Chronicles of a (Slacker) Mountain Guide

I've been invited to start sharing some of my adventures on this blog, and I can only hope that everyone who reads them, doesn't begin to hate me...I am more thinking along the lines of inspiring a few folks to get after it, much like TC and powstash have been doing on this blog.

TC posted a bit about skiing with me up at Valhalla Mountain Touring 2 weeks ago, catching me in the middle of a 3 week stint of guiding at the lodge based in the heart of the Selkirks of British Columbia. The Utah crew caught it pretty nicely up north, skiing the ridiculously deep powder in an area about a third of the size of the central Wasatch, but with only 13 other people to compete with for freshies. With the week before they came, and the week after they left, I ended up tallying about 100,000 vertical feet of backcountry skiing all for work (see this is where you start to hate me). Life is tough being an IFMGA mountain guide, but I have to make my living some how!

Thankfully I am back in Utah as of Sunday for 3 weeks of down time before heading back north, and my timing couldn't be better. Monday morning the wife and I woke up to a good dose of new snow and fresh off the plane we headed out to Mill Creek to enjoy the deep stuff.But the wife has no remorse so I had to chase her around for 8 grand of touring...luckily she turned me on to her Canadian ways of using the ultra-light and bomber Dynafit bindings instead of tele skiing a few years back and I can keep up.

No rest for me though...Tuesday dawned and I still had yet to unpack, the phone rings and its time to climb some ice, as the Wastach are not only having a banner snow year, but the cold has kept the ice in good shape. So, I hook up with my photographer friend Andy Burr and my best friend's wife Caroline George to go climb Storm Mountain Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It is in good WI 5 shape, catches a bit of sun, and is only 3 pitches long, so what the heck, unpacking can wait until tomorrow.

So I get home Tuesday night, but the whip is cracking and the wife insists its time to go to the climbing gym. A couple hours later I am on the phone, scheming about today's (Wednesday) plans...conditions are good, so time to grab the skis again. Today's mission: East Couloir on Kessler Peak, booting back up and skiing out God's Lawnmower. A good choice for a half day morning tour, and definitely fuels the adrenaline needs, skiing some big steep faces...however, the light and fast nature dictated that all parties forgot their cameras, so you are just going to go see what they are all about your selves...

Now I am home after the AM mission, and it is only 3 days since I have been back, but I just finished unpacking, so now I have the time to begin chronicling my adventures.

I told you that you were going to start to hate me.

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SplitterChoss.com - Western Colorado Climbing

I met a guy at the Outdoor Retailer show back in August and he mentioned his blog called SplitterChoss.com. He gave me a sticker (yea, blogs have stickers too - including Lou's WildSnow.com thanks to Louie) and it's been sitting in my sticker pile for weeks. After reading about the Backcountry.com employee sticker party it got me filtering through stickers and there it was, splitterchoss.com. So I jumped over there to check it out.

Seems like a cool website and blog, touting itself as the source for Western Colorado rock and ice conditions with route beta, rants, gear reviews and other riffs to go with your morning coffee reading time.

One post that caught my attention was a riff about Colorado peaks, including the ever popular 14'ers. It's worth the read and as you can see splitterchoss.com is now in the blogroll.

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Chicks with Picks

It may be a little too early to be thinking about snow, so I know its way too early to be thinking about ice. Nonetheless Chicks with Picks is an organization that tackles a year round feat, to help raise money for womens shelters.

Backcountry.com is stoked to help out their cause through donating items for their silent auctions this upcoming ice season. Here is what Kim Reynolds has to say about the 2008 ice season:

Clinics are open to gals (sorry guys) of all abilities, all ages, all shapes and all sizes. Our motto “kiss my axe” (ice axe, that is) pokes fun at the sassy, approachable attitude that keep women returning year after year. We teach technical skills & self reliance in a safe and supportive environment that inspire our chicks to become confident (if not righteous) climbing partners. We are NOT kidding! Sign up for beginning to advanced skills in two icy locations with all demo gear included. You’ll get the scoop in a 4-to-1 ratio with our famous girly-guides which alone, is worth the price of admission.

Our theme "women climbing with women, for women" promotes women's empowerment, the spirit of service and giving back to the community. Chicks with Picks has raised $116,800 for local women’s shelters through hosting public auctions during our events. After all, it’s wayyy more than “just” ice climbing...it’s life changing.

New to Chicks – we are now offering Chicks on Sticks back country ski trips in Canada & Mountain Mamas trekking excursions in Nepal. Don’t forget to check out our Karen McNeill Scholarship Fund because the possibilities just never end!

970-626-4424

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