Summer Pilgrimage
Even though it has been snowing on and off for weeks my thoughts have been on spring and spring skiing. Even though everyone is talking about biking and the desert, I’m trying to focus on skiing the peaks of Crested Butte this spring and summer. Our snowpack is deep from a good snowfall this winter and will provide for some good skiing despite the “gray” layer that arrived instead of the “red dust layer” of past winters.
Read the rest of the story in “The Photo of the Weekly” at The Mountain Weekly News.
Pencil Chute – 14 years later
Last time I skied the Pencil Chute it was 1996 and I was on Tele’s!
Read about the first tracks down the Pencil here.
Oh yeah, and the Pack won the Superbowl.
Minus33 Men’s 100% Wool Expedition Weight Bottom Review
Read the full review at the Mountain Weekly News
Hydro Flask Double Wall Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle Review
Read the review at the Mountain Weekly News
Durango Herald exposure
Check out the story at the Durango Herald
SIA 2011-The Skinny and Fat
The Skinny and Fat-SIA 2011
Though our world of niche sports continues to grow the niches within them continue to get smaller. Similar to the mountain biking industry; ten years ago there were only a few categories of snow sports; powder and hardpack or backcountry and resort riding. Now after a an explosion of specialized gear there is: sidecountry, backcountry, ski mountaineer racing, all mountain, fat pow, carving, mid fat, early rise tips, rockered tails, full rockered skis and equipment to fit in all niches. And SIA was the place to see them all.
The buzz on the floor and at the on snow demo was all about the specialization and new technology of the construction of the new breed of skis entering the market. With the advent of the early rise tip, which makes turn initiation much easier, there are several new categories using this technology including Fisher Nordic skis. Walk by any booth at the show and you’d see buyers checking the camber on the skis comparing the traditional camber to the new rockered versions. Adding to the hoopla is the increased number of Boutique ski makers. At every turn around the biggest booths housing the now what could be called “big boxes” of ski manufacturers were smaller ma and pa, well maybe, bro and bra ski companies. These custom ski makers are offering choices like flat or rockered camber, custom graphics and twin tips. What both ends of the industry are producing are some of the wildest graphics ever seen. Most are one-of-a-kind artist works, many artists being pro athletes sponsored by any given company. The result is an incredibly diverse look to the ski graphic industry. Some designs are successful and some are not; some offensive, some not; some are congruent through the line and some are not. Ski Logik has demonstrated this boutique market beautifully with all natural wood inlay designs and Mother-of-Pearl accents. What is certain is that the ski industry continues to push the limits of innovation and creativity. Got Rocker and Art?
The category that has seen the biggest growth in the last year is the Alpine Touring industry. As mentioned above this category represents a large demographic that wants to get away from the traditional ski resort lift riding and earn their turns. Again, this group spans several niches filled by very special gear. At the heavy end, sidecountry (accessing the backcountry from ski resorts) skiers are looking for solid alpine performance from their gear as they escape from the lifts through backcountry gates opened by the resort. Many of the alpine manufacturers have jumped in with new offerings of stiff four buckle boots that offer a walking mode for returning to the lifts but keep the emphasis on all mountain performance and super wide skis for riding in powder. Dalbellow and Technica have very nice offerings of this sort. The next niche would be the traditional backcountry skier that shies away from the lifts all together. This gear has become much lighter and stiffer. You can now get nearly perfect alpine performance from a lightweight three buckle boot and binding system. For snowboarders there are an increased number of companies offering the Split-Board, a snowboard that comes apart in the middle to form two ‘skis’ to walk on. Skins have been specially cut to fit these boards. Equally as cool is the Mtn Approach ski that has skins permanently fixed and they fold up and go in your pack for the downhill. In addition to the Fritchi and Dynafit AT binding choices there are now several others in the alpine hiking department including Marker, G3 and La Sportiva all brands including several ‘weights’ and DIN release settings. In the silly light class is the Rando Racing equipment. This gear has taken light weight to the next level. Several companies have dedicated R&D to stripping down their boot/ski/binding into minimalist specifications. With the increased popularity of Rando Racing in the US, gear has seen many adjustments for what is now being called “ski running”. Scarpa, Dynafit and Ski Trab lead the charge with other companies like Camp-USA, Hagen, Goode and La Sportiva joining in the race. Last month Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee and Sunlight ski resorts held the US Ski Mountaineering Nationals to qualify a US Team for the World Championships in Italy later this month. COSMIC, the Colorado Ski Mountaineering Cup has gained increased popularity right in line with the growth of Dawn Patrollers skinning up the mountains before work. There has been much talk in the circles of racers that Ski Mountaineering will be added to the 2018 Olympics. Have you hugged a Rando Racer today?
Aside from the new ski, boot and binding tech there have been new innovations in some of the accessories as well. Helmets designs have come to feature new and exciting colors and patterns some so bright you can’t really look at them for too long. Integrating you tunes into the ear pads is old news but now offered in almost all brands. Brims and visors have taken on all shapes since first seen on the Giro 9 MX in 1997. Another product category that has seen gigantic growth is the consumerization of the helmet cam or Point of View video cameras. Just a year ago the $800 VIO POV was tops on the market and offered a “lipstick” lens that could attach anywhere on your body, bike or skis. The only drawback was the long cord that had to be connected to the actual camera body the size of a water bottle and only medium 780i resolution. Since then GoPro has introduced and ran with their GoPro HD Hero. A less than $300 investment will get you superior HD video in a compact and completely waterproof camera. If you have watched any sports on the national networks you have surely seen the GoPro videos in action. Their newest offering is a tandem mount for producing 3D HD movies from your helmet, ski or surfboard not to mention anywhere else. Also in the Tech division are the Recon/Zeal goggles which have transcended into TRON realms. The Transcend goggle offers a small GPS enabled LCD screen inside of the lens to track your location, speed, integrate your iPod play list and look at trail maps. Whoa, ground control to Major Tom!
Amazing to see at SIA was the hat and neck gaiter industry all competing for their spot in the market. For every ski or snowboard company there was a hat or gaiter booth next door. Judging by the popularity of the Buff (of Buff, Inc.), a super lightweight neck gaiter that virtually replaced the Turtle Furr gaiter and the outlaw look of the pro ski and snowboard riders, the other companies have jump into the ring. The choices were plentiful including traditional bandana looks to multiple configurations of fabric, neoprene and wearing options. Perhaps the most fun product in this category is the Beardski, a fully lined neck gaiter that fits great and transforms the average skier into a gnome gone skiing.
Perhaps the most contradicting observation at SIA is the fashion industry. While ski clothing has not changed a ton over the years from bright colors, waterproof breathable fabrics, men’s and women’s lines and great designs, what industry professionals are wearing has, especially the athletes. While passing absolutely exquisite booths filled with exceptional branding I couldn’t help but notice that the overall attitude among riders attending the show was to be dressed as derelict as possible. Baggy pants, naked ladies, pajamas, basketball jerseys and the nappiest hair do’s on most athletes, either sponsored or not, all contributed to the Gangsta trend of the ski industry. I wish I understood.
Overall I was thoroughly impressed with the SIA Trade Show and On Snow Demo. Never before have I seen the industry come together to play, talk, network and show off their big ideas and to see what the industry as a whole is up to. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season of testing products, shooting our models with them out in the field and developing the many new relationships that were started and strengthened at SIA.
Fischer Skis
Ski Logik
Dalbellow Boots
Technica Boots
Mtn Approach skis
Fritchi Bindings
Dynafit
Marker
G3
LaSportiva
Scarpa
Ski Trab
US Ski Mountaineering Nationals
COSMIC
GoPro
Recon Transcend
Buff, Inc.
Beardski
Outdoor Retailer 2011
On Snow Demo-Solitude Ski Resort-I woke up on Soldier Summit in my rack mount camper to a raging blizzard and the only thing I was excited about my first trade show as a newer professional photographer was the skiing quality and new gear I was to try. Sure enough, there was 8″ of powder covering a recently destroyed snowpack from rain the previous few days.
I immediately gravitated towards the end of the ski equipment booths were to see the products in the Dynafit and Black Diamond booths. As expected these were the most popular booths but I managed a pair of Dynafit TLT-5 boots and Stoke skis. Considering how much Rando Racing I have been covering lately, I really wanted to check out some of the lighter weight gear. The boots are feather light two buckle works of art. Single closure for top buckle and to close hiking mode. What is most noticeable from a skiing standpoint is the compact forward ready position these boots put you in. I skied the Stokes and the Race Performance skis on the TLT-5′s and both skied cut the rug like a pair of hockey skates, especially the Racing skis. I now understand what the racers are doing on these setups and saying about their performance.
From Dynafit I moved into the Scarpa Maestrale AT boots for testing some of the bigger skis. The Alpine Axial closure was immediately noticed; essentially a hinged tongue that rotates open for easy in and out and better volume adjustment. True to their description, these boots weigh a fraction of my older Lowa Strukturra Pro’s. Chris then got me on to some wider Trab’s that had twice the perceived density given the incredible light weight. The Trab’s skied like a much heavier and stable ski for its lightness.
There was a big crowd checking out the new La Sportiva ski line, a line based heavily on ski mountaineering. The fattest ski is light, nimble and even sports a square tail for using in mountaineering anchors. The other two skis are designed for traditional euro-style lighter weight alpine ski touring and another for Rando Racing. The line feature an integrated skins line similar to what you see in K2 products.
I found myself back at the Dynafit booth to try out their stiffer boots and to my luck I got in a pair of the new Titans. With a 130 flex, traditional four buckle system and super light weigh in, I was ready for anything. The time may have come when you no longer need to keep a pair of traditional alpine boots around anymore.
My timing turned out to not work out for testing the new Black Diamond skis. It could have been the constant swarm of people all positioning themselves to be next in line to grab a pair of new Megawatts or even Gigawatts! This was by far the most crowded booth at the on snow demo. From what I could see the new line has been completely redesigned using some of the success they have had in the Megawatt shape. The bigger skis all featured the early rise tips and somewhat flat camber with the biggest change being the new tips are much more tapered than the previous Megawatt mega-tip. Hopefully I will get on a pair at the SIA trade show this weekend in Winter Park.
The rest of the day was spent chit-chatting with the various vendors about the snow, new products and making arrangements to come to the trade show booths to follow up and exchange ideas. One of the more unique products at the on snow demo were the ski bikes. There were several variations; some with tires and some with mini snowboards. Everyone wanted to ride them and there was a demo by a pro rider from europe where there are full on slope-style and pipe competitions. I guess we’ll see how the American legal system accepts this.
Outdoor Retailer Floor Show-The floor of the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market trade show is something to behold. With net-sold square feet for Winter Market 2011 at 349,950 this was the largest footprint for the show in history. OR comes during a heavy buying period for the following winter season and the show is set up for buyers to come, inspect the new product lines and place their orders. The show is also for networking; most maintain old relationships that have grown over the years but also make new connections. The atmosphere is alive with excitement as all of the designers, athletes, buyers, CEO’s all mingle together under one roof.
Some of the booths themselves are mini trade shows. Big companies like The North Face and Patagonia erect grand structures ranging greatly from mall-like showrooms to recycled pallets. Some of the creativity put into the booth construction is worth seeing if nothing else. But oh is there else to see.
With new products at every turn it would take a lifetime to review and talk about every one but there were definite stand outs. I saw and talked about; heated clothing, padded socks, avalanche backpacks that work like an airbag, sleeping bags that wick away and soak up moisture, socks and shoes with toes in them, ultra ultra light ski racing equipment, custom clothing, distilled rum, water bottles that you can put your own picture on, recycled wet suit coozies, fat skis, skinny skis, etc, etc.
I walked the floor for two days meeting and greeting who I could to establish a new relationship. I’m looking forward to following up with everyone after the show to discuss the seasons ahead of product testing, review and shooting for the Mountain Weekly News and Crested Butte Photography.
My Setup
I’ve been watching a lot of Wold Cup Alpine racing lately and they talk a lot about the racers “setups”. This is the combo of boots/bindings/skis that the technicians ’setup’ for the conditions of the particular race day. The setup can make or break a day of racing regardless of training or luck.
The same goes for backcountry skiing. When your setup is working there is bliss; it is when your feet and skis are an extension of your core. I have to say I have not had a setup as blissful my current grouping of Black Diamond Megawatts, Fritchi Freerides and Lowa Struktura Pros for skiing the backcountry of Crested Butte.
Many would say the Megawatts are too big and heavy for a lot of touring and shorter tighter lines but being 5’9″ and 165 I can more than handle the shorter length of 178. In fact these skis at this length are as nimble and maneuverable as anything I skied. The big, gigantic even, early rise tips find their way down the fall line followed by an effectively short 130cm slalom like turning radius that makes for fun, confident steep tree and chute skiing. Granted, you would not ski them on the resort without at least 6″ of fresh, but who would be skiing at the resort then anyway? I’ve been on the Mega’s now for four seasons I continue to have fun and simply have confidence that my boards are there for me. The Megawatt 178 is a tried and true platform for the powder skier.
Good to be back in the CB BC
After an early morning shoot with Bryan Wickenhauser I headed out to Elk Creek with Matt Berglund, his friend Stu and my buddy Grant Bremer. None of us had been to the “Backnine” since at least 6-7 feet had fallen in the last few weeks. The terrain is steep and pocked with trees and rock outcroppings but it is not above treeline and does not see that much windloading which is where the greater avalanche dangers lie. We hit hole #5 as usual, our “test slope” to see how the snow behaved. Hole 5 has a very steep open headwall and very clean runout which is why we ski it first. First run went great and the snow felt solid albeit a bit slow due to all the cold temps overnight lately.
Matt Berglund was touring on a “noboard”, a snowboard that has no bindings on it for riding, only climbing. There is a bungi strap that he holds onto to keep the board sucked up to his feet. He rides it well, so well that it it hard to remember that he’s not attached. The style of riding is a bit more surf like as well. I says he rides the terrain to keep centered on the board finding all the subtle undulations like a surfer on a break.
Camp Glove shoot
I met Wick and crew at the bottom of Red Lady this morning just as the pink and purple of sunrise was turning into nice warm sunshine to shoot a pair of gloves for CAMP USA. The ski crew had just finished skiing the bowl right at sunrise, a popular thing to do these days. Dawn Patrolling has grown into a cult sport with as many as 15 or 20 people skinning up the ski area, Snodgrass or Mt Emmons to ski Red Lady. as of 6:45 this morning there had already been 7 people through the bowl. Good to see people out at the most beautiful time of day no matter what the season is.
Wick and I snapped a few shots and discussed the upcoming weekend of COSMIC racing and NFL Playoffs. Go Pack.
CS Irwin Movie Cabin and Snowcat shoot
The images are from a spring photo shoot I did for Dean Callis of Digital Innovations, the guys that installed the electronics in the snowcats and Movie Cabin. Many of the shots can be seen on the CS Irwin website.
The Ski Channel wrote this up on the CS Irwin operation that will be full fledge this winter. Image by Kevin Krill-Crested Butte Photography
Skiing December 2010
Skiing in December this year was a mixed bag. What sticks out most is the deepest day I think I’ve ever had in Elk Creek on December 18th. It was the first day of the “Perfect Storm” when Crested Butte got over five feet of snow the week before Christmas. While the first day of the storm produced 4% fluff, the rest of the storm was mostly water soaked snow. I let everyone know how I felt about the wet slop but soon shut up and let folks have their fun…
Check out my images of the carnage in town in my Winter 2010-11 post.
Skiing October 2010
Skiing is Believing! Kevin and I headed out on October 27th to see what was going on in the backcountry. We found thick heavy snow and better coverage than expected. We managed our way up the ridge and dropped in to Hole #4 in Elk Creek. I can officially say we were skiing. Tentatively at best; it was skiing well after we made it through the rock band and onto the apron.
Along the way we saw a dozen or so elk ascending the opposite side of the drainage and then more in the thick trees of Holes 2 and 3. Got some quick shots of the animals but really missed a good one having missed the “on” button on my camera. I think I coined a new term this fall; “Amateur-ville Horror”.
Skiing November 2010
Couldn’t believe the skiing this November. The snow has surprisingly deep and light. We are benefiting from an early and warm snow fall from October that has coated the ground with a stiff layer that is supporting us above the worst of the dead fall and stumps. I’m glad I grabbed the camera a few times to portray this awesome early season skiing. I just hope the snow continues!
The Cb Mountain Guides picked up on these images and posted one of them all over their website, blog and Facebook page. Hopefully this got people thinking about snow and coming to CB to git some. http://www.cbguidesblog.com/
Crested Butte Town Rando Race Series
Race 1-I braved the -17 temps this moring to catch the first Town Randonee race at Crested Butte Mount Resort. There were around ten racers including race founder Bryan Wickenhauser. Dan Cole of CBMR gave them a brief safety and route pitch and sent them on their way. After the race started I popped into the Avalanche for a classic breakfast of eggs, home fries and too much bacon anyone should eat in one sitting. Warmed up and full I headed out to the finish line to see if I could catch some cold faces. Check out the pictures.
Race 2-Pretty mellow out there this morning. All the regulars showed up and the race won by Brian Smith again. I only got a few stock images of CAMP gear, they are the last three in the gallery.
CS Irwin Cosmic Race
Irwin, Colorado-The first race of the season is today. Despite heavy snow overnight race organizer Bryan Wickenhauser says the race will go on.
What an awesome race! Thanks to Bryan Wickenhauser, Jake Jones, Cosmic and all the volunteers and racers that made this happen. After braving the conditions on Friday setting the course and wondering just how hard it was going to snow and blow over night we woke up to beautiful conditions of fresh powder, moderate temperatures and calm winds. The CS Irwin crew had been out on their control routes making the course safe and reporting stable conditions and excellent skiing. The crowds grew as the Bison and Tucker snow-cats delivered the racers and spectators to the venue at 10,000 feet and 11 miles from pavement. With reports of heavy trail breaking and some confusion in following the uphill flags that got buried overnight Wick had to pull out of the race and finish setting the first lap.
While the race was underway the weather broke a bit and offered us with some sunny spots revealing just some of the incredible terrain that is offered at CS Irwin. The lead changed throughout the race but in the end it was Brian Smith that won in a time of 2:12:18. Jan Koles (2:13:21) came in second and Pete Swenson (2:13:33) in third.
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Shane McConkey Signature Series Crowbar goggles review
OAKLEY SHANE MCCONKEY SIGNATURE SERIES CROWBAR GOGGLE
First Impression: When I was handed the Shane McConkey Signature Crowbar series goggles for testing I couldn’t tell if my heart stopped or sped up. As a skier that grew up amidst the free skiing revolution and idolizing skiers like Shane McConkey and then watch him fall off the planet in a skiing accident I couldn’t help feel the emotions well up. In the days of pro model everythings I knew that these goggles would have me looking through different eyes. It was a true honor to wear these goggles.
Fit: The first thing I noticed is how soft and supple the goggles feel. I was riding a snowmobile, hiking and skiing in the goggles and have to say the straps adjusted easily every time as I went from helmet to hat to head. Adding to the comfort was the lack of a buckle on the strap that often annoys me if I am not wearing a helmet. The triple fleece face foam cushioned my face against the 60 miles per hour snowmobile ride up to CS Irwin snow cat ski area.
Construction: The O-matter chassis has a conforming shape and the strap outriggers help the helmet fit either with or without a helmet. The Plutonite lens material provides 100% protection against UVA, UVB, UVC and harmful blue light and has increased in size for better peripheral vision.
Performance: And that they did. I took the Oakley Shane McConkey Goggles up to the CS Irwin snow cat skiing area for product testing. After snowmobiling up to 12,000 feet in the McConkey Crowbars my eyes were safely secure behind the Black Iridium lenses. It was snowing hard and due to the high winds we were forced to hike in our goggles, how perfect? Ive never been able to keep my goggles from fogging, the Crowbars stayed virtually fog free during the hike through the woods. I even had to take on and off different layers finding that the straps on the goggles were adjusted easily. The all fabric straps are more comfortable and less cumbersome than straps with the often annoying metal or plastic clasp that breaks the strap in two for putting on over a helmet. I wore the goggles with and without a helmet. As we approached Scarp Ridge at 12,100 feet the wind was raging and it was absolutely dumping. It was the kind of day that you depended on your equipment for survival. We booted up dog leg chute and topped out in the crumholtz trees not daring to mess with any of our stuff. The other two people I was with had given up on their goggles and were squinting into the blinding snow while my eyes were calm and comfortable in the Crowbars.
Style: The SM Crowbar graphics are everything you’d expect from a McConkey product-subtle and styled. Shane was never known for his outrageous fashion statements like other pros but he was known for doing it just plain right. The blueish, greenish, brownish almost urban camo sounds awful but if you look close you’ll find that it is total class. The unique art is actually inspired by metalwork created by Shane’s wife Sherry. On the front of the goggles is the classic Oakley -O- embossed in metal.
Overall Impression: Like the Jerry AK Launchers and the K2 Coombas, these goggles will represent one of skiing’s most cherished contributors to the sport. These will only come out on the special days; the days when skiing is life. RIP Shane. (Oakley is providing 10% of the proceeds from this goggle to Shane’s wife and daughter.)
Retail: $195.00
Colors: McConkey/Grey Polarized
Location: Irwin Lodge, West of Crested Butte, CO
Weather Conditions: Blowing snow, winter blizzard like conditions
READ THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN THE Mountain Weekly News
