Oct/090
Shasta Climbing Season Extended
By Pete Gauvin and Seth Lightcap
Photo: Greg Grenzke
Editor Pete Gauvin on the Clear Creek route in late May
Wet spring helped preserve snow for summer climbing and skiing
Don’t put away those skis and crampons yet! Weeks of cool temps and steady moisture through June have kept Mt. Shasta’s snowy flanks in prime shape leaving the window open for stellar late season climbing and skiing well into July and perhaps beyond.
Over a foot of new snow fell above 10,000 feet in the second week of June doing wonders for several east and west side routes that had become a little too haggard for good climbing and skiing.
“With the weather we’ve had, the climbing should be good well into July,” predicted Jacques Bleisae, manager of The Fifth Season mountain shop in Mt. Shasta. “I don’t know if it’ll be good into August. That’ll depend on how hot conditions are in July. But we’re in good shape for this time of year.”
The east side’s Hotlum Wintun route, accessed from the Brewer Creek Trailhead at 7,200 feet, faired especially well in recent storms leaving the epic line with some of the best summer ski conditions seen in years. As of the last week of June the Wintun Glacier held smooth snow right off the summit (14,179 feet; 17 feet were gained when the USGS recently recalibrated its height) down to about 10,000 feet with lightly sun-cupped snow for another 1000 feet or more. Barely a 20-minute hike on dirt dropped you at the car after more than 5000-foot vertical ski descent.
Two of the southwest side routes, accessed from the Bunny Flat Trailhead at 8,000 feet, should have fantastic climbing conditions through July as well. Both the Avalanche Gulch and West Face Gully routes were holding strong with ample snow for “scree-free” climbing all the way until Misery Hill. Other than the Trinity Chutes, you won’t find great ski conditions in Avalanche Gulch come July, but the slidin’ and ridin’ right next door on the perennially smooth West Face should be fairly fantastic mid-summer.
The new snow couldn’t save notable southwest side ridge routes such as Casaval, Green Butte and Sargeant’s though. These ridge lines are burnt crispy and done for the year.
Moving around the mountain you might also be tempted by a north-side route out of the North Gate trailhead or a south-side route out of the Clear Creek trailhead. Expect a few miles on a dirt approach trail and patchy rough snow on the routes out of these two trailheads. Skiers should look elsewhere but climbers may not be deterred as one can link up the strung out snow patches to find secure footing climbing amongst the sea of scree.
Though you never really know until you get there, odds of you falling into a fabulous Shasta experience this summer are looking up at the moment. Choose your route and weather window wisely and good adventures should follow.
Oct/090
Park Once, Play More
One-stop hotspots to green up your multi-sport adventures
Story and photos by Seth Lightcap
Despite California’s empty wallet, the Golden State is not hurting for amazing outdoor recreation opportunities. From the redwoods to the Sierra and back to the Bay there is an adventure lurking along every highway.
Surrounded by all these beaches, trails, rivers, and crags, the diversity of natural amenities makes it easy to do it all, if even in a single sunny day. Care to kayak then pedal singletrack? Or how about a road ride and then some bouldering? … Double-up days like these are no problem in the rich and diverse landscapes of our greater Nor Cal/Nevada region.
But just like a buffet table with endless options, sometimes the spread of available activities can coerce us into a few too many return trips. Or in this case, a few too many excuses to jump in the car and drive.
With the gas pedal unavoidable in most of our daily lives, eliminating unnecessary time in the car on a play day is obviously desirable. Yet, many of us find ourselves spending too many hours on the road and burning too much gas heading to and fro our otherwise low-impact outdoor activities.
Take a second to think about the miles you drive in your typical adventure routine. Could any be cut out?
Connecting the dots on certain activities and destinations will likely require some drive time but you might be surprised how easy it is to reconfigure your routine, or create a new one, that weans you off undue overdependence on the steering wheel.
The goal: Park once, play twice, or thrice … however many activities you can squeeze in … without having to start the engine inbetween.
Using a little creativity and forethought, pinpoint a parking spot within striking distance of a smorgasbord of your favorite activities. You might have to pedal a touch farther, or hike a little longer to make it work, but isn’t that what you’re out there for anyway?
It’s the little things that count in our battle to decrease energy consumption and though cutting out a short drive down the road may seem trivial, the savings do add up.
To inspire your new greener adventure activity plans, we’ve come up with some suggested one-stop destinations where turning off the engine in the morning and forgetting about it until dark is easy. There are, of course, countless more … Keep track of your keys though. You’ll need those to access your gear chest throughout the day.
Donner Lake
Where to park: Coming from Truckee, one of the best free spots to park and play all day is at the east end of the lake just past the Donner Memorial State Park entrance on the south side of the road. Look for a collection of semi-beat up Subarus and Toyotas; this is a popular dislodging point for locals. Or you can pay to park in the state park and avoid the side-of–the-road show.
What to bring: Kayaks, paddleboards, hiking boots, mountain bikes, road bikes, climbing shoes, bouldering pads, goggles, swim suit, lunch.
What to do: Donner’s sparkling water may be the foremost attraction but the singletrack trails and boulders hidden on its southeastern shore are equally inspiring. You’ll find miles of easy-access MTB and hiking trails littered throughout the state park and several epic dirt rides just out of the park boundary. Roadies can climb up to Donner Summit on Old Hwy 40 (a three-mile climb) and head west toward Soda Springs. Climbers should finish their day stretching out on the moderate boulder problems of Split Rock, a gianormous cracked egg of granite adjacent to the park campground.
Where to refuel: There are many within pedaling distance, actually, the entire town of Truckee is within pedaling distance, but you may want to pack a picnic. You won’t want to leave the lakeshore until the sun sets. Florian’s, a wine and specialty food store next to Safeway, makes hearty sandwiches to go for $5 and offers a tantalizing selection of microbrews to wind up your day.
Commons Beach, Tahoe City
Where to park: Parking in Tahoe City can be tricky on busy days but Commons Beach is a good bet if you get there in the morning. Otherwise look streetside.
What to bring: Kayaks, paddleboards, sail boats, mountain bikes, road bikes, and rock climbing gear.
What to do: Big Blue makes it pretty obvious — paddle/sail/swim till your sun burnt or arms hurt, then go biking, or climbing or both. You can toss a boat in the water just about anywhere and the best trails are just above Tahoe City in Burton Creek State Park and along the Tahoe Rim Trail. Roadies can head to Homewood and beyond. Unknown to most, worthy top-rope rock climbing is also just a hop-skip away from the lakeshore at Twin Crags. Pedal out of town on Hwy 89 north and look for Twin Crags Road on your right in a mile or so. Climb a short distance to the gate, lock up the bikes, and head up the trail to the crags.
Where to refuel: No worries here. Tahoe City is ripe with great food. For a quick bite try Java Juice Wrap or Syd’s Bagelry. Both are just above Commons Beach.
Westside, Santa Cruz
Where to park: Non-metered non-permitted parking in downtown Santa Cruz is hard to come by, but you may have some luck streetside above Cowell’s Beach along West Cliff Drive. The goal is to park close enough to the ocean to casually access the beach with water toys. Good luck on a weekend. An early rise improves your chances considerably.
What to bring: Kayaks, paddleboards, surfboards, skateboards, BMX bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, volleyballs, and flip flops, of course.
What to do: Cowell’s Beach is home to one of the best beginner surf breaks in the world, but is commonly overcrowded on weekends. Escape the beach activities by jumping on your bike of choice. BMX rippers will spy an old wooden skate park across from the boardwalk that’s been transformed into a bike/skate park. Roadies can head north on Hwy 1. Mountain bikers can trail the roadies and head toward Wilder Ranch or chase along the downtown bike path toward the UCSC campus trail network. Finish the day ripping the skatepark that’s three blocks off the beach, playing a game of sand volleyball, or get into the ex-“scream” scene by riding the Giant Dipper, the Boardwalk’s famous wooden rollercoaster.
Where to refuel: Burritos and cotton candy aplenty at the Boardwalk. Walk or pedal five minutes to Pacific Avenue and many more non-touristy culinary options present themselves.
Crissy Field, San Francisco
Where to park: East Beach lot, if you’re toting watersports gear, or outer fringe of the Sports Basement’s Presidio store parking lot off Mason Street for runners and cyclists. No parking or entrance fees but lots (particularly East Beach) can fill up quickly. Forgot something? Sports Basement’s enormous selection is there if you need energy snacks, a fresh pair of running shoes, a bike tube or an entirely new ride.
What to bring: Running shoes, road bikes, mountain bikes, kayaks, paddleboards, windsurfer/kitesurf gear (if you’re an expert).
What to do: Crissy Field, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is one of the most spectacular interfaces of urban and wild places on the globe. It provides a hyperkinetic view of the bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, Alcatraz and Angel Island, and the constant movement going on on land, water and in the air. It’s an inspiring blend of vibrancy that makes you want to run off toward Fort Point and maybe Baker Beach, or hop on your mountain or road bike and pedal across the bridge to Marin. Strong paddlers in sea kayaks, surf skis and outriggers can paddle along the shoreline east and west, or venture out in the bay if they’re experienced and knowledgeable about tides, fog, sailing regattas and tanker lanes. Of course, for expert windsurfers and kitesurfers this spot is world famous for its wind, beauty and challenge.
Where to refuel: In the immediate vicinity, Crissy Field Center (at Mason and Halleck streets, but moving to temporary structures at the east edge of Crissy Field by end of September) has a small café with sandwiches and coffee. The Warming Hut out by the fishing pier on the way to Fort Point has food as well. Many more intriguing options on Chestnut Street, a half mile east and off the water. The Grove, at the corner of Chestnut and Avila Street, is a popular open-window café/wi-fi hot spot that serves hearty breakfasts, lunch fare, and casual dinners.
Lake Natoma, Sacramento
Where to park: Nimbus Flat State Park, just off Hazel Avenue and Highway 50, across the cove from the CSU Sacramento Aquatic Center. Day parking permit $7.
What to bring: Running shoes, road bikes, kayaks, paddleboards, rowing shells, swimming wetsuits, goggles, swimcap.
What to do: Long, narrow Lake Natoma is a dammed stretch of the American River. It’s one of the best places in the nation for flatwater paddling and rowing, the site of many elite-level crew competitions and a great place for training. It’s also an ideal spot for staging your own personal triathlon. It’s a popular lake for swimming and an ideal spot for staging your own personal triathlon. Be prepared for chilly water temps since the water is released from the botttom of Folsom Dam. For cycling and running, the American River Parkway trail runs through the park, 33 miles from downtown Sacramento to Folsom Lake.
Where to refuel: For those on bikes, the Coffee Republic in Folsom (6610 Folsom-Auburn Rd. in the Folsom Pavillions Shopping Center) is convenient to the American River bike trail and a popular stopping point for riders. It serves good sandwiches and has casual outdoor seating. Dos Coyotes Border Cafe (13385 Folsom Blvd.) has truly fresh Tex-Mex and is also convenient to the bike trail. If you must, there are also several fast food options across Hazel from Nimbus Flat State Park.
Oct/090
Open Your Eyes and Climb
New Bouldering Zone Discovered on Donner Summit
By Seth Lightcap • Photos by Brian Sweeney
Ty Fairbairn pulls up into a Donner Summit sunset.
Sometimes all it takes for progression is good vision.
In the summer of 2006, Truckee rock climbers Ty Fairbairn, Dustin Sabo, Brian Sweeney and Scott Thelen opened their eyes to the obvious while driving along Interstate 80 and discovered one of the best new Tahoe rock climbing developments in recent years – the Castle Peak boulders.
Located 10 miles west of Truckee just off I-80 at the Castle Peak/Boreal Ridge exit, the Castle Peak zone is a wide swath of southwest facing hillsides and meadows that are home to over a dozen clusters of magnificent and massive granite boulders.
Over the last three summers the four pioneering climbers along with fellow locals such as Warren Bigness, Dave Fichter and Dave Hatchett, have developed the new hotspot establishing 300+ problems ranging from V0 to V11.
That they found so much, so close, still astounds Fairbairn and Sweeney.
“We’d been bouldering all over Donner Summit but we had never heard of any developments off the Castle Peak exit,” recalls Fairbairn. “When I got around to wandering in the woods up there I was shocked no one had been there before.”
“It was obvious there was a lot of granite near Castle Peak, but we never expected to find what we did,” adds Sweeney. “We thought we might find a few decent problems. First look we knew there were hundreds.”
The thrill of finding acres of virgin stones sent the crew into a frenzy that summer as they cranked on all the problems they could before word got out. Partially satisfied and ready for a few visitors, the crew slowly announced their findings on Fairbairn’s aptly named website – www.visionbouldering.com – in the summer of 2007.
Since 2007, the two Castle mini-guides found on visionbouldering.com have been the only details available about this epic new zone. And while the vastly incomplete info has drawn some traffic, the area is still relatively unknown despite the quality and quantity of problems to be found.
“The Castle area has some of the most featured and compact granite in Truckee,” says Fairbairn. “The boulders are young geologically so they didn’t get ‘egged-out’ by rolling around in the glaciers forever. You’ll find lots of overhangs with gymnastic moves and generally fantastic rock quality.”
Fairbairn also mentioned that there are equal amounts of moderates and testpieces to be found amongst the various clusters with plenty of slabby problems for warm-ups.
Having continued to put up new problems right up until last winter and with their eye on publishing a guidebook to the zone sometime soon, the Vision Bouldering collective has agreed to let ASJ release the first complete trail map to all the established boulder clusters.
As the terrain is still sensitive and hasn’t seen too many pad people yet, please respect the surrounding environment and make every effort to leave the bouldering areas even better than you found them.
For further information and video from Castle Peak check out www.visionbouldering.com and www.slickfootstudios.com.
Oct/090
One Cold Stroke at a Time
Swimming the length of Lake Tahoe remains a rarefied aquatic testpiece
By Seth Lightcap
Photo: Dan Rogers
Tahoe’s Karen Rogers out for a multi-mile swim in glassy Tahoe conditions. Rogers plans on swimming the length of Lake Tahoe in August 2009 after three years of training.
At 6225 feet and holding a colossal 122 million acre feet of sapphire blue water, Lake Tahoe is not only the crown jewel of the Sierra but also the largest alpine lake in North America and the eighth deepest in the world.
While the biggest, tallest, or longest alpine anything usually attracts quest-driven endurance athletes like powder junkies to first chairs, surprisingly few marathon swimmers have swam the 22-mile length of Big Blue. To date, only 12 warm-blooded souls have succeeded, although at least one more has it in her sights this summer.
Understanding why just a dozen swimmers have completed the challenge is a no-brainer for Dean Moser, the unofficial record keeper of Tahoe marathon swimming and crew captain for two successful Tahoe length swimmers. “Swimming the length of Lake Tahoe is akin to climbing Mt. Everest,” he says. “It’s a huge feat.”
“A swimmer can get really beat up by the elements,” adds Moser. “All of the finishers have been very strong swimmers with significant cold water experience. It takes an incredible athlete to overcome the altitude and frigid fresh water for that length of time. That’s why so few people have ever done it.”
The first swimmer to meet the challenge was a 29-year-old South San Francisco bartender named Fred Rogers who took off from Kings Beach on the morning of Aug. 28, 1955, and arrived on the South Shore 19 hours later. However, the distance of his route, measured at 19.96 miles, came up a little short. Though Moser gives credit to Rogers as the first successful swimmer, he no longer considers Rogers’ 19.96-mile route an official Tahoe length swim.
“A full-length Tahoe swim must be between the extreme south and north shores – say Tahoe Keys or Camp Richardson in the south to Incline Beach or Hyatt Beach in the north. The route should be around 21 miles.” The third person to complete the swim (and youngest ever), 13-year-old Lenore Modell, swam nearly that long of a route in 1963. But it was Dave Kenyon who first knocked out the true long course when he swam 20.81 miles from Tahoe Keys to Hyatt Beach in 1989. Blazing the swim in 9 hours and 20 minutes, Kenyon also holds the speed record.
Every successful swimmer has had a boat to accompany them as they swam but most of those who have swum in the last two decades have obeyed the “English Channel rules” of no physical contact with the boat nor any other person aside from receiving food. Having an attentive boat crew feeding him consistent and ample calories was vital for Santa Cruz-based marathon swimmer Bruckner Chase in 2005.
“Swimming in the cold temperatures nutrition is absolutely critical,” Chase says. “During my Tahoe swim I drank 8 ounces of a carbohydrate, protein, and fat mix every 20 minutes and then ate a GU packet at the top of every hour.” Chase battled rough waters for the last third of his swim. His rigorous training was the only thing that kept him churning, he says.
“Having completed several Ironman events I knew what it was like to race for 9 to 10 hours. Aspiring swimmers should log as many as 6-to-9-hour training swims as they can. You need to know the energy costs of long hours in the water and how your body will react to it … And if you can’t tolerate cold water, don’t bother. Not everyone is wired to do high altitude cold-water swimming but I think more people are capable of it than they think. I’m surprised more folks haven’t swam the length. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had in the water – an amazing swim in an amazing place.”
This summer, at least two more brave athletes plan to make an attempt: Lafayette’s Tom Linthicum, 51, hopes to be the first to swim the length twice (he successfully crossed in 2006), while Tahoe’s own Karen Rogers looks to be the sixth ever female finisher. Rogers, 41, has been training for the last three years in anticipation of the attempt and dreams of a glassy day on the lake when she pushes off from Camp Richardson in early August. “The perfect day would be to not battle any chop. My hope is that when I enter the water it is absolutely and perfectly still. Any sound of water lapping on the shore at 3 a.m. will be a sign that the winds will pick up throughout the day.”
Calm waters would be an energy saver for Rogers, but she knows she cannot count on 10 tranquil hours so her immediate training focus has been on increasing her endurance and perfecting her calorie intake. “My feeding regiment is still a work in progress. We’re experimenting with adding protein, fat, and maybe even a little caffeine to the mix. The caffeine would only be for the last hour or two as it can cause hypothermia.”
Every month leading up to her August attempt Rogers will be adding an hour to an epic training swim. In May, she’ll try a seven-hour swim in San Francisco Bay; in June, an eight-hour swim. Rogers hopes the long hours in the water will help her learn to overcome the “swimmer’s depression” that she has fought on previous mega-swims. “During some of my longer swims I’ve gone through periods of serious depression. At about the four or five hour mark I just feel terrible … I get angry. Battling through that anguish and regaining my confidence will be the biggest challenge I will face swimming the length of Tahoe.”
If and when she does stand on Hyatt Beach triumphant, it will fulfill an aspiration much older than even her three years of intense training suggests. “When I was seven years old my dad took me for a bike ride at Camp Richardson. Looking out on the lake I told my father that someday I would swim across. Hearing that, he said to me, ‘There is no doubt in my mind that you’ll do that.’ It’s been on my life list ever since.” To read more about Karen Roger’s preparations for her length of Tahoe swim, visit her blog at swimtahoe.blogspot.com
Oct/090
Droppin’ the Royal Gorge
Staring through the spray at one of California’s most epic kayak runs
By Seth Lightcap
Photo: Don Beveridge
Eric Strittmatter lines up for the first of two consecutive 50-footers at Heath Springs.
For such a benign particulate substance a water molecule sure does pack a punch when it’s rolling with a posse. Collect and confine them in a steep canyon and the power of the assembled molecules can be more intimidating than any gang that ever walked the streets.
The upper stretch of the North Fork of the American River, the Royal Gorge, is one such chasm where water has ruled with an iron fist for generations. Until the most recent one, that is, when a few brave and talented boaters have tamed – or at least lived to tell about – its furious gravitational forces.
Although it drains a million acres of Sierra crest snowpack backing up to the North Tahoe ski resorts of Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley, the headwaters of the North Fork lie at about 8500 feet, not especially high, which means its boating season is shorter than many other Sierra rivers – stretching from spring into early summer in wetter years.
But what the river lacks in seasonal length, it makes up for in punch. Early surveyors didn’t decide to name the top portion of the North Fork, a cleft in the earth up to 4000 feet deep, the “Royal Gorge” for its aristocratic nature.
The continuous churn of water grinding through the craggy Sierra bedrock has created an unruly river that plummets at an average of 195 feet per mile through a 16-mile chasm, losing elevation in large and sudden doses, as in waterfall after waterfall, a half dozen in excess of 50 feet.
Now California is home to numerous world-class runs, both extreme and less so. But the Royal Gorge cataract, with its eye-popping falls and countless chewy Class V rapids, has been called by the growing handful of elite kayakers that have paddled it as one of the finest and most beautiful Class V+ runs on this green earth.
That it’s even considered runnable is testament to just how far whitewater kayaking has come. None of California’s pioneering paddlers of the ‘70s, ‘80s or early ‘90s would attempt it. Not until 1998 was the Royal Gorge christened by paddlers, when a team consisting of famed boaters Scott Lindgren and Tao Berman, as well as Dean Cummings, Clay Wright and Tom Waclow, tested its plumbing.
Although it’s seen descents by dozens of bold boaters since, its burly reputation has barely budged. Broken paddles, broken bodies, lost boats, scary portages, trespassing tickets – it’s become legendary for all that and more. But as the crew found in 1998, there is an honest-to-god runnable waterway lurking in that gorge parallel to and just a few miles south of Interstate 80 from Donner Summit. You just gotta have the skills and the moxie to grease the challenge.
Picking the right water volume is the first critical decision of making this three-day, 40-mile run (16 miles of Royal Gorge plus 24 miles on the Generation Gap and Giant Gap runs). According to Lindgren, who appropriately enough pioneered the Royal Gorge stretch since it’s practically in the backyard of his hometown of Auburn, 1000 cfs is ideal. But catching that flow with the access road plowed to the put-in can be tough some seasons.
If you do find the put-in bridge, don’t worry about a trespassing ticket. “There is no Royal Gorge access controversy,” Lindgren told ASJ in March. “The access is a public road to a public bridge. After our trespassing problems in 1999 we had a lawyer battle with the North Fork Association whose land the road runs through. They ended up dropping the charges and the case got thrown out before it went to court.”
“A year round NFA caretaker might harass you, but he has no legal right nor jurisdiction to stop you,” Lindgren added. “The road is a public road. Period.”
Though Johnny Law won’t stop you, a deep snowpack might. In 2007, a foursome of kayakers that included James McLeod and Jared Noceti of Sacramento found an answer to that problem, however.
“The road was still snowed in so we rallied our mountain bikes down to the put-in dragging our boats behind us,” McLeod says. “We locked them up hidden in the woods and came back for them a month later when the road had opened.” (See video of their bike-n-boat mission under “Royal Gorge” at broadbandsports.com)
Once in the river the freakish fun begins straight away at the Heath Springs waterfalls, two consecutive 50-footers. Not looking to huck at Heath Springs? Watch out for the portage, says Shannon Carroll, the former women’s waterfall world record holder.
“If you don’t want to paddle the Heath Springs waterfalls you end up having a big portage to put back in just above the crux gorge,” says Carroll. ”Watching guys scramble down the mountain side with kayaks on that portage was probably the scariest part of the trip. A piece of rock broke loose and landed on a kayak knocking it into the river. I’ve never seen kayak boys move so quick. Had we lost a boat there we would have been, well … up the creek without a boat. Craziness.”
After Heath Springs the river drops into the crux rapid, a mandatory paddle.
“When you run these amazing rapids there is something about being isolated in the deep dark granite corridor,” says McLeod. “It brings a heightened awareness to every paddle stroke, every moment, all of your senses are turned up a notch.”
The three other classic falls of the run are Rattlesnake Falls, Scott’s Drop, and Wabena Falls.
Scott’s Drop was first run by Lindgren, of course. It took seven years for a second descent.
“My drop is a 45-footer into a 50-foot slide,” says Lindgren. “It’s pretty technical paddling and gets portaged frequently. There are rumors that I didn’t scout it before running it, but that’s not true. I scouted it as much as I could from the top.”
Rattlesnake Falls at 50-plus feet is next. Carroll recalled the last time she ran it:
“By the time we got to Rattlesnake two people had broken paddles so if anyone broke another on the falls they’d be faced with a steep and arduous hike out with their boat. I chose to run the falls anyway and stuck with my ‘feather technique’ – I tuck the paddle alongside the boat as I drop so that it feathers into the water on entry. Works every time.”
“But other people began getting creative,” Carroll laughed. “Some of the guys tossed their paddles at the top of the drop. Worked for a few, but tossing his paddle caused one guy to drop awkwardly and eject from his kayak on impact. Extracting the boat from the eternal eddy recirculating at the bottom of the drop was quite the rescue mission. The paddler was fine though.”
The proverbial last-but-not-least is Wabena Falls (elev. 3,800 feet), the biggest waterfall on the run – a “no-brainer,” Lindgren claims, because it’s a “70-foot vertical waterfall into a nice calm pool.”
The drop is the finale of the 16-mile Royal Gorge stretch as the next North Fork section, Generation Gap, a stout 10-mile Class V run in its own right, begins, followed by the slightly easier 14-mile Giant Gap run.
If you’re tempted by the Royal Gorge, you’d better be an extremely talented and confident boater for there is good reason it is not profiled in any guidebooks or on any whitewater websites. Running the gorge is a deadly serious and sustained multi-day adventure. There’s no shortage of opportunity for something to go wrong. And unless you’re packing a Satellite phone, help is not on the way.
“Running the Royal Gorge you feel very vulnerable,” says Carroll. “There’s no one that can help you out there. It is you and your crew versus the elements. That’s why it’s always good to be with a group of people you trust. You want to be confident that everyone will make good decisions for themselves and do all they can to help rescue someone if need be.”
But sometimes the reward is worth the exposure.
“Within a few steep rapids and drops you are completely engulfed in a magical, seemingly other worldly paradise of cedars and granite,” says McLeod. ”And you know full well that there is another 39 miles of Sierra gnar before you will see another road. It’s like paddling down a mountain side.”
“The Royal Gorge is a gem,” adds Lindgren. “There is no doubt about it. It’s as good as it gets.”
Oct/090
Building Better Bike Balance:
Mountain Bike Skill Tips with Ryan Leech
By Seth Lightcap
Photo by Ian Hylands
Ryan Leech takes on an arcing skinny line filming for Kranked 5.
Whether threading the needle between cars and a curb or lining up for a log ride on your favorite single-track, confident balance in tight situations is a crucial skill for cyclists who challenge the terrain.
But learning to let your mind and body relax and roll evenly along a narrow route, elevated or on the ground, is often easier imagined than done. You’re eyes may comprehend that your two-inch tires have plenty of room to negotiate a 10-inch wide path, but convincing your brain and body to confidently follow is another story.
To jumpstart a successful season of skill progression, I caught up with legendary mountain bike trials rider Ryan Leech and picked his brain on the basics of improving your skinny skills. Based out of the freeride epicenter of the North Shore in Vancouver, B.C., Leech is well known as one of the foremost technical riders in the world. He’s appeared in epic freeride flicks such as Roam, Kranked 6, and Crux, and even performed for the Cirque Du Soleil. He also self-produced the bike skills DVD, “Mastering the Art of Trials with Ryan Leech.”
While he’s gained notoriety for riding along half-inch thick sections of wobbly chain link, Leech remembers his years as a young teenager honing his balance on a six-inch wide curb next to his driveway. Now chain-link riding may not be something you aspire to in this lifetime. But to help you make a similar progression, Leech has some hard-won words of advice from his life on the edge.
On proper approach posture … Approaching a balance feature or negotiating a tight trail section, I get in a comfortable riding posture and stand up on my pedals. I keep the pedals level with each other and keep my weight balanced fore and aft on the bike. The importance of saddle height … Saddle height is a big thing for me. I always make sure I lower my saddle before I try anything technical. It’s much safer with a lower saddle. An easy first balance obstacle worth a session …
Raised curbs are fantastic. Try to balance as long as you can on them. Great thing to practice when you’re waiting for a ride to start in a trailhead parking lot. On watching and learning … If you have a more experienced riding partner have them ride a tricky trail section and watch what they do. Observing someone else’s technique is a great way to learn. Soaking in what it’s supposed to look like is always better than going in blind.
On the importance of brake control … Knowing when to brake and when to let the wheels roll is a very important skill but it’s something you just have to experiment with. Most of your momentum is controlled with the front brake so modulating the front is crucial for speed control. I’m always monitoring both brakes though and balancing between the two based on how traction is going.
On balance recovery … It’s amazing how far off you can go when balancing on a skinny without actually falling off the side. I surprise myself all the time. My body has learned to stick with it by knowing how to lean or poke a foot out to one side. I’ll think I’m about to fall and my body and wheels just hang on …
Your muscles make a million little adjustments every second as you work to stay balanced. Don’t be afraid to use a little body English for those adjustments. Stick out your knee, foot, or shoulders when necessary. All of these recovery techniques will come automatically in the heat of the moment as long as you know they’re an option.
A good confidence-boosting drill … Riding a technical trail as slow as possible without skidding is a great challenge and amazing practice. It makes you very aware of your brake control and body positioning. Pick a trail that has a fair amount of variation and just crawl down it as slow as possible.
The best elevated obstacles to practice on … There are a million things to practice on like logs and cement planters, but the main thing I would recommend is just getting out on the trail feature you want to conquer and riding it as much as you can. If a trail section gives you problems don’t hesitate to stop and ride it again.
Scoping your escape route … If a line has a higher consequence for error take a look around before you ride it and scope out areas you might crash. Know what’s there and what’s around. Inspecting a line before riding it should give you added confidence.
Practicing for the inevitable … Good crashing technique is something you have to learn experientially. It’s not impossible to practice though. Find a balance stunt that’s not too high and practice dismounting in both directions. Try leaping off the bike and sticking with it. When an unexpected fall does occur your body will naturally go for the best option if it’s had practice in a controlled situation.
Overcoming your fear of falling … Like any sort of fear, you have to listen to it. You have to acknowledge it, and figure out what it is telling you. Perhaps it’s saying slow down or take it easy, lets try this easier line, or walk that harder line. Or maybe it’s saying lets watch this person do it first before giving it a try. You have to balance the excitement of pushing your limits with the fear messages your body is sending. So listen to your fear, understand it, acknowledge it … Your riding will improve at just the right pace and with the maximum amount of enjoyment. See Ryan Leech in action at this year’s Sea Otter Classic, April 16 – 19. He’ll be performing trials demos throughout the festival. www.seaotterclassic.com. For further info on Leech’s two-wheeled high jinx, check out www.RyanLeech.com.
Oct/090
Catch That Shot!
Sports Photography Tips from Sierra sharp shooter Christian Pondella
By Seth Lightcap • Photos by Christian Pondella
Skier Chris Davenport climbs and skis the Mountaineer’s Route on Mt. Whitney, spring 2008.
Do you ever wish your camera had an auto setting labeled ‘Amazing Action Shot’?
You’re not alone.
Despite how easy it is to flip your camera to the ‘sports’ setting and hit the shutter button as your buddy blows past you skiing, biking, or paddling, it’s surprisingly hard to come away from the moment with a stellar image of the action. Whether the shot is well–framed but blurry or focused but missing half a head, there are a lot of ways a one-chance shot can be flubbed.
Sure you can blame a little bit of your inability on a slow point and shoot camera, but the reality is, catching a striking action shot takes a lot more skill than just aiming and firing from the hip.
Mammoth local and Red Bull USA photographer Christian Pondella knows a little something about what it takes to fill a memory card with sick pics. Having published work in just about every major ski publication, as well as, Outside, Men’s Journal, Sports Illustrated and GQ, Pondella has built a career around producing intimate images of adventure sports’ best athletes basking in their glory.
As an exclusive treat for all of you aspiring action photographers, Adventure Sports Journal caught up with Pondella to pick his brain on the forethought and technique he applies to every jaw-dropping frame he shoots. If you’ve ever wondered how shots like Pondella’s look so good in the magazines, read on for a few tips and tricks to help bring your shutter skills up to speed with the pros.
What are the basic ingredients of a great action shot?
The best action sports photos express the dynamics of an experience or event using great light and a cool subject.
What kind of light do you look for?
My favorite photos combine light and shadows. I avoid shooting in direct sunlight if possible. Generally you’re looking for the sun off to one side, but still illuminating your subject. Don’t be afraid to break the rules though. I’ll often include the sun in my photos.
How do you capture dynamic movement?
The best way to make your photos dynamic is to catch your subject in a good position. If you’re serious about the shot, talk to your subject and see where they are going to go. Set it up so that you are framed and focused on the spot you think they are going to look best along their route.
What if the action is not overly impressive?
Change the focus of your intended image. Many times I will frame a beautiful landscape shot and try to place the subdued action perfectly within it.
What is your favorite size lens?
I like to get close to the subject so I use wide angle lenses a lot. Getting close gives you a more intimate feeling of the subject and what’s going on.
What are your sunny day camera settings for action shots?
If your shooting sports it’s best to learn how to configure your camera manually. Choose the manual or shutter speed priority setting; set the ISO at 100 or 200, shutter speed between 640-1000, and aperture at F5.6 or F8.
What angles do you recommend for ski/snowboard photos?
For snow sports shots I like to be on the slope with the skier right next to me or up slope looking down at the skier. From those two angles you can show the steepness of the slope. A lot of amateurs shoot straight up slope from below and it makes everything look flat.
Where do you keep your camera while you’re skiing on a photo shoot?
I usually keep my camera in my backpack and pull it out to set up a shot. If the line is really steep and I don’t want to take my pack off I’ll just slip it over my neck and into my jacket.
How do you dry snowy equipment in the field?
The best thing I’ve found to safely dry wet cameras and lenses is a leather chamois from the auto parts store. They are better than a goggle cloth because there so absorbent. I cut them up into small squares to take with me.
Any thoughts on winter camping with camera equipment?
Be cautious with your equipment going through drastic temperature differences. When you go warm to cold or cold to warm that’s when your equipment will fog up. If I’m winter camping I’ll leave my camera in the vestibule and just take the batteries inside the tent.
Any last advice for successful sports shooting?
Whenever you can, try to gain a vantage point or perspective where you can shoot the action from the same level it’s happening.
To see more of Pondella’s photo prowess visit www.christianpondella.com.
Oct/090
Backcountry Skiers: Make Room on Your Bookshelf
New guidebook to the Eastern Sierra shares the wealth
By Seth Lightcap • Photos by Dan Mingori
In conversations the past month with avid local Sierra backcountry skiers about Dan Mingori and Nate Greenburg’s new guidebook Backcountry Skiing California’s Eastern Sierra, 166 Ski and Snowboard Descents in the Range of Light between Tioga Pass and Bishop Creek (Wolverine Publishing 2008) immediate comments from those newly aware of the book fell cleanly into two camps. A majority exclaimed, “Really? That’s awesome!” While others grumbled, “Really? That sucks!”
Take one look at the cover shot of the new guidebook and it’s easy to understand either opinion. The picture doesn’t lie.
Backcountry skiing opportunities in the Eastern Sierra along the Highway 395 corridor are indeed as endless, challenging and spectacular as your wildest dreams. It comes as no surprise that those well-versed in the area’s riches are wary of seeing their treasure map further exposed, just as those new or curious to the glisse grandeur of the Eastern Sierra yearn to hear more about it.
Though two previously published backcountry skiing guidebooks have included some of the same legendary terrain covered in Mingori and Greenburg’s book, those now antiquated books’ vague descriptions and meager images read more like a warning than a welcome.
Not so with Backcountry Skiing California’s Eastern Sierra. Just like Wolverine Publishing’s first Sierra guidebook offering, Bishop Bouldering, the full-color, 240-page ski guidebook is chock full of useful information. And the dense, but easy-reading descriptions are only the beginning. Every page will dazzle your peak-hungry eyes as the two local Mammoth authors include vivid annotated color topo maps and stunning pictures that clearly describe both the Sierra terrain and the backcountry stoke.
The vast spread of worthy ascent and descent route beta found in the book is cleanly presented and well-organized using a regional watershed framework to delineate the eight chapters. Each chapter breaks down the sub-regions and peak areas found within that drainage, so for example, the Pine Creek chapter includes the South Wheeler Crest Area, the Upper Canyon Area, and the Mt. Tom Area. Breaking down these smaller zones by individual line or peak, each description begins with a statistical chart that spells out slope angle, aspect, vertical gain, mileage, and the relative seriousness of the undertaking.
The goal in authoring the guidebook for both Greenburg, a tele skier who helps run the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center, and Mingori, a photographer and split-boarder known for his brave descents, was to produce a comprehensive resource for a finite region of the Sierra instead of merely scraping the surface of the sprawling 400-mile range. The result is a guidebook that doesn’t miss a single classic ski line between Tioga Pass to the north and Bishop Creek to the south. That’s not to say they included every tree glade or alpine bowl in that 80-mile stretch of Highway 395, but they laid down a foundation of facts for just about anything worth spending a half-day, all day, or multiple days skiing in that zone.
As an added treat that will surely inspire fall-line cowboys, Mingori includes several hairball lines that he pioneered on a split-board during massive El Nino snow years earlier this decade. Here’s hoping the snow gods bless us with more fat winters such that lines like the north face of Mt. Morrison South and the northeast face of Red Slate Mountain fill in enough to repeat his pioneering descents.
While there is not a single line in the book that doesn’t require basic backcountry skills such as route finding, avalanche conditions assessment, and semi-technical ascent techniques, there are plenty of descents that will appeal to those whose idea of a good time is not riding in no-fall zones. Cruiser yo-yo skiing areas like the Mammoth Crest and the Sherwins are described in such detail than even Mammoth locals will take note.
I’ll admit, when I first heard about Backcounty Skiing California’s Eastern Sierra I was one of those disappointed to hear that such juicy details of our world-class Sierra terrain would be further exposed to the frenzy of backcountry skiers outside the local community. But after laying hands on Mingori and Greenburg’s incredible effort and enjoying the casual, but precise demeanor of their descriptions, I realized that this guidebook is not only a fabulous new asset to those fresh on the Sierra backcountry scene, but an even-keeled and thorough resource whose maps and pictures provide a visual perspective that will benefit every Sierra “hard” man or woman.
Because no matter how much you think you know about the Sierra backcountry (or try to make it sound like you know on an Internet chat board), there’s always more to learn. How many times could a descriptive map or photo have saved you from slogging up the wrong side of a drainage following second hand beta you peeled off the web or a bro at a party?
Backcountry Skiing California’s Eastern Sierra will undoubtedly become a trusted and timeless resource for Sierra backcountry enthusiasts for generations to come. Whether to re-examine routes you half-stepped on or to discover the best lines in the region for the first time, picking up a copy is highly recommended before you drive south of Mono Lake or north of Bishop looking to ski or ride these magnificent peaks.
For more information about Backcountry Skiing California’s Eastern Sierra or to purchase, visit www.wolverinepublishing.com.
Oct/090
C’mon in and Shut the Door!
A Guide to Five of the Best Backcountry Ski Huts in the Sierra Nevada
By Seth Lightcap
Whether you’re a seasoned winter explorer or a four-season greenhorn, there are few feelings as joyous as skiing to the door of a snowbound backcountry hut. Just as the natural world is at its most inhospitable, wind and snow swirling in the air, here you are at the threshold of a magical landscape with little more than a sleeping bag, playing cards, and flask in hand. At night, you lounge under the coziness of a roof, warmed by a wood stove and shared with good friends. By day, you shred lonely backcountry peaks until exhaustion. Can it get any better?
Though the Sierra Nevada doesn’t have a hut in every valley like the European Alps, the handful of those that are out there have their own unique magic. If skiing backcountry all day and playing euchre by candle light sounds like a good time to you, here’s a mini-guide to five huts from Donner Summit to Sequoia National Park that fit the bill.
Peter Grubb Hut
The Lowdown: The Peter Grubb Hut has been a winter oasis for avid backcountry skiers since it was built by the Sierra Club in the late 1930s. Known for its easy access and close proximity to amazing ski terrain, the Grubb Hut on Donner Summit is well loved and very well used all winter long.
The Coordinates: The Peter Grubb Hut lies in an alpine bowl three miles north of Interstate 80 on Donner Summit. To access the hut, park at the Boreal Sno-Park, cross under I-80, and tour up the road to the north until you crest the west ridge of Castle Peak at Castle Pass. Contour up Castle Peak’s west ridge for about 1/3 of a mile then drop off the ridge to the north and you’ll find the hut in the center of the valley.
The Nitty Gritty: The Grubb hut sleeps 15 people on the upstairs wood floor and is equipped with a wood-burning stove. Food, bedding and supplies must be carried in. To stay in the hut costs $15 a night. Reservations can be made by contacting the Clair Tappaan Lodge at ctl@sierraclub.org or 800-679-6775.
Getting the Goods: The north facing back bowls of Castle Peak above the Grubb Hut hold some of the best expert ski terrain in the north Tahoe region. Several steep lines drop right off Castle Peak’s summit ridge. If you’re keen on tree skiing look no further than the moderate slopes of Basin Peak to the north of the hut.
Know Before You Go: The Grubb Hut can feel a little crammed at max capacity. If you’re a light sleeper and you think it might be a full house, bring some earplugs to guarantee yourself peace and quiet.
Benson Hut
The Lowdown: The Benson Hut is the hidden jewel of the Sierra Club’s Tahoe hut system. Perched on the Sierra Crest between Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley ski resorts, the out-of-the-way hut requires a little more gusto to get to but the surrounding ski terrain is as spectacular as the view from the hut’s outhouse.
The Coordinates: The Benson Hut is located five miles south of Donner Summit on the Sierra Crest. Park in a designated overnight parking lot at Sugar Bowl and steeply gain the ridge of Mt. Judah. Tour along the crest from Judah over Mt. Lincoln and out another three miles to the base of Anderson Peak. The hut is tucked into some ridge top trees at the foot of the north face of Anderson. You can jump start your approach by catching a one-time ride up Sugar Bowl’s Mt. Lincoln or Judah chairlifts.
The Nitty Gritty: Though there are a few downstairs bunk beds, the upstairs wood floor is the best bivy spot at the Benson with enough room to sleep 12. Expect to find a wood stove, wood, and maybe some toilet paper a previous hut-goer left in the outhouse but don’t count on much else. The Sierra Club requests $15 a night to stay in the hut. Reservations can be made by contacting the Clair Tappaan Lodge at ctl@sierraclub.org or 800-679-6775.
Getting the Goods: The bowl that drops off the crest to the east of the hut holds serious heads-up ski terrain. If you like you’re lines steep and rocky with closeout chutes on all sides don’t miss it. Gaining the summit of Anderson Peak is also epic, allowing for a steep bowl descent into gorgeous north-facing tree glades.
Know Before You Go: The ridgeline heading to the Benson Hut can be extremely dangerous in avalanche-prone conditions. Stay away from cornices and always scout your lines before dropping in. If it’s forecast to be stormy bring some earplugs as the hut will howl all night with a steady gale.
Bradley Hut
The Lowdown: The Bradley Hut is the newest of all the Sierra Club’s Tahoe huts. Constructed in its current location in 1998, the A-frame hut is well-equipped with huge tables, an efficient wood stove, and fewer mice than the other huts. Easy access makes this hut a locals mid-week favorite – leave early in the morning and the all downhill route out gets you to work, no worries!
The Coordinates: Catch the road to the Bradley Hut by parking on Highway 89 about two miles north of Squaw Valley at the Forest Road 8 trailhead. Tour up the gradually climbing road for 1500 feet over five miles to reach the hut. Aside from an obvious shortcut, the route never leaves the road as it climbs to the hut at the head of the Pole Creek drainage. The Bradley Hut sits just below and east of the Sierra Crest four miles south of the Benson Hut.
The Nitty Gritty: The cozy quarters of the Bradley Hut sleep 15 upstairs on the wood floor. Downstairs you’ll find a roasting wood stove for melting snow and several big tables for cooking, eating, and card playing. The Sierra Club asks $15 a night to stay in the Bradley Hut. Reservations can be made by contacting the Clair Tappaan Lodge at ctl@sierraclub.org or 800-679-6775.
Getting the Goods: Within five minutes ski west of the hut you’ll reach the base of several east facing bowls that dump right off the crest. Short and sweet, these open slopes are perfect for lapping up pow or late-morning corn. If you want a little steeper objective, gain the crest behind the hut and head north looking for a wild line or two that drop east through cliff bands and into Deep Creek, the next drainage north of the hut.
Know Before You Go: Unless you book out the joint with 14 buddies, get ready for company any and every night of the week during the winter. But other than a packed house of snoring telemarkers, there is really nothing to knock about the Bradley Hut.
Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut
The Lowdown: In the summer the Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut is the place where your hopes of scoring a Yosemite campsite live and die – it’s the campground reservation office right next to the general store. But in the winter, the one-room summer ranger hangout becomes a base camp for exploring a wild side of Yosemite that few ever experience.
The Coordinates: The easiest route to the Tuolumne Ski Hut goes up Highway 120 just out of Lee Vining off Highway 395. Park at the highway closure and ski up the road for 16 miles going over 10,000-foot Tioga pass then down to the hut in the meadows at 8600 feet. If breaking trail is necessary, many parties will need two days just to hit the hut door.
The Nitty Gritty: Five bunk beds adorn the Tuolumne Hut making room for ten cozy campers. A wood stove, table, electric lights and an electric tea pot round out the décor. The hut is first-come first-serve so even though there may have been no cars at the trailhead always bring a tent. Skiers arriving via other routes may have the placed packed.
Getting the Goods: Immediately south of Tuolumne Meadows lie several sweeping granite escarpments chalk full of steep chutes and big funneling bowls. Unicorn Peak has an especially nice north facing shot that dumps straight back to the hut. Venturing behind Unicorn into the Cockscomb Bowl will deliver more adrenaline pumping couloirs. Just be very, very careful of avalanche potential as the snow pack sits on steep granite slabs.
Know Before You Go: As long as you use the rodent-proof canister to store food and don’t get caught in a sketchy avalanche situation on the way to, from, or around the hut, it’s hard to go wrong at the Tuolumne Hut.
The Pear Lake Hut
The Lowdown: Tucked into the heart of the Southern Sierra within Sequoia National Park, the Pear Lake Hut is a touring skiers delight as the surrounding high alpine terrain offers lifetimes of amazing peaks, passes, and plateaus for exploring. Extremely popular, and rightfully so, the Pear Lake is a true “destination” hut.
The Coordinates: The route to the hut starts at the Pear Lake trailhead near the Wolverton Ski Area in Sequoia National Park. Follow the summer trail for six miles as it steadily climbs through dense timber before punching up and over “The Hump” and back down to the multiple lake basins to the west. The hut lies about a half mile below Pear Lake at an elevation of 9,200 feet.
The Nitty Gritty: The hut sleeps ten people but don’t dare expect a bed unless you have a reservation. The Sequoia National History Association holds a lottery for reservations the first week of November each year. Once full on a given day, the waiting lists start to queue up as cancellations do occur frequently. And as usual, the finer things in life don’t come cheap – weekends cost $38 a night, weekdays $30.
Getting the Goods: Less than a mile south of the hut lay the most immediate objective: a glorious north facing cirque rimmed by Alta Peak and Winter Alta that holds snow late into the summer. If you’re looking for a longer tour, head west into the Tablelands, a high plateau littered with intermediate slopes and passes. Hook north from the Tablelands and you’ll join the famous Sierra High Route.
Know Before You Go: The Pear Lake Hut comes complete with amazing backcountry access, warm bunks, a full-time hut-meister, and a few common sense rules and regulations. Unless you want to sleep in the snow when you arrive, get a reservation and read up on the hut specifics at www.sequoiahistory.org.
Oct/090
Filming Freestyle at the Human Pace
In Tahoe filmmaker’s “My Own Two Feet,” snowboarders turn backs on mechanized backcountry travel
By Seth Lightcap • Photos by Chris Wellhausen
With snow conditions for steep lines gone sour with the warm temps,
Josh Dirksen finds adventure on our terrain park built close to basecamp.
Helicopter drops onto surreal Alaskan peaks, snow cat tours to misty Canadian mountains, snowmobile rides to wherever, whenever … Welcome to the fossil-fueled lifestyle of the ski and snowboard film industry for the last 20 years.
Though it has only become apparent in recent winters, there is no denying that such petrol-fed cold-smoke fantasies are a serious conflict of interest for an industry that will live or die on the frontlines of the battle against global warming. But despite this contradiction, the cameras in the copters roll on. Why? Because the fans fiend for the footage, and no one has been willing to sacrifice what it takes to venture out to film without the comforts of combustion.
Until last winter.
Debuting this fall, “My Own Two Feet” by South Lake Tahoe-based production company Leeward Cinema is the first ever full-length freestyle snowboarding movie filmed solely with human power. The brainchild of Leeward owner and veteran snowboard cinematographer Chris Edmands, “My Own Two Feet” was shot in the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada and chronicles the adventure and reward of searching for freestyle fun using only snowshoes and splitboards for ascents.
Edmands, along with fellow Leeward cinematographers Kyle Schwartz and Jason Hogan, spent 30 nights under the cold starry sky and hiked nearly 200 miles over the course of the winter filming for the production. Looking to bring amazing riders to never-been-shot locations, and capture not just the tricks, but the camaraderie of a crew with widely varying backcountry experience, Leeward succeeded in producing an adventure snowboard movie that could serve as a wake-up call for the rest of the ski/board film industry.
Connecting the Dots
When Edmands founded Leeward Cinema in the summer of 2007 he had nothing but his years of filming experience on his back and a motivation to break the shred-flick mold by taking a stand for something he believed in. He had no riders clamoring to film with him and definitely no sponsors lining his pocket. So concept in hand and with a few key recommendations from past associates, Edmands started shopping around his idea looking for both support and talent.
One of the first riders he cold called was big mountain ruler Jeremy Jones. But when Jones got Edmands’ message, he planned on denying him.
“I already had three film projects slated for the winter so I only called Edmands back out of courtesy,” said Jones. “But when he got me on the phone, he said the only two words in the world that would have convinced me to film with him – hiking and Sierras.”
As it turns out, Edmands project was in perfect alignment with Jones own environmental initiative, Protect Our Winters, “POW,” a non-profit org he founded in 2007 dedicated to creating awareness of the global warming crisis among the winter sports community. “POW” became one of Leeward’s key partners on the project.
As Edmands continued to spread the word, he found that much like Jones, most riders and many sponsors were intrigued by the environmentally conscious message he had to offer.
“Everyone was open to it because they were ready for a change,” said Edmands. “Even the young guys. People were amped on trying out the human pace rather than the machine pace.”
Though Leeward’s roster of riders ebbed and flowed through the season, the diversity of rippers that rode in front of his cameras by season’s end was impressive. From legendary big mountain veterans like Jones, Tom Burt, and Jim Zellers, to seasoned freestylers like Chad Otterstrom, Josh Dirksen, and Finnish Olympic halfpipe medalist Markku Koski – Edmands convinced both backcountry experts and backcountry virgins to bring freestyle snowboarding to the wilderness one step at a time.
Tackling the Learning Curve
The common denominator among all the riders involved was that everyone obviously knew how to shred. But beyond riding ability, the backcountry and winter camping skills of the group varied from multi-continent mountaineering veterans to riders who had literally only hiked a halfpipe before. This diversity of experience proved to be both the subject matter and the solution as the Leeward cameras caught genuine first-time perspectives on the winter wilderness while the gurus of the group handed down tricks and techniques to help teach the cold ropes to the newbies.
As one might expect, Leeward’s first few outings of the season proved to be the most humbling and educational. In late November, they spent three nights in the howling wind up on Mt. Shasta. They learned that their camping gear was horribly inadequate. Returning to Tahoe with a bone chill, Edmands got to work securing sponsors such as The North Face to help provide gear better suited for the extensive winter exploration they were to embark on.
Perhaps the least expensive and technical of all the gear proved to be his favorite score – down booties.
“You put on those down booties and you may as well have been sitting round a fire,” said Edmands. “You’re that comfortable.”
With booties stuffed into their packs, the Leeward crew set out for Mt. Ritter, a massive peak 12 miles behind Mammoth Mountain, for their first trip into the Sierra high country. But after their first night on a windswept ridge, dissention mounted. Their position seemed miles away from anything worthy to ride and their intended route looked like it cliffed out.
Just as it appeared mutiny was about to unfold, a snowboard angel shuffled up on a splitboard – Tahoe native and legendary rider Tom Burt.
Chasing down the crew in a mere two hours, Burt flipped the sinking morale on its head by announcing that he was there to ride pow and anyone who cared to join him should follow along. In but a few hours, Burt delivered the crew to an ideal camp awash in riding possibilities. Pushing past this crux proved pivotal for the rest of the season.
“Burt finding a way down for us that day set the tone for the entire winter,” said Edmands. “Now everyone knew that anything was possible and that sometimes you gotta step into the unknown to get the goods.”
Burt’s memory of that moment was that he merely reminded them why they were out there in the first place.
“When you’re inexperienced and you’re out there working hard it can be tough to remember that you’re supposed to be having fun,” said Burt. “When I caught up to the group that day I tried to bring back that spirit of fun.”
Getting in the Groove
Having come away from the shakedown trips strong and hungry, the Leeward crew pushed on to grander adventures throughout the rest of the winter. Featured trips in the film include multi-day missions to the Desolation Wilderness, Treasure Lakes, and Mt. Whitney, as well as day trips to Donner Summit, Mt. Rose, and Ebbets Pass. Often times pushing trips back to back, Edmands and his film crew got ample opportunity to not only catch the cadre of riders ripping wild freestyle features, but continuing to learn what it takes to explore the winter wilderness day after day.
As reward for the countless miles hiked, Leeward collected some insane footage. A Jeremy Jones descent of a wicked steep face near Donner Summit called TB Super Spines was one such jaw dropping shot they captured.
Jones had backed off the line, one first ridden by Tom Burt, several times in previous seasons. But to Edmands’ delight, he sacked up and just barely rode it clean while the Leeward cameras were rolling. Even Jones was impressed by his effort that day.
“The TB Super Spines line was one of those lines that if I tried it ten times I would only get it once,” said Jones. “After I stuck it I screamed and laughed uncontrollably for the next few minutes while my body came back to earth.”
A late-April trip to Mt. Whitney was another of the season’s highlights. Although the snow was meager and wind hammered, the crew found several creative jib lines below Iceberg Lake, and unbelievably, got the entire posse of riders on top of Whitney’s 14,494-foot summit. The snow in the Mountaineer’s Route was bulletproof so little footage resulted from the summit day, but the climb was a testament to how strong this group of riders, many with no prior winter mountaineering experience, had become.
Looking Back
After six months of hiking and shooting in the Sierra, Leeward wrapped up filming in mid-May. Director Edmands spent the summer crafting the hours of digital footage into what became a chronological story of the season’s adventures. Mixing cutting-edge freestyle shots with campsite and travel footage, the storyline of “My Own Two Feet” plays out just as it unfolded, from early-season suffering to spring glory.
While the environmental message is inherent to the film’s concept, Edmands doesn’t dwell on it in the finished production.
“The act of how we did everything was the environmental message so we didn’t have to play on that much more,” said Edmands. “We’re not telling anyone how to live their life. We’re just trying to show people a way to put adventure and fun back into snowboarding while respecting the environment.”
They certainly achieved that in Jeremy Jones estimation. “The highlight of my film season was my time spent with Leeward,” he said.
The elimination of snowmobiles from the filming equation made a mark on many of the riders.
“I had veteran pros like Otterstrom and Dirksen tell me that once you get your legs and lungs in shape, hiking was less work than trying to operate a snowmobile in deep snow,” Edmands said.
Young gun pro rider Ben Lynch felt that, as opposed to racing from parking lot to destination on a snowmobile, hiking gave him a much greater respect for the mountains. You get to “experience every step,” he said.
Looking Ahead
With DVD’s on shop shelves and premieres popping up throughout the West, Edmands is thrilled to get the first Leeward Cinema production in the hands of other riders. But as far as what’s up next, negotiations are still in the works. The only thing Edmands is sure about is never losing sight of a challenge.
“Anything I get involved with in the future has got to have an element of testing your will, seeing how far your mind will let you go,” said Edmands. “Without that I’m not interested.”
See it for Yourself
Check out “My Own Two Feet” teasers at www.leewardcinema.com and don’t miss the film on the big screen at these regional premieres: Berkeley, CA @ Clif Bar HQ – Nov. 13th, Truckee, CA @ Fifty Fifty Brewing Company – Nov. 15th, Incline Village, NV @ Sierra College – Nov. 20th, Reno, NV @ Reno Bike Project – Nov. 22nd. For further information on premieres check out www.protectourwinters.org
