Monthly Archive for September, 2009

The McClean Turn

Published on September 28, 2009 in 06 Downhill. 32 Comments Tags: .

STOKAGE! Scot Schmidt has the Schmear Turn, the Eagen Brothers are credited with the “1-2-3 Turn” and Sylvan Sudan is synonymous with the Pedal Hop Turn, but until recently, all I had was a stupid website with a hard to spell url.  But no more.  In a bit of a backhanded compliment, the McClean Turn is now defined not by what it is, but what it is not.  From the original context:

Jer and I wanted to ride this with a unique touch. As much as I love the guy and respect everything he’s done, we did not want this to be an McClean 168cm hopped turned descent. We wanted to flash this thing. Edge to edge, continually and fast.

Continue reading ‘The McClean Turn’

Slideshow in Alaska & California

Published on September 22, 2009 in Events. 9 Comments

If you happen live in Anchorage or Tahoe, I have two dates set for a slideshow presentation on skiing the Alaska Family Trio – Papa Denali, Mama Sultana and Mt. Hunter, the wild child.  The Anchorage show is on Oct 22nd (geez… I should really start putting this show together!) and the Tahoe show is on December 17 as part of the Alpenglow series.

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Both venues are great fun and proceeds go to worthy causes.

I hope to see you there!
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Help support StraightChuter.com and rip the big lines with a pair of 2009/10 K2 Coomback Skis from Backcountry.com. Click on the photo below…

Tour Du Suds – Park City

Published on September 21, 2009 in Events. 5 Comments Tags: .

The annual Tour Du Suds (TDS) bike race in Park City is the highlight of my summer unicycle season as it gives me a chance to ride with a few hundred other people who are equally silly looking.  The TDS is a fundraiser for the Mountain Trails Foundation and although some people take it seriously, most are just there to have fun and dress up accordingly.

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Tour Du Suds studs gettin' down before they head up.

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FUAC Party of the Year – Thursday

Published on September 15, 2009 in Announcements. 3 Comments

The Black Diamond/Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center (FUAC) party is by far and away my favorite party the year and is the unofficial start to the 2009/10 ski season.  This is the 16th Annual holding of the gala and over the years it has played a big part in helping to fund the UAC.  The event is held outdoors in the Black Diamond parking lot and is organized by Colleen Nipkow who knows how to kick ass, take names and throw monster parties.  It is always a great occasion and fun to see all the skiers crawl out from under their summer shade umbrellas and start to think about snow again. Continue reading ‘FUAC Party of the Year – Thursday’

South Ridge of Superior Scramble

Published on September 11, 2009 in Route Info. 8 Comments Tags: .

The South Ridge of Mt. Superior is an all time classic alpine scramble in the Central Wasatch Mountains.  It can be done in the winter, but due to cornices and steep slopes on each side, I think it is far more fun in the summer, especially as preseason training.  The climb is almost exactly 3,000′ and is often done as a loop by going up the south ridge, then running along the east ridge trail back to Pole Line (Cardiff) Pass, then down to Alta and back to your car on the road.

Rick running back to the car after completing the loop.

Rick running back to the car after completing the loop.

There is no real route to speak of, and although the climbing guidebook rates it 5.4 or so, you can always avoid harder sections by traversing out onto the south face.  It is a very fun outing on mostly solid rock, but should be treated with a good dose of respect as there have been fatalities on it, including a good friend, Dan Rector.

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“Flakes” – PowderWhores movie review

Published on September 9, 2009 in Commentary. 6 Comments Tags: .

I feel like I have to wash my hands and confess to a higher authority after recently watching a telemark movie entitled “Flakes” produced by the PowderWhores.  Noah Howell, one of the chief whorelettes and a trusted friend, told me it was a documentary about the heartbreak of psoriasis (which sounded enthralling compared to teleskiing), so I innocently plugged it into the DVD player and gave it a try.

I was tricked.  It is actually a movie about some guys and cute prepubescent free-heel girls (always a big draw with the AT crowd) killing it in the deepest snow I’ve ever seen under perfect conditions.  Yes, they may be telemarkers, but with some judicious use of ATivo, most of it can be screened out. In the past, PowderWhore (PW) films have been more like “A Dummies Guide to Getting Whacked by Avalanches” (a theme I fully endorse), but in this one, they have bumped the production values into the stratosphere, stayed on top and made a great film.  Damn them – this means they’ll be at it again in the Wasatch this season, which isn’t that big  deal, except they seem to have contractual rights to rib-tickling, virgin snow on blue bird days.  It was pleasantly ironic to see that the worse conditions of the entire film happened in what most film makers save as their piece du powder resistance, Alaska.  Haha.  If it’s waist deep, it didn’t make the cut.  As far as ski porn goes, this is literally over the top with more faceshots per minute of any film I’ve ever seen.  View the trailer here. Continue reading ‘“Flakes” – PowderWhores movie review’

MildSnow.com Challenge

Published on September 1, 2009 in Events. 19 Comments Tags: .

As long time readers of STRAIGHTCHUTER.COM may know, there is another backcountry skiing website out there named MildSnow.com.  It’s an alright site with some cute articles about painting your fingernails, blowing soap bubbles and how to ram your 1100cc snowmobile deep into the Colorado wilderness to get a better shot at endangered species with a .357 magnum Avenger assault rifle.

What many readers don’t know is that there a history between StraightChuter.com and MildSnow.com that dates all the way back to January 2009 when MildSnow.com paid a visit to the harsh, unforgiving, remote, wild, desolate environs of Park City, Utah.  Fearing the burly Utah climate, MildSnow.com (MS) arrived ready to rumble in their Chevy F37500 Dualie Monster Truck with MaxTrax rubber all around, a six-pack gun rack and fully tanked up with premium AvGas. Unfortunately, they got stuck backing out of our driveway.

This is not all that uncommon.  While seemingly benign, the moderately steep, crumbling, slightly off-camber driveway has trapped countless friends, in-laws and even the infamous Two Buddha.  The penalty for going over the edge is a 45 degree slope which often avalanches during the winter.  You better be sure you can back out in steep, icy conditions, or else.

Apparently, MildSnow.com was not up for the challenge.

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