Luckily we got lots of snow while they were here. We also carried our Circuit Powder surf up the chair, this was E2′s idea and it turned out to be a good one. It was pretty deep and kinda heavy so the powder surf was right at home.
The igloo was a bit harder to find this time around. Will be interesting to see what it looks like after a few more dumps.
Hiking laps in the backcountry is my favorite thing to do.
Our conditions have been nothing short of amazing considering how the rest of the country is fairing. Not that we are getting huge dumps but when Utah and Tahoe are still bare, 6” feels deep. I don’t preach as much as I used to about WHY you should snowskate. I think you should do what ever gets you stoked. But for me,(preaching) riding with my kids on a snowskate is way more fun then other options. I think it keeps us on the same level and I’m able to help them out if they have trouble with their gear which always seems happens. It started with the massive laps we used to do on the bunny hill, which on a skate feels more like intermediate and now I find that taking my sons into the backcountry on a skate is kinda the same. We aren’t hitting extreme terrain just fun little pow fields. When they get stuck or need a break from carrying their gear its so easy to help out when your not strapped down. Anyways here’s another short vid of the Igloo zone. Cole is the one launching.
With the igloo done and stocked with sleeping bags and pads the only thing left to do was sleep in it. The weather after Xmas was kinda finicky and we passed on two scheduled dates which had moderate temps but rainy conditions. That left New Year’s Eve as the next option but the temps at 6000’, the igloo elevation, were going to be around 15 degrees. I wasn’t sure I had that much faith in the igloo to keep us warm, but folks who knew assured me that we would be cozy. Dec 31, turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, perfect for our hike in. We would at least start out the night dry. Arriving around 2 pm we started work on a wind break wall to the south. This got us warmed up and having fun.
We hiked a bit from the igloo and dug a couple of test pits. Pulled out our probes and measured the snowpack at 120 cm. We did an extended column test and found that the snowpack was looking pretty stable. It started getting dark around 4:30 so we headed in to cook dinner. We all felt pretty warm but the outside temps were dropping fast. In the igloo the boys pulled off their ski boots and put on their hut booties we had bought the night before. This turned out to be a huge comfort to their toes and no one complained to me about cold feet. With the candles lit things started to feel pretty comfortable, but it would get a lot colder and the thin door of the igloo with a 3” gap at the bottom didn’t look capable of stoping the cold. We had it pretty cush, thought, with ipod and speakers, DS game machine, tons of chocolate and stash of fireworks, Around 7 pm we went out to light em.
I jammed the first rocket into the snow and lit it. It quickly became evident that I had jammed it too far cause it wasn’t going airborne. Oh crap exploding rocket in our faces! We ducked towards the igloo as it blew up! Ok second one not so deep and it launched and exploded with flares. After the light show we returned to the igloo and felt how much warmer it was inside than outside and I knew we were going to be ok. We pulled out the sleeping bags and hunkered down with the “stuff you should know” podcasts playing on the ipod. We slept pretty good and stayed warm and dry, I was amazed! The next morning brought clear skis and nice temps. We had oatmeal and hot chocolate for breakfest, then got our gear on. We got some visitors, Cole and the Munro Family, Chris, Kathleen, Marshal and Owen. The boys started building jumps and we started doing laps. It was a blast!!
We got back out on Sat to wrap up the roof and get some laps in. Everything worked great and I think this Igloo will last the season.
Its pretty cozy inside, especially if you are sitting on a pad. We’ve stocked it with some candles, chocolate, area map and the latest issue of Starfish for anyone who happens to find it while tromping around in the backcountry.
After we were sure the roof was settled we remove the building jig and dug a trench down the middle so you can sit comfortably with your legs down. All that’s left now is to spend the night in it. Me and my sons, Max and Teig, are planning on spending a night this week. They are up for the adventure only because they have no idea what’s in store.
We made an igloo in the back yard with our Ice box igloo maker last year. But the backcountry turns are a little fickle in the yard so this year we put it in a more turn friendly place. This spot is about 1/4 mile out of bounds and is at the top of a small mound with turns all the way around it. Seemed like a good location.
We packed it down with our snowshoes and leveled out a spot. The first row is the slowest and most important because it sets the angle of the dome.
The second row things get going a little faster cause the packer doesn’t have to be on his knees the whole time.
The snow was pure sugar, which makes a really strong block when you pack it carefully. The downside is it takes almost twice as long to build. With wet snow you can build an igloo in 2-3 hours. After 4 hours we still had the final top to do and the sun was setting so we had to leave it unfinished. I figure it still has about an hour of building time left. Will post a completed pic as soon as I can.
Ps: if you look right above Cole‘s head in the last picture you will se a tower on the hill in back. That is the resort boundary.
The new issue of Starfish has an article by Jeremy Jensen about the Sawtooth trip. Great pics and text so check it out. To go along with the article I uploaded the Sawtooth video to Youtube. Its pretty close to the original I posted right after the trip but with a few additions and some new music courtesy of Audio Swap.
The snow is just barely holding on in the back-country. Still finding untracked stashes and solid snow to build jumps with. My boys built this kicker using our snow-saw.
The triple chair opened for the season today, which gave us access to some pretty great bowls and also the back-country gate at the top. Got up early to get in line and ended up on the fourth chair. Inbounds was great, no complaints but it seemed like a good day to head into the backcountry and check out the snowpack. This is our 3rd season meeting once a week for an out of bounds hike. Within 30 yards of the gate we knew it was gonna be fun.
Conditions couldn’t have been better and the pit we dug made the snowpack look bomber, at least where we were. Can’t wait for the next week.
Its been a great start to 2011/12 season. Friday started out with 10 inches of new snow. A bit wind blown but really fun. Found ourselves a little patch of pow and built a jump. My boys built an even bigger kicker off to the side that we ended up having fun on. Its great when you get to the point where your kids do the work for ya.
Been meaning to post some video on how to swap out subs with my trucks. Here’s a short bit with some riding on the new 145.
It dumped pretty good this week. Views from the shop made it hard to get anything done.
Jordan and Oliver stopped by which was reason enough to get out and ride a bit.
I guess if you hang out with Jordan you better be able to ride a snowskate on the box.
For me, backside wall rides never get old.
While we were riding the bus dropped off the kids and well it was hard to get a run in after that. I’ve raised a group of poachers.
Tieg off the roof.
Avery 50/50
Max bomb drop off the roof.
Product page is still unfinished even after I promised to have it ready. Been shipping out boards just as soon as I get them made but I hope to get some complete pics soon. The prices will raise just a bit for this season so if you order before I get my new product page up you will save!
