If you are reading this, it means you are really into skiing.
Why else would you take time out of your day to read the opinions of some ski bum?
If you are a fellow ‘ski bum’, maybe you could find solace in what I say.
My life has had a fairly directional path since an early age.
Looking back on my life there are the days before park skiing, and the days after.
The Good, Bad and the Ugly, if you will.
Spending a week ski touring a zone I am very familiar with in the opposite season feels very comforting.
It’s funny how your perspective of what is important in life shifts as the years go by.
When good skiing buddies would tell me that they were done with skiing, I didn’t understand.
How could you walk away from something that you were so passionate for?
I didn’t look at it as moving on, I looked at it as giving up.
I am just now starting to understand the mentality and reasons behind peoples decisions to ‘leave’ the sport.
), just not having it as the #1 priority in life.
Ok, I’ll let the rest of my rant be accompanied by pictures.
Are you people even still reading this shit?
I stopped a paragraph ago.
This is Darryl the helicopter pilot.
I offered a fight to the death, but he didn’t seam too keen.
This range sees a lot of snow in the winter!
Cranberry Mountain (2872M) with it’s accompanied glacier on the flight in.
For backcountry lodges, it doesn’t get more pimp than this.
Three floors, sauna, heat, power, running water (hot showers!!!
), internet, the luxuries go on and on.
Taken near the lodge looking south into my ‘office’.
The feels I had to finally ski the mountains I’ve been staring at summer after summer were many.
Rory looking out over the tenure at sunset of our first day there.
Getting a feel for our home for the next week.
This is Steve Shannon.
He’s a good friend of mine, and a not to shabby photographer.
There was no escape on this trip unfortunately.
With the ongoing quest of ‘getting the shot’ there was a lot of hurry up and wait time.
(Thanks for putting up with my angst Steve!)
Across a shallow valley from the lodge, this is the go to skiing when alpine isn’t good.
Short, steep, easy to lap, and more pillows and cliffs than you might count.
We had 9 people spend a whole day lapping this zone one day without running out of fresh snow.
My first proper drop of the season.
Photo by: Steve Shannon
Rory on his silly tele skis getting some air for the camera.
As explained earlier, Steve was on a photo taking mission all week.
With that I didn’t end up taking nearly as many action shots as I normally do.
Steve’s picture turned out way better than mine!
Steve getting the shot of Rory.
Tele skiers, so hot right now.
Holly Walker trying to find her way down a pillow section in Baldur Zone.
Holly making that ever crucial first turn before dropping into a stack of pillows.
My solution - go and make a run at build a jump.
I haven’t built any feature in a few years so building this hip was very therapeutic for me.
This self portrait comes straight out of ‘99 style wise and I love it.
Hate it all you want, I had a blast that day.
What touring trip is complete without bagging at least one peak?
Sol Mountain is the peak on the right, this picture taken from the lodge.
That’s Steve standing on top, doing his birthday dance I can only assume.
Not bad for a guy who just switched to skiing from snowboarding last year.
All in all, the trip was fun.
Did I gain any true spiritual insight into myself on this trip?
I’d like to think so.
Am I any better off now than before?
Steve Shannon Photograhy:https://www.facebook.com/SteveShannonPhotography
Sol Mountain Lodge:http://www.solmountain.com/winter/skiing-amp-terrain.html
