Surprise! 18 Inches Dumped on Killington

Just another chapter in what we can safely call "The Weirdest Winter Ever". Not in a good way.

Shane McConkey Documentary Teaser

This should be awesome. Obviously brought to you by the kind folks at Red Bull. Who, apparently produce just about everything now.

Red Bull Cold Rush

This is some next level stuff here. The world's best freeskiers rallied up to Silverton Mountain in Colorado for a backcountry athlete judged event unlike any other. Here are some highlights.

B.C. Backcountry

Just straight chillin homie.

Red Bull Cold Rush

GoPro HD: Winter X Games 2012 Moments

And this is GoPro's slightly more cinematic highlight reel. Just making everything epic. Can't get much more slow-mo than that.

Winter X Games 2012 - Top Moments

A Small Vail

Castle Rock Hike @ Sugarbush

Finally, the season is slowly arriving. Time to head north!

2011 Was Rad - According To Quicksilver

Being There - Teaser

Since there's no snow just about anywhere, unless you live in Japan or Alaska. How about some snow porn to keep you drooling?

JP Auclair Street Segment (from All.I.Can.)

Two words. Holy shit.

People Are Awesome

Seems kind of cheesy. But there's no denying the epicity of this video. Yep, I said epicity.

The Denali Experiment

Yet another awesome film coming out that you should go see. This looks intense. Denali is a beast. I went to Denali when I was 14 and it was by far one of the coolest trips of my life. We spent a week in the park and it's outskirts. One of best memories from that trip for me was taking a prop plane out of Talkeetna, AK. We had a total space cadet for a pilot, but I guess you kind of have to be to be a pilot based out of Talkeetna. He let me grab the stick for a bit and literally fly through the mountains. I was 14. Probably not the safest thing to do. But certainly the coolest. We flew right over and around Denali. It was majestic and completely awe inspiring seeing planes landing on the base camp dropping off hikers and supplies, I knew I had to go back someday. I have not been back yet, but fully plan on it some day before I die. This is lighting the fire.

One For The Road - TGR's 2011 HD Ski Film

These are the guys I was talking about when I said that the torch has been passed on from Warren Miller.

Solitaire - A Backcountry Skiing, Snowboarding and Telemark Film

SOLITAIRE: A Backcountry Skiing, Snowboarding, and Telemark Film from Sweetgrass Productions on Vimeo.


I apologize for the overwhelming amount of snow related posts lately, but I mean come on! Aspen is opening in a week. Killington is already open and has been since October! Global warming who? I am amped for this season, and if the weather kooks are right, it should be just as, if not more epic than last season with La Nina coming back for round two. Get your gear right.

Solitaire looks visually stunning and like it's definitely worth a watch. A little about the film from the producers:

In the high desert of South America, winter takes hold, devouring bleached bones and abandoned shacks. Into these most inhospitable of lands, a handful of drifters emerge from the whiteout, ready to cast their lot on forsaken peaks both merciless and magnificent. Venturing beyond the frontiers of most mountain films, Solitaire is backcountry skiing forged in the tradition of Western cinema. Born in the spires of Argentina’s legendary Las Lenas, a lonely two-year journey begins through an abandoned world, wandering the length of a continent from Peru’s Cordillera Blanca to Chilean Patagonia.Lost in the winds of snowbound badlands and the blizzards of primordial forests; seen from a horse’s saddle and a paraglider’s wings; ridden on ski and board and telemark...
Solitaire fuses western-inspired tales of backcountry gambles into landscapes never before visited on film.

Shot on location in: Las Lenas, Argentina; Portillo, Chile;
Nevados de Chillan, Chile; Patagonia, Chile; Bariloche, Argentina; Caviahue, Argentina; Huaraz, Peru; Iquitos, Peru; Uyuni, Bolivia; and Sajama, Bolivia.

Warren Miller's "Like There's No Tomorrow" - Review

I am a child of the 80's and 90's. That is to say, I grew up watching Warren Miller films. I remember those winter nights sitting in my basement, watching the latest Warren Miller flick, getting amped up to head north to Stowe or Loon the following morning at 4am. Those were sleepless nights. The adrenaline already pumping as I lay awake, picturing myself in his films, shredding Loon like it was Squaw Valley or Revelstoke. And for more than two decades, Warren Miller films were the gold standard; the measuring stick. He had mastered the art of the story. He had mastered the quirky comedy and epic pow shots with the music to match. He basically created the mold.

This is the most painful post I have ever written. I went to see his latest film "Like There's No Tomorrow" last night and I must say the torch has been passed. I'm not saying Warren needs to hang them up, but the formula is old and outdated. The films are still edited and cut exactly the same way they were in 1987. There has been no progression. It's the same story as it was 20 years ago. And that's not a good thing. The cheese level is high, the forced comedy skits are brutal, and aside from one Tuneyards track, the soundtrack was completely bland and forgettable. So was the footage. There was nothing epic to speak of. My jaw never hit the floor. It was just a collection of slow motion powder turns and some low level kickers. It worked better when Warren narrated the films himself.

The one highlight was the section on Tuckerman's Ravine, the southeast face of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. A right of passage for any east coast skier. The fact that they devoted 10 minutes to that part of the world was very cool. And they managed to make it look as epic as any piste around. I give them props for that. As an east coaster I can appreciate that.

Anyways, it's pretty clear to see the game has changed with the likes of Travis Rice and Curt Morgan, TGR, Jeremy Jones, Matchstick Productions and any of the progressive filmmakers out there: the torch has been passed. Warren Miller set the standard for decades, but the bar has been raised. We can all tip our hats to Warren for showing these younger guys the way. It is progression. They took what they learned from him and have built on it. It's how we get better. Thanks Warren.

Blackcomb Ski Resort Commercial - 1987

Another reason why 1987 was the best year.

Revelstoke

End of the season. from The white room on Vimeo.


Ski season is so close I can taste it.

GoPro HD Hero2 is Pretty Sweet

Look, we can go on and on about the go pro camera. Say what you want. There are two types of users: There's the dink that wears it on his helmet and rips the blues at Stratton, and then there's these guys you see here in this video. Almost makes me want to get one. The song is: "We Can Make the World Stop" - The Glitch Mob