Insight on "Ski Porn"

As the leaves fall and the temperature drops, thoughts of winter begin to enter our heads. For some this means thoughts of time spent indoors with hobbies or crafts and for others the idea of winter means traveling south. But for those of us who love snow the fall brings a steady lineup of ski porn. Oh, yes.... the ski porn.

Myriad montages of chest deep powder skiing, huge cliff drops, mind numbingly tight lines through Alaskan chutes, backside cork 900's in slow motion, untranslatable interviews in various "bro-brah" dialects, classic voice overs by octogenarian icons, shameless sponsor plugs, and gorgeous women who can ski better than 99% of people attending the ski porn in question.

The ski porn is like an annual right of passage for skiers and snowboarders. Donning our favorite beanie and ski jacket we make the pilgrimage to the pub or theater for the event. After a few pints of brew and some pointless discussion of the regional weather patterns the movie begins. Like some kind of pagan ritual the crowd begins to hoot and holler as the scenes unfold on the big screen.

The ski porn; however, does more than make us wish we were paid to ski powder all over the world. It carries us through the dreary fall months filled with 40 degree rainy days. It inspires us to get in shape for the winter, to scour the ski shops for new gear, to call our skiing buddies whom we haven't seen all summer, to wax our skis a few months early, and to put a smile on our face when we think to ourselves "I skied powder deeper than that."

do you ever miss ski season in the summer?

We live where we live because we are passionate about a certain thing.  That passion can manifest itself in many ways: work, drink, friendship, sport, love, etc.   What I love about living in the Flathead is that there are so many iterations of that passion and so many great characters to learn from.  Each has found or seeks to find their own niche; solidarity and peace discovered through the many outdoor pursuits which bring them closer to nature.   

I love summer, with its placid lakes and endless opportunities; however, I love winter like a beautifully unrequited lover; her love comes and goes seasonally regardless of my hope or perseverance .

Ski Season Recap

Race coaching with the grom's, skiing deep powder with great friends, drinking endless amounts of Kokanee, dancing to some funky bands, shovelling seemingly endless amounts of snow, waxing skis before races, trying to cross country ski with my roommate, blasting north for some ice climbing, throwing spread eagles during skier-crosses, listening to drunk tourists recap their ski day, grovelling rides up the mountain, drinking way too much coffee, being chased by ski patrol, working 12 hours straight in ski boots, trying to pick up on cute Canadian girls, the smell of ski boots and chronic aka The Stube. Yea, it's all part of the mountain lifestyle and I love it.

In another week or two it will be time to break out the golf clubs, the mountain bike and the climbing gear .... but for now, I'll just sit back with a delicious glass of wine and ruminate on a sweet winter season.

Earn the Turn

First chair and fresh tracks on a powder day are a beautiful thing, but sometimes earning your turns in the backcountry can be just as sweet.

Over the past few weeks the weather has turned from blizzard like conditions (with daily accumulations of 6"-8") to sunny springtime skiing. So in an effort to dodge the Presidents Day and Family Week crowds (it's a Canadian thing...don't ask) a friend and I ventured into the backcountry to earn a few thousand feet of vertical. It was fantastically warm and sunny during the ascent and the snow turned from a sparkled hoar frost to a heroic springtime corn that made the turns fairly effortless. And the views of Glacier National Park weren't bad either.

There is a Japanese proverb that says "One kind word can warm three winter months." I like to think that on occasion "one kind turn can warm three winter months."

T.H. drops in with the Great Northern looming in the background

Of Gurus and Gunbarrels

It's been a fairly epic western winter by many accounts. The mountains have received more than 350" of snowfall this winter. Thus far the majority of the snow has been light and fluffy making for effortless powder skiing. Locals have been prone to take more time off work than normal and many ski bums have rejoiced in their pursuit of "the white room lifestyle."

The ski bum is a fairly vague term come to define those who seek to ski more than work and yet in many cirlces the term carries more stigma than gravitas. I don't wish to debate the moral good or intricacies of ski bumdom but to look beyond to those who have seemly perfected the art; those individuals who transcend simple ski-bummery and reach a higher plane of skiing nirvana. These rare individuals are like an uber-ski-bum and I have dubbed them BumUllrz. The norse god of snow, Ullr, is well know by those who travel in the circles of skidom, but the BumUllr is a mortal who acheives a certain demi-god status via the pursuit of endless powder turns. They are seemingly blessed by Ullr, like some kind of skiing yogi or bodisahtva, with the innate ability to find untracked lines and to ski them with effortless abandon.

I was fortunate enough to find myself among this rare breed a few weeks ago and, like a snowy Diane Fossey, I emmersed myself in their primal ways. While most of my time with the BumUllrz was undocumented for religious reasons I was able to capture a few moments.... behold...

The Reverend blesses an untracked line en route to "Son of Hellroaring"

Jondro shoots past some silent snowghosts while skiing "Gunbarrel"

The apprentice digs deep in search of the true meaning of first tracks

Steep and Deep Surgery

Regardless of the weather and the snow conditions skiing is one of my favorite things in the world. Having said that, when it snows an insane amount over the holidays and you venture out of bounds with a good friend to find "over the head" deep powder...now that's ridiculously cool.

Let's take a look at the surgery shall we...

(Above) Doctor Huff n' Puff peeks out from the White Room to see if anyone's watching his surgical manuevers

(Above) Visiting surgeon Zee Aahy completing his formal investingation of fracture lines in Canyon Creek.

(Below) The good Doctor H redistibutes fatty chunks of powder to acheive beautiful lines and "a sense of symmetry to the face"