Show me your 'O' face...Snowboarding on the 4th of July

There is something really special about making turns in the summer, especially if the snow is still good. You say to yourself, "Its July, and I'm making turns....HOLY SHIT!!! ITS JULY AND I'M MAKING TURNS!!!". For countless summers growing up I would periodically have snowboarding dreams only to wake up disappointed to look out my window to see green grass instead of a blanket of white. Regardless of how many years I've been riding, getting to make turns any time after about mid-may is a huge source of stoke.

Perhaps its simply the novelty factor, or perhaps its the fact that you know that everyday deeper into summer decreases the likelyhood that you'll be riding tomorrow. Toward the end of June, any day you get to spend on your board is like living the mid-summer snowboarding dreams you'd have as a kid, except when you pinch yourself you don't wake up disappointed...hell, you don't wake up at all because you're there, living it; its truly surreal, like a lucid dream.

Contributing to the dream-like state, I got out of work around 10pm, rounded up my gear and made the 1 hour plus drive up to the old ghost-town/mine site of Waldorf. Tired from a long shift at work, I met up with Cory, and his friend Zaida. Cory and I had been discussing riding a line off the summit of Argentine Peak for the past couple of weeks, but couldn't seem to get our schedules to align enough to make a go at it. However, it became readily apparent at first light that things on Argentine had melted out significantly since my scouting mission up there only a week and a half prior. Still, there were aspects holding plenty of snow and one line off the eastern flanks of Mt. Edwards caught our eye. We made breakfast under a hot, rising summer sun and set off with eyes still burning from a lack of sleep in a half-conscious state. We quickly settled into the 'click-clack' rhythm of hiking and our bodies slowly awoke with the rising sun. We reached the top of our line in a little under an hour and a half and relaxed for a bit in the ever increasing warmth of summer before dropping into 1200 vertical feet of smooth, but super slushy snow.

Driving up to Waldorf...


Jetboiling up some oatmeal for breakfast (Photo: Cory Arola)


We all were a bit over dressed for the warm sunshine, but that didn't stop us from making good time up to the top of our line.

Cory and Zaida putting in work on the up...


It was Zaida's first back-country experience. Needless to say she's hooked.
(Photo: Cory Arola)


We had talked about doing a 14'er for the 4th, but decided against that since half of what draws us into the mountains and the back-country is the escape from the masses, the solitude that so many people now-days fear. If you've ever been on a 14'er in the front range during the summer, then you can appreciate what I mean.





Cory and Zaida relaxing in the summer sun and silence.


We were the only ones in the Argentine Pass area for our entire climb and our descent. Save for a curious Mountain Goat.

"Don't these assholes know its summer?"


Cory making his way down 'O'-Face.




Then it was Zaida's turn...


I then dropped from the spot I had been shooting from, about mid-way down the line. The snow was smooth, but slushy. Shit, I'll take what I can get in July. (Photo: Cory Arola)


Photo: Cory Arola


Needless to say, I was stoked to have just rode 1200 vertical feet continuously on the 4th of July. My latest riding date ever. (Photo:Cory Arola)


We stopped to admire our summer signatures...I mean, you have to right?


Photo:Cory Arola


It wasn't until we got back to the car that a family on 4-wheelers rolled up, breaking the silence of the day with their flatulent exhaust note. It was all good though as they were soon off on their way and we once again had the basin to ourselves.

I don't know what it is about this basin, but it is one of my favorite in the Front Range. Perhaps it's its lushness, or perhaps its the fact that the peaks that surround you are so close. What ever it is, I love it up at Waldorf.


Or maybe its because when I head up there, I always get to see the 'O'-face.


Back at the cars, we cracked a couple of cold ones, had a post-descent safety meeting and took in the views. Life is good.


Our route. (map overlay courtesy of Cory Arola)


'til next time....thanks for looking.

Really?!?!?!?!

I can't believe how much snow keeps falling over the northern mountains of Colorado. Another strong low pressure system has been lingering over my part of the world for the last 3 days bringing with it close to 30" of snow.

The plan for today originally was to climb and ride Mt. Sniktau, a easily accesible 13,000ft peak about an hour's walk due east from the top of Loveland Pass. However, the storm decided to hang around throwing more snow and cold our way. With limited visibility, and gusty winds, we decided to pull the plug on Sniktau and simply enjoy the deep, dry snow that the east side of Loveland Pass was holding. I was joined by my friends Cory Arola, Giri Watts, and Brian Lindahl all of whom were more than willing to make some turns for my lens.

It was a great day to be out on the pass....


Brian doing some May powder sampling.




And getting a little hang time off a buried rock.


Then it was Cory's turn, and he made some good ones...




Sequence
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And also logged a little flight time as well...


Giri got nasty as usual...


Splittin' the uprights...



I still am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it is almost June. As Cory remarked at one point today, "it'll officially be summer one month from today." Crazy.

To close, I'll leave you with a quote from another pass-lapper today. We were riding up for another lap when this chick in the truck bed with us says out of no where, "I'm old enough now that I can have ice cream for breakfast......and I do. Regularly."

Till next time....

A Maycember to Remember....Wow!

The endless winter continues to roll on here in Colorado. Another 8-12" of powder fell in the last 24hours bringing our unofficial (we stopped counting last weekend) season total to over 600". For Colorado, this amount of snow is nearly unheard of. For me, its been amazing to have been here for this historic season.

I met up with Giri at Loveland Pass around 10am today. The weather was pretty much ideal. Cool; but not cold, snowing steadily and no, I repeat no, wind. We managed to catch a few rides up the pass today; but we weren't in any hurry. It was kinda nice to be able to feel like we didn't have to hurry since the pass was relatively quiet. We ended the day with a 25-minute hike out to a high spot just before Idiots Bowl and rode some mellow pow down some 1500 vertical to the road. It was a great day to be in the mountains...but then again, when is it not? Thanks for looking. PB.


Giri gettin it on in the trees...photo sequence: Paul Bourdon

The Endless Winter....

I was going to tell you that I was going to keep this post short on words; but then I remembered I usually have a lot to talk about, so if you don't like to read...piss off, the pictures are lower on the page you illiterate neanderthal. :)

This winter in Colorado has been nothing short of amazing. Loveland closed last weekend though it was not for a lack of snowfall. We've officially broken our season snowfall and snowpack records this year, even though our lifts were not turning when the record was broken (due to management wanting to get an early start on replacing chair 4). After a short week of spring like temps and weather, winter made its return in a big way this past Wednesday and Thursday when a significant low pressure system developed over the Great Basin bringing up-sloping winds, and big precipitation to the continental divide. On Wednesday, I did two laps at A-Basin before deciding to head back over to my side of the pass for some epic (I hate that word) turns. A-basin was incredibly inconsistent that day. Thigh deep blower shots one turn, scary re-freeze crust on the next. There was no way to get into a good rhythm, let alone open up my turns, so I bailed thinking that at least the crust layer on the pass would be smooth underneath as opposed to the death moguls lurking underneath the steeps on Palivincini.

As it turned out my hunch was right. The east side of Loveland pass was holding 14-16" of winter like snow and conditions were absolutely all-time (regardless of what month the calendar says). That last sentence should serve as a reminder to you when you see these pics; its May. The second week of May to be exact. And here we are in Colorado skiing mid-winter like snow. Wow. I constantly have to remind myself that I'm living in a bubble of winter. A last strong-hold of white, where the winds are still howling, the snow is still falling, and temps are still below freezing. I love it.

To start here's a pic I took from 5-11-11 around the Empire, CO area. Beautiful.


I wanna take this opportunity to thank David Gidley, Eric Mikolajczak, Mike Halajcsik and Bo Heristchian for helping out with the photo duties on this entry. They took some great shots. Look for the photo cred with each shot. (if unnamed, I took it.)

Bo (photo copyright: David Gidley)


David


Eric


Mike


5-11-11
On Wednesday I joined some friends of mine from Loveland, Eric Mikolajczak, Mike Halajcsik, and Ita Carn for a few laps of deeeeeeep powder.

Loveland Pass in May. Wow.


If you're not familiar with the pass, you should know that its really easy access to some fun terrain. All you have to do is put out your thumb and rely on the kindness of strangers; which on the pass is usually not in short supply. (***Wear your beacons, and use safe backcountry practices. If you do not know what this means, please educate yourself***)

Thanks to a couple of the guys from the NeverSummer factory for hooking us up on this lap. You rock!


A good look at the top of the pass and the surrounding terrain (photo:Eric Mikolajczak)


Italo at the top during one of the few moments the sun started to break through the clouds.


Eric was putting down some really nice turns that day.






I dropped a rock drop that used to be decent sized at one point this year.(photo: Eric Mikolajczak)


and then got my slash on in the trees. (photo sequence: Mike Halajcsik)
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I think we rode something like 8-10 laps on Wednesday. It was sick.



5-12-11
The plan for Thursday was to wake up and be on top of the pass by 7am. These fairly ambitious plans were subsequently modified (by me) when I looked out my window in Georgetown at 6:10am and saw grey skies, high winds, and large snowflakes falling from the sky. "Was this really May 12th?", I thought to myself. "Have I entered some weird time warp back to January?". "Fuck it, I'm going back to sleep." "With snow falling like this it'll be good all day." I called Giri, David, and Bo and we decided to meet on the top of the pass at 8:15....which became 9:20 by the time I had picked up Bo and David, got gas, went over the hill to A-Basin to get Giri and made the 15minute drive back up to the top.

(As it turns out Giri had waited for us for 40minutes on the top of the pass in white out conditions in his car before heading back down to A-Basin. I convinced him that he would only be wasting his time down there, and that the pass was the place to be.)

At the top of the pass we were greeted by 30+mph winds that weren't there yesterday, and near-zero visibility. For a minute, I thought we may not even end up riding at all since everyone wasn't too stoked on the conditions. With promises of softer and deeper snow once we got into the trees the session was on...

Giri


Airing the (now) little rock drop. (photo copyright: David Gidley)


Making a nice *switch* pow turn in the Caddilac trees. (photo copyright: David Gidley)



Bo made so many good turns on his tele's that day that I had a bitch of a time editing the good shots down. Seriously, I could've put like 20 shots of him up here that were all $$$. He killed it.

(photo copyright: David Gidley)


Bo gettin' deep in May. (sequence)
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He almost hit me on this turn, but I love this shot.



A couple more...








And since he killed it so hard out there, I have to post this shot....
(photo copyright: David Gidley)

Apparently Giri and I didn't get the memo we were also doing a hip-hop video with Bo that day.

David is usually behind the lens on most days, so it was great to get a chance to return the favor.

He came out of this turn saying, "Yep. That was definitely a faceshot!" Gotta love the May powder.

I made some turns for the camera too...

Pow surfin' sequence(photo cred: David Gidley)
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(photo credit: Boss Heristchian)


(photo credit: Boss Heristchian)


Chargin'(photo cred: David Gidley)


Heading into the white room...
(photo cred: Boss Heristchian)


Craig Kelly was one of my heroes...this toe-side turn is for him.
(photo credit: Boss Heristchian)



Did I mention that I occasionally eat shit??? Post wind-lip drop into the Valley carnage...(photo cred: David Gidley)




A few lifestyle shots, all credit to David Gidley.








We did a lap down through Loveland Valley only to find that my car wouldn't start at the bottom. Giri and I started to walk toward the Basin, and met some dudes who were willing to give us a ride the rest of the way, when we got a call from David that my car had miraculously started. Bo said he put a very old Persian voo-doo curse on it to get it to start.

Here he is working his magic. (photo: David Gidley)


We dropped Giri back off at A-Basin and Bo and I took one more lap down Cadillac. Remember, its May.(photo cred: David Gidley)


Hope you enjoyed looking/reading. Stay safe out there during the upcoming touring season.