TR - 10 days of CHOKING ON SNOW (also mucho hucking)

[summit]

Trip Report - 10 days of CHOKING ON SNOW (also hucking)

I've spent 10 of the last 14 days skiing. I've never had ten ski days in a row of face shots like this. Some of these days easily make it to the list of deepest, biggest, and best ski days I've ever had.

I haven't put up a TR in a while, so... here are some pics!



Skiers: Backcountry1pr, non-mag Jonathan, Max Gosey, THE Darkside, Snowbunny, Adimmen, Blurred Elevens, Bernardo, jSki, non-mag Jeff, Summit

Counties - Gunnison -> Eagle -> Route -> Summit

7-9th

Drove down to CB in the middle of a hudge storm:
1 trip to the ditch (not speeding) 1 speeding ticket (19 over) 1 encounter with a herd of angry elk
A 40" storm is rare at CB. A 71"inch base is even rarer, much less in January. It was so deep that you could make powder turns in existing tracks. I still don't understand how a place can have so many rocks with that much snow. There was nobody there. CB is awesome. It was a challenge to try and keep up with badass rippers like Backcountry1pr, much less on their home turf when I had never been.


Backcountry1pr

Huge thanks to Backcountry1pr for his hospitality and for playing tour guide.
Huge thanks to Max Gosey for lift ticket hookups.

----

Eventually, I had to depart CB... time to leave the EHPs and hit the BC for the next 8 ski days where the snow was really, really, really even deeper...


It's hard work digging and trying to work in 2.5m deep pits

10th

Oh... wow... thigh-waist deep pow... blower... money!


Snowbunny




The Darkside



And there was much slaying of pillow lines...

11th

On some days you keep track of face shots. On those special few days, it is so deep and so light that there is only one long continuous face shot.


The Darkside

You have to keep track of other things like how many times you choked on the snow... and how many times you had to stop and clear the snow from your goggles... and how many times you had to knock the snow out of your fullface chinguard just so you can breath and talk again. This was one of those days.


Adimmen

I lined up on a cliff and got the tickle for a front flip. I hadn't done one in two years. I also hadn't done one even half as big as what I threw. I remember being on top focusing and breathing very fast. I remember pointing at the takeoff. I remember popping off one foot. I remember throwing and about 1/4 of the rotation... then nothing until landing. I never remember being upside down... I dont know why.


Landing is out of frame lower left!!! (photo by Adimmen)

I went far... way way far. I landed. I forgot to extend my legs... so my knees immediatly hit my chest hard. But, I fully completed the rotation (no backslap), I landed on my feet, my skis stayed on, and I didn't hurt too bad as I skied away. OK, sorry for tooting my horn but this was a big deal for lil ole me.

And there was much slaying of pillow lines...

12th

Holy... moly... more waist+ deep goodness! More snow so deep that I spent the whole day knocking the snow out of the helmet so I could talk:


(photo by Adimmen)


(photo by Adimmen)


I'm up on that cliff some... hiding... or hucking... (photo by Adimmen)





13th

Uhoh... the snow settled back to thigh-waist deep... oh well... we'll just have to deal....





I gave a quickie how-to-huck speil... and managed to talk Adimmen off something 3x bigger than he'd ever dropped before:



And there was much slaying of pillow lines...

15th

The army assembled and descended on knee-thigh deep snow.




Blurred (Photo by Adimmen)


Bernardo


Adimmen was feeling inspired by all the hucking


And there was much slaying of pillow lines


And there was much slaying of pillow lines


20th

Sled skiing is hard work. I still hurt. It also yeilds lots of good turns. The snow is creamy topped with blower. It is deep:


Jeff is redefining knee deep

I only got jSki's sled stuck twice and only rolled it once... oww... that still really hurts...

21st

Nothing like hitting that spot you've been eyeing for years and years only to discover that it is way more awesome that you imagined.



22nd

Pow.... rock bands... more pow... YES!



Time to go hit some low angle under the moonlight so I can clock the 23rd!

PS - Sorry for the low quality, but we didn't stop to take pictures very much except for two of the days. We didn't even shoot some of the best hucks, pillows, and pow. These were mostly with the point and shoot not the DSLR, but hopefully people will still stoke out.

[Kevo]

FKNA incredible! Way to get after it Aaron.

[El Kanone]

I fucking love good skiing photos, those are good skiing photos. Thanks.

[grskier]

Um... We'll have to ski again soon Summit!


Great shots! Great TR

[Donkey Punch]

Very nice, we'll have to make some turns this winter. That is if i can find a new set of trekkers.

[montanaskier]

S I C K.....

[RootSkier]

sickness. somehow, the first two pics my favorites.

[skikola]

Awesome.

[squatch]

the preview was good.

the full show is better.

[Magnoe]

woW... wow... wow... That first huck by Backcountry1pr on that steep pitch looks amazing. It would be hard to stay forward enough on the take off.

[ODHGABFE]

Holy hell, that must have been amazing. Good work.

[johngchrist]

sick sick sick Nice Tr and props on the flippy!!!

[BenWA]

love it!

[phUnk]

Yeah buddy!

[GapersGoHome]

Jeff is redefining knee deep

This caption is classic.

Way to get out there and give 'er, gents! You damn Rockies people and your damn pillows and your smug ways...

[Tectonically_Neglected]

Suh-weeeeeet!

[GBB]

FKNA man. sorry i never got back to you about thursday night. i got out of class later than expected and then was on the road.

[ratcliffe81]

Fuck yeah!

[Sutter]

awesome work of the radgnar variety.

[Dug]

Daaaaamnnn, looks fun.

[IridePow]

Now that's some deep snow.
Nice work fellas!

[SonnyBoy]

Sick TR.


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[MarkoInTheBoat]

Nice job documenting (and slaying) that sweet storm cycle.

Was this your day in Routt?

[fool]

Wow. That's ridiculous. Thanks for the TR.

[jon turner]

Sweet. Really good stuff in there. We need to meet up for turns some time, Summit.