Pushing my limits

[baron]

Funny back story: we were filming all year trying to make 'rock star ski video'. One day I open my front door and there is box of tapes and hand written actual manifesto sort of letter to me from Hans.

In summary, he was blowing out of Alaska heading back down south. He figured he had learned from skiing what he came to learn and felt lucky for having not killed himself in the process.

ONe of the tapes had this video edit on it and he said I could not alter if I was gonna use it in final movie. I was pissed. It did not meet my definition of what we were looking for at the time and he specifically was ripping on everything I held dear. This was spring 2002.

I never saw him again until last year when he came to visit AK. He had moved to Vegas to become a male stripper because the money was good. He then became a pro level rock climber pulling V15 or some shit. He put two full leg casts on for 6 weeks and just used a wheel chair so he could properly atrophy his bulky quad muscle as acquired through skiing. Too much weight for rock climbing...

Now he is a happily married mortgage sales man.




Oh yeah at :50 sec mark in second video, that is morning of 9/11. he had hiked to the peak early and I hiked up adjacent peak after towers crashed. It was weird trying to tell him over the radio. That run was pure ice.

I guess it is worth noting to the OP that during this period Hans was living in a self built squatters cabin some what monk like. He would wear his ski boots to town to Costco. Stank like shit most the time. I would take him to the rock gym and he would be on acid. They gym owners did not like him trying to climb with ski boots on. Once he did 22 hits of acid and tried to climb a local big mountain in the middle of the night in a raging snow storm. It didn't go well.

How far are you willing to push it 'life style wise' in order to devote the time needed to reach self actualization. That is why everyone skis right?! maybe not...

excellent story


though,22 hits ..>that is some weak ass acid! haha (I so wish I was skiing when I was still tripping back in the day)

I'm sure he was outa his mind either way /carry on!


>>me and my friend tried to learn to ski from an old 70s published manual ,with hand drawn pictures...lucky I ran into gordy camps along the way

[swissiphic]

Funny back story: we were filming all year trying to make 'rock star ski video'. One day I open my front door and there is box of tapes and hand written actual manifesto sort of letter to me from Hans.

In summary, he was blowing out of Alaska heading back down south. He figured he had learned from skiing what he came to learn and felt lucky for having not killed himself in the process.

ONe of the tapes had this video edit on it and he said I could not alter if I was gonna use it in final movie. I was pissed. It did not meet my definition of what we were looking for at the time and he specifically was ripping on everything I held dear. This was spring 2002.

I never saw him again until last year when he came to visit AK. He had moved to Vegas to become a male stripper because the money was good. He then became a pro level rock climber pulling V15 or some shit. He put two full leg casts on for 6 weeks and just used a wheel chair so he could properly atrophy his bulky quad muscle as acquired through skiing. Too much weight for rock climbing...

Now he is a happily married mortgage sales man.

Oh yeah at :50 sec mark in second video, that is morning of 9/11. he had hiked to the peak early and I hiked up adjacent peak after towers crashed. It was weird trying to tell him over the radio. That run was pure ice.

I guess it is worth noting to the OP that during this period Hans was living in a self built squatters cabin some what monk like. He would wear his ski boots to town to Costco. Stank like shit most the time. I would take him to the rock gym and he would be on acid. They gym owners did not like him trying to climb with ski boots on. Once he did 22 hits of acid and tried to climb a local big mountain in the middle of the night in a raging snow storm. It didn't go well.

How far are you willing to push it 'life style wise' in order to devote the time needed to reach self actualization. That is why everyone skis right?! maybe not...

Damn...that story, those vids... mind blown.

[singlecross]

Those words... trying to follow the labyrinth while retaining understanding was a worthy exercise.

[carpathian]

Those words... trying to follow the labyrinth while retaining understanding was a worthy exercise.

Ok, now follow along with this guy. Hans was at it for 3 years. How about 30 years of skiing and acid and living in the woods...? At what point are you chasing your tail, being haunted by your own imagination? OP, What drives you into the mountains in the first place?

[singlecross]

Ok, now follow along with this guy. Hans was at it for 3 years. How about 30 years of skiing and acid and living in the woods...? At what point are you chasing your tail, being haunted by your own imagination?

Exactly. More is not better... each of us needs to know when to get off that carousel and not get hypnotized by the promise of the brass ring. Or as a rodeo friend said to me “Any damned fool can get on a bull and ride, the secret is how to get off gracefully after 8seconds.” I was lucky and thankful to stick the landing after a good,long ride.

I’ll be heading over to Amazon to get the books. Gears are turning again. Thanks

[Jong Lafitte]

Funny back story: we were filming all year trying to make 'rock star ski video'. One day I open my front door and there is box of tapes and hand written actual manifesto sort of letter to me from Hans.

In summary, he was blowing out of Alaska heading back down south. He figured he had learned from skiing what he came to learn and felt lucky for having not killed himself in the process.

ONe of the tapes had this video edit on it and he said I could not alter if I was gonna use it in final movie. I was pissed. It did not meet my definition of what we were looking for at the time and he specifically was ripping on everything I held dear. This was spring 2002.

I never saw him again until last year when he came to visit AK. He had moved to Vegas to become a male stripper because the money was good. He then became a pro level rock climber pulling V15 or some shit. He put two full leg casts on for 6 weeks and just used a wheel chair so he could properly atrophy his bulky quad muscle as acquired through skiing. Too much weight for rock climbing...

Now he is a happily married mortgage sales man.

Oh yeah at :50 sec mark in second video, that is morning of 9/11. he had hiked to the peak early and I hiked up adjacent peak after towers crashed. It was weird trying to tell him over the radio. That run was pure ice.

I guess it is worth noting to the OP that during this period Hans was living in a self built squatters cabin some what monk like. He would wear his ski boots to town to Costco. Stank like shit most the time. I would take him to the rock gym and he would be on acid. They gym owners did not like him trying to climb with ski boots on. Once he did 22 hits of acid and tried to climb a local big mountain in the middle of the night in a raging snow storm. It didn't go well.

How far are you willing to push it 'life style wise' in order to devote the time needed to reach self actualization. That is why everyone skis right?! maybe not...

That's awesome.

[soyboy80]

pretty great thread drift

anyone have any experience with the steep camps run in north american resorts? Any specific recommendations?

[baron]

pretty great thread drift

anyone have any experience with the steep camps run in north american resorts? Any specific recommendations?

Most of the Real Big Mountains ..like Snowbird/ Jackson / Big Sky ..just examples .. should have great instructors ,that feature some version of a steep ski camp , directly from the resort. Not a camp, but a great way to learn expert tips and explore an unknown mountain.

honestly > the best part of ski camps that improve your skiing> is Video analysis(and the good times of course)

>Just about as good> if you can get a buddy to film you and then an expert to analyze it- a freeski style instructor is better at the analysis..if they have done it before

unless you are already an expert>there will be tremendous difference in your style on/off trail ..video will is perfect to spot light the differences and calming down style. then you will feel comfy attacking a slope ,instead of surviving it

[skizix]

Ignore buttaflake, or put him on ignore. He has no stoke, always pissing on someone and is usually an angry cunt.

Whatevs. I'm down with buttaflake, if only because those exact Gooney Birds were a staple of my freshman year at CU

[neufox47]

pretty great thread drift

anyone have any experience with the steep camps run in north american resorts? Any specific recommendations?

You ski at Squaw, just follow the locals around. Find the guy going to the fingers, palisades, granite peak, etc and do what he does.... Or find that local ski bum guy and offer to pay him $100 a day to ski around with him and progress you onto bigger stuff.

[old goat]

You ski at Squaw, just follow the locals around. Find the guy going to the fingers, palisades, granite peak, etc and do what he does.... Or find that local ski bum guy and offer to pay him $100 a day to ski around with him and progress you onto bigger stuff.

Soyboy--I hope you realize that following tracks or following someone you don't know is a good way to get hurt. One far fetched idea for you--I don't know if it's practical, but if you afford the time investment and can acquire and Outdoor Emergency Certificate--join National Ski Patrol at Squaw. You will have a chance to ski with pro and volunteer patrollers who can safely guide you as well as get a few free lessons at a very advanced level.

[mmmm...pow!]

Soyboy--I hope you realize that following tracks or following someone you don't know is a good way to get hurt. One far fetched idea for you--I don't know if it's practical, but if you afford the time investment and can acquire and Outdoor Emergency Certificate--join National Ski Patrol at Squaw. You will have a chance to ski with pro and volunteer patrollers who can safely guide you as well as get a few free lessons at a very advanced level.

Not a bad idea. If you can huck cliffs and shred the steeps with a patrol sled in shitty snow, you'll get better fast! Seriously though, everything you need to progress is right there at Squaw and Alpine, just need to put the time in and keep stepping it up. Sounds like you are still a ways from being at the point where progression means risking your health, but you definitely need to get out of your comfort zone, while still knowing when to back off, and there's probably gonna be some beatdowns both physically and emotionally getting to that point.
Curious if anyone has a fairly accurate guestimation of slope angle of some stuff at Squawpine. I'd put Keyhole at upper 40s early season, and Castle and Eagle's Nest well over 50, but no idea how accurate my sense of slope angle really is.

[thefortrees]

Or as it's known here "training for Alaska"

The new, more specific version is "Training for Denali"

[Hood26]

Why not book a trip to the Southern Hemisphere? Extend your ski season, and also catch more instruction if you wanted.

Another idea, a lot of good adult skiers were in race programs as kids, so why not think about finding an adult program and learning how/improve race technique?

[baron]

Why not book a trip to the Southern Hemisphere? Extend your ski season, and also catch more instruction if you wanted.

Another idea, a lot of good adult skiers were in race programs as kids, so why not think about finding an adult program and learning how/improve race technique?

Carve Carve CARVE!

see how many turns you can manage all the way down the slope.. any geek can straightline