2013 Captain's Log (AKA Rider's Log)

amazingly bad edit and not enjoyable.  Too much slow motion and too slow slo-mo.  The slo-mo should be used sparingly and, in this case, only when the body is bouncing off the hardpack.   That flickery shit between scenes doesn't belong anywhere, imo

Originally posted by | | | bryman | | | Day 43: Quick overnight trip down to tioga pass this weekend with a few bros, camped off the side of the road on 395 just past mono lake (I'm bringing a tent next time, I couldn't get my sleeping bag's face hole small enough to keep out the mosquitoes -- that and an almost-full moon made it kinda hard to sleep) and then hit up a popular area below Mt. Dana on Sunday morning.  This was my first snow trip up there and the terrain is big and aesthetic.  In these conditions the climbing was also perhaps a little beyond my level, but we didn't push it too hard.  (Boot crampons and ice axes are my next purchase, would have been helpful in a few places yesterday).  This is the very bottom of Ellery Bowl on the run out to the parking lot: We hiked up Ellery Bowl, to the Dana plateau area.  It's the "easiest" way up according to the guidebook but the top of the bowl was real steep, I was happy that my skier-friends kicked in steps to scramble up.  Here's a fb shot of me "climbing": Screwed around up there and looked into some chutes.  This is the top of Cocaine Chute, which is purportedly the easiest way down this area.  Some solo skiier ripped down there, but his dog wouldn't follow him because it was too steep or something.  The dude was down there for like two and a half hours (he said he only wanted to shred part way down but he dropped his ski when he was strapping up and had to retrieve it).  The dog just ran back and forth on the top of the cooley (including a terrible cornice that looked like it was about to go) the entire time.  But it was all cool, we saw them both again at the parking lot: The stuff off dana plateau was visible from where we camped, it's rad.  From the top they looked like a lot of fun (but scary) and we didn't think we were committed enough for the mandatory hike back out.  We also watched a couple groups shred Solistice couloir.  The picture below is Mt. Dana, with Dana couloir on the left.  You can't see any of this stuff until you get back there a bit.  Solistice is just on the right, not visible here, and looks great.   There is an-apparently easy way to hike up to solistice from another parking area, then shred down to the bottom of Ellery either leaving a car or bumming a ride.  I'd probably opt for that next time.     This was one of the bigger mountaineering-like trips I've done, the visuals out there are so cool.  I was mostly gripped and puckered the whole time but it was worthwhile.   -b

Brent, I want to come out the next huge spring out there.  California Spring riding, there is none better.

Originally posted by spenser day 89 yesterday.  split up eaglecrest by myself, mostly for the exercise.  it's been snowing at sea level all week and it's deep up in the mountains.  stormy, windy, dumping snow.... it was like mid january up there. snow was deep and not super wet or anything.  good run down.  it was a little weird riding legit powder again after not riding at all for two weeks, and not having a deep pow run day like that since probably the last time I went splitting a while ago.. or maybe I just didn't have my legs fully under me from sitting around for two weeks.

Day 35 and 36.  Rode up at Mammoth with the EL crew.  Nice day out with the snow all slushy.  First day back since I broke myself in mid December.  It felt good to be back...a little too good.

Day 43: Quick overnight trip down to tioga pass this weekend with a few bros, camped off the side of the road on 395 just past mono lake (I'm bringing a tent next time, I couldn't get my sleeping bag's face hole small enough to keep out the mosquitoes -- that and an almost-full moon made it kinda hard to sleep) and then hit up a popular area below Mt. Dana on Sunday morning.  This was my first snow trip up there and the terrain is big and aesthetic.  In these conditions the climbing was also perhaps a little beyond my level, but we didn't push it too hard.  (Boot crampons and ice axes are my next purchase, would have been helpful in a few places yesterday).  This is the very bottom of Ellery Bowl on the run out to the parking lot:

^^Not sure if riding Pow or hiking up mountain...  But damn that is awesome. Does season usually go for that long in AK?

Nice little day 42 yesterday, closing day for Mt. Rose.  Seemed like summer, great spring conditions combined with the best slide parking lot tailgate I've ever seen -- kinda sunburned today.  Here's erin in the bottom part of el cap, the chutes corned up real nice

haha that's our friend carlton.  he destroyed the saucer on impact.. so rad.

Day 41:

we've had less sunny days this year than average, I'd say, but yeah we've had a handful this past month

Originally posted by | | | bryman | | | Thanks Shwazy but not likely, if there's any precipitation at this point I think it will be rain.  Day 36 today, again with Erin at WH20 ski hill.  It's really a great place.  We took the splitters and did a sidecountry lap that got us way up above everything, and from up there it's easy to see how unbelievable the west Kootenays are and how they can have so many bc operations out there.  Fun resort/sidecountry day on the splitboards (never took off my trucker hat or even thought about putting on a jacket), and the WH20 bar/food scene was awesome for lunch both days.  Heading out to baldface tomorrow, I'm hoping they have some secret stashes up their sleeves but we'll see . . . .   -b

Nice!! 

everything is gnarlier in person, especially when it comes to natural terrain oriented stuff.  true justice has never been done for any snowboarding via photo or video, unfortunately

super radical

So on the second day, it was actually puking outside, which was a pleasant surprise.

Sounds like a great trip Bryman! Awesome pics! I'd love to hear more about your trip if you can meet up this weekend!!!

So the first night at Baldface we heli'd in from Nelson with what turned out to be the crew we rode with all week: the founder and management team from Dragon, and they were a great chill group that was stoked the entire time and completely perfect for us to mesh with.  When we landed it turned out the group leaving was an all-girls crew of Burton pros (whoa) and reps that Donna Carpenter put up for a tour and it was amazing to see them, if only briefly.  That was ironic because Erin was the only girl in our entire group.  (Super-romantic setup for our 10th anniversary trip, I know).  

Thanks Shwazy but not likely, if there's any precipitation at this point I think it will be rain.  Day 36 today, again with Erin at WH20 ski hill.  It's really a great place.  We took the splitters and did a sidecountry lap that got us way up above everything, and from up there it's easy to see how unbelievable the west Kootenays are and how they can have so many bc operations out there.  Fun resort/sidecountry day on the splitboards (never took off my trucker hat or even thought about putting on a jacket), and the WH20 bar/food scene was awesome for lunch both days.  Heading out to baldface tomorrow, I'm hoping they have some secret stashes up their sleeves but we'll see . . . .

Day 35, we brought the spring conditions from Tahoe to British Columbia with us!  My wife and I shredded Whitewater today, it is bitchin, with a ton of gnar terrain within reach.  But it's not a pow day, and we rode soft sunny stuff all day.  Even though I spent a good half hour hosing the immense amount of bugs off our board (and drinking beer outside our VRBO rental) when we got here yesterday afternoon, the pow boards did not come with us to the hill today.  (I rode my sierra bluebird and erin was on her feelgood, both good choices for conditions).  Taking the splitters tomorrow, on our way out to explore Nelson and get some food right now.  Everyone here is acting like it's the middle of summer, I guess they've been waiting for the sun for a while.