Archive for the 'Events' Category

Worst Fall I’ve Ever Taken

Published
by
Andrew
on November 19, 2008
in Events
. 5 Comments

In the name of exercise and fresh air, we skinned up the groomer at Alta this morning and once at the top of the Collins Chair, I looked over toward Mt. Baldy, which brought back memories of the worst fall I’ve ever taken.

At the time, I was still kind of into resort skiing and was up at Alta on a nice day with my wife (now ex-wife) when the Patrol opened the gates to Baldy Chutes.  It was late in the season and I was amp’d to get up there, so I punched out the booter approach and waited at the top of what I think is called “Perla’s” on the trailmap.  While waiting for the wifey, a bunch of skiers passed me and headed over to Baldy Chute, so I decided that this untracked line would be good enough and waited for my wife.  And waited.  And waited.

By the time she showed up (all of about five minutes later, but I never said I was a patient person), I was ready to go.  The line had a micro cornice on it and I had tossed a snowball down on the landing to see if it was soft, which it appeared to be.  Once Chris-The-Ex showed up, I slid off the cornice, expecting to land on a little soft ridge of snow.

Instead of a soft ridge, it was firm and I immediately fell backwards.  At this point I was still pissed off about waiting, so I didn’t panic too much, but suddenly, I realized I was airborne and accelerating really, really fast.

I was trying to spot my landing, but hit on my side, which kicked me up in the air even higher, and not only that, now I was cartwheeling.  I still wasn’t panicked by the time I hit again, but this time it was like the turbocharger had kicked in - now I was waaaaay off the ground cartwheeling completely out of control.

Oppph... this brings back some bad memories. Perla's Ridge at Alta.
Oppph… this brings back some bad memories. Perla’s Ridge at Alta.

I saw the landing coming, but again landed on my side/head, and now picked up even more speed and altitude.  At some point, rocks, trees and sky all blended together and I realized I was either going to break my back or die.

The next time I hit…  I landed upright with both my skis on at a complete stop!  It was 100% pure luck. I had covered about 500′ of vertical distance hitting only four times and only lost my sunglasses.

Since it was a warm sunny day in the spring, there were a group of people hanging around at the top of the then Germania chair, who gave me a round of applause.  A minute or so later, a lone ski patroller came out the traverse (I had stopped about five feet above it) and asked if I was alright.  I said I was, to which he said “You are really lucky, you know that?” 

It was for sure, pure luck that I wasn’t hurt and more than anything in my skiing life before, changed the way I ski.  Nowadays I’m much more conservative, don’t huck cliffs, try to get falls under control immediately, and of course, never, ever wait for my ex-wife.
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Black Diamond PowderKeg R.I.P.

Published
by
Andrew
on November 11, 2008
in Events and Racing
. 5 Comments

It was great while it lasted, but after six years, two World Cup events and many exciting moments, the Black Diamond PowderKeg has become history and will not be held this year. Sigh.

I was involved with the PowderKeg as the Course Setter & Technical Director and one of my favorite aspects of the race was working with Butch Adams (Race Director) and Colleen Nipkow (Queen of Everything). It was a great event and brought people in from all over the U.S. and different parts of the world.

Not only were the Euro racers ungodly fast, they were also a blast to hang around with afterwards.

The course went through various iterations with each year being slightly different than the last. The original course started at Alta, crossed through the backcountry into Solitude, then climbed back out and finished at Brighton. In subsequent years it started and finished at Alta, as much for logistical simplicity as anything else.

For me, the event was always a nail-biter as our policy was that we definitely hold a race and not cancel it, which is easier said than done when the avalanche danger was shooting all over the board with either too much snow, too much warming, or glaze ice conditions. Racers always rallied with the last second changes and aside from a few cuts and bruises, we never had a serious injury. (wheesh!)

Dylan Freed helping set up the PKeg on a typical prerace day.

Setting the course and holding the race took a small army of volunteers, or which we had a core group of about 60. I may be biased, but having attended World Cup events in Europe and many races in the U.S., the PowderKeg was very well run, thanks to Jen Logan (Volunteer Coordinator), Colleen Nipkow and all of the people who helped out. Thanks again everyone!

I would usually start marking the course a few days in advance, and of course, that is when it would start snowing, so I would end up recruiting help to redo it over and over right up to the last second. The race started right at sunrise to help clear people out of Alta before it opened, and my favorite moment of the event was standing at the top of a distant checkpoint with a group of volunteers and hearing over the radio that the race had begun. At this point it was like watching a domino maze topple in front of you as there wasn’t much you could do to change the outcome once it started. The year that the start went through a field of ice moguls and almost wiped out half the field was memorable, but everyone survived and made it to the finish.

A huge thanks goes out to Black Diamond for hosting it for so many years and for Patagonia’s continued support! There were some mighty fine memories.

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16th Annual Backcountry Bash Fundraiser - Colorado

Published
by
Andrew
on October 1, 2008
in Events
. 6 Comments

A few years ago, I gave a slideshow at a Backcountry Snowsports Alliance (BSA) meeting and had a chance to talk to the Directors and see what the program is all about.  In a nutshell, BSA organizes human-powered backcountry users into a single voice to help preserve non-motorized areas in Colorado’s public lands.  I think this is an excellent idea, as more often-than-not, he with the biggest motor wins at the expense of the human powered experience. 

The Myth: Cute, fuzzy, innocent, quiet, law abiding citizens…

Unfortunately, rogue snowmobiliers can’t be relied on to police themselves, so it is up to groups like BSA to help them be better people by bringing land use issues to the table.  This is a growing concern in the Wasatch Mountains and when I asked a Swiss friend what they did about it  in Switzerland, he said “Oh, they have been outlawed for recreational use for quite a while.”  

Reality: Loud, wilderness poaching, law breaking, smoke belching, rebels.

The BSA fund raiser bash is being held in Golden, Colorado on November 8th and will feature a showing of the latest PowderWhores production, The Pact.  More details are below.

_______________________________________________
For Immediate Release:

 September 16, 2008

 16th Annual Backcountry Bash ushers in winter at American Mountaineering Center

The 16th Annual Backcountry Bash, a benefit for winter backcountry preservation, will take place on Saturday November 8, 2008 at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, Colorado.  The Backcountry Bash, the largest annual fundraiser for the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance, will feature complimentary hor d’ourves and drinks, silent and live auctions, gear giveaways, and a special screening of Powderwhore Productions’ The Pact.

The 16th Annual Backcountry Bash will feature more than $10,000 in auction items from leading outdoor industry manufacturers and retailers, as well as lodging and services from around Colorado.  Items for auction will include hut stays in numerous Colorado locations, avalanche safety equipment, and technical apparel.  As always, this year’s event will also feature giveaways for high quality outdoor gear.

Admission to the 16th Annual Backcountry Bash is $30 and will be available for advance purchase at the REI Denver Flagship and Boulder stores, Bent Gate Mountaineering, and online at www.backcountryalliance.org. 

The Backcountry Snowsports Alliance (BSA) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization based in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Since 1992, the BSA has represented skiers, snowshoers, snowboarders, and all human-powered winter recreationists in preserving non-motorized areas across Colorado’s public lands.  The organization currently undertakes projects at Vail, Red Mountain, and Rabbit Ears Passes, as well as Peak 6 near Breckenridge Ski Area, Richmond Ridge near Aspen, and Hahn’s Peak in north Routt County.  The BSA has worked with a diverse range of user groups and land agencies to create quiet recreation opportunities at Wolf Creek, Buffalo, and Vail Passes and supports the services provided by Colorado’s backcountry hut operators.

More information will be found at www.backcountryalliance.org when available.

For more information, contact:

Brian Holcombe
Executive Director,
Backcountry Snowsports Alliance
303-494-5266
brian@backcountryalliance.org

What:              16th Annual Backcountry Bash, a benefit for winter backcountry preservation

Who:               Presented by the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance and Powderwhore Productions

When:             November 8, 2008, 5:30 - 10:30pm

Where:         American Mountaineering Center
                       710 10th Street
                       Golden, Colorado

 


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“Heart of Stone” video debute

Published
by
Andrew
on August 9, 2008
in Events
. 6 Comments

August 8th, 2008 was a momentous day.  Not only was it our daughter’s first birthday (which qualifies us as semi-responsible parents), but the Summer Outdoor Retailer show started in Salt Lake City.  As if that wasn’t enough…  “Heart of Stone” was also released on YouTube.com.  This was the practice film we produced at the Serac Adventure Films film school last week and features some stellar acting. As a bonus, this version is the Executive Director Mercy Cut which brings it down to ten minutes.

Keep your expectations low and check it out below…

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Photo Gallery - Shishapangma 1999

Published
by
Andrew
on July 23, 2008
in Events
. 0 Comments

After discussing avalanche avoidance for the last few days, it seemed like a good time put up some photos from one of my worst avalanche experiences - Shishapangma 1999, where Alex Lowe and David Bridges died in a massive slide while scouting a route near the base of the line we were hoping to ski.

The event was covered by MountainZone.com and is still available on their website at:

http://classic.mountainzone.com/climbing/99/shishapangma/

Got Gas?

Published
by
Andrew
on July 16, 2008
in Events
. 3 Comments

Skiing in the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains of Alaska is incredible, yet even better is flying around up there with Paul Claus of Ultima Thule Lodge in one of his bitchin’ airplanes.  Paul is an amazingly accomplished climber/skier with endless first ascents/descents to his credit, but these skills are eclipsed by his flying skills.  Flying with Paul in the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains is like  being on stage with The Who or the Rolling Stones at Madison Square Gardens - you might only be a dorky bystander, but just being there is an amazing experience.

Paul holds the record (world record?) for short take-offs, which is something like 42.5 feet.  I can’t begin to imagine the places he has taken off and landed in, but on a recent trip up to his neighborhood, we watched him land his plane, shut it down and turn into his hanger which was in the first 200′ of the landing strip.  We were all impressed, but it was just business as usual for Paul.

Crashed Ultima Thule 185 Cessna

The crumpled Cessna 185 pictured above was one of the mainstays of the Ultima Thule Lodge and has delivered hundreds of climbers, skiers and explorers all over the Wrangell-St.Elias range.  While recently being flown by a friend of Paul’s, it ran out of gas and during an emergency crash-landing on a riverbed, perhaps ended its long, illustrious life. 

But, it is not like the Ultima Thule Lodge to be unprepared for events like this and they happened to have a new plane literally waiting in the wings…

The new Ultima Thule Lodge 185 Cessna

Below is a commemorative photo of the old 185 being flown by Jay “Birdman” Claus (Paul & Donna’s 20 year-old son) over the WSE Mountains with Mt. Logan in the background, from 2008:

RIP 185 - May You Fly Forever in the Great Skies Above!

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New Forum (ohhh laaa la…)

Published
by
Andrew
on July 11, 2008
in Events
. 0 Comments

StaightChuter.com now has a sleek, sexy new phpBB forum! It still needs some tweaking, but the basic structure is there and it appears to work.  If you get a chance, please stop by and check it out.  It supports avatars, photos, etc..  The forum can be accessed by clicking on the “FORUMS” tab on the main straightchuter.com page, or by going directly to it at:

http://www.straightchuter.com/forums/