Despite low snow conditions around the Western US, I had a great season traveling to 2- and 4-star Freeride World Qualifier events, freeskiing at my home resorts of Alta and Crested Butte and touring in the Wasatch, Uintas and Crested Butte backcountry!

Flylow Gear, Ramp, Flyin Ryan, Soul Poles, Pit Viper

The Kitten Factory team got out and around Utah during a less than stellar winter, taking full advantage of the few good days we had. Filmed in and around the Wasatach range and of course some fun spring days at Snowbird and Alta!

Thanks to Evan Heath, Hennie VJ, Jack Atkins, Jeremiah Paquette, Mike Blatt, Joe Fusare and Garrett Jurach for additional footage. Head to kfskis.com to check out the new skis.

A last minute email from fellow big mountain telemarker Bevan Waite boded well for great holiday week ski sessions… and that was before the Wasatch was pounded by storm after storm! Check out some highlights in this quick edit put together by Bevan.

Photos of me and my Buddy Parker Swainston, shredding Alta early November, 2014! The first real snow to fall of the season! Super stoked to have real snow from the weekend here in the Wasatch (3 FEET!!) and Sunday and Monday were epic days for sure. Some of the deepest snow I’ve shredded in November ever!!!! The photo of the Snow Stache is of me Monday Nov 24th, and it was EPIC!!!

Alta is open at last!  (Except for today since they were keeping us safe, thank you Ski Patrol!)

Wendy and I have started an annual jendyski breakfast in the lift line on opening day.  This year is the second annual pancake breakfast, complete with celebratory champagne.

The spread!

PANCAKES!!

The awesome ladies I skied with on opening day (plus one photobomber).

Here’s to a great season!

I saw Tori’s new website and I thought it was a really cool idea to spread stoke and promote positivity, so I thought I would contribute to the cause.

In my opinion the best kind of stoke is shared with those you care about.

Lately, I have been pretty obsessed with backcountry skiing, so when my family expressed interest in trying it out I was both impressed and excited. After a long period of wanting to go, but never quite making it happen because conditions weren’t quite perfect, I finally told my mom to just pick a date because we really don’t need perfect conditions to go out for the first time. This turned out to be a good idea and she choose President’s Day, which was a day that neither of us were working. We were hopeful that my brother Geensmack or my dad could come along, but it didn’t quite work out for either of them. Undeterred, and after a lengthy discussion of what to wear and bring, my mother and I trundled off to Alta with the plan of using the lifts for some lift accessed backcountry skiing.

Once we arrived, we were bamboozled by how crowded it was at Alta. We probably should have expected it because it was a holiday, but the lift lines were looooooong and it wasn’t even a powder day. This primarily served to make us all the more stoked that we weren’t going to be stuck in them all day. Once we got to the top of Supreme and entered the backcountry, it felt great to escape the hectic rat race happening on the inbounds slopes and enter into the backcountry where things are peaceful. It is such an amazing feeling when you pass under the rope or through the gate and suddenly it feels like a new world that is detached from all the madness of civilization. The backcountry, especially in winter, is a calm and peaceful place where worries evaporate and profound thoughts somehow wander into my mind. Also. . . the skiing is way better there. All of his is what I wanted to share with my mom.

We started out by skinning up to a classic powder line called Point Supreme. It was Mom’s first time skinning so it took a little getting used to but she did great. I really like teaching my mom new skills because she does a really great job of listening to my directions and trying her best to do exactly what I describe. It’s wonderful. Needless to say she caught on fast and in no time we were on top of Point Supreme ready to ski our first run.

Here is a photo taken just after glorious completion of a kick turn, not an easy task for a first timer.

After our first run, the stoke was high, so we transitioned rapidly and scampered back up the hill to schralp it again.

The second run was even better than the first and Mom was loving the whole backcountry skiing experience.

At the bottom of our second, run we decided to take a break and bask in our glory. I showed Mom how to make a chair out of skies and we enjoyed some victory pizza while gazing at our fresh tracks. Spirits were quite high.

After a hike back up Mom was pretty tired and happy so we skied back into Alta and returned to the real world excited to get back in the backcountry together again soon.

Thanks for the super fun day Mom!!

I love you!

As I sit here on my couch, with an ice pack, pain killers and something like fractured ribs, I reminisce on pow days past. Luckily for me, and unfortunately for everyone else and the mountains themselves, this has been a warm spring-like week in weather. But with snow to come and a few more weeks before I should be skiing, I’m dreading being stuck to my giant leather settee. So, to Facebook I go. Looking back, it’s been quiet a season so far to say the least. Some days this year have been deeper than many I can recall from the past two seasons. I’m happy to say at least I’ve slay’d waist deep pow more than once this year with many more days to come, regardless of minor injury related setbacks (as I’m sure many of you can relate). So if you feel so inclined to bring me cookies or drink beers and wax skis, let me know, I’ll be here catching up on Homeland and looking at pictures of myself skiing.

(All photo credit due accordingly: Bekah Stevens, Joe Johnson, Weston Shirey, Matt Baydala)

First preseason tour at Alta, UT.  I’m the closet person to the camera along with a friend Mike just above me.  You can see Mt. Baldy in the distance.  We skinned up just below Baldy Shoulder.  Although there’s early season snow pack, we still managed to get some face shots as we gingerly skied down avoiding any rocks in sight. POW POW POW!