One of the best slideshows I’ve seen in recent memory was put on by Tero Repo while we were on the Clipper Adventurer. Tero is part of the Finnish mafia living in Verbier and a professional photographer who was along to shoot Jeremy Jones and Xavier de le Rue. Tero’s show was good as it was short, had high quality photos and involved a humorous running dialog delivered in deadpan monotone. Continue reading ‘Tero Repo Ski Mountaineering Wisdom’
Archive for the 'Commentary' Category
After 30 hours of travel last Sunday and Monday, I made it from Ushuaia, Argentina all the way back to Park City, Utah, and as a bonus, arrived with both of my bags. Between lack of sleep while traveling and the surreal experience of skiing in Antarctica, it seems like the whole thing could have been a dream, except I happen to have 1,200 photos, two stuffed penguins and a few mini movies that suggest otherwise.
There is something about this trip that reminds me of standing barefoot in a puddle and intentionally grabbing onto the positive and negative electrodes coming from a nuclear power station. Exciting and thrilling don’t seem to do it justice, especially as the jolt lasts for two full weeks. More than any trip I’ve ever been on, the Antarctic Ski Cruise has some sort of crazy energy that is hard to explain. Imagine the anticipation you feel when you join four close friends, pile into a car and head up to the hills for a day of killer skiing, except in this case it is 100+ friends, the car is a cruise ship, the road is the Drake Passage and the ski hill is like nothing you’ve ever seen or skied on before. In a sense it is still “just” skiing, but in this case it is exponentially more. Continue reading ‘Back From Antarctica. Sigh.’
I attended a lunchtime presentation in Park City yesterday as the keynote speech by Michael Berry was “The Future of Skiing” and it promised to answer the question about why skiing growth was flat and what was going to happen when the Baby Boomers exited. I was eagerly awaiting the magic words “Resort skiing has become moronically expensive and we need to reduce ticket prices by at least 60%…” but they never came. Instead, it was almost the opposite, and at one point a speaker even stated that one of her organization’s goals was to “increase the daily spend” of people who come skiing in Utah. Sigh. But, it was still interesting.
Annual skier days in the US have been around 57 million for the last 5-10 years, with about a 1% growth. Of this, there are about 9.5 million “active” skiers in the US who make up the majority of the visits. Eighty-five-percent of the people who try skiing for the first time never return and fear is one of the biggest obstacles to getting people to try it. Getting beginners hooked is tough, and in that regard, shaped skis were a boom to the industry as they made learning easier. Three-percent of America skis, and Albany, NY has the highest percentage of skiers in the US (not sure how that was measured).
Skiing and ski areas are considered “multi-generational gathering areas” for families, and when it comes to making vacation plans, Moms wear the pants, or Bogners in this case. The “magic line in the sand” for skiing families is an annual household income of $75,000 or more. Below that (or if the weather sucks), people won’t go.
I’ve been out of the resort loop for a while, so whenever I do go, I’m blown away by the prices. For $100ish per person, per day, it better be damn good, but apparently people don’t seem to care. As far as this goes, Michael admonished the ski industry to “… not retreat from the quality experience. If people are use to sleeping on 400 thread count sheets, you can’t go back to muslin.” Much of the emphasis on keeping existing skiers skiing is aimed at increasing the quality of the experience, which basically means adding value, whether you want it or not.
One of the more interesting points, at least for me, was a comparison of early skiers who were considered “elite athletes” because they had to master floppy boots, stiff skis and dicey bindings. Through steady improvements in grooming and gear, the athletic bar has been lowered, while the financial bar has been correspondingly raised, which makes today’s skiers elite earners. Sure, there will always be dirtbag skiers, but it is less the norm nowadays.
Hmmmm. There you have it.
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I made it back from a quick trip to Alaska where, once again, I had a great time. I love that state. Thanks to Joe Stock and all of the Friends of the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center, the slideshow on skiing the AK Family was a success and raised a sizeable whack of cash for the avalanche center. Many people take their local avalanche centers for granted, but having worked at one for a season, their very existence is always tenuous. If they do too good a job and nobody gets hurt, they are one of the first to get chopped for state funding, so they often have to rely on outside funding (such as Friends groups), to supplement their annual expenses. Nobody is getting rich off of avalanche forecasting and it is a labor of love for almost everyone involved in it.
In the process of scanning 80+ photos today, the two that really stood out for me were photos I took of Fred Becky’s hands in 2003 at the West Rib Grill in Talkeetna, AK. We had just skied Mt. Hunter via a line that Fred had pioneered 48 years earlier and Fred seemed to remember more about it than we did, despite the fact that we were there only a few days before, whereas Fred was there almost half a century earlier. Continue reading ‘Fred Becky’s Hands’
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’
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 when I published The Chuting Gallery and at times, the financing of it is far more extreme than the actual skiing. The first year I was in business I only kept track of my sales and not my expenses, which was a rude shock when it came time to pay self-employment taxes.
I’d say I’ve come a long ways since then, but I really haven’t. My one formal meeting with a CPA took place midweek on a chairlift at Alta (midweek is a good time to meet doctors, lawyers and CPA’s at ski areas). He summed it up something like this “So, you have a fun job that requires lots of expensive toys and travel, you don’t make much money and you want to write the whole thing off on your taxes, right?” Pretty much. He then went on to explain how this was very similar to being a photographer where you buy expensive camera gear, go on a trip, shoot tons of photos, and may not sell a single image, or perhaps sell them years later. For such a fun job, there is a lot of blind faith involved, and from a tax standpoint, what makes the difference is if it is a hobby or a career.
Skis, boots, poles, skins and a business card that says "Ski Mountaineer." Now it is a career, not a hobby.
Part of the downfall (haha…) of ski mountaineering is that it is such a small market that there just aren’t a lot of options for selling photos, stories or books. As far as trips go, if you can sell enough photos and stories to break even on expenses, that is a wildly successful outing. Most of the time it is a losing proposition, which is why sponsors are so important, although I think of them more as “lifestyle enablers.”
The taxation crux of all of this is deciding what are legitimate business expenses that allow me to perform my job. I couldn’t survive in my office of choice without a titanium spork, Lexan coffee press, Leatherman Skeletool and beacon, so those fall under “Office Supplies.” A celebratory outing at the Bush Company where future skiing plans are laid qualifies as “Meals & Entertainment.” The really tricky ones (from a moral standpoint) are the big fixed assets. Dentists need expensive drills and X-ray machines, whereas Ski Mountaineers need expensive kites and helmet cams, right?
A flying fixed asset with a three year depreciation schedule being put to work on the Bagley Icefield.
That’s my story and I’m sticking with it. I figure all of my tent time will have me well prepared if I get thrown in jail.
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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 spell and people were referring to it as the end of the season. “Well it was a pretty good season, but not great.” Wait! It’s not over. Of seven possible months of skiing, we are only at month five, and the best is here, right now. The ski areas are closing with maximum snow depths and its the time to get after steep chutes, big tours and fun turns.
Derek skiing "Rampage" last week. With huge cliffs on the left, this is usually a serious line, but very reasonable this time of year. The time is now and the skiing is right. Get it while you can. Biking can wait.
But I understand. Biking beckons, ski boots seem hot and other activities are calling.
A friend in the outdoor industry blamed it all on Christmas. “Every year the stores start pumping skiing earlier and earlier in anticipation of Christmas. People are stoked to get out in October when they are bumping over rocks and hitting logs, then they hang it up when the skiing is the best to go do the same thing with climbing or biking – slogging through mud, camping in the rain and missing the best of the season. Everything is just too early.”
I couldn’t agree more, but again, I’m not complaining. The skiing has been excellent lately and will only get better. I just feel a little guilty not sharing it with anyone else.
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Although I barely know Marla, I wanted to make her something special for her birthday party, and what backcountry skier wouldn’t be thrilled to have his or her own A-Star helicopter?! Marla’s party happens to coincide with the annual Heli Free Wasatch party, which celebrates the end of the Wasatch Powderbird’s season of destruction in the Wasatch. Yes, those brave boys can now take a well deserved break from bombing the Wasatch and move onto their summer activities which probably include clubbing baby Harp seals and logging old-growth Redwood trees in National Parks.
The HMS Shithead takes shape in the special climate controlled hanger.
Oh sure, a private “ship” might seem like an extravagant gift, but heli skiing in the Wasatch is a subject that gets backcountry skiers very excited. I know when the Powderbirds decide to share a drainage with me, I often get so excited that I jump up and down until my pants fall off and I lapse into a Tourette Syndrome type of trance and begin screaming in heli-tongues whilst slapping my butt cheeks.
Building a papier-mache pinata and drinking beer go together well as sloppy craftsmanship and lack of attention to detail is essential.
This proud little ship has a few modifications which technically make it an A-Hole instead of an A-Star. But, just like a real Powderbirds ship, it will be filled with fat, alcohol and pork products. Hopefully it will have a longer life span than most of the the Powderbirds pathetic little 45 second flights, but if not, it will share its bounty with the masses and can then be burned or thrown away in an eco-friendly manner that the Powderbirds would do well to emulate.
The HMS Shithead gets its first coat of paint. The logos and stickers come next.
Stay tuned for a potential trip report on the maiden flight of the Shithead over the weekend.
Epilog…
Inserting the payload. The Vodka represents the backcountry skiers - cheap and semi pure of spirit in an unbreakable container. The Slim Jim beefsticks represents the WPG clientele - nasty little cheese infused by-products wrapped in plastic through no fault of their own. The Mini Snickers represents the Forest Service response to years of complaints against the WPG. The Mini 3 Musketeers represents Tyrone, Crusty & Oily, the three swashbuckling WPG guides who are living a long gone dream.
Marla getting harassed by the helicopter - just like a day of backcountry skiing in the Wasatch, except this time the backcountry skiers get to strike back.
Oh no! The good ship Shithead has lost its main rotor... yet still keeps going! Billy using the force (and a little help from his canine pal) to line up the coup du grace.
"You shan't recover from this one darling" Spinal Tap
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Skiing Naked
Well, naked as in without health insurance.
I’ve got quite a few friends who ski without any sort of health insurance and have done so myself in the past. My case was semi-accidental as I started out with self-employed health in$urance, which represented almost as much per month as my mortgage, and then after a year, it was raised for no apparent reason. I hadn’t filed a claim, visited a doctor or been late on a payment, yet it went up about 20% and the insurance company said that’s just the way it goes. So, I decided to cancel that policy and look for another, yet they were all pretty much the same – sizeable monthly payments and HUGE deductibles which in essence only covered major surgery. For anything as trivial as a broken arm, torn ACL or taking a ski tip in the head, you were on your own. My one week search turned into a month… then another, then another, and since I hadn’t been hurt, it started to lose its urgency. Continue reading ‘Skiing Naked’