News From The Mountains

Where to go after a storm is always the toughest call especially in Tahoe because there are so many regions to choose from.  Figuring out where it snowed the most, how hard and from what direction the wind blew and at what elevation the snow levels where are the main factors to consider.  Next is guessing which region is going to have the best weather.  One day Mt.  Rose will be covered in high clouds while twenty miles away Donner Pass will have clear skies.  Spots also change from year to year.  A certain spot one year will have a huge base and we will spend the majority time there while the next year it may get missed by storms or be to low and we never go there.

Once a region is picked the next decision is picking the zone and terrain feature with in that region to start out on.  Safety is the biggest factor to consider here so we pick small terrain features that we know we can get to with out crossing over or under any large slopes that might slide. 

It was the end of a couple day storm that dropped around twenty inches of snow.  The resort was tracked, it hadn’t snowed in 24 hours and with clear skies predicted for the morning it was time to film.

After countless phone calls to various filmers, photographers and riders and considering the above factors the call was to go to Donner Pass and session the I 80 drop.   This is often our starting point after big storms because it is a small feature with a good out run and being right of the side of the road is safe to get to.   

Early the next morning in the pre dawn light we hiked and traversed our way down over to the opposing ridge to further talk about our plan.  We were anticipating the face potentially sliding so we wanted to make sure camera men were in safe spots and had easy access to the outrun so they could get to someone quickly if they were buried.  

Myself and the other riders discussed our lines.  We determined which line would have the lowest risk to start with, how we would test the slope and what our plan was if it was to slide.  Once at the top of the face we grouped up far back from the edge and although it was flat and with no real cornice I wanted to go have a look by myself and find a safe spot to view the face.  I walked around the back to an exposed rock, made sure camera men where in their safe spots and doubled checked that I wasn’t walking out over a cornice or the cliff to the right. 

Even thought I was on near flat ground with no cornice to speak of I still walked toward the edge gingerly and holding my breath.  Just as I came to the edge and got a glimpse of the face I felt a big settling and watched the ground at my feat and to my left break way.

My stomach dropped and hart skipped and instinctively I turned around to make sure nothing was coming behind me.  Quickly I realized I was safe and stared in amazement as the whole slope below me erupted as if a huge bomb below the surface had went off.  The snow went rumbling down the slope and sent a massive cloud of smoke into the air at the bottom.  A quick head count was done and I called the riders over to have a look.  The four-foot fracture line far surpassed all of our slide expectations and although the face was small there was more then enough snow to seriously hurt and bury someone.  Feeling a little sick to our stomachs knowing we had just dodged a bullet we rode down our boot pack and regrouped with the cameramen.  Mike Hatchett was the most blown away.  He had been coming to this spot for over ten years and had seen countless small slides kicked off on every part of the face but nothing remotely like this.  This was the biggest slide any off us had ever witnessed in Tahoe and it was on the landing of a jump.

After seeing something that small slide that big any snow that is left hanging looks like death.  What to do next?  Clear sunny days with good snow are surprisingly few and far between.  We had riders and photographers from around the world that had been waiting for these conditions for over a week.  We had found the perfect snow, and the freshly caked cliffs, pillows and wind lips glowed in the morning light.  It was not yet seven AM and we were set up to kill it.

It was like being a kid in the candy store and not being able to eat the candy.  My decision was made up the minute the slide happened but the others had traveled a lot further to get this day so naturally it was a tougher decision at the time.  The mountains screamed it loud and clear for us  “Get the hell out of here!”  “Come back tomorrow!”

Sure enough the weather and snow stayed good and the avalanche conditions improved.  The next three days were spent in the backcountry with no other avalanche activity and were some of the most productive of the season. 

What surprised me the most with this slide was that out of all the big faces I have ridden deep with in the Sierras that 200 feet off the highway getting ready to hit a jump I had my most serious encounter with an Avalanche in Tahoe.

Some of the best runs of my life have been free.  For the price of a little bit of sweat, and the goodwill of a stranger to pick you up hitch hiking lies the never ending world of free powder. No lift ticket, snowmobile, cat or Helicopter required.  It takes more effort and time but the end result is the same.  

When I first went out west it was my main source of scoring powder.  Lift areas would get tracked out instantly after a storm but I wanted to ride powder.  I learned quickly the hidden powder stashes lied at the end of a boot pack.

Nothing beats stepping out of your car, walking a short distance and riding powder with your buddies.  Even though I have a snowmobile, multiple season passes, and Heli budget I still find myself heading to the local mountain pass to go ride.  There is something about the simplicity that can’t be beat.  No noise, no getting stuck on your sled, no lift lines or closed signs.  Sometimes we spend hours trying to get somewhere on our sleds that pale in comparison to the terrain found on mountain passes. 

Here is a list of some of the most accessible side of the road hits in the country.

Donner Pass, California. 

The location of endless snowboard movies and cover shots.   Stacked with endless jump spots,  freeride lines and cliff drops.  You could film your whole video part here.  Rock rides,  train jumps, road gaps, natural quartepipes,  spines and even pillows.   Surprisingly not played out.

Teton Pass,  Wyoming/Idaho.

The hike up Glory is short but a bitch. Will crush anyone who is out of shape. It is always worth it though.  Never had a bad run here in twelve years.. Terrain is in abundance do to the fact that you can go down the Idaho or Wyoming side.  Perfect Teton A grade powder with open rip able terrain.  Straight up Heli quality runs.  The south side of the pass requires very little hiking.  A nice compliment after a run down Glory.

Berthoud Pass, Colorado

Often time’s home to the best early season powder in the country.  I have had many good days here before Thanksgiving.  Do to the closing of the ski resort you have the place to yourself.  All levels of riding here.  Beginners can ride the old ski runs while more advanced can chuck cliffs right of the side of the rode.

Beartooth Pass,  Montana.

Depending on the amount of snow the road opens some time in June.  Full on steeps out the side of your door.  I cartwheeeled down one chute that started no more then 100 feet from my car door.  There is a small rope tow that can be ridden for a small price.  A nice alternative to Hood in the summer.

Thompson Pass, ValdezAlaska.

As close as it gets to free Alaskan Heli runs.  For eighty dollars you can get a Heli drop to a roadside peak that is over 5000 vertical feet of some of the best terrain in the world.  Fifty dollars will get you a plane ride to similar terrain.  And a  twenty dollar snow cat ride will get you to the top of OdysseyPeak  There is also some short road runs to tie you over through a storm.   It is not free but by picking the right days you can experience all that Alaska has to offer for a quarter of the price. which was an early day Heli run before a cat made it to the top a couple years ago.

Note:  It is the backcountry however and all avalanche precautions should be taken.  Pick your riding partners accordingly, always bring a transceiver, shovel and probe and check the daily local avalanche forecast. 

No money, no problem.

“It is not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves” Sir Edmund Hillary 1^st to climb Mt. Everest

Three filmers and two photographers anxiously stand by with cameras focused and waiting for the call over the radio.   Across the way I am climbing trees trying to get a glimpse of my line but all I see is the mountain below me roll away into the abyss. 

It is not yet 7 AM and we have been up for three hours.

The line below me caught my eye three days ago and has taken over my mind ever since making sleep limited.  Who knows if it will ever be this filled in again and with Alaska a day away the time is now.  Already my season has been insane but this would be the topper.  Hatchett’s already claiming box cover and Sedways mumbling “sickest thing ever… all time…”, etc.

None of that matters right now as I stand alone trying to clear my thoughts of glory and focus on if this is doable or not.  I jumped on a steep roll of similar aspect to asses the snow and all feels good.  There is no sign of natural avalanches, it hasn’t snowed in 48 hours and all day yesterday in the backcountry we saw no activity. 

“All looks good, I will be ready in two minutes,” I call over the radio.  “Breath, focus, you got this,” I say over and over in my head as I buckle in.  Now strapped in I move down to a tree on the face where I will start from.  On my way I push hard on the snow for one last check.  Standing at the tree I am overwhelmed by the heat.  Snow all around me starts falling off of the trees and looking back at my track I see that a small slab broke away. 

Something does not feel right.  My gut is sending me alarms and in an instant I know it is over.  “Sorry guys, not today,” I say over the radio while clinging to the tree.  Wasting no time I sprint up the face to a safe spot and ride down my boot pack.

The filmers and photographers back up my decision but I feel bad that I have wasted everyone’s time because good days like this are few and far between. 

We all have are limits and the decision to ride or not is one all riders will often face.  I see it all the time at my home mountain.  Some local ripper pacing back and forth on top of a serious line or at the in run of the big jump and  it is hard for me to resist the urge to go over to them and tell them to give it a day.  I have made a living on listening to my gut instinct and I will not drop in if I am totally gripped and my stomach is upside down.  There is always a big jump or serious line calling your name but injury lurks around them waiting to claim the next victim.   Longevity is the key.  If something does not feel 100% right give it a day to think about it.

One storm, two ticket changes, and four days later I am standing on the line again. This time I am a half hour earlier, the temps are colder, everything feels right and I drop into it with 100% confidence.  You will have to check Standards new movie “Paradox” to see what happened but Hatchett was right,  it did end up on the box cover.

Want to score endless powder lines weeks after a storm?

Sounds crazy but with some effort lies endless powdery bowls stacked with pristine chutes, bottomless landings and endless waves to slash.

I am not talking about Helicopters, Cat trips or Snowmobiles either.

Poor mans powder lies of the side of any western mountain pass or through the now common “open boundaries” policies at most resorts.  Even the east coast has Tuckerman’s,  “the chin,” and few other stashes I can’t name here.

Nothing this good comes easy.  Get on, your bike, skip the elevator, and get in shape because you need to earn these turns one step at a time.  Over time hiking will feel like taking a chairlift and you will actually enjoy the hike.

Before you go blindly into the backcountry there is a few things you should know.  First off you need an avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe, and knowledge of how to use them.  A shovel and probe will set you back about $120 and a transceiver closer to $300.  Put it on the Christmas list.  Mom and dad have a soft spot for life saving things.

The knowledge part.  Basic avalanche awareness is not rocket science and can be achieved by reading a handbook, going to a seminar or spending time with someone with experience.

Here are five red flags that I watch for every time in the backcountry. 

#1 new snow falls within 24 hours.

90% of avalanches happen during or with in 24 hours of a storm!  

#2 Natural avalanche activity.

If you see signs of recent avalanches.  Debris piles or fracture lines indicate this.

#3 High Winds

If the wind blows hard from one direction there can be wind loading on the leeward side, which has the same effect as new snow.

#4 Collapsing or settling.

At anytime in the backcountry you feel the ground collapse or here a whomping sound.  You will know when this happens. 

#5 Rapid Heating

If the temperature goes from cold to warm quickly.  Especially dangerous if the temperatures grow warmer than it’s been in awhile.

At any time I see one of these red flags I become on high alert.  Often times this may mean riding back down my boot pack or hiking back to the resort.

“Live to ride another day.”

Europe

The feeling will hit you as second you step off the train and crank your head all the way back trying to see the top off the mountains. “Extreme”.  Not the hyped up, mainstream media version but the “you fall you die” version.  Snowboarding in Europe is equal part mountaineering and equal part snowboarding.  Knowing how to set up a repel over a 500 foot cliff is just as pertinent as making a good heel turn.

With no rules, ropes or closed signs to dictate what is ridable or unridable the options are endless.  Thanks to a rich history of extremists’ dating back to the early 1900’s there is hardly a patch off snow that has not had a turn on it.  They are not afraid to pay the ultimate price either.  In Chamonix Valley alone, over fifty people a year die riding in the mountains.

My first time to Europe I realized how serious the mountains really were when I showed up at the mountain to meet some European riders and they were all on 195cm swallow tails and there back packs had ice axes hanging off them and ropes inside them.  Even now ten years later my experience is no less humbling.

No matter if I have just come from Alaska or Jackson I am still blown away at the size of the mountains and the fact that there is a rope tow, train, or tram accessing what seems like every nook and cranny of the alps.  On a recent trip to Jonas Emery’s hometown we decided to check out a resort twenty minutes from his house.  Even though he had grown up riding resorts all around his house he had yet to make it there.  It ended up being one of the better mountains I have ever been to and I watched in amazement as Jonas’s freaked out about his great discovery twenty minutes from his house.

Europe’s version of tracked out is our version of a powder day.  Two years ago I was in Chamonix talking with a guide about were we could find fresh snow even though it had not snowed in a week.  “Unless you have a helicopter you will not find fresh snow,” he said matter of factly.  What I ended up discovering was that the main veins were tracked but all the rock features and landings were untouched.  We ended up putting in a thirty-minute boot pack up to some chutes and did laps on them for days. 

If you are going to Europe don’t be afraid to check out the smaller resorts.  A small resort in Europe would be considered a big resort in North America.  Hardly anyone rides off piste at these resorts and there is a lot less hazards then the bigger resorts. 

If you build it they will ride it.  By putting trams to the top of the biggest peaks in Europe riders are able to ride “extreme”  lines a few steps from the Tram.   This may be why there are hardly any “extreme” snowboarders in the states.  Parts of North America have comparable terrain but the access is limited.  Take for example the Grand in the Tetons.  Unlike in Europe were a tram would put you out on the summit, The Grand takes at least 8 hours and probably an overnight to summit it.  Odds are if The Grand was in Europe it would have a tram to the top and the seldom ridden “extreme” descents would see daily traffic.

Our mountains are smaller but have less rocks, no crevasses and a “caution cliff” sign on any rock over five feet.  This coupled with deeper and more consistent snow make for more rider friendly terrain.  Craig Kelly summed up North America’s concept of freeriding when he said, “It is not about riding the gnarliest lines but riding the funnest lines that really allows you to express yourself with out fear of getting hurt.”     

Europe is worth the effort regardless if you are looking to get “Extreme” or not. Just driving into Chamonix valley and seeing it littered with Tram’s that go to the top of the biggest mountains in the world is worth it.  Throw in some good wine and cheese on the deck of a 200 hundred old chalet, riding from one country to another or a few 9000 vertical foot descents and you will understand why the mountains are so ingrained in the European culture.

Doug Coombs 1958-2006

“There has been no bigger influence on my snowboarding then Doug Coombs,” Noah  Salasnek

“What is to be said about another soul that loved the fun the snow on a mountain had to offer.  I will never forget riding with Doug. I will miss that true skier for ever.” Tom Burt

The snowboard world lost one of its biggest influences on April 5^th when Doug Coombs took a fatal fall in an attempt to rescue his fallen friend.  Doug was the king of the steeps and basically invented what we do when it comes to riding in Alaska.  From Heli companies to everyday powder junkies whether you know it or not Doug has influenced you and helped make what you do safer.  Everyday terms like sluff management and terrain progression came from Doug.

He was the man behind the scenes of most of the early day Standard Films Alaska trips.  Runs like TomCordova Peak, Noah’s Super Spines or Johan’s epic TB5 segment all had one thing in common, Doug Coombs was the guide. Unlike other guides who sit puckered in the heli watching the shit go down Coombs always guided from the top. The stories were always the same.  We would be scared for our life on top of the run afraid to move. Burt’s

“Follow my boot pack, its no big deal,” Doug would say as he cruised around knife-edge ridges like it was nothing.  The incredible part was what he did once he dropped in. 

Victoria Jealous said it best; “He would show us up by skiing our film lines after we rode down, pushing it farther by skiing so much closer to the edge of cliffs. I've n