Commentary
Back From Antarctica. Sigh.
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 […]
The Future of Ski Areas
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 […]
Back from Alaska
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 […]
Fred Becky’s Hands
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 […]
“Flakes” – PowderWhores movie review
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), […]
Extreme Taxation
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 […]
Blame it on Christmas
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 […]
The Little Ship That Couldn’t
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 […]
On-line Flagstaff Lift Presentation – How it Would Negatively Impact the Wasatch Backcountry
The photo gallery below is an on-line version of my presentation on how the Flagstaff lift would negatively impact the Wasatch backcountry. To see the photo captions, click on the photo, then click through the “Next” buttons. The maps are approximate and drawn from my memory. ___________________ Help support StraightChuter.com and get the best of […]
Tero Repo Ski Mountaineering Wisdom
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 […]
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