It’s been a New York state of mind weekend, if you know what I mean. Took the lead from Deuce and started my lap today with a stop at the beacon park to work on multiple burials. That little SP button is a world of its own and finally after a few practice sessions, I feel solid [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/69/78/426978.jpeg[/IMG]
Featured in ODD’s post from the other day…a track from a small mouse enters from the right only to have a life changing event occur courtesy of a bird of prey. The lesson here: be the hawk. You never know when you’re gonna get caught.[IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/69/15/426915.jpeg[/IMG]
I arrived at the village this morning along with all twenty thousand of my closest friends. The transportation center looked like a scene from a zombie movie with bodies slowly moving in all directions, no one really knowing what to do. The scene at the Vista Bahn was not much better so I made my [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/66/77/426677.jpeg[/IMG]
Saw a two guys I recognized from yesterday at the Pitkin stop again today. I had seen them in the same place, geared up, waiting for the bus and ready for battle in EV. MFD all-time/ Pontoons and his buddy mid-fat/ Naxos(Good Lord, the worst AT binding of all-time, sent myself to VVMC on those things). Asked them about yesterday, what they [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/58/33/425833.jpeg[/IMG]
Bluebird powder day in EV. Overnight storm loaded up the zone with a significant amount of snow, variable amounts, knee-deep and above in certain places. Headed off the grid for the first run with Luke and stayed clear of the procession headed up to Benchie. A ton of hungry pow hounds were out early and [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/51/59/425159.png[/IMG]
What better a day to grab that powder loving guy or gal and take them out to EV to get the love juices flowing? The overcast to broken skies with S-1 light snowfall and blending from light to calm winds ((L) 1-16 mph) didn’t deter the most discerning of inamorata/inamorato from blazing up the skin track to the top of Benchie and [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/47/32/424732.jpeg[/IMG]
Headed up to see the after effects of a big Saturday. Like heading into a trashed frat house after the cops come, the area was deserted and littered(with tracks, not Old Style beer cans) . Fully expecting to see some slide remnants in the bowls, but the reports of a slide in Benchie were just spray. Forty or so tracks in plain view. Plenty of [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/30/23/423023.png[/IMG]
Beacon, probe, shovel, saw, collapsible ruler, Avalung/ABS float pack, First Aid kit, Snow Study Kit, Klean Kanteen (camel hoses freeze), knife, compass, headlamp (ya never know?) Sunscreen, chap-stick? This damn pack is like forty pounds now? Extra hat, extra pit gloves, cordelettes, big BD ski straps (nicely holds ridiculously fat skis/poles together and make wonderful [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/23/85/422385.jpeg[/IMG]
Didn’t happen. Balmy, springlike temps and wind created slide problems again in lower tree areas. A buddy with a near miss in the West Vail trees in a lower aspen glade. Some hearsay reports of activity in EV, but will have to see tomorrow.[IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/21/49/422149.png[/IMG]
Chance of snow. Finally. No hundred percent chance of sixteen inches that leaves us like a jilted bride at the altar. Chance, that’s all we ask here in the Vail valley. My favorite forecast. Currently puking here, and Thursday/ Friday provided the best EV skiing of the year, but with different stability indications. Yesterday, stomping the [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/17/84/421784.jpeg[/IMG]
Took advantage of the perfect weather to do a midnight skin up meadow mountain under the full moon on Tuesday with Luke and Paulie and dog. First group gathering gearing up for the AK world as it is now a countdown in days towards the end of the season. Surreal snow world cast in a ghostly bone white light, [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/42/07/70/420770.jpeg[/IMG]
Haven’t been back in a few days as the skiing was marginal last time I was out. I’ve been taking advantage of the continuing spring weather to get back on piste and start to put the work skiing wise in for the upcoming AK trip. Almost died off the Avanti catwalk yesterday as I hit it [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/41/74/49/417449.png[/IMG]
As the tour buses pull up and deliver hundreds of Japanese tourists ready to schralp the gnar, we realized a key component was missing in our customer service .With the proper permits in place and a written authorization from the mayor of EV himself, we proudly introduce plans for the East Vail Dog Shack, a 5000 square foot yurt that [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/41/54/95/415495.jpeg[/IMG]
Wanted to clear something up about the I in EVI. Last year, we started this site with the intent of posting about our experiences in EV. Doing the avalanche education thing a little bit differently. There would be some hype videos with music to get the kids involved, maybe even interested in something besides hucking [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/41/50/17/415017.png[/IMG]
Headed back to my testing trees on Wednesday afternoon, a nice slow mellow skin on a perfect blue sky day. Wanted to take my time on my day off to head back to the trees and check to see if the day of warm weather had done anything to the snowpack. On Top of the [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/41/42/07/414207.jpeg[/IMG]
Meet the man who defines grace under pressure. If you’ve been screamed at while minding your own business up in EV, he is your man. An established photographer who still feels the need to be the biggest blowhard in the history of EV, he has been exploiting the EV zone for years for his own benefit [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/41/38/17/413817.jpeg[/IMG]
Our main man ripping it up in EV. A true Vail local holding it down in the EV backcountry. No regard for his own safety as he massages the trees with such grace. His backcountry etiquette is impeccable, video camera attached to a ski pole as he snowboards. Ready at any moment to grab his [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/41/36/59/413659.png[/IMG]
Headed up the Visti sipping a forty and listening to Def Leppard. Around Visti pole six I shot up, and by the top I was feeling loose. By the time I reached the Top of the World, I was cross-eyed and tingling. Continued down to Old Man’s where I stripped off all my clothes and straight [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/41/33/16/413316.jpeg[/IMG]
Sunny after powder day in vail, but not much enjoyment in it after the tragic death of a 13 year old local skier. Bombs were resonating all day in the Vail area, with slides happening in places I’ve never seen before inbounds, like lower Sugar Mountain. We went out to check out expected releases in EV after [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/41/26/68/412668.png[/IMG]
Went up with no expectations. Caution was on high. Saw the activity under blue-sky’s famous cornice and took notice. We encountered a couple other riders on the skin up, as well as at the top of Benchie. We all talked about our observations and our plan of action. They had mentioned having observed avi activity next to Tele-Line. The activity [...][IMG]http://images.newschoolers.com/images/17/00/41/25/69/412569.jpeg[/IMG]
