Tag Archives: powder

Overkill!

For everyone who has ever asked, “Didn’t you just go [hiking|skiing|biking|rafting|kayaking|insert outdoors sport of choice here]?”  Well here is my response.  And you may (in fact I encourage you to) quote me on this.


This represents the first ‘lengthy’ video I’ve done in quite a while.  After roughly a year of considerable slacking, and the associated accumulation of interesting footage, I decided enough was enough.  No point in owning two GoPros and two expensive point-and-shoots without ever doing anything cool with the footage.  In the end, this video uses on the the Hero 3 Black and HD Hero footage – the rest of the stills I’m saving for subsequent projects.

One of my goals for this project was to collect up all of the clips which were cool but did not really warrant a standalone treatment.  Additionally, I really wanted to focus on quality over quantity.  I settled on a thematically appropriate soundtrack which was only moderately long and lent itself to the ‘story’ being told.  With the intent of producing what is essentially a mashup of miscellaneous old footage, a moderately long soundtrack should let me cram in a lot of random stuff without feeling the need to add filler or fade out the music after I’ve run our of exciting footage.  The numerous ‘false endings’ provide the ability to naturally segment the clips and offer some periodic changes in tempo.  Also, it’s Motorhead.  Seriously, there is not enough classic heavy metal in action sports or pop culture, or really anywhere…

Good Karma

Over the weekend Karma payed dividends in the form of the ol’ white gold!  It all started with getting Xterrible stuck in a ditch on a snowy roadside somewhere in Vermont…

…As we arrived at the trail head, as described by a friend of a friend, we attempted to pull onto the shoulder and out of the road.  I flipped on the 4WD and crept into the half foot or so of fluff on the edge of the road…only to be promptly pulled into a ditch immediately beside the road.  Strongly suspecting I’d just sabotaged our day, Kelly and I exchanged dubious glances as I threw it into reverse and vainly tried to pull out of the snow.  No dice.  We shoveled a bit.  Also not helpful.  In a last-ditch effort, Kelly took the wheel while I pushed.  The notion of me pushing a 5000 lb car is pretty ridiculous, but the idea of three of me pushing a 5000 lb car  begins to sound plausible.   If only there were two more of me…

Right on cue, two burly snowmobilers emerged at the trail and took notice of our plight.  They strolled over and with one big heave between the bunch of us, we had the car back on the road.  We thanked them profusely, cleared out a proper parking area, and started getting our gear ready for the tour.

As we concluded our gear harmonizing, a jovial ski-bum looking fellow rolled up in an old Toyota T-100 truck and introduced himself.  Turns out this guy was also here to explore  the unknown stashes that were thought to lay somewhere in the woods beyond.  We teamed up with out new touring partner Zach, and the blind led the blind into the woods.

We followed the snowmobile trail into the forest; an easy skin after maybe a dozen snow machines packed it out for us.  After 30 minutes or so we came around a corner to find a couple of sledders trying to drag a their machine back onto the trail, where it had apparently slid off.  Sympathetic to their plight, Zach and I put our backs into it, and between the four of us had the sled back on the trail in a jiffy.

Having balanced our pool of Karma we traveled deeper into the woods in search of the elusive powder stashes.  After a series of fortuitous educated guesses we happened across the elicit goods!  We set a skin track up one of the best looking pitches and indulged in several laps of powdery euphoria.

Update: video now available here.

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Gear List

 

Marker Lord SP Ski Binding Black/White/Teal, 110mm Marker Lord SP Ski Binding Black/White/Teal, 110mm

Marker is the only manufacturer that makes a non-touring binding that accommodates AT and alpine boots safely: the Lord SP Ski Binding. The burly, made-for-ripping Triple Pivot Elite toe features a pin system that you adjust for AT or alpine boots. Finer adjustment is made with the AFD plate. Because some people don’t like their touring bindings unless, well, they’re touring. These designated downhill bindings are lighter than the AT bindings, and most time burlier for harder-charging descents. So when you can handle specialized bindings, rather than making a compromise when inbounds, you do.






POC Synapsis 2.0 Helmet White, S POC Synapsis 2.0 Helmet White, S

POC engineers backed up with ultralight shell of the Synapsis XP Helmet with APB technology that provides supreme protection in a feathery 13oz package. A new turnring adjustment system allows you to dial the fit of the 2. 0 to your liking quickly and easily. Two oversized vents allow fresh air to enter and circulate your lid so hot-headed shredders can send cliffs or throw down in the park in cool comfort. Ballistic APB places a layer of pentration-proof Aramid between the molded shell and liner, allowing for a thin outer shell that’s both ultralight and protectiveAn EPS liner provides single-impact protection that keeps your head safe without weighing you downOptional visor is included for keeping the sun out of your eyes or looking wicked gnarly






Black Diamond GlideLite Mohair Mix STS Climbing Skin One Color, 125mm Black Diamond GlideLite Mohair Mix STS Climbing Skin One Color, 125mm

A mix of fast, natural mohair material and durable nylon make the GlideLite Mohair Mix STS Climbing Skin Black Diamond’s most versatile long-haul GlideLite system. This skin is up to 60g lighter than similar Ascension models, and both front and back are adjustable so it’s easy to swap between your touring skis. Who wouldn’t want the best balance of efficient glide, reliable traction, and weight for their buck?






GoPro HERO4 Black Edition One Color, One Size GoPro HERO4 Black Edition One Color, One Size

If you take a look at the tech specs of the new GoPro Hero4 Black Edition camera, and then give us a call to point out some mistakes we made in the numbers, because you simply don’t believe them, we won’t be entirely shocked. The new Hero4 Black is the most advanced camera GoPro has made, and it boasts capture capabilities that rival cameras that cost ten times as much. The 4 is an eye-popping evolution of the already-impressive Hero3+ camera, and that’s where engineers started when they really wanted to knock it out of the park, and then some. The Hero3 and the 3+ were incredibly capable cameras, indeed, but the new Hero4 generation takes things to the next level. A lot has changed, but some basics haven’t, such as the overall dimensions of the camera. Exterior dimensions of the camera itself and its cases are all virtually unchanged. The Hero’s fantastic, wide-angle, six-element aspherical lens (f/2. 8-6. 0) also remains unchanged, ensuring the same stunning clarity and scope of your photos and videos, at virtually any light level, as we came to expect from the 3. Three field of view settings — ultra-wide, medium, and narrow — grant you an unmatched selection of perspectives. And for those lower light conditions, GoPro introduces new Night Photo and Night Lapse long-exposure imaging modes. Those mesmerizing time-lapse pictures of the stars trailing through a dark sky, or the rivers of headlights and taillights that form when capturing an urban scene at night? They’re yours to take now. Customizable settings for exposures of up to 30 seconds — whether taken individually or in Time Lapse mode for successive hours or exposures — mean you can capture an almost unlimited range of time-lapse events with the utmost precision. Also new to the Hero4 is its sound-capturing abilities. GoPro fielded feedback from audiophiles and everyday users alike to fine-tune the Hero’s microphone, which now captures far greater fidelity and boasts almost double the dynamic range of ..






A Bit Of Everything in the PNW: Day 1

Sweeney managed to book a trip to visit me out in Seattle and experience the skiing, hiking, climbing and whatever else we could squeeze into four days.

Day one, last Friday, involved heading up to Steven’s Pass for a ski tour at Yodelin.  There we were introduced to our new friend Claudio, visiting from Switzerland, and together we enjoyed some excellent powder skiing.

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Claudio and I enjoying the view.

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The authors of this site together in the West for the first time in years.

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We did a few laps up top in a thinly treed, fairly mellow zone, all having a ball.  During a short stop for lunch Claudio shared Swiss specialties and we basked in the views.  Descending we found a slightly steeper slope and opened up the throttle a bit.

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I compiled some footage below.  Sweeney’s goPro was unfortunately having some issues.

Yodelin was a fairly short tour, but a good introduction to the PNW and only the first adventure of the trip.  Stay tuned for climbing, hiking and more ski touring, we packed it in.