WASATCH STOKE, CONDITIONS, OBSERVATIONS and ASSORTED DRIVAL 20-21

[snowaddict91]

^nice!

Snow quality was a bit variable yesterday buy what a stellar spring day in the mountains.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Last share and then I'll stop.

This professional edit just came out. Yours truly and my buddy Carl speedriding in the Wasatch over the last month. Keep your eye on this particular account speedflying.com on vimeo for more sweet edits to come and many already online. Drone footage and all of the dope editing done by my buddy Ian.



Finally if you are interested of getting into speed flying/riding, get on speedflying.com and send them a message. Carl and others are teaching and are going above and beyond to make sure everyone learns as safely as possible and with as much info on how to fly well. Much more than any other school geared towards paragliding can provide/has provided for speed flying/riding. In fact, until now there actually hasn't been a very good/structured way to learn speedflying/riding in the USA. It has mostly just been focused on paragliding. One typically had to go to europe to get quality speed flying instruction.

A local guy in the Wenatchee valley just died speed flying, foot launch. Don’t think it’s something I’m going to take up but your videos are great, fun and terrifying.


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[Orash111]

A local guy in the Wenatchee valley just died speed flying, foot launch. Don’t think it’s something I’m going to take up but your videos are great, fun and terrifying.


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Its no picnic that's for sure and not for everyone.

We had a close friend die from it this fall. Super sad. Well skilled pilot. Just got on a much hotter glider than they were on before for the first time and did not give themselves enough margin on their first time doing a 270 dive to swoop landing with that glider. That and another friend/pilot pound in trying the same maneuver for the first time ever, but also they had just downsized to a smaller glider, so really a double red flag/mistake there. They sustained serious injuries, but are alive and working on recovering. Then also 3 other friends, each who broke a leg this fall. A rough season that's for sure. Way more carnage than I had ever witnessed in years past. I started to have serious doubts in my own flying and whether I was pushing too hard.

4 out of 5 of those incidents were precisely due to trying something new to them, either a new maneuver or a maneuver that they already had dialed, but were trying it with a glider that was new to them and not giving themselves enough altitude above ground/margin. Biggest take away I took from all of that is to work on progressing slowly and always give yourself extra margin when there are any changes, whether that be gear or a new maneuver. That and always fly no more than at 80-90% of what you feel you are capable of, even if afterwards you watch the gopro footage and feel like you could have flown more aggressively. I deal with that dilemma a lot, but after all those accidents I'm glad that I always default to flying at 80-90% of where I feel I can really be. The stakes are high especially when flying/riding at this level.

[brutah]

All-time conditions on Saturday! It was crowded but I didn't let the crowds get to me too much.... Sometimes the crowds work in your favor and you choose terrain that has enough real estate for everyone and you don't have to break trail all day and you still score untracked pow. I'd prefer a less crowded backcountry but what can ya do but pee in the skinner and hope it glops up the next persons skins (i kid).

Luckily the groups before us left us our very own tube on saturday and it was the best the tube.







This dude loves a good spine/subridge, which was nice since everyone left me the gut....



bottom looking up


price of admission


These photos don't give it justice, but it was crazy deep. A person in another group responded, "I didn't realize it snowed that much and i think that summed up condtions nicely.

[Boissal]

All-time conditions on Saturday! It was crowded but I didn't let the crowds get to me too much.... Sometimes the crowds work in your favor and you choose terrain that has enough real estate for everyone and you don't have to break trail all day and you still score untracked pow. I'd prefer a less crowded backcountry but what can ya do but pee in the skinner and hope it glops up the next persons skins (i kid)

SICK shots! That headwall is really glorious when it's in shape. Not quite as fun when there are hordes ahead of you or chasing you up the skinner for sure but once you drop in all is forgotten.

I damn near had a heart attack on Sat when I saw the crowds in the WP lot. We started late (7 AM) but fuck if I ever expected to find cars parked for 100 yards on both side of the entrance at that time. I cooled off real quick, mostly cause everyone seemed to melt away as we got further up drainage. I felt slow, weak, fat, old, and cold most of the approach, par for the course after 3 months off the skis.
Something got in my eye on top of Red Baldy, I might have shed a tear being back in the mountains. Another something got in my eye once I got to the bottom of the 2nd run when I realized my knee hadn't exploded.
No pics, just needed to get back in this thread as an active participant instead of an envious observer.

[gimpy]

Shot 2 speaks brutah +++

[getoutside]

^ indeed. last three days have been a blast. mill d early then snowbird with the 11yr old on fri., wolverine cirque laps sat and silver fork sun.



.

[Norseman]

Good stoke. Rad lines, brutah and getoutside. Glad to hear of the return to snow, boissal!

Watch out for SFB on patrol w a coupla tourists

[CirqueScaler]

We skied this Sunday. What is it named? Super aesthetic from the top, lots of fun.

[skiATL]

We skied this Sunday. What is it named? Super aesthetic from the top, lots of fun.

Bombay. It's a fun one.


Great stoke all around this thread these days. Keep it up everybody.

Made it up to the NW Couloir of the Pfeiff Saturday with a great crew. Looks like our early start was the right call. I had no idea about the craziness of the WP lot. After passing one party in white pine, we only saw 1 solo dude all day until our exit through Maybird. It was fun to return to the NW after about 4 years more experience on steep stuff...didn't seem too bad this time, and the good powder certainly helped. Felt good to make turns over 45 degrees again. Sorry for lack of real skiing pics; I was just enjoying the day and not messing with my phone so much.

[skifishbum]

Good stoke. Rad lines, brutah and getoutside. Glad to hear of the return to snow, boissal!

Watch out for SFB on patrol w a coupla tourists

tourons?
them brothers are the alpy bbi and jhaf safety team representatives' hard at work

soli started coral reefy
sun softened it up, bakemaster and crotchfruitQ, djongo shindler and i tore up the roy


clouded up tried to snow in accumulating fashion but only made things worse
took the grom out the shitty frozen e face traverse to the limber pines aka the cool kids still call it the guild line gate
well tracked but soft
and flanigans looks good

shit fuck zip crust out and the church roads melted out in a few spots if you were gonna bring it hot down it
the Qgromon kid outskied us

well be on tfw tour today
hopefully his kids dont show up to humble us
and their aint no bullshit parking violations litter on our rigs

[JongDoe]

Pics not showing for me.

[raueda1]

So the bird just doubled the price of their prefered parking pass for 21-22. Yet season passes reduced. Response to Epic pass reduction? WTF.

[BobMc]

Season passes also went up, last season it was $999 including tax, this season it's $1049 + tax.

[raueda1]

Maybe apples and oranges comparison. Historically pass prices have gone up between April and season opening. I'm almost certain that the $1049 is significantly less than the late season price for last year, i.e., what they had on their site last week. Either way, I stand by my conclusion: WTF??

[snowaddict91]

Pretty sure early price was $1050 last year, but I think the Ikon upgrade is cheaper than last year's superior pass.

Parking situation sounds like a shitshow. "Uhh, we don't know how much we are charging yet."

Looks like Wasatch benefits are weekdays only now, too.

[brutah]

^ indeed. last three days have been a blast. mill d early then snowbird with the 11yr old on fri., wolverine cirque laps sat and silver fork sun.
.
]

Dude! your kid is rippin'! That's a smooth backflip especially for an 11 year old, like raueda1 said, WTF!? haha

[schindlerpiste]

Great maggot get together today at Alta. Really great hanging with SFB, Djongo, FAlpy, TFW and the skier formerly known as the escaped criminal. Thanks for the day!

[buttahflake]

Pics or it didn’t happen

And yeah, that fucking kid rips

[EWG]

Does anybody know if you can upgrade the icon base that comes with the Bird pass to a full? Gotta make sure Djongo can be a bad influence on my kid again next year.


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[schindlerpiste]

Next year, I think that if you want IKON base with Alta/Bird it will cost you $269. The base doesn't come with the pass unless you pay. Check on this. I bet that if you contact IKON and you have the base, you will be allowed to upgrade by paying the difference between a base and full pass.
Footnote taken from Snowbird website

"²The Ikon Base Pass add-on is an optional benefit available for the Summit and Alta-Bird passes and must be purchased at the same time as that pass. The Ikon Base Pass add-on does not include days at Alta, Aspen Snowmass or Jackson Hole and your purchase code must be redeemed by December 1, 2021. The Ikon Base Pass add-on is non-transferable, has no cash value and is only valid for the 2021-22 season. The Ikon Base Pass add-on is not eligible for upgrades or Adventure Assurance. Use of the Ikon Base Pass add-on requires the primary pass product remain in good standing. The Snowbird Summit Pass or Alta-Bird Pass with the Ikon Base Pass cannot be rolled over independent of each other. Blackout dates for the Ikon Base Pass are December 26, 2021 - Jan 2, 2022; January 15-16; February 19-20."

[EWG]

The Ikon Base Pass add-on is not eligible for upgrades or Adventure Assurance.

That's the killer part. I think I checked on it last year. So the way I'm reading it, if you have a Bird pass and then want to go hang out tuning skis in Djongo's wax room (or torturing Rideit with Coconut LaCroix) in JH, you need to pony up for full pass at full price. You can't spend money to upgrade your $269 base pass you got through Bird.

I was hoping that changed.

[BobMc]

That's the killer part. I think I checked on it last year. So the way I'm reading it, if you have a Bird pass and then want to go hang out tuning skis in Djongo's wax room (or torturing Rideit with Coconut LaCroix) in JH, you need to pony up for full pass at full price. You can't spend money to upgrade your $269 base pass you got through Bird.

I was hoping that changed.

Last year at first they allowed you to upgrade to Jackson, they took my buddy Lori’s money for several months and then refunded her and told her they weren’t doing it.

[babybear]

jealous of the mini gathering. have fun gang
the weather looks primo for spring slush skiing this weekend too so.....pics expected!
and I want in on ewg fun next winter too pls and thank you

[telefreewasatch]

jealous of the mini gathering. have fun gang
the weather looks primo for spring slush skiing this weekend too so.....pics expected!
and I want in on ewg fun next winter too pls and thank you

expecting you for the next one. Call 30 minutes in advance for tickets.
maybe we actually come to Jackson to alleviate...

Best quote today: "that's the fasted I've skied all day this year".
Skiing groomers when most else at the Alta today was mank.
Not often is that the case.
Thanks bros, great day,
Jimmy