Back in a Seasoner's life...
After six years of studies, in autumn, there was just one possible option in my mind to opt for in my near future: Spending another winter right in the mountains, in St. Anton a/A where everything started ten years ago. Welcome back to the microcosm of a skibum. Life turns around skiing, working, powder, friends and parties – what happens around is just simply faded in fog.
More than a month has passed by now and I have skied already as much as I did the whole last winter. Crazy. Crazy being back in St. Anton.
The winter started off with loads of snow on a tiny base. But still, it gave my friends and me the chance to chase faceshots for enduring ten days. Almost every day, the Pontoons were just the right choice. Ohhh, how much I love those skis. 
With only one or two trips over to the other side of the Arlberg - Stuben, Sonnenkopf - we stayed pretty much in the area around St. Anton, skiing couloirs, trees, faces, playgrounds – just all kind of varieties freeriders can think of...
Ever since, the snow layer had enough time to settle and therefore the avalanche situation got safer and safer. The time came to round the physical fitness up with some hiking, skitouring and doing the famous „Winterklettersteig“ in the Rendl area. With hikes between 150 hm and 700 hm, we collected already about eight peaks and jags. It's just great to get out there again, to ski some steep lines that usually are not at all as safe as now and to spend this experiences with old and new friends. A seasoner's life...
Sadly, in the passed 18 hours, it has poured down rain until very high up which just shows me that it is about time to make a move towards other ski areas in Austria, Switzerland and France as well as to get ready to rumble some competitions like the Engadinsnow, the Big Mountain Hochfügen and the Eldorado Freeride in Andorra. Can't wait!
Stay tuned and pray for some snow! Don't we need it all?!
Bildrechte: Franz Sauer
© Kata Mihaljevic
Zillervalley in Dez 2010
After the great snow in the beginning of Dezember we had some good days in the end of 2010.
Looking forward to some good snow in 2011!
Cheers Felix
Felix Wiemers
(photography by Philipp Wiemers)
Cover story - Brant (SE)
Ended up on the cover of Swedish ski mag Brant's latest issue. Guess the front page is pretty much the high score of the ski photography game, well maybe after a giant billboard right across the street from the School of the Swedish Bikini Team. ... Stoked. Thought I'd just share how me, my K2 Rockers and photographer Mikael Pilstrand ended up with the shot.
This was actually the winter of 2009. I was schredding the Alps along with Pilstrand and now deceased Fredrik "Frippe" Ericsson, who tragically died on his way up to try and ski K2 this summer. We had hit up the Italian Dolomites, gotten some good snow, good coffe, good pizza and some really nice Couloir runs in there, before heading to France and Frippes place in Chamonix to get a piece of the big dump there and on both the Swiss and Italian side of the Mt Blanc. The alps were getting pounded and we were in another ski area every morning welcoming it with open arms (and a pair of rockered skis, at least mine).
Frippe in Canazei, Dolomites, Italy.
Chamonix.
Anyway. I decided to make it east again, and got on the train to Switzerland, to the town of Disentis and the ski area where a dump like this can last for weeks before it is all tracked. Pilstrand joined for a day before going to a job in St Anton, Austria, and it turned out to be quite productive. It's of course a luxury to be in an uncrowded place like Disentis when the conditions are perfect, but of course there are a couple other factors who needs to be thre in order to get the cover, for example a photographer that has got his shit together, to put it that way. Pilstrand is experienced and quite on top of things, and we actually ended up with two covers that same day.
See what I mean... even in the piste there is hardly any tracks... And yes that stuff over there is lift access. More correctly, it is actually under the lift.
For me that day and that cover is pretty much the essence of what I'm in this game for. Big fields of untouch pow to make some slashing telemark turns in. Then I'm happy and can go home .... or get on the lift and do it again.
Taking shots like this can be a hazzle though, because it steals a lot of time that could have been spent on a couple of additional lines instead, but at least when it ends up on the cover that makes the wating seem a bit more worth while. Another good thing about this show is that it was taken in a line and not just as a one-shot-wonder. That way as a skier you get a bit more out of it, doing some real skiing when it happens and not just a turn for the camera. This was on a ridge with nice light coming in from the side, where Pilstrand could find a comfy position, sit back and regret that he had stopped using snus, and do some shooting with the tele lens as me and Austrian skier Tine Hüber did a couple of laps and had some fun at "work".
Hoping for another winter of the same deep pow!
-Torkel Karoliussen /K2 Backside Team
Youngstars - Camps
Freeride Camps und Slopestyle Camps für Jugendliche
organized by mountain-action und K2
Die bewährte Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem Jugendcamp Veranstalter mountain-action und K2, der führenden Freeski und Snowboard Marke, machen den Erfolg dieser Slopestyle und Freeride Camps aus. Erfahrene Freerider, mit den notwendigen Ausbildungen und Prüfungen, kümmern sich darum das die Kids in kleinen Gruppen safe durch´s Backcountry powdern können. K2 Pro Rider coachen die Jungs und Mädels, die Tricks und Style im Park und auf selbst geshapten Powderkickern verbessern wollen. Egal ob sie schon anspruchsvolle Tricks drauf habt, oder endlich mal ein Handrail durchsliden wollen, ihren ersten 3er stehen möchten oder Techniktipps fürs Backcountry brauchen, immer ist jemand dabei der sich um die Teilnehmer kümmert. Logisch das wir mit GoPro, Video und Spiegelreflex Cam die Taten aufzeichnen und abends anschauen und analysieren.
Bei jedem Camp bekommen die Teilnehmer im Rahmen eines kleinen Lawinenkurses überlebenswichtige Infos und es wird geübt mit einem Verschüttetensuchgerät umzugehen. Außerdem können die neuesten Ski und Boards von K2 getestet werden.
Abends ist natürlich lang noch nicht Schluß: Videos und Fotos anschauen, Videoclips schneiden, Lawinenkurs, heiße Spiele und natürlich ein bisschen Party machen gehört zu jedem Camp dazu.
Obertauern steht auch dieses Jahr wieder unter dem Motto: win a K2 ski or snowboard gear. Denn parallel zu dieser Woche läuft ein Contest für alle Freeskier und Snowboarder, egal ob Jungs oder Mädels, bei dem das beste Allround Talent (Freeride, Kicker & Slopestyle) einen Ski bzw. Board von K2 gewinnt.
Highlights: Fette Backcountry Kicker Session, edler Powderrun mit Pillowlines nach Untertauern, Partyzone in der Taverne und an Silvester.
Coaches: Andi Neuhauser (Campleitung und Backcountry), Chrissi Fischer ist Pro Rider bei K2 (Park und Kicker).
Termin: 26.12.10- 2.1.11 (Weihnachtsferien)
Alter: 13-18 Jahre
Preis: 470 Euro (Anreise ab München, VP, Guides, Betreuung, K2 Testmaterial)
Krippenstein am Dachstein. Übernachtung auf der Lodge oben am Berg neben einem kurzen Sessellift und Schlepper wo wir uns mit Pistenwalze und Manpower unseren eigenen Park shapen. In der Freeride Szene genießen die Powderruns am Krippenstein Kultstatus. Selbst Warren Miller hat hier schon mit top Ridern aus USA, wie Pep Fujas, Filme gedreht.
Highlights: eigenen Park shapen, Backcountry Kicker bauen, bei Neuschnee die berühmten Treeruns und Pillowlines riden, Skidoo fahren, Hüttenralley.
Coaches: Andi Neuhauser (Campleitung und Backcountry), Lucas Mangold ist K2 Pro Rider, bester deuscher Nachwuchsfahrer, Gewinner bei WirSchanzen Tournee 2010, Gewinner bei NorthFace Skichallange 2009 (Park und Kicker).
Termin: 6.-11.3.11 (Faschingsferien)
Alter: 11-15 Jahre
Preis: 355 Euro (Anreise ab München, HP, Guides, Betreuung, K2 Testmaterial)
Info und Anmeldung bei:
mountain-action
Liechtensteiner Str. 9
87439 Kempten
Tel.: 0831/85482
info@mountain-action.de www.mountain-action.de
Narvik - the world's ugliest ski town
Hardly the average catalogue dream mountain holiday town, Narvik is railway, iron ore and architecture that still suffers from quick and cheap post-war rebuilding. Yet this was one of the highlights of my trips last winter and watching the footage now is fueling a crave for snow that has started to become stronger and stronger lately.
The terrain at Narvik's ski resort (or maybe we should call it hill, depends what time of year and what day you are there) is good, the slackcountry awesome and the surrounding mauntain areas unlimited. It's been haunted by some thin snow years lately, but late winter - even in May when the hill is closed (ironic?) - is the time to be there and it will always be good as the snow has accumulated thorugh winter, weather is better and new dumps can still occur.
Check more shots and read about Narvik in Norrøna Magazine
and this clip:
-Torky
climate change
Check out what Roman is doing when the snow is melting!
here some video clips
http://www.roman-rohrmoser.com/index.php/videos.html
Mountain Niceness...Cobb Pk-Comma Couloir/Pioneer Mts,Idaho
Danny Walton
Cobb Peak 11,650
Harvesting some corn on Cobb!
Comma Coulior
Gropple and creek crossings...must be spring.The bikes made for a quick exit to cold beers.
Cobb Peak/Pioneer Mountains,Idaho
Spring frenzy in Tamok, Norway
Tamok is an beautiful area in North Norway which has a lot of offer for a backside skier. Touring here in the spring is exceptionally fun because of the 24 hours of light. Powder snow doesn't make the place worse either.
Botnskartinden in Tamok has runs up to 1500 vertical meters and plenty of first descents if you're up for that kind of stuff.
North Norway offers over 1000 meter runs all the way to the sea. This is from Skulvatindane, Lyngen (Norway).
Silky snow in early May. Skulvatindane, Lyngen.
Just cruising in Rasmustinden, Lyngen.
I'm about to drop in to the North side of Blabarfjellet.
Last week I was shooting a movie for Norwegian ski clothing brand Missing Link in Tamok, Norway. Movie production is my bread and butter and I don't mind if people want to benefit for my combined skiing & shooting skills.
There was two Missing Link teamriders, Lars Fidjestol and Dennis Risvoll. Fred Syversen was appering in the film as the special quest star. You might remember Fred from making accidental 107 meter (351 feet) cliff drop World Record in 2008.
Conditions were just perfect for shooting. Light pow on North / NE / NW facing sides of mountains. Days are long and mountains get golden alpenglow which lasts longer than in the Alps.
When things are too well something is bound to happen. So it did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsGIlZKygoE
Fred Syversen chose a line where falling was out of question. Right before first of three jumps he was surrounded by snow sprayed by helicopter.
Luckily all is well now and we all have plenty of ski days left.
Regards from Arctic Circle
Jani Johansén, K2 Backside Team Telemarker.
photos: Aadne Olsrud, Jarkko Henttonen, Panu Jyra
Kamp K2 clip - Austria 11. -14.04
Hey guys
A first edit from the famous Kamp K2 - Team "Aftershocks" won the Kirschner Trophy in 2010!! yeahh
check out the following link!
more pics and vid´s soon
roman
Roman in AK
Hey guys
I´m up here in Girdwood, Alyeska since 1 week!
We got perfect conditions; first 3 days we got 50cm every day, last 3 days - blue bird!
we shreded some really nice faces!
tomorrow i´m heading back to europe - to the famous KAMP K2
see you there
r
pics by Michi Neumann
