The Season in Pictures: Part I

The moments that made the season...enjoy! 01. "It's a little firm..." We went to Mammoth on a whim in early November. There was no snow in Utah and we were both chomping at the bit to go ride. We knew Mammoth Mountain was opening so we figured there would be touring options in the Eastern Sierras. It took some searching and asking around, but we found snow high up on Tioga Pass around Saddlebag Lake. This couloir was our first line of the season. It was way steeper than we thought and had a no fall zone near the top that would have led to going off a cliff. I went first on this one, and after surviving, thought it would be good advice to tell Tony how the snow was. I yelled up "it's a little firm," which might have been the biggest understatement of the season. The snow was just about bulletproof. This one got the adrenaline pumping big time. It was the first of many classic days spent in the backcountry. 02. Moonset It was a memorable moment on an otherwise forgettable day. Tanner and I had this line picked out in American Fork Canyon. It was south facing so we got an early start. It was still early in February, but warm temperatures were in the forecast. Still, we knew we had enough of a window to get up and back. Too bad the skinning conditions had other plans. After getting off the summer road, we were met with steep, impossibly firm snow that wasn't even skinnable with splitboard crampons. We ended up basically crawling up that section on all fours. We got into the alpine well after we wanted and the snow was becoming saturated in direct sunlight. Our skins were glopping insanely bad. To the point where we were stopping every five minutes it seemed. We got to a point where continuing onward would have been futile. Not every mission is a total success. We still had a pretty long mellow run back to the car. It sucked to turn around, but there is nothing in the mountains worth putting yourself in harm's way for. At least the moonset was spectacular... 03. Olympian Sometimes you just need a good old fashioned sufferfest. The day after getting shut down in American Fork Canyon, we got up early and headed for the Memorial Couloirs off Mt. Olympus. We approached via Tolcat's Canyon and exited via Neffs. What a slog of a day. Rock scrambling, bushwhacking, and soul searching. Also Tolcat's Couloir is way longer than it looks. We were 20 minutes from the top for about 2 hours. We got to ride pow, though. And all the hikers we came across in lower Neffs on the exit were confused as shit when the saw us, which was pretty funny. 04. Japanuary We saw a different side to Japan this year. Normal weather in January on Hokkaido means almost constant snowfall. We had almost constant sunshine. The weather allowed us to get into the alpine, which would be a no go in any other conditions. I had heard of the Japanese Alps on the main island, but was unaware of any big terrain on Hokkaido. Seeing how big the mountains are on the north island changed my whole perspective on Japan. 05. The One That Got Away There is no denying that I totally blew this shot. I wanted to capture Mike doing a butter in the trees. I should have taken the time to set up the shot better instead of just coasting on auto focus. I wanted the tree in the foreground blurred out, but got it reversed. I still think it looks kind of cool. Mike, if you're reading this, I'm sorry for fucking up the shot. I'll make up for it this season! 06. Missed the Bus This was actually one of my favorite moments of our trip to Japan. We somehow managed to get to a trailhead we wanted to tour from and almost back to our hostel in Furano. We knew we had to change buses. We didn't know that we also had to walk across town to another bus station. Meanwhile, it's bitter cold and we're all exhausted. I'm pretty sure it was Megan and Ally that figured out where we were actually supposed to catch the bus. Walking through the empty streets of Japan late at night was pretty cool. We got some snacks and beers from the Sevvy and eventually got on the right bus. 07. On Top of the World Tanner has become one of my most reliable touring partners. Right before I left for the Solomon Islands in June, I talked Tony and him into going out to Deseret Peak. We scored perfect summer corn on a pleasant day in early June. The vistas in the Stansbury's are some of the best in Utah, especially looking back toward the Great Salt Lake. Here's Tanner taking in the view from a rocky pinnacle, high above the line we rode. 08. Everybody Loves Raymond The East Face of Mt. Raymond has been high on my hit list for a while. Back in March, Tony, Tanner, and I finally made it happen. The views from the peak are incredible in all directions. Here, Tony and Tanner contemplate their lines from the peak. We scored prefect corn for the ride down. 09. Patriotic Tourin' Tuesday 4th of July and Tourin' Tuesday...sometimes the stars (and stripes) align. Main Chute was in spectacular shape on the 4th of July this year. That's what happens when we have a good snow year. We were able to ride almost to the Collins mid-station. We were also able to take the tram to the top of Snowbird, cutting out almost all of the hike to the top of Baldy. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Independence Day than snowboarding at a ski area that doesn't allow snowboarders on their lifts.