Behind the Scenes at the Freeride World Tour of Skiing with Tom Leitner
This episode of Freeride Sessisions is centered around K2 athlete, Tom Leitner (GER), a season wildcard for 2012. Tom's innovative but risky style of skiing is always a pleasure to watch. You also get a few shots of the new Pettitor skis as Tom is hiking and skiing some gnarly lines.
Seth Morrison The Ordinary Skier movie and words
Words from Seth Morrison in the post from ESPN - View the original ESPN post
I've spent the last two years making a film that's much different than any movie I have ever be involved with. "The Ordinary Skier" has taken me to revisit places from the past, as well as show me a few new ones. The main focus for the project has been on Chamonix, France, where we spent close to three months over the last two winters. Chile, Colorado, and British Columbia's Retallack and Bralorne round out the other big trips. In each location, I had one ski partner: Kye Petersen, Pep Fujas, Dan Treadway, and JP Auclair.
Until my time in Chamonix, I'd never done the kind of skiing that requires climbing with ice axes, crampons and ropes. But while filming for this movie, it would be an easy day if we didn't have to rappel or use a tool of some sort. We had great groups during the trips with experience in mountaineering, and that helped with learning the knots, crevasse rescue techniques and general mountaineering skills.
For the most part, and with the exception of Bralorne, we were on foot quite a bit, taking the lifts up to access areas beyond the boundaries for untracked snow. Mind you, untracked doesn't always mean deep powder. In a place like Chamonix, to ski the steeps, it's safer to not have powder conditions (that way you don't have to worry as much about avalanches, but there are many other hazards to watch out for). Conditions played a big role -- we were always wanting better snow, but we dealt with what we had in front of us. It's very challenging to make bad snow look easy, but I have found that this shows a skier's true abilities.
K2 Big Mtn Wrap up from New Zealand
The final day of the K2 Big Mountain CHILL Series was bound to provide a great spectacle and it did not fail to live up to expectations. The competition was held in Mt Olympus’s Little Alaska, with firm conditions softening in the sun before setting again as the shade grew later in the day. A mandatory boot pack in competitors had to earn their turns and with $4000 cash up for grabs they made the most of them.
Words from www.chillout.co.nz
View the full right up here: K2 Big Mtn Chillout
Final Results
FWQT in Roldal with Christian Reichenberger
The last competition of the season is over and the FWT 10/11 came to its end.
After a 12th place on day 1 and a second place on final day 2 I finished in 6th place! Unfortunately that’s not enough to get into the FWT 2012 next year. But Röldal was definitely one of the hardest comps, regarding the level of riders, I’ve ever participated!
cheers
Christian
MEN SKI
Dennis Risvoll NOR 52,6
Neil Williman NZL 50,9
Björn Heregger AUT 50,4
Nils Petter Rabbe NOR 49,1
Thibaud Duchosal FRA 48,4
Christian Reichenberger GER 48,1
Rasmus Andersson SWE 46,6
Reine Barkered SWE 46,5
Kjetil Isaksen NOR 42,4
Martin Ruud NOR 41,4
Reggie Crist on K2 Backside Skis COBB Peak in Idaho GoPro Video
After a month of heli-guide skiing in Alaska, Reggie Crist returned home to Idaho. Reggie filmed his climb and descent of COBB Peak. Through his GoPro you can see how gnarly a few sections of the climb are. Video also includes Reggie's buddy speed flying off the summit! Reggie skis on the K2 Backside line that is specifically designed for this type of skiing.
Shooting for Aestivation project at Mt. Baker and Whistler
Hey guys
Two weeks ago we decided to fly to Seattle, rent a RV and go wherever we can find some powder to shoot for the european movie company Aestivation. After checking the weather forecast, we decided to head up north to Mt. Baker. We met Adam U, local from Baker, who knows the area pretty well. After a few downdays Baker showed all his beauty on a blue bird pow day last week friday! We got up at 6am and couldn´t believe all the amount of snow, the massiv cornices, spines, pillows...hell yeah! We hiked up the Shuksan arm, following a few locals who told us where we should go and where we shouldn´t go, because of avalanche danger!
After the first line I couln´t believe how sick it was to shred that sticky pow in steep faces, but we also had a few little pockets which released on those runs. So yeahh, at the last run high clouds came in and I dropped in before the light was totally gone. Few deep pow turns, a drop, one turn, avalanche broke and i fell over my last cliff I wanted to jump. Bummer man, lost my ski and my Go Pro, but luckely I stayed pretty much on the top, at least when the avalanche stopped.
After that day we decided to stay in the trees for the next days; There was a sketchy layer out there since march, where all the new snow slides down. So yeah, there would have been some more realy sick stuff to do up there, but to dangerous. So we left Baker.
Whistler BC - hell yeah, what a awesome area! Unfortunately we had not such good weather the last days. Scouting some lines and stuff we could do was pretty much all we did the last days. Then it cleared up, at least for a few hours. But yeah, it´s a bit different over here with filming lines in the ski area and close to the ski area - everything is tracked with in a few hours! NOT COOL! So yeah was time to get the bird in the air and fly in an area somewhere outside in the backcountry. First day we got a heli drop off up on a glacier - at the time we were up there, clouds came in again and the shitshow started again. Sitting, waiting, wishing - cleared up for 5 minutes, thats the time we had to do our line (3 rider - different lines - what a hazzle) 1 line a day - sucks!
But everything changed yesterday, when it cleared up and we had a blue bird pow day. We flew to a zone where MSP was a few days before. Everybody was stoked at we flew in there and when we saw all that spines, drops, pillows...
First run was a easy run to check the conditions and gettin warm. After this run everybody was pumped up with adrenalin and the Huck feast started. Probably one of the best days ever and thats pretty much on the last day of the season!
heading to Seattle next days and flying back home soon
cheers and some good spring snow riding wherever you´re now
roman
Fish and Pow in Lofoten
Got to go to the Lofoten archipelago in Norway again this year. Can't count how many times I've been there now, but the place never stops to amaze me.
Don't think there is anywhere in the world where the skiing is as close to the ocean as in Lofoten. Peaks with 360 degrees ocean view and lines ending literarily on the shore is seally special. This is the islands of sontrasts, snow to water, white to blue, storm to sunshine (in minutes), beach to mountain, ski to surf.
Lofoten is a mountainous row of islands above the arctic circle, stretching far out into the Northern Sea off the Northern Norwegian coast. Traditionally it's all about fishing, as this is where the North Atlantic Cod gather to party every year. Now it's just as much about tourism, mostly by the kind that drive around in their campers to look at the scenery in the summer, but also an increasing number of climbers, surfers and in winter skiers and snowboarders find their way to this magic place.
Check out the Shred Television Shredisode from our stay in Lofoten:
Having a clothing sponsor with a back country ski wear line named after this place helps a lot when making excuses for going up there year after year. This time I teamed up with a big bunch of my fellow Norrona riders for a photo and video shoot, hung out at the Camp Lofoten back country ski event and then did a bit of guiding. Of course I made sure to have some spare time to catch a few waves in between, and watch some of Europe's best surfers who happened to be there enjoying Lofoten in their way, video.
Working on setting up my excuses for next year's trip to Lofoten now...
Ken Lucas wins Tailgate Alaska Snowkite Event
Words by Ken Lucas
I traveled up to the Valdez area for the 4th Annual Thompson Pass Snowkite Festival held in conjunction with the Tailgate Alaska event. We ended up with great conditions and amazing competitions: Kitercross, King of the Mountain (first one to the top using a kite), Sick Line, Big Air (glide) and Big Mt. Freestyle. I was super stoked to get 1st place in 2 events.
The Tailgate Alaska village/campground was a lot of fun with people camping in snowcaves, teepees, heated tents, and RVs. Using snowkites, we were able to access some of the premier mountains in the Chugach and ride untracked powder for hours. The highlight had to be the snowkiters putting on a Big Air/Freestyle session for all the Tailgate Alaska participants on the 500’ cliff band immediately adjacent to the village/campground.
Tailgate Alaska
Ascending Mt. Oddysey
Getting near the summit
Skiing down
Ascending with Tom already on ridge with his kite
Dropping
Annual Doug Coombs memorial party at Thompson Pass
K2 Skis and CMH Heli-Skiing Team up - Book now for 2012
From CMH Heli-Skiing
For 2012 we are going to switch it up a bit. The K2 Demo Days will take place at CMH Kootenay in March 2012. There will be two, 3-day sessions offered.
As always, guests on these trips get to test a variety of unreleased K2 test skis. K2 designers will be on-hand, and will take your feedback to K2 Headquarters to fine-tune the skis.
Your reward for all this hard work?
A free pair 2012-13 K2 skis once they are released in Fall 2012.
Click here to get the full scoop: http://www.cmhski.com/heli-skiing/trips/k2
Check out K2 athletes Tyler Ceccanti and Andy Mahre at this years CHM and K2 demos days filming with Warren Miller.
Nimbus Euro road trip continue
Hey Guys
After 2 weeks in beautiful Courmayeur, on the italian side of the Mont Blanc, we drove back last week with the 2 BMW X1 to Austria. We found some good lines at Courmayeur, unfortunately there was not a really good base, like everywhere in the alps... that means 2 pair of skis per rider were pretty much done after a few days filming. We also got a few Heli drop off´s and got a few shots of that. Thx again the locals from Courmayeur, who supported us. Delicious food, really good wine and awesome terrain, next to massiv mountains and glaciers.
Back at my home town in zillertal (austria) we found a few cool spots, with good base and a bit of powder. I also showed them the traditional food, beer and of course the most important thing "Schnaps" which they liked pretty much, hahhaha.
here a little edit and pics
for more news check out www.nimbusindependent.com and www.roman-rohrmoser.com
cheers
r
Behind the scenes edit: http://vimeo.com/20190834
