Skinning under a full moon is cool.  With headlamps off, shadows are so long and the muted glow reflecting off the snow provides a surreal lighting for travel through the lowland approach to the high peaks.  Partners are merely black silhouettes and the skin track is an ill-defined line across the crusty re-frozen snow surface.  Traveling across Bradley Lake and through the forest, we spent the pre-dawn hours quietly skinning through this dreamscape into Garnet Canyon.

As morning approached, the moon set and we were forced to turn on our headlamps for the last hour before sunrise, climbing up out of the forest and into the glacial basin of the Meadows in the canyon.  We stopped for a morning snack in the Meadows as the sun barely lit the eastern horizon and then bared our teeth for the icy, slick-as-snot-on-a-marble climb from the Meadows up into the North Fork.  The slope between the Meadows and the North Fork is about 35 degrees and faces south, so it bakes all day and then freezes overnight.  Skin tracks that get put in during the heat of the day get burnished to a high gloss with the water content in the surface snow and then freeze like glass.  Having forgotten to bring the ski crampons, we alternated between skinning and bootpacking as the snow conditions demanded on the climb up.  Skis on feet, skis on packs, skis on feet, skis on packs.

Mark below the North Ridge and the NW Couloir. Looks pretty thin. Anybody need to check their email?

The sun rose as we cruised through the moraines in the North Fork and we were able to make good time getting to the Lower Saddle.  We could see the BIG red duffel bag with Exum’s high camp in it as we scrambled up the scree towards the base of the North Ridge of the Middle.  Surmounting a series of benches, we soon gained a view of the route and quickly ascertained that it wasn’t going to happen on this day.  There wasn’t a shred of snow on the ridge, and the access to the NW Couloir was dry as well.  Standing in the shadow of the Middle with a chill wind cranking over the ridge and no harnesses or rock gear in our packs, none of us felt inclined to tackle 2000′ of 5th-class rock.  So we punted and decided to seek out the Pinnochio Couloir, a 1000′ line from the base of the North Ridge down to the glacier below.

With a narrow entrance that goes at ~55 degrees, the Pinnochio is a super aesthetic line that we got a good look at while skinning through the moraines an hour earlier.

Maybe this route will work?

Finding the top proved to be harder than we expected; after scrambling up and then downclimbing a few short pitches of slabby rock on misguided routes, we finally crested the Pinnochio Pinnacle and gazed down into the couloir.  My 25-meter strand of rope barely reached down to the notch at the top of the couloir, but with a brief body-wrap rappel we each made our way down to the entrance.

Mark sits back onto the day's first rappel, with the Grand Teton in the background.

Evan raps off the Pinnochio Pinnacle.

I cleaned off the cornice at the top while Mark and Evan found a rock horn to sling the rope around for our second rappel of the day, getting beyond a rocky pinch and into the couloir proper.  Going first, I found chalky powder in the couloir with excellent edging, which felt good in what seemed a bit like an elevator shaft.  55-degrees and barely wider than the length of my board, the Pinnochio Couloir was pretty sporty!

Snowboarding on rappel--not as easy or fun as it might look. But on a side note, this was my first day in the alpine with my new Wagner Custom board. Totally amazing--it's so lively, and with a bit more sidecut it makes tight turns in this kind of terrain feel easy. Awesome. Thanks guys!

After passing a particularly narrow pinch a hundred feet down, things opened up and I found really fun riding down to the mid-couloir rockband.  I pulled off to the side and yelled up for Mark to ski down to me.

Mark skis the upper pitch of the Pinnochio Couloir.

We poked around a bit for a route to downclimb while Evan made his descent to us, ultimately deciding to pull the rope out again for one last rappel past the 15′ band of rock that blocked our path.  Mark slung  another horn, we rapped past the rock, and then ripped dreamy turns out of the fan of the couloir and down the glacier to the moraines below.  The sun felt pretty damn good after spending a couple of hours in the shadow of the Middle, so we took the opportunity to eat a big lunch before exiting the mountains.

Evan skis across the glacier to the moraines after exiting the Pinnochio Couloir. Pretty skinny up top!

AJ and Mark soaking up the sun on the moraines.

More challenges awaited us on the way out, mostly in the variable and shallow snow conditions that we have this winter at mid- and low-elevations in the Tetons, but we eventually made it back down to the lake and cranked out the last two miles to the parking lot.  Though it was disappointing to get turned back from summiting the Middle, getting to ride the Pinnochio was pretty sweet and it was a fantastic day to be in the mountains with good friends.  Ultimately, the most disappointing part of the day was arriving back at the parking lot to find that somebody had taken the beers we stashed under the car to keep them cold!  So lame!

And so, we wrapped up the day with the standard trip to Dornan’s for a pitcher and some quesadillas while gazing back up at the Range through the gigantic bay windows behind the bar.  Another decent consolation prize.

Trenching in the Wasatch

Ski touring with your friends…. It is not always about getting the steep, deep, first tracks, or first D. It’s about doing what you love. It’s about being outside with your friends. Choosing the right terrain on the right days. Making good decisions. Taking memorable photos, and leaving nothing but sweet, sweet tracks. At the end of the day you and all your friends know the cold frothy beverage in your hand is well deserved!

Deep Turns in Mustang

Brad Foley on the Alta Ridge

This year the touring in the San Juan’s has been limited by sketchy conditions, though it ’s still possible to get out there. The big lines will be there later in the season. Conditions will change, new lines will fill in, when it happens we will be there. For more touring with friends photos, check out the web gallery at the following link: http://www.chasonphoto.com/SkiTouring/

Enjoy the journey, ski safely out there…..

Enjoy the photos!

My tools for the trip. I am continually impressed with the approach skis and snowboards that I've received from Wagner Custom. Durability and quality construction make them the ultimate backcountry tools. After watching the rest of the crew work with their splitboards--long transition times, endless problems with skins and hardware--I was super appreciative of the low maintenance and efficiency of my approach skis. And the Winterstick Swallowtail? Holy crap--awesome.

AJ riding with the sled behind. Not often done, but way more fun than dragging it uphill! Check out the Swallowtail float!

Camp life. Hot food, snow shelters, and warm clothing...living the dream.

Our tracks on Chicken Knob. Soft and fast.

Kyle rides wind-etched powder on Treasure Mountain.

Josie flies down "The Graveyard".

Now that I’m home, the guiding work seems to be rolling in and there’s a Level 2 Avalanche Course to teach this weekend.  And my new board just arrived from the crew at Wagner Custom–so stoked to take it up Mt. Taylor today for its first backcountry turns.

The Future of Skiing is... Wagner Custom

Thanks for the recognition, Skiing Mag.

The Observatory

After a season ending injury last year it feels great to get back into the snow get to it.  With a fragile snow pack and firm skiing on the ski area we decided the best thing was to hit the backyard for some mellow pow and some not mellow control work.  Patience has never been one of my strong suits when it comes skiing, but this year more than ever we have had to endure long periods of little to no snow, long cold days and a very tender snow pack.  I can’t take it anymore, it’s time.  One of my favorite zones to ski in the San Juans sits just over the ridge from the Telluride ski area, the Cirque above the Alta lakes Observatory.  With an unlimited variety of terrain, from mini golf power to the steepest of couloir skiing Garrett and I made the call the night before to go “play” in his backyard.

Skiing over from the ski area was more an exercise in avoiding rocks on the south-facing slope down to the Observatory.  Moving quietly through the trees past a few “Red Coats” on “break” we made our way down to the house for some left-over chicken and a hot drink.  After a quick bite we made our way up the skin track to the top of the Powder Reserve, ski cutting the pitch above the trestle we found light, dry snow perfect for skiing.  Making turns back to the house for another hot drink, we were putting our skins on for another lap, this time pushing higher to the top of the Bride’s maid couloir.   Putting in the skin track to the top of the Bride’s maid I was surprised to find the couloir was  holding better  snow than we expected.  It was satisfying to reach the top knowing that we had made the right call.  A few minutes to evaluate the snow pack, good to go.  Garrett dropped first, making little noise as he moved down thru the snow leaving his mark behind.  One more pitch of skiing back to the house we found perfect snow and few face shots as a wonderful bonus.

Garrett in his Backyard

Cold and a little tired we sat around telling a few jokes and watching the alpenglow fade on the west face of Palmyra Peak.  Nothing left to do now put grab our headlamps and puffy coats and head home.  Just another great day in the mountains playing in the snow with my Wagner skis.

Sven wanted me to try some new boots — the Head Raptor Supershape, a plug boot with a solid upright stance and very narrow last, especially in the heel. For the past couple of years I’ve been in the Rossignol Race 1 Pro shell, with a Zipfit liner. We popped the liners into the Heads, and Sven ground the inside of the Head shell near the toe buckle rivet to take the pressure off the lateral metatarsal.

The stance in the Head is more upright than in the Rossignol, and the closer around the heel gives a better sense of power. I felt really rooted to the skis. We skied hard snow, especially in spar gulch, and I was able to match Wayne ’s snaky fast short-radius carves. Exhilarating. I like the boots. I love the skis.

Happy to report that Clendenin still skis like a pro moguls world champion, and Sven still skis like a guy who trained with Perillat and Killy back in the day. –Seth Masia

2008 & 2009 US Masters Extreme Skiing Champion. Photo: Eben Wight/MSI

Wagner Custom Factory Team Rider, Scott Kennett, age 51 won the U.S. Extreme Masters Championship last spring, for the second year in a row.  We talked to him about the Crested Butte competition.

Us: The competition was pretty tough there.

Scott: Well, some of these guys have just turned 40 and are just out of the pro class. And they’re Crested Butte locals, so they know the terrain cold, and I’m coming in from Telluride.

Scott Kennett airs Cheeseburger Rock during the 2009 US Extreme Skiing Championships

Us: What keeps you going?

Scott: I have the passion. I’ve competed all my life, starting with motocross at 11. And by now I feel I have to compete at something, have something to train for. I need that goal or purpose. Besides, it’s healthy to get involved in competition. It’s a reason to get up earlier, eat healthier, get in the extra run. If you just sit around on the couch, you rot.

Us: How do you prepare mentally for an event?

Scott: I still get just as nervous as I did as a kid. I used to use Rolaids to settle my stomach. Now I channel the nervous energy. I visualize winning. I focus on this idea that “I love this and live for this.” It turns into that feeling like you’re in love. I stay focused on the goal, and go there saying I’m going to win. That way I don’t stress out. I visualize the perfect run and never have a negative thought – think positive thoughts all the way. It works if you have the desire and mindset to win.

Us: What’s your training routine?

Scott: I ski a lot in the backcountry. In Telluride that requires some hiking. It means working hard at higher altitudes, and skiing varied conditions. I try to get a lot of runs – I do long days with two or three runs, skinning up radical terrain. Meanwhile, Telluride keeps opening up more and more radical terrain, like Lower Bear Creek.

Us: Isn’t that where you got hurt sometime back?

Scott: It was six years ago, and it was out-of-bounds then. I hit a tree and did a compound tib-fib fracture. The patrol guys had to haul me out of deep heavy avalanche terrain, and they kicked me off the mountain for two years – about how long it took to rehab. And now it’s legal. The Forest Service said “Maybe we should open this up.”  Maybe I opened it.

Us: What else about training?

Scott: I watch the diet. I eat pretty good. I drink mostly alkaline water to counter lactic acid. I have a machine that treats the water through electrolysis at the sink. It changes the pH level and filters it. I eat elk meat a lot – we all hunt. Each year someone in the family gets an elk and we share it out.

Us: You’re still coaching freestyle?

Scott: It’s fun to go to events and coach kids. If I’m going to be there anyway, I feel I can compete.

Kennett Freeskiing near Telluride

Us: What gear did you use at the Extremes?

Scott: I’m in the Lange Banshee Pro Freeride. I’m an oldschool bumper. I used to use the Raichle Flexon Pro. Now I get boots from Lange and try to get the flex and lean of the old Raichles. I hate to get in back seat so I put shims behind calf and crank the boot forward. For bindings I have the Salomon DIN 16. The track for the heel binding is reinforced with steel so it won’t deform like plastic. In the backcountry I’ve been on Marker Dukes, but I’m going back to the Fritschi Freeride this year. It’s better in crucial situations because you don’t have to take off the skis and your glove to convert. You can do it with a ski pole and go right into sidestepping.

In the contest I’ve used the same Wagner Custom skis for two years and they’re still holding up. It’s my best-friend ski. I might have worn the bases off from tuning but the ski still has plenty of life. I’ll have a pair made just for backcountry powder,  really wide with normal sidecut and camber but a rocker tip. But I’ll compete on the original Wagner skis.

Us: What’s next? If you win a third time, do you retire the trophy?

Scott: I’d like to win five, and then call it quits. I need to keep that passion for competition. I don’t know many people who’ve done as many extreme events as I have – Alaska, Colo, Argentina, France, all over. Even if you don’t win, it’s great fun to be involved.

Countervail is a visco-elastically dampened carbon fiber material

After 2 seasons of product development and testing with the Materials Sciences Corporation, Wagner Custom is pleased to announce that Countervail® (visco-elastically dampened carbon fiber) construction is now available as an upgrade on all of its designs.

The patented material, available for use in skis and snowboards only from Wagner Custom, is a structural fiber used to supplement fiberglass. It provides the smooth ride and stability of an aluminum or Titanal structure without the weight. In fact, Countervail® has the lightweight characteristics of carbon fiber.

Countervail®, developed to forestall flutter in the carbon-fiber control surfaces of supersonic aircraft, consists of a thin viscoelastic polymer cloth, with fine strands of carbon fiber woven along its length in a sinusoidal or serpentine pattern. Because the stiff carbon creates a two-dimensional pattern, it provides strength in both flex and torsional axes. The harsh reactive stiffness of the carbon is moderated by the viscoelastic fibers. The result: it’s a light, strong, whippy but self-damping structural layer. To get the same flex and vibration characteristics you’d need a heavier layer of aluminum backed up with a neoprene damping layer, or an even thicker sheet of very hard prepreg fiberglass.

The hyperperformance Countervail®, in short, gives you the speed and buttery smoothness of an aluminum or titanal ski, at considerably lighter weight and – this is critical – without the fatigue, bending or delamination problems common with metal skis.

Peter Kray is a great guy and prolific, talented writer (check out The God of Skiing series).   You might know his work from The Mountain Gazette, Ski Press World, or one of many other cool publications.  Recently, Peter has been working on a new project called Shred White & Blue which celebrates surfing and skiing in the United States.

Shred White & Blue did a quick Q&A with me recently about Wagner Custom’s American Made skis.  Check it out here and take some time to look through the Shred White & Blue site.  As you’ll see, the content is impressive.

Click Here for Shred White & Blue Q&A with Pete Wagner

We’ve had an amazingly snowy October here in the Tetons.  While the valley has been mostly just cold and gray, the mountains are holding a remarkable amount of snow.  A storm cycle at the start of the month dumped over 20″ at Targhee and we had powder turns before the crops were all in.  And then last week saw another decent cycle move through and it’s powder again!  Granted, the base is a bit thin (watch out for the sagebrush,) but it’s pretty fun anyway.  Bodie has so much fun that it’s hard not to take advantage…

It felt a bit too warm in the valley for skiing, but the parking lot temps up at Targhee were just below freezing–perfect for warm, fast skinning.

Wray and Bodie cruising up the track

We flew up the cat-track with long strides and lots of glide (these skins from Climbing Skins Direct are unbelievable,) out towards Peaked Peak.  The majority of our local over-eager early-season skiers stay over on the main mountain so Peaked guaranteed a blank canvas, and less than an hour later we were at the top, transitioning for the trip down.

The whole trip down is pretty mellow terrain, but with 10″ of creamy powder on November 1st, who cares?  (And back on my Wagner Custom board again!  So sweet.)

November 1st powder with Bodie

We tore through the cream, laying it over until we hit the lower slopes and transitioned to rock-skipping down to the cat-track.  A second run on the upper slopes would certainly have been icing on the cake, but perhaps later in the week.  It’s awesome to start logging vert this early in the season, working out the kinks and starting the season’s base endurance.  Now, with almost a week’s worth of skinning and riding already this fall, I’m all fired up to get up high and start pursuing big descents once the alpine fills in.  It’s a good year to be a rider in the Tetons…

Guess the location of this image, win a pair of Wagner Custom Skis

How to participate? Visit the Yellow Line Gallery which features images of some of the best road-side skiing in North America. Three different locations (identified as X, Y, and Z) are shown in the gallery of photos. Send your best guesses for Locations X, Y, and Z to goggletan@skiingmag.com. Please include the highway number, resort or pass name, and state.

Identify the locations of the images to win

Why should you participate? The contest winner gets a pair of Wagner Custom Skis with a solid color or topsheet design graphic. The custom skis include: Bomber vertical sidewall construction. Clear grained, all-wood core for lively feel, responsiveness, and great durability. Oversized steel edges and extra thick bases for longevity. Custom-fit and optimized for YOU according to length, width, sidecut, camber, tip/tail shapes, overall stiffness, flex pattern, and material layup.

Where to get clues and see the photos? Here.

Visit www.skiingmag.com/yellowline for contest rules

Las Leñas Lunch

Gringo Tracks

Scoping New Terrain

Powerful Turns Ahead

Earning some turns in Las Leñas

TS Marte

Matt Lanning enjoying life in Las Leñas

Chalky Las Leñas Turns

It occurred to me as we moved to high camp.  I was guiding a climb of Denali’s West Buttress; we were carrying huge packs, moving REALLY slowly up the ridge in sub-zero temperatures.  “Wouldn’t it be nice to move fast with a light pack?  I’ll bet the Tetons are gorgeous right now.  The trail into Garnet might even be clear.”

A dry initial approach

So, 2 days after I got home Jake and I left my dog with a friend and headed up into the Park. We figured the Grand Teton would still have plenty of snow on it for a late-season descent, but weren’t totally sure about the approach—should we bring skins?  Should I bring my approach skis?  Lupine Meadows was dry and hot when we pulled in, the smell of sage strong in the air, and snow line looked way up there.  Jake convinced me that I should bring my approach skis anyway, just in case.

Walking in sneakers with light packs we flew up the trail into Garnet Canyon, finally changing to boots and skis for the last half-mile to the Meadows. It made for a quick half-mile, though. While I shoveled a platform and pitched the tent, Jake dug down a few feet to find the creek.

Going to bed.

We ate hoagie sandwiches as the stars started to appear and slid into our sleeping bags on a lovely, warm night.

The climb up to the Grand from the Meadows was smooth, with the exception of a brief route-finding snafu.

Jake on the Teepe Glacier at sunrise.

AJ climbs to the base of the Stettner Couloir. (Just around the corner...)

Firm snow made for fast boot-packing and we were at the bottom of the Stettner Couloir just after sunrise.  Unlike earlier this year, the Stettner was one big, icy runnel peppered with rocks—great climbing but unlikely skiing.

Climbing super firm snow and ice in the lower Stettner Couloir.

We climbed the Stettner unroped, and pitched-out the ice in the Chevy traverse to the base of the Ford Couloir.

Jake leads the first pitch of the Chevy Couloir.

Another hour of firm step-kicking brought us to the summit and endless views into Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

The last step to the summit!

The view from the top of the Grand is unbelievable; everything else is SO FAR below!  Under bluebird skies, we sat in the sun for a bit, soaking it all in and recharging for the descent while the snow finished corning up. I dropped in first, making a few test turns before opening it up down the southeast ridge to the top of the Ford.

Warm-up turns above the Ford Couloir. The Glacier Route/East Face of the Middle Teton in the background.

The entrance to the Ford is pretty steep—close to 50 degrees—but with it full of sweet corn we made big, fast turns, outrunning our sluff, leapfrogging our way down to the top of the Chevy.

AJ drops in to the top of the Ford Couloir.

Jake enjoys sweet corn in the Ford Couloir.

And that was the end of the riding up high on the mountain—the Chevy is unrideable and the Stettner would be awful turning, so after 4 pitches of rappelling we arrived at the bottom of our line and traversed around to the Teepe Glacier for another 2500’ of fun turns in the sun back to camp.

The first of four pitches of rappelling off the Grand.

What a sweet outing!  The descent was almost more rappelling than riding but the climbing was fun, the weather was perfect, and it felt so good to move fast.  We strolled the rest of the way down the trail into the forest and early-blooming wildflowers, chatting about what to ski next weekend and the massive amounts of food we would consume when we got back to Victor.

The Edge of Never by William A. Kerig

The Edge of Never is a nonfiction book about a young skier, Kye Petersen, who travels to Chamonix to ski the run that killed his respected, big-mountain skiing father, Trevor Petersen. The story is about an older guard of skiers (including Glen Plake and Mike Hattrup) sharing their love and respect for the mountains with a younger skier.

I believe that skiing is an incredible way to share meaningful time, conversation, and experiences with friends and family. Ultimately, The Edge of Never highlights the selflessness, loyalty of family, tradition, and respect that grows the community and culture of skiing.

Bill Kerig did an excellent job with this book. It flows well and is a fast read. The book will make you contemplate and get psyched for the upcoming season, an upcoming trip, and/or your next day of skiing.

Check out www.theedgeofnever.com

Have you read it?  If so, let me know what you think.

The Wire and Silver Chute mid summer

Scoping lines is a year long activity.  For one reason or another skiing always seems to occupy the mind no matter what the season.   Watching the mountains change throughout the season has become a favorite past time. This post contains just a few photos taken in the back yard of Telluride during different times of the year.

The Wire in the Fall

Palmyra and Silver Mountain

From the first snow of the fall throughout the hot summer days there is much to learn from watching the mountains transform through-out the seasons. Some lines that never looked possible gleam with possibility, and others continually expo their cruxes which might never be challenged by skiers.

The Wire and Silver Chute mid winter

Sneffels in early spring

Different times and different angles shed light on different possibilities.

Sneffels and yankee boy basin in early summer

Keeping your eyes on the lines until that moment when the snowpack, weather, and right friends all line-up. It may be a year or many years in some cases before your standing on top of that line that you’ve been looking at, but when you do it all seems to make sense.

Entrance to the 'Super Sic' couloir

The moment of truth.