The Canyons, UT 1/9/08 with helmet cam video

[FirstTracks]

Day 22: Powder in the trees

I've been meaning to get up to The Canyons on a powder day to check out some stuff I've been looking at on less-than-stellar days. With a natural slide blocking LCC and BCC closed for avi control, today was the day. I phoned Acidchrist, a former Canyons patroller for beta and headed up for a few runs this morning.

What he sent me on was a thwack-fest through some of the thickest woods I've ever seen in Utah. Either I've lost my Eastern tree-skiing mojo or this stuff was damned tight! To Acidchrist's credit he couldn't point out precisely where particular lines were, such is the nature of trying to point someone to woods shots, and there's one line named Close Encounters that has to remain on my list for a while as the access was closed for avalanche control.

What I did find were acres and acres of moderately-pitched aspen trees in an area off Saddleback Express that I've looked at previously, named appropriately enough, The Aspens, and some amazingly open shots between scrub oak off the east side of Rendezvous Ridge. Both were filled with thigh-deep new untracked fluff, and on Rendezvous Ridge you could build up enough speed for face shots on every turn.

I was alone, so here's some helmet cam footage shot in The Aspens:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/...ctid1370883341

[Deathcricket]

man, looks like a nice day skiing. I like the narrow tree run at the beginning.

Thanks for sharing.

[Jaxx]

very nice! you are the carpeybiggs of skiing TR's
That looks like a cold day but the powder is always worth it. Thanks for posting!

[FirstTracks]

you are the carpeybiggs of skiing TR's

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[Jaxx]

Very good. Check out the canyoneering section or his website and you will see.
http://danransom.com/
He also writes a bunch on here http://canyoneeringusa.com/rave/index.htm

In short, it was a compliment

[CarpeyBiggs]

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

It's a bad thing. You never want to be compared to me. But I don't mind being compared to you.

Seriously though, what was your helmet cam setup? That footage was awesome. Your stuff rocks. How do you get out so much?

[FirstTracks]

It's a bad thing. You never want to be compared to me. But I don't mind being compared to you.

I'm looking forward to checking your site out tonight. Right now I'm using a Treo to post this (Palm's version of a Crackberry) so it's kinda impractical to do right now.

Seriously though, what was your helmet cam setup? That footage was awesome. Your stuff rocks.

Thank you! It's a Viosport Adventure Cam 3 analog lipstick cam plugged into an Archos PMP to record the footage right to a 30GB hard drive. It's a jumble of wires and connections that would get me hauled off to an interrogation room if I wore it in any airport. I'm still working out the kinks - I discovered the hard way yesterday that the batteries get too cold in my Syncpack front pack (www.thesyncpack.com) and I need them in my jacket, hence the lack of footage from the face shots down Rendezvous Ridge. I also need to aim the camera down more to capture the skis turning, too.

How do you get out so much?

The benefits of working within the industry, I guess. That, and multiple season passes.

[shaggy125]

Very nice, I was in the same boat, planned on the bird but the cottonwoods were closed so headed up to the Canyons. What a great day! Except it seemed to get colder and windier as the day went on. I thought the same thing about those tight tree runs, fun stuff though.

Eric.

It was too cold to take pics but I did take this crappy one with my phone to send to my buddies to make them jealous.

[Sombeech]

Try out the VholdR cam. Wireless.

I hope to grab one soon.

[Teleken]

Sweet, good eye for the line. Doesn't look like the kind of trees to take a new $400 jacket into.

[FirstTracks]

Doesn't look like the kind of trees to take a new $400 jacket into.

You've never skied New England hardwoods, have you? Compared to the rabbit warrens we used to ski at Jay Peak and Stowe this stuff was like a wide open run. That's why duct tape apparel accents are de rigeur back there.

The other stuff my ex-Canyons patroller buddy sent me into (another Ice Coaster, BTW) was downright claustrophobic. I'd link three or four turns before hitting a dead end in a thicket, convincing me that I hadn't followed his directions to the lines closely enough. I was feeling, ummmm..."one with the forest."