I've been busy, you might say....another day at 12,335' in the Never Summers:

Pictures for our adventure on Parkview. Thanks to Angie and John for putting it together!



The 360 view from the top:

The End has Come

4/6 The End. Well, with the resort being a bit testy, we try our best to get in as much as possible, making a ME lap right off the bat with Timmy and Leo. We then do a few groomers till 2 with the fam, when I sneak one of the last Morningside chairlift rides at 2:30, even though it was supposed to close at 2. I take full advantage and make a great run down C to Middle Earth (Poone/CI) to Clothesline for the last lap of the year. What a year it has been, finishing mid-mountain at 489 for Steamboat 07/08. Can't wait to review the footage! Till next year, we will see you on the other side.

4/5 Colder, overcast skies and groomers with the fam. Found some good snow in the Sunshine area, but hopefully we'll get more snow out of this storm.

4/4 Fun day ripping the canyon as we say goodbye to blue skies again for the approaching storm. Took out a few last regular laps and then migrated to the North side for a final South side run at 5PM.

4/3 Got a little Marge's Wife with a v/bleed area with Leo under sunny skies as we wind it down

4/2 Middle Earth creamy goodness. Made a trek around the back (super old way) and found delight in Comanche Indian. Hanger is holding up but not quite the same as last year. None the less, always a stellar lap.

4/1 Two sunny laps through the granola area and nosebleed. Snow is wind buff perfection with some great spots if you know where to look.

3/31 10" new and blowing. Apparently the back is great and there is some snow to be had on the mountain. It's cold, light dry pow...

3/30 6 laps to close out the Pony. Man what a year and we just couldn't let it go so we hit everything lower, sometimes twice. I managed essentially three in fun bags since it was such a fb year. Hate to see that go...

3/29 Skiing groomers with the fam on cold, blowing slopes. We muster around as we try to fend off the impending storm coming up. One canyon lap proves yesterday was better, but snow is in the forecast.

3/28 Returning from a night out with Danny, we find 7" new and sunny skies. Thus, Leo, Kerry Lofi, Kevin Dwyer, Stompy and old Price hit up the uppers and lowers in fine fashion. There's a bit a layer developing, but it's still great on North aspects.

3/27 6.5" throughout the day as we take out Fun Bags, Granola, and the V where Leo manages to hit a tree after a spectacular tomahawk. Impressive feet as it was, it doesn't compare to his KH action, but you'll all see that soon enough.

3/26 Blue skies instead of snow. Solo measurements with firmer, but softening conditions. Looks the storm may hit late, but I'm not holding my breath by any means.

3/25 Couple of turns with Leo, Elliot, and Kevin prior to wrapping it under hard pack, gray skies. There's word about snow tomorrow, but we shall see...

3/24 Bright blue skies reign on the area today and I get the first taste of spring skiing as the mountain should hit 50 today. Quick 2 to Z laps and zoo like people on the mountain had me outta there quick.

Kicking Horse Hiatus-3/15-3/23- What more can you say about day after day bluebird and epic snow? Well, here's a short list of the photos, there's hundreds, but I picked a few favorites and some sequences. More will follow:


3/12 Couple of quick laps out in the canyon to get the last of the good snow, hopefully more snow on the way!

3/11 Out to North we go. On a clear sunny morning, why not take a hike over to N Canyon and hit up the South side. I think Tex was expecting better snow, but alas, it was not. Till next time.

3/10 Quick, colder laps this morning in spring sun. I take out a measurement and Chute 2 down to Z to get a little warm up in prior to the coming onslaught of skiing that is spring break. Looking forward to days of ripping in the sun in the big KH!

3/9 Sunny and long days are once again here. The ski area finally goes to spring hours and we take full advantage with two laps in the morning of G Bowl and B Beak followed by Leo and I stepping over to N Canyon for some S side turns. Leo takes a wrong turn and ends up booting back up a toilet flushing chute at around 3. We bag it from there on soft creamy turns.

3/8 Snowing. Crazy how this month has been one extreme or the other. We take out the main shot of Clothesline, VB, and the right side of FBags. Fun turns and close up shooting throughout the day.

3/7 Perfect March Bluebird. We got on it right from the bell and shot till 5:30 that night, so yes, it was a full day. If everything turns out, it should be a fantastic film session as it was an amazing day with seven laps followed by an afternoon of hiking up B.Beak.

3/6 Deep pow, once again. Yes, it only snowed a few inches, but a few on a few equals another deep day in the boat. The snow was unreal in its consistency and amazing how light and fast it truly is. Better get this stuff before the sun does.

3/5 A quick couple with Leo on C to Z and 2/3rd RT with a rocky exit. Beware, the bond of snow is not really holding well in that area.

3/4 Jeff Burkley and I hit it up for Helly Hansen. Photos to follow.

3/3 Blue sky-wind buff perfection. Great turns down me (via a sneak way) and stellar Clothesline action from both the women's tee and the Hanger entrance. Get it before the sun does, it's getting hot fast.

3/2 9" new, or actually probably more. It was like night and day to yesterday as we get pounded all night and a bit this morning putting us firmly in the rat race around the mountain. So much great skiing, so little time as out of nowhere, the wind picks up at 1:30 and literally shuts the mountain down. Until then, the mountain will have to wait, but the snow is spectacular. Watch for Avi danger to sky rocket today.

3/1 March is here! March is here! Fully game on with 40 degree blue skies and a punch into 2/3rds as well as the V on Hells Wall, which was spectacular. Looking forward to more days like this after the time change next week.

2/29 Leap into the Dome as it was game on today. Tex and I nailed one of the steeper lines on the S side (wayyy S) and then cut up and into the North side, where Timmy and I had noted a line that would make a great film shot from the other side. It was pretty fun snow, super carvey if not dangerous. The snow is essentially rotten to about 15" from the surface, but in preparation for BC, we have cut our collective teeth and avoided the suspect areas. That said, we made note of several wet slides occurring through the day on the S aspect and a few point releases on the N side to boot. The snow is suspect to say the least and more is on the way. Thus, we nailed the line, broke trail straight up the trees on the S side to get out and even managed 4 sno-mo laps on the power lines side of Buff before calling it. Pretty epic day all together, I must say...Photos to follow

2/28 We skied. That's really what you can say about the day. We skied, here, there, pretty much everywhere under an almost sunny sky, but a fun day none the less. One canyon lap, one Bodybag. Other than that, it was a day.

2/27 Checking out the slide path. It was all extreme boat out there with a bunch of experts checking the slide action on the arret. It appears to me that the group essentially created four human bombs on a slope that has been known to be suspect, thus generating a slide of new snow on old. After leaving the area, I couldn't recreate the action on similar aspects, so I do believe there has been a bit of settling since Monday. The snow has a real sugar like consistency as of mid morning, but this may have warmed and bonded as the sun hit it. Non the less, a good reminder that during a storm cycle (when it's snowing) one has to use caution in the hanging tree area of the canyon. It's amazing how loose the story has gotten, but as the photos prove, it's the ridge directly below the rock that slid, where we have seen slides before. Not Keyhole, not Bowling Alley, etc. Pics of the slide:



2/26 6"ish new and fun turns to be had. Checking out the top of Gbowl and investigating the 'slide' that supposedly happened yesterday, we make really fun laps through the rocks. We followed that up by taking out a Fun In Laws and a Fun Bags, which are both fantastic. Jumping around on the big rocks above the trail between Keyhole and Fun Bags we observed no movement, which if it was going to slide, it would have there. Thus, the rest is just up to interpretation...

2/25 2 quick laps in the bags. R Smith and I round out the morning with a Fun Bags and Bird Bag, both of which are fantastic, again. It's great to have some pow turns to start the week!

2/24 Happy Birthday Johnny and Jeff! Dan Chalfant and I ride around the Beav, with about 7" new as reported. It was a bit busier I think b/c they were reporting the most snow, but we still found some fun turns in the out of the way places. After that, it was over to Johnny D's for a crazy evening with the boys!

2/23 3 fun laps with R Smith and Chad. With conditions somewhat improving we take out a high speed crack line, Fun Bags, and the like. It was trying to snow all day, but nothing really came out of it, so perhaps tomorrow.

2/22 Sunny Sallys. Well after a late start, I couldn't let this day go by. It was another great blue sky day and I felt the options calling me. My first thought was to hit N Canyon and get the turns we didn't yesterday, but something about spring calls me S. So, with no real agenda, I started heading for the best couloir in town, figuring I'd probably ski some other lines in the area. When I got there, I couldn't resist and made the plan to ski the couloir itself, by booting back out. So I did. The first turns were exceptional as I've always skied it with spring conditions, so to get pow on the S side which was hidden in the shade was fan-tastic! Unfortunately the mid section (where you hit the trees) got really firm. Naturally, being on a solo mission, I decided this was worth waiting on and turned and burned at about the 2/3 mark, before the last big turns to the river. The boot wasn't bad and even had a nice sunny period at the top to take in all the lines around this prize. It's a shame there's not a easier way out, but then again, that's why this area is one of the best secrets going... Till the next spring day, I'll be back to hit it full!

2/21 We go North! Well sort of... After a sunny day morning, we decide we should head into N Canyon, which we do. The first turns were good down the run known as 'sloppy seconds' but we managed to be the first. That set us up for the initial climb of the day in sunny, warm skies. All was fine and good with the track in and a desire to hit the pow over yonder, but as Timmy summited, his ski was not so happy. The screw that held the back piece of his fritchi died, and thus, we turned and headed back to safer lands. I have some funny pictures, but basically we rigged it with some trees to ensure the tension would remain consistent for the ski out. Good thing this happened now!

2/20 Overcast but some blue persists. While not quite the bluebird days of past, I still managed two laps in the partly sunny skies with the CI welcoming me in. I decided to mix it up and hit Rancid Tuna, but it's TOTALLY BLOWN IN! It's virtually impossible to ski as the snow that should be in the boneyard has blocked the chute all together. It's hilarious, but I was then forced to ski a really boney section to get out, which was a bit less fun. I decided to check out Nosebleed for the first time this year. It appears others had the same idea and it also appears that someone got pinned on Hells Wall and tried to ski the rock or something. Really strange set of holes and branches lying in the apron.

2/19 Big Blue Skies and no tracks! Timmy and I take out 3 laps in the ME area with a Bird Bag to mix it up. Some cupcake slide-slipped Clothesline, so that's a bit rough right now. I'd keep to the keyhole until the next storm arrives, which should be any day now....

2/18 Another great start to the week. The sun was trying to make an appearance, but I still knocked out another Main Bag, Marge's and Clothesline to make a morning out of it. Excellent conditions persist, though the days could be numbered with little snow in sight.

2/17 It really doesn't get much better for so little effort. 4" new but completely revitalized the canyon as I take out 5 laps today hitting CI twice, RT side B Beak with Tim and Chad, followed by another Fun Bag (main bag) with Chad and a beauty Keyhole to close. Fantastic, and snow is holding really, really well. Crazy, fast, slough charging behind you, so be ready!

2/16 4 Laps and labor. Went to work rebuilding trails and some new additions like the "presidential pass" as you exit the last trail onto BC. Skied Marges, CIX2, and a Fun Bags for, well, fun.

2/15 Best day on the Dome, ever. Amazing day with just beautiful blue skies and perfect snow. We even managed to ski the South Face, which I hadn't really experienced yet, but will definitely be back on at some point this year. Two laps (one S, one Dome) had us coming out late under a spectacular sunset. Enjoy the pics.



2/14 Harrison Creek and cold, windy skies. We managed to get some nice pow turns despite 40-50mph gusts happening on the mountain. A few shots and we were out!

2/13 Holy Sunshine! After weeks of waking to cloudy, snowing skies, we see the sun in full blaze today. It's really reshaped the mountain as the good snow has turned a bit more wind buffed and heat effected, so the bottomless pow days may be over for a while. Supposedly there should be some snow coming in tonight, but it's not doing much as I type this. If not, break out the sunscreen!

2/12 Sorry, it's a broken record. For whatever reason, I just can't get enough of Fun Bags this year and basically I repeated yesterday with minor variations. The good news is that it's snowing again, in fact, one might say it's dumping on the mountain, so maybe tomorrow will be a different story. For now, I'm on the bags.

2/11 Two more great laps of Fun Bags. Skied my favorite line and another down the main bag to the skiers right of exit. While the snow is pretty good in the main areas, the ski out is super fast, so beware!

2/10 Two fantastic laps in the sun. Getting a really late start, I still managed a Fun Bags and Marge's Wife, which are holding up ridiculously well given the fact that it's been windy and warm. Hopefully our fantasy snow year hasn't ended yet, but it was 32 degrees outside my house at 4pm today, not good.

2/9 Back in Action. After 2 days out, Steph and fam hit the groomers and I snuck in a quick fun bags for measure. While thicker and wind blown from days past, the snow in the tree areas seems to be holding well.

2/8 They say 5 or so new, but we found some better pockets. After picking up some bigger skis, we head off the Montezuma side of the Keystone peak. This area bodes well as we happened upon a few choice tree runs, but all in all, it's really time to get back to the boat.

2/7 The Stone. It's trade show time, as we take to the hills of Keystone. Not much great skiing going to be had as the winds were borderline ridiculous and cold. We tried out a bunch of new skis while we could stand it. Hopefully more snow tomorrow, but we shall see.

2/6 Brief laps under snowing skies. The powder is still here from yesterday but there looks to be more on the way.

2/5 Sunshine, a nice addition to the mix. Tex and I take out line after line in the sunshine with deep pockets of snow everywhere. There wasn't a whole lot overnight, so it's necessary to dig a little deeper, but it's absolutely unreal. Get it before the sun does.

2/4 Perhaps one of the best laps down Fun bags I've ever had. The snow is simply incredible as there's points where you sink to your chest and still miss hitting bottom. I can't believe anyone would bother with the inbounds turns, but I'm sure glad they do! I followed that with the skiers right of Bird Bag through the rocks which was fantastic as well. It simply just won't stop.

2/3 Four more laps with Leo. Teeing right off into the canyon we mix up a Clothesline proper, some Fun Bags and a solo effort on my part to Marge's wife to the Hanger entrance. Not quite as light as yesterday, but who's keeping track.

2/2 And we're back. After rallying home late last night, I awoke early to meet the crew and start striking line after line in the canyon. Took out a Fun Bags, Keyhole (1st tracks), Bird Beak, Granola Bowl, Clothesline, and a Fun in Laws. Truly amazing day and there's more to come.

1/25 Quick laps before Vegas. Wind effected and blown, the canyon is still skiing rather well, but certainly not like Wednesday. Thus I'm feeling better about the whole 'vegas' thing...

1/24 Sled debacle. In an attempt to try and capture some Buff footage, we took to the hills via the sled, which was running like a dead horse the whole day. As things tend to go in threes, we also ran into weather (read whiteout) and towing issues. This was compounded by the end of the day when after skiing and getting no real footage, the belt broke on the sled about 8 miles up the road. Luckily, being the slednecks we are not, we were able to put humpty back together in record time to get out there and begin to forget that this day ever happenend. The end.



1/23 9" new and some say it might actually be true. Supposedly there is nine new under blue skies and the skiing is awesome. I say that after doing some recon, we find that it's actually closer 2" new on the mountain b/c the rest blew into the canyon where ME laps were outstanding. In fact, they were so good, it was hard to actually stop skiing. It's amazing how few people took advantage as I nailed some great laps late into the day.

1/22- Broken record plus 6". Hit the exact same lines as yesterday but with much improved conditions that allow for wider, faster turns. That said, the trail network is super fast now and if you're not taking part, you're missing out. Looks like there will be a bit of reprieve before the next snow hits. Till then...

1/21- MLK and wind. Hit 50 days today and the snow was like a low buffed cream with some good turns to be had in the Marge's Wife area and Clothesline. Other then that, it's really FAST everywhere and the trails in and out are easily connected at this point, so it's time to make quantity over quality.

1/20-BFF, Best Friends Forever? Best Friggin Frontal? Who knows, but this 'ski' is 200 underfoot so after some great snow yesterday, we decided it was time to make a go of it. Searching out the powder on Fun Bags (X2) and Bowling Alley, we got the last of this storm and had some great turns. We finished off with the crack which some cupcake slid and exposed the rocks. Leo down-climbed in and made a nice exit. I decided to forgo the reverse camber slippery slide and ski Mr. Sinalindens, which is always fantastic. Enjoy the photos and yes, those are skis on my feet. The last photos are from this evening's sunset at the stick!



1/19 Amazing what a difference 5" new can make. We happened to get a slightly smaller mid mountain storm that absolutley lit up Fun Bags. It was so good, we couldn't stop hitting it, so we didn't. We basically did Fun Bags/Fun In Laws laps all the way through, capping with the right rocks of Fun Bags exit to put the ! factor in. Great day, hopefully the snow stays this light. Here's a look at what we filmed:



1/18 Better temps and a bit of good snow. Leo and I hit up Nostrils first thing which is in excellent shape. D and the mtn are a bit more tracked, so we naturally went back for more with a Luke's and a GC for measure. Front side snow is certainly more hammered then the other aspects.

1/17 Freezing. That's all you can really say about today. While fun was still had, and lines down the Keyhole slaughtered, it was still freezing. I'm seriously hoping for a warming trend or some snow or something b/c at this point, it's borderline rideable before frost bite sets in.

1/16 Hitting from the Pro Tee. Given the windy conditions, I blazed trails and fixed a bunch of problems in the canyon, while still nabbing first tracks down the gut of Fun Bags (rt side 5 stepper) and of course a CI for good measure. The wind has definitely hammered the snow, but it's still soft and workable. As stated, I corrected the GC trail which now puts you on top of lower canyon as it should be. (right is right is what I call it & that's also a hint), Middle Earth is reinstated, and the diagonal project I've been working on for the first straightline out is now in working order. Keep your speed and you'll sail right through as it was super cold and sticky today and I made the upper portion of the connecting trail with ease. Enjoy the photos of Leo digging out his car, me nabbing first tracks in FB and the new trail to Glory in the GC.



1/15 Cold and Quick. With the sun out, the temps dropped quick and given a tight schedule I got in and out quickly. Did some Chute action and Pony, but I'll bet there's some good lines to be had before the next storm coming in.

1/14 Clothesline perfection. It's amazing how good the canyon is skiing and today was no exception. Ryan S and I took out Fun Bags and Clothesline and both were skiing like a powder day. The big storms completely filled in the 'line' so you can now hit it full speed. Fantastic. The photos below are from WME's head schlep Dookie and his riding partner Gerry Lopez (yes, the surfer).



1/13 Recovering from the Legend of Seth Mathey-Chad and I take out Fun Bags (center line) which is stellar and then I moved over to 3rd pitch again to grab some more fantastic turns before hitting G-Bowl Left. That incredible run was followed up with a Keyhole and one more Fun Bags going down my favorite 'flute' line. The snow is still amazing, and there's more snow in the forecast Tuesday!

1/12 Congrats Seth and Liz! Well it just got better, the Mathey wedding brought another 22" on top of the 25" from the other day and it snowed all Friday. We were ready and on it first thing, nailing the mandatory lines in bounds before finding gold in gate D. Easily the deepest run on D since 05/06 and Way Rights lower proved to be literally up to ones chest standing still. We've got footage of R Smith breaking trail in sno up to his shoulders. Following in bounds antics we took out G-Bowl main, G Bowl Boulders and then had Chad B and I scored the run of the day by skiing D to 3rd pitch where Chad got buried up to his neck, literally. I tried snapping photos as much as I could, but it was that kind of day. With it being 3 and having to be at the church at 4, we had capped a perfect day..Enjoy and congrats to the happy couple!



1/10 Best day of the year thus far and snow is still in the forecast. 25" new! Yes, it's true, if you hid under the blanket today, you missed it and the photos that follow are proof. These are in fact turns, hard to believe but it's true. Starting out with a big gang this morning, White Room, Rolex, and Twlight were all in order. At that point it was time to start the movement and off to the canyon to hit up the first tracks in Keyhole. 13 years ago today, I met Timmy Widmer and 4 years ago today, I was probably skiing with Cheat, so naturally it was time to take out our secret spot, known simply as Middle Earth. The legend about this 'place', is true and the snow is abundant. We worked left to right hitting Marge's, CI, and CI variations. Other then that, my lips are sealed, as the photos say enough. The area forbids anyone from finding out its lo-cal, thus the graininess.



1/9 Holy shinkes, it's still snowing. CI, Marge's Wife and Clothesline proper were fantastic again today. It had to be done, as did some serious trail maintenance, but all in all the year is shaping up quite nicely. I strongly suggest getting up at some point, if you have the means.

1/7 What is everyone, on dope?-Mr. Hand. Holy schmoly I get back after 2 weeks on the road and the whole town has been apparently sleeping. Nailed first tracks in the Keyhole at noon! Then proceeded to take out Comanche Indian, followed with my opening Clothesline for the year, which slid, but is still fun and the bottom turns, well, go see. To top it off, went back one more time for Poone. I'm telling you, it's blower, sunny pow with no one around. Here's some photos of the day from my house, Key, CI and Clothesline. I'll be back!



The Legend of Seth Mathey

1/6 Another 8" and fantastic conditions in the JHole. They just keep getting snow and we just keep getting after it. Skied similar lines to yesterday with better snow and vis. It's really hard to end this trip with it snowing and us having so much fun. Everyone, and I do mean everyone missed a stellar performance by Mongo covering Sublime at the Mangy Moose. You'll have to ask the next time you see him. That said, the drive nearly killed us, 9 hours of I80 black ice. Yippy!

1/5 14" new! Absolutely unreal conditions in the Hobacks! We killed it and got lucky with openings to ensure powder throughout the day. With one day left, there's more snow in the forecast, so we shall see!



1/4-H Bday! yeah, it's true, I'm 32. We loaded the pants right at the end, so enjoy the photos, I have to go.



1/3 Granite Perfection, an early birthday present to me pays off as I nail the chute in the photos before the rest of Jackson knows what hit them. Always good to snag a stellar line in an unknown area before the locals do. I've been skiing till 5PM each day with the gates of Cody providing a perfect end of the day lap. Today was no exception, with the 4 Pines E face providing some nice scenic shots as well.



1/2 Back on the Chain gang. We rip up the inbounds of J Hole and then take out a line late in the day that the Cheat and I had previously skied. The conditions were good, the entrance, interesting and the line good to go. The pictures show the top view and some inside shots with the video that follows documenting the crux. Until tomorrow...







1/1 Happy New Year! Well the hiatus is over and we're back on it on Teton Pass in Jackson with stellar conditions. While we missed the 12/30 storm, it did give everything a chance to settle and the skies have cleared. The snow is getting better and better this year and we took out some lovely pow runs on the South side before our late day rally up the North side for a Glory Bowl run to the car. Done at 430 and all smiles. Enjoy the pics!



12/29 Cold Crapper! Copper Mountain with the fam, it's freezing and we ski groomers until we can't feel our hands or feet, bundle up!

12/24 Another day of taking advantage of the cloud cover, I take out a few more choice lines and the GC before heading to Denver. Happy Holidays, Y'all!

12/23 Cold and snowing. It appears the storm isn't over yet and we get some more snow and cold weather. I take full advantage of the veil and make good use of time, to which I cannot say more. Let's just say I got my Christmas present early and the 'known' areas are skiing quite well.

12/22 More of the same but with Sun! After yesterdays dump and some last night we end up with 20" in 48. While not quite the dumps of old, this one is especially important since we're all a little choked at the lack of snow. The morning was super cold and we charged straight to the obvious, 3rd pitch and GBowl for good measure. There were some interesting changes to the snow in that the canyon did not see as much effect from the cold as the front did, giving the snow a lighter feel around back. None the less, we ended the day on some awesome turns down the GC and thus completed another fine day. Looks like we're getting hit again tomorrow...

12/21-So it finally hits. I measured 8" on the deck and the report has nine new and I guess if you were looking hard, that's probably true in some places. However, given the strange effect of the winds lately, it was good all over, deeper then nine in most and much deeper in other spots. I ended up skiing a favorite zone which gets so over skied in the regular season that I tend to by pass it. Today I skied it all day and watched one of the coolest December sunsets I've seen. It's amazing how different altitudes bring such different variety and depth to the snow but today proved that it was worth looking...

12/20-So it continues, we hit the secret zones on our way to 3rd and inaugurate Bird Bag into the fold of 'what's open'. After partaking in some bush whacking, we hit up the Golf Course and then proceed to go it alone to G-Bowl once again. That run is truly amazing at this point and while not a stellar ski out as one would like, the upper turns are more then one can ask for. Supposedly it's going to snow again tonight, but as of yet, notta.

12/19-Umm, so like, it was cloudy and so there were certain things that needed my attention. Rest assured all these items have been quantified and inventoried and all is well. My advice, stick to N or N by NE aspects, the wind has been reaking havoc on any westerly slopes. If you want to know where, simply follow your nose and perhaps a compass.

12/18 Open the Canyon Wide-With the addition of the Way Right Gate, I promptly took out 3rd pitch to Old Way Nostrils. It's always satisfying getting the first tracks on that run and with no one in sight, a breeze to lock in the first tracks for the season. After a skinning bush whack out, I was amped to get in the last line of last year on Steamboat, skiers left G bowl which funnels nicely into that natural quarter pipe before the alleys. As you can see in the pics, it was a spectacular day and it sure is nice to be back in it!



12/17 Light Fast and Late I punch open the Canyon! Yeah, that's right, the lower half the canyon is now in functioning order. A little after 2PM I noticed the rope was finally coming down on the Ridge, so it was time to 'make a trail' so to speak and volia, Fun Bags/Flute line/Lower Bird Bag and out. In redemption for my '01 performance I broke trail the entire way sans touring gear and made the entire lap in 1:30. A nice improvement from the 5 hour stomp Zac and I had years ago. Anyway, the canyon is in pretty good condition, all things considered. There are some different rocks that you don't typically see due to the low snow pack. Also, there's a schwack load of bushes to get back out. These things are the way this time of year...Take your medicine.

12/16 Late day sun, as Chad and I cruise around the remaining new snow in the Sundown area. It's good skiing, if it were just a little deeper, we'd be set. Not much new terrain to speak of, but I did ski the pup trees which had some good turns.

12/15-Cold! freezing clear skies and fast groomers as the mountain opens the sunshine area and some choice lower spots. We zip around until we can't feel our feet and call it a day.

12/14-5" new and some good turns to be had in the Sundown region. 3 and the 30's are the choice runs of the day, with some extra effort one can find untracked snow in the trees.

12/13-Cold and fast with clear skies and not much new. More 3 clock runs and trying to get in the trees, but it's super sketchy with down logs and random holes. I hope it snows soon!

12/12-Fast 5". With a 2.5% water content, the snow was gone in a hurry, but it was still fast and light, so we tore down 3 o'clock, the :30s and so forth. Cold weather and snow in the forecast, but it's just spitting at the moment. Nothing new is planned to open until Friday or Saturday, so we'll have to wait!

12/11-After a day off, I return to new terrain open and some interesting wind blown terrain on the Sundown side. Fast laps with Leo and Tim followed by :30 laps. It's starting to snow and getting cold!

12/9-Unnecessary hike Mike! I live up to my nickname as I got some bad advice from a friend on entering Harrison Creek (see May in the year project) from the West summit of Rabbit Ears. This took us through some lame mellow terrain, followed by a long down climb before we even got to our hike. At this point, Chad was over it, and turned to head out as Leo and I finish the job and cap the A Day A Year project with some decent pow turns in the trees of Harrison. Unfortunately, Leo's skins both fail on the way out and we share the remaining pair, one skin on, one skin off and slowly make our way back. 6 hours later, the day was done! yikes! Many down logs and trees make the bc not the most desirable place at the moment.

12/8-Storm! Well at least partially. Storm Peak opens the face, triangle 3, and buddy. The key run is Triangle to the Bar trees, but everyone and the brother knows that lap so it's hammered by noon. We decide to hike manyana.

12/7-The storm that didn't happen-another 5" new with pretty much the same terrain with the addition of Sunset. Fast laps with 11 of the gang and we're out!

12/6-5" new and the laps were on in the 4 Points area. Rather fun, fast conditions with snow falling with the hopes that tomorrow will be the day we've been waiting for. Da Cheat, Pudding Pops and Mongo charged full top to bottoms as fast as we could.

12/5-4 Points is open and Cyclone is king. After a blurry, pant load of Cyclone, we did manage to get some Hurricanes and Tornadoes in, but the real treat was me eating it several times as I landed in a hot tub sized whole . Also, I did my best crash while telling a patroller to stick it. Classic early day and I guarantee someone got hurt today, look out for obstacles!

12/4-Fast laps with the gang as the mtn opens BC and then it promptly breaks down. Whiteout and others are in decent shape, but we could use another big dump...

12/3-Rudi garmisch finally opens, but is in 'interesting' shape to say the least. The groomer zoomer trend continues.

12/2-Despite new snow, the conditions are firmer then days past due to traffic and cold temps. It's getting nuts with Cresent in town.

12/1-Snowing and zero viz as we hit the Vag all day again. At least it's snowing.

11/30- Opening day! Not quite the same as year's past, but never the less, one can finally ski again. Perhaps it'll be like 95/96 where it all comes at once.

A Day/A Year Project

What more can you say about day after day bluebird and epic snow? Well, here's a short list of the photos, there's hundreds, but I picked a few favorites and some sequences. More will follow:

Bluebird Perfection with another deep day of filming
Two different interpretations from Leo's shots from the other day. Me:


Leo's take:

Recent shots from the Yampa Valley

After a successful first venture in summit area, Steamboat picked up 6" in town and probably another 16" on the mtn, so it was time to get the band back together and hike for Storm Peak. Chad, Tim, Shakleton, The Cheat, and I made our way up the peak and had to take a side route due to a goat loving hunter gutting some animal on the trail. Thus, enjoy the footage of me eating it on the climb up Pony Express. We lucked out as the late start provided a beautiful gold sky as we descended at approximately 5:30PM.



October 10 21 07 S Peak