw/s2100/IMG_5947.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1576" data-original-width="2100" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SrIQ6UhT34XIb3NiukAUul9esE1rmC6g5pViGPpCW_8T17uFlgqJ2hTq_GC2qGIqGjtk4xLriyKqrvTw77JO68k5aGecZS28ePwsYbFDD1w3hdRzXeXzvJUvlFeR6P6JGNwaGHnCaoN6kRChBNCBKiAX9qPhj8OneOEV7ELA_BwnFsaoFYx4aw/s320/IMG_5947.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once again, the views provide good vibes and a cold beer even more so. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ5zq4feLNv6OsqMYiyGQwgnJkZkISCsZYGE83_sx5dI7OobT7v83VkR54aCmKfpn21zNs0R-fJpx0Bk9gbXlmUfN5tdXjCYA4FxOVzhY9KoIhStzmm3rJJAx6M7cSr0WoFcH1XsKJ72DuqMXMnLxV2cn8WLw_dezNTkT0TnkngUG0rOa0b4ivw/s3636/IMG_6027.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2729" data-original-width="3636" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ5zq4feLNv6OsqMYiyGQwgnJkZkISCsZYGE83_sx5dI7OobT7v83VkR54aCmKfpn21zNs0R-fJpx0Bk9gbXlmUfN5tdXjCYA4FxOVzhY9KoIhStzmm3rJJAx6M7cSr0WoFcH1XsKJ72DuqMXMnLxV2cn8WLw_dezNTkT0TnkngUG0rOa0b4ivw/s320/IMG_6027.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With basically zero glacier experience I wanted to start simple with a trek to the Snowbird Glacier and an American Alpine Hut at its toe. This seemed like an ideal first exposure to glacial travel for me as it fills in rather well and lends itself to someone like me beginning to cut my teeth on a glacier. The trek out comes up an adjacent canyon to the Hatcher Pass zone in an area known as Arch Angel. There is snowmobile access below, but Jon and I went in straight human power. After getting sidelined for the whole first week with the weather the window to be out on the glacier got cut down to just an overnighter. We hiked about 6 hours to pop over the pass and down onto the Snowbird Glacier and the Hut. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9m052BUcLSKj2JAFkTzqhWKKSgvvJA4stBRXjwyXE5zRUwvahCe-Z4hT5zJ5EyYdojDfdFlyjw5XyKOXTVRSKQvrAjgu1f5qBonVwxXynHGKknfha5O4mfhwOIKrcM--aUMJj5YvMfT-0ORN71k9DamcgVjA_d7x7O7EEmsDMFr9YuznqNJTS8Q/s3986/3A3CE0EF-6134-43DA-AEC9-4EDBBB3C8BC0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="3986" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9m052BUcLSKj2JAFkTzqhWKKSgvvJA4stBRXjwyXE5zRUwvahCe-Z4hT5zJ5EyYdojDfdFlyjw5XyKOXTVRSKQvrAjgu1f5qBonVwxXynHGKknfha5O4mfhwOIKrcM--aUMJj5YvMfT-0ORN71k9DamcgVjA_d7x7O7EEmsDMFr9YuznqNJTS8Q/s320/3A3CE0EF-6134-43DA-AEC9-4EDBBB3C8BC0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Hut and the Glacier in the background.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7jf-n9u30AXbFOfGntdALIoPHS44-lEW_ir4zoP4cJN9KACQUHYJ2nyc2SEkYwbBnLhUj-COUoUZLnkHqjG8H5uipb_FcotwD7crZBNiffYR2CV4z7ifNc3-xmuTggvh3djTgcQg2HJ61ycaAcqtcdpR1XY3AzcJJr4ISR8j6U22TycDSaESWA/s3689/IMG_6039.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2767" data-original-width="3689" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7jf-n9u30AXbFOfGntdALIoPHS44-lEW_ir4zoP4cJN9KACQUHYJ2nyc2SEkYwbBnLhUj-COUoUZLnkHqjG8H5uipb_FcotwD7crZBNiffYR2CV4z7ifNc3-xmuTggvh3djTgcQg2HJ61ycaAcqtcdpR1XY3AzcJJr4ISR8j6U22TycDSaESWA/s320/IMG_6039.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is a public hut so you never really know who or how many folks you'll be joining there and to our delight there were just two really nice guys on their second night. It was nice to have some conversation beyond ourselves and their beta on conditions was really helpful. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBnVOSm00TMAtUwen3D2Cbrc64tOlOqByVtni2hDELTEMMclCcB4vFaTbY87zC8W5jAW_5MbOeKhlTPMmTEPYKXZAMv0eYVpgmACUjCjQMt18T62K_88tph-9cNN-aCcEOYz6ZAlTj8ViUFi932CmunKKeIp2vLx7qGrzsSSnZ3ruYLOcE5ej9w/s3447/IMG_6038.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2585" data-original-width="3447" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBnVOSm00TMAtUwen3D2Cbrc64tOlOqByVtni2hDELTEMMclCcB4vFaTbY87zC8W5jAW_5MbOeKhlTPMmTEPYKXZAMv0eYVpgmACUjCjQMt18T62K_88tph-9cNN-aCcEOYz6ZAlTj8ViUFi932CmunKKeIp2vLx7qGrzsSSnZ3ruYLOcE5ej9w/s320/IMG_6038.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jon out the window catching some photos in the evening light before dinner. Jon was the photographer for Vertical Integration all those years in our glory days. We had a unique system at the time where we were all a group of athletes with additional talents that we brought together to achieve our media prowess. I was the business manager and could run a film camera pretty well, Zach Houston was the musical aficionado and the best natural talent skier I had ever skied with, and Ben Geiger was our director of stoke and could ski like the wind. Dave Magoffin came on with us in the later years adding another great skier and snowmobiler who could run a video camera. Throughout the trip I was feeling the nostalgia being in these mountains with Jon from those glory days when we were pushing our boundaries and traveling around the world on skis. A few years ago Ben died of a heart attack and I could not help but think of him and how much he'd have loves this trip. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasISis_G6OTOApwwS5TZMO0B1DvT9x5yHxp23QVRwza5xj4WibkAMsLB3DGDUzFRoPX-SvFmObAvBHC1ZOThD0p5Vv4cDoEfEda77cIPXgskv188HfM9vhs_SrgwccM2-Kq9_88Ttk92AQj9hu9lTGB-zjkP5l62-CnzFh85AViYKogv79wso_g/s4032/IMG_6050.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasISis_G6OTOApwwS5TZMO0B1DvT9x5yHxp23QVRwza5xj4WibkAMsLB3DGDUzFRoPX-SvFmObAvBHC1ZOThD0p5Vv4cDoEfEda77cIPXgskv188HfM9vhs_SrgwccM2-Kq9_88Ttk92AQj9hu9lTGB-zjkP5l62-CnzFh85AViYKogv79wso_g/s320/IMG_6050.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From the hut the views gave us a glimpse even deeper into the Talkeetna Range. The expanse of it all is overwhelming at times. I was fighting emotions of the end of a long winter missing my family. Feeling the depth of where we were exasperated those feelings of separation from them. It was hard for me to choke down at times. It seems when I get that way and into deeper remoteness it grows even more. Jon could tell my plight and was super helpful in keeping me motivated and on track to check some objectives off my list. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7PVyjWA0aWO-zl9yq62Qp07xKT2l6rfc81RvIvArVd9O_oQ_nEv_AifVljI-6a24kCNlIERgL0_PU0Cgg26VlbqbImC_y-LtEMNmzisT2En-EKhixChHlLHyrDdbfQXmJiAT-NEfXvBQ19ziw6-aKRPYVp0ifCKOg67bkbQrdrrjMfL4AWqN5Q/s2567/IMG_6043.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1927" data-original-width="2567" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7PVyjWA0aWO-zl9yq62Qp07xKT2l6rfc81RvIvArVd9O_oQ_nEv_AifVljI-6a24kCNlIERgL0_PU0Cgg26VlbqbImC_y-LtEMNmzisT2En-EKhixChHlLHyrDdbfQXmJiAT-NEfXvBQ19ziw6-aKRPYVp0ifCKOg67bkbQrdrrjMfL4AWqN5Q/s320/IMG_6043.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next morning I snapped this picture of my Voile V6 BC skis resting on the porch of the hut with our day's objective behind it in Yisbo Peak. The sun had begun doing its spring time work so we were unsure if the snowpack would hold up for us as the temperatures rose throughout the day. We got an early start to be sure, and it played into our favor to do so. We crossed the glacier and skied a beauty down the most prominent couloir off the looker's left side of the peak. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho37UqIU7-qCKHrkhm8aY9U-f4-Ys67kvfXuThWbTAtf4VSP8qfqiPGQyMfD1_pI_37v-o5mPHR4iZY9Z8UMBosTlY3T1G7Gzjw2GMuaHsdH7fIsCQFWnRs6kgA591jNX82_BMqSIvL3YSqHzZb5g2aUOQAUGxW8NSqBSKkjXnhjrEjrJ3e4BMow/s3218/IMG_6067.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2408" data-original-width="3218" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho37UqIU7-qCKHrkhm8aY9U-f4-Ys67kvfXuThWbTAtf4VSP8qfqiPGQyMfD1_pI_37v-o5mPHR4iZY9Z8UMBosTlY3T1G7Gzjw2GMuaHsdH7fIsCQFWnRs6kgA591jNX82_BMqSIvL3YSqHzZb5g2aUOQAUGxW8NSqBSKkjXnhjrEjrJ3e4BMow/s320/IMG_6067.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With that my time had come to an end and we crossed the glacier back to the pass and home to Palmer. I did not get to accomplish as much as I had hoped from the perspective of the amount of lines I wanted to ski or glacier time. However, I did get some good work done and got more familiar in the zones I plan to utilize more in the future to keep the momentum rolling towards the finish line of my goal to complete the AMGA track. I had some great times with my old friend Jon as well. Jon and his family showed me wonderful hospitality. I am always so grateful for all the people like them that aide my journeys through these winter wonderland experiences. I would not be able to do this work without so many like them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmO_wtZJs28bvEp2PN1zm-8YgtOshB33-atWfyrr14iIQ5E4CWBtje1Np03Q-3rRUaB70xsFeNwvChXh2de-v_YyBOgNaJWSwNcxD9L2DN2Mk0iUmrGXliNfEAiglRKWd8JkwYYBllcJR4NXzvs7bDevkX0fPMVUIPkYyMAC68FFZrG0wfTjcizw/s4032/70D8FE15-E9D6-4029-979B-0D143D383A2D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmO_wtZJs28bvEp2PN1zm-8YgtOshB33-atWfyrr14iIQ5E4CWBtje1Np03Q-3rRUaB70xsFeNwvChXh2de-v_YyBOgNaJWSwNcxD9L2DN2Mk0iUmrGXliNfEAiglRKWd8JkwYYBllcJR4NXzvs7bDevkX0fPMVUIPkYyMAC68FFZrG0wfTjcizw/s320/70D8FE15-E9D6-4029-979B-0D143D383A2D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My flight back home to Wisconsin marked the end of my winter and another successful season of doing my dream job in all these crazy mountain ranges across the globe. This sunrise atop the clouds as I flew into my hometown from a red eye over night pair of flights from Alaska felt like a fitting metaphor for the dawn of another seasonal transition. Each spring I transition my work with the seasons to summer endeavors building trails and I was really looking forward to some quality time with my wife and kids after spending so much time away from them in my winter travels. It is really hard for me to be away from them so much, but I can't seem to bring myself to do any other work than what I am. I still feel like I have been given a gift from the universe to be able to do my dream job. I hope it serves as an example to my kids that we really can follow our dreams to do anything we put our minds to. It has not always been easy, and I have had my doubts and sacrifices along the way. However, any time I find myself in quiet moments like the airplane seat at sunrise I know I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing. </div><br /><p></p>J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-18604751119159993392022-04-12T15:42:00.008-07:002022-04-14T10:59:32.608-07:00Spring Training<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spring for me in the mountains these days is all about training in the ski mountaineering skill set. I have been a backcountry ski guide for a decade now, but this year the American Mountain Guide Association(AMGA) is making a move that essential turns them into the union for mountain guides in the United States. This summer they will be enlisting what they call "Scope of Practice" which essentially says if you want to be, or work for, an AMGA accredited outfitter, then you have to go through their programs and guides must have certain levels of AMGA training to guide certain terrain under certain roles. Part of this includes a basic skill set in ski mountaineering. I missed being grandfathered in as a "tenured guide" by two years as I started guiding in 2010 and the cut-off was 2008. As such, I have to train up and go through all the AMGA courses to comply. Despite the fact that I have no desire to guide mountaineering objectives I have to gain a basic skill set in the mountaineering craft. Luckily for me, I do value the skill set and am excited to learn it as the crossover to the kind of guiding I do every day is indeed applicable. I don't want to guide Everest or Denali, but the skills to do so are cool and I am enjoying learning them. I am not a climber. A long time ago I chose to buy a mountain bike over a rock climbing rack and the rest is history. I became a ski guide and a mountain bike guide and my little bit of rock climbing skills completely atrophied. Therefore, the training I have to do to get proficient in these early stages of the AMGA path are my most difficult skills to attain. So as I always have in my past, I train. The last two years I have gone all-in on training in these skills each spring during mountaineering season. The absolute best way I have done this is through mentorship with guides I know and trust. This weekend that meant joining up with my colleagues at <a href="https://www.inspiredsummit.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxtSSBhDYARIsAEn0thRj7M10VwBlf3iLy-mDXX9GUaOiwTCQ3Ht88p6ldoN_emQmoWqmJl0aArHFEALw_wcB" target="_blank">Inspired Summit Adventures</a> to enroll in their ski mountaineering camp. The four-day basecamp has been essential to my training as I will go sit for my AMGA Alpine Skills Course this summer. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBJctxAk8CZ88lGzoZwoWB1z1IyMvlpXDrMQ570F9evbm0F9ufwvGyR9G3tHekt-qSurki5rpZGjKHGsHOCpotVsqn9i322LlrVh00SHdMY_p4f1Jh4uWB1Nu8IhOdk7PTBxYt3YzyyIYYt6wYqFZygIru1Id7RN16-Vq53NF1I1meR4qpaM/s4032/IMG_3218.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBJctxAk8CZ88lGzoZwoWB1z1IyMvlpXDrMQ570F9evbm0F9ufwvGyR9G3tHekt-qSurki5rpZGjKHGsHOCpotVsqn9i322LlrVh00SHdMY_p4f1Jh4uWB1Nu8IhOdk7PTBxYt3YzyyIYYt6wYqFZygIru1Id7RN16-Vq53NF1I1meR4qpaM/s320/IMG_3218.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^We load up snowmobiles pulling toboggans with all<a name='more'></a> the gear at the trailhead in the Uinta Mountains in Utah and throttle out into the hills. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRO3EqVhHc62Rjxj08zt59T567L_dFMaozhTKU6NbqGcfVPX8V_5hi--HTpSvnd4ukWJUFoAYujqUQ_6TpTPQzNfZzQwwqKUsP9bKj1ICjoSC0z9ufsRo5igKeBec9G_F5vOLIXTxNlgfKsgm3UwC448x1OVNPLmraFXaaioO_yzf0-iiX65k/s4032/IMG_3226.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRO3EqVhHc62Rjxj08zt59T567L_dFMaozhTKU6NbqGcfVPX8V_5hi--HTpSvnd4ukWJUFoAYujqUQ_6TpTPQzNfZzQwwqKUsP9bKj1ICjoSC0z9ufsRo5igKeBec9G_F5vOLIXTxNlgfKsgm3UwC448x1OVNPLmraFXaaioO_yzf0-iiX65k/s320/IMG_3226.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">^Braptown USA</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAu4eaB9MFH56qpqwtqLPflV6_kFtzeo1y7f_8SEfEGNjTP_YmYdwzxiXa8SrpOp-XgRnwdfbjfbQEO1uUqPGpIXjUX_aOQkuGqXExTWzx5Afr-F372joYwSNM9nBsmAH2DhKp0DSbtR319IFiy0YUD-qQDBznjh_WGkL0tUpCAP8h-3zD18/s4032/IMG_3221.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAu4eaB9MFH56qpqwtqLPflV6_kFtzeo1y7f_8SEfEGNjTP_YmYdwzxiXa8SrpOp-XgRnwdfbjfbQEO1uUqPGpIXjUX_aOQkuGqXExTWzx5Afr-F372joYwSNM9nBsmAH2DhKp0DSbtR319IFiy0YUD-qQDBznjh_WGkL0tUpCAP8h-3zD18/s320/IMG_3221.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^The crew is looking out over the peaks we will be chasing objectives on in this picture above as we motor in to where we will set up basecamp. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONxwID2D-evZ5X4TZhvjh8SWwVPYHi3xBWbojnQ8WiDzaRL81Xh1hAld5YKX9Hzm0vwtU7wQnQz5N3460fAfITW54zBZfxq6tDEM7hmBlDB6GkEK3qz4mZCfoMD_OvmK-m4Pgb7oKfqdZJDpz1QXnYJ7JjPxR1CouW0h_akULm3XD8XJ05SA/s4032/IMG_3214.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONxwID2D-evZ5X4TZhvjh8SWwVPYHi3xBWbojnQ8WiDzaRL81Xh1hAld5YKX9Hzm0vwtU7wQnQz5N3460fAfITW54zBZfxq6tDEM7hmBlDB6GkEK3qz4mZCfoMD_OvmK-m4Pgb7oKfqdZJDpz1QXnYJ7JjPxR1CouW0h_akULm3XD8XJ05SA/s320/IMG_3214.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">^Arrival.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4GaxBXX224hQd5GQrhoFkfs03G4J4uWJIB8llrdT74ABaMV0BL4W6upxXX7O2PYxN2-wlHZMwHED2tNByzevm5J7IzILrkpSgiD15N7gRSWy0eBV7wXYFBn3_BxQqZARNeJPcj62OdoyXM0kGnJK38gzDpeARBrIwbiva3OdL6zEw0eI_Xc/s3831/IMG_3215.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3831" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4GaxBXX224hQd5GQrhoFkfs03G4J4uWJIB8llrdT74ABaMV0BL4W6upxXX7O2PYxN2-wlHZMwHED2tNByzevm5J7IzILrkpSgiD15N7gRSWy0eBV7wXYFBn3_BxQqZARNeJPcj62OdoyXM0kGnJK38gzDpeARBrIwbiva3OdL6zEw0eI_Xc/s320/IMG_3215.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^This blue tent is my home for the long weekend. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4zvDI1CxMOgbF0txWDkDzI01vs5Huqkng1KTdKIBWkouVpfg_r-92iXjGpBgy2lcgN2s8pywnbg4uEstR18LsqCRFM7vDOf8Q2dPiNdfo689EbD0lDU7F8fNiqYF2KpRZXD_clFeQlSrWjkdgQebh5K6pWC7RLEcRbjraS3Uiaj_caD47K8/s4032/IMG_3232.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4zvDI1CxMOgbF0txWDkDzI01vs5Huqkng1KTdKIBWkouVpfg_r-92iXjGpBgy2lcgN2s8pywnbg4uEstR18LsqCRFM7vDOf8Q2dPiNdfo689EbD0lDU7F8fNiqYF2KpRZXD_clFeQlSrWjkdgQebh5K6pWC7RLEcRbjraS3Uiaj_caD47K8/s320/IMG_3232.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Dig it in and make it as comfy as possible. Winter camping is another of these skill sets I am working on. Winter camping is never comfortable, but the better I get at it the more comfortable I am learning to make it. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9DTzeqISPPdfr3KkGi48yhXGPWf4_bR5xSYGrP4aQhdgWIWJYXQ107NE5yls9-A7qcW8MarsKBwp3_L3bit5aPbg2x8P7haKONAgFBFtD05-FljvB6WPxspgnr0ZfZRONvUrUVChoyO1SWygot8co9jUAoBNUVwikU9MHFV7OSs7MEdXzMo/s4032/IMG_3243.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9DTzeqISPPdfr3KkGi48yhXGPWf4_bR5xSYGrP4aQhdgWIWJYXQ107NE5yls9-A7qcW8MarsKBwp3_L3bit5aPbg2x8P7haKONAgFBFtD05-FljvB6WPxspgnr0ZfZRONvUrUVChoyO1SWygot8co9jUAoBNUVwikU9MHFV7OSs7MEdXzMo/s320/IMG_3243.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^In this picture above, we listen to Anna Keeling teach us up on some anchoring skills. I work with Anna at Monument Snowcat Skiing and have known of her via reputation for much longer. Anna is a legend in the guide world. When I saw her at the Monument season opener party I immediately went over to introduce myself and proceeded to totally fan boy her up. Thankfully, she took my enthusiasm well and like a true mentor allowed me to pick her brain every time we worked together. When I heard she would be the technical director of this camp I was so pumped. Any chance I get to soak up knowledge and wisdom from a legend like Anna I dive in headfirst. I am grateful to have many great mentors in this process. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKDeBseIpOhM4NcqE6E3_Izv85r1OV5LNUA0p5Un9c85CBdm5QjmQk0Na9SFN3cXVCw1-1snviZP9Gxe7U5Se7SMLoYKtsju2wd6y39lrLn-vP3y10c7pRCesleUvZKNKmZMgkSqDpyr2qrjNBOgCFgNkRixxO-bLM3v5SAAi7bDmd2jzuJA/s3483/IMG_3231.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2612" data-original-width="3483" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKDeBseIpOhM4NcqE6E3_Izv85r1OV5LNUA0p5Un9c85CBdm5QjmQk0Na9SFN3cXVCw1-1snviZP9Gxe7U5Se7SMLoYKtsju2wd6y39lrLn-vP3y10c7pRCesleUvZKNKmZMgkSqDpyr2qrjNBOgCFgNkRixxO-bLM3v5SAAi7bDmd2jzuJA/s320/IMG_3231.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>^We go out into the terrain to apply the skills as well. It is one thing to learn techniques. It is another to walk the miles of application. <p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8ON0BY9vTcsH_lTVs7Fc7SA6trL3_1CiiKMwnMI05iqJiOWeMIBI9gOfCzBD1o6GbcilZP_3cLPswhGOwWnQpBbLUPBXOLyJuEnYqvwTCGF9q3cVJutQh3OnzJs3agC5E1adx0YbjKPxpZxuAk9q1SgA2tp7x11dnav6wIFXQAHtct9tnak/s4032/IMG_3280.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8ON0BY9vTcsH_lTVs7Fc7SA6trL3_1CiiKMwnMI05iqJiOWeMIBI9gOfCzBD1o6GbcilZP_3cLPswhGOwWnQpBbLUPBXOLyJuEnYqvwTCGF9q3cVJutQh3OnzJs3agC5E1adx0YbjKPxpZxuAk9q1SgA2tp7x11dnav6wIFXQAHtct9tnak/s320/IMG_3280.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">^Little climber, big mountains. Awe inspiring terrain all weekend indeed. The Uintas are a special place. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoGyRyIKCwW46uhVwS_ttKS0dkb_2I2sdeMybXz1zfCMbvO439i4iq9lYRXUs-MC6kH-Elyx2r5ZjKiyKIsjC8802Ay22dZn9Uippg9KIxSmC03IDZRBmYl0lekK1mYBWg5fd5YmFsJ9PKee4zkayJXdr1_U_bvhOWs7ml8neomHXlMxhtBI/s3406/IMG_3278.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2554" data-original-width="3406" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoGyRyIKCwW46uhVwS_ttKS0dkb_2I2sdeMybXz1zfCMbvO439i4iq9lYRXUs-MC6kH-Elyx2r5ZjKiyKIsjC8802Ay22dZn9Uippg9KIxSmC03IDZRBmYl0lekK1mYBWg5fd5YmFsJ9PKee4zkayJXdr1_U_bvhOWs7ml8neomHXlMxhtBI/s320/IMG_3278.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8Pb2CitQVJc2bwbZ2IjVfQ_qKazKYxlmbxsU96lgsbqp65OpA7XnfpAkOudAaGquy8qjePg3mcftiGUKF1fEy93w31HVHEH8mIcwgUFim9-OMaP2TZD9KftMzi_y8ss4Ceus4ySmqsNpHSLMTaJCuXCYzPaaTJ7cwmWe0bdgi-CCsn7nL4U/s3399/IMG_3236.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2549" data-original-width="3399" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8Pb2CitQVJc2bwbZ2IjVfQ_qKazKYxlmbxsU96lgsbqp65OpA7XnfpAkOudAaGquy8qjePg3mcftiGUKF1fEy93w31HVHEH8mIcwgUFim9-OMaP2TZD9KftMzi_y8ss4Ceus4ySmqsNpHSLMTaJCuXCYzPaaTJ7cwmWe0bdgi-CCsn7nL4U/s320/IMG_3236.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Inspired Summit guide, Joel, teaching us up and showing us how to walk the miles and climb the vert. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Yr0mX1vCmLz9uL5CyhpL40dQ_WxaswBGfQFek7ljxSgSRzWOXiRZ4GNvqlfuiJTRU6abBbB1CtQhx4AHGkodCLN74eMi6Ja8H4FYOGkntQAZVQxHObqAbkAPQGlXsKeafDXONBoDCqSEEjWYytwqdzIgBkvXon_A5dJDyID3QyMLEzchurE/s3401/IMG_3250.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2551" data-original-width="3401" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Yr0mX1vCmLz9uL5CyhpL40dQ_WxaswBGfQFek7ljxSgSRzWOXiRZ4GNvqlfuiJTRU6abBbB1CtQhx4AHGkodCLN74eMi6Ja8H4FYOGkntQAZVQxHObqAbkAPQGlXsKeafDXONBoDCqSEEjWYytwqdzIgBkvXon_A5dJDyID3QyMLEzchurE/s320/IMG_3250.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">^Tyler is stoked!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91ykBihWU_xgJ472mGt1n_MudlW34Gdt_M79egR7FZnMKR5fuMXVr09rJaOU82qKYEvOOLOHqAiA07VW6CaJ1bHAtL-Z6HLbHlS4R0ouxXc-JVzh2L4b7rHd_-YdjyKyI1_-Gko2aoEdGFTQ42ehkBADn3lMcF_hAbFWKfp-W3TwawzB9eek/s3451/IMG_3242.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2589" data-original-width="3451" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91ykBihWU_xgJ472mGt1n_MudlW34Gdt_M79egR7FZnMKR5fuMXVr09rJaOU82qKYEvOOLOHqAiA07VW6CaJ1bHAtL-Z6HLbHlS4R0ouxXc-JVzh2L4b7rHd_-YdjyKyI1_-Gko2aoEdGFTQ42ehkBADn3lMcF_hAbFWKfp-W3TwawzB9eek/s320/IMG_3242.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">^Onward, upward.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznjPmK5_VmVF4Ydyr0Ie0GAKAJnxmvcp9HonNdgdZ8lCb4eUBjbd910R8fHLVOyZn3ZsMles9dtDnzE4BfvYHzU8bFkQhNqNPrCdEdFZo-I8O4ZByBCMCUbhY_onAJMyPLTUiG2T6nI4FQtys6lau6I8Jq_Do13s6NTBgTDp8QSAZ6PrgnOQ/s3088/IMG_3240.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznjPmK5_VmVF4Ydyr0Ie0GAKAJnxmvcp9HonNdgdZ8lCb4eUBjbd910R8fHLVOyZn3ZsMles9dtDnzE4BfvYHzU8bFkQhNqNPrCdEdFZo-I8O4ZByBCMCUbhY_onAJMyPLTUiG2T6nI4FQtys6lau6I8Jq_Do13s6NTBgTDp8QSAZ6PrgnOQ/s320/IMG_3240.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">^Ridgeline selfie stoke!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHoeDMdS7r45-w9aDagGwNYxGSpRAtd4L5OV_cXJsQ6AQjFVVWBVQycxb-n5uWYK8HTDDAu5tL8S0QG0QzD591s-rRTZlP1-Xs70K2am7ZCe7Mqx7pDvvlmj_MccegpzkLC0a9DqbJqfBxq8Lc04IOLhNC16pX1_zNARNRj21HbWNEzi89lo/s3773/IMG_3289.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3773" data-original-width="2829" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHoeDMdS7r45-w9aDagGwNYxGSpRAtd4L5OV_cXJsQ6AQjFVVWBVQycxb-n5uWYK8HTDDAu5tL8S0QG0QzD591s-rRTZlP1-Xs70K2am7ZCe7Mqx7pDvvlmj_MccegpzkLC0a9DqbJqfBxq8Lc04IOLhNC16pX1_zNARNRj21HbWNEzi89lo/s320/IMG_3289.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Sunset light on one of our objectives we skied, the Mountaineers Couloir on Hayden Peak. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZxFJ1hHO3HLTzCztltf1HKbnOwlFuMVYgbanNTFwBrIyn1HpW_yiCpsnVyIn5xrZuNbVl-MLiPbVI2Cd5DUNbmW72_5hwNkfwKB2lOoyjyyjIurUdNPKnHUSNFVKLNXdz9LXb1z6fv_NO109qqNQoD-Yryfjg1dkrZMgEuhxyxyJpztHfjY/s4032/IMG_3290.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZxFJ1hHO3HLTzCztltf1HKbnOwlFuMVYgbanNTFwBrIyn1HpW_yiCpsnVyIn5xrZuNbVl-MLiPbVI2Cd5DUNbmW72_5hwNkfwKB2lOoyjyyjIurUdNPKnHUSNFVKLNXdz9LXb1z6fv_NO109qqNQoD-Yryfjg1dkrZMgEuhxyxyJpztHfjY/s320/IMG_3290.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">^A fire in the sky sunset to cap off a stellar day. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_A7fQJhnuMeL1Y_C2IBLX4nseexjWyeFPvMVmeX3NA3du2M1TpGZcY4tzZME9e74cNfamSL70eWbvecKDWukwGh1C92y1V-sCLhrWu3KLoBuovIdPCPDv45boSyh8H1Rhnh31e5HCnVV7iCC2KgvZOHXJzIyhBwWSG7Jmpt4tUDCmrnmbZg/s4032/IMG_3291.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_A7fQJhnuMeL1Y_C2IBLX4nseexjWyeFPvMVmeX3NA3du2M1TpGZcY4tzZME9e74cNfamSL70eWbvecKDWukwGh1C92y1V-sCLhrWu3KLoBuovIdPCPDv45boSyh8H1Rhnh31e5HCnVV7iCC2KgvZOHXJzIyhBwWSG7Jmpt4tUDCmrnmbZg/s320/IMG_3291.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">^A fire in the basecamp to warm up.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gbivIEK5ppmWHCKHnHsuU7rrYjiVU-Eq06kqtzQoOuWz7fxaBgavllFeo9dwCsrGrmnaarsxVwZnNWa49gnyscAoMm2DKakebV_bKMiueKt0umMTVE8xKf2-hZhQ1244IFjBCpar4b5JBkbiaY0G_dHvh4w0WUTl-iL8l9uxWN6SOnQwSog/s4032/IMG_3292.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gbivIEK5ppmWHCKHnHsuU7rrYjiVU-Eq06kqtzQoOuWz7fxaBgavllFeo9dwCsrGrmnaarsxVwZnNWa49gnyscAoMm2DKakebV_bKMiueKt0umMTVE8xKf2-hZhQ1244IFjBCpar4b5JBkbiaY0G_dHvh4w0WUTl-iL8l9uxWN6SOnQwSog/s320/IMG_3292.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Hanging out and talking shop in the communal dome tent. Shaun Raskin-Duetschlander, the owner of Inspired Summit Adventures, is standing and professing to us in this picture on the life and love of ski mountaineering. Shaun and her husband Weston have built a great business with Inspired Summit Adventures. I have known both of them a long time as we skied the professional telemark skiing circuit for many years together in our youth. Then we all entered the guide world at a similar time. They gave me one of my first job opportunities. Shaun and Weston are both also going through the AMGA path as well. They have been fantastic peers and mentors to me as we travel this path together. I can't say enough about the positive influence Shaun and Weston have been in my life from the professional to the personal. They've been invaluable colleagues and even better friends to me. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34y_H4N5Bu-xsLto1Thaf8oD5NH2N5rG1ypa6iI34aHVss-LZfaGF8911GPAcluchhIjN74U-gYVkq5JrPXFYkFQJR09cJGHbFQokbD11Sj2gv3eZfmsGJxSyHCmyYVoKgcMqs5w_1jpebElBlzefMQJsXdt_ucl5T6Yypmu08NFy8WLRICg/s4032/IMG_3294.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34y_H4N5Bu-xsLto1Thaf8oD5NH2N5rG1ypa6iI34aHVss-LZfaGF8911GPAcluchhIjN74U-gYVkq5JrPXFYkFQJR09cJGHbFQokbD11Sj2gv3eZfmsGJxSyHCmyYVoKgcMqs5w_1jpebElBlzefMQJsXdt_ucl5T6Yypmu08NFy8WLRICg/s320/IMG_3294.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^The weekend was grueling. I will not lie. Ski mountaineering is hard. Winter camping ensures uneasy rest at best. The motor out of the field always feels like relief to me. Ski mountaineering and the skills associated with it are difficult and humbling for me. Those are good things to feel in life I think. It means I am pushing my limits and skills to new levels. I think that is a worthy pursuit in any life and career. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUocEoyZQNWi8psMjEOm_qsCDNRvh2yVNG--F1EKxEtn6TOY1V3zCnFm5lt3nbpZvWVdzlSu3QOCtQ21FDVS5fKEuDU62SFqTxzbSUaShvi3qCy4HkSj56JUDNu4chzAPXrmbDUeBRuCkktCuukO7hPiPFAMJJUaCj4xg4mGvzxpqVCfPEio/s4032/IMG_3295.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUocEoyZQNWi8psMjEOm_qsCDNRvh2yVNG--F1EKxEtn6TOY1V3zCnFm5lt3nbpZvWVdzlSu3QOCtQ21FDVS5fKEuDU62SFqTxzbSUaShvi3qCy4HkSj56JUDNu4chzAPXrmbDUeBRuCkktCuukO7hPiPFAMJJUaCj4xg4mGvzxpqVCfPEio/s320/IMG_3295.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Back home at my condo in Ogden, Utah drying out and trying to catch up on some rest. I have a few more weeks in Utah and then some rock climbing at Devil's Lake in Wisconsin to round out some more training for my Alpine Skills Course coming in June. The spring training continues. My development in this mountain man career continues. I don't think it ever really ends, and it shouldn't. Always learning, always improving, and always training, this spring... and forever. </div><br /> <p></p>J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-33949733208808774002022-02-08T11:42:00.002-07:002022-02-08T11:47:00.051-07:00A #GuideLife Program<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I always tell young aspiring backcountry ski guides that the key to being a ski guide is a diversified income stream. Honestly, the truth could be said for any profession that is intricately tied to the weather and the seasons. The statement is kind of a two-fold thing. One, is that as a young ski guide the consistency of work is difficult to manage in a life that typically has consistent fixed expenses. Second, is the diversity of skill sets within the #GuideLife that is helpful to craft a more and more consistent workflow. I have been a guide for nearly a decade now and have developed a program that works for me. It is not all glorious bluebird meadow skipping like the picture below or that my Instagram feed would lead folks to believe. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoJ4aAiNwB7kbZ1p6ck5mUcxO6w5FScX32BNgClLsTz6cJJTXB-LD_7abdydpnzszzlIS6QOlQ9CkGrs6-AUjW4M63Kuweh0jg3wlIytbqOJnXA_4GYm7s9H6IMh5ZnGhXYzeHaLy1zajG7mAEhXuOouuH_ix4dtRbnpT3_Ek46o5j2H3JzhM=s960" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="960" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoJ4aAiNwB7kbZ1p6ck5mUcxO6w5FScX32BNgClLsTz6cJJTXB-LD_7abdydpnzszzlIS6QOlQ9CkGrs6-AUjW4M63Kuweh0jg3wlIytbqOJnXA_4GYm7s9H6IMh5ZnGhXYzeHaLy1zajG7mAEhXuOouuH_ix4dtRbnpT3_Ek46o5j2H3JzhM=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">photo: Chris Morgan</span></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^These days I have so much guiding work that I have to <a name='more'></a> start managing my burn rate so I don't fall apart physically from working day-in and day-out all winter long. However, this is a good problem to have now, and it was not always that way as a younger guide. I have been fortunate to build my business up to this good problem. I was able to do that because I had a program to survive getting here. The first part of the formula is the seasonal nature of the work and having a variety of work within the seasons. I am a trail builder in the off-season and that season lasts 7 months for me from the first part of May the end of November. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4Yg6Nau494O_VBZ04-ceei-9RSxr3F10dpIDHyY74RceNmqEoEY9pr3YYkUtkT-kJflbB3vRW4rFAnk-NegRfw3PKiG5ekMcDZAqPxJQIFk4RNtrj9hq9wTkngG-vWI9G_ruwFqoRJOKgtpFYxNnmBCQZ_TUofnEYhG8Lmguqx-mCobPQts4=s3667" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2720" data-original-width="3667" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4Yg6Nau494O_VBZ04-ceei-9RSxr3F10dpIDHyY74RceNmqEoEY9pr3YYkUtkT-kJflbB3vRW4rFAnk-NegRfw3PKiG5ekMcDZAqPxJQIFk4RNtrj9hq9wTkngG-vWI9G_ruwFqoRJOKgtpFYxNnmBCQZ_TUofnEYhG8Lmguqx-mCobPQts4=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Trails, trails, trails. in my younger years I also did seasonal construction trade work, and residential remodeling. Those skills led me to build up a couple rental houses over the years as I would buy a house and remodel it, and then turn it into a rental property. I recently sold all those rental houses with prices being quite high for real estate in the United States currently which has been a nice windfall profit, but I built that up over 15 years. The real key though is the consistent income stream by switching gears to a complimentary seasonal career each year. I went from construction and rental properties now to trail building. These skills compliment my backcountry ski guiding both seasonally and are also a nice variety for me too. I like the variety. I have gotten a level 2 mountain bike guiding an instructing certification as well through B.I.C.P. that I have in my bag of tricks if I need it. I am became an ambassador for Giant Bicycles as well and it has been awesome learning more and more about the bike industry. I like living according to the seasons. When fall comes I naturally start to convert to ski guiding mode with the weather change and I find myself listening to Utah Avalanche Center podcasts in my excavator while I am building trails. </div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAI_Pyh9Qzfsf4cpgQi1quuAG1c2r8ZaWDBuYEwzukPHX3mj37eEYbtZGFBLL-CEUzkCcW6K65deu1PGI7jezXoS4SiC78_MsHAzNYuUGJc2P0Z-_Z3Aw15Gg1fm2g80KthULY1mJewT1KEx46tYFHisE3xgQQrP4t0x-CEHP_1PniDU0EBxg=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1440" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAI_Pyh9Qzfsf4cpgQi1quuAG1c2r8ZaWDBuYEwzukPHX3mj37eEYbtZGFBLL-CEUzkCcW6K65deu1PGI7jezXoS4SiC78_MsHAzNYuUGJc2P0Z-_Z3Aw15Gg1fm2g80KthULY1mJewT1KEx46tYFHisE3xgQQrP4t0x-CEHP_1PniDU0EBxg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Ski guiding each season starts with avalanche workshops and guide trainings. These things usually start around mid-November and run through December. Sometimes these things are paid, sometimes they aren't, but ya gotta do it so make the time. Hopefully your still flush from the off-season work to swing the downtime. The teaching skill set is an under-appreciated skill for ski guides. For two reasons. One, the timing, and two, the marketing. Many courses in the U.S. take place in December and January, which is a slower time for guiding usually. Therefore, learning to teach avalanche courses and touring skills courses can be a great value to the workflow timeline for guiding. It also helps me meet more people in the community and network with more people as well which is always helpful. Not to mention it helps me stay sharp on my own skills for when the real prime time of guiding season kicks in come February, March and early April. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0BmkzrRQ_RgjnIj5cKvq9tPsub_ERolRraF9Hhsy7k9Ih8sphwzL0Q9U0znDFsCAicOMbc1YtaSgLrTrIjfsjTkiEIl-pNqqsCgNnYS6Z2n-2qnYTbKpr827e46gZWxFjNqM65zOwICUyByaHZR3XIVtPpuo4OoAt4YXaxnGaoTDT8ZYx_Y4=s3506" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2629" data-original-width="3506" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0BmkzrRQ_RgjnIj5cKvq9tPsub_ERolRraF9Hhsy7k9Ih8sphwzL0Q9U0znDFsCAicOMbc1YtaSgLrTrIjfsjTkiEIl-pNqqsCgNnYS6Z2n-2qnYTbKpr827e46gZWxFjNqM65zOwICUyByaHZR3XIVtPpuo4OoAt4YXaxnGaoTDT8ZYx_Y4=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Teach one, reach one. Wasn't that like a motto or something somewhere?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7toskIQshDyVLytHJ_MZR6p1BCvzeSVBz9SgX6CwIQY3-GQC2m9VKdMrfmlIap7Wp71PgfTuvfUD-SnomySl4i89cI9F4jvBoTWM5hBxIRpR9iWcc16DO5UBID-2JEPeiwaa7dKKuRFVCKjCTACn2hv6sK2Nh0_cEg3SqswJh4JQCZuGF0rI=s1800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7toskIQshDyVLytHJ_MZR6p1BCvzeSVBz9SgX6CwIQY3-GQC2m9VKdMrfmlIap7Wp71PgfTuvfUD-SnomySl4i89cI9F4jvBoTWM5hBxIRpR9iWcc16DO5UBID-2JEPeiwaa7dKKuRFVCKjCTACn2hv6sK2Nh0_cEg3SqswJh4JQCZuGF0rI=s320" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^In this picture above I am digging a pit to teach students how to do a pit profile. I got the teaching skill set by taking the AIARE Instructor Training Course. I am still working through their program as we speak as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhs0xvdBcTpYCO04HgAZ6sifci2I7AmXGO6VHysyPMieTyhkabmjW1uLSFa4K1-61rvzP7VMfBkUdQEC_qkYJIibkb6CuJRUY8Tpa4RcrpwYsdvaIsCEwAjz_weVGCROeJP2XI8qiJNYpEFz84Z0RoSAeRMheYwkFjioZ8fla2h_TIeAv7zenA=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1440" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhs0xvdBcTpYCO04HgAZ6sifci2I7AmXGO6VHysyPMieTyhkabmjW1uLSFa4K1-61rvzP7VMfBkUdQEC_qkYJIibkb6CuJRUY8Tpa4RcrpwYsdvaIsCEwAjz_weVGCROeJP2XI8qiJNYpEFz84Z0RoSAeRMheYwkFjioZ8fla2h_TIeAv7zenA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^In the prime time of winter the guiding turns on hot and heavy. However, you'll notice that is really just a few months time to really get after it. Gotta fill up those dates and that "book of business" takes time to build up. For young guides that may result in gaps without work when they're just starting out. Having the ability to pick up a course teaching gig can be useful if snow goes bad or a hole in bookings arises. I also have a special niche skill set from my experience as a pro skier in my 20's now in guiding for media content projects. Guiding for camera operators and athletes is a different animal than guiding for the general public. This was my world for a glorious decade of my life as a pro athlete and now I am fortunate to guide those efforts as well. That adds to the potential client list, which adds to the pool of work I can do when it is go time in the prime of winter. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAIoY5Jl9fnLa9lVq-9OlbHXz6Le-vRAldKrp9Y82vtHWSUlYNAHMB8SksUPkBlT3P-fUKLmv8oXpQwt8PNaCf_GfSz5tq1L7hlyYGeXhdMqT3HO4OY8W9lJRXX_DZ2yMWj2SIHnmHk-GkyqqzjC0zuhhgmoA-TMe6SR5zK3eEWe1zfSYGKGc=s3671" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2750" data-original-width="3671" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAIoY5Jl9fnLa9lVq-9OlbHXz6Le-vRAldKrp9Y82vtHWSUlYNAHMB8SksUPkBlT3P-fUKLmv8oXpQwt8PNaCf_GfSz5tq1L7hlyYGeXhdMqT3HO4OY8W9lJRXX_DZ2yMWj2SIHnmHk-GkyqqzjC0zuhhgmoA-TMe6SR5zK3eEWe1zfSYGKGc=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Snowboard legend Brian Iguchi playing the part on a shoot I guided this winter in this picture above. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqvSxGv7M9pT3JDWeCU2WsgqnNrUf078fD7yJyFpPVOb-e-P5W9_JmSAPnylPRsRwKD01_5WckWg9SS5-FqE8GiH7YtXVCw_yryhRd3_ctAHScGSi1B2lzAICaftMPhg8a31aZ9cnQHv5CG_4ZU2BmV1YduyHcTh0eoMDgFe-SfBltuUtQ1Rg=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1440" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqvSxGv7M9pT3JDWeCU2WsgqnNrUf078fD7yJyFpPVOb-e-P5W9_JmSAPnylPRsRwKD01_5WckWg9SS5-FqE8GiH7YtXVCw_yryhRd3_ctAHScGSi1B2lzAICaftMPhg8a31aZ9cnQHv5CG_4ZU2BmV1YduyHcTh0eoMDgFe-SfBltuUtQ1Rg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^I was fortunate to work on a snowmobile shoot this winter as well for an outfitter I work with. Snowmobiling is another skill I have been working on lately. It is difficult, but has become an essential tool in my guide life efforts. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTCnl6GFd60XQI4kZ3rFa-o_HLs5pEYAnetauxoOeVd32s0v6MTdyBbvv0GKYD1MWFsbm61rfr94A5YeGMOJgzqc3Fv8AmnWs_FHehlI783H3BDobePhDoJx16bfxCH2yWCsNYMQKwcownq68_e9U-ATqtAz7C-ELhnXVJsNkZgraJWQcjoas=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1440" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTCnl6GFd60XQI4kZ3rFa-o_HLs5pEYAnetauxoOeVd32s0v6MTdyBbvv0GKYD1MWFsbm61rfr94A5YeGMOJgzqc3Fv8AmnWs_FHehlI783H3BDobePhDoJx16bfxCH2yWCsNYMQKwcownq68_e9U-ATqtAz7C-ELhnXVJsNkZgraJWQcjoas=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Watching this pro snowmobiler boon dock powder turns was inspiring. I am getting better at my skills as we speak, but it is a work-in-progress indeed. It has opened up terrain for me to access and outfitters to work with too. I bought my own snowmobile a few years ago as well that has allowed me more opportunities to do more guide work. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6uukmPH920mppvT-pRA1F4SDVJ-Z7dAyyAaGP6y7a9y72eEBdPMuWNmZEtk7Wrol_Kj9_wD9pw-XRuArbwxx56b2O_NrHORGN4AIl1ZT05CAfzc01xz5Vr9JBERtnhI1ih_8MhZ33-IPG1QSS4hbjZBM7r5WwMOvfXVGDceTOrFoHVA88KMM=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6uukmPH920mppvT-pRA1F4SDVJ-Z7dAyyAaGP6y7a9y72eEBdPMuWNmZEtk7Wrol_Kj9_wD9pw-XRuArbwxx56b2O_NrHORGN4AIl1ZT05CAfzc01xz5Vr9JBERtnhI1ih_8MhZ33-IPG1QSS4hbjZBM7r5WwMOvfXVGDceTOrFoHVA88KMM=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^I also started working with a mechanized outfitter a few years ago too and now have opportunities to do that work as well. Mechanized guiding is another complimentary skill set that adds a few more layers to learn. The snowmobile skills have become paramount in this mechanized guiding world as well. </div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjM6No39cHdRcXqbdShAOoIC6N77BSPGgxwzVhvrNeIfUnSj0e5uBydvr8tQy0YHbFryAObrDZoO0avuHI2HbYhXPxD_sjCrMS4LDV25ZTjouraRR-PCxNFYECKcW81uWfbDOzEoeOPdoPvmE8z2Wpyjnf-sFGTpawvSYr4vKHXcHN0GxP6HJU=s3632" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2724" data-original-width="3632" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjM6No39cHdRcXqbdShAOoIC6N77BSPGgxwzVhvrNeIfUnSj0e5uBydvr8tQy0YHbFryAObrDZoO0avuHI2HbYhXPxD_sjCrMS4LDV25ZTjouraRR-PCxNFYECKcW81uWfbDOzEoeOPdoPvmE8z2Wpyjnf-sFGTpawvSYr4vKHXcHN0GxP6HJU=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^This human powered ski tour guiding scene pictured above that many people think of when I tell them about what I do is really just one small part of the puzzle that makes this career actually work. The plethora of continuing education is another aspect as well in medical training and such, but the ability to make the ends meet to make a living as you gain these skills is the true art of building a ski guiding career that actually works. The diversity of skill sets that afford the diversity in income is what has allowed me to create a long sustainable career as a ski guide. These days I am adding in the mountaineering skill set as well. Mountaineering has been a really huge learning curve for me, but as I have explained thus far the continuing education and adding of valuable skill sets to my life is the sauce that has allowed me to build this life to begin with so it makes sense to me to keep it going. Seems like good life advice in general, but in this #GuideLife of mine it has proven paramount. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyvTKvnxs-6laoM0JqbfNwmZh5NpL2trFqiwq5gf2tmT6xrYOTAbXkncn0v4J8PN2N-Zvg6Rf5qlyod9FPvfHFnH8lwAhMso215GXzfzBUXEnXMNVq0P5sn8dYC4YwkYJC8TtNYowiMJ1tl6O4coD00U4PJhE756J6FgQjULFE325USJrULzY=s1800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyvTKvnxs-6laoM0JqbfNwmZh5NpL2trFqiwq5gf2tmT6xrYOTAbXkncn0v4J8PN2N-Zvg6Rf5qlyod9FPvfHFnH8lwAhMso215GXzfzBUXEnXMNVq0P5sn8dYC4YwkYJC8TtNYowiMJ1tl6O4coD00U4PJhE756J6FgQjULFE325USJrULzY=s320" width="256" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-25189989509659935312020-10-12T13:13:00.001-07:002020-10-12T13:14:16.151-07:00Trim to Win<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fall colors were on point for my trip to the U.P. of Michigan's Porcupine Mountains State Park where my dad and I drove up for a trim party in the woods with the a few of the tribe from Midwest Telefest, which is hosted at the Park's ski area each winter in early February. The objective was thinning out some glades for tree skiing at the ski area, as well as see some of our friends that we celebrate Midwest Telefest with. The experience was a bit different amidst a global pandemic, but all-in-all still a really enjoyable and productive trim session. </div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23SOCxvC3CHdIfF44LH5bTsNGe930Qg8NWMYl2FaFQVpC4Vw44evFejA6R569sMlgBvEO6EjbSNz-Fo1KKXxe1lokr95cCPs_qva6Ig7oNkDq6AxTi3mPMJefDJxIwhZcblhv7g/s2048/IMG_9859.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23SOCxvC3CHdIfF44LH5bTsNGe930Qg8NWMYl2FaFQVpC4Vw44evFejA6R569sMlgBvEO6EjbSNz-Fo1KKXxe1lokr95cCPs_qva6Ig7oNkDq6AxTi3mPMJefDJxIwhZcblhv7g/s320/IMG_9859.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^The drive up was really colorful. My dad and I packed our <a name='more'></a>lunches and drove straight through to avoid undue public exposure to the northern populations, but as a result we made great time. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJPs4dzg-DxxeoWCsTJymWUl3gut6V4f4K_vLlHNYEgi_Plr1xjjhr6NVBuCzkTUxUfgwCV83gV6QebtiSApPDl3yFnnqGk4c2jWYb2yZ2bEkXpGCFMdDhIiCIR_KjGn4sOe_xQ/s2048/IMG_9865.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1425" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJPs4dzg-DxxeoWCsTJymWUl3gut6V4f4K_vLlHNYEgi_Plr1xjjhr6NVBuCzkTUxUfgwCV83gV6QebtiSApPDl3yFnnqGk4c2jWYb2yZ2bEkXpGCFMdDhIiCIR_KjGn4sOe_xQ/s320/IMG_9865.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^The resort staff set us up to camp right at the base of one of the ski runs so we had our base camp close to the glades we were going to be trimming. In this picture above my dad is setting up his tent next to the canopy of color. Peak fall color in the U.P. was last week, but thankfully the leaves were still holding on to provide such a beautiful scene as a bonus to the trip. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuaXsirtMPsJhd7_59O2-ctRj10ztR9lsMQbLkAWkiDh6Q9wOOCIqdzczgnLvryU_CXjC4leE6KVtWFmplR1CNOSP39TvwPi_fJ3YbX3qI6MfkOps0nwrbQS6cbcKk9uUBbF_3Q/s2048/IMG_9867.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1505" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuaXsirtMPsJhd7_59O2-ctRj10ztR9lsMQbLkAWkiDh6Q9wOOCIqdzczgnLvryU_CXjC4leE6KVtWFmplR1CNOSP39TvwPi_fJ3YbX3qI6MfkOps0nwrbQS6cbcKk9uUBbF_3Q/s320/IMG_9867.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Saturday morning the crew made our way up the ski run towards the glades. Even at a viral guideline distance from each other the vibes of stoke for winter proved to have more contagious reach than the virus is supposed to. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhDJlXE6HWICoKe1iQbFiS8Ss4SWzbOWrvJWYF05A-b3GAT1u3yizXeEVYMuLway1ADTaQ-oBTz_duY5-KUB12tqZhd-S4NVVMENbQtJ-TIkhjW8FM5ihbAvQw1LQqk6KDFyP1Q/s2048/IMG_9870.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhDJlXE6HWICoKe1iQbFiS8Ss4SWzbOWrvJWYF05A-b3GAT1u3yizXeEVYMuLway1ADTaQ-oBTz_duY5-KUB12tqZhd-S4NVVMENbQtJ-TIkhjW8FM5ihbAvQw1LQqk6KDFyP1Q/s320/IMG_9870.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^At the spot were we set up our gas cans and gear to enter the woods the view of the Great Lake Superior and the fall colorful forest was all-time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGgOeKeehSGIMDMDtCsC_ld_W3YOpfF0esNRrddY-hmo1RTcv5KYC_nj-heh66w254b-DqBW4Kw8LZvL8DlkxR5t-EnOv-hw9-1Pchk8WAOrrFlLdYzxrmS2s_1Enj4mnmpGjSw/s2048/IMG_9871.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGgOeKeehSGIMDMDtCsC_ld_W3YOpfF0esNRrddY-hmo1RTcv5KYC_nj-heh66w254b-DqBW4Kw8LZvL8DlkxR5t-EnOv-hw9-1Pchk8WAOrrFlLdYzxrmS2s_1Enj4mnmpGjSw/s320/IMG_9871.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Trim boss and ski patroller, Jaasik, gave us the morning safety speech and game plan before we got to work. This guy puts in countless hundreds of hours trimming these glades each year leading into winter. I am glad we were able to rally the Midwest Telefest tribe to lend him a hand. Many hands lightens his load, and the locals were all really gracious to us for helping them out. The bearded fella to the right of Jaasik donning his rather uncanny likeness to his Freeheel Life hoody is Keith Opperman. Keith is one of the organizers of Midwest Telefest along with his compatriot, Matt Manders. Keith was the catalyst of this particular trim party too. Matt and some others had come up for another trim session a couple months ago as well. Through our combined efforts we were able to open up some really great tree skiing on a zone that will now be named, Midwest Telefest Glades. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddHu6L7sW1sLOX80u5myps_HoAGSj0R4HdGM7GQTCfllAJcQUWCJCJ4DJFviqE-HdAceyVGoqU7L56VoXdiO01fzpQIKuR38AmjVNOr1qwb2tKpAdL7zgivE8Efzk7F2c8LiS-A/s2048/IMG_9875.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddHu6L7sW1sLOX80u5myps_HoAGSj0R4HdGM7GQTCfllAJcQUWCJCJ4DJFviqE-HdAceyVGoqU7L56VoXdiO01fzpQIKuR38AmjVNOr1qwb2tKpAdL7zgivE8Efzk7F2c8LiS-A/s320/IMG_9875.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^The tribe throwing down in this picture above. The thing about tree skiing in the midwest is if you aren't trimming it, then you aren't skiing it. There are a select few old growth forest where it is skiable without trimming, but those are a very select few. Hunting down midwest backcountry tree skiing has been an obsession of mine for many years by now after my good friend and photographer, Joey Wallis, and I made a pact to find and document it one drunken evening on a project together in the Italian Dolomites. Joey and I are midwest born and raised, and despite my winter home in the Rocky Mountains of the western U.S.A. since I was 18 years old we always make a point to do a week in the midwest seeking midwestern powder tree skiing together. We've done it every year now for over a decade, and we have had some really incredible sessions. It all started with him and I going to Midwest Telefest together the year after the Italian pact we made, and we've done it pretty much every year since. Joey even made a career move out of it when he was hired to produce the now infamous Boho TV series that vaulted Mount Bohemia to internet fame. This weekend trimming to open up more midwest tree skiing for the Porkies Ski Resort that so graciously hosts Midwest Telefest each year kind of felt pretty full-circle. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCSPCh7pt7xL3hnE9q5iRylW4AcNDawx53WjWPfoEJphCeWwAmfEgG1j8eSe2F56X1qO2I-5393ofl1DNbTygIrVrZ4Iab0WPMTK2j7jSCkx8RTqqyUmQ8ML1DvJEVVgLFScigQ/s2048/IMG_9874.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1453" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCSPCh7pt7xL3hnE9q5iRylW4AcNDawx53WjWPfoEJphCeWwAmfEgG1j8eSe2F56X1qO2I-5393ofl1DNbTygIrVrZ4Iab0WPMTK2j7jSCkx8RTqqyUmQ8ML1DvJEVVgLFScigQ/s320/IMG_9874.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">^Steve Benson slogging logs in the woods. Steve and Keith are also the masterminds behind the Lake Superior Telemark Authority, which is a group of motivated telemark skiers that are now doing telemark gear demos in the midwest with support from Freeheel Life, Telemark Down, and other telemark industry companies. It is guys like these that are the life blood of the grassroots telemark community that takes on the labor of love to #spreadtelemark. I like to echo the saying that was made to denigrate us telemark skiers that goes, "Nobody cares you telemark" by saying, "Nobody cares we telemark... except for us. So it is up to us to build it up". There is no high dollar industry billionaire companies behind us that are going to prop us up. The entire telemark industry is made up of small companies with small budgets and groups of folks like Keith, Matt, and Steve that bootstrap this entire community to keep it thriving. Powder magazine once pronounced telemark as dead, and ironically that magazine itself has recently been killed off by its parent company. That symbolism alone should be proof that any of us are capable of dying off if we do not intentionally support each other. In this difficult climate of viral economic crashing, social disfunction, political malaise, and the like sticking together as communities has become more paramount than ever. In the broader sense, as well as within our beloved telemark ski community. A community I like to refer to as the greatest community on snow. We need to spend our dollars wisely with companies that pour their profits back into telemark. We need to support our festivals and demos. We need to lift each other up in our online forums. We need to take a friend telemark skiing. We need to welcome new comers with open arms. We need to channel our efforts to the cause. We need to support those who support us. We need to do all these kinds of things in all the facets of our communities, and this example of cutting through thick forest glades is just one example of how we can do this one step at a time. I am grateful to be able to be helpful this particular weekend among other things I do as an advocate for a freeheeled life on skis. In general we need to support each other in many different small ways to win in the overall grander sense in the end. Just like in this one particular weekend in the U.P. of Michigan that manifested as a group of people gathering to trim to win. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-zoju2q9-ATrB5ZsSzViWiiB1RS-WRVX0k4n2GnMB4x4APbGDBKLzjkgp2NsI4FEUhorX-6P3GPJKfO2Qfenk6vWprhI2qV4hwfSWdHwCIjARedccNfzmC-MCeh06ikA0YxyIQ/s2048/IMG_9868.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-zoju2q9-ATrB5ZsSzViWiiB1RS-WRVX0k4n2GnMB4x4APbGDBKLzjkgp2NsI4FEUhorX-6P3GPJKfO2Qfenk6vWprhI2qV4hwfSWdHwCIjARedccNfzmC-MCeh06ikA0YxyIQ/s320/IMG_9868.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-25720235096306407682020-03-30T12:17:00.000-07:002020-03-30T12:21:53.937-07:00Charles Dickens in the Age of Corona<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
February 7th is Charles Dickens' birthday. The writer of classic ominous stories and his birthday hosted an ominous snowpack event for the Ogden Wasatch mountain range that we never really recovered from in all honesty. Rain and rime iced the top of the snowpack taking on the name of the author becoming the Dickens crust. A crust so thick that it persisted the rest of the season only to be one-upped by an invisible layer of sickness and fear that blanketed our society like nothing I have seen in my lifetime. The novel corona virus Covid-19 finished off the winter in unprecedented fashion a month and a half early completing the destruction of the winter of 2019/20 completely... for me at least. </div>
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^Ice formed on the tree branch in this picture above is a </div>
<a name='more'></a>good visualization of the Dickens crust. I was in the U.P. of Michigan when the unseasonably warm storm came to the Ogden Wasatch mountain range. I read about it on the internet, but when I returned and went out for my first day back on an observation day forecasting for a guide outfit I work with, Whisper Ridge, I found out just how bad it really was.<br />
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^I had to beat it with so much force to get it to break to illustrate its presence in this picture.</div>
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^In the picture above the thickness of the crust is visible and also a thin layer of shear ice in the middle. This crust would prove to plague our snowpack the rest of the season. February also did not produce enough snowfall to overcome it either. One of the worst February snowfall totals we'd ever seen in northern Utah. The Ogden Wasatch mountain range tops out at around 9,600-9,800 feet above sea level, and there was not a single aspect or elevation left unaffected.</div>
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^I had a pair of my friends, Zach Houston and Neil Catton, come into town from San Diego to do some touring and the Dickens crust had not let us from its grasp. The good news though is the Central Wasatch mountain range is a solid 1,000 feet higher in elevation. I figured it was worth a shot. With a small storm on the horizon we cruised down to Big Cottonwood Canyon to take advantage of the one-drop program at Brighton Resort to have a relatively chill backcountry tour into Wolverine Cirque. This way we could cut-off some vertical climb in our ascension by using the lift to get a proper warm up tour and see how the crust was reacting at higher elevations. </div>
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^We found tacking on an extra 1,000 feet made a good amount of difference. Above 10,200 feet above sea level the crust was much less persistent and breaking down. We had a good day in the sun, and the California boys got a chance to acclimate. That night a small storm delivered some fresh snow. We were hopeful that it would be enough to cream over the crust, but not too much that it would result in reactive avalanche conditions on top of the crust bed surface. We did a day in the resort at Powder Mountain the following day in the storm as the totals began to increase throughout the day, and by the end of the day we were indeed just barely staying on top of the crust. </div>
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^The following day the sun came out and we had a really great tour in a local Ogden classic zone that I had been longing to take the fellas to for quite a few years, but it had just never really seemed to work out when they'd come to town in previous years. I was able to show them a first descent in the distance that our mutual dear friend, the late great Ben Geiger, had put up just a few years ago with two mentors of ours. It felt good to get up in the zone that Ben and I had spent so much time together, but had not had the chance to share with them. I felt like Ben was smiling down on our day as I finally got them up into the zone. </div>
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^Zach on the ridge.</div>
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^All smiles on my face in this picture above as some cloud cover moved in. We managed to stay on top of the crust on some settled creamy snow. Lower angled slopes were skiing the best as steeper terrain did not hold up the thin blanket of creamy snow as well as lower angles did. </div>
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^Zach getting creamy in the trees.</div>
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^The last day we had some quality sunshine. We went after some of our old usual suspects on the Mt. Ogden ridge line. </div>
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^It was a chore to find the last vestiges of the decent skiing as big winds overnight scoured a lot of it away to Wyoming leaving us little but our friend... the Dickens crust. However, I had a hunch and despite their doubts we ascended through some nasty climbing conditions and on a wind loaded southeast aspect we found some good snow that was thankfully not too loaded to have become reactive from an avalanche perspective. </div>
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^Pictured above, Neil leaning to a beauty of a turn, and learning to trust my judgement a little bit more too. I don't lay claim to knowing much about many things anymore as the trials and tribulations of life have beaten me into an ever-more humble nature, but powder hunting is indeed one of the only things I am still confident that I am good at. No one gets it right all the time, but I did this time. </div>
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^Despite the Dickens crust, we managed to have quite a spectacular weekend of skiing and touring. I was feeling pretty nostalgic about the whole thing. Typically, our buddy Ben would have been the fourth wheel of this group, and it was indeed feeling a bit like something was missing the whole time without him. At one point I remarked to Zach, "he would've loved today." I do believe though that he did, and that he was looking down on us with a big smile the whole time. </div>
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^Not long after the San Diego boys left I was back on the road driving down to Taos, New Mexico to judge the Telemark Freeskiing competition there. It is quite a drive at 12 hours of rolling time, but these comps are near and dear to my heart. I have been the Director of Freeski for the U.S. Telemark Ski Association for over a handful of years by no. This comp is our one event of the year geared towards the youth of telemark. IFSA hosts these kids all winter long competing against alpine skiers, but this event is the kids' one event just for them. I have a hard time watching the kids push themselves in consequential terrain since having my own kids, but I do love these comps and these kids. The way the kids love these events keeps me going. Nick Cherney is one of the Aspen Valley Ski Club coaches, and he has taken on a lot of the leg work for me the last few years as my guiding career has gotten incredibly busy. There is no way this event could happen without him at this point. Kaela Gillum, at Taos Ski Valley, does incredible work and is so dialed that we are able to slide right into their system. The event went off without a hitch this year. I was super proud of the kids and how they handled themselves throughout the weekend. </div>
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^A youngster crushing the steep rocky venue in picture above. </div>
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^In this picture above, parents and teammates cheer on the skiers from just beyond my perch in the judge's booth. Local judge, Jake Herrera, was on point for us yet again as head judge. I have really come to enjoy seeing him every year. He has family up in the Ogden area, and I really hope he makes it up to Ogden some winter so I can repay some of his kindness and generosity by showing him around some powder turns in the Ogden Wasatch mountain range some day. </div>
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^After a long drive back to Ogden from Taos, I was elated to have my wife and kids come visit for a long weekend. I miss them so much while I am gone. A year ago my wife and I decided that since our oldest son Amos was beginning school that we should take them home to our hometown in Wisconsin. It was also starting to feel like time to have them near our parents and families so they could grow up with them and especially with my brother's kids. I travel a lot in this guide life as well and the help with the kids for my wife became an apparent benefit too. It really does take a village, and there is no village for us like the one that raised both of us in our tiny little corner of Wisconsin. </div>
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^The Dickens crust is not an issue when your chasing little ones around on the groomers either. It was a relief to just hang out with them for a while and not have to be chasing conditions in a time of horrible conditions. Sunshine, kiddo giggles, and groomers felt like the world to me. Amos was really starting to get the hang of how his skis run too. It was mind blowing to see him break through to a whole new level. </div>
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^So much so that we decided that it was time for him to take his first ride all the way to the top in the gondola. He was so excited, and so was I. </div>
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^He is getting so big right before my eyes. </div>
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^I put him on the backpack straps just to be able to keep him wrangled as there are some unavoidable relatively steep sections for his ability, and I was grateful I did. Despite him really getting the hang of his skis and controlling his speed I was glad to be able to reign him in a little when he got going a little too fast for my comfort. Maybe not too fast for his comfort, but definitely for mine. </div>
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^Then in a flash my family left and I was back on the skin track for some observations to get ready for another long stretch of guide work in the snowcats and helicopter with Whisper Ridge. </div>
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^Ugh. Crust-tastic. Otherwise known as a "shit sandwich". A nasty olé Big Mac triple decker pictured above. The next few weeks on the guide train were looking tough, but this is when we earn it most I guess. </div>
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^I recruited my buddies, Rob and Maya, for the scouting mission tour. In addition to the snowpack, we checked out putting together a new low-angle circuit that I have been meaning to put together. It is off the beaten path near a usual suspect zone, and as such we ran into some locals we seldom see in the busier areas of this zone...</div>
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^...the locals.</div>
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^Then it was back on the mechanized guiding program for a spell. It has been a learning curve with Whisper Ridge this season getting the opportunity to do a lot more mechanized guiding. I have been doing human power guiding for a long time, but mechanized is a different animal. I have a good amount of experience in helicopters as an athlete from my pro days going up to Alaska every spring, but that was as a passenger. It has served me well as I am very comfortable around helicopters and know how to handle myself, but the added skills calling the shots and managing guests as a guide has been really cool. Snowcat ski guiding has been an entirely different learning curve as well because in the snowcat we are managing really large groups of a dozen to fourteen guests between two guides each day. I am used to the four-to-one guest-to-guide ratios as a human power touring guide, but fourteen-to-two comes with a different set of challenges on top of the usuals. </div>
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^Mornings like this one pictured above though... this is what all my childhood dreams were made of. Funny I still laugh out loud at the grandeur of it each time I find myself in one of these situations. Even amongst the difficult conditions I find myself overcome with gratitude on a regular basis doing this work. I will spare you all the cliché "nice day at the office" malarky that always makes me wanna puke when I see it on the social media channels of my other industry friends, but I understand where they are coming from. Not sure why those puns irritate me so much, but they annoy me for some reason. Maybe it is because I indeed have a cubicle in my off-season job as a trail coordinator for the local county government in my hometown in Wisconsin. Thankfully, I don't have to spend but about 30% of my work in that cubicle, but the days that I do I fully feel the "cubicle itch" as I call it. I am not really built for that lifestyle, but I respect the people who do that kind of work everyday. I don't like to poke fun at their existence. My wife works incredible hours from a small office in our home. I could not do it. She crushes it. She also makes more money than me, and has much more stable work than me too. So who am I to make puns about it.</div>
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^This lifestyle suits me. It also takes me away from my family more than I'd like. It also beats up my body. Nothing is perfect. Every choice has trade-offs. In economics they call it "opportunity cost", the cost of doing one thing versus another. My alternate life as a financial advisor that I walked away from would indeed have had a variety of different pros and cons. I made that decision. I don't regret it often, but I'd be lying if the pros of that lifestyle don't occur to me from time to time. We all get caught inside our own heads from time to time considering greener pastures elsewhere. All-in-all though, I feel like I have made good decisions for myself. This work suits me more than it doesn't. When I have moments of sheer gratefulness like in this photo above as I relish in my position in the front passenger seat of this snowcat cruising to the next slope I will deliver fourteen guests too, I hold on to it. I hold on to the realization that I made a good decision to take my life in this direction. </div>
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^Plus, helicopters are awesome machines... </div>
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^...and yurt villages full of happy guests are my kind of hospitality work. I am doing it my way. My family is onboard with it. I am blessed beyond belief. It literally stops me in my tracks at times. I feel like that is a good sign overall. It is not all rainbows and butterflies all the time, but for the most part... it is great...</div>
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^...and I am grateful.</div>
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^This spring a friend of mine linked me up with a company that I have been keeping an eye on for quite some time. <a href="https://www.mountainflowecowax.com/" target="_blank">MountainFlow Eco Wax</a> makes plant-based ski and skin wax products. I have loved the concept from the moment I first saw it on the internet. I am excited to have these samples and an opportunity to test out the product line. Unfortunately, basically the day that I opened the box the news was just starting to spread that the novel corona virus Covid-19 was beginning to spread throughout the U.S. and I was facing the very real threat that the winter may be coming to a grinding halt. My wife and I were in constant contact as our eldest son, Amos, is a cancer survivor and the data was suggesting that he may be among the highest risk strata of our society. I still had a little bit more work to do, but more and more the outlook was beginning to look grim. </div>
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^One of my regular visitors, Rick Sojkowski, was in town and I had scheduled a ski day with him down in the Cottonwood Canyons of Salt Lake City. So I carried through and we had a beautiful day in the sunshine. The crusty conditions were still incredibly prevalent, but we had a bunch of fun none-the-less. Blue skies and ridge lines are a glorious combo no matter what. </div>
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^Rick's daughter, Julie, and a gang of his friends joined us as well, and I always enjoy new friends regardless. Even when conditions are not the greatest a good group of people sharing laughs and tall tales is fun. The day was a bit overshadowed by more and more news trickling in about the dire situation of the virus, but we did our best to make a good day of it no matter what. However, as I drove back north from Salt Lake City to Ogden listening to the radio the realization of the coming weeks was sinking in. The ski resorts were starting to close. My guide shop partners that I work with were following suit. The prospect of deeper shut down sanctions from the governments were looking more and more evident. I began to come around to the very real situation that if I did not get back to my wife and children in Wisconsin that it would become more and more difficult to do so. My guiding work was looking like it could be drying up, and the trip that my wife and kids were supposed to be making to come to Utah to visit me was off the table. My mountaineering goals for the spring to continue training for my AMGA track was looking less likely and borderline irresponsible. My instincts were telling me to get back to my family. My wife finally agreed with those feelings, and that was all I needed to hear. Within a few days I was packed up and ready to drive eastward. </div>
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^The steering wheel, the white lines, and an Iowa landscape in this picture above. As I drove, the news became more and more bleak with each mile. The virus was spreading. People were getting really sick, and dying. The government was in a tailspin, shutdowns across the country were getting deeper and deeper. My instincts were proving more and more prudent. It broke my heart to cut-off my winter goals a month and a half early, but I could not justify any other conclusion. I could not bare the thought of my family going through this scary time without me there. </div>
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^Fifteen hundred miles later I was back making a hearty breakfast for my boys...</div>
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^...and instead of building tour plans I was building blanket forts. Stay-at-home Dad life is not in my nature, but I am doing my best and trying to relish in this time with my boys. My wife is still working from her home office, but Amos' school is cancelled and Walt is home from daycare. </div>
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^We're trying to get creative... </div>
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^...and building a lego snowcat to guide tours around the kitchen seemed like a fitting irony to me. The smiles on their faces as we spend so much time together like this photo above of Amos showing off his creation mends my broken hearted feelings for the abandoned work I love to do and the career goals left unachieved.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIbCig36jiyJZ5vQcinEf31cyfYZdHQZnb91ln2L2pIB006j1Cbi2pOgUIEBTJH5ObhWnCuji8TM_G3oG1NcolEcez6oJ9mv4jfPHXkML9iZjcYC0UrHy0BMYrAYqdFqW3w9UYA/s1600/IMG_8905.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIbCig36jiyJZ5vQcinEf31cyfYZdHQZnb91ln2L2pIB006j1Cbi2pOgUIEBTJH5ObhWnCuji8TM_G3oG1NcolEcez6oJ9mv4jfPHXkML9iZjcYC0UrHy0BMYrAYqdFqW3w9UYA/s320/IMG_8905.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^I am leaning into stay-at-home Dad life. I am not perfect at this job either. Despite my love for them I do get frustrated still. Then, I feel guilty for feeling that way. I am not as good at this as I wish I was. I am okay admitting that. I am also okay being a work-in-progress. I get better at it with each passing day between work. Self-quarantine and government mandated lifestyles are not easy for any of us. I trust in the process. We are doing our best to live up to the task. By now we have been literally staying home for weeks. It may be weeks or even months more to come. This is unprecedented times in my lifetime, in all our lifetimes really. We can do this though. I am certain we can. We have love, and we have come back from the brink of societal panic at this point. The government is assuring us all in the assistance we may need to forge through the economics of this pandemic as well as the healthcare many of us will need. There is hope, there is light, there is a reason to believe in each other. We will only get through this together, and when we do we should all come back to gratefulness yet again. We should be grateful for the smaller things again. The things we may have taken for granted before this all began. It is the little things in life that if we allow ourselves to take a moment to appreciate that can bring more and more opportunities for joy in our lives. The morning sunrise from my snowmobile at work seems even more golden to me now. Being awoken by the little voices of my boys in the morning rather than the chime of an alarm clock with the time and opportunity for a hearty breakfast with them seems more precious to me now. These are all gifts. The mindset to see them that way is a gift as well. I am still blessed with so many gifts. Charles Dickens, this age of the Corona virus, anti-social cooped-up frustrations, none of it can overcome that mindset if we set ourselves up to see it, and to be it. </div>
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J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-85225901103481927602019-12-31T10:45:00.001-07:002020-01-01T19:07:49.801-07:00Observations of I-80<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The time came to make the big drive across the Great Plains to the Intermountain West. From my Wisconsin hometown that means a lot of time on Interstate 80 westbound. I took some time to rest and simply be at home for just a bit, but soon had to get ready for the big drive and a chaotic schedule. I had lined up a rather busy December getting ready for the upcoming winter that included observing instructors in an AIARE avalanche level 1 & 2 as well as a Rescue course to prepare for an AIARE Instructor's Training Course coming up in January. It was an ambitious timeframe, but I felt good about my plan, and at some point ya just gotta go for it. </div>
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^I had a week off between seasonal labor efforts from</div>
<a name='more'></a>the Trails Coordinator job with Kenosha County Government and moving into the chaos of my winter work. I hung out at home. Took a couple days rest to heal from a laborious summer on the trails. I did a lot of tough work this spring, summer, and fall on the trails. A few days to rest the long-term fatigue came in handy. The push I was about to do was going to be significant. I was gonna need to be starting from a place of well-healed. I tried to stay present with my family as best I could with an eye to my travels. My wife likes to call me Ebineezer, as in Ebineezer Scrooge from the famous Christmas story. I am not really a big holiday decorations and holiday cheer kind of guy it seems. This scene of my two little guys decorating the tree with their Momma did soften me up pretty good though. It takes special light when you know a big trip is coming up. I try to soak it all in while I can. I feel like in a sense the traveling helps me do that. When I know a stretch of missing them is coming up I really try to delve into appreciating that time a bit more.<br />
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^Eventually I have to start packing the gear and getting ready to do the drive. My base-layer system from <a href="http://www.northernplayground.com/" target="_blank">Northern Playground</a> is part of the essentials. Managing my body temperature in the mountains while guiding, scouting, instructing, and shooting is a constant balancing act. The versatility of Northern Playground's base-layers is money for me. Zip it open, zip it off, zip it back on, and all from easy access in and around the outerwear layer.</div>
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^The van all packed up and ready to roll. I have a new trailer for my snowmobile to get out there with me and that hit the gas tank a little heavier than usual on this drive. </div>
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^Onward for two days straight into the setting sun towards Utah. Plenty of time to think about the weeks ahead and all that was going to entail. There was a basal facet snowpack problem lingering in the direction I was heading that was weighing heavily on my mind. </div>
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^This photo from a UAC forecaster of an ominous slide path that had ripped in the Central Wasatch. I had hopes that Ogden would be a little better due to it's lower elevations in the Northern Wasatch versus the Central Wasatch. I was eager to check it out. </div>
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^I rolled in after a hard stop on a closed I-80 in Laramie Wyoming for six hours due to a wind closure. I managed a cold night sleep in my workshop in Ogden City. The following morning I had some administrative stuff to handle at Weber State University for a Backcountry 101 type course I am helping instruct. Then that afternoon I got out to hunt for the facets and talk through various terrain that the course will utilize for instruction with the course administrator, Derek DeBruin and fellow instructor Teddy. It felt good to get out and stretch the legs. I was also feeling the elevation acclimation process as well. </div>
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^Rather quickly I was back in the van to head further west on I-80 again to Truckee, California to observe an AIARE avalanche level 2 course. In hiring with Weber State University the program wanted me to get a certification to teach AIARE avalanche courses. Therefore, because my original level 1 & 2 courses were a long time ago AIARE wanted me to go observe a level 1, 2, and Avalanche Rescue course. So that meant going to Truckee for closest level 2 that I could find to observe before my Instructor Training Course in early January. </div>
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^I stopped in Reno to catch-up with a dear old friend from my high school years we now call, Pastor Karl. I try really hard to stay in touch with friends from my past. It is not an easy thing, but I have a saying I use a lot that goes something along the lines of, "We all have busy lives, but if we just keep in touch, then every once in a while the planets and calendars can align to see each other." I try to make sure I do that whenever I can with friends from all different aspects of my life. This time I was passing through Reno, Nevada and Karl is a Pastor there in a church just west of Reno. </div>
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^Karl's kids had a Christmas program going on and I just jumped right in and tagged along for the family event. I was in Karl's wedding and his wife Andrea is among the sweetest, kind-hearted people I know. I was pumped to get to see their kids do their thing in the school Christmas concert. </div>
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^Taking in all the cuteness with Karl and Andrea. So funny. I am missing my son Amos' school Christmas program in my travels so it was fun to be able to see Karl's youngsters do theirs. The reunion was fun, and I am grateful to have had the stars align for the visit. The following morning I was back on 1-80 west towards Truckee. </div>
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^I spent the day getting the lay of the lay and getting situated in Truckee. Hit a cool sushi joint in Truckee called Maki Ali. Good food and friendly staff. I met up with an old friend and mentor of mine, Lorenzo Worster, for a couple beers. Lorenzo was among the athletes that took me under their wings when I was a young fresh telemark ski pro. He was a hero of mine and then became a mentor and a friend. He was with me on my first film trip to Jackson Hole. He gave me advice, he coached me up on lines, he opened doors for me in the industry. I am forever grateful for all my mentors like him. He may never understand what it all meant to me, but I make sure to try to let him and others like him know from time to time. I was off to a pretty good start. </div>
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^Facetimed in the parking lot with my crew. My eldest son, Amos, and his cousin, Jack, throwing down a dance party to some rad Christmas music they were rocking out too at the family Christmas party at my Father-in-law's place. Hilarious! </div>
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^Soon the avalanche course was on and rolling. Plenty of classroom time and field time walking around, digging holes in the snow, and geeking out about snowpack. I do enjoy the subject and it really was good to refresh leading into the season and especially into the Instructor Training Course. </div>
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^Digging holes.</div>
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^Quality views in the field work.</div>
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^Donnor Lake, CA.</div>
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^Walking, assessing, learning.</div>
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^Digging more holes. </div>
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^Wait, is that a ski turn? It is. AIARE Instructor, Randall Osterhuber, getting one of very few turns in the avalanche class. These courses are about snowpack and so often times that means not all that many ski turns. I have made a lot of ski turns in my day though so doing this kind of work with little ski turn return is alright with me. It is sometimes part of the gig it seems. Doing the work in this environment on a subject of personal, as well as professional interest, is pretty rewarding in and of itself. </div>
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^The day after the course I did manage to sneak in a day to ski and shoot photos with young telemark ski pro, Bevan Waite in his backyard with his friend, Alex. We had a fun stormy tour in a canyon near Alex's house above Lake Tahoe. It was a much needed day to put up some real vertical and also make some actual ski turns. It was fun to catch up with Bevan and see his new telemark ski movie, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP_-pkvdYM0" target="_blank">Our Family</a>, that he made with Ty Dayberry. Of course we talked telemark over the top of cold brown bottles as usual, and it was an all-around good time hanging with Bevan. </div>
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^Skin tracks and friendships.</div>
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^Gotta stop in the local tree fort to heat up. </div>
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^Bright green Wolf Lichen on the trees makes for some unique environments. Snapped this picture on our rather wet exit skinner when the classic Tahoe mist rolled in on us at lower elevation. I high-fived Bevan and Alex and pushed out of Truckee back to Reno to spend one more night with Karl and his family before hitting the road back across I-80, but eastward for a change back to Utah. </div>
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^On the road again.</div>
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^I drove straight back to a Know Before You Go avalanche awareness lecture being put on by <a href="http://www.ogdenavalanche.org/" target="_blank">Ogden Avalanche</a> at <a href="https://www.gearthirty.com/" target="_blank">Gear 30</a> in Ogden City. After the event I got home and got my stuff together to move right into another avalanche course instructor observation with the Weber State University crew up at Powder Mountain. This picture above of Hidden Lake chairlift from the classroom window where I would spend half the day each day in shadowing the instructor's through a level 1 and a Rescue course with local freshman patrollers and University staff in the process of training up. </div>
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^Kory Davis teaching them up.</div>
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^Digging more holes.</div>
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^Walking...</div>
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^... and digging.</div>
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^The bonus turns. Doing the course at Powder Mountain afforded a little more opportunity to actually do a little skiing during the course too. Gotta love that. Kory Davis catching a little of Powder Mountain's powder in this picture above. </div>
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^After four days in that course at Powder Mountain I had a solid two weeks of mostly avalanche course work under my belt and a whole lot of windshield time in I-80. The first morning after the course was over I linked back up with Kory and we had a really great bluebird tour in the backcountry above Snowbasin. </div>
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^Making skin track laps and sharing some laughs. </div>
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^Kory doing his wiggle and giggle. Kory has been a big help to me recently in the guide work I am doing and I am super grateful for his generosity. I look forward to more good tours and to doing the ski world work with him as well. I valued shadowing him and the Weber State guys, Ben Bauter, and Daniel Turner in the course. It was also icing on the cake to get out with Kory afterwards to just smash out some lines in the Ogden Wasatch. A nice shiny blue ski day and good snow that was holding up well was the perfect cap on quite a huge few weeks of travel slogs and avalanche observations all along the I-80 corridor. The hustle is real, but the juice is worth the squeeze. </div>
<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-20284667738897676112019-11-26T11:39:00.001-07:002019-11-26T12:06:56.291-07:00Summer's End to the Fall That Never Was<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The end of summer came quickly with so much time left to the run around of a small young family and the sports, gymnastics, family parties, birthdays, and the like. It flew by like time seems to do more often than not in this phase of life I find myself. I had big hopes for fall mountain biking and the beauty of the changing colors. However, a wet cold winter blast came in early and spoiled all those fall ideas. It exacerbated the skier's itch I had boiling up in my blood, but did little to serve the to-do list I had in mind. </div>
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^This time of year is about trying to make the most of family time as I can. I have a rambler's soul so sedentary family life is a strange dichotomy for me in that I unfortunately can find myself looking towards the horizon when I should be focused on the little crew right in front of me. I am fully aware of this now-a-days and I work really hard to try to condition myself to focus and be present when I am with them. It is starting to help more that the boys are getting a little older and can handle getting out and about more often. We always wanted to be able to take them out on adventures and travels and the like, but then reality came into play to teach us otherwise. Couple this with our eldest son Amos' difficult early life as a Leukemia survivor and all the grand visions of adventure parents we had were put on hold as that existence took precedent. Next, our youngest boy, Walt, came soon thereafter. It seems now though that since Walt is two years-old, and Amos is healthy, that we can venture out more and more. One of our favorite things this summer was to bike ride down to the new small farmer's market in Twin Lakes run by our friend, Kim Adcock, at here quant little craft farm store, <a href="http://www.adcockfarm.com/" target="_blank">Adcock Farm & Co.</a> that she has down in town. My wife Christine is a hobby bee keeper so she would either be down there selling honey and honey lollipops or we would just stop by for an excursion to buy some goodies and lunch from whichever food truck Kim would have on the lot. </div>
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^The boys are getting to an age where chores are coming into the picture. Here they are helping with some grass clippings and making use of their farm implements. John Deere green as they say. </div>
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^There is no better place than Momma's arms for a sleepy Walt.</div>
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^Amos is becoming an ardent little tinkerer. He rarely stops talking or running, but little tinker projects like reassembling a door knob and the deadbolt seem to capture his attention. </div>
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^Lakes and rivers are a staple of this southeastern Wisconsin region. Threrefore, we try to get out for a paddle as much as possible. My Dad has fallen into his role as Grandpa like a pile of leaves and it has been so amazing to see. The boys love every minute of it and I have really enjoyed seeing it. This is among the main reasons we came back home to this little rural corner of Wisconsin and it has been a blessing in raising them. </div>
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^Summer barbecue on the front porch. The food tasted like plastic, but the company was pretty entertaining. </div>
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^For some reason the cereal tastes better out of my bowl. I would leave rather early for work most days, but every once in a while Walt would wake up early enough to hang out and have breakfast with me before I scurried off to work. I don't mind sharing with him. </div>
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^Work was a brand new learning curve for me this summer. I am the Trails Coordinator for the local County government Parks system, and maybe needless to say that working for the government was a change of pace and procedure that I am not necessarily used to as an ardent entrepreneurial spirit. After my days with Delta I kind of vowed to be done working for large corporate structures and all that entails, but when this opportunity arose my wife and I had to do some real considerations. The schedule was nice. Some steadier consistency of income streams seemed appealing for a change from my efforts versus the world of entrepreneurship in real estate and my winter ski world business. As it turned out, the job was a great fit for me. The position included plenty of freedom in my day-to-day. The people I worked with were great. All in all, the work suited me pretty well. I learned a lot. I was able to work in environments that suited my personality and skill set as well. After burning out of Delta I really did not have a good taste in my mouth for corporate structure and all that entails, but this job turned out better than I had hoped it would. I look forward to coming back to it next spring. I am able to make a lot of impact on the outdoor infrastructure of my hometown and that is really very rewarding to me. </div>
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^I also had an opportunity to go to Montana with Christine to celebrate the marriage of one of my college buddies, Spencer Porter(next to me in the picture above, he quickly changed back to flannel after the ceremony). We simply call him Porter, and he and I became fast friends when I got hired to wash dishes my freshman year of college in a local diner. He was cooking, our late friend, Ben Geiger, was waiting tables. I have talked about Ben a lot here over the years and with his recent passing last summer that shook the earth for me and this group of friends these relationships have taken on a much more golden hue in my life. It was really great to be able to have a joyous celebration with this group of friends. Porter and I go back just as long as Ben and I did. We literally all went skiing that first day together after Porter and Ben cornered me in the dish pit of that diner and questioned me about my skiing intention for being there in Ogden as they demanded that I ski with them the next day. We skied that next day together, and then pretty much every day after that for many years. Porter eventually retreated north to Montana leaving Ben and I to the Wasatch for ourselves for some good years afterwards. Both Ben and Porter stood next to me at my wedding, they were there for me when Amos was sick. They are both, along with many of the other people in attendance at this wedding, among the greatest gifts in my life. I have lost an oddly large amount of really good friends in my life, but all that loss has served to make me a more grateful man for the friendships I have in my life. Porter is among one of those that I will be forever grateful for. For all that we have done in those golden years of our lives, and for everything I hope that we will do in the future. We may not see each other as often as either of us would like, but it is a relationship that when we do it is like we never skipped a beat. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQ_AV5-0-KOUBO4NcRmVvCGMkg-vN7K3NPI9xUc_TtBhBc48IQUSNHMC-TBNX9Z6cQOEb-9oDYTmgMWFV1lxEvSeDQc5sTvXxrOL4GoMPvWVTVidUwZHL6_mrpYS6Cpu3TQLYgA/s1600/8E567257-F649-48C0-9917-F3024ADCF8E1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQ_AV5-0-KOUBO4NcRmVvCGMkg-vN7K3NPI9xUc_TtBhBc48IQUSNHMC-TBNX9Z6cQOEb-9oDYTmgMWFV1lxEvSeDQc5sTvXxrOL4GoMPvWVTVidUwZHL6_mrpYS6Cpu3TQLYgA/s320/8E567257-F649-48C0-9917-F3024ADCF8E1.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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^Not long after Porter's wedding I went right into another classic trip with another group of life-long friends in a bachelor party for literally one of my longest friendships in my life with Ryan Schmaling. Ryan and I grew up together in the same southeastern corner of Wisconsin I recently moved back to. We were fast friends well before our first day of preschool in the neighborhood he and I grew up in. Ryan asked me to be his best man in his wedding, and I could not have been more honored. Ryan grew up with sisters that became like my own that I never had, and me and my big brother like the brothers he never had. Ryan moved down to Phoenix years ago and much like Porter we do not see each other nearly as much as either of us would prefer. This bachelor party became a reunion of sorts for a group of guys that had become spread out all over the country. One of those buddies, Ryan Klemko, is located in Denver now, and that seemed like a proper middle point between all of us to meet in the mountains above Denver to carry out this bachelor party. </div>
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^Just guys being dudes,...</div>
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^...and partying like we were 21 again. That is all I have to say about that topic. Bros don't talk about bachelor parties, and especially not on the internet. It's a rule.</div>
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^I got to catch a pivotal Brewer's game with my brother, dad, and uncle. That was a really great time. The Brewers were on a historic fall run, and the laughs with my brother Tyler, my Dad, and Uncle Ron were timeless. Thankfully the Brewers are at home in this glorious retractable roof ballpark and the rainy weather outside bore zero effect on our afternoon beyond the tailgating scene. My big brother is a season ticket holder. He always makes a point of inviting me to a game, and I am always so grateful to him that he does. He enables some timeless moments for me to spend with him. We both are watching our parents aging together. It seems we both silently acknowledge the precious nature of these kinds of experiences with not only our father, but with Uncle Ron too. None of us are getting out of this human existence alive, and our Dad and Uncle Ron, and much of our elders, are further along on this march than us. Both he and I are really gonna miss them when the bell tolls for them. It will be the moments like this baseball game on a rainy day in fall that we will hold onto more than ever. That never falls short on me. Life may get busy, but I almost always manage well to maintain that kind of perspective. I have had too much loss in my life to have not learned that lesson in spades.</div>
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^Of course, I also made some time for mountain biking. I have grown into mountain biking even more as I left Utah. I am finding my way into the vast mountain biking scene that has grown up in the midwest since the days I left twenty years ago to find that kind of lifestyle in the west. It is here in Wisconsin now as well in a big way. That has made my transition to life in the midwest so much more natural, and I have jumped on it like a cougar to prey. My ambassadorship with <a href="https://www.giant-bicycles.com/global" target="_blank">Giant Bicycles</a> thanks to my friend, Dave Maurer, with Giant and the Trails Coordinator job has served as a huge catalyst in my ambition into the mountain bike industry and scene here in the midwest. It has been good for my rambler's soul to explore more trail systems in the region. It has also helped keep me strong for the pending winter ski guiding work that looms just on the horizon this time of year.</div>
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^I am slowly continuing to work on the mini-ranch property my wife and I purchased some five years ago at this point as well. The new job slowed my progress, but also helped replenish the pocket book as my wife and I also impulsively bought another investment vacation rental condo at the bottom of Powder Mountain's access road this summer in Utah. We spent a bit of money we had earmarked for this property in the sale of another of our Utah rental properties and a bit of our savings to buy it so the timing of slowing down the progress on the mini-ranch played well into that financial equation as well. Thankfully, there is still a decent amount of low-cost work that needs to be done on the "Murphy Ranch" as we lovingly call it after our late puppy, Murphy, and the property's relatively small stature like her when one uses the word "ranch". It is only seventeen acres, but that is big for us and should suit our ambitions for a small hobby farm and mountain bike trail ranch we envision for it. In the picture above my Dad is helping me burn up some brush piles that are finally ready to burn from the spoils of all the lumberjack work I have done to prep the build site for an eventual home build. </div>
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^I love how the views and the vision slowly take more shape with each step of progress. Having a project like this was all part of the plan in moving back home for me. I knew that the midwestern transition was going to be somewhat difficult for me in leaving the mountains for a big part of my year so my wife and I created these projects for me to help with that transition. Idle hands can prove to be the devil's workshop and I definitely have the kind of personality that can succumb to such vices and mentalities if I am not intentional in my life. </div>
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^More mountain biking. My job led me to a conference in Wausau where I was able to explore more trail systems. I also took the opportunity to visit another old friend, Kraig Kruzan, whom I have also known as long as Ryan, but have not seen nearly as much over the years. Kraig moved north to Wausau a long time ago around the same time I left for Utah. Although his mother still lives next door to my parents, we have not seen each other very much over all these years. I was so pumped to meet up with him and finally meet his wife and children. Kraig and I shared a childhood together and to see him with kids of his own and become a wonderful father warmed me up inside.</div>
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^Then Ryan's wedding was upon us. As weddings sometimes go there was plenty of moving parts, schedules to keep, and dramatics abound, but in the end it was a beautiful celebration. I was so honored to be next to my dear friend as he took his vows. I felt like I poured it all out in my speech as much as I could have and the night went off without a hitch. </div>
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^Ryan, myself, and Ryan Klemko above sharing laughs, love, and celebrating the new married life that Ryan and his bride are embarking on. This picture says a thousand words to me and embodies over thirty years of friendship in a moment. I tried my best to convey it in my speech to Ryan, his bride, and all the people there that night, but I love Ryan like a brother and no matter how long we go without seeing each other that will never change. I have a group of friends from that time of my life that I will always feel that way about. I know now that many people in this world are not blessed with friendships like that. Literal brotherhoods forged in more than just a lot of years, but in milestones of life, love, loss, and heaps of emotions. All of which came pouring out throughout that evening. I laughed, loved, cried, and hugged my way through the night in a rollercoaster of emotion. Quite frankly it proved to be exhausting by the end of the wedding festivities. Thankfully, following the wedding as the honeymooners departed Ryan Klemko, his wife, my wife, and my equally long-term friend Ray Yousefian and I also departed to cap off the weekend in nearby Sedona for some rest and relaxation in the red rock desert. </div>
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^Klemko, as we call him due to the repeated Ryans in our group, and his wife Emily, hike underneath some of Sedona's glory in this picture above.</div>
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^Taking in the energy of Sedona's famed vortexes.</div>
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^Hiking and talking shit the whole way. Trails have a way of bringing people together as they have time to talk to each other and share experiences along the way. Reminiscing on the old days, catching up on the new life changes, and adventuring into a new landscape. Maybe it was indeed the Sedona energy, but I think these things happen on any trail shared with friends.</div>
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^We sure did miss Ray's wife, Catherine, on this trip as she fell ill just before their scheduled departure, but it seems she gave us more of a reason to make sure to do this again so we could have another experience like this with her included. </div>
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^Then it was back to Wisconsin to wrap up the fall, and for me to get ready to head west for the winter's ski guiding work. I had a list of things I wanted to get done at work and at home to be ready, but as it goes sometimes in Wisconsin Mother Nature had other ideas. She pounded rain first and then enough cold weather to turn that rain to snow falling down onto my plans and the progress was slowed way down. The picture above of this big fat frog served as quite the fitting metaphor. Mother Nature really cut off fall at the knees with the wintery weather. I kind of felt cheated out of the typical midwestern fall that really is one of my favorite times of year. Between all the travel and this early arrival of winter weather it really kind of felt like fall did not really happen for me like it usually does. </div>
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^Some of the Robinson boys in my Dad's cousin, Tom, and his son, Alex, and my Dad and I carried out some traditional winter preparations in Alex's garage. Alex, the ardent "wrench" of the family, carried out some fresh binding mounts as the rest of us weighed in on preferred mounting points, supervision, and drinking the beer. </div>
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^All the coming and going of the end of summer and the fall that never really happened have all been leading me to this transition that I have built my life and work around. A long time ago by now I walked away from a career as a financial advisor to begin with Merrill Lynch in the big city of Chicago in order to follow what felt like my true path in the ski industry and outdoor work in the mountains, woods, and hills of the world. I would be remise if I did not admit that every once in a while I envision that life of big city living and banking fat stacks of bills would have looked like, but such is life in the human existence. We all have to choose our paths and make the trade-offs of those decisions. None of us can do it all. We all have to live with the choices we make and try to do our best to choose well. I for one feel like I have chosen well so far. I have a blessed existence with a wonderful family, groups of friends, and colleagues that I really did only think I could have dreamed of when I was young. I have never been short on confidence that I could achieve any of it, but I also always knew it was the stuff of dreams and that those kinds of dreams don't always come true for people. I have worked really hard, and I have gotten really lucky much the same. As I now gear up to drive west into the setting sun to pursue the work I have always wished I could in the mountains for the winter I am afforded the opportunity over this bit of time off during this Thanksgiving holiday to reflect upon not just that last few months, but on all of it. My entire blessed existence. If there is anything all of the deaths of all of the friends and family I have lost has taught me, and more then ever, the earth rattling loss of my dear friend and backcountry ski partner Ben Gieger last summer, it is how fortunate each and every one of us is to have the short time on this earth that we do with the people we love. It has been the one over-arching lessons that I have learned from all of that loss and the honor of learning from the deaths of so many of my friends gone too young, and family resting in peace after lives well-lived, that I am indeed very blessed no matter what comes my way and how hard life can seem at times. I have learned that to be grateful really is the key to being happy. Happy is a goal so many aspire too, but the truly intentional effort of being grateful almost always has proven to me to be the true first step in finding any amount of happiness. I am leading a life of my choosing and my design. I have the gift of this gorgeous young family that my wife and I have built in the village of people that surrounds and supports us. As usual, there will probably come a tearful moment as I drive west next week into that setting sun towards the mountains as I reflect on all of it in the lonely van on that lonely highway driving across the Great Plains of America, but as usual it will end with a smile through the tears as I inevitably realize how lucky and grateful I really am for all of it... this entirety of this life I lead. </div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-27957417875859877782019-08-19T20:05:00.003-07:002019-08-19T20:06:29.756-07:00Spring Rains and Summer in a Breeze<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The spring rains came and summer has gone like a warm breeze. I got so damn busy that the last months have felt like they have passed in the blink of an eye and all of a sudden it is middle of August. I got a new job as Trails Coordinator for the local County government in my little corner of Wisconsin, and between the learning curve of the work, family obligations, travel, and trying to find time to paddle and ride my mountain bike the time flew by like the breeze. </div>
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^Sunset on Lily Lake. This is the lake I grew up on. The whole idea of</div>
<a name='more'></a>this move back to Wisconsin was for my wife, Christine, and I to raise our boys with our families, in the place that raised us, within the village that built us. It has been all of those. My heart has been warmed by the family time and seeing my kids relish in time spent with their grandparents, uncles, cousins, and the like.<br />
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^Lake life is all part of this place and spending time on the water has been a blessing. My boys have been drawn to the water and I love watching them play in the same lakes and rivers that I did as a kid. </div>
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^This spring Dave Maurer, of Giant Bicycles, gave me an incredible opportunity to be an ambassador for Giant. I am super grateful for the chance to do the work. I have been pumped to learn more about the mountain bike industry and prove some value to him and the brand. </div>
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^Dan is the owner of Slow Roll Cycles in Madison, and they have built all my bikes from Giant this spring. I was really stoked to learn some gear head knowledge from him as he set me up and fitted me to my new bikes. The folks at Slow Roll have all been so great to me in getting me and my family all dialed.</div>
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^My new Giant Trance 29 2 fresh and so clean waiting for me to take her home and break'er in.</div>
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^This steed has breathed new life into my mountain biking. I am so pumped with this ride that I have been reinvigorated as a mountain biker. Not only do I have this great new opportunity, but my motivation and excitement is peaking. So amped.</div>
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^I officially became a Wisconsin resident again as the state laid claim to my "man van". I can't lie that it did not hurt a bit to remove my Utah license plates, but it's all good. </div>
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^I went to work for the local Kenosha County Parks Department in spring in a new position that they recently created, Trails Coordinator. I had been working with a local mountain bike volunteer group the last few summers while back in Wisconsin to work on my property. I began to coordinate with the Parks Director, Matt Collins, in my venturing into the possibility to guiding mountain biking and some paddle sports in the region. While I was in Japan last winter Matt reached out to me to offer me this job. Eventually I decided that I would be best utilized in the area to help build up the outdoor infrastructure in this area through this position. The work had begun, but I felt like there was a lot more to do and that in this position I could affect real long-term influence in helping it grow more and build up the outdoor recreation infrastructure and scene. I decided to take the job. Then the work came on in a big way. I was overwhelmed by all the efforts I was going to have to put in to get the trail systems running smooth coupled with the vast amount of growth the County has in mind. I am stoked to get after it, and I am honored to be able to use my skill sets to build this infrastructure for my community here. There is a lot to do, but I think I am a good candidate to do the work. I am excited to facilitate the growth as best I can. </div>
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^The area is beautiful. The trails are blossoming before my eyes. As I put tools to the ground and begin to build this up one day at a time the potential comes to light more and more with every day and every drop of sweat I leave to these trails. I am building and managing all the hiking, mountain biking, and multi-use trails and pathways in the County Parks system. It is a huge undertaking, but I am really taking to it. I feel like I was built for this kind of work. I am really happy with the progress I have been able to make so far. I have been so busy wrapped up in all the efforts that the time has simply flown by. Spring and summer have absolutely gone by in a flash. I have been assessing the trails as is, and then getting them up to speed. I have not even begun building new trail yet, but just getting the existing trails up to speed and draining water well. It has been a large task to start with. There are a lot of big new trail projects to come in the future so I am scrambling to get the existing trails and maintenance schedules dialed so that when these new projects begin I will have the rest of the trails running smoothly and cleanly. Little by little it is all falling into place with a lot of blood sweat and tools. </div>
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^The trail work has meant that I have not had nearly as much time to work on my property that my wife and I hope to build a house on some day here. I put the construction off another year at least to focus on just learning this new job first and foremost and then worry about another huge undertaking in building a house as well. I keep saying that it is time I have and money I don't so I will take my sweet time to try and get things in order before I start the build. </div>
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^This property is gorgeous and I can't help but get excited every time I do get the chance to move it further along. I don't want to wait too long, but I realize more and more the older I get how much I can handle and the pace of which I can handle things. I needed to slow down the construction process in order to be able to do this new job well. I got a gravel driveway put in this spring so the progress continues, but just at a slower pace for a little while longer. </div>
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^My grandfather passed away this summer. He joined his bride in the afterlife. We will all miss him, but he was ready to go. He had a long and blessed life and seeing him deteriorate in his last few months was more difficult than the thought of him going to grandma. If I am blessed with half as long and successful run here on earth as he had, then I would consider myself a fortunate man. </div>
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^The summer carried on with family bike rides, lake time, and all sorts of adventures.</div>
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^The 4th of July cam and went. Here, in this picture above, Amos enjoys the local parade with his cousins in Twin Lakes, and below the fireworks light up the night from a friends beach house party. </div>
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^My wife and I bought a new vacation rental condo in Utah this summer as well after selling one of our other Utah rental properties. We took the chance to go out and work on the property as well as spend the weekend with my late dear friend Ben Geiger's family for the one year anniversary of his passing. It was an emotional weekend. It is hard for me every time I go back to Ogden, Utah because I see him everywhere I go in those mountains. Ben and I grew together in those mountains for twenty years. He was a huge part of the path that my life has taken becoming a mountain man and backcountry ski guide. Ben and I became the best of friends in those mountains on skis, bikes, and scout hikes scouring for more ski lines and exploring the vast corners of these mountains. In the picture above a few of his family members are stopped along the hike to James Peak to admire a heart shaped patch of snow that came into view as we climbed the peak. It seems every time we do something like this there are signs from Ben that he is watching over us and showing us some love. It never fails. He shows up everywhere. </div>
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^I snapped this picture above of Ben's dad looking out over the valley and watching his large family laughing and carrying on below him from his perch on the peak. I could not help but admire him looking out over all of us. I can't imagine his heartache. I nearly lost my young son, Amos, to cancer a few years ago, but I still have him. I lost my buddy Ben when the tragedy struck, but he lost his youngest son, his baby boy. His wife Kamie and him are constantly in my thoughts. My heart aches for their loss. I am consistently amazed at how they lead their family from the front through this whole ordeal. They have taken me in like one of their own throughout this whole thing. I am forever grateful to them for their kindness, generosity, and love. I miss Ben every day, but it feels a little easier having them to lean on. His brothers have treated me like a sibling, and the entire family has brought me in and held onto me in such a way that I will be forever humbled and grateful. I try to spend time with Ben's wife and kids every chance I can. I want to impart the aspects of the things Ben and I shared with them in our lives in the mountains. I know Ben would have done the same for my family and my kids. He and I shared a lifestyle and kindred spirits in the way we approached and built our lives in the mountains. I think he is smiling down on me every time I spend time with his family. I feel him so strongly when I am in those mountains and even more so when I am there with his tribe. </div>
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^The Gieger clan atop James Peak.</div>
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^I also lost my puppy this summer too. Murphy was my wife and I's first baby. She taught us how to come together to take care of a life. She taught us about unconditional love. She was my little girl. She grew old over the years like all of us, and this summer at nearly 13 years old she could not resist time any longer. She gave us her best dog's life, and we think we did the same for her. She was such a blessing to our family. Our boys grew to love her much the same as she did them. She was so patient and kind with our young boys tugging on her ears and piling on top of her all the time. She never once snapped at them and simply loved them no matter how much they crawled all over her. Our house feels more empty without her in it. We really miss her, but similar to losing grandpa we can't be too sad for her life lived so well, so long, and so loved. I will never forget being with her in her last breaths as she laid her head in my lap and moved on. It was a difficult thing to do. I whispered to her as she passed on how happy I was to raise her, how thankful I was for her love, and that her Uncle Ben would be waiting for her to take her skiing again in the afterlife until I got there. </div>
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^My old girl just a few days before we had to swallow the bitter pill of letting her go to ease her pain and suffering from the cancer throughout her old body. She was such a sweet girl all the way through and will forever be my little puppy girl. </div>
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^I took this picture of Ben and Murphy on a peak many years ago at this point, but it has been a great comfort to me since she passed. I look at it now and it holds so much more reverence than when I took it. I feel like it is a glimpse of heaven and of the two of them now watching over me and all of those they love. I feel comforted thinking about him taking her hiking and skiing in the spiritual beyond. I like to think of him petting her head the way he used to and getting nose to nose with her calling her by his own pet name for her, "Durphy Durph" like he always did. She loved following him and I in the mountains. I like to envision them doing the same now until the day comes that I can join them too. I believe they will both be waiting for me when I do. </div>
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^My family and I have been going to the Northwoods of Wisconsin for nearly my entire life with the same family from Green Bay, the Schaetz family. My brother and I grew up with their boys one week a year for going on 30-plus years at this point and now-a-days our kids are doing the same. It is a joy to watch them all play together the same as we did all those years ago. The Schaetz matriarch, Sally Schaetz, left this earth far too soon a few years back and I always miss her on this trip each year as she was the spark plug of the group. She was such a presence of joy and laughter and I would be lying if it always feels like there is something missing from this trip each summer now, but I believe she is always there. I know she would want all of us to keep making this trip together. I believe she smiles down on us seeing all of her grandkids and my brother and I's kids becoming friends much like we did. I am blessed for people like these in my life and in my family's lives. It is such a wonderful trip I look forward to each summer. It is part of what I think of when I think of summer. </div>
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^These pictures we do every year have grown so much in recent years. I warms me up to look at it. I am fortunate to have people like these in my life. I always go back to something my big brother said about this group years ago by now, "Families full of friends, and friends like family." I love that saying. It is steeped in so much wisdom and so much gratitude. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipW-fKg-TiXIxakidvTSRLiizTvUrzHJAElFeFySV7RdHc-Nc_5vVhcCkhD9OV6CCeq6gizFEovQDwYpRzTDin2DR3-OODqnFXgQaJUQ3loGrN1z3tjnqJszcdpUl33UBvZISyNQ/s1600/1C35A782-8F2A-48DE-81B9-4884FB11E018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1281" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipW-fKg-TiXIxakidvTSRLiizTvUrzHJAElFeFySV7RdHc-Nc_5vVhcCkhD9OV6CCeq6gizFEovQDwYpRzTDin2DR3-OODqnFXgQaJUQ3loGrN1z3tjnqJszcdpUl33UBvZISyNQ/s320/1C35A782-8F2A-48DE-81B9-4884FB11E018.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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^I recently was invited by Dave Maurer from Giant Bicycles to attend the Giant and Liv 2020 Product Launch Dealer Show at Snowbird, Utah. My wife and I needed to make another trip to work on our vacation rental condo at the base of Powder Mountain road some more and this event lined up perfectly with that as well. I jumped on the chance to take part. I am a sponge for mountain bike industry knowledge. I was really stoked to get to see behind the industry curtain even more with this dealer show where all of the national bike retailers came to see the new product lines that Giant and Liv Bicycles are rolling out for 2020. I was enamored with gear knowledge and pumped to get to take out the latest bikes on the trails at Snowbird. </div>
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^I was happy to snap this picture of some new friends I met. I was even more excited by how welcoming the entire Giant family was to me throughout the days I attended the show. From staff, to dealers, to legendary athletes, everyone was really kind and cool. I learned a lot, and I fell more in love with the whole mountain bike scene. I have always loved mountain biking, but I am invigorated even more recently than ever. </div>
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^I dragged out my old friend and photographer, Steve Lloyd, to shoot some pictures of me on the new 2020 bikes and meet and greet with some of the folks at Giant. I was really excited that Steve could find some time to come up and work with me. He is such a great photographer Steve and I have worked together a bunch over the years in the ski world and he is also really stout in the mountain bike world as well. I know he has a lot to teach me in the bike game much like he has in the ski game for me over the years. I was really grateful he made some time to come up and shoot with me. </div>
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^Steve is a photographic magician that always makes me look good. This picture he took of me in the high alpine above Snowbird says it all. Dude's got game, and I am really happy that he plays that game with me from time to time. I was feeling really good to be able to get some saddle time in Utah again too. It felt really good to get up in the high alpine and rip some laps off the iconic Snowbird tram. I do still miss living in Utah, but I do get back there relatively often to quench my thirst for the mountains. I am fortunate to be able to still spend most of my winters there guiding. My wife and I got a bunch more work done on our condo as well despite having our boys with us too. It was fun to get to share the new spot with the boys. We are really excited for this new place we have in the Ogden valley now. I am happy that I have a great place to bring my boys back there too that we can share for many years to come. My Wisconsin hometown is always going to be home for me, but Ogden Utah is a really special place to me as well. I am glad that I can continue to share this place that is a second home to me with my sons more so now with this new place there in the Ogden Valley at the bottom of those mountains that are so special to me. </div>
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^The Kenosha County Fair always kind of marks the end of summer for me. We made it home from Utah just in time for the fair this summer. We had a great night with my brother, Tyler, and his family. My boys and his boys had so much fun at the fair. The smile on my youngest son Walt's face in this picture above kind of says it all. This spring and summer have been packed with plenty of busy, plenty of emotion, and plenty of love. The time has flown by faster than ever it seems to me now writing this all. The old timers in my life have always told me that the time will only move faster and faster as I age and my sons grow. I feel that now. I always thought I would see it coming more, but this summer has gone by now faster than the spring rains run off the trails, faster than the warm summer breeze through the trees, and more fleeting than my dear old grandpa and my puppy girl's last breaths. I have lost, I have gained, and most importantly... I have loved every moment of this summer that breezed right by. </div>
<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-32471341923002404632019-05-19T10:30:00.002-07:002019-05-19T11:13:33.859-07:00Winter Wrap-Up and So Close to HomeTime got away from me the last part of winter. I had so much going on after my Japan trip that I let the posts on this website fall behind. So I will do a big wrap-up post to give a highlight reel from the last part of my winter into the spring skiing. I started out in the Upper Peninsula Of Michigan at Mount Bohemia and the Porcupine Mountains for Midwest Telefest, rolled back to Utah for a variety of content and guiding work, judged a junior free ski comp at Taos New Mexico, had the old college buddies come to town, skied plenty of Ogden backcountry with the local homies, did a lot of backcountry ski guiding, my wife and kids came to visit me in Utah, bought a new snowmobile, and wrapped it all up with a couple last crusher content days with the fellas before hitting the road back across the Great Plains of America to my hometown in southeast Wisconsin. It was a hell of the finish to winter, and here are some of the highlights.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVfXnU9Ck7hQCEHV5fdaHEqR4Noj2mBMO5Eg8c9g8PncvTI5mDU9r-WHhnDFDaYIibdyfSi_KenN4iR1k3gQHSe_rmuuVBnJqUQOHPc7lOBjKF_pWSwAn9lRAPOT0zVc3DagAVA/s1600/IMG_5201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVfXnU9Ck7hQCEHV5fdaHEqR4Noj2mBMO5Eg8c9g8PncvTI5mDU9r-WHhnDFDaYIibdyfSi_KenN4iR1k3gQHSe_rmuuVBnJqUQOHPc7lOBjKF_pWSwAn9lRAPOT0zVc3DagAVA/s320/IMG_5201.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Right after Japan I rolled up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan<br />
<a name='more'></a>to <a href="http://www.mtbohemia.com/" target="_blank">Mount Bohemia</a> with a classic crew of local Wisconsin fellas. My Dad, cousins, and a bunch of Wilmot locals joined me up in the U.P.'s gem of the midwest. We lucked out with some really good snow to ski some classic Mount Bohemia Lake Superior lake effect powder.</div>
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^My good buddy Joey Wallis works up at Mount Bohemia all winter making the hilarious and powder packed Mount Bohemia TV series online. I was really pumped to get some quality time on snow with him again. Joey and I go way back by now. He is one of my favorite people to ski midwest powder with. Joey has a way of lighting up any room he enters. His stoke is really contagious. I always love getting to hang with my buddy Joey.</div>
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^My cousin, Randy, getting some of that U.P. powder.</div>
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^After a few quality days at Mount Bohemia we always make our way down to the <a href="http://www.porkiesfun.com/" target="_blank">Porkies </a>in <a href="https://www.michigan.org/property/porcupine-mountains-wilderness-state-park" target="_blank">Porcupine Mountains State Park</a> for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/porcupine-mountain-ski-area/midwest-telefest-2019/1269408996537152/" target="_blank">Midwest Telefest</a>. This year my wife and kids came up for the weekend with my mother to join the midwest crew for the festival. The weekend is always packed with good music, good friends, and plenty of telemark turns. In this picture above my two boys are getting down to Feeding Leeroy, the band of tele heads that makes an appearance on the opening night's welcoming party. </div>
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^Event organizer, Keith Opperman, and his friends always throw a good party. Keith gave me a good beardy pose in this picture above in his classic one-piece as we overlook the Great Lake Superior before we jumped into some powder. Keith teams up with Matt Manders to throw this event every year. It has become a tradition for me and my family over the years. I have so many good friends that come up to this event by now. I am so grateful for all of them. </div>
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^My Dad and cousin, Tom, trekking out to the goods with a stack of telemark festivarians following behind. </div>
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^My wife and kids enjoying some of the bluegrass boys doing their thing on the Saturday night potluck dinner party. It was really cool to share this weekend with them this year. My oldest son, Amos, was all about the music too. At one point he grabbed his kazoo from my mom's bag, pulled a seat up with the bluegrass boys, and joined the band. It was pretty hilarious. He was super pumped. </div>
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^I was honored to receive the Sondre Norheim award this year. It is an award for a Telefester who embodies the mountain man spirit and has given a lot of heart and soul to the festival over many years. I did not see this coming, but I was super grateful for the show of love and support from the Midwest Telefest faithful. It really meant a lot to me to receive it. </div>
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^First thing when I got back to Utah after the U.P. trip was catching up on more avalanche courses that the guide world decided to add to the guide track that did not exist when I first got started down this track many years ago. I was a bit over qualified for the course, but it never hurts to practice the skill sets. I think now I am all caught up and ready to progress further again into the courses that will be much more of a steep learning curve for me. The next courses to get ready for are the Alpine skills course, the Avalanche Instructor course, and then the Avalanche Pro 2. </div>
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^Then it came time to get back to Snowbasin again. This season my home resort has been a tough one for me because my best buddy and go-to backcountry ski partner, Ben Geiger, died this summer. It was so weird being there without him meeting me in the parking lot every morning. We had some big plans for a lot backcountry days and exploring some new lines in the Ogden Wasatch this winter. I spent a lot of solo time out there this year just trying to get my head and heart around it all. I did not get to check off the lines he and I had been scouting. I didn't really have the confidence to solo them, and I also just didn't really have the motivation yet. I was still just kind of lost out there all the while knowing exactly where I was. </div>
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^In early March the college homies came to town and joined me for some ski days in all the old classics. It was funny how we were all feeding off each other's vibes just like we always have. It was definitely not the same without Benny, our director of stoke, but it was a real treat for me none-the-less to have them in town. It felt really good to have them there. It was kind of a lonely existence for me there this winter. In this picture above we're all posing with a statue that his brothers built on a peak in his likeness.</div>
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^The crew marching upward into the future. A future we never expected to take on without Ben in tow with us. That is life though. I have lost quite a few friends too young by now in some really strange tragic accidents and situations. My shoulders are covered in memorial tattoos for lives gone too soon. Each one of those stories though has served to make me a better man. They've taught me the kind of hard knocks life lessons that despite the horrible scenarios I am oddly grateful for. They have made me who I am. My friends lives are never in vain if I let their deaths change my life and force me to live a life of intention, purpose, and determination. I am an ardent soul searcher always striving for my true path. I think it is because of these tragedies that I am living the life I have chosen. One that I step towards each day with intention.</div>
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^I managed a lot of days in the backcountry anyhow. I did do some exploring of a bunch more lower consequence terrain in some areas I have been meaning to spend more time in. I actively reached out to more backcountry partners then ever before. Obviously none of which I was nearly as completely dialed with as Ben. I am not sure I will ever have another backcountry partner that I will be so in tune with as he and I were. We just looked at things and thought about things in the mountains the same way. Mostly because we spent twenty years learning our way through them together. However, this is where I have found myself. This is life, and these new partners are also my friends. They are also stout travelers, and they are also really good people. It is good for me to branch out. To learn to travel with new people. To learn to interact in the backcountry with new perspectives and abilities. It feels like growth. </div>
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^My buddy Rob Harris wigglin' and gigglin' some low angle loveliness in this picture above. I found a bunch more of this kind of smaller lower angle terrain to ski in all of my solo backcountry missions this year. I have learned to love it more than ever as I age, and as I spend more solo time out there. I am totally aware that I am bending the rules in so much solo backcountry time, but such is my existence to a certain degree. I am okay with it. I definitely dial back my risk when I am alone in the mountains, but I also know full well the choices I am making. Twenty years in the backcountry and I have made plenty of mistakes. I take as many precautions as I can, but these are the choices I have to make some times. </div>
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^Alex Leblanc and I have become more frequent touring partners as well. Alex is a super stout young telemark skier I have come to love skiing with over the years. I like to say that he is the coolest dude on telemark skis. He is laid back, dialed, and never in all that much of a hurry. He is also almost always on time. He usually beats me to the trailheads and parking lots. I have come to have a lot in common with him and his style. He is one tough as nails dude too. It has been a real blessing to get to know him and watch him learn his way out there. He is also now moving into fatherhood as well with a brand new baby girl.</div>
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^Alex has some undeniable style. I have really come to enjoy taking pictures of him skiing. He makes everything he does look easy, which is a true sign of a naturally talented skier. </div>
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^I landed a gig guiding for Inspired Summit Adventures out of Park City, Utah. We mostly guide the Uinta Range just east of Park City and I am super grateful to learn the new terrain and new skills from my good friends, Shaun and Weston Duetschlander. I came up through the pro ski scene with Shaun and Weston long before they ever became a couple and started their business. We have skied some big lines and drank our fare share of cold frosty beverages together over many years of tall peaks, deep powder, tall tales, and deep belly laughs. In this picture above Weston is leading me out to the Castle Peak Yurt that we guide to run some supplies out to Shaun with a client group and also give me some more experience in seeing more and more of their terrain out there. </div>
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^Weston stoking the fire for Shaun and her group before they came back in for lunch, and stoking me out with an exploration of the possibilities in the years to come. </div>
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^I ran down to Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico for the first time to judge a junior telemark freeski competition with USTSA. The Taos staff was incredible to work with and were so dialed in their event hosting. They made the whole weekend a breeze. They also put me up in The Blake hotel which is so posh that I didn't even really know how to act or what to do while I was in there. Valets and incredible guest services all catered to the rich and famous and this ski bum didn't even know what the hell I was doing, when and if I am supposed to give someone a tip, or even what to do with my hands. It was a bit weird for me staying in such a posh establishment, but I was grateful for the hospitality. Even if I didn't know how or when to tip, or not, or even where to put my skis or wear my ski boots, or not. I am not used to that kind of world. </div>
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^On the comp venue though, I was right at home. I know that world. I know the inside of a judges booth. So did the Taos event staff. The local judge they threw into the telemark judges booth with us, Jacob Herrera, was really great too. He was dialed and it was really great to have his local knowledge. </div>
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^Kaela Gillum and her team had the whole weekend all worked out. They crushed every step of the logistical nightmare that these events can present. I was totally impressed. </div>
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^Plus the kids were fantastic. The junior telemark skiers skied an incredible weekend. They all skied safe, smart, and calculated. Their coaches had them all prepared to the tee, and it showed. I love watching these kids ski, and I love being a part of these events. The freeski competition scene has brought a lot of gifts to my life. I have met some of my best friends through these events. I make so many new friends each and every time I do another one. I love seeing these kids make so many good friendships on these weekends too. I enjoy seeing them enjoy themselves. I work hard to try to do my best to give them good experiences and judge as fair of a comp as I can. It is always hard when you take an art like big mountain skiing and try to turn it into math in order to place a kid's run into some sort of rank order. However, it seems that these kids understand what I am talking about when I preach about how the scores are not what these events are really all about. Sure, we all want to have the outcomes emerge as best we can, but those friendships, those memories, and all those good times are what the weekends are really about. That is what really matters. I see that in spades every time I work one of these events, and for me that is the best of all.</div>
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^Plenty of guiding. Lots and lots of guiding. As I age in this industry the path towards guiding in the backcountry has been really great. It is what I have always wanted to do and what all of these years of preparation have been leading to. Even all the pro ski stuff has been about getting the experience and the resume to be taken seriously in the backcountry as a skilled traveler and someone that others would actually choose to pay to take them to remote and dangerous corners of the mountains. All my networking, all of my industry connections, all of my certifications, and all of my travels have been preparing me to do this work. Ever since I was a nine-year old kid wide-eyed and star struck by the mountains on Colorado vacations with my family this is what I have wanted to do with my life. I am so blessed and grateful that it has worked out for me. Lord knows there where times that it could have all come crashing down, but I stayed the course. I kept learning, and growing in the mountains. So now to be able to continue to scratch out a living doing this kind of work in these beautiful mountains is an incredible feeling. I absolutely hate the cliqué saying that I see on social media all the time when my peers in this line of work talk about, "another great day in the office" in reference to some dope powder blaster photograph of themselves slaying it, but I certainly understand where they are coming from. I understand their own amazement with how they somehow ended up doing exactly what they love doing in incredible environments. I am right there with them on it. You'll just never see me use that line on my social accounts anymore, but I definitely feel it on a daily basis when I am out there sharing amazing mountain experiences with friends and strangers. </div>
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^My old friend Matt Roberts and some of his friends on a sunny day in the Uinta Mountains just east of Park City, Utah. </div>
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^Gitin some!</div>
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^Matt shreds. He and I went to college together. There was a time when I did not see him for a pretty long time as he toiled his way through medical school and into a really great job. However, when he called me up a few years back and asked me to help him get into backcountry skiing I was so stoked. It was a chance to reconnect with him. It has been a joy to watch him fall in love with the backcountry experience. Plus, now we are skiing together and taking trips all over the world together like we never left off. At one point a while back he told me that he was thankful to me for helping get his backcountry chops because it had reinvigorated skiing for him again and brought a whole new joy within skiing for him all over again like he had back when we were green college kids learning and burning in the mountains. I can't really tell you what it felt like to hear that from him. I can't really express how good that made me feel to be a part of being a catalyst of that for him. That is like the frosting on the cake. I love doing this work, and when a dear friend like Matt tells me something like that I know with all my heart that I am doing this right. I don't pretend to be right about really much of anything anymore in my life, but I know when something feels right and hearing words like that from a good buddy... well, that just feels right and is all the validation of my life choices that I need.</div>
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^My good friend, Keith Opperman, whom I talked about early in this post as the organizer of Midwest Telefest came to see me too. Keith and I have become good friends over the years of my attending his festival. I have come to love him and his family like friends I have had for a lifetime. They are among the most genuine, kind, and generous people I have met on this journey I have been walking. Keith told me he wanted to come to Utah and ski and tour with me. He talked about a yearning to do the kind of big western skiing he felt like he'd never really had the chance to pursue in his life yet. He wanted to come out for World Telemark Day at Alta that Freeheel Life puts on. He wanted the whole package. I was honored to be able to give him some of that. We did a classic Wasatch backcountry tour whipping his low elevation lungs into altitude shape, and we skied some creamy powder.</div>
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^The next day we hit up Alta to ski the World Telemark Day celebration with all of the Utah telemark community. I introduced him to all my friends...</div>
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^... and to a few Alta classics. In this picture above Keith goes deep into crush town on Alta's famous High Rustler! He was so amped and so leg beat by the end of the day, but we were both all smiles and laughs all the way home. He linked up with my buddy Travis Bellantino his last day at Snowbird. Travis gave him a ripping tour of his home mountain and sent Keith back home to the midwest on the long train ride complete. I felt like we gave him a taste of everything we could have in a whirlwind weekend tour of the Salt Lake City scene. There is obviously way more to show him, but with just a weekend we could only get him into so much. The good news though is that it leaves plenty for us to show him next time.</div>
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^A mentor and friend of mine, Fred Buttard, hit me up as he was passing through the area for some beta and to take him and his friends out for some new to them terrain. Fred is a French IFMGA ski guide living in Norway. He and I first met on a <a href="http://www.moonlightmountaingear.com/" target="_blank">Moonlight Mountain Gear</a> product test in Italy years ago. We promised to keep in touch and all that, but the best part is that we actually have and when his travel plans brought him through my area of Utah he reached out. We had a beautiful day in the sun, and a really great day touring the Ogden Wasatch. I was stoked to meet his friends that he works with in Europe guiding the European Alps, Norway, and all over the world. </div>
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^We had a pretty big day getting a taste of all the aspects and elevations of one of my favorite zones. Weather, schedules, and travels rarely line up all together, but I was really excited to have it all come together with Fred and his buddies in my backyard this particular day. Can't beat it.</div>
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^I got to guide my friend, Rick Sojkowski, and his daughter Julie for some of their first big mountain touring. The weather was slamming. I slammed my old Subaru into a five car pile-up on the interstate on my way to the trailhead meet-up as well, but we still managed to have a really great day in the mountains together. I loved watching the light bulbs turn on in their skill progressions throughout the day. It was really amazing how quickly they latched on to the concepts and the skill sets. </div>
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^Best of all was their incredible attitudes in learning from me and Weston as we trudged up hill through the storm. Often times it can be difficult for folks to be able to stay positive and upbeat when they are learning new skills all the while the weather is also slamming them in the face. Rick and Julie not only prevailed, but were a joy to be with. We had a lot of laughs, and for a day that started out really shitty for me being involved in a five car fender bender on the commute their positivity and great attitudes helped me end up having one of the highlight tours of my season. I could have trudged through the day a curmudgeon, as could have they, but good friends and some good laughs in the mountains seem to be a quality prescription for any rough start to the day. </div>
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^Of course slaying powder turns with my buddy Rick makes for a quick attitude adjustment too. </div>
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^A new friend I met through the Freeheel Life shop last winter, Tim Schofield, from San Diego came to see me this year too. We also lucked out with a spring storm that could not have timed out better for us. We managed to find some cold high elevation powder, and became even better friends with every step up the skin track. </div>
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^The clouds broke out for us from time to time to be able to get some really good views too, but not too much to heat up our cold powder too fast though. That was key to helping us prolong our day of skiing the goods before the spring temperatures did too much work on the snowpack. I was stoked to get a solid weekend in with Tim and something tells me that this was just the beginning for Tim and I having some really cool mountain adventures together in the near future. </div>
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^The end of March my wife and kids came to visit me and spend some time in Utah. I am a different kind of bird to pursue this life I do in the mountains that often involves a certain amount of time away from my family. It is a double edged sword as well because I miss them a great deal while I am gone, and I also am not myself if I don't pursue the lifestyle. I have a hard time explaining it. It is a joke amongst my wife and I that if not for her I would probably be alone in a small cabin in the woods at the base of a mountain somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I am grateful for that fact and to her for keeping from that, but it is also a certain part of my nature that I have to feed a little bit. </div>
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^These three are a gift in my life. My time with them is very precious to me. I often feel like my time away makes the time together more special. Being away affords me the opportunity to miss them, and thus force me to relish in my time with them even more. It may not make any sense to most people, but I guess that is part of my peculiar nature. </div>
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^Amos and Momma.</div>
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^Walt and Momma. </div>
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^This picture above is of me and Laird Geiger. Laird is Ben's son. As I mentioned before, Ben and I grew together in the mountains the last twenty years. We were fast friends from our freshman year of college in Ogden. We quickly became ski partners and ventured into the backcountry together. We learned the ways of the mountains and had a connection that is one of the most next level understandings of another I have ever had. We literally navigated dangerous terrain and situations with hand signals and what sometimes felt like the same mind. We looked at the mountains and even the world in very similar ways. We would confer with each other on all aspects of our lives from business, to relationships, to politics, especially to fatherhood, and everything in between. It was kind like we raised our kids together. Ben and his wife, Heather, started their family a few years before Christine and I and they became dear confidants to us in figuring the whole parental journey out. When Ben died I made a promise to myself to do my very best to visit with his family and try to ski with his kids and be helpful to his wife. I know he would do the same for me. Ben and I are a lot alike and I hope I can be a little bit of a taste of a lot of things he believed and valued in life for them. I see him in all of them as well when I am with them. It really makes me feel closer to him to spend time with them as well. His son Laird has a lot of Ben's mannerisms and he moves like Ben. I see so much of Ben in him and I can't help but seek out time with him. I enjoy seeing them so much. I hope to be able to ski with Laird and do all kinds of different things with him, his sister, and his mom forever. I hope our families can remain close to one another and my kids can keep growing knowing all of them like we were when Ben was alive and we would get together. I love to watch Amos look up to Laird and be smitten by his sister, Monroe. All three of them held my sons when they were babies and I hope they'll be there for many of their milestones in life in the future as well.</div>
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^Laird is becoming such a solid skier. I can tell it is in his blood and these mountains are in his heart.</div>
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^I told Ben's dad that I would make time to ski with him from time to time as well. I want to be able to do that. It is a gift for me to be able to be a part of their lives still. Ben and I always shared our father's wisdom with each other. I still want to learn from the wisdom of Ben's father in my life like Ben used to share with me, and like Curt used to impart to me when we were all together as well. This has all been so hard for all of us, and none of us are perfect in dealing with grief or how we should react to such a tragedy. There is no right way to grieve, but I hope we can all stay together in doing so for the rest of our lives. I need them. I need his kids, his wife, his parents, his brothers, our friends, and I need to hold on to ways of feeling him all around me. He is one of my best friends, and I don't think I get to make another friend like him ever again. I am so grateful to have that kind of relationship with him for the time I did and even for the rest of my life in his influence in how I still talk to him in my dreams and in my heart. Life is hard, and beautiful, and sad, and glorious, and tragic. It is all of these things and everything in between in the human experience. It is the total package. It is the ride... the journey. I hope I can keep walking this path with all of his tribe and that I can be a positive part of their lives as much as they are in mine. </div>
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^My time in Utah for the season was coming to a close. In the last week we were graced with a good storm, and I had a chance to get out and take some pictures with some of my freeheel ski buddies. I supply photography through my business, <a href="http://www.thevigroup.org/" target="_blank">Vertical Integration</a>, to a lot of the telemark industry companies for their social media marketing, and I had a good window of time to really crush some photography in good spring conditions. I had a really great sunrise tour with Taylor Johnson and Carl Heath in the Salt Lake City Wasatch. Taylor is among the hardest working freeheel skiers in the game today, and Carl is a total natural in front of the lens. Carl is a great photographer himself, much better then me, and I value learning from him and shooting with him because he sees the mountains and lines through a photographer's eye. That makes shooting with him and his line choices easy and a joy. </div>
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^Carl in one of the last frames of a burst of shots in this frame above. The better ones are going into the Vertical Integration library so I won't share them here online, but this one just before he goes into the tree's shadow gives you a good idea of what the money shots just moments before this frame look like. Hopefully you will see those ones in an industry magazine or social media feed at some point in the near future. </div>
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^Then my very last day on snow for the season I had another crusher day in the Ogden Wasatch range with Taylor Johnson, Greg Roman, and Alex Leblanc at Snowbasin and in the backcountry surrounding it. We absolutely nailed it that day. I could not have been happier with a finalé for the season. </div>
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^One of my last runs was a classic that Ben and I skied often. After I skied the line it just felt like it was a tribute to him. I skied in a way that would have made him smile and was completely influenced by his style. I took this picture of it and posted something online with some sort of post about this one was for him or something like that. I remember that a lot of our good ski buddies chimed with comments about how they knew exactly where I was and what I was writing about. That was validation to me that they could see it and feel it too. I can't imagine a better way to end my first winter skiing these mountains without him on the skin tracks with me. I believe he was all around me out there this winter, and in the vast amount of solo backcountry skiing I did this year I felt like I gave myself enough silence and opportunity to feel that. It both hurt and felt good to do so, but I feel like it was exactly what I needed. </div>
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^I had one last course of business to attend to before I drove back across the Great Plains to Wisconsin for the off-season. I had to re-certify as a Wilderness First Responder to keep that certification and training current for guiding. These courses are hard for me because the skill and the memorization involved does not come naturally to me. I have to labor and study a lot to keep getting better at it.</div>
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^CPR practice.</div>
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^I also bought a free ride snowmobile as a tool for next year's guide work there. I am working for a variety of guide shops in Utah next winter and the need for a solid snowmobile became undeniable. I lucked out to find a really great sled and a really great deal with a friend from the ski industry, Jenn Berg. Jenn and her husband, Pete O'Brien, are legends in the ski world. She took good care of me in the transaction, and also sold me a really well loved snowmobile that helped me rest easy with the large purchase. She took great care of this machine and it showed when I started digging into the condition of it. I will give this sled a good home. I look forward to saddling up on it to cruise out to some glorious terrain next winter and then sending her some pictures of the scenes. I am grateful to her and her and Pete for making a deal with me. This ride is gonna be a great tool for my work in the coming years. I am really excited to see where it will take me. </div>
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^Just like that it was all over. I was back in my van and pedal down across the country again heading east to Wisconsin for the off-season. I had a job as the Kenosha County Trails Coordinator fall in my lap that will present a whole new set of challenges and skills to learn. I was looking forward to the experience as I glared out the windshield for two long days of driving. </div>
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^In the last hours of the road trip as the western sun set in my sideview mirror and I crossed my last state line of the trip I could not help feeling metaphorical about the winter. Perhaps it was road trip delirium, but I was emotional about the situation. I was thinking about my buddy Ben and how much I still miss him every day. I was thinking about my wife, kids, and family and how much I was looking forward to seeing them and spending warm summer days with them again. I was thinking about next winter already and the goals and ambitions I wanted to prioritize for the coming year and to start working on. I was thinking about mountain biking and all the things I wanted to pursue in that world as it emerges more and more as a part of my life and career in trail work, guiding, and how I should go about that whole new endeavor. I have been mountain biking for nearly twenty years all over the west, but making it a part of my work is a relatively new pursuit. I was awash in all kinds of thoughts and emotions. I took this picture to mark the moment and remember to write about here as well. I wanted to hold on to the metaphorical state of mind, and the thoughts and feelings flowing through me. I wanted to make sure to go forward with as much passion and zest as I always have and the way that Ben always did in his life too. I wanted to remind myself to take each and every moment that I could manage with appreciation and put a fist to the sky at sunset in tribute to each amazing day on this journey. Just like this picture below of Ben that I took of him on one particularly spectacular day he and I shared in the Ogden backcountry the last winter that I had with him. I wanted to hold on to that memory even closer to my heart now after this first winter in the mountains without him came to a close with the end of my road trip driving away from the setting western sun and so close to home.</div>
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J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-13633111892674162642019-03-14T17:35:00.002-07:002019-04-02T18:40:42.992-07:00Niseko of My Dreams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I first came to Niseko over a decade ago as a young hard charging pro skier to shoot for a movie project with Sweetgrass Productions that became the movie, Signatures. That movie is still one of my favorites and this place is as well. Niseko Japan is near and dear to my heart by this point, and I am so grateful to have made some real friendships there as well over all these years in returning every year since. I have built a trip package through my business, Vertical Integration, that has built on all the knowledge and experience that I have gained over the years skiing there. This year I had a really great group of friends buy the package deal to take advantage of all that Niseko has to offer. </div>
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^Driving in Japan is always a bit of an adjustment on the right side <a name='more'></a>of the car and the left side of the road. The road signs are also pretty classic and often rather cartoonish. </div>
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^This is an iconic bridge just outside Niseko that always makes me smile as the mountains come into view just beyond the arches and cables. It is always helpful on the drive in if the weather is favorable to see them too. I tend to get really excited as I roll into he area across it. True golden arches.</div>
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^For the last 5 or 6 years I have always stayed at the same place in the rural outskirts of the Niseko area. The YHA Niseko Fujiyama Karimpani is an old school house converted into a hostel that has come to feel like a home away from home for me. I love this spot and the owner, Masayuki(Max) Ito, has become a dear friend of mine throughout the years as well. It is such a clean and well-run lodge that I am hesitant to call it a hostel despite it's price tag and communal nature. It is one of the cheapest beds one can buy in Niseko, but the service and set up is far and away better then any hostel I have stayed at anywhere else in the world. Max is a classic obsessive Japanese local that labors over every little detail to ensure that the place is clean and organized. The food is also well above the standard most of my guests expect when they book the package. Max serves breakfast and dinner each day, and I usually eat there most of the time because not only is it economical, but it really is so damn good too. </div>
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^Welcome.</div>
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^Often Max is entirely too busy to ski with me, but this year we managed to get out on a backcountry tour together on my first day in town. Another friend of mine hailing from Australia, Ben Eye, that has worked for Max in years passed was also passing through the area. I was pumped that he could also join us. Ben and I have also become good friends over the years as well. I was really excited that he was in town, and I jumped at the chance to have a tour with the two of them. </div>
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^My second day the storm cycle settled in heavy and I took a solo backcountry touring day to get out and access the scene more and poke around in one of my favorite zones on Nitonupuri. This particular zone always has sheltered tree skiing that can be found on nearly every aspect of the compass. </div>
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^Francis Chen is a backcountry ski guide in Niseko that I have been trying to meet up with for the last few years, but such as busy lives go we had not been able to put it together until this year. We finally had our schedules align to be able to met up for a classic Niseko powder day in the trees. </div>
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^So deep. This picture that Francis took of me says it better than any words I could try to put to it.</div>
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^Classic Niseko.</div>
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^There is a secret zone that I had been eyeing up nearby for years. This year I had the time and weather window to finally get out to it to scout it. As I pulled into the lonely parking area at the end of the road I was surprised to see another vehicle full of Americans. I started chatting them up as I was not really sure if I could park where I was. Before I knew it we were realizing we had a handful of mutual friends and quickly teamed up for a tour into the zone. It was really a blessing to be able to link up with them as they had more knowledge of the spot than I did thus accelerating my ability to get the lay of the land as well as the confidence to park my car there without the fear of it getting towed by the local authorities. It ended up being and incredible day and I made three new friends that I was super stoked to get to ski with as well. My apologies, but I can't tell you about this location. This one I am gonna have to keep close to the vest. </div>
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^After the initial week in Niseko my first buddy arrived. Darrell Finlayson is a ski patrolman at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. Darrell and I go pretty far back by now as we both ran around the Wasatch range on telemark skis in the past in the same circles of ripper telemark friends in our hay day. We worked a couple different zones his first few days to enjoy the tail end of the storm cycle before some high pressure settled in for a bit. </div>
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^Darrell getting some!</div>
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^The sun came out and Darrell and I linked up with a Hokkaido guru, Charlie Ziskin. Charlie has a wealth of knowledge and experience on the north island. We have been internet forum friends for a number of years at this point, but had never managed to ski together in the United States. He had recently retired to the island with his Japanese born wife, and I guess we had to travel half way across the world to finally make it happen to ski together. </div>
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^We linked up for a classic tour off Annupuri's backside terrain for a rather stellar day under the blue sky. Bluebird days in Niseko in January are typically a rather rare occasion. The three of us took advantage as best we could touring out of the back of the Niseko United resort terrain into the local backcountry. We followed it up by a nice long soak in a high country onsen hot spring all the while sharing stories and laughs. Charlie has skied an incredible amount of Japan in his many years coming to the area. Darrell and I were gobbling up all the knowledge and stories well into the late afternoon until we got out of the onsen and toured our way back to the Niseko United base area we started from. </div>
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^That night the rest of our group of friends arrived and the following day the high pressure settled in for a couple more days. The snowpack began to cook up pretty hot and we opted to take a sightseeing tour up the giant volcano Mount Yotei. Yotei eclipses the local landscape as a huge volcano on the Niseko skyline. The snow was far from the deep powder standard that the region is known for, but the views did not disappoint. </div>
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^Many years ago by now I first skied Mount Yotei with a group of really good friends of mine from the U.S. and we had one of the greatest powder days with a local guru of Mount Yotei that has a cabin at the base of the volcano. This summer one of those dear friends of mine, Ben Geiger, tragically died of a freak heart attack. Ben was among my best friends in this world and his passing shook me to my core. Ben was my go-to ski and backcountry partner in the Wasatch mountains in Utah for the last twenty years. We were kindred spirits like few friends I have in this world. That day on Mount Yotei with Ben all those years ago along with two other really good friends of ours was among the greatest ski days any of us have ever had, and may ever have. As such, this volcano will always hold a very special place in my heart. After Ben's death his wife gave me some of his ashes to spread atop all of our favorite peaks that we loved so dearly. I brought some of those ashes with me on this trip with the intention of putting him on the wind on Mount Yotei. With blue skies and a heavy heart I took some time to myself from the group to put him up on the wind with a soulful prayer. Soon after I did so some passing clouds began to sprinkle in the sunshine. I felt that was a sign from him that he was there with me. I spoke to him, and cried for over my loss. The memories of that amazing day we shared on that volcano flooded my mind like a tidal wave at every turn in the skin track. Those memories are priceless to me now, and I will forever cherish that day as well as this opportunity to bring a part of him back there to put up on the wind. </div>
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^Mount Yotei, the dream mountain. </div>
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^The hostel owner, Max, is married to a gracious and talented woman, Yuko Ito. Yuko is an incredible Koto player. The Koto is a kind of Japanese harp instrument and each of the last two years I have been lucky to be there when she has had concerts in a local art gallery in the bustling resort town base area below Niseko United, Hirafu. It is always such a highlight to be able to bring my friends to see her and her friends play some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. It is one of those rich cultural experiences that really makes the trip. </div>
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^Of course, nothing caps off a night of culture like some really good sushi. As to be expected, the Japanese do it better than anywhere. These guys are true artisans of their craft. We were the gracious beneficiaries of all that deliciousness. The culture and the food is just as rewarding an experience as any of the super deep powder days we rack up in Niseko in January each year. This year was no different. </div>
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^After a few days in high pressure and rather aggressive winds another storm cycle set back into the region. The deep powder that Niseko is known for returned and we were right back in it on the skin track once again. Ryan Gallagher from Alaska is ascending to reap the rewards in this picture high above a local onsen. </div>
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^This picture that Darrell snapped of me says it all.</div>
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^Darrell, Lance Hamblin, and Ryan working their way back up the skin track for another sample of the goods. We were all frothing at the mouth this day gorging on the deep powder. After all the wind we were amped to have a calmer day in the storm to lap this one zone all by ourselves all day long until we could barely take another step. </div>
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^With each lap yielding deepness like Darrell is getting in this picture we were not about to stop until we squeezed every last drop of juice out of our legs. </div>
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^We had this stretch of woods all to ourselves all day long. We did our best to make sure we did not leave any aspect of it untracked. We logged a stack of vertical that day and finished off our day with a gloriously hot soak in the local onsen nearby. This was Ryan's last day of his trip so we made sure to send him out in style!</div>
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^Another local guy, Masafumi Obuchi, and I have been talking online with each other for a while and on Darrell and Lance's last day in Niseko Masa came down from his home in Sapporo to share the day with us. He brought along his friend, Masafumi Miyamoto, and we had another amazing day in the storm with the local boys in the woods. Once again we went bell to bell until there was nothing left in any of our legs. </div>
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^Masa and Masa ascending the zone we picked for the day. Once again we made sure to use it all up as best we could touring laps until I nearly dropped. </div>
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^Darrell making the most of his last day in Japan. </div>
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^I was really pleased to send the boys off in classic Niseko style. Then on my last day Max came out with me again to give me a proper send-off ski touring day. As I mentioned, most years Max is so busy that I am lucky to get even one ski day with him, but this year I managed to book-end my trip with him to start and finish. Max has become a true friend to me over the years and I can't think of a better way to end my trip then to have a finalé tour with him. </div>
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^At dinner that last night our friend, Yukihiro Takahashi(left), joined us. Hiro, as we call him, drove through the evening from the airport in Sapporo to have dinner with me and Max. Hiro is a local guide and legend here in Niseko. Hiro and I became friends through Max many years ago by now and even though he might just be the busiest guy I know he always manages to go out of his way to come see me to break bread with me and Max. I thoroughly enjoy soaking up local knowledge and wisdom from Hiro and share ideas about the guiding business and the economics of the world we both work in. Hiro has a wealth of knowledge that I can only hope to aspire to someday and he is always so generous in sharing some of it with me whenever he can. I have learned a lot from Hiro over the years and look forward to our conversations every year. I am so grateful for mentors like him in my life and look forward to the day that he and I can work together on a larger level. </div>
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I went to bed that last night with the prospect of a huge travel day back to the U.S. with a smile on my face for another amazing trip to Niseko, Japan. That night my dear late friend, Ben Geiger, came to me in my dream. We talked like he was there with me and we had not skipped a day. Since his death I have been a broken man. At the end of the dream we hugged and I woke up from the dream breathing heavy with tears streaming down my face, but I was not sad. I was completely invigorated. It felt like the experience was a real as if he were actually there with me. As I tried to calm myself down in my bunkbed and wrap my head around the realism of the dream I thought to myself that I had hoped it was not too early before my alarm to wake me to begin my travel slog back to the U.S. because there was no chance at all that I was going to be able to go back to sleep after that. I looked at my watch and it showed literally three minutes before my alarm was dialed to go off to wake me up. I was completely blown away. I rose from my bed, grabbed my bags, and headed for home. That dream felt so real that I was convinced that he had truly come to me on some kind of spiritual plane. I was so oddly calm and happy with the experience. It was the first time that I had thought of him since he died and not felt the deep sadness of loss. Rather, I was overcome with a strange joy in knowing that he was with me all along. He told me in the dream that he was going to be around. He told me that I could find him in the mountains and that he wanted me to know that he was still here on this earth. He told me that he would be spending his time looking over his wife and his kids in Utah, but that he would make sure to come around to look out for me from time to time as well. It was the most surreal spiritual experience of my life. As I drove to the airport that morning I was for the first time overcome with a sense of calm since the day his big brother, Bob, called me to tell me he was gone. I had a sense of peace with it that I had been so longing for to ease my pain. I will miss him every day of my life for the rest of my own, but I know now for certain that he will be watching out for me and that he will be ready and waiting for me on the other side when my own time comes. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know that this place, these people, and my dear friend Ben are such great gifts in my life. Niseko's Japanese powder snow is a blessing, but everything that has come to my life in pursuit of it and all the magical journeys of my life in these friendships and these experiences is the real true gift. I may never get to ascend Mount Yotei with Ben breaking the trail in front of me again, but I know that he will be smiling down on my turns here and everywhere else until we meet again on the clouds blowing across the top of Mount Yotei. </div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-29393523961952533692019-01-17T00:57:00.000-07:002019-01-17T00:58:20.738-07:00Emotional Utah Quick Hit & Gracious Midwest Holidays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Shortly after returning from the Austrian Alps I was loading back into another airplane to head to Utah for some guide training work and some ski industry content work. I was also looking to keep getting in shape for my looming Japan trip just around the corner of the calendar. </div>
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^I grabbed a late night flight and kissed my wife, kids, and pup goodbye.<a name='more'></a> Even later into Utah and I snagged an Uber ride into my ski bum shanty nestled in the back corner of my workshop just behind one of my rental properties in Ogden, Utah. I have been working on my shanty there for quite some time, and this trip was a test in how well I would be able to heat the space. The first night was a cold one for sure! I could not get it above 45 degrees Fahrenheit! Needless to say the next day I was determined to get a larger heater. </div>
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^The next morning I rose to gather my gear, fired up my old Subaru, and got out on my way. As I drove away from my morning breakfast stop the largest mountain in the Ogden range loomed over my commute, Ben Lomond. </div>
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^A short drive later I arrived at my backyard ski resort, Snowbasin. The drive was difficult as it was the first time I was returning to this place to ski since my dear friend and go-to ski partner, Ben Geiger, had died this summer. I cried all the way up as every song that came through my speakers reminded me of him. Every turn in the road had memories attached to it. Every view dripping with nostalgia and blanketed in a thin early season snowpack. </div>
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^The base area moose statue greeted my arrival and I anxiously awaited the first encounter with our friends. I was unsure if I'd be able to hold a smile, or break down in a puddle of tears. Thankfully, the first person I saw on my way from the famously golden and marbled bathrooms in the lodge was one of the happiest and cheerful friends that I have there. AJ (Gotschall) Baacke was among some of my first friends in Ogden when I first arrived in Ogden at Weber State University all those years ago by now. She is one of the most cheerful people I know and donning her classic giant smile she gave me a big hug. AJ and her husband Brian are a joyful couple and as I reminisced with them in the lodge and admired their beautiful baby boy donning a Powder bib my wife and I gave them I was happy to be able to start my day on a more cheerful note. They had AJ's whole family there as they were celebrating her parent's 50-year wedding anniversary. A beautiful milestone with some of the most genuine of people. I grabbed a gondola ride with Brian and our friend Sean Moyer and had a bunch of laughs on the ride up. Brian and Sean are Chicago boys and we talked about our mutual hometown area, the Chicago Bears beating up on my Green Bay Packers football team, and everything in between. We offloaded and parted our separate ways because I had a mission to scout the Ogden ridge line backcountry, and visit a monument that was erected in memoriam of Ben and in honor of the backcountry terrain that falls away from the Ogden ridge line that we loved so dearly. </div>
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^It felt really good to be back on the skin track to the ridge. Demoisey Peak towered over the horizon. So many lines Ben and I had skied there together. We cut our big mountain teeth together on this ridge. We failed, succeeded, and most of all learned so much all the way across this ridge line. I was awash in the memories all the way up. </div>
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^Finally, I reached the statue. I had lunch there and a conversation with my old friend that I did not equate as much with the statue, but with the wind that was whipping a fresh storm into the area. Of course, as soon as I was eating my lunch the storm arrived. Being my first foray onto the ridge, and being solo, I opted to take my buddies cue and turn tail to return to the ski area. I didn't know the snowpack or the depth, and I did not want to push my luck. I made a few more runs in the resort to feel things out and called it a day.</div>
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^The next day I had a few more scout missions that I wanted to attend to. I rallied a local buddy, Greg Roman, and was fortunate to have an old college friend in town from Tennessee as well, Matt Roberts. Matt was also amongst those first ski buddies of mine along with Ben when I arrived in Ogden. He had a big huge hug for me as he knew the significance of my time there for me as well. Felt good. Greg, Matt, and I ventured out to see some of the classics out the northwest boundary into the Snowbasin periphery to see the various factors of the differing aspects and elevations. </div>
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^The lower elevations were plenty scrubby still! In this picture above Greg navigates some classic Ogden scrub oak just above what will eventually be a favorite backcountry slope of mine again. Not this trip though. We fought our way through it, and chalked it up to more information and a "not yet" ruling for the zone. </div>
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^Greg had to leave, and Matt had to attend to his sons skiing in a lesson in resort so I retreated to a zone I knew would be about my only chance for good backcountry snow. The wind had hit the Ogden mountains really hard. Almost anything up high was jacked, and the lower elevations were still too thin. However, this zone is both wind sheltered and higher elevation and north facing. So I gave it a try. To my delight it was probably as good of snow as anyone was going to find in the Ogden mountains, and I was feeling the love pretty hard. Solo touring in one of Ben and I's go-to zones had the feels firing off. </div>
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^The views were just as rewarding as the tour. </div>
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^As I crested back to the Snowbasin ski area gate I stumbled upon a local friend, Mike, and a buddy of his, Marko, and we headed back out for another lap in the zone. The last time I saw Mike before this was at Ben's funeral and it was pleasant to leave that behind us to get back to doing what we all love doing together. </div>
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^I did that last lap with Mike and Marko and called it a day. I had an early rise the next morning on the calendar and wanted to leave a little gas in the tank to be able to hang solid on the dawn patrol tour with the some of my SLC friends down south. </div>
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^I linked up the Tyler Jones who was visiting from Norway dark and early at a local coffee shop. Tyler and I have been friends online for a while and had been talking about a Norway project for quite some time. Tyler is an American ex-pat living in Norway and has some radical terrain and projects there in his pocket that I hope to be able to take on with him at some point. One of my new sponsors, Moonlight Mountain Gear, is headquartered in the north of Norway and Tyler's projects are right near there. It would be an efficient project to take on, and I look forward to being able to pull it off at some point in the future. This particular morning Tyler and I met up with SLC local boys, Travis Bellantino and Taylor Johnson. We put together a Little Cottonwood classic dawn patrol tour and garnered some glorious sunrise views and a few decent turns. The wind had done it's work down there as well and it was a chore to find some cold sheltered powder, but we all know the game and found some good ones. I even managed to get some good pictures as well. </div>
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^Of course, anytime I am in SLC I have to swing by the Freeheel Life shop and see the fellas. Josh Madsen is the owner of Freeheel Life and he and I go way back. We have traveled the globe and partnered on so many ski projects I have long ago lost count. This shop will always be a special place to me. I remember the empty space he moved into and I did a lot of work for him to help build this place into the headquarters of the telemark community it has become. It is friends like Josh and the crew there that are the true gifts of this life on skis in this telemark community. I have skied all over the world, but more and more as I age it is the people I have traveled with and met along the way that I value more than ever. </div>
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^The next day was a training day with one of the guide shops I work for in Utah. Bear House Mountain Guiding was the first service to give me a job and I was excited to get out with the owner, Derek DeBruin, and some of the crew to scout some new terrain under permit. The weather was in and out, but we were able to see a bunch of the area and get our bearings dialed. The next day I had another training day with my newest guide shop partnership with Inspired Summit Adventures out of Park City as well. My good friends Shaun and Weston Deustchlander run the business and I am so stoked to be joining their team. I am fortunate to have a lot of good friends and mentors in this industry. They have all given me some many gifts of knowledge and fellowship. I would not be even remotely as close to living these dreams out that I have been able to without every single one of them along the way. I could not even begin to name them all here.</div>
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I took an opportunity to go up to Ben's house to visit his wife and kids and have some dinner with them. Every time I am in town I have made him a promise that I will do so. I am sure it is not necessarily easy for them to see me, but I am so grateful that they let me come over and do so. It feels so good to see them and have some smiles, laughs, and share stories with them. It breaks my heart to think about his kids, Monroe and Laird growing up without him there, but I will do my best to try to bring even a little bit of our shared way of life to them. Ben and I were a lot alike in many ways and just maybe I can bring a little bit of a taste of those shared traits to their lives. I wanna take them skiing and explain the mountains to them in the way that he and I both saw the mountains and experienced them. I wanna take them to jam band and bluegrass concerts some day and explain the intricacies of a really good solo jam, the beauty of a crescendo and how that feels. Peak hikes, appreciating nature, mountain biking, and all these things their dad and I spent twenty years enjoying together. I know it won't be even remotely the same for them, but if it is even just a little taste of it, then I would be honored if they'd join me and let me try. </div>
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^The next day I lucked out to have a friend passing through town for just one morning, Brian Ellison. I met Brian on a skin track on the Ogden ridge line just a couple years earlier and he quickly became a go-to ski touring partner for Ben and I. He was a Chicago kid and he grew on me really quick. Same with Ben. Brian went to work with Ben in stone masonry, and Ben taught him the trade that he has taken to like a duck to water. Brian and Ben quickly became really good friends, and when I moved back to Wisconsin last summer it seemed Brian filled my shoes with Ben to a certain degree in a partner for a variety of mountain missions. Brian was with Ben when he died. He lived the horror of trying to revive Ben with CPR in the fog of that chaos. I have been in those shoes in the past and it breaks my heart to think of Brian in that scenario. His efforts were futile as Ben's heart had given out before he even hit the ground, but that panic and that fear that Brian lived through that day will always be something he will never really be able to forget. I know that feeling. I have been there with friends of mine in the past. Those memories never fade. As I told him this summer when we went out for a spirit hike that week of Ben's funeral services, we can never live those moments down. We will always feel them as poignant as ever, but in time we begin to find a strange peace with those feelings. It is an odd acceptance with our "what ifs" and "could haves" and "should haves". It took me years, but it callouses over in time like an old scar and even serves to make us better people. More gracious souls. More ardent in our appreciation for the fragility of this whole human existence. We love a little harder, and we tell those we do a little more often. Anytime someone has an experience like that we realize how easily we really do die. How fleeting the moments of life really are. I say these days that dying is really easy. It is living that is hard. We all like to pretend that we have so much control in our lives, but we just simply don't. Anyone who lives through an experience like Brian did learns this. It happens so fast, and so easily. The horrible experience can be a positive influence though. As callous as that may sound, it really can. I have lived it, and I can tell you that it really can. It takes time, and a lot of tears, but it can. </div>
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^Neither of us took this sunrise tour for granted that is for certain. We talked life, love, ski bumming and everything in between. We breathed in this beautiful sunrise like it was both our first and last. We only had a morning, and Brian had to descend and carry on down the road. I stayed up high solo for the rest of the day and skied some more glorious powder on a bluebird day in the Ogden mountains. </div>
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That night I linked up with my good friend, Paul Wright, for dinner with his family. Paul was a valued mentor for Ben and I in the Ogden backcountry as we cut our teeth. These latest years, Paul worked with Ben in Ben's stone masonry business. After I moved this summer, they both came to Wisconsin and spent an incredible long weekend with me enjoying the countryside, my family, and some awesome concerts just two weeks before Ben died. It was the last time I saw Ben. That weekend will forever be gold to me. Paul and I have grown even closer throughout this whole ordeal. It seems we are both latching on to each other to try to fill the hole left by losing our mutual friend. We both feel a sense of responsibility to Ben's wife, kids, and family that weighs really heavy on our souls. Paul is running the stone business Ben built. I am running the rental property work Ben and I were partners in. We both want to do the job well. We both seem to feel a bit overwhelmed at doing so without our partner. Paul's task is monumental. Mine not as much, but I can tell the sense of responsibility weighs on us both. To do the jobs well means we can help out Ben's wife and kids financially as well as honor him in some degree. I know Ben would not want us to feel these pressures on account of him, but I also know that we both will no matter what at this point. I don't believe these are his legacy because his wife and kids are the only legacy of his that really matters, but I think both Paul and I cannot help but feel that way. It is a heavy weight. Paul carries it really heavily. I could tell during our dinner and our conversations. I wanted to reassure him that Ben would not expect any of this of us, but I could also tell neither of us was really buying it all together either. </div>
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^The trip was jammed packed and busy as hell. It flew by so fast that I was not able to achieve half the goals I wanted to for the trip, but I got done the major priorities. Before I knew it I was back on a plane heading back to my hometown in Wisconsin. My wife and kids picked me up from the airport, and to have both my boys come running as I walked through the arrival gate to grab onto me with big hugs was such a special treat. The holidays were right around the corner and I knew that the busy was just going to keep on going strong right into my Japan trip scheduled just after the New Year. I was determined to make the most of it in enjoying my family time with as much gratitude and appreciation as I could muster after my soulful return to the emotional Utah early winter trip. </div>
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^These two little boys are my heart. My wife is my rock. The three of them and our old dog, Murphy, are the center of my universe. My time away from them is indeed difficult, and I always return with such a depth of gratitude though that it serves to help me really cherish them and the time I have with them. To spend time with Ben's family helps me appreciate how I can so easily lose that gift. To have time away from them allows me the chance to miss them deeply, which in turn affords me the gift to appreciate my time with them on a level that maybe I would not attain if I never left to do the work I always dreamed to do be able to do. It is a double edged sword this life I have chosen. I am not sure I can do it any other way, but just like anything it has it's pros and cons. Just like anyone I have trade-offs. It works for me though. It seems to be able to work for them as well. I hope they understand. I hope they get it some day. I hope they feel how deeply I love them when I am there, and even when I am gone. I hope they know that every time I come home is among the greatest feelings in the world to have them run up and jump into my arms. </div>
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^The home I am building for them in rural Wisconsin is also progressing in my absence. My good family friend, Brad Sanderson, is excavating our driveway while I am gone. I have spent the last two summers lumberjacking the property to get ready for this driveway and the house. It feels good to see the progress. The Wisconsin winter has been unseasonably mild, but it has afforded me the opportunity to get this driveway in and settling so I am not complaining. </div>
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^Then Christmas was upon us. This picture with Santa Claus at our family friends, the Curran's, house shows my whole immediate family. My parents, my wife and kids, my brother and his wife and kids all in one picture. It is the true gift of the holidays to be able to spend this time with all of them. For many years I was not present for a lot of these kinds of things in my pursuits of my dream career out west and around the world. I am happy to have the opportunity again. </div>
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^All of my mother's side jammed into my parent's living room. The sound of playing kids, laughing cousins, and chatting aunts and uncles is music to my ears. Not to mention the food. I had a goal to just get fat on all of it while I was home. </div>
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^My Dad's side is always full of so much laughter that I end up with sore abs afterward. It is a strange dichotomy for my brother and I to be among the oldest cousins on my Mom's side and among the youngest on my Dad's side, but it makes for two very different family party experiences. Tons of little kids and babies on my Mom's side, and dice games and glory days stories abound on my Dad's side. I am a grateful man for all of it. Moving back to Wisconsin has been a mixed bag for me personally, but as I have been explaining to people whenever I am asked is that for all the reasons we moved home in the family aspect... it has been great. My family understands that I still have to leave to pursue my work in the ski industry and backcountry ski guiding, and as long as they allow me to do that it seems I have my best life. I am afforded a great deal of time with my family in the off-season and I still get to do the work I am called to do in the winter. I can't imagine doing it any other way. I can't imagine this life would work for everyone either. To be honest I am still unsure if it will work for me forever either, but it works for now. I feel like the luckiest man alive to be able to do it all. For now, life is good, and as long as it is all good with all of those I hold dearest, then it is all good with me. I almost always come around to the end of these posts simply expressing gratitude at the blessings of my life, but in all honesty I can't really think of any other way to think of it. I often feel like I am barley holding on to all of it. Knowing more then ever the fleeting nature of everything, and my life itself, I know that I really am not in control of any of it. I can book the flights, and make the schedule, but it is the people in my life that make it all so precious and amazing each and every day of this crazy ride I am on. How can I be anything but gracious on a ride like this. I don't think any other emotion would be the right one. So it is what it is, and I am what I am. Onward I go.</div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-46906404391550424872019-01-08T05:47:00.001-07:002019-01-08T05:47:22.586-07:00To the Freeheeler European Opening Festival and Back<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Early in the fall I received an assignment to write an article for the <a href="http://www.freeheeler.eu/" target="_blank">Freeheeler Magazine</a> out of Europe, and a subsequent invitation to come do a presentation on the concept of the article at the Freeheeler European Opening Festival at <a href="https://www.hintertuxergletscher.at/" target="_blank">Hintertux Glacier</a> ski area in Austria in late November. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76-hTR9bNVFWBRmirWzTc3fk3CRN_OcTksOhYex2hmjZo_1sw-gGJITbKSYsosig3WggvHl90dJYBNYm1XcUF4mySzz7KDKnK_FPk5EEPzcKpGx74FOMLsqK9X5QtzxAQJ09LkA/s1600/IMG_4315.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1103" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76-hTR9bNVFWBRmirWzTc3fk3CRN_OcTksOhYex2hmjZo_1sw-gGJITbKSYsosig3WggvHl90dJYBNYm1XcUF4mySzz7KDKnK_FPk5EEPzcKpGx74FOMLsqK9X5QtzxAQJ09LkA/s320/IMG_4315.jpeg" width="220" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7e-UGi3xrYJ7g5buH_aL5c9cFJtwc88D_DCRcr4ixdHELNOOmPZV1Q9LM9h6heCksI97zQfs5wukktQnpZ_2IWWzZ-8tlKeuEkLMxhTxerNg_pN1XigKROq-6xZ0Xjq2JYgNRtA/s1600/IMG_4299.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7e-UGi3xrYJ7g5buH_aL5c9cFJtwc88D_DCRcr4ixdHELNOOmPZV1Q9LM9h6heCksI97zQfs5wukktQnpZ_2IWWzZ-8tlKeuEkLMxhTxerNg_pN1XigKROq-6xZ0Xjq2JYgNRtA/s320/IMG_4299.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^I grabbed a big flight across the pond to Munich and spent a</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2iu1KU70B0FvafWOVZRJIugTelT3XazSdvjBTVusnGd8EwYkmy8E-j4xevWUXUia2uZialICBdGXPWoWw6zaehB2yJZONMHFL_JPz_7YxSU-qSHdJz5acUsIfb6KrH-VbV3E2Q/s1600/IMG_4301.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2iu1KU70B0FvafWOVZRJIugTelT3XazSdvjBTVusnGd8EwYkmy8E-j4xevWUXUia2uZialICBdGXPWoWw6zaehB2yJZONMHFL_JPz_7YxSU-qSHdJz5acUsIfb6KrH-VbV3E2Q/s320/IMG_4301.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^I didn't have a lot of time to see any of the classic sights of Munich, but I had a good time walking around looking for food and beer near the hotel I was staying at near Munich's central train station where I had planned to jump on a train down to Austria the next day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHa7pEP-bOeOeFrS2BZ_PTl5b9DEAedadgEGucv-g7n6LGtXbUSIQtUrouYLzVWm0TBXfi46ayfKWCLcJnLswswaVRe5h46UlpzTkvFiM6ACr-LZN5diQROoZQA3yU3HTNp0IK8w/s1600/IMG_4305.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHa7pEP-bOeOeFrS2BZ_PTl5b9DEAedadgEGucv-g7n6LGtXbUSIQtUrouYLzVWm0TBXfi46ayfKWCLcJnLswswaVRe5h46UlpzTkvFiM6ACr-LZN5diQROoZQA3yU3HTNp0IK8w/s320/IMG_4305.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^The train ride was really pleasant and supplied a lot of cool views along the way. I opted for the train because I figured if I was going for the Euro experience bopping a few trains with a full stack of ski gear in tow seemed appropriate. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm-OCN1wGglud6bCf3TMBwCCZxJcQm1glJxJtnc-3crCRxWqByi7D1J-T3fTvvdiDxDBPzxNG-yf3phYgdNLkScOhhwTJG0_q4-U8EdZBS1VSv-Az5lygviaXfk2wQbn3FxyTCw/s1600/IMG_4309.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm-OCN1wGglud6bCf3TMBwCCZxJcQm1glJxJtnc-3crCRxWqByi7D1J-T3fTvvdiDxDBPzxNG-yf3phYgdNLkScOhhwTJG0_q4-U8EdZBS1VSv-Az5lygviaXfk2wQbn3FxyTCw/s320/IMG_4309.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div>
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^After the full gamut of planes, trains, and busses I finally arrived at the place I was booked to stay at the <a href="http://www.rosengarten.at/" target="_blank">Pension Rosengarten</a> in Lanersbach, Austria in the valley in the shadows of giant peaks and the glacier. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwKeHKkMnkwJyb-5WqhTeP1erV7ANJ2eB6IQyqjnKWb_IO40ZO0iGwtC1Ma06vd6FTpuGVMCifLBdCc38dT44YVuhtUzvRq4hDUtfvroqBlhEYTAkr1clw0TSuVbIgXMQH5XghA/s1600/WGDXE1651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwKeHKkMnkwJyb-5WqhTeP1erV7ANJ2eB6IQyqjnKWb_IO40ZO0iGwtC1Ma06vd6FTpuGVMCifLBdCc38dT44YVuhtUzvRq4hDUtfvroqBlhEYTAkr1clw0TSuVbIgXMQH5XghA/s320/WGDXE1651.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^The festival is really mostly about the fellowship and comradery of the telemark community. Making new friends, and reconnecting with old friends from all over the world is the whole point for me. </div>
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^I finally got to meet a telemark legend that I had been following on the internet, Arno Klein. Arno has done it all and everything in between. I saw him from across the demo tents and ran over to introduce myself in person and talked him into a selfie. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NXILU185dyom6YEUjHLtF0cP49DCinv9kxEUwE4i2OHDhmxlS-huTLOLy-0Q-LXD8Vds_y1t4G9tuxAgHJTggtquavG0H4zwfENcxBSbI93dZr9_zxpWn23sVNF2KTDuWCgIkg/s1600/IMG_4318.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NXILU185dyom6YEUjHLtF0cP49DCinv9kxEUwE4i2OHDhmxlS-huTLOLy-0Q-LXD8Vds_y1t4G9tuxAgHJTggtquavG0H4zwfENcxBSbI93dZr9_zxpWn23sVNF2KTDuWCgIkg/s320/IMG_4318.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^These views though.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYylv7a2683ZKNlS6Rs_xg4PLJVQOP_144kLFFt4sa9docWCPw-hbb3id6sPVYBOc4VgRvULdWLTduc7arXltrQwt92ISipDZKxHv1lNg2uyF5TOx12woTC8J_9a5f0M0cPaIZA/s1600/IMG_4319.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYylv7a2683ZKNlS6Rs_xg4PLJVQOP_144kLFFt4sa9docWCPw-hbb3id6sPVYBOc4VgRvULdWLTduc7arXltrQwt92ISipDZKxHv1lNg2uyF5TOx12woTC8J_9a5f0M0cPaIZA/s320/IMG_4319.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^Classic Euro church pic.</div>
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^Of course, it is not really a telemark festival without the aprés scene, and the scene at this festival was full on. </div>
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^Cheers.</div>
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^Then of course getting back to the hotel room and FaceTiming with my family after I get home from the bar late at night. The time change was just so that this was the best time for me to call home and try to hold it together enough to talk to my kids. Of course, my wife thought is was just funny that my lightweight status was trying to hold my own with my seasoned Euro friends drinking me under the table. </div>
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^One of the nights though I was pleasantly surprised to see my brand new nephew for the first time over FaceTime with my big brother from the hospital. Baby Nash was a breaking my heart as he slept in my mother's arms. My rambler's life in the winter means there are indeed real life sacrifices that I end up having to make, and this moment definitely felt like one of them. However just a few days later I was able to get my hands on that little cutie. </div>
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^T-bar loving on the glacier.</div>
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^Following around Euro shredders.</div>
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^Bacon wrapped sausage and fries lunch.</div>
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^Telemark turns and Alps.</div>
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^More aprés.</div>
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^I was pumped to meet a telemark skier that I really admire. Seb Mayer is a beast of a telemark skier and as it turns out, a really nice guy too. Imagine that. Anyone who chooses telemark seems to come equipped with a humble nature as well it seems. Seb is among the strongest telemark skiers I have ever seen, and he is also a stout mountain man all around as well. I have always admired his style.</div>
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^Me and Maik Ost telling tale tales and shooting the breeze at an after party. I shared a lunch table with Maik and his buddies one day and we became fast friends. He spent some time in San Diego, a place I also have some good friends and have spent a little time so we quickly had some in-kind experiences talking about getting crushed on surfboards. Plus, as a result, his English was dialed as well, which was nice for a language laggard like myself always showing up all over the world with nothing more than a smile and hand signals. Thankfully for me almost everywhere I go these days there are usually good English speakers around to hold my hand and walk me through everything. </div>
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^Down-loading a pair of gondolas back to the green grass of the distant valley below the glacier this time of year was always kind of a trip. These mountains are huge, and the glacier sits super high up from the valley town where I was staying. Each morning I would take a bus and two gondolas to the skiing. </div>
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^My gracious host and owner of the Freeheeler Magazine, Richard Schuerf(L) and a few of my friends getting together for one last picture before I made my way back on the journey back across the ocean. So many people at this festival went out of their way to make me a part of the family of stoked telemark skiers from across Europe. I am so grateful to the telemark community for everything it has meant to me and all the gifts of travel and camaraderie that I have been blessed to receive along the way. Fifteen years in this craft as a pro, ambassador, content creator and now a guide has given me so many wonderful experiences. I have been fortunate to travel this whole world with skis, and even more know then ever it is the people that I have shared these experiences with and met along the journey that means so much to me. Some of my best friends in my life have come from this art and I can't say enough how grateful I am for each trip, each turn, and each and every person who has been a part of it throughout. </div>
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^Waxed, taxed, and ready to go home.</div>
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^More logistics.</div>
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^A light show landing into Chicago...</div>
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^... and finally my two little boys. I brought home some chocolate goodies and plenty of big hugs. It is hard to be away from them, and it is so good to come home to them as well. I always come back with a giant sense of appreciation for my family. It seems that for me the opportunity to miss them makes me grab onto my time with them with even more vigor and appreciation. I am indeed a rambling soul, and the time always comes when I need to go out on the next adventure. I hope some day it makes sense to them, but for now I will just make sure to squeeze them every chance I get when I am home, and make the most of the opportunity. </div>
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^I managed some final seasonal work on my property in rural Wisconsin to get it ready for winter and work through the last of my chainsaw gas to store it away for the winter. This project to prep some raw land to one day build the home on the stretch of land I have always dreamed of is yet another example of the miraculous opportunities that I have seemingly stumbled into. I am not afraid of the work and the incrementalism to chip away at the things I want to do in life. Thankfully, I have an amazing wife that gets it. I literally live by a saying I like to claim, "no hurry, no worry" and that kind of attitude is definitely not something everyone can get behind. My wife understands me though and has a way of seeing my vision, pace, and appreciates the lengths I will go to do my life my way. Many folks think I am absolutely a crazy person, but it seems that I am her kind of crazy because she goes along with it every step of the way. I always put in the work. I always follow through, and with patience of an angel she has been able to see it through with me at every turn. </div>
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^I also got a chance to catch a bit of night skiing with my cousins and my Dad at Wilmot Mountain too. Many folks aways joke with me about if I will still ski Wilmot after all the places I have skied around the world and the answer is always yes. I love this place. It is where I learned of my first love of this life I have acquired, and it is where my tribe gathers there. I don't care that it is small. I don't care that it is short. I just love it for what it is, and mostly for who these people who call it home are. These are my people. No matter how far I go I am always a Wisconsin boy.</div>
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^I let them stay up late watching a movie with me. My youngest, Walt, simply adores his older brother, Amos, and they get along really well. Amos is taking to the role of big brother like I always had hopes that he would. They are two little peas in a pod together through it all. </div>
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^These two may have been born in Utah, but they are Wisconsin boys too. My wife is a Wisconsin girl. We always knew when we had kids we would bring them home to our small hometown and our families that are here. It really does take a village to raise kids and we want the village that raised us to be a big part in raising them. The grandparents on both sides are beaming to have them back and it makes me happy to see them all happy too. I miss the mountains often while I am there, and I miss them when I have to leave. However, I have to do this whole thing my way. I just can't do it all any other way. I often wish that I could be a content soul held up in one place with consistency, but I have simply come to realize that I can not do my life any other way than how I have built this with my wife and our kids. It seems like it would be easier if I could, but I know now that I am just not cut from that cloth. My wife, brother, and family seem to get it by now. My boys are too young to understand and simply don't know any different. I hope one day they get it, but I am just not sure I can do this all any other way. Maybe I am crazy, but I am okay with crazy and it seems they all are too.</div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-49482621894584721132018-08-21T20:57:00.001-07:002018-08-22T12:31:34.102-07:00I Wanna Talk About Ben<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I want to tell you a story about a classic weekend. Originally, it was a story I was not going to write about. Why? Because at the time I decided it was going to be a break from documenting. It was going to be a true vacation with two good friends. Two good friends who flew all the way across the country to spend a weekend with me in my childhood hometown doing things we loved doing together. I had just moved away from these two friends and was so excited to spend the weekend with them that I did not want to take too much time away from the experience doing my typical documenting that I do. I did not take an incredible amount of pictures like I usually do. I do have some. Mostly because I just love taking pictures, but now more then ever I am glad that I did take these pictures. I am glad because it was the last weekend I spent with my very dear friend, Ben Geiger. Also, in thinking back on the story of the weekend it really encompasses nearly all the beautiful aspects of my friendship with Ben. The story has inter-workings that speak directly to the wonderful man, friend, business partner, and mentor to me that Ben has been to me. I knew I needed to write about his death at some point, and I feel like I am in the right place to do so now. So I will weave in and out of the story of this one particular weekend, and about my relationship with Ben. It will get long. We've been friends for twenty wonderful years in the prime of our twenties and thirties. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1I6ebr73J06xqsIiKKTn08dn03txIb-b5aMg6wjUBFou84vlPflbYZP-vjviRfgV7Qq7uowoaYbZsNoPHKhsnLOA2PtjGfCO30SG0VNuqRUjdFtpLKkC5I-_ODStHypQQm16ICg/s1600/IMG_6611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1I6ebr73J06xqsIiKKTn08dn03txIb-b5aMg6wjUBFou84vlPflbYZP-vjviRfgV7Qq7uowoaYbZsNoPHKhsnLOA2PtjGfCO30SG0VNuqRUjdFtpLKkC5I-_ODStHypQQm16ICg/s320/IMG_6611.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Paul, Me, Ben (L to R)</td></tr>
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^Ben and our buddy, Paul Wright, flew in from Utah on a Thursday night, and we had a classic weekend in</div>
<a name='more'></a>Southeast Wisconsin. Two weeks later, Ben died. He had a massive sudden heart attack at work and died instantly. By the time I am writing this now, a month has passed since Ben's brother, Bob, called me to tell me Ben had died. To be honest, I am still a mess. I am going through the stages of grieving, and I am really struggling. None of us gets out of this life without knowing loss, and I am no stranger to losing my friends either. My shoulders are adorned with tattoos reminding every day of dear friends of mine that have died young. I was strangely prepared to be able to be helpful to our friends and Ben's family in the aftermath. I had our business deals dialed. I stayed composed in my eulogy. I helped organize efforts to cope together. I did what I do. I kept the program rolling and helped all our people as best I could. The college ski crew friends of ours call me "the godfather" because I am the one who keeps shit dialed, keeps us on time, and is prepared for anything. Ben was our "director of stoke" he brought the spark. He was the one to talk us all into following the shift in the wind direction, and I brought the first aid kit with us and made sure we got out by dark. We are ideal compliments to each other. We make each other better. I helped him dial-in, he helps me let go.<br />
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On this particular weekend Ben pulled the trigger. He initiated the weekend in buying the Dead & Co. concert tickets, he sprung for the condo, he rallied Paul, and he left the rest up to me. Just like we always did. He was the spark, and I laid the plans.</div>
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Ben and Paul flew into Chicago's O'Hare Airport and I scooped them up! Their plane was running late, and I had planned to take them to the local bar near my parent's house where we would sleep the first night. Ben had been to the Lily Lake Resort before as part of my wedding party many years ago, and he was stoked to show Paul the place. We met my parent's there, had some grub, and spent the rest of the night with all sorts of the best kind of local folks that I call my tribe. We all laughed the night away like we always do. They listened to "back-in-the-day" stories of me from my local childhood friends, Paul saw a firefly for the first time, and they both got to see my Dad's famous karaoke rendition of Clarence Carter's famous hit single, "Strokin" as my mom busted up laughing out loud like it was the first time she'd seen it! We stayed up way to late, and we slept in just as late the next day. Just as I had planned that we probably would. My mother had breakfast and hangover cures dialed up for us in the morning. My preparedness is partly genetic. We carried on the rest of the day getting checked into the condo in Lake Geneva and procuring supplies for the adventures ahead. Ben bought tickets for two nights of Dead & Co. concerts at the iconic Alpine Valley Music Theatre near my hometown. I was shuttling us around all over in my van and before we knew it the show time was upon us. </div>
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^We made some time for tailgating in the parking lot, and then filed into the Friday night show. The crowds were pretty big, but the vibes and weather were ideal. The week leading in was mired with six days of rain storms, and six inches of rain. We were worried the outdoor venue was going to be a total shit show, but the rain stopped. Some light winds helped dry everything out, and the conditions could not have been more perfect. The flow was in our favor.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4Y7VcIeIoN4iD6jf-jN6RrKiEPwGr1HzJBXMRB6kIV11h_pj8AEr8ZuRcEaSDpENC7qJWR4zhRjsRbYjq48tYxDsQK8g1aX5j1odlQYRqT47aYRiKOG8tv7O5BH_JD7WhQ6fJA/s1600/IMG_3480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4Y7VcIeIoN4iD6jf-jN6RrKiEPwGr1HzJBXMRB6kIV11h_pj8AEr8ZuRcEaSDpENC7qJWR4zhRjsRbYjq48tYxDsQK8g1aX5j1odlQYRqT47aYRiKOG8tv7O5BH_JD7WhQ6fJA/s320/IMG_3480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Ben and Paul are pictured here in lower right corner at our blanket base camp early in our Friday night show as we enjoyed the clearing weather and some green landscape views of the beautiful countryside around Alpine Valley Music Theatre. Tailgating and pre-show conversations drifted back to skiing, the old days, all our good olé times, and all our good friends we've shared over the last twenty years.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4zvbBdUy4N1Hk45i9rXoDvbpfd1ISwHE4Ejgwka5VVyzvp9588O1uaBeCzjlPJgCcHBq1t5B2eQuyTJMdml0z1AuQEhuEJt51qdRzY3g4Pyy2FcToCQhZqkrGUevFma2vt3-qA/s1600/IMG_6623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4zvbBdUy4N1Hk45i9rXoDvbpfd1ISwHE4Ejgwka5VVyzvp9588O1uaBeCzjlPJgCcHBq1t5B2eQuyTJMdml0z1AuQEhuEJt51qdRzY3g4Pyy2FcToCQhZqkrGUevFma2vt3-qA/s320/IMG_6623.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^We met up with some local family friends of mine, Chad and Nora Hart, whom I know from Chad and I growing up in this region. Chad and Nora also know Paul from the days when they used to live in Ogden, Utah as well. Chad was pivotal in my moving to Ogden all those years ago when I was 18 years old looking for a western mountain college. Chad moved to Ogden with help from my Uncle Doug who used to work at Snowbasin in the 80's where Chad got a job just before I was on my college search. Chad became friends with Paul at Snowbasin where they both worked together in those days. I stayed with Chad on a couple Weber State University visits in Ogden where I ended up going to college. Ben was among my first college friends I met when I moved there. Ben and I had skied with Chad when he ran the cat skiing operation at Powder Mountain. Then, Ben just happened to book a condo for this particular concert weekend at the resort where Chad currently works in our hometown. The whole damn scenario was a cloud of "small world" irony that we could all barely believe. It all came together for this picture above at Friday night's show that was the exact kind of universal energy that Ben always talked about. We are all connected to each other, in these moments, in these places, and on this planet. </div>
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^ The band's deep beats and riffs knocked the clouds out of the sky. The moon and stars emerged over the trees and the illuminated ski slopes surrounding the stage. This group of people came together in a cosmic chain of relationships and harmonies that was nothing short of magical. The whole thing was just flowing with a spirit that I could never have planned for and was beyond any level of stoke that Ben could have dreamed up. The vibes were chill, deep, real, genuine, and lifting us to the heaven's like a Dead & Co crescendo. I set us up a nice concert base camp spot. The crowd was not too big, and the evening rolled out with a perfectly chill vibe. </div>
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^The next morning we got up, I made us a hearty breakfast, and we sat around and talked about life, family, business, and all the other random things between friends. Eventually we got all set up for a day on the White River that flows from Lake Geneva. All the rain storms the week prior meant that the river was flowing rather strong despite being a sub-class one river, and some deadfall made the river even more interesting then usual. At one point early in the paddle Paul got caught by surprise on the wrong side of the river with a huge deadfall tree down in front of us and he actually got pinned against the tree trunk, sucked underneath, and spit out the backside. The incident was super sketchy! However, Ben and Paul and I built our friendships around being backcountry ski touring partners in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah the last twenty years and we all went right into "game mode" when Paul got flipped. The three of us snapped into rescue measures and careful maneuvering just like we had in sketchy scenarios we had come across in the mountains time and again together before. In thinking back on it now, I am grateful it was the three of us. We simply handled the business of the situation in harmony with each other. None of us freaked out. We all just focused and coordinated like we'd done many times before. Mostly because we have. </div>
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Clarity in the fog of chaos is a treasured trait in the backcountry that we have dialed in together over many years. Ben and I literally grew up in this backcountry world together underneath mentors of ours like Paul. Ben was my backcountry partner. In the backcountry community there is a saying about being an apprentice, a peer, and a mentor. </div>
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Ben and I each were apprenticed by many mentors. Paul was among them. As an apprentice you soak up everything you can following along as much as the mentors will allow. Ben and I went out together and on our own to get that mentorship from so many of our respected elders. </div>
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Then one is supposed to develop a peer that they are equals with that one can go out and test that knowledge with to gain the experience and wisdom of the backcountry. That was Ben and I. We were each other's backcountry peers. We shared what we learned from mentors, and we pushed our personal boundaries to learn and gain wisdom by exploring and making mistakes. We had a crew of buddies that were in this peer group with us, and together we grew to unbelievable heights in our skiing and backcountry lives. It culminated for our crew in sponsorships, ski movie parts, publishings in ski magazines, and all of us exploring terrain and opening un-skied backcountry lines in the Ogden Wasatch and around the world. For me personally, it was the start of building my career.</div>
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Our backcountry peer partnership is something we both valued immensely. Those same traits carried over into our lives where we shared our mentors advice with each other, took business risks together in projects and partnerships, and gained wisdom in our family lives together. We struggled through learning to become husbands and fathers together. Our backcountry partnership blossomed into regular good old-fashioned friendship. On our skis, on mountain bikes, summer terrain scouting, concerts, and through all of the life that happened to us while we were on these adventures together for twenty years. We kept growing up, and became the best kind of buddies. Paul turned from our mentor to our peer as well. Other mentors of ours did too. We were growing into men of our own. Stewards of the backcountry community of our own. </div>
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Naturally, Ben and I began to become mentors to younger guys stepping out into the Ogden backcountry as well. We debated over it together to know how much to show them, how much to get all "drop-dead serious" with them. What was our responsibility to them within our responsibility to be good backcountry citizens. How do we fit in this system of perpetuating the ethics and mantras of backcountry skiing we'd learned, and were still learning, in the backcountry through the generations just as it had come to us. We grew in the role just as we also grew into fathers of our own children, and husbands to our wives. We matured. We slowed down. We learned. </div>
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^After we recovered boats and got the situation back under control, the rest of the way down the White River that day Paul, Ben, and I simply paddled it smoothly through the various small rapids and riffles. Uneventful, and enjoying the nice weather and gorgeous river views. Ben gushed over one such amazing local farm spread that looms like a postcard around one particular bend in the river. He begged me to take his picture in front of it, but the current was too fast, I was too low in the kayak for the angle, and my camera was pretty buried in my vest because I was not as worried about taking pictures during my much needed vacation with my good buddies. I wish I would've because he was a glow in the beauty of that spot! He was going on and on about he'd have no problem living in a place like that. Ben carried on about how he wanted to bring his wife and kids to visit, and about how much fun our wives and kids would have together here in the summers. We made future plans. We actually dialed in our long-term real estate partnership plans throughout the day as well. Just the same as we always had. We believed at that time that we had our whole lives to be the best kind of buddies. Neither of us even fathomed it would be the last weekend we'd spend together alive on this earth. </div>
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^The three of us rallied the rest of the river and rendezvoused with my Dad for our river shuttle pick-up. Then we all got ready for Saturday night's show. Ben insisted that my Dad come with us to Saturday night's show because he loved my Dad like a mentor of his own. We'd each shared so much of our father's wisdom with each other that we both felt a kindred fatherhood type love for the other's dad. He insisted my dad join us, and my dad was stoked to come! The Saturday night crowd was much bigger then Friday night, and the vibes were more chaotic and wild. At one point my OCD preparedness nature gave in to the night and proclaimed to our group, "There is no base camp set-up for tonight! We are in the ocean of Alpine Valley tonight fellas, and all we've got is each other! Grab on, and hold for dear life because we are but salmon swimming up this wild river of life tonight! Feel the flow! We are in it!" Ben, the ever ardent preacher of the universal energy and the power of life, ate that up with a spoon and we were all high-fiving, toasting, and hugging each other deep into the music of the night. We were flowing in an absolute river of love and joy. </div>
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^This picture is from a moment where I was awash in the love and beauty of this life while I was in the least likely of places. I was standing in the line for the portable bathrooms. Just below the bottom frame of this picture was a huge row of dirty "porta-johns". However, awash in the love, joy, the beauty of the weekend, my friends, and my dad I noticed the way the stage lighting lit up this lonely tree at the top of the venue seating along the fence. For some reason it looked gorgeous to me as the music played in my ears and the happy people danced along that fence line. Standing in line for a disgusting porta-john, and I still saw beauty. Ben loved that one when I told him about it when I got back from the bathroom run. He ate that kind of stuff up. He loved hearing about finding beauty "in the strangest of places when you look at it right"(a Grateful Dead lyric). </div>
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^The end of the night on the final show and I snapped this picture of Ben and my dad laughing it up telling stories and watching all the party people filing up the steep hillside towards the exits. We chilled and waited for the whole place to clear out before we left each night because we were in no hurry. We were having as much fun just bullshitting with each other as the traffic cleared out as we did during any Bob Weir guitar solo. Ben insisted on including my dad on this weekend. I am forever grateful he did. So is my dad. The day we found out Ben had died my dad comforted me talking about how grateful he was to have had that weekend with him. That weekend will be among my most cherished memories for the rest of my life now. Probably would've been even if Ben was still alive, and we simply retold the story a million times to our kids over all the bonfires we had planned our families to share together in our futures. I will still tell those stories to our kids over the bonfires I am determined to share with our wives and kids in the future regardless now. Bonfires that I know that I will feel him all around us for. </div>
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The next morning we dragged our weary bones out of bed, made breakfast, and I drove them back south to Chicago O'Hare Airport. We laughed all the way there about how exhausted we all were now that we were no longer doing weekends like this in our twenties anymore. I dropped Ben and Paul at the terminal. We hugged it out, and did our "see ya thens" until our next gathering. I drove away with barely any gas in my van. As I clamored over my phone to see if I had enough gas to make it to the gas station I wanted to stop at, my phone rang. It was Paul. He exclaims through laughing that Ben had forgotten his cell phone in my van cup holder, the airline tickets were on the phone, and I would have to turn around and come back. I barely had enough gas and busted out laughing at the situation.</div>
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You see, I had long ago created a nickname for Ben, "Floppy Socks". I could tell a million "Floppy" stories here, but the gist of it is that I compared Ben to the stereotypical kid we all knew as children on the school yard basketball courts that walked up to the game and enthusiastically wanted to play. He'd be sporting the strangest looking gear with floppy-ass gym socks that had no elasticity left in them. His jump shot would look ugly as all hell, and his energy would be through the roof... but the kid would just absolutely hoop! No one could explain why or how, but the kid just simply had undeniable game! He was all over the show, but the dude was cash money buckets! It made no sense to anyone watching, but he was a complete success at the game. The sentiment explained Ben to the tee. Skiing he would have haphazard gear, but his flow and style was undeniably legendary. In business he appeared to be all over the place and was often misunderstood, but he was incredibly successful. His wife and family will always be on sound foundation due to the decisions he made in life, but I am sure his accountant and life insurance agent each have a story about how they were bewildered at how Ben did his business with them. Ben went against all rational knowledge and went into a partnership with me and gave me a business loan for way too much money at a time in my life when any lender would have laughed me out of their office. Ben hired Paul and compensated him in ways that would make most entrepreneurs cringe at accounting waste and messy intrinsic value transactions like just giving him gifts, as many ski days as he wanted(even promoted), and a myriad other signs of gratefulness on behalf of a boss, a person, and a friend for that matter. Ben understood how to see people, what they valued, and how to show them love and gratitude in ways that they valued. As an entrepreneur he understood that it started at payroll, but also extended to the littlest of things to even the way in which you talk to a person. Ben was not always the greatest communicator. There were times in business and in life that his quirky and odd nature were misunderstood, but anyone who had the chance to get to know his heart understood that even when he came off the wrong way he really always had his heart in the right place. He always meant well, and always tried his very best. He is "Floppy Socks", but dude has a pure heart and serious game. </div>
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As I pulled back up to the airport terminal with the gas needle tickling empty, Ben and Paul approached my van and Ben uttered with a chuckle, "Sorry for the floppy socks". I simply laughed along and said to him, "This weekend could not have ended in any better of a way!" We all laughed and they went on their way while I fumbled with my phone to find a gas station within 13 miles of the airport and an empty gas tank. I found one no problem. I laughed all the way there, and gave thanks for google maps. </div>
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So, much akin to the way I stated it in my eulogy at his services, I want to say here that I am choosing not to talk about what he was, or what we used to do together in the past tense because I believe that when I put skins on my skis, a pack on my back, and venture out into the backcountry towards a distant peak that my backcountry ski touring partner, and very dear friend, will be walking with me. On that walk I will talk to him about all the same things we always talk about on our backcountry tours from the snowpack to life, to love, to energy, to politics, to our families, to our latest mind blow and time warp. I am gonna gather with his wife and kids as much as I can. I am gonna hike, bike and ski with his brother's, Paul, and our friends just like he and I love to. I am gonna take a day to go ski groomers with his dad like him. I am gonna cherish and work to do better with my own family like him. I am gonna keep exploring new backcountry terrain, checking off, and naming new zones and lines. I am gonna bring more stoke to our friends as well as being the prepared one. I am gonna stop being so sad about his death one of these days. I am gonna find happiness in my memories of him again like he would want me too. I know he'd want me too.<br />
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I know our pain we all have in loss is something he'd want us all to move through. He understood the dual nature of love for each other that makes it hurt so much for us, and we would push us to move passed the hurt of our loss to get back to the positive nature of the love that he believes in pouring over all of us so very much. I look to the hummingbirds and dragonfly visits I choose to believe is him coming to grace me with his undeniable spirit. I will tattoo my shoulders with art that reminds me of him so that I think of him each time I look in the mirror every day. I want the tattoos to take me to memories of him, and I want new friends to ask me about those tattoos when they see them because I don't want to try to forget about him to save me the pain. I want to remember the best of him every day, and I want people to ask me about those tattoos so I can tell them about him and my other dear friends that are memorialized on my shoulders. I want to tell everyone all those classic stories about all of them as much as I can. That is how I honor their lives and our friendships. That is how I internalize the lessons I take from them. I remember them, and I share them. I want these memories of Ben to move passed sadness and back to the glory of the love of our friendship. I want to be asked about and reminded of his smile, his legendary ski style, and the dear friend, husband, father, brother, and man that he is. I wanna tell myself and others all across this world all about him... I wanna talk about Ben.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">photo: Jon Gurry</td></tr>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-35389012306980833402018-06-18T15:30:00.002-07:002018-06-19T10:20:39.190-07:00Stroll Through GenerationsSummers in Wisconsin are all about my wife and I clamoring for time to try and make some memories with as much family and friends action as we can in what always seems like such busy and chaotic lives. I also have to spend a great deal of my off-season making plans for the upcoming winter as well as my variety of projects. Sometimes I emerge from the fog of busy and need to get out and take a long slow walk with some of my guys. I rallied up my two sons, and then we scooped up my Dad, or more popularly known around my house now as, Grandpa. One of our favorite local spots, <a href="http://www.co.kenosha.wi.us/1658/KD-Park" target="_blank">KD Park</a>, in my Wisconsin hometown is a really nice place to take a hike. This park was once a gravel pit that served the region. In it's next generation now it is restored and serving the community as a beautiful park. I am glad to have been able to enjoy it as three generations of my own family on a classic Wisconsin summer day. <br />
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J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-78862416529555292722018-05-30T14:45:00.003-07:002018-05-30T14:45:15.993-07:00Wisconsin Property WalkI recently landed back in my hometown in rural Southeast Wisconsin after a very busy winter in vast mountain ranges around the globe. My wife and I bought some raw land here a few years ago in order to build a mini-ranch home here some day. I have put a lot of work in to start to get it ready over the years, but I also have a long way to go. My Dad keeps an eye on the property while I am away. The recent rains subsided, and we got out to take a walk around to see how things shaped up throughout winter while I was traveling. It is comfortable to come back here. It is the area where both my wife and I grew up. Most of both of our families are still here. Wisconsin summers are gorgeous, and my abundant family time is a blessing. My Dad has been a big part of this property project with me. I am fortunate to be able to share this time with him taking a walk around to assess the season on the land and talk through all my family's plans for it in the coming future. <br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="250" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1YaZe40dtMo" width="400"></iframe>J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-57315795980862068612018-05-05T21:43:00.003-07:002018-05-07T19:23:04.509-07:00It's May<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Soon I will be driving back across the Great Plains of America again for the summer, but the spring skiing in Utah continues to call me out for more. First week of May came with a couple small storms that were cold enough at elevation to yield some cold powder! I saw a chance to get in a tour in the Cottonwoods so I sent a variety of texts to my Salt Lake City touring friends and nearly all of them were pre-occupied. All but one. My friend, Travis Bellantino, linked up with me for a dawn patrol in a classic area of Little Cottonwood.</div>
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I linked up with Travis bright and early at one of Little Cottonwood Canyon's most popular trailheads above Alta, Utah. Mid-winter the parking lot is brimming with people gearing up. Even at this early hour of the cold crisp morning. However, it's May. There are few people in the lot, and Travis gives me a wave as I pulled in and we got our tour underway. </div>
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^Superior view. This has gotta be one of the most photoed scenes</div>
<a name='more'></a>in skiing of Mt. Superior from Twin Lakes Pass. It still gets me though. No matter how clichéd of a photo, or as crusty of a salty old dog I may become, a view like this still gives me pause. I guess that's why it's so popular. <br />
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^Sunrise in the Cottonwoods in spring. </div>
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^Travis taking in the views while we traversed along the ridge, in this picture above. This is what we call "Was Angeles" to the tee. This time of year though it is only the final few folks that remain out here. As Travis and I ascended we came across a few different people. Everyone was chatty and happy. The beta was flowing on which aspects were expected to stay cold, where the old crust was, how hot the sunny aspects were getting, and then at the end I kept finding myself culminating with, "Yeah. It's May." That got a chuckle nearly every time. It kinda became the saying of the tour for Travis and I. It was a decent five-inch powder day. Mid-season it would not have been that big of a deal, but it's May. We'd be talking about how good, or not, the conditions of an aspect were and that saying, "It's May", kinda always made us all stop and chuckle. We'd all recall that it is awesome to be skiing cold snow at all this time of year, especially after a winter like we had in Utah.</div>
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^Sunrise always glows well on'er.</div>
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^Ups and downs.</div>
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^I was simply happy to get out and stretch the legs one more time before hanging up the skis for the year. I'll soon be driving east again for a Wisconsin summer and autumn. It was just good to get out on snow. It was awesome to have Travis come out too. I didn't get to ski with my friends as much as I'd have liked to this year as I had been working it pretty hard guiding and hosting. It was nice to get out with Travis. It had been awhile.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BB6NIr22vgZ0t7CSwRCjdjnE6wkgOXCZj0o_0_OgHJM6vucIxUrtl3oplWbzzzlpVvBg78bSdXPSku4QXt_KUyQnJqrZx5GnS1NnDqwwyFkzamE4wWGCzXAWSRpYLcv_4mOWaw/s1600/IMG_2636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BB6NIr22vgZ0t7CSwRCjdjnE6wkgOXCZj0o_0_OgHJM6vucIxUrtl3oplWbzzzlpVvBg78bSdXPSku4QXt_KUyQnJqrZx5GnS1NnDqwwyFkzamE4wWGCzXAWSRpYLcv_4mOWaw/s320/IMG_2636.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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^As usual, I had my radar set at a nice walk in the woods, and the skiing would be bonus. Travis and I really did not know how well it would ski, but after a good amount of hunting we were happy to find some surprisingly good conditions. I mean, it's May!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdT-KZojAVhAZHZfU1wN3E0_eKr3isrgaSIIJ3dHabWam4kcy8zGST9ShHJQrycbV9MliyU8eELNuC5oLwSCgzyx5VWBxbWWGNZUSCoe_YhAYC8onF_RTPf_ibSjXVxHvRi-l9Q/s1600/IMG_2644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="980" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdT-KZojAVhAZHZfU1wN3E0_eKr3isrgaSIIJ3dHabWam4kcy8zGST9ShHJQrycbV9MliyU8eELNuC5oLwSCgzyx5VWBxbWWGNZUSCoe_YhAYC8onF_RTPf_ibSjXVxHvRi-l9Q/s320/IMG_2644.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">photo: Travis Bellantino</td></tr>
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^Five inches skied really quite well. The date on the calendar made it seem more special then any standard February five inches. The spring sun was heating the snowpack up pretty quickly too, which seemed to make the moment even more fleeting. I was looking at midwestern summer right around the corner, Travis made it out, it was five dense inches, and it was May damn it. The whole package made the day one that stands above most five-inch ski days I have had.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejuppchb-QHu3leNnynUxSjn5y26h-J_5JXaUmk-kROJMzplvPg0wRUhyphenhyphen9nEf9QwEWZBBhmvBMOxJR47p31XqYx2TdZm5-jFsYFNbMUDUF4rH1eEOTk2hMom-tpe28OjHB47B9w/s1600/IMG_2647+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejuppchb-QHu3leNnynUxSjn5y26h-J_5JXaUmk-kROJMzplvPg0wRUhyphenhyphen9nEf9QwEWZBBhmvBMOxJR47p31XqYx2TdZm5-jFsYFNbMUDUF4rH1eEOTk2hMom-tpe28OjHB47B9w/s320/IMG_2647+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^The tour got the blood pumping, and the skiing was pretty good. Travis and I had a lot of laughs. The sunrise was gorgeous. The typical Cottonwoods crowds were not existent. All the factors came together to have a really good one. It was an ideal send-off for me for my ski season. I had a really busy and unique winter all around, but after the last few weeks I have been feeling content to be ready to hang up the skis for the summer. I am feeling fulfilled on the year, and after all... It's May. </div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-77183046749359762682018-04-24T11:16:00.001-07:002018-04-30T09:57:07.331-07:00April Showers Bring... High Elevation Powder <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For most people April showers bring May flowers. I am not most people. I am an obsessed skier. I see ski lines on the horizon year-round. My summer hikes usually even revolve around scouting future skiable terrain. For me, the saying goes, "April showers bring high elevation powder."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61gtmWOYnprLr-7vvta6WeoLrwtF8ZgXM-tkIyzbZHEAlgK1E6-HYmwPhO6Q0ZD8FEdPXia2MZDJkX8sdN-ino1EVfa1xycEfU4jo8v2W0tJkFF2Iyf7XAl0KJHEfKPXE2t8o2w/s1600/IMG_2422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61gtmWOYnprLr-7vvta6WeoLrwtF8ZgXM-tkIyzbZHEAlgK1E6-HYmwPhO6Q0ZD8FEdPXia2MZDJkX8sdN-ino1EVfa1xycEfU4jo8v2W0tJkFF2Iyf7XAl0KJHEfKPXE2t8o2w/s320/IMG_2422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Most everyday folks have moved on to more traditionally <a name='more'></a>spring-like activities, but for myself, and others with the same obsession, or perhaps disfunction, it is prime backcountry touring still. Classic lines like this one above offer themselves up with abundance. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JiHoyNboWZiofGZAq_4ps5R44PEkHRrwuC23unW-JJoUb5wVHSs06PEn2B1JIF9uFg_NRCUy-l_e1WTne3A_0MxB04FCFtynqgI1-3Oxy15fWeBWd7xtB2cakrf5BYkZfGWULA/s1600/IMG_2403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JiHoyNboWZiofGZAq_4ps5R44PEkHRrwuC23unW-JJoUb5wVHSs06PEn2B1JIF9uFg_NRCUy-l_e1WTne3A_0MxB04FCFtynqgI1-3Oxy15fWeBWd7xtB2cakrf5BYkZfGWULA/s320/IMG_2403.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Maybe that is all part of the problem here though. There are plenty of us that choose this lifestyle. A myriad of people that literally build their lives around a skier's lifestyle. Seems that maybe we all just enable each other!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIwmXyYVmuKBIS_TSU2h5yhJi6u5MxySH-qWBZWgVkSA3NcvmMb7_kqJpLZYV2g-divbFwSCZOYkaF1WUMFzIr8q2R-gRsBKNXO83MGKG9hQxHewNGSbnmVSK3ZyyHOgy_WoX3Q/s1600/IMG_2464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIwmXyYVmuKBIS_TSU2h5yhJi6u5MxySH-qWBZWgVkSA3NcvmMb7_kqJpLZYV2g-divbFwSCZOYkaF1WUMFzIr8q2R-gRsBKNXO83MGKG9hQxHewNGSbnmVSK3ZyyHOgy_WoX3Q/s320/IMG_2464.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Can anything that makes us smile like this really be a bad thing? I don't think so. I don't expect most to understand. I think it takes years of brainwashing and internal rationalization to really get there. I for one have done my ten-thousand hours. I am all-in. So much so that when its pouring rain at my house in Ogden City at 4,500 feet above sea level I am doing temperature versus elevation calculations in my head all morning to decide where the skiing will be good. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyNNa8sh58ONW7DpKweZ053wmQ1R9iV8pmTau9bDWXTWZ4P5oThqwT3W81-1iHJHcJ7rfta7XH4zc-4XAGTR0A0HvMUKCoDalht0G5ZEb1_bdnuLD9E5OMxxcp0-JUlO3uC79rg/s1600/IMG_2429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1150" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyNNa8sh58ONW7DpKweZ053wmQ1R9iV8pmTau9bDWXTWZ4P5oThqwT3W81-1iHJHcJ7rfta7XH4zc-4XAGTR0A0HvMUKCoDalht0G5ZEb1_bdnuLD9E5OMxxcp0-JUlO3uC79rg/s320/IMG_2429.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
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^My buddy Brian is one of those people. He is also happy to get vertical. As much as he can. He loves it too. He came west just like me. From the same area, and with the same intentions. We met on a skin track. It all makes sense. Right? It does to us. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3thTODp_1f0-fHO4Aya0IbGWqCV3k2K_EpPTu1x2CMvUCulosWoknJ4_RunF7DF5Jfd7O1USDl8feuhj0l_aDPg4msvxgZfpshPl3wv63e7FAK9BBL9w8LGsecxR-Ht5xBCh-rg/s1600/IMG_2466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1282" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3thTODp_1f0-fHO4Aya0IbGWqCV3k2K_EpPTu1x2CMvUCulosWoknJ4_RunF7DF5Jfd7O1USDl8feuhj0l_aDPg4msvxgZfpshPl3wv63e7FAK9BBL9w8LGsecxR-Ht5xBCh-rg/s320/IMG_2466.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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^This was another classic chute in Ogden, just me and Brian. This particular April shower hit pretty hard and dropped eight inches of snow in the higher elevations. The birds were chirping at my house the morning after the storm in Ogden City as I woke up for this particular partly sunny day, but just a few thousand feet higher in elevation the skiing was on point. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdHChQ6cjC8LV22yH8uvV06ncWZqwdVE4DLHkhg0oM-BTAvRGlri-8ne9BeLuu08rkkMO1A1LJrCSkgEdL-8QdfY-UXlutERxZyqgvlHXYHrtZQ9a5jjKRbOzLyN4Ja-p_ANbew/s1600/IMG_2437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdHChQ6cjC8LV22yH8uvV06ncWZqwdVE4DLHkhg0oM-BTAvRGlri-8ne9BeLuu08rkkMO1A1LJrCSkgEdL-8QdfY-UXlutERxZyqgvlHXYHrtZQ9a5jjKRbOzLyN4Ja-p_ANbew/s320/IMG_2437.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^Brian and I got adventurous and put together and entire day of pushing into some of the Mt. Ogden ridge line classic chutes. We were playing aspects as well as elevation. In April the intensity of the sun and higher day-time temperatures makes the aspect game crucial to not only skiing good cold powder, but also is paramount to avalanche concerns. In this picture above, Brian is slowly working his way down a pretty sharp ridge line with tips and tails hanging over exposure. Behind him is a pretty hot southeast slope that we did not want to disturb, and in front of him is a sizable cliff. It is prudent to take your time in that scenario. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_F01QEMxIv8Q9vs1X8_W7dkiZBPKxZz9EIbQRqylxIqy7JM4WNt6OqFbHNiZtGDTFioNFuyOlVJIuT0cIxJYMCyZjebnpFj7WOSC_j65dSsnmJHj2rsXKyktuffA6igkyBKZZjw/s1600/IMG_2438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_F01QEMxIv8Q9vs1X8_W7dkiZBPKxZz9EIbQRqylxIqy7JM4WNt6OqFbHNiZtGDTFioNFuyOlVJIuT0cIxJYMCyZjebnpFj7WOSC_j65dSsnmJHj2rsXKyktuffA6igkyBKZZjw/s320/IMG_2438.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^Then it was skis on the pack to a knifey ridge hike. </div>
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^To another scramble climb.</div>
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^To a stop to admire our earlier tracks in the distance.</div>
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^Then continue to a down scramble to arrive at our final destination. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRq_YkLuNKtxn-t3UXdMFTGIj6guYWPUsq-CxMNDdJXtPnrBpjj4ZSQERUEj5rewVcCdgA42Joxz6kH6f_sG91VId2_AzEuvZJsYevZPh7oHelp5KFXpiV5PEHH6BWX1H-jpWPw/s1600/IMG_2451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1169" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRq_YkLuNKtxn-t3UXdMFTGIj6guYWPUsq-CxMNDdJXtPnrBpjj4ZSQERUEj5rewVcCdgA42Joxz6kH6f_sG91VId2_AzEuvZJsYevZPh7oHelp5KFXpiV5PEHH6BWX1H-jpWPw/s320/IMG_2451.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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^Goods.</div>
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^Yep. Tracks and landscape.</div>
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^I circled back around for another lap after Brian left. On my way up I watched this foursome ski really nice lines in this bowl together. I listened to them talk about it on the ridge, and cheer each other on. I watched them high-five at the bottom, and heard one proclaim, "Well, I think that was a quality day of skiing!" As they all laughed and shoved off for some cold beers down low in the warm spring sun, I carried on upward solo for one more lap to a casual cruiser to finish off my day. I thought about that group, and I thought about my pretty big day of classic chutes with Brian. I get deep into my own head when I am solo touring often. I found myself grateful for the fly on the wall experience to watch that group of friends enjoy there last ski of the day. I was grateful for a friend like Brian whose response to my inquiry for a tour with him that morning was, "Ha ha ha. Of course I am in." So while I know that for most people the April showers are all about the flowers to come and green grass sun shining days, for people like Brian and I, and this group of four among others, it seems that saying is indeed a bit different. I do love flowers and green grass too, don't get me wrong, but I am also really grateful that there are other people that see April showers for the high elevation powder. I am happy to call those crazy people my friends. I also happen to believe in a different version of another classic ski culture saying where I say rather then, "No friends on a powder day" it goes "It's better WITH friends, on a powder day". Especially in April when it is just us strange crazy people up there.</div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-87645279073601984582018-03-21T19:15:00.001-07:002018-03-22T09:40:17.436-07:00Madness of the MomentsAfter Japan the whole ordeal of winter just sped up to break neck pace. I was in it deep, and just holding on for dear life. The best laid plans all got stacked on top of each other and became a whirlwind madness of travel, logistics, certifications, and powder chasing.<br />
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^Immediately after I landed back on American soil I was <a name='more'></a>rolling right into an <a href="https://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/" target="_blank">American Avalanche Association</a> Level 1 Pro Bridge Exam with the <a href="http://avyschool.com/" target="_blank">Silverton Avalanche School</a>. I was not planning to have to do another avalanche course for a while, but the entire system recently changed so the time came to me. I had taken a Level 2 nearly a decade ago by now, and I had to go through some significant study in very little time to catch-up with some of the technical material. Thankfully I am pretty stout on all the field work, so I could concentrate on the parts I was weaker in. I pulled it together managing to do much better in the exam then I had anticipated. Now my certification is caught up within the new system again so I can keep moving forward in the long and drastic certification process of guiding.<br />
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Barely fresh out of a snow pit, and I was into the driver's seat of my van to roll down to Breckenridge, Colorado. I was serving as an organizer for the Freeheel Life Colorado Junior Regional telemark freeskiing competition for the <a href="http://www.ustsa.org/" target="_blank">U.S. Telemark Ski Association</a> (USTSA).<br />
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^Despite some heavy winds, we managed to pull off the competition, and the kids were stoked to have a regional event. No time to waste, I was back in my van on my way home because I had a plane ticket to the midwest of America just a couple days later. I didn't really even unpack, just shuffled some clothes before my wife was dropping me off at the Ogden train station to start another travel journey. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFYmOQf5xGf9QnIf4tfbMUTbravz3Gz0b-NL5jBd0E3pAokXi1YCvNq64ViAUpXQDeMvAh4ToIKasPEPlh9mJjfaNkU2gxY0CJoZ7Aab8N5yz50EjENeAhHPXIcRxzLk98Icymw/s1600/IMG_2003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFYmOQf5xGf9QnIf4tfbMUTbravz3Gz0b-NL5jBd0E3pAokXi1YCvNq64ViAUpXQDeMvAh4ToIKasPEPlh9mJjfaNkU2gxY0CJoZ7Aab8N5yz50EjENeAhHPXIcRxzLk98Icymw/s320/IMG_2003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^After some trains from Ogden to Salt Lake City Airport, I flew into Chicago and then rallied another train up north to Wisconsin to sleep it off. I had to hit the road the following morning northward to the U.P. of Michigan.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScmMuvHou-Wu7yN_KZdJWjmCb5Qy26tEAjvzFxNvNsx-iDtxseosDtcQcD2RKmaxhVjGeDXu72YouCetWKVMr2aRmi9DVC-VyMze52a6JrhO2CFY7Ljm8-3CCLzHYCPVVAkT3zw/s1600/IMG_2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScmMuvHou-Wu7yN_KZdJWjmCb5Qy26tEAjvzFxNvNsx-iDtxseosDtcQcD2RKmaxhVjGeDXu72YouCetWKVMr2aRmi9DVC-VyMze52a6JrhO2CFY7Ljm8-3CCLzHYCPVVAkT3zw/s320/IMG_2007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^My cousins picked me up for the roll north. The snowpack along the road got deeper and deeper the further north we drove until we arrived at our first stop nearly about as north as it gets in the lower 48 states of the United States at <a href="http://www.mtbohemia.com/" target="_blank">Mount Bohemia</a> on the Keeweenaw Peninsula. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KF9C-mLvIDwDZp74nC7_UJ2G-GtEoC44Pu_vniqHUiLQ973zbI1UfJLjcmiHlv7Wswow5ibwRJJMcaTuzX0mi3IVBoTVozBfE-W5VRoEvRbTNEC7lD0oChrtMv9D6j9_vO4mOg/s1600/IMG_2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1281" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KF9C-mLvIDwDZp74nC7_UJ2G-GtEoC44Pu_vniqHUiLQ973zbI1UfJLjcmiHlv7Wswow5ibwRJJMcaTuzX0mi3IVBoTVozBfE-W5VRoEvRbTNEC7lD0oChrtMv9D6j9_vO4mOg/s320/IMG_2017.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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^Lac LaBelle from Mount Bohemia.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix34x0SgO84sulDhKd3EO7tx39vYBSGP_AA0M0-R-cGyqnH6lte3ELG3CnuORSTp_zC1aScSn3emO9sBQ0huUoXaDJbCT-sQ2I1h1J4hd6jb_w-gRbkg6Wy7KcPG5D-IHTrejKLw/s1600/IMG_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix34x0SgO84sulDhKd3EO7tx39vYBSGP_AA0M0-R-cGyqnH6lte3ELG3CnuORSTp_zC1aScSn3emO9sBQ0huUoXaDJbCT-sQ2I1h1J4hd6jb_w-gRbkg6Wy7KcPG5D-IHTrejKLw/s320/IMG_2011.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^I got to meet up with one of my favorite photographers and my old friend by now, <a href="https://joey.smugmug.com/" target="_blank">Joey Wallis</a>, while at Mount Bohemia. The owner, Lonie, and the whole gang have always been so great to me every time I have ever come up to Mount Bohemia for projects, or just to ski with my family. It is always good to see old friends and make some powder turns with them. Thankfully a fresh dense four inches graced our trip and we made the most of it. </div>
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Next, we cruised out of Mount Bohemia to catch the opening of the Porkies just a couple hours south. Midwest Telefest was also scheduled to begin Friday night with some music in Silver City, Michigan just outside the <a href="https://www.michigan.org/property/porcupine-mountains-wilderness-state-park" target="_blank">Porcupine Mountains State Park</a>. </div>
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^Smooth powder, Lake Superior,...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeJk1qQ8y8Oi7rS8ixMbk1BK-zB_kZL-4NTKBnr5Z6EjkwYsMFBlirBzVLoieZ4QbYRnbaVPZhKk5PLykRDSsYzVq0A4TRg-tRTI6s_dAq9yfKQ8AmhGDCL0xZWTauqSv_GjBBA/s1600/IMG_2031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeJk1qQ8y8Oi7rS8ixMbk1BK-zB_kZL-4NTKBnr5Z6EjkwYsMFBlirBzVLoieZ4QbYRnbaVPZhKk5PLykRDSsYzVq0A4TRg-tRTI6s_dAq9yfKQ8AmhGDCL0xZWTauqSv_GjBBA/s320/IMG_2031.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^... and fried cheese curds. Yes, fried cheese curds. I love these things, and I ate soooo many cheese curds from the cafeteria in the base lodge at the Porkies. Midwest Telefest takes over the small ski area, and the folks at the Porkies are gracious hosts.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0f1oa4CoGPs34Em0OuPte8KAx1rVknPU9KkCVlGCG0p2gA-bpJwDL2XKIL3NCR1ymN7VQC6eQBtMPvVw6DhSdNwWji0OuBePyRL_Yj11pvpjusoAxzQIq2EjWmIBEMYXrCQxMA/s1600/IMG_2034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0f1oa4CoGPs34Em0OuPte8KAx1rVknPU9KkCVlGCG0p2gA-bpJwDL2XKIL3NCR1ymN7VQC6eQBtMPvVw6DhSdNwWji0OuBePyRL_Yj11pvpjusoAxzQIq2EjWmIBEMYXrCQxMA/s320/IMG_2034.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^There is tree skiing, and then there is midwest tree skiing. It truly is a skill set all its own. I refer to the skiing style as a "slarve" or a "snakey" style in reference to be able to see the lanes through the tight trees and never really making full turns, but rather "slarving" through the trees simply reacting as they come at you. You have to trust in your ability to shut down speed in small doses where you can and not necessarily where you'd like to. Subtle turns to manage speed and yet make the quick maneuvers to move through the forest. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQU5uDnI3eeRJ13SXvtWFCKfnVIDbvG6g5lNib7qULrwvm9ZpqLtMoAMl-uBuzKMD0vPh9c4zRMOk6Eocfcs6SxoJZ4iIAHlkhyphenhyphenTBa2M9wDv4E-uFfyix1N8wMKdeCyDdJkgjuA/s1600/IMG_2036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQU5uDnI3eeRJ13SXvtWFCKfnVIDbvG6g5lNib7qULrwvm9ZpqLtMoAMl-uBuzKMD0vPh9c4zRMOk6Eocfcs6SxoJZ4iIAHlkhyphenhyphenTBa2M9wDv4E-uFfyix1N8wMKdeCyDdJkgjuA/s320/IMG_2036.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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^ #Telefest</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KZVnYO4-YbNsWl6vWRC2FINTRt68kRfvn4HwJY02f3Z8JYdU14vl3Ze57vrBx5YSfYFABxUuRnPB5-ZTY9hcCc9wXL6jOcgApnnV6i-3moExwhl6W_93hM_JNkoipDDyQU1grw/s1600/IMG_2037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KZVnYO4-YbNsWl6vWRC2FINTRt68kRfvn4HwJY02f3Z8JYdU14vl3Ze57vrBx5YSfYFABxUuRnPB5-ZTY9hcCc9wXL6jOcgApnnV6i-3moExwhl6W_93hM_JNkoipDDyQU1grw/s320/IMG_2037.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^ #Telefest</div>
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The music is all part of this party on snow. We come from all over the midwest to celebrate telemark and our friendships each year. The weekend includes camaraderie, and the fellowship of the turn. We eat together, we play music together, we dance, we drink, we celebrate. I try to make it to this festival each year, and I have a pretty good program to ski and tour the area by now. I get strange looks from my ski industry brethren when I talk about it, but each time someone experiences it they understand that it is a unique endeavor amongst the ski world that one simply has to see to believe. When it is good, it is really pretty damn good, and when the snow is frozen solid it is still some of the most memorable times I have had on skis. Every die-hard tree skier should migrate north to the U.P. of Michigan at some point. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHnbY7KOKhSPH7OqGge4W28Jt0olt3E7S_cMSbSSW1JVE8oeYs8ld6DEWcTAIFobMEyuhxM3oip5qB7IH-6p6TGOsJU-teKUHFuWoxc7eusn5RsYOxdtfZ9jsjKvBrqU2XmWz0w/s1600/IMG_2042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHnbY7KOKhSPH7OqGge4W28Jt0olt3E7S_cMSbSSW1JVE8oeYs8ld6DEWcTAIFobMEyuhxM3oip5qB7IH-6p6TGOsJU-teKUHFuWoxc7eusn5RsYOxdtfZ9jsjKvBrqU2XmWz0w/s320/IMG_2042.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^With some snow in the lower part of the state of Wisconsin where I own a chunk of woods, hills, and wetlands there was some decent snowpack so I took a chance to have a ski around the property to see how the land had been shaping up since I last saw it in the fall when I was lumberjacking on the property.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_aT_KUvddh2xiLGu9_u8GUKAqJD3YuvJ8HMthYeulz8FLK3q-ELStDz-AM9j20WXUpNF7qkBjYvEjM6m1Kq6O0M4kPom7Cm6hWltmakKfXb1pcxsF4CogqQ8e4J3vgJgMijLpgw/s1600/IMG_2040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_aT_KUvddh2xiLGu9_u8GUKAqJD3YuvJ8HMthYeulz8FLK3q-ELStDz-AM9j20WXUpNF7qkBjYvEjM6m1Kq6O0M4kPom7Cm6hWltmakKfXb1pcxsF4CogqQ8e4J3vgJgMijLpgw/s320/IMG_2040.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^It was looking good, and the local beavers were also back at it. I spent a good amount of time cleaning out this stretch of creek on my property this summer and fall. The local beaver clan has had unfettered freedom to build as they wish for many years, and I had my hands full to catch up with them. I like having the beavers out there, but I simply need to manage how much they fill up the wetlands on the property with their dams and where they choose to build them. We're getting acquainted with each other still. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAKPTNdTSuHjqcUg7Z0NE5-BISlhVe0J6by_7vUx-b6Y43GelpGApTD_k9jctjcLmkhx140l4Fx001HTymqim-Ag8Yd8L3cVfOMCBs6-d7_eWrH39mEupPl5mip_mA6oAxFb7Mw/s1600/IMG_2041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAKPTNdTSuHjqcUg7Z0NE5-BISlhVe0J6by_7vUx-b6Y43GelpGApTD_k9jctjcLmkhx140l4Fx001HTymqim-Ag8Yd8L3cVfOMCBs6-d7_eWrH39mEupPl5mip_mA6oAxFb7Mw/s320/IMG_2041.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^Yeah, I was obligated to make a couple turns as well. I bought this land with mountain bike trails in mind, and not so much the skiing, but it is possible. It is not all that probable, but possible indeed. I had to do it though since I was there with my skis and I had a little bit of time to kill before packing back up for another travel slog of trains, planes, and automobiles. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnZRzEzc30H-xGaDGs3RxgarVdO7jL77qniIBLBPKAq4BrPnupEYAntifWviSAnzV9W9jL2jjUggAA__C9rRBLyUuBeki9aSe3N5bKNW-_7EbA0PoXLUuHRFNsRZJb-fenHYypA/s1600/IMG_2052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnZRzEzc30H-xGaDGs3RxgarVdO7jL77qniIBLBPKAq4BrPnupEYAntifWviSAnzV9W9jL2jjUggAA__C9rRBLyUuBeki9aSe3N5bKNW-_7EbA0PoXLUuHRFNsRZJb-fenHYypA/s320/IMG_2052.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Onward.</div>
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^My boys enjoy helping me unpack, and although I finally had some time at home again there was no time to waste. I had to get out into the mountains to start scouting for a large group of athletes from the <a href="https://www.freeheellife.com/" target="_blank">Freeheel Life</a> (FHL) team that I had coming to town right away upon my return. </div>
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^The backyard Wasatch range was finally beginning to shape up with some new storms literally just as the fellas from FHL arrived. I was relieved it had because the thin snowpack had been a huge issue leading up to the trip. Even with new snow the avalanche problems were still set up to be major concerns for the group. The diverse group had to be shuffled all over the place, but the big mountain skiers were my major concern as I had to juggle making content, the schedule, and avalanche conditions. </div>
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^These fellas are pros though so it was a pleasure to work with them to achieve FHL's content goals for the team trip. </div>
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^The storms raged on for most of the trip, and we did a lot of deep tree skiing all up and down the Wasatch. </div>
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^Erik Nordin displays some the fruits of our labor in this picture I reposted from FHL's social media. I had <a href="http://bjornbauer.com/" target="_blank">Bjorn Bauer</a> as the principle photographer for the trip, but I also will ran a secondary camera as well to make the trip as efficient as possible. This pic is one of my shots of Erik Nordin blasting powder on one of our many storm days. </div>
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^The fellas crashed in my basement for a couple nights of their trip during our northern Wasatch missions at <a href="http://www.powdermountain.com/" target="_blank">Powder Mountain</a> and <a href="https://www.snowbasin.com/" target="_blank">Snowbasin</a>. My son, Amos, was checking them out closely before going full bonkers on them once he warmed up to the smelly gang of telemark skiers. </div>
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^Then the sun broke out for a day,...</div>
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^... and the fellas got to work at Powder Mountain.</div>
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^The storms soon settled right back in and in this pic above, Erik is stoked in front of Snowbasin's famous base area moose statue.</div>
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^Bevan Waite pushing one of Snowbasin's peaks in the storm clouds.</div>
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^The crew warming up from the storm in one of Snowbasin's plush lodges in this pic above. The amenities at Snowbasin are world-class and well above the standards of these dirt ball ski bums. These guys might not smell all that pro, but the content that comes out of their efforts says otherwise. I was pumped to show them around my Ogden stomping grounds. </div>
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We moved back down south to the Salt Lake City mountains after that. The clouds broke for us at Alta for one day as well, and we managed to make the best of another packed schedule. </div>
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^We pushed through canyon traffic and met up with a local FHL friend, Travis Bellantino, and his stoked new telemark skier son, Dylan. It is always cool to make a lap with stoked youngsters, and Dylan is a total stud. I was really glad we could make it happen. For the afternoon we re re-tooled the gear and shifted back out to the backcountry surrounding Alta.</div>
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^I took the fellas out to an Alta periphery classic and watched them tee'off on the variety of cliffs in the zone like it was Disneyland. </div>
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^Bevan Waite is pictured above with a double backflip throw for like 50 feet of air time! The crew was sending some big hits, and I was pretty impressed with the show. There was a time that I would have been right up in the mix going huge with them. I'd be lying if I said there was not a part of me that wanted to, but the more rational fatherly nature I have acquired in recent years speaks pretty loud and clear in my mind these days. I opted to just watch the show and be ready to help if a miscalculation arose. </div>
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Still humming from the second-hand adrenaline from the FHL crew I drove up to Grand Targhee to help run the Freeheel Life Cup and World Telemark Day celebration there. This is always one of my favorite weekends of the winter. The organizing is a lot of work, and the high-flying lines from the athletes make me more nervous these days, but I still love the community of people that love doing these comps. </div>
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^The staff of judges, the MC, and everyone at Grand Targhee are great friends of mine by now and I always enjoy my time working with them as well. </div>
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^I love these athletes too. A lot of these folks are my good friends by now. I do still enjoy watching them get after it in the venue at Grand Targhee. </div>
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^The camaraderie among the community of chargers that choose to come to these comps is also all part of why I have loved organizing comps. My nerves may be shot by the end of the weekend, but my heart is always full as I drive back south to Utah. </div>
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After the Grand Targhee comp the rest of the month of March was scheduled just for guiding in the Wasatch and exploring some new terrain for that work. I had a really great couple from London as soon as I got home from Grand Targhee. </div>
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^I was happy to be able to show these Londoners some new backcountry skills and also give them a little taste of what the Wasatch has to offer. The avalanche problems were still pretty significant, but the terrain we were looking for was more of a thin snowpack issue then as much of an avalanche issue. I had to find a balance between quite a few factors that the low snowpack in Utah was lining up against. We got it all dialed in together and had some wonderful backcountry ski days for their trip. I am happy to have some new friends across the pond, and I hope to show them some more of the backcountry around Ogden in the future. There was so much more I wish I could've showed them if the snowpack had been more cooperative. </div>
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^I get plenty of folks communicating with me on the internet. I enjoy doling out my opinions and whatever wisdom I can to inquiring people reaching out. I try to do it as best I can. A women who met a friend of mine, had a son in Colorado getting stoked on backcountry skiing, and my friend referred her to me, and on and on how the whole 6 degrees of hometowns go. After a few years of internet acquaintance interaction, that women's son, Andrew, and I finally had an opportunity to have our paths cross. He was visiting friends in SLC and hit me up for a tour. I had to go scout some terrain for a guided trip the following day, so I offered Andrew and invitation to join me. He actually came up from SLC and I was pumped to show him a little slice of the Ogden backcountry. I got a chance to do my scout, he asked a lot of questions, and we both seemingly sparked a new "real-life" friendship. I love that. Skiing has given me some of the best friends of my life, and I was pretty happy for another one.</div>
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All this running around, all this travel, and all these logistics. It can all get overwhelming at times, and often I tell myself I need to slow it down. However, it is the friendships, new and old, and the family ties that always keep me going so fast to try to make it all happen within the madness of all the moments stacking up on top of each other. I don't know how long I can keep up the pace, or if it is even possible, but I really do love all of it, all of them, and often still wish I could do more despite my exhaustion. </div>
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<br /></div>J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-43126145177128692012018-01-29T15:41:00.002-07:002018-01-29T15:43:38.110-07:00Niseko, Japan - a Vertical Integration Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I recently returned from hosting a Vertical Integration trip to Niseko, Japan. I first went to Japan a decade ago for athlete work with Sweetgrass Productions on their film, Signatures. I immediately fell in love with the area and have found a way to go back nearly every year since. This latest trip was my first time hosting a Vertical Integration trip there, and I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends to take with me to the powder paradise.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmLldCYQ_MzveZq-P3aZOmV-8WdANAMk3sagodvTLfuu5uK2BLUlKDNEQ8NBaH2koVLYmswATAeT3wrgq3AHtrNqWd8E6ws4D9wd627PHtvuklbM1fz45XyxqnCGyvm7Xitv1Kg/s1600/IMG_1784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmLldCYQ_MzveZq-P3aZOmV-8WdANAMk3sagodvTLfuu5uK2BLUlKDNEQ8NBaH2koVLYmswATAeT3wrgq3AHtrNqWd8E6ws4D9wd627PHtvuklbM1fz45XyxqnCGyvm7Xitv1Kg/s320/IMG_1784.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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^My oldest son, Amos, always likes to play in my bags as I pack at<a name='more'></a> home for any trip. I think it is pretty adorable too! The travel slog to Niseko Japan is legit. Some big flights, layovers, and some buses all come into play in getting there. However, it is usually worth it once it is settled. </div>
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^The backcountry scene is where it is at in Niseko these days. The word is out that Niseko is a powder paradise, and the resort shows it. Niseko United has gotten much busier over the years since I first came a decade ago, but there is still plenty of good skiing in the resort when you hit the timing right. The backcountry still provides in spades though nearly as good as always. </div>
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^Spencer Porter is getting some of that resort loving in this picture above.<br />
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^Erik Sorenson putting in the work for the backcountry bliss.<br />
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^It is best to make sure to clean up your car. It can get away from ya pretty quick.</div>
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^The food though... The food is one of my favorite parts of the yearly migration to Japan. Legit.<br />
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^Tasty views too. Mount Yotei lingers in the background collecting local clouds as Spencer Porter approaches Annupurri peak. </div>
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^Erik's disappearing act in the deepness of the trees.</div>
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^Stormy days are the norm in Niseko in January. Seeing the sun is typically more rare then seeing stormy refills. Good news is that there is plenty of tree skiing to ride in the storms. </div>
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^Sure does lift the spirits when the sun does poke out though. Makes it feel that much more blessed when the sun graces the day. Even if for just a little bit. </div>
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^Stoked on those lines.</div>
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^Luke Buckland is going steep and deep in this zone near Iwoanupurri in the Niseko backcountry.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRQWjgNy-fjnSkxIdd_bthPeGbDOiOwY4XgR-z5gwKBiTVJKgsmjdAQ3rCxlQIOqqZSb_QyQf3ojMsmSnK2E9N6dRkrf0B5Xe8Hx8sSqVClzEBsdYvM39-aAlY6oLIcdUNJGE0w/s1600/IMG_1808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRQWjgNy-fjnSkxIdd_bthPeGbDOiOwY4XgR-z5gwKBiTVJKgsmjdAQ3rCxlQIOqqZSb_QyQf3ojMsmSnK2E9N6dRkrf0B5Xe8Hx8sSqVClzEBsdYvM39-aAlY6oLIcdUNJGE0w/s320/IMG_1808.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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^Adventure takes many forms!</div>
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^Old and new friends on skin tracks in beautiful places. That is what it is all about.</div>
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^Crossing steamy hot sulphur smelling pools in the Niseko backcountry is a truly unique experience. The onsen nearby this spot is a classic "must do" in the zone as well. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRojk73InwY-rxxMQoYe0xUFoIZGEK83tTzPelCxQ2vlSiHjlbUBa8BrZJMdDKaOXJqEyVtD7NFsIgrV9rUBspp6ZzjsEpZl3lJV6Fq-XVERL68_gpuYY7k4t9k5DSmeeewwbSg/s1600/IMG_1864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRojk73InwY-rxxMQoYe0xUFoIZGEK83tTzPelCxQ2vlSiHjlbUBa8BrZJMdDKaOXJqEyVtD7NFsIgrV9rUBspp6ZzjsEpZl3lJV6Fq-XVERL68_gpuYY7k4t9k5DSmeeewwbSg/s320/IMG_1864.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Me, Matt, Erik, and a steamy pool.</div>
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^Matt pushing up through the storm. Days like these it is staying dry that is harder then finding good skiing. </div>
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Mount Yotei.</div>
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^Erik telemark turns, and some beautiful views. Both worthy.</div>
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^Just outside Moiwa with Annupurri looming in the distance.</div>
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^My friend, Max, that owns the hostel I always like to stay at is married to a talented woman. Yuko and Max are always such gracious hosts to me and my friends. Yet, all these years I had no idea that Yuko(left side of pic) was a talented Koto player. She has played for many years, but having children did not allow her to play as much as she liked. Now that her and Max's kids are getting a little older she has found some time to play with some of her local friends again. We were fortunate to catch one of their local concerts at a Hirafu art gallery. I was truly impressed.</div>
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^Luke sat up to the bass Koto to check it out with a little help from a master.</div>
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^He also saddled up to plenty of skin tracks. </div>
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^Each of the crew nailed their last days in town. Erik got this stormy goodness pictured above, and Matt coined the phrase of the trip as he dropped into his last backcountry line, "Until next time, Japan!". Each of the last few days, one after the other all boarded busses back to the airport to start their travel slog home until the last day came when I dropped off Erik at the bus stop. On my way back to the hostel I had to pull over to take a moment at sunrise emerging over Mount Yotei. </div>
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^I turned on one of my favorite new motivational tunes, sprinkled some Niseko powder into my entirely too hot green tea, and snapped this picture of the sun's light just starting to break over the ridges and the "dream mountain". I was so grateful for a successful trip with a great group of folks. I really could not have asked for a better group. With that I was off onto my own return travels back home.</div>
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^Sayonara Tokyo.</div>
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^I have a saying, "I love to travel this wonderful wide world, and I love coming home too." I don't see it as one or the other. I see it as equally rewarding to be able to travel the globe, and also to feel the emotion of missing my family to then return home to feel the joy of seeing and squeezing them again. They come with each other, they are compliments to each other. </div>
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^Then there is getting a day back at the home resort with the homies as well. Gotta love that too. Local bro, Bretton Carasso, getting some goods above some of the rocks and cliffs of Snowbasin in my winter home base of Ogden, Utah. Travel means a lot to me, and it has been one of the greatest blessings of my life as a skier. Coming home always feels so good too. The whole process of it is the kind of spice of life that I live for. I am grateful to be able to do the work that I love to do, and I am also grateful for a family at home that understands and supports it all as well. My boys will grow up with a Dad that travels away from home often in their lives, and that is certainly a sacrifice. However, I think that being a living example of following your true path is one that I value sharing with them as well. I wish I could do it all, but I think I am doing it well, and certainly the best I can. </div>
<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-82339531614585210812017-12-26T22:26:00.002-07:002017-12-26T22:28:48.931-07:00All Good in Low Tide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Low Tide. It is a catchy phrase in the ski world to explain thin coverage. As in, no snow. It is a problem for a variety of reasons. The obvious coverage concerns, but the future avalanche implications also become paramount with new storms. As I write this, Northern Utah just received those new storms, and the avalanche curtains are indeed coming down out there. The low tide conditions leading into these storms was long and difficult, but I tried my best to make the best use of it I could. Despite all the glorious photos and Instagram posts there is actually a tiresome amount of work involved in what I do. I have to do it all at some point. So when the snowpack is thin, I might as well catch up on office work, training, scouting terrain, and holidays... oh yeah... holidays.</div>
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^I am a backcountry ski guide with Ogden, Utah based,</div>
<a name='more'></a><a href="http://bearhousemountainguiding.com/" target="_blank">Bear House Mountain Guiding</a>. This picture above is the crew taking over a local Salt Lake City coffee shop as we ventured south for some training. The Ogden Wasatch was still to thin to even fake it. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamjOXpcoqm_Pu4asokabmRSj1IYyG6DyikiZj9UGSo7rK3jDdPdj1zRzipPQrR9pgX-MpxzMw1WKqtPw5M0_H8h6saVpoBZqBtceUnZgFsqeE3TrnotKnsTOpajO-JkwJLtaoNg/s1600/IMG_1645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamjOXpcoqm_Pu4asokabmRSj1IYyG6DyikiZj9UGSo7rK3jDdPdj1zRzipPQrR9pgX-MpxzMw1WKqtPw5M0_H8h6saVpoBZqBtceUnZgFsqeE3TrnotKnsTOpajO-JkwJLtaoNg/s320/IMG_1645.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^We found some good terrain to make it work for us though in Big Cottonwood Canyon near Brighton. It was good to get out and work on some skills, as well as get to know the Bear House crew better. </div>
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^Even though the skiing wasn't any good the fitness and skills practice still needs to get worked to get ready for when the storms finally do come. Bear House is permitted to guide a large swath of terrain in the Wasatch and that includes the Cottonwood Canyons in Salt Lake City as well as the Ogden Wasatch so it is good to get out in Salt Lake City too.</div>
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^Part of the crew skirts the lake toward some classic Cottonwood Canyons terrain. The coverage is obviously lacking, but the rocky terrain still worked for some training purposes.</div>
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^Anchors, ropes, etc.</div>
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^I also tried to be super diligent about attempting to bang out as much office work as I could while the high pressure persisted. I do have a certain load of computer time required to make this ship sail, and often that means slipping laptop time into the cracks of my schedule. Here I have a breakfast meeting with two of my favorite boys while I crank out a little due diligence. I am an intense guy, and I have to stop and smell the roses from time to time amidst the madness. These two boys are gonna grow up fast, so I am told, and I really want to make sure I am still as present as I can be. I have a lot of work to do indeed, and I am really not so good at the balance yet, but I value it and am determined to do my best. Loosing a year with Amos in his cancer fight was a huge ordeal that threw a wrench into a lot of things in my family's lives, but it also gave us pause, reflection, and extreme gratitude. Even as I work through this delectable breakfast of plastic grub I do my best to be attentive and gracious to my waiter. He lost track of what he was doing a lot, but he was adorable company and the little one on the floor kept pulling himself up on the table and peeking at me!</div>
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^I also got a chance to poke around in the rocks with some dear friends of mine, Shaun and Weston Deutschlander. These two run <a href="http://www.inspiredsummit.com/" target="_blank">Inspired Summit Adventures</a> in Park City, Utah. They are long time strategic partners of my company, Vertical Integration, and it was good to talk shop with them while working our way through some terrain we plan to work in. </div>
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^Weston scrambling.</div>
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^Shaun working her way through tighter then usual switchbacks. </div>
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^What would typically be a chute was a dirty boot pack to get up to some snowfields that actually held some coverage. </div>
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^Shaun spaces Weston out across a slope in this picture above. </div>
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^This classic Wasatch cirque was looking rough. Once the storms come it is gonna be a bit of a gong show out here for a little while until things start to settle out. I will probably avoid this one for a bit personally. I will be in Japan most of January so hopefully that is enough time.</div>
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^We did manage to find a couple smooth turns. Not many of them, but they were glorious in the moment! It did feel pretty good. Weston snapped this picture above of me as I gently skipped by. </div>
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^Weston works his way slowly through the gully chute with the coverage rather evident. Makes for an interesting photo though. </div>
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^The Ogden Wasatch was shaping up a bit differently then the neighbors to the south. The snowpack had a few less layers and the latest storms fell largely on bare to nearly bare ground. This will aid the avalanche scenario in Ogden a bit, but it will still be rather sketchy with the new snow. I took advantage of the access through Snowbasin though to get up on the Mt. Ogden ridge line to poke around a bit to see what was going on before the new storms arrived. </div>
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^Always a good view. </div>
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^I found a spot to make some slow gentle turns too. The tours have been all about fitness and beta, but it is a little bonus to make some slow wiggles and giggles too. </div>
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^What I found gave me hope for the season, and left me more optimistic for the snowpack then I expected. It will still be difficult for a while after the new storms, but not quite as bad as I had thought before I got a chance to get up there and dig around into what is going on. </div>
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^Just before the new storm I got out on a fun little meadow skip just outside Snowbasin's early season boundary and actually got it pretty well skier compacted before the wind and new snow came in. I had hoped I could aid the situation, and to my pleasant surprise, it actually worked out pretty well when the new snow came. </div>
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^My lunch-time bench-seat the next day during a break in the powder skiing. The small sheltered, treed, and low angle slope held up throughout the dense new snow. I was able to have a fun day making more slow wiggle and giggle turns on a relatively safe slope with the higher elevations still sketchy and suspect. For me now-a-days, that is just as good as getting a huge line used to be. A quiet lonely day on a small meadow skipper slope with smooth powder and stability? Yeah, I will take that any day. </div>
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So although the winter has been slow to start, I am fine with it. I worked on other things, and got ready as best I could. I worked on sharpening the skills in my kit, got a feel for the set-up, worked on some fitness, and then enjoyed Christmas with my crew. Watching a classic Charlie Brown Christmas with my oldest boy on my lap, my wife holding our baby boy in the rocking chair in the window with a Mt. Ogden alpenglow sunset, and everything is just fine. As I said, as I write this, the snow has arrived finally in a substantial way and the winter is kicking off. The snowpack will need to settle, and I will leave for Japan soon, but everything comes in time, and I am all good... with whatever comes.</div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-57763037058216611242017-10-11T22:13:00.001-07:002017-10-12T14:22:06.882-07:00Western Roll<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Working my rookie lumberjack muscles all summer and early this fall had my right shoulder and left elbow in a world of hurt. Thankfully I had a break in the forest clearing to take care of some business and family affairs back in the western rockies again. My kids had some doctor appointments, I had to check up on my rental properties, I had some strategic partner meetings, and I also wanted to ride my mountain bike in the mountains again. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHdkJjHde7DhfbP8rfMARZB87qJRXuohdbS3yzBNEkB7b6jqA-2JH9x2oCxstPenodm0IlGbbqabROOZVvQPkdtVUZLSp5Ocg89M3vYT87ttX1DC2b7JUKEJAZJFMdSpFi9ErZg/s1600/IMG_0873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHdkJjHde7DhfbP8rfMARZB87qJRXuohdbS3yzBNEkB7b6jqA-2JH9x2oCxstPenodm0IlGbbqabROOZVvQPkdtVUZLSp5Ocg89M3vYT87ttX1DC2b7JUKEJAZJFMdSpFi9ErZg/s320/IMG_0873.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^My wife and kids and I throttled down across the Great </div>
<a name='more'></a>Plains from Wisconsin to our home in Ogden, Utah. We did the drive in two pretty big days. It felt good to land at our house in Ogden to this view pictured above. We live in a nice little neighborhood on Ogden City's east side near my alma mater, Weber State University. I had a lot to do, and I even snapped this picture while on my roof cleaning out the rain gutters that had gone unattended since I left this summer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihY1s60nXPXaatbVvdVC3hyOCuXkZnHcnhY0aj6tHeVIYv8ZosrIqERWy2m_91Xt7h5EkhTEJX0EQbjQVpbPve2YZzxHfN_wwg5HtWWu7sVtseWlK7WnK8DmaRt-1GbBAR8x0N4g/s1600/IMG_0875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihY1s60nXPXaatbVvdVC3hyOCuXkZnHcnhY0aj6tHeVIYv8ZosrIqERWy2m_91Xt7h5EkhTEJX0EQbjQVpbPve2YZzxHfN_wwg5HtWWu7sVtseWlK7WnK8DmaRt-1GbBAR8x0N4g/s320/IMG_0875.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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^I also had to get up into the hills to scout a few things leading into this winter. I had some strategic meetings and the like to get ready for the winter ahead, but first I just needed to stretch the legs after the big drive. I have a laundry list of scout projects, but due to a push towards more backcountry guiding in the Ogden area I wanted to jump on a select few that moved up the priority list. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66D6XsGoFRXxsM7Jtwh1wCH1pDJECtMwc6s5QbGR7-qAlxOVPvr1zax5cezR5tdYZZShJuUaveEt6BO30NcUJ8yTlhigi5N2kw488vEDTQv46I-8hJc-_KFA5tXd08tI3sRivWQ/s1600/IMG_0894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66D6XsGoFRXxsM7Jtwh1wCH1pDJECtMwc6s5QbGR7-qAlxOVPvr1zax5cezR5tdYZZShJuUaveEt6BO30NcUJ8yTlhigi5N2kw488vEDTQv46I-8hJc-_KFA5tXd08tI3sRivWQ/s320/IMG_0894.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^I met two local guys and had a nice chat on a sub-peak that affirmed my beliefs once again that Ogden is indeed exploding with growth in many aspects, but in the outdoor industry especially. It always makes me feel better to hear it from total strangers to affirm my confidence in my own deals. </div>
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^Isn't this a beautiful view? Wouldn't you want to watch the sunset go down here? I thought so.</div>
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^It's not every day you come slogging out of the woods to come across three beautiful local women pouring out champaign toasting a birthday at about 7,000 feet. I got a kick out of it! I obliged their request to take their picture for them with the view and gave up a salute with my water bottle for the birthday toast! Pretty hilarious. I had to snap this one as I left them on the peak mostly because I wasn't sure my wife would believe me. Made for a good story for her when I got home, and added a unique cap to the scout mission for the day. My legs were beat, but that was all part of it. The next day I had plenty of chair time to heal. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmq25sdXCMe6yLoJ4_c48RiXCPFsvrixtQLyg4iEGdfjsO4KObNTwnvXRq_qRCAOUY-wlyAsDqi1B3W3DupiCZIgHZopvkQtgPGOev-xbFUooPLgi93mOhHPBD_h-URA0hsZTGA/s1600/IMG_0925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmq25sdXCMe6yLoJ4_c48RiXCPFsvrixtQLyg4iEGdfjsO4KObNTwnvXRq_qRCAOUY-wlyAsDqi1B3W3DupiCZIgHZopvkQtgPGOev-xbFUooPLgi93mOhHPBD_h-URA0hsZTGA/s320/IMG_0925.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^My morning started with my a meeting with Derek DeBruin, owner of <a href="http://bearhousemountainguiding.com/" target="_blank">Bear House Mountain Guiding</a> in Ogden. Derek has hired me to guide backcountry skiing in the Wasatch Range this winter, and is also partnering with my company, <a href="http://www.thevigroup.org/" target="_blank">Vertical Integration</a>(V.I.), so I can offer some packaged ski trips for folks to ski the Ogden mountains specifically. Through V.I. I am gong to be hosting a variety of ski trips around the world to destinations we've grown to love. One such trip is a Japan trip in January that I am working on as we speak. After Derek and I's coffee house meeting we continued over to Gear 30 on Ogden's Washington Ave. to do a podcast interview with the fellas of the <a href="http://www.thebanyancollective.com/ogden-outdoor-adventure-show/" target="_blank">Ogden Outdoor Adventure Show</a>. I had done a show with these guys in the past, but I was pumped to talk with them again about this new partnership with Bear House Mountain Guiding. </div>
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^Derek DeBruin is a badass climber in his own right. I have followed him on the internet for a while. I enjoyed listening to his story of a recent mission he took on up in the Tetons. I also enjoyed watching hosts, Brandon and Todd, hang on his every word about the project and the intricacies of it. One of my shortcomings that I have to overcome in the broader guiding world is in my climbing skill. I am not really a climber, but I enjoy do it. I also need to acquire more skills in the trade, and I can't imagine a better guy to have as a mentor in the climbing trade. I am anxious to get to work.</div>
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^Sunset alpenglow from the front window of the house my friends and I lovingly call, The Fowler House. This house has played many roles in my life from college, to my first rental, to my second remodel project, my family home, and once again a rental again some day. This house has been good to me, and now me to it as well. It will always hold a special place in my heart.<br />
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^Had to stop by and see the boys at the Freeheel Life shop in Salt Lake City too. After the family affairs where all taken care of I dropped my wife and boys off at the airport. I met up with the fellas at the shop for a while and then got set to make the big drive back to Wisconsin again. I still had a bunch more business to attend to in Utah and Colorado along the way. </div>
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^I set out on the road the following morning, but my first stop was less business, but plenty of work. A touring partner of mine lives adjacent to Corner Canyon in Draper, Utah. It is a pretty good spell south of Ogden so I don't get down there to ride it with my buddy, Lance Hamblin, often enough. Whenever I do find myself going that way though I try to swing in for a rip. We rallied FHL shop hero, Alex LeBlanc, to join us and Alex and I spent the morning chasing "Fast Lance" through his backyard trails. We were roasting too many gears for me to actually snap a picture, but that is how it rolls when it is training day with "Fast Lance". Lance likes to claim he is getting older, but Alex and I agreed he is still living in a twenty-year old body packed with lean muscle! After the quick morning spin though I was back on the road heading toward Colorado. </div>
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^I linked up with two college buddies of mine Rob and Greg. Greg and his lovely girlfriend let me crash with them in their cozy home in Minturn, Colorado. We hit Kirby Cosmo's for some BBQ and beers and a whole slew of laughs. A few cold beers started flowing and the stories got better and better. </div>
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^I had a couple meetings in the area to attend to so my days where up and down I-70 to hit a variety of stops with all my different hats that I were in this hustler career. Sometimes all the different irons in the fire can start to stress me out, but I thrive on the variety and the work finds a way to settle into me. </div>
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^The fellas at Bishop are all smiles because they have a whole stack of big new developments in their world that has the telemark ski world buzzing like a colony of busy bees. Two new bindings, a brand new ski, and they just picked up three hot new young telemark athletes that are among my favorite skiers in the game today. Andreas Sjobeck, Taylor Johnson, and Carl Heath were brought on by Bishop owner, Dave Bombard's other new hire, Chris Ewart. Chris and I go back a ways by now in the telemark scene, and I couldn't be happier to see him take over Team and Social Media Management for Bishop. Bishop is making big moves and Dave Bombard's excitement over the whole ordeal was evident the moment I walked in the door. The crew was bustling around the shop showing me all the new products and features much the same way my 4-year old shows me his toys in his toy box. Best part though is that I was giggling at the binding features like my 3-year old nephew does when he and my son are digging through the toy box! I loved it! The fresh innovation is really contagiously exciting, and the fellas at Bishop are straight up humming right now.</div>
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^I also had a meeting at what might be the most beautiful school I have laid eyes on. </div>
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^Vail Mountain School has a telemark ski team that competes on the USTSA Freeski Series that I have been a part of rebuilding as Director of Freeskiing for the organization. USTSA has many exciting new projects we are working on in both the Race side as well as the Freeski side I live on. I am still often a bit overwhelmed at the charge I have taken on as Director, but I have never really been one to shy away from a challenge. Also, when you look around the room, and everyone is looking at you, sometimes you just have to get up out of your chair and do something about it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMOc0gUM6tHHs3SR4m4Cg-W7bLrOg5R0D0XK0ASrOZYswl5iZl3WkizPZi8tI0kVKFhLaPf1X8VgZ2Y96cXEH0eVCqFAKXcZ0YCCZZCAIyvXh-DCA9P3s-8AVYds6zdQ9OL5R7A/s1600/IMG_0957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMOc0gUM6tHHs3SR4m4Cg-W7bLrOg5R0D0XK0ASrOZYswl5iZl3WkizPZi8tI0kVKFhLaPf1X8VgZ2Y96cXEH0eVCqFAKXcZ0YCCZZCAIyvXh-DCA9P3s-8AVYds6zdQ9OL5R7A/s320/IMG_0957.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^Plus, when I have amazing support from so many great people like Liana Sideli of Vail Mountain School I have confidence I can bring improvement to the organization. In this picture above Liana is showing me the school "gear closet" that outfits dozens of kids in telemark ski gear to go on hut trips and all kinds of fun adventures in the mountains around Vail. I am grateful for all the junior coaches that give so much to this effort, and I am honored to do my best to lead the charge into the future for the sport as well as all these kids I have come to admire.</div>
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^My buddy Rob took me out for an afternoon roll after my daily business. The Rockies got pounded with snow just before I showed up, but Rob is a dialed mountain man that got me onto a really great south facing trail that was dry and ripping just right for my style. I am rather more reserved on my bike then I am on skis. I like to say I ski better then I walk, but I don't ride better then I walk, and dirt hurts. </div>
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^Aspen groves are my favorite. Rob and I rolled these aspens out and I was all smiles and hoots on the short loop that was the perfect end to the beautiful day. The weather was an ideal mix of fall temperatures and a still warm sunshine. I had hoped to see my cousins in the area that night, but it didn't work out so I ended up back in Minturn again for another classic night with my old college buddies. </div>
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^My last day in Colorado I had just one more stop to make in Breckenridge to meet up with a couple more folks I had some business with. It has been a really long time since I was last in Breckenridge, but the town served a pivotal role in my migration west many years ago.</div>
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^Still a cool main drag that I remembered in Breckenridge. It was so quiet and all the locals were getting ready for the impending winter and the crowds that come with it. I enjoyed a nice stroll through town before my meetings and it brought back a lot of memories for me from when I came here with my family as a nine-year old kid in my childhood.</div>
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^Breck's peaks.</div>
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^It seems a bit odd to me that I remember such a specific moment. It was the moment that I realized that I needed to go west to ski. It was that trip when I was a young boy with my family. We came there with another family that were friends of ours. One night while the adults were still finishing their "last drinks" in the restaurant, myself and my brother and the other boys traveling with us went outside on the cold winter night and were playing on the bridge over this very river pictured above. We were laughing throwing snowballs and crashing into the snowbanks that flanked the bridge and the river. I distinctly remember tossing big snowballs into the river and watching them melt away as they drifted downstream. I remember vividly in that moment thinking to myself, "I have to move out here to ski mountains like these, and live this lifestyle some day. I simply have to." It was a decade later that I enrolled at Weber State University and fulfilled that boyhood dream and then some with this crazy journey I have been on since this river set me on this path. I am grateful it did. I can't imagine doing this any other way. Even in those times when the unconventional nature of it all and the stress of juggling so many balls has my head spinning like a top. </div>
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I wrapped up my dealings in the area, and drove straight passed Denver on my way back to Wisconsin where my wife and boys were waiting for me. I still have a lot of work to do this fall, and I don't know if I will ever really catch up with myself anyhow, but this really productive western roll helped me get a lot of things in order and keep the momentum rolling in my crazy career. I was able to handle of lot of things I needed to out west, but I also still have a lot to do in Wisconsin this fall too. So now I am back in the midwest again working on building up some outdoor tours and a new website, Heartland Outdoor Adventure, and clearing my mini-ranch property. As I always say, and it rings true yet again, "I love to travel, and I love to come back home to my family too." </div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-64845693710865172182017-09-11T13:39:00.003-07:002017-09-19T10:08:12.529-07:00All Work, No Play... Kind Of<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a busy summer for me. With all sorts of new developments in my life the pace has gotten really fast. I am furthering my backcountry ski guiding work in preparation for winter, diversifying into summer outdoor industry guiding work, running rentals, and clearing my 17-acre property in rural Wisconsin. I have a lot of work on my hands, but it suits me. Fortunately for me, even though I work a lot, my work involves some elements of what most people consider play so I guess it's not exactly all work and no play entirely.<br />
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^As I talked about in my last post my latest home remodel projects in <a name='more'></a>Utah are wrapped for now and tenants rolling in each. My young family and I drove back across the country, and set up in my wife and I's hometown in Wisconsin. Now, I am a lumberjack in training! Despite a life in tradesmen work I have little experience in clearing raw land. I have to clear a lot of trees and undergrowth on the rural 17-acre property I bought next to a highway in southeast Wisconsin. It's literally untouched in decades and maybe if ever in some spots. I have owned it for years, and was slowly chipping away at getting it ready for a little homestead we've come to call our, "Murphy Ranch". "Murphy" like our old golden retriever that my wife and I like to joke saved our marriage when we were young, as well as "Murphy", as in "small and tucked away obscurely" right behind a big highway, much like a murphy bed. After our son Amos' cancer battle my wife and I decided to spend more time in our hometown, and get ready sooner then later for an eventual home base there on this land. </div>
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^There is an incredible amount of work to be done on this property to get it ready for a home, but the work suits me. I thrive on the variety and learning new skills. In this picture, you can see my old goldy, Murphy, assuming her usual spot as job site supervisor. Napping is part of that job description if you were wondering. She is good for job site moral too, even if it is just the sight of her as she naps.</div>
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^My young family is pictured above all on the site for the first time. For years the site was way too overgrown and littered with mosquitos, ticks, and critters for my wife and kids to come out and see much of it. However, I have gotten after it in a big way this summer. Now with fall beginning to settle into our corner of Wisconsin we have a clear build site, and everyone can come out to see it. </div>
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^The clearing work really beats me up and makes me sore. It helps me to mix in office days, and also days when I have the kids by myself. I like to take my boys to the local lake near my parent's house to swim and chase pan fish up and down the shoreline. My hometown is littered with little lakes and it makes for a great way to cool of from the heat of summer as well as completely tire out a 3-year old boy and 5-month old baby full of energy plenty good. </div>
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^Stand-up paddling is another sport that I have come to enjoy with all the lakes and rivers prevalent to the area. Baby Walt takes a little nap under a sun shade tent as his mom, brother, and grandpa enjoy a paddle around on another local lake.</div>
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^The mountain biking has been the biggest surprise of all for me though. I knew that trail systems were beginning to pop up all over my hometown while I was away, but I had no idea that I would like them all so much. I have been working my way through the local systems and I am super impressed. I don't charge crazy hard on my bike and I don't rally downhill jumps and the like, but I do love to pedal out some cross-country and rip some tread on flow trail. The area has flow trail in spades. The terrain is perfect for it too. </div>
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^My wife, Christine, is also an avid mountain biker and the local trails have her singing praises to her friends as well. Many people around here are just barely being introduced to mountain biking on single track trail as it is still relatively new to the area. Mountain biking has been around here for years in obscure corners and underground trails, but the popularity has really picked up a lot of momentum here recently with more and more legal public trail systems popping up regionally. People are beginning to take to it as local trailheads are becoming among the busiest spots at local parks and resorts. As a result of beginning to stake out our claim in my wife and I's rural hometown, I went and got a mountain bike guide certification last fall, and plan to offer some tours on mountain bikes, hiking trails, kayaks and paddleboards in the local woods, hills, lakes, and rivers here. I launched a new website called, <a href="http://www.heartlandoutdooradventure.com/" target="_blank">Heartland Outdoor Adventure</a>, that promotes outdoor adventure recreation in the area, and I will offer tours in the area as well as trips to surrounding midwestern hotspots for outdoor recreation. The workload has been high, the learning curves steep, but I am so happy to be able to keep pursuing my life's work even after making moves towards a hometown where someone with a career built in the mountains would typically not reside, the rural midwest. I will still be going back to Ogden, Utah for my winter ski guiding work as well as remote mountain ranges around the world each winter, but I am so happy that I can also pursue fulfilling summer outdoor recreation work, and a certain degree of quality of family life in the hometown that raised my wife and I and is home to most everyone in each of our families. My ambitions are important to me, and so is my family and my hometown, which is why I am so grateful for the chance to build a life that includes at least certain degrees of it all. It is unconventional, it will be difficult at times, but for me... I am not sure if there is any other way.</div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-60374504091103370192017-08-02T15:33:00.002-07:002017-08-02T15:33:09.371-07:00Shape Up, and Ship Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My wife, Christine, and I are both from the same small town in southeast rural Wisconsin. In both of our families, we each are among the few that have left the area. We had always planned on having a small family and moving back to our hometown again some day. Many years ago now I started scouring the property real estate market back there for a nice chunk of our hometown's woods and hills. I found one a couple years ago that suited our needs, and we bought it. Over the years I have slowly begun to clear the land and do the research of what will work to eventually build a small country home there. After our first-born son's battle with childhood cancer, Christine and I felt the pull to our hometown and our families begin tugging at our heart strings more then ever. The timeline accelerated, and before I knew it I was calling a hometown life-long friend, who is a general contractor, to help me get ready to eventually build a house on the property that I was still a long ways away from having cleared. I had to rush a bit to finish my latest home remodel project in Ogden, Utah to get everything in order. I managed to wrap that up pretty quickly with the help of a really good local mud and taper. Just as the heat of the Utah summer was really starting to come on we packed up and hit the road back to Wisconsin. However, we aren't moving back this trip. We are just beginning the process of doing so over a period of time now with intention. With my line of work in the winter it takes a certain amount of strategy to pull off a life in which my family would be base camped in a rural corner of Wisconsin. A corner rather far removed from the mountain ranges of America. As such, we planned be in Wisconsin for a few months as I work the property as well as the local outdoor recreation market that is growing rapidly in the area. I am launching a new website and guide service there for the local outdoor recreation. I have a lot of work to do to get ready for this adjustment in home base, but my wife and I have a plan. We'll be returning to Utah for winter as I will need to shore-up all of my winter business and rental properties there to also be ready for the new home base. At one point in our discussions my wife said to me, "You are gone all winter long in mountains around the world all winter. What difference does it make if you are traveling from Utah, or traveling from Wisconsin." She was right. It hadn't occurred to me, but with a Snowbasin season pass with just 30 days on it come close of this season I realized that I was indeed traveling to vast mountain ranges everywhere else in the world to an extent that my family was at home in Utah without me rather often. Also without the kind of support our families in Wisconsin could offer my wife and our kids. So that's the plan. We were set to head back across the Great Plains to our hometown for a few months to clear land, and build up an outdoor recreation website and guide service there. Then we'll be cruising back again to Utah for the winter to shore-up all of my winter work in order for me to get ready to be able to continue to work in mountain ranges around the world all winter long while my family is home-based in a small country home on a tract of woods, hills, and wetlands in our little rural corner of Wisconsin. With the plan in place, my latest Ogden remodel set-up, and the work all laid out before us. The time had come to begin the march. </div>
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^Before we shipped out we took the opportunity to have one more</div>
<a name='more'></a>evening with our friends the Geigers in Ogden. After dinner and laughs with his wife, Heather, and the kids my good friend, Ben, the patriarch of the clan, took Christine and I out for a mountain bike ride on the stretch of the Bonneville Shorline Trail local to his end of the Ogden range above his house just north of Ogden City. Heather looked after all the kids while Ben, Christine, and I rallied the trail.<br />
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^Despite one close call with a rattlesnake we had an absolutely beautiful sunset ride on the mountain bench above Willard Bay. In this picture above Christine is rounding a turn as the sun begins to dip behind the mountains just west of the bay. It was fitting for Ben and his family to give us a send off for the summer on this journey as he was among one of my very first friends in the area almost twenty years ago by now. I will miss my buddy this summer and fall, but I will see him again soon for the ski season that looms just around the corner.</div>
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^Our family pic on a hike above Ogden City just before we packed up our van to venture the big drive to Wisconsin. </div>
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^Packed van.</div>
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^This is a picture of the front of the remodeled house I had to wrap up in Ogden City. This is also the place we will come back to again for the winter. It had to really work it to get this place ready for being away from it for months on end, but we also were fortunate to land a really great care-taker tenant to stay there and care for the place while we're gone all summer and fall. She is a friend of ours that just so happened to be in between homes at the exact moment we were looking for a solution. I couldn't have asked for a better person to watch the home I have poured so much blood and sweat into in remodeling. With that we were off onto the great wide open road. I put together a route to make use of a lot of cool places along the way, as well as make the long road trip more tolerable on our two young sons, and old dog. First stop was Lander, Wyoming in the Wind River Range mountains. </div>
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^We drove a good five hours or so from Ogden to Lander the first day and were greeted to our hotel room in Lander with an amazing sunset view over the Popo Agie River. We made plans for breakfast in town and a hike the next day up in the higher elevations of the very same river to give the kids and dog a break from the road and stretch our legs out.</div>
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^After a delicious breakfast on the outdoor patio of <a href="http://themiddleforklander.com/" target="_blank">The Middle Fork</a>, a quant cafe in Lander, we hit the trail on the Popo Agie Falls Trial. My youngest son, Walt, is just a little guy, but he is as happy as a clam riding in a carrier on my chest with stunning views of the rushing river and the Wind River Mountain Range above.</div>
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^Christine and our elder son, Amos, posing for me in this picture above overlooking a section of Popo Agie Falls. The hike was awesome. The passers-by were delightful and kind, and we throughly enjoyed the hike. </div>
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^Everyone was tired out after the hike, and we slept hard in our Lander hotel room that night. The next morning we were back on the road for a travel day with our destination being Wall, South Dakota and Badlands National Park. </div>
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^It wouldn't be a road trip without a token fast-food picnic behind an O'reilly Autoparts store somewhere along the road. Christine and I had a few good laughs at the scenario we found ourselves in eating french fries and chicken nuggets next to the gas meter. In our defense, we had our dog with us, needed some fresh air, and there was very little shade anywhere else but next to the gas meter behind the autoparts store next door to the McDonald's. We thought it was pretty hilarious!</div>
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^We were once again greeted to our hotel room with a beautiful sunset. This picture of it over Wall, South Dakota was complemented with some local gathering action at the neighboring rodeo grounds near our hotel. I couldn't help but feel like it was a little slice of Americana that I needed to snap a picture of. I grew up in the countryside so all things farm life always make me a bit nostalgic. </div>
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^The next day we toured Badlands National Park. As with most National Parks our dog, Murphy, was a bit of an issue of us within the park. Wall did not have any doggy daycare establishments so ew had to bring Murphy with us. As such, our ability to really dig into Badlands National Park was limited. However, none of us had ever even seen it before so a limited tour of the Park was better then none at all. I would've rather gotten the kids out of the vehicle for a bit more, but it was also pretty hot that day too so we couldn't have gotten too deep into the Park anyhow. </div>
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^The Badlands are stunning.</div>
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^After the Badlands we had a day and a half's drive to make it back to our hometown. Incredibly we arrived to a hometown amidst a "100-year flood" were many of our family and friends were in a real life struggle with the local rivers and lakes after a series of torrential downpours in the area. The river was at its highest at seventeen and a half feet above the typical flood stage. The effects were very destructive for a lot of people there, but thankfully no one was killed. As we drove into town we passed lines of National Guard vehicles as they trucked supplies and support into the area. It was kind of surreal to see a military presence promenading into your hometown. In this picture above I am looking down the road at a family friend's house as we emptied out what belongings they could salvage from their unsalvageable house so they can move into a different home in another, drier, part of town. It was heartbreaking to walk back and forth across the sopping carpet in their home as the waters receded enough to finally get in there to grab the few things they couldn't in such a hurry during the torrential downpour that brought the river behind their house into their home literally almost overnight. The waters did recede pretty quickly once the weather cooperated and local dams could relieve the pressure. After helping with the moving I was able to get to work checking out the local outdoor recreation that I want to promote and support with my new website and guide service. </div>
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^First opportunity landed me at the relatively new KD Park in the western part of Kenosha County in just east of the popular tourist town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. When I was a kid this park was a gravel quarry, and a few years ago the Kenosha County Parks department transitioned it into this beautiful park.</div>
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^The non-motorized lake is perfect for a cruise on a stand-up paddle board, canoe, or kayak. In this picture Christine and Amos paddle the glassy water as Murphy chases behind and Walt and I watch from the luscious green grass of the humid climate landscape. </div>
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^Then I took Amos out for a spin.</div>
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^The Park is also littered with hiking trails surrounding the lake and throughout the woods and hills of the Park. I had seen KD Park from the road a few times in prior visits home, but this was the first chance I really had a couple days to dig deep into it. I am super impressed and really excited to see how it continues to develop. I know I can promote a spot like this pretty easily when it is as naturally beautiful as this.</div>
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^Next I went to check out the new single track mountain bike trails at Silver Lake County Park, also in western Kenosha County just east of Lake Geneva. There was very little mountain biking here when I left as an 18-year old kid for college in Utah. Then just a few years ago this group of local volunteers organized and the folks in the Kenosha Country Parks department again made a move to facilitate the fast-growing outdoor recreation that a lot of people are beginning to love in the area. The group is now organized as the Silver Lake Trail Riders and are a member of the Southeast Wisconsin Trails Alliance an I.M.B.A chapter. They built and maintain these trails and I for one was not only impressed, but am totally pumped on what I rode out there. I used to dream of having legitimate mountain biking in the hometown as a kid, and even though I am not a kid anymore I am so glad it is here. I am also grateful that my kids will have the chance to grow up riding here. I ran into one of the organizers in the parking lot. I could not have gushed all over him more. I kind of laughed as I drove away that I may have overwhelmed him a bit with my enthusiasm, but I am just so excited about what they have done. There is even a brand new mountain bike racing team at the local high school now that is competing around the state. I am so pumped! I hope to help the team raise some money and support at the very least. </div>
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^Then of course is the family. This is my grandpa Don giving me some home building advice as we sit out on his screened-in porch sipping ice-cold Boxer beers. The people are the real reason we are making these plans and moves. I am so thankful to have this time with him as he is my last remaining grandparent now. The whole journey is built around bringing my young family closer to both my wife and I's families and friends in the hometown. Also, after Amos' cancer battle it hit home for us harder that it does in fact take a village to raise a family and there was one very special village that we had in mind for that role. I am so happy to be able to have this opportunity to have the best of things in this world in a wonderful family, a fantastic hometown, and a life pursuing the work that I love to do in big mountains as well. Its not going to be the easiest transition for me personally, and will require even more travel for me in the winter after next year. However, to see my son Amos as happy as he is spending time with his Nonni, Grandpa, Papa, Uncles, Aunts, cousins and all our life-long friends' kids is such a gift. To watch him chasing bubbles in my father's backyard brings a joy to my heart that makes me so happy that I would take on any journey to be able to do what I love and also see all the people I love so happy in each others company in the hometown that raised Christine and I. I am blessed to be able to have a chance to do both, and I for one plan to work tirelessly to pull it off. </div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-35879584107973944082017-07-28T12:01:00.003-07:002017-07-28T13:36:44.710-07:00#NotOverIt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Social media land in the ski world has a new favorite summer ski hashtag, #NotOverIt. As in, I am not tired of skiing, and I am going for it in the summer. I do personally love late spring and summer skiing for a variety of reasons. However, I must admit that the time does come when I am #OverIt, and I don't see that as a bad thing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMeENiIzVu9AR9ZZy6KKql47hGKvAuUBUkaIefUH31UBoFBLqfqMhFmRCJfINbcuts1XxcFrF3YyGzRL-dqjETDM7_PJqJ0KbbF37PsxuBdnIx4ceZSWdHPhKFc17MLxT_sqGLg/s1600/IMG_9714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMeENiIzVu9AR9ZZy6KKql47hGKvAuUBUkaIefUH31UBoFBLqfqMhFmRCJfINbcuts1XxcFrF3YyGzRL-dqjETDM7_PJqJ0KbbF37PsxuBdnIx4ceZSWdHPhKFc17MLxT_sqGLg/s320/IMG_9714.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^For one good reason that summer ski tours rule, the summer ski <a name='more'></a> missions are typically fewer and farther in between then my winter schedule. It gives me a good reason to get up with the sun, which I do often in winter, but much less in summer. A good sunrise is a beautiful way to start any day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xwsR97rLdnNxi-YwCYWQCC6L_3LM6ru3a6CTxc9-FtpN2ErQMDcg2bF1HwMToNUtbmr85K0-foMe8asxdi0hbrWbw1DaDELy0221Z4tJmkH1e0xbgI_WKV-bmKrplJA9rxiDnQ/s1600/IMG_9732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xwsR97rLdnNxi-YwCYWQCC6L_3LM6ru3a6CTxc9-FtpN2ErQMDcg2bF1HwMToNUtbmr85K0-foMe8asxdi0hbrWbw1DaDELy0221Z4tJmkH1e0xbgI_WKV-bmKrplJA9rxiDnQ/s320/IMG_9732.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^Seeing my ski friends is another reason why the summer ski tour mission is special. As it goes with most folks, busy lives make it harder to see people I'd like to. However, an occasional summer ski mission usually stokes up the ski homies to get together, and in the busy heat of summer I really don't get to see those friends as often as I'd like. In the picture above, Josh Madsen, traverses a skin track. Strangely enough, even though I see Josh all the time in making content for <a href="http://www.telemarkskier.com/" target="_blank">Telemark Skier</a>, we rarely get to tour together. In fact, this particular summer tour was the first time we'd toured together this year! Crazy how time flies. The unique nature of the summer ski tour, and the convenience of the schedule this time of year made that possible.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1uvFe6ZOwo7RXybZn2I42NEkTmwgEhV96wnZY_0CU4z1JKFKO_cDfNEQ9q1_n5ShPhu9_YoosDHhF7A2jcxbAKjK1r5F9NcRo_aXvDO7fqsInc7rZV9iXvzEQrLehB4dNKeodKA/s1600/IMG_9722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1uvFe6ZOwo7RXybZn2I42NEkTmwgEhV96wnZY_0CU4z1JKFKO_cDfNEQ9q1_n5ShPhu9_YoosDHhF7A2jcxbAKjK1r5F9NcRo_aXvDO7fqsInc7rZV9iXvzEQrLehB4dNKeodKA/s320/IMG_9722.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Taylor Johnson was out with us too. He is good at telemark skiing.</div>
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^Madsen has still got it too!</div>
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^ Madsen was pretty smiley about the run coming out the apron to Taylor and I.</div>
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^Taylor applauded Madsen's fine summer snow technique. </div>
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^The <a href="http://www.thebanyancollective.com/ogden-outdoor-adventure-show/" target="_blank">Ogden Adventure Show</a> podcast wasn't over it either, and they invited me to talk about telemark skiing and my career with them one sunny morning from their van parked at Pineview Reservoir in Ogden. It was a really cool morning. Hosts, R. Brandon Long and Todd Oberndorfer, took me for a Stand-Up Paddle tour on Pineview and then we climbed into the van and recorded the show. Super cool dudes, well done show, and a fun experience for me all around. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27WbLXAwnongWFpq73OVjVkj-aKUxG2hD9nASv_GP3hQ1q5LOGtoZJoe6aBoCTcsg81r8UAkKtwvCY3mMEoBHYnCYxf3FF6VkIdQh6T8AlMOkp_4qAOEZjKix7KiHCgPNDiOe1A/s1600/IMG_9851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27WbLXAwnongWFpq73OVjVkj-aKUxG2hD9nASv_GP3hQ1q5LOGtoZJoe6aBoCTcsg81r8UAkKtwvCY3mMEoBHYnCYxf3FF6VkIdQh6T8AlMOkp_4qAOEZjKix7KiHCgPNDiOe1A/s320/IMG_9851.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^One day while down the the <a href="http://www.freeheellife.com/" target="_blank">Freeheellife Shop</a> in Salt Lake City, FHL staffer, Alex Leblanc, and I were working on various things when...</div>
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^...Travis Bellantino stopped by with his son. In a freaky cold summer storm, Alta got 6 inches of new snow. Travis put out an invitation to tour up through the closed resort to Main Chute high above Alta. Alex and I couldn't resist so the following morning it was on. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GCeu_MAtMj0y0TjPmKv8e3ZuL__zipPlL5wFtqQYVtjzfDqtLtoXS_lpfv4loox-_RS0tD1O3WyLMt7ydZIiaUWzJCMJCl2EMC4I0KS_pUzBbNerjHFOPPTjhYC91c861kE0jA/s1600/IMG_9881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GCeu_MAtMj0y0TjPmKv8e3ZuL__zipPlL5wFtqQYVtjzfDqtLtoXS_lpfv4loox-_RS0tD1O3WyLMt7ydZIiaUWzJCMJCl2EMC4I0KS_pUzBbNerjHFOPPTjhYC91c861kE0jA/s320/IMG_9881.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^It was a great way to start the day. A brisk tour under a gorgeous sunrise. In the picture above, Travis glides across the ridge through a view of Mt. Superior in Little Cottonwood. Sunny skies, ski buddies, and some exercise are just a few great reasons to be #NotOverIt, among others. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxNnUa6dDll7FBoHh3cA4R_YgTxLVi6NGwXptaVRj4KriFnAHD2ZzSa3pkDFzoZ0_hUeTHnO_kH9Xf10xVcEeheBDkDWfms2Y1EoPQrsfOhw5IMMnhrLgNu61AJL05_cyLUrPug/s1600/IMG_9889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxNnUa6dDll7FBoHh3cA4R_YgTxLVi6NGwXptaVRj4KriFnAHD2ZzSa3pkDFzoZ0_hUeTHnO_kH9Xf10xVcEeheBDkDWfms2Y1EoPQrsfOhw5IMMnhrLgNu61AJL05_cyLUrPug/s320/IMG_9889.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^The exercise part. Travis and Alex make their way up the last steep ascent before the peak.</div>
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^Alex enjoys the view...</div>
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^...and the summer turns.</div>
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^In this picture, Travis is rolling out smooth and fast apron turns on the thick fresh six inches. The summer snow is really never all that great, but that is really not what it's about. As I mentioned, it's more about seeing the ski buddies, getting some exercise, and often times scouting new terrain or getting the feet wet in a new zone. After the day with Alex and Travis though, I was indeed #OverIt. Also, as I said at the top of this, I don't think that is a bad thing. Every year I eventually get there. Where I just have to hang the skis up for summer. I have to let nagging injuries heal. I have to get out on my bike and pedal. I have to take family trips. I have to get to work on other kinds of projects. I also think, that to a certain degree, I have to step back from skiing for a while each year in order to be able to miss it. Thus, in turn, really enjoy it even more so when it comes back again. I love the anxious anticipation of the fall when temperatures and ski movies begin to drop. I love jonesing over magazine content. Daydreaming about Japanese powder stashes. Then, when that first tour of the season is under way and I stop for a deep cold breath of mountain air, I really do relish and appreciate it more so I think then if I had never stopped at some point in the summer. So while many of my friends roll the totally noble endless winter, it suits me better at some point each summer to totally be #OverIt, and for me that is a really good thing. Cheers to summer and all things warm weathered like family vacations, constructions projects, cool summer breezes, tall cold drinks, lakes, rivers, woods, and hell... even mosquitos! </div>
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<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33972254.post-65268558003802447422017-05-26T12:21:00.001-07:002017-07-04T11:05:20.003-07:004/20 Storm Cycle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In Northern Utah we always get a good cycle of cold spring storms just after most resorts close for the year. It is popularly known as the 4/20 storm cycle. This year that storm cycle came early, and stayed late. It began right around the 9th of the month and lasted late into April. I was able to take advantage of most of it, and it really made for a nice finish to the season. In March we had a lot of heat, so April seems to have made up for that. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaz_RahcZc8FWnZZyPHx532g_hyphenhyphenZVA8KAOUpAEdXCOfIhlgjYa_2z8LZoSivSeQsjbLVH2uVZ8MQquKADMUmajqkA53IuAuZpM9iK8ckMLoTMIMe92rYa3ZUfHOxQ0A0goDIdWWQ/s1600/IMG_9348+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaz_RahcZc8FWnZZyPHx532g_hyphenhyphenZVA8KAOUpAEdXCOfIhlgjYa_2z8LZoSivSeQsjbLVH2uVZ8MQquKADMUmajqkA53IuAuZpM9iK8ckMLoTMIMe92rYa3ZUfHOxQ0A0goDIdWWQ/s320/IMG_9348+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^My yard flamingo, Pink Floyd, is a ski bum institution in my circle for <a name='more'></a>a variety of reasons, but he is still my backyard snow stake now that he has settled down in his elder years. Early on this one spring morning he was showing me the valley snow, which means much more at elevation this time of year! Floyd provides.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin40qRZehOYAEp2c9sFvj7pbDDjgRFhVhCFnRp6uXfOnb-mnaNyfwm2CdpY4VfN99bOQgHy_0kMU2l0NjoT6J_BwdVVt09ViS3wQd89cGpa5SN9yJwfCJ2dAYtYLQSrgBHBuvVpQ/s1600/IMG_9350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin40qRZehOYAEp2c9sFvj7pbDDjgRFhVhCFnRp6uXfOnb-mnaNyfwm2CdpY4VfN99bOQgHy_0kMU2l0NjoT6J_BwdVVt09ViS3wQd89cGpa5SN9yJwfCJ2dAYtYLQSrgBHBuvVpQ/s320/IMG_9350.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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^I started the early set in the Ogden backcountry just outside Snowbasin. The resort was actually still half open so I was able to use the chairlift to help get out to the zone. The storm lingered early, and then began to break up later in the day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtL9gs_pKlDjZiWeZEV-043ub-scw_t_UTnmyeU7oc7YgXgRYvKsw-672smERtJbGokkwb7IGWJel-k2fjcwSxAJh7NznpZZv1662RRTxN5CFCpv83nwnXnsbbfuSfZd8syHlEg/s1600/IMG_9352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtL9gs_pKlDjZiWeZEV-043ub-scw_t_UTnmyeU7oc7YgXgRYvKsw-672smERtJbGokkwb7IGWJel-k2fjcwSxAJh7NznpZZv1662RRTxN5CFCpv83nwnXnsbbfuSfZd8syHlEg/s320/IMG_9352.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^Breaking out.</div>
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^Full on bluebird skies for a little while.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3K_DAV90T8qEr2euyG2hZMpHEG4dzFJ_tM2SZR1MJTHsGekjfGJ1Vuzoo_zQy1b7j49AyOZdFarLSdxomP0ns7h45V4dKEpnswRtA7ZzY5RzZnkUlIb2ib32A_E5AdK_ywnhqg/s1600/IMG_9354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3K_DAV90T8qEr2euyG2hZMpHEG4dzFJ_tM2SZR1MJTHsGekjfGJ1Vuzoo_zQy1b7j49AyOZdFarLSdxomP0ns7h45V4dKEpnswRtA7ZzY5RzZnkUlIb2ib32A_E5AdK_ywnhqg/s320/IMG_9354.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^A look up at my next spot to ski from below. Looked pretty good, hey? I started really low angle due to some high winds, but when the winds died down and the stability results kept informing my desires to get slightly steeper terrain I saw this one and thought it was ready to give a go.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjou7AfaEbO076pSOYBlsOEzOOvzXlsOGXEA_7bzKbepleJ_lkPceq-XP0F1SicDlpKW2JlxAYsID78tn_7Ja_3hjCtKYAEAOh0ivityQRiMkJ63cB-NrPhxHYoaTd0DatoTcfMg/s1600/IMG_9355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjou7AfaEbO076pSOYBlsOEzOOvzXlsOGXEA_7bzKbepleJ_lkPceq-XP0F1SicDlpKW2JlxAYsID78tn_7Ja_3hjCtKYAEAOh0ivityQRiMkJ63cB-NrPhxHYoaTd0DatoTcfMg/s320/IMG_9355.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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^I went really well as I had hoped and I beat up the zone pretty thoroughly, and then the clouds began to roll back in from the west as forecasted.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVCtKX_LFQGa60fKchftxPoyCycbzs_8LWX3dXo20mzuJ3XodEjXE6iCy01el657_yek_g7p4JPMIwGKhAGRogAtwWzN8MxKP4_t8EIl0tdIC_ro8CoHhrZM2MDBwhNlkb6psPg/s1600/IMG_9359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVCtKX_LFQGa60fKchftxPoyCycbzs_8LWX3dXo20mzuJ3XodEjXE6iCy01el657_yek_g7p4JPMIwGKhAGRogAtwWzN8MxKP4_t8EIl0tdIC_ro8CoHhrZM2MDBwhNlkb6psPg/s320/IMG_9359.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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^By my last lap the storm moved back in with full force. Perfect set up for another opportunity the next day. I had plans to film with the fellas, and it was shaping up nice. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKmdwpJCpaLrCe4KCakmFERJrrNfvvAIqWMuvq-1hNxofuF_fo59t48-Jo7qwOtmQkx4eOwnNWLUdh7Q6FlasxQN3BypAkCv_D2aJyutpW4ZvSq0BOUsKGtdSJ0QIg9t13Gu_9Q/s1600/IMG_9363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKmdwpJCpaLrCe4KCakmFERJrrNfvvAIqWMuvq-1hNxofuF_fo59t48-Jo7qwOtmQkx4eOwnNWLUdh7Q6FlasxQN3BypAkCv_D2aJyutpW4ZvSq0BOUsKGtdSJ0QIg9t13Gu_9Q/s320/IMG_9363.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
^It did. I started early to capture some sunrise light pictures. The sunrise was beautiful, and I nailed some really pretty imagery. I am not a great photographer yet, but I am getting better all the time. I kind of fell into it by utility, but I really do enjoy it more and more. I grew up in art classes throughout my academia, and I feel this is a nice way to channel that artistic nature in my ski life too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrVmpnJeDLLaRFUquOMMf9m3BsoE6esOieAXQZxy3BiIVkoOBPMJ9fpldK5sGUhUFplbudqbabDZAiHQ7CaF8XvQn29p3qP1qHTHWK6CIN6jUrR-kbG5YAWHk4rTZXm3mtNi3aw/s1600/IMG_9371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrVmpnJeDLLaRFUquOMMf9m3BsoE6esOieAXQZxy3BiIVkoOBPMJ9fpldK5sGUhUFplbudqbabDZAiHQ7CaF8XvQn29p3qP1qHTHWK6CIN6jUrR-kbG5YAWHk4rTZXm3mtNi3aw/s320/IMG_9371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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^That is a glorious ski track!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMWHwFUFSPJQmGnjl9JP959C9l6QI_9nGESvfHmiDvoX9nQnImpuDcLjPOGB_Z4bjbKUcSMnrwUFN2fxmtdVCjE0psZ8GF8-4iT5wRTslrh0YXwiI4qKNXShl-grPIShb8cU7iw/s1600/IMG_9374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMWHwFUFSPJQmGnjl9JP959C9l6QI_9nGESvfHmiDvoX9nQnImpuDcLjPOGB_Z4bjbKUcSMnrwUFN2fxmtdVCjE0psZ8GF8-4iT5wRTslrh0YXwiI4qKNXShl-grPIShb8cU7iw/s320/IMG_9374.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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^The video shooting up in the higher elevations later in the day was all-time. I got some great shots of my friends, Ben Geiger and Alex Leblanc. Those dudes can slay on telemark gear. Pictured above is some track proof. My line is in there too, and I rolled it with an incredibly heavy pack loaded with camera gear. I was gonna just take it easy as I usually do when I am carrying thousands of dollars worth of gear, but I couldn't resist skiing an old favorite through the rocky shoulder after the fellas laid down such beauties. So I went for it! Felt good too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM0XMrIlKPNkWROHoYdq3hC6uFtExTIgIXdaVgYlx02RpquXjk29LydMhAf8O36OmIPulvtQAyViHw6sISCrNQopAOSa1TDrcR1yG1149TTEIW8JVKsLuUvKt9uxsl1hjo_EqEA/s1600/IMG_9375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM0XMrIlKPNkWROHoYdq3hC6uFtExTIgIXdaVgYlx02RpquXjk29LydMhAf8O36OmIPulvtQAyViHw6sISCrNQopAOSa1TDrcR1yG1149TTEIW8JVKsLuUvKt9uxsl1hjo_EqEA/s320/IMG_9375.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Ben and Alex on the ridge after their skinner ascent back up.</div>
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^I photograph these spines a lot, but that is just because they always look so damn glorious! Ogden City looms in the valley below all green and warm.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3JJiKBE6Ld-mYAlRo_4mdf86WTfFT4c75fEAcHHyhc369qzb5w5nyj8CC-00cfaRnN2iI_Dh0K4b_ZylsZ-ovZCMcvxmInNbE8a09eBvEbGyKgmYiCLY1Q5ldDVrw7c0W-t5vg/s1600/IMG_9377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3JJiKBE6Ld-mYAlRo_4mdf86WTfFT4c75fEAcHHyhc369qzb5w5nyj8CC-00cfaRnN2iI_Dh0K4b_ZylsZ-ovZCMcvxmInNbE8a09eBvEbGyKgmYiCLY1Q5ldDVrw7c0W-t5vg/s320/IMG_9377.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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^These glades too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfF7qDwQG22gy7BFTQHbyEelmBohCTqP9A00qlPveQ6bqHToRdSNNFW5I6nMqH4_Y1XrYYbVwHiJRBlJmojTxS89-SfI16dSFcVCEDQpvHhzolePdwMLyjdEskeb5myxPZMZtd1g/s1600/IMG_9378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfF7qDwQG22gy7BFTQHbyEelmBohCTqP9A00qlPveQ6bqHToRdSNNFW5I6nMqH4_Y1XrYYbVwHiJRBlJmojTxS89-SfI16dSFcVCEDQpvHhzolePdwMLyjdEskeb5myxPZMZtd1g/s320/IMG_9378.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Alex's line through the Race Start chutes just outside the Snowbasin boundary. Talk about glory! Alex is an incredible telemark skier. He is a young backcountry hungry dude too. He is yearning for knowledge and terrain, and I am pumped to be able to get out with him anytime and share what I know.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPVKyOHOL6RlIAF0GGAwffCih7-6PnU1EzhlWUBdw8z1exaKIEijrgsHQOGydd5q8zF57Yoqe-krSNgDGITL2gZhi5yMcpi82trdXrOgqOUmej3F6PClg-D_LzYeYz_reNzE_RA/s1600/IMG_9381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPVKyOHOL6RlIAF0GGAwffCih7-6PnU1EzhlWUBdw8z1exaKIEijrgsHQOGydd5q8zF57Yoqe-krSNgDGITL2gZhi5yMcpi82trdXrOgqOUmej3F6PClg-D_LzYeYz_reNzE_RA/s320/IMG_9381.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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^Then Ben came through the face of chutes making for two really good looking lines off the clean ridge. I couldn't help myself with the ski track porn picture. I also was just so amped on the video I got of them doing it! We crushed it that day, and I could have been happy to end it all there, but the 4/20 storm cycle just kept coming. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGf_il7tCxVuSicNUI3H9_jFPPuJj9T2nn1UvQC93epvC_zS47b2tWimMEcfxiQyrRR4Sd9XWPHUpEUZtRhBIAQCbI0lKhwqK8dNxgkkCQtcP1-YVLyYPSycEbmV6Dc4w8zT4Qw/s1600/IMG_9456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGf_il7tCxVuSicNUI3H9_jFPPuJj9T2nn1UvQC93epvC_zS47b2tWimMEcfxiQyrRR4Sd9XWPHUpEUZtRhBIAQCbI0lKhwqK8dNxgkkCQtcP1-YVLyYPSycEbmV6Dc4w8zT4Qw/s320/IMG_9456.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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^I had to re-certify my Wilderness First Responder training so I ended up spending one of the glory storms of the cycle in a classroom all weekend, but sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do. I have to keep current so I didn't mind brushing up on the training. This medical training is pretty tough for me so I was glad to get more acquainted with it all too though. I get better with every course. <a href="http://www.mountained.com/" target="_blank">Mountain Education and Development</a> is a good group of folks to learn from too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtK4vweklH7ZsagrF9PTlzcP6Zz7lhNyTnkKupAmRA0RxRvng8r8WP82ekkuS8l21mEGmauEj3fEIfA4PIhIkJphoRNjgq2n4pL_AdrWOxJbIM6RxHz8sf1o5Wcwh0Xv4Thzb-w/s1600/IMG_9434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtK4vweklH7ZsagrF9PTlzcP6Zz7lhNyTnkKupAmRA0RxRvng8r8WP82ekkuS8l21mEGmauEj3fEIfA4PIhIkJphoRNjgq2n4pL_AdrWOxJbIM6RxHz8sf1o5Wcwh0Xv4Thzb-w/s320/IMG_9434.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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^The multi-sport option is a lot of fun this time of year too. Ski the higher elevations, and bike the lower elevations. Pretty special in my world. I have a trail just up the road from my house that I ride straight to from my workshop. It is a really nice perk of the neighborhood for sure! Gotta love Ogden City. I do.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMAHb2JhyphenhyphenPVpCMDDhzN2zKCFy61AyXOqvCfhjtWUffcZAXicq7EhtumFVoU2d09MhxeOT1HHyD3OBW7zR4WE4mhM9yJ8zCsHDdDVZCAH9ipAWXAWlEG1o1j8tEap2zY_PFqrRsg/s1600/IMG_9472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMAHb2JhyphenhyphenPVpCMDDhzN2zKCFy61AyXOqvCfhjtWUffcZAXicq7EhtumFVoU2d09MhxeOT1HHyD3OBW7zR4WE4mhM9yJ8zCsHDdDVZCAH9ipAWXAWlEG1o1j8tEap2zY_PFqrRsg/s320/IMG_9472.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^Then the cycle delivered yet again. I spent a day in the clouds with a new buddy, Brian Ellison. I met Brian on an Ogden skin track this season and we have been able to get out and tour together a variety of times since. I am always stoked to make new friends, and I also love to preach whatever amount of backcountry wisdom I have to offer to young dudes who soak it up. Brian is a sponge for it all, and takes all my preaching well. I can get a bit long winded on the subject, but he appeases my ramblings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9MZ2HspRCN7BdVgt16H2DucubZ4bQZIr-GWDrmL7jjBABJGyo8_k4LdnfCcs3AdPS4v9LPJl3sN7Pt1H4Da0486DQja7sFBCWZNFjAy3ZJQSrZxyr75IdHpSddlhv7ILWsISeQ/s1600/IMG_9480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9MZ2HspRCN7BdVgt16H2DucubZ4bQZIr-GWDrmL7jjBABJGyo8_k4LdnfCcs3AdPS4v9LPJl3sN7Pt1H4Da0486DQja7sFBCWZNFjAy3ZJQSrZxyr75IdHpSddlhv7ILWsISeQ/s320/IMG_9480.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qIuPIiEJaLRwBYI7Bozaji8_mQgaLMIDKC8n21CtHWQjsuDdpXSZ1J091rtAocC4pTKq94CuAPtUHNNfb4g1hzkbTmGR1LVQ-kAMo5bQ_T5YNiXto7yIQAxNjwEUjNMnDaskmQ/s1600/IMG_9474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qIuPIiEJaLRwBYI7Bozaji8_mQgaLMIDKC8n21CtHWQjsuDdpXSZ1J091rtAocC4pTKq94CuAPtUHNNfb4g1hzkbTmGR1LVQ-kAMo5bQ_T5YNiXto7yIQAxNjwEUjNMnDaskmQ/s320/IMG_9474.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^More ski track porn. Brian had to skip out earlier then me thus leavening this one all to myself. Another great storm from the cycle, and then there was more sunshine to come too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPXjyH6qFis2kACa2CcPr7ehl9PsgcCZt9PpCVRgAG9W17GzhyphenhyphenSeXlIAgtt6O30o2pYfmSRZzkzoqbxC-IfnWFWOm-L5Mg0kx3JI7NSin3L_JYGGHE-puwtyjA_TlCz7zHGIjFQ/s1600/IMG_9489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPXjyH6qFis2kACa2CcPr7ehl9PsgcCZt9PpCVRgAG9W17GzhyphenhyphenSeXlIAgtt6O30o2pYfmSRZzkzoqbxC-IfnWFWOm-L5Mg0kx3JI7NSin3L_JYGGHE-puwtyjA_TlCz7zHGIjFQ/s320/IMG_9489.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^So the next day I managed to get out on an early morning tour with another good friend of mine, Shane Erisoty. Shane is an Ogden boy too. Shane competes in the telemark freeski competitions I am part of as Director of Freeskiiing for USTSA. We have always talked about getting out together, but as the story goes with busy lives we could just never put it together. Well the 4/20s gave us an extension to the season so I finally found the opportunity to tour with him.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8w7YMn9H6pMRsvSC1keLzO99fjLlgJi8SAP4LRvNFhFmMEEK7mdPBG0-9Zwar86BjiBoLbi518NdSsyt6edYFGF2In4UED52yvR7M2c19m3PsO5ugPX_fUjUoSW5QRBersTwhQ/s1600/IMG_9493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8w7YMn9H6pMRsvSC1keLzO99fjLlgJi8SAP4LRvNFhFmMEEK7mdPBG0-9Zwar86BjiBoLbi518NdSsyt6edYFGF2In4UED52yvR7M2c19m3PsO5ugPX_fUjUoSW5QRBersTwhQ/s320/IMG_9493.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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^The skiing was excellent too. Shane and I put together a really nice tour for the day, and the skiing was spectacular as we got on it early before the hot spring sun started to do its work on the cold powder snow. I had the photo camera out and was able to snap off some stellar shots of Shane too. I had some catching up to do on imagery after the heat of March and thankfully the 4/20s provided the chance to get good mid-winter looking photos that morning. After all this there were some rumors of some May storms as well. Could it be that the 4/20s were going to transcend April in some sort of strong finish to the season? I had high hopes it would. The cycle had been stronger then ever already so it was completely believable to me. The late reaching 4/20 storms had slowed down the start of my home remodeling work, but really helped me tie up the loose ends in my ski industry content work. There is an old farmer saying, "Gotta make hay when the sun shines.", but it seems in my world the metaphorical hay gets made when the snow flies. The 4/20s provided in spades, and I am grateful for it. Besides, I have all summer for the remodeling business to catch up now. </div>
<br />J.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03711458438610179538noreply@blogger.com