AAI Avalanche 1 Course - Day 3
The third day with the American Alpine Institute (and second day on snow) meant taking all the education, on-snow practices and really applying it to our experience in the backcountry. It was focused on us enjoying the snow while remaining safe and watching for terrain that could be avalanche prone. We had made a trip plan on Saturday to explore farther out in the backcountry but at our morning meeting, we discuss...
AAI Avalanche 1 Course - Day 2
As soon as I got confirmation that I would be heading up to BC and AK this year, I knew it was time to take the avalanche level I course. I checked out a couple options for course providers in the NW and eventually found the American Alpine Institute out of Bellingham and Mt Baker. I signed up and paid my fees so I could finally get a better understanding and more practice in the backcountry. The first day was Fri...
Stevens Pass 3/1/12
If you're wondering what mountain has been getting hammered this season, I can tell you Stevens Pass has been getting the goods. The snowbanks are high, the coverage is amazing and today was another powder day. Despite the backside not being open (due to avy danger), the front of the mountain and especially the trees offered up some really fun riding for the day. I was pretty stoked to get out on the mountain with m...
Northstar 2/28/12
There are good days and then there are great days. The past two days in Tahoe have been great days, the snow finally arrived and delivered amazing powder runs. I couldn't believe how quickly the conditions changed on the mountain and just in time for my last day in Tahoe. After dropping off my rental car in South Lake, we headed up to Northstar for the day. Yesterday was about powder on the groomers and today was ab...
Sierra at Tahoe 2/27/12
The weather in Lake Tahoe can switch rapidly. One day it'll be bare roads with spring like slushy conditions and a couple days later it'll be dumping snow with a total winter appearance. I made sure that I was in Tahoe for Monday morning's storm and heading to Sierra at Tahoe for the day. Sierra at Tahoe is just down the highway from South Lake Tahoe. If the roads are dry, it can be pretty quick but today there wa...
Heavenly 2/25/12
If you've ever been to Lake Tahoe, you know what a beautiful place it is. The lake ties together so many different mountains, communities and offers so much fun in one place. This morning, I woke up to a beautiful North Lake Tahoe view from the Shreddytimes house and was ready for another day of shredding. Ashley and I were planning on riding Northstar but I realized my pass wasn't valid on Saturdays so we ended up m...
Northstar 2/24/11
I had been hoping to return to Tahoe before the season ended since I had my Tahoe Pass and wanted to spend time on the mountain with friends. The time finally came when flights were affordable, access was easy into Reno and my friends had time off from work to ride and hang out. It's been a rough season for Tahoe, definitely not the normal Tahoe year for snowfall but it doesn't mean the mountain is bad. It's not, ...
Red Bull Third Shift at Snoqualmie Central 2/18/12
When I first saw the mock-up drawing for the Third Shift contest, I was pretty much blown away. It meant constructing a town square in the terrain park that was literally a urban jump/jib contest over and onto buildings. For the northwest, it was pretty rad to see freestyle progression come here and be on the slopes so anyone could watch. This was an event that would push progression for local skiers and riders. Ear...
Stevens Pass 2/20/12
Yesterday was a hard day for the northwest. Avalanches took three lives in the backcountry at Stevens Pass and one life at Alpental. As the events would unfold yesterday, texts came in that said it was Chris Rudolph in the avalanche. I've known Chris from Stevens, the industry and he was an amazing guy to be around. The reason I came back to Stevens Pass was because of him, he told me I was always welcome back and th...
Stevens Pass 2/16/12
I forgot how much I missed snowbanks until I drove up to Stevens Pass, parked the truck and realized that the looming height of them was back in my life. The northwest has gotten most of the storms in the US, riding powder while the rest of us were riding parks and groomers. So far Stevens Pass, Washington has an 84" snow base at the bottom and 102" at the top. The flakes were starting to really come down on the w...
