Premier Season

On the road

Its here, the moment that many of us wait for all summer, when we see faces that we haven’t seen since the last snow fall. Talking, drinking and reminiscing about good times from past seasons with the anticipation of the coming season. Ski movie premiers are rooms filled with overly stoked people fueled on liquid adult courage and the anticipation of snow in the near future.

So many athletes at the Whistler premier, we got bumped to the floor. #oldguysonthefloor

For an athlete it is a special time of year. We get to travel around the globe to these incredible events and help fire up the stoke for the season. It is also a nervous time of year because everything you worked for this past season is being showcased. Will the audience like your skiing, how many of your shots made the movie, will people like the movie? Most of us in the ski industry put our hearts into the sport, trying to make it better and showcasing the best possible side of it. Peoples reactions to what we do, is not taken lightly.

It is hard to not get caught up in the stoke and enthusiasm and I seem to find myself out much later than my bedtime. So it is super important to get lots of exercise in between shows. This is also pre-season training time when everyone want to get strong for the winter.

Mid trail on Comfortably Numb

So far this year has been incredible for extra curricular activities. From big long wet rainy bike rides to actually shredding powder in October. Eric Hjorleifson and I did just that after a cold rainy premier in Whistler. We knew that it had been dumping up high but we still weren’t sure just how much it had snowed. After a cold wet ride the day before we decided that bike season was over and it was time to check out the alpine.

Alpine start

The biking portion

The hiking portion

After an early morning wake up, we threw skis on our bags and headed up the mountain via bike, then hiking to finally skinning. As we got higher and higher we were both blown away with how much snow was blanketing the mountains. Soon enough we were at the bottom of Hue Sue Me, feasting our eyes on more snow than could have been imagined for Oct 1.

We couldn’t believe how much snow there was. At this point are eyes were bigger than our legs

Trenching

Almost there

We started hiking up the chute, and it was instantly game on winter, having to make decision making quick and decisively. A couple of sluffs came down and the snow was a little upside down making it feel a little funky. But we were able to work the terrain safely and started feeling better and better about the snow. We were almost able to skin to the top of the chute. But it finally got too steep, and we resorted to waist deep trenching for the last little bit

Worth every step and peddle stroke

October 1st

Early season obstacles

The ski down was better than we could have ever hoped for with snow flying everywhere and good sluffing. Just the pure enjoyment of cold air on our cheeks and being on skis in the mountains again. The beers tasted even better at the next premier. Hope to see you at one in the next couple of months.