Archive for April, 2009

A Trip Across Alta’s Ribbon of Doubt

A Trip Across Alta’s Ribbon of Doubt

| April 30, 2009 | 17 Comments

The Ribbon at Alta is a line that I’ve been meaning to ski for about the last twenty years, yet I never seem to get around to it.  One good reason for putting it off is that it traverses through the top of the Devils Castle Buttress with a whopping 600′ of exposure the entire time.  […]

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Sawtooth Photo Gallery & TR

Sawtooth Photo Gallery & TR

| April 27, 2009 | 12 Comments

My first backcountry skiing trip to the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho was about ten years ago with Mark Holbrook.  We went in to the top/back end of the range via a trailhead outside of Stanley and my main memory of the trip was that it was really cold, but had excellent skiing.  I vowed to come […]

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Heyburn Couloir – Sawtooth Mountains

Heyburn Couloir – Sawtooth Mountains

| April 25, 2009 | 6 Comments

I know, you are probably sick of videolettes by now, but this one actually has a mini plot line: five backcountry skiers climb up and ski down a jewel of a coolie in the heart of the Gem State – Idaho.  This was part of an outing with K2 Backcountry where we spent a few […]

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Top of the Hallway Couloir

Top of the Hallway Couloir

| April 23, 2009 | 0 Comments

Dropping into the Hallway proper from the low entrance.  The high entrance usually involves a little cliff, but as the snowpack is at a high for the year, it was completely filled in.  You can just barely catch a glimpse of it on the skier’s right about halfway down the upper chute. Back on Friday […]

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Top of the Hallway – video

Top of the Hallway – video

| April 22, 2009 | 1 Comment

And yet another little video clip – this one is leading into the top of The Hallway, which was much better skiing than the actual chute, which was full of chunky-style avalanche debris.  These little video clips were all shot with the trial VIO POV 1.5 camera that I’m demoing.  After a few days of […]

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Matt Straight-lines “The Slot”

Matt Straight-lines “The Slot”

| April 21, 2009 | 2 Comments

Another video while I’m in the Sawtooths – this one of Matt dropping a fun little slot in upper Mill D. ___________________ Help support StraightChuter.com and get the best prices on the best gear at Backcountry.com! Click the Golden Gear Goat below:

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Skiing “The Tube”

Skiing “The Tube”

| April 20, 2009 | 3 Comments

I’m off to the Sawtooths for a few days, but in the meantime, here’s an aft-facing helmet cam clip from skiing “The Tube” with Miles and Matt last Saturday. ___________________ Help support StraightChuter.com and get the best prices on the best gear at Backcountry.com! Click the Golden Gear Goat below:

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First Go at a Real Helmet Cam

First Go at a Real Helmet Cam

| April 17, 2009 | 7 Comments

About a month ago, perhaps because I wrote an article on how to make your own $2.00 helmet cam, Chris Dickey from VIO helmet cams sent me a demo VIO 1.5 helmet cam to try out, which was most likely a ploy as he knew that I’m a techno geek and once I tried it, I would want to […]

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Extreme Taxation

Extreme Taxation

| April 15, 2009 | 16 Comments

I have the same thought every year when I get to line 37 on my 1040 tax form (adjusted gross income) — I need a new job. Ski Mountaineering has its ups and downs (haha..) but it is not a career you get into for the money.  I started my “business” about ten years ago […]

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Blame it on Christmas

Blame it on Christmas

| April 13, 2009 | 16 Comments

The snowpack is at its maximum depth, the snow stability is excellent, the days are long, the skiing is great, and… there is nobody out skiing.  Not that I’m complaining, I think that it is excellent and as it should be, but I have to wonder. About three weeks ago the Wasatch Mountains had a warm […]

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