Ski Bum Poet

Here is a good one from Salomon Freeski TV. It’s about five minutes long, featuring some LCC local shredders who have been Alta pass holders since they were very small children. Fluid, natural, powder skiing…worth a watch.

From time to time I have been known to share killer ski deals from ski shops. This is one of those times. With the Thanksgiving weekend underway, outdoor stores from around the web are offering plenty of opps to save. I am not going to put the ads in your face here, but if you want to check out the offers click the banner above.

Updated to include Cyber Monday Ski Deals for 2011.

I did not know Jamie, but I felt compelled to post about him. Our LCC paths crossed here and there but now, based on some of the things I have read over the last few days, I wish I had the opportunity to know him better.

A down to earth guy who valued what was best for his family. Someone who wanted a quiet place with less distractions, less people and more skiing.

The quote above is from the write-up on an interview/farewell with Bomb Snow Magazine I just watched, on his recent new chapter in Montana. Of course the loss of any ski industry icon is devastating, and it seems to be happening way too much lately.

Powder Mag and Brent Benson also put together a great tribute featuring over a decade of photo slides from the Wasatch and beyond. Click the image below to read the story and view the slideshow.

Teton Gravity Research premiered their new film, “One for the Road,” last Saturday in Jackson, WY. Here is the play-by-play. I went to a premier up in Jackson once before, but considering it was almost a decade ago I couldn’t tell you which of their films it was that I saw. That was a lot of brain cells ago for a guy like me. I do remember wild energy in the theater back then, so I can only imagine what it must be like now.

TGR is a true media success story for the ski industry, and I think they have a lot to do with the progression of skiing over that past decade.

Now for the fun stuff… Every year I look forward to seeing some of Sage’s highlights from the previous season (check this or this from Alta–although not from a ski film)…and every year he keeps stepping it up more. Check out the trailer for the new film below, and this piece on one of Sage’s segments. Gulp.

Don’t think it’s available quite yet, but soon you should be able to get this film direct from TGR or from web retailers like evo or backcountry.com.

I keep saying that one of these years I am going to come out of ski bum retirement, and get back to more LCC powder. Keep in mind 8″ of low density snow at Alta after a dry spell is “dust on crust”. I am talking about plentiful deep or storm ride days……..

At the risk of too much rambling, I should get to the point. My friends Matt and Rick started building skis in the last year (or two?), and I was fortunate enough to get my pair this season. Must admit I was a bit intimidated at first, just by looking at them… but not anymore. I do not know their dimensions, but these things I do know:

• They are big and fat skis.
• They are on a flat rocker profile.
• They render deep powder snow helpless.
• They like to buttttter the terrain.
• They dump speed instantaneously.
• They have an ash wood core.
• They allow me to feel like I’m 12 years old again.

So although I am not getting as many big storm rider days…when I do get them, I am locked and loaded with skis conceptualized, designed and built from friends that collectively have 1000s of days skiing in the Wasatch (and far beyond). Incredible insight and workmanship on these, and the word is out. Just about every time I am @Alta lately someone asks me if they are Garage Skis.

Here is some cool Sage POV of a random lap at the bird early 2010…he’s following Matt C.

Last year there was an exceptional winter snowpak throughout southern Utah. They were getting pounded with storm after storm while we all drooled over their fortunes up north in the Wasatch. This is a killer piece documenting some incredibly rare, desert spine skiing in Southern Utah. Great story, great footage, great music. Nice work Provo Bros!!

Let me give you an idea of what we’ve been up to in Little Cottonwood since the last post. BIG GRIN This is Johnny B on The Daily POW…and you can tell just how cold it was that day by the silence, and the cold smoke.

Met up with Jesse and Johnny for skiing and lunch on opening day. The skiing was surprisingly good, although it was difficult to get to the good skiing. Just had to turn yourself into a bag of feathers in a few places on the high T is all. Although the light wasn’t good, here are a couple of clips from AltaCam’s YouTube channel and The Daily Pow…that first one there is Jesse butttering the top of Highboy (with of course Johnny narrating).

Last November I posted a clip of Vintage Alta Powder that Mark Johnson originally posted to YouTube and then AltaCam. Folks loved it! In fact it’s still in the top 5 Google results for the search term “Alta Powder”. Not too shabby, eh?

Anyways Mark posted another great piece of vintage Utah skiing footage to AltaCam last month, so I thought I would bring it to SBP as well. Incidentally it is footage from the year I was born Let me know what you think and thanks again Mark for sharing these. Great job all around!

I finally digitized the film of our trip to Alta during during Spring break, 1971. This short reel (?3 min) is a companion to the slide show that is already a featured topic on this site. You’ll note that some skiers had problems with the loose snow and terrain. There was plenty of snow (as is still the case in March) and great times. Also note the that there was quite a bit of traffic while driving up Little Cottonwood.