Grassroots Powdersurfing brings you two days of tree riding, pillow pouncing and pow slashing through burnt forests in the Sawtooth Mountain Range, riding the best binding-free powsurfers in the world.

Powsurf Riders: Jeremy Jensen, Dave Smellie, Craig Stevenson, Jeff Tulloch, Erik Nelson, Cole Thompson.

Music: Sidestreet Reny “Roots Reality”  http://www.sidestreetreny.com
Good Blood “I’ll Be”  http://www.goodblood.bandcamp.com

Sometimes stoke arrives unexpectedly.  I found Teton Dam almost by accident, after browsing around Mountain Project to see if we could climb anything between our planned stops of the Mountain Brewers Festival in Idaho Falls and a weekend of biking in the Big Hole range near Driggs.  Ever since we stumbled upon Teton Dam on that trip, we’ve been back every year. Not so much because the climbing is world class, as it’s a fact that I can’t seem to say no to an unloved piece of rock, no matter how chossy it may be. Rather, the Teton Dam presents a high quality fun factor that makes the sheer experience of climbing, where few other areas do, even more satisfying.

If you’ve never heard of it, Teton Dam is a really interesting breakdown of human ingenuity that failed catastrophically in 1976, leaving 11 people and 13,000 head of cattle dead. Despite the tragedy, it also rolled some super interesting boulder problems into the Snake River Plain.  The fact that these rocks were blasted into a mostly flat canyon also means the landings are universally great.

This area is a bit unique as it is almost invisible until you are standing at the lip of the lower Teton River Canyon.  You will wonder aloud as you approach how you’re going to boulder in a cornfield, but have faith.  Arriving at the Dam, you’ll need a stout 4WD vehicle to access the river bed.  If that isn’t an option, you’ll just need to hike down about a mile from the top of the Dam.  The camping options are plentiful once you’re down, but keep an eye out for locals who mostly make the trip to shoot things at the opposing canyon wall.

Unlike our local super classics in Little Cottonwood, Utah, the welded tuff rock actually presents holds!  This means that Teton Dam can be a satisfying bouldering destination for groups of mixed ability.  The concentration is definitely in the moderate grades of v2-5, but if you’re looking for stout problems they exist both in the form of established and yet-to-be-sent climbs.

I’ve also appreciated this spot as my life has changed from roving mountain bum to semi-responsible parent.  We have found climbs perfect for a 3 year old and plenty of shaded spots for a brand new kiddo as well.  One word of caution for those considering a family trip: the canyon gets chilly at night.  On our last trip the forecasted low was 52, but the mercury fell to 28 overnight rather unexpectedly.  The result was a double sleeping bag filled with four people and a Coonhound, but we survived.

Despite the feeling that you get when climbing at Teton Dam – that you discovered the whole place – it’s worth mentioning the massive effort by locals Dean and Heather Lords, who have probably spent more time brushing than climbing since they began to explore the area in 2004.

The Teton Dam Checklist:

• A stout 4WD vehicle
• Standard car camping setup and a 20 degree or warmer sleeping bag
• Firewood – driftwood is hit or miss, don’t risk it
• Multiple Pads – Highball opportunities abound and are worth it!
• Tape – unpolished rock is good for finger slicing
• Rod & reel – depending on the time of year, we’ve found decent trout at the dam

This summer started out a little difficult for me. I was stressed out after juggling a few jobs and full time school. Upon graduation I was a shambling mess. I could not hike over a quarter mile without some knee pain developing. And I had back and jaw pain from poor posture. I has just ended a relationship as well, so let’s get emo and add a broken heart to that list… *tear*.

With the new found time from leaving school and consolidating into one job I began what I called the “montage summer” where I dedicated myself to rebuilding and healing myself. I started working out two or three times a week, focusing on my legs and back. I began taking Tai Chi classes which helped retrain my movement to make it easier on my knees and back and I began to meditate in a style that relaxed my mind, and allowed me to dissolve the pain I was feeling all over my body.

I have made a surprising recovery! I am hiking again and spending time in the places I love with the people I love! You don’t get to the the montage of the work, but you do get to see the reward! Hiking, tubing, paddleboarding, camping all I am missing is footage of a nice evening around an outdoor fire pit! Enjoy the vid and the world!

Last May I had the opportunity to travel to the Lochsa River drainage in Idaho and photograph a great group of whitewater surfers. Every year during spring runoff this location is sought out by adventure lovers for the large standing wave that develops and holds for weeks on end. Long days of travel, zero cell service for many miles in either direction, and many hours cold the water are the name of the game. The weather and water temperature make hoods, mitts, and thick wetsuits necessary a majority of the time.

With many hours to shoot and no outside interference via cell phone this was going to be the perfect time to try some different lighting setups and get them dialed in. The wave sits in a deep canyon that gets shade early in the afternoon if the sun shows up at all. Many of the times that I had been in this river drainage it had been cloudy and stormy all day. I hoped that this trend would make for some engaging new imagery. I had brought along the Quadra setup with the deep Octabox and 3 Speedlights as well loads of ziploc bags to protect from the almost constant drizzle. I had also brought a painters extension pole with a baby pin adapter in order to get the octabox much closer than I could have with any normal grip equipment.

I located the Quadra rig upstream of the wave. During daylight hours this allowed me to use it as a fill early in the day and then transition it to a key light after the sun disappeared. I would also add the speedlights downstream to provide a rim to the surfer and more depth to the scene as it got later in the evening.

Many thanks to the great crew from Strongwater in Missoula, MT and my pal Herb for being willing subjects on this fun project!

1/100 @f4.5 ISO100

1/50 @f3.5 ISO100

1/40 @ f4 ISO100

1/50 @ f5.6 ISO200

Cheers!

Isaac

http://www.isaacmillerphotography.com/