San Juan

For the past four years I have taken December and January to be a time of not only building my legs, and excitement but also building my understanding of the snow and mountains, where I spend most of my days. This season I chose to take my knowledge and dedication of understanding our snow to the next level.

Jayson & Mike demoing a pit profile

Previously I had taken the level 1 AIARE Avalanche course, the Freeride Avalanche Summit over at snowbird, and countless refreshers, beacon clinics, and snow study discussions and seminars. This season, however I have decided to embark on a path a little more involved, marking the beginning of my long sojourn into the world of backcountry guiding.

Companion Rescue under the Shadow of Mount Crested Butte

There are many ways to approach such a career, but I thought there was no better way to begin this process than by working on becoming a snow science educator. The way I see it, if I am going to make a life out of being in the backcountry I want to make sure that the people I share that environment with are equally in the know of the potential hazards, proper travel and rescue techniques, and have and know how to use their avi rescue gear, because

…well, you never know who might be the one there to save you.

Probing On a line

DIG!!

So, the first step was to take my level II Avalanche course. I chose to go through Crested Butte Mountain Guides as they have some of the most highly experienced and accomplished instructors, not to mention that learning the science of snow in some of the most dangerous and unstable snowpack in the country seemed to be an excellent opportunity to really get my hands dirty.

Weston D. Looking Studious

So on the 16th of December I packed up my truck and headed out with Weston D. for Crested Butte, CO.

Staying warm in the shadows

I am not one of those people who loved school, or even excelled in the classroom environment, so needless to say embarking on this more classroom and science oriented program was more than slightly unnerving. Never-the-less I pushed on, following my desire to become a professional in the outdoors (beyond my career as an athlete).

Breaking Trail

With a new notebook, my BCA snow study kit, beacon probe, shovel, saw and a mind ready to be filled with terms, data, and concepts I headed into the classroom.

Column Test

During the course of our Level 2, C.B. proceeded to get hammered with a southwest flow, locally known as “The Pineapple Express“. We received over 5 ft of snow in our three days and the storm could not have provided a better venue for learning and exploring in depth the bonding, layering, metamorphic process and a slew of other topics and concepts.

The Face Test...Yup tasty!!!

Weston D. Getting a quality education

With a mind full of new dorky data and information based around snow crystal type and temperature gradient, I returned home to Utah just in time for the holiday season to kick into gear. I waded through the onslaught of family and friends all vying for attention, tried to catch a couple pow days in between, and just surrendered to the fact that, until  my AIARE Instructor Training Course in January, my life was gonna be hectic.

Hoodoo Tele Fest

Josh Madsen and Cody Smith Manning the NTN/ Telemark skier Demo Tent

Michelle and Shahib Just a couple of the charicters at the Fest

Jarl Berg all smiles after putting on another successful tele fest!

So on it went, and yes it was quite crazy, even managed to squeeze in a trip to Sister’s Oregon for Hoodoo’s annual Tele Festival. But, like you always do, I managed to make it through.

So here I now sit, having just completed my Instructor Training Course.

The view from Montrose

Being re-inspired by developing a new goal and vision for my future has been a really exciting process, one that started this past summer. However, I have decided that I really have to make sure that this “vision” I have for my future actually feels right in reality. While the Level 2 was the start and a prerequisite for the ITC (Instructor Training Course), it was not indicative of my hoped future career.

Red Mountain Pass

The real test was heading to Silverton, CO for my ITC. I headed out there alone, with the only familiarity being the Triangle Motel where I had stayed last year with the Trew Crew, and was staying again. It is interesting, when you come out of a period of feeling a bit lost and fragmented, those pieces tend to realign themselves, offering such clarity. And that was the space I was in heading out to Silverton last Sunday. I headed out with the only expectation of experiencing something new and by the end of the course feeling out weather my supposed path was holding up to reality.

Silverton

The course could not have been more inspirational, educational, and valuable. Tom Murphy, Tim Brown, and Ben Pritchett came to the table with years of invaluable experience, clear teaching techniques, and a free flowing concept of a continued development framework that highlighted AIARE’s dedication to the continual growth a progression of Avalanche awareness and education.

Pulling into town

It was an intensive 3 day course with each student teaching one mock level 1 section and an overall frame work of learning the Level 1 curriculum, Teaching techniques and skills, and then furthering our professional development on all aspects.

Ben Prichett leading classroom discussion

Tom Murphy leading Day two in the field

Josh, cleaning the walls

With only three days it is hard to imagine that so much could be accomplished. I was quite fortunate to be in a group and a class filled with seasoned guides, educators, and rescue workers all who had previously been in professional leadership roles dealing with backcountry safety. Now, at another point in my life (or even two weeks ago) I would have felt completely in adequate and self conscious. However, with my newly re-acquired perspective I was able to feel only inspired and look up to each of my classmates as mentors. With their experience they were able to ask insightful questions, add phenomenal first hand accounts that were applicable to the topics, and provide analytical commentary.

Murphy giddy with his EXTREME Saw

Tilt Test

The course came and went and I felt like a sponge trying to soak up each morsel of information. I am not sure anyone could absorb, in entirety, the multitude of ideas and concepts of the three days. However, I do know that I have been inspired!

Pre Trip Meeting

Green team gathering at the trail head for our final day tour

Tim Brown guiding us through a Level one "perfect tour"

On the March

It is now the middle of January and I am finally feeling the flow. I have completed the first major step on this new journey and am hungry to start practicing my new skills and see where this all will lead.

Up Track

All and all the trip was rad. We had a great crew of ripping female tele skiers and the sickest photographer, Re Wikstrom documenting our every turn. We got pounded with snow which made for some great pillow lines and even inspired me to drop a 60 footer before the Heli picked us up on saturday.

If you look real close you can see my 60ft. bomb hole just bellow the cliffs

The skies broke our for our last morning

Endless Pillow Lines!!

The view from the heli ride out

The sun cutting through the pines in Golden

Our time in Fernie was equally exciting with a short stay at Martha Burley’s house and an evening tour out of the Resort for some sweet pow turns and beautiful light, as the sun descended in the BC sky.

Martha Burley- The biggest Celeb in Fernie

Re Wikstom getting a nice taste of the Fernie Spray

Sunset over Fernie

The trip home was quick and relatively uneventful as we all tried to get our heads looking towards the week ahead of Outdoor Retailer, Sundance film festival and fresh Utah powder!

Page and Candy Road tripping

The Cockpit

First Blue sky we have seen in a long time

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Well, it had been a week since I last got to feel the cool touch of the snow graze across my face as I slash turns into the Wasatch white, but with a new deposit of 12″, I was feeling like it was time to return to the mountains and once again ramp up for the winter season.

Last week I had started early with my good friend Whitney. We hiked up Collins, hit Baldy shoulder, then continued on up.

For those of you who have done the skin to Main Chute, you may know that it is the last 500ft of steep, wind scoured, sharp kick turn, switch backs that really kick you in the ass. I, however did not know that was the case and this being my first Main chute approach was sorely disapointed to see and feel the continual reminder of my inept kick turn abilities.

But after many slips back wards, awkward ballet esque moves and the many swear words muttered under my scarf, we made it to the top. I would like to say we did all of that hard work for first tracks, or even fresh tracks, however that was simply not the case. Whitney and I reached the top and peered over the edge to see a skied out first 1/3 of the chute.

After figuring who would drop in first and taking the oh so important “summit” photo I dropped in. The top left much to be desired, in terms of soft snow, but the trade off of knowing that the chute was well filled in and snow sharks would be less prevalent was a nice reprise from the past five outings, where every turn made was another chance at getting your cores ripped out from under you.

Gun Sight

All and all Baldy chute ended up being quite tasty and as I dropped into the last 2/3 of the chute I was actually hitting some pillows of fresh powder that reaffirmed the worth of the rough skin to the top.

No sooner was I feeling my oats and starting to feel good about the snow pack, I entered into the Ballroom apron and with a shit eating grin on my face and “WooHoos!!” uncontrollably pouring out of my mouth, I was loving the seemingly deep snow. It was then that I was torn from all my glory and thrown cart-wheeling world hitting rocks and snow alike.

I came to a stop and as a lif a light bulb went off, realized how little snow there really was and how incredibly dangerous it was to ski under these limited conditions. I guess one could say the tumble got me scared enough to realize that possibly I had been a bit over zealous. So with my tail tucked between my legs I decided to head down and wait till at least another 12″ of fresh blanketed the Wasatch.

Weston Blowing it up!!

So, last night I watched the slow moving system approach and realized that the Cottonwoods were looking at receiving 10 inches (which was close enough).

I jumped into to my truck at 5:15am met up with my buddy, Weston Deutschlander and we headed over to LCC.

Me, Just Loving life Photo: Jim Harris

The Alta website said they were closed to uphill traffic, but that the summer road would be open as well as Greeley bowl. So we headed up that way. Ran into a large group of backcountry.com employes getting some turns in before heading to work for the day. One of those people was my friend Jim Harris. We all skinned to the ridge of Gun sight. Weston and I decided to hit the Chute while the others skied the open face skiers left.

photo: Jim Harris

As we de- skinned and geared up for the descent, Weston and I discussed the avalanche conditions and decided that our real concern was not the snow pack but the likely hood of Sharks and recognized that we did not want this to be a season ending run, so we put our tele pride to the side and decided to make alpine turns.

Weston dropped in first and with deep pitched hoots and hollers I could see that it was going to be good! I dropped in next and it was deep. I got face shots even while making alpine turns! It was beautiful and tasty.

The next pitch was equally bottomless. Weston and I got to the bottom, looked at each other and in a no brainer of a decision threw our skins back on and went for another lap.

Weston getting the shot at the cost of sacrifice a very sacred area. Photo: Jim Harris

The second lap was great and Jim Harris was kind enough to join us and shoot some pics.

All in all it was a great day... well morning really, as we were back at the truck by 10:30am. But none the less, another day that has left me chomping at the bit for mother nature to burry our mountains.

photo: Jim Harris

First, on the agenda was taking advantage of the rare early October Dump. That was what got me going at 5:30am. I love the feeling of those first snows, when the alarm goes off and you are startled into remembering that it is a powder day, or (as it were) the first ski day of the season. Nothing else quite gets the blood pumping like the anticipation of putting those boots on, stepping into those bindings, and dropping into that first turn. So, it was with that type of anticipation I hurried through my morning routine, jumped into my Tacoma and hit the road to Little Cotton Wood Canyon.

The road was slick, and with no sand bags in the back of the truck and my very bald, too many long highway road trips, summer tires on, my truck was wiggling like a fish out of water. But that slight tense feeling of gripping the wheel extra tight only added to the fullness of the first snow experience. As I veered off on 6200 south all of last seasons epic memories came flooding back. How many times had I been up Little Cotton Wood Canyon before dawn? It was far too many to count and way to early to get any deeper into thought about it.

As I pulled into the Wildcat parking lot at Alta it was all I could do to contain myself. There were about five other cars there and I was working hard to distinguish which ones were the vehicles of dawn patrolers and which were the ones of the Alta staff. At any rate, I was stoked to see others up there getting after it.

As I got out of my truck, I turned around to retrieve my skies from the back,and was suddenly faced with the most welcoming image I could ever imagine. There, gracefully hanging above a snow dusted Superior was a full moon. As if to illuminate the path of the season to come. It was at this very moment that I took a huge breath in as if to taste the energy of the winter ahead.

Breaking trail

The next two hours was filled with skinning, boot packing, and in general huffing and puffing to get the best of every last vertical foot I could gain before my 8:15am turn around time. The time when I would get to slash my first turns and make my way down to the office to meet up with Tyler and Connie to discuss the up coming season and find out whether I would, yet again get to be part of the Alta athlete program.

Not Bad for October

8:15 hit just as I had reached the top of one of the many shoots around the Eagles Nest. Looking around it was hard to believe that it was only October 5th, but then again we do live in Utah. So I hopped into my skis threw on my goggles, thanked my new friend Nate (who I met at the base) for breaking trail and took my first turns, and that’s when it happened. The snow was light and deep. It swirled around me as I entered the steeper choke of the chute and just as I dropped my knee the white fluff enveloped my face and kissed it, as if to say “welcome back, Shaun”.

With about 700 vertical feet of powder skiing behind me I headed into the Alta office to meet up with Connie and Tyler. Then it was off to Ogden and Snow Basin to meet up with Chad Spector to work on this last minute photo shoot for Mountain Sports & Living Magazine.

The tracks

The afternoon was spectacular. Meeting new people, running around in the mountains, laughing through cheesy photos and remembering why we all live the lives we do, was an incredible way to start the season.

As I headed home, exhausted from a fun day of play and a little bit of productive work, I began to think about all that lay in the season ahead… I can’t wait!