Freshfield Icefield: A Skier's Journey Ep3 from Jordan Manley Photography on Vimeo.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Bald Mountain Again
Baldy got me again. I didn’t make it to the summit again but, that mountain never seems to dissapoint even when you don’t get to look down from the top.
The morning started off great. Actually woke up at five and was at the trailhead at 6. And as soon as I got out of my car it started snowing. My headlamp made the world look like a disco ball in heaven. The only problem was I was breaking trail the entire time. But how does one not come to terms with a little bit of extra work.
Once I got off the trail and was ascending through the trees the sun began to rise and was cascading through the clouds and really painting a pretty picture. Then it happened after a disturbing bang and a lot of snow settling I changed course and headed for the pines. I came to clearing that looked like an auditorium with a sole tree in the middle of the grove performing some beautiful song I may never get to hear. I took off my pack and then looked up and there was a moose and her yearling (?) staring at me. They were about twenty feet away. We just stared at each other for quite some time. I decided not to interrupt any longer put on my pack and started walking the other way. It looked like she gave a nod as I started to walk away. What beautiful creatures they are. And they moved so silently through the snow.
Back to business again breaking trail through a cavalcade of trees. Back and forth, occasionally getting a clear view of the bald mountain drainage. How much great skiing is over there. When the snow settles down that will be sweet.
How Bald Mountain got me again is this. I made it to the ridge and the sun that had been so graciously warming my back disappeared and I was in a white out on the ridge…again. So screw it. I hiked up the ridge a while and nothing changed so I ate some food, peeled the skins off and started down. My main concern was making it back to work in time. The top was ridiculously deep. The middle was mainly ridden on my skin track. And the bottom was badass with a few pillows and some drops that really got me excited.
Basically, church was marvelous today.
The morning started off great. Actually woke up at five and was at the trailhead at 6. And as soon as I got out of my car it started snowing. My headlamp made the world look like a disco ball in heaven. The only problem was I was breaking trail the entire time. But how does one not come to terms with a little bit of extra work.
Once I got off the trail and was ascending through the trees the sun began to rise and was cascading through the clouds and really painting a pretty picture. Then it happened after a disturbing bang and a lot of snow settling I changed course and headed for the pines. I came to clearing that looked like an auditorium with a sole tree in the middle of the grove performing some beautiful song I may never get to hear. I took off my pack and then looked up and there was a moose and her yearling (?) staring at me. They were about twenty feet away. We just stared at each other for quite some time. I decided not to interrupt any longer put on my pack and started walking the other way. It looked like she gave a nod as I started to walk away. What beautiful creatures they are. And they moved so silently through the snow.
Back to business again breaking trail through a cavalcade of trees. Back and forth, occasionally getting a clear view of the bald mountain drainage. How much great skiing is over there. When the snow settles down that will be sweet.
How Bald Mountain got me again is this. I made it to the ridge and the sun that had been so graciously warming my back disappeared and I was in a white out on the ridge…again. So screw it. I hiked up the ridge a while and nothing changed so I ate some food, peeled the skins off and started down. My main concern was making it back to work in time. The top was ridiculously deep. The middle was mainly ridden on my skin track. And the bottom was badass with a few pillows and some drops that really got me excited.
Basically, church was marvelous today.
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Good Old Days
I sit here wondering how it is that 100 years ago guys on the biggest and heaviest gear achieved some of the things they accomplished? I have always been a light is right afficianado though sometimes my wallet cant keep up with the trends. These days lighter means more expensive.
Mark Twight created this mindset of mine mainly. When I was much more into climbing I owned his book Light and Fast (which is a fantastic book for anyone making forays into the mountains) and it transformed the way I looked at climbing. Not only the gear that I used but also my outlook on what kind of climbing I wanted to do. And although my accomplishments wont ever amount to his, I still practice it today.
I have been backcountry skiing for three years now. And I felt I was somewhat ahead of the curve when I bought my first set of Dynafit bindings. The majority of people in my area still look at dynafit as a cooky sort of thing with no real application around here. Even though it has been around for twenty years or so and is continually improving. These days I am always trying to find out how I can go lighter, boots, skis and the rest of the gear. And then I read something about a guy who did a 150 mile traverse on 7 foot wooden skis and leather boots in the 1930’s!
So I suppose it’s the man and not the gear that makes it happen. That’s the only conclusion I can come up with. Not to say I am going to go retro and skin a beaver and put it on the bottom of my skis and ski leathers again. Technology is a cool thing. But it is great to know that a long time ago there were people out there pushing themselves no matter what gear they had. And it is these hard men and women that continually impress and inspire me to do more with what I have.
Mark Twight created this mindset of mine mainly. When I was much more into climbing I owned his book Light and Fast (which is a fantastic book for anyone making forays into the mountains) and it transformed the way I looked at climbing. Not only the gear that I used but also my outlook on what kind of climbing I wanted to do. And although my accomplishments wont ever amount to his, I still practice it today.
I have been backcountry skiing for three years now. And I felt I was somewhat ahead of the curve when I bought my first set of Dynafit bindings. The majority of people in my area still look at dynafit as a cooky sort of thing with no real application around here. Even though it has been around for twenty years or so and is continually improving. These days I am always trying to find out how I can go lighter, boots, skis and the rest of the gear. And then I read something about a guy who did a 150 mile traverse on 7 foot wooden skis and leather boots in the 1930’s!
So I suppose it’s the man and not the gear that makes it happen. That’s the only conclusion I can come up with. Not to say I am going to go retro and skin a beaver and put it on the bottom of my skis and ski leathers again. Technology is a cool thing. But it is great to know that a long time ago there were people out there pushing themselves no matter what gear they had. And it is these hard men and women that continually impress and inspire me to do more with what I have.
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