I know I will be spending some time refining this prototype. When the snow was deep this thing was amazing both at carving and landings.

Cole launched this thing a bunch before the snow disappeared and even pushed its limits in some not so perfect conditions. We learned a lot.

Its still about moving snow, chasing down turns and finding new terrain.

This video is from the backside of chair 1, fresh tracks off the front of Big Blue and first track on Big Timber in bounds plus some little clips. No youtube sound track applied so if you have a favorite powder watching tune that is about 2:45 long cue it up.

But with the extra width comes a loss of leverage which means that it takes more pressure to set the edge in a turn on groomers. In the powder of course the opposite is true, you ride higher in the snowpack and thus its easier to turn.

We had a great day off the backside of one. Hiked a couple of powder laps then went looking for some jumps. Found this snow covered tree first. It cracked as soon as Cole hit the lip.

Just below this was a road cut with a wind lip that we pat down.

Puffy handled great and will be the go to board for deep conditions which I hope continue.

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.

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 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 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.

Cole launching an early grab.