Full Part from 2016 video Grilled Cheese – “The Debut” but cut some stuff out and filled with others.

Here is my 2014/2015 season snowboard edit from this past year. I am 16 years old. It was filmed by Jacob Levine, Jack Wiley, and Peter Day. This edit was filmed at Park City, Canyons, Mammoth, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Seven Springs.

This video is a nice break from the hot temps and smoky skies of summer.  Last winter my lifelong friend Jon Malmberg and a few of his crazy buddies went on a speed flying vacation to Chamonix, France; the epicenter of big mountain skiing and now “hucking yourself off big mountains in every way imaginable.”  He asked me to edit his GoPro footage into something fun, so I carved out some time and created a video that’ll hopefully get us all thinking more and more about the coming winter!  It’s not a fancy edit with some insightful story line…just some good old fashioned editing with all effects done inside of Premiere Pro CC 2015.

Thanks to Jon’s sponsors for their support – in particular, KAVU, an outdoor clothing company based out of my old hometown area of Seattle.  Enjoy!  Chris

Featuring Jon Malmberg, Blake Robinson, Max Toeldte, and Giorgio Traverso

Edited by Chris Morgan (twosherpas.com) | Music: Give Me The Beat – Ghostland Observatory

• Kavu
• GoPro
• Swing
• Freeboern
• Trew

]]> http://spreadstoke.com/snow/speed-flying-in-chamonix-france-gopro/feed/ 0 http://spreadstoke.com/lifestyle/adventure-dining-guide-hot-pockets/ http://spreadstoke.com/lifestyle/adventure-dining-guide-hot-pockets/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2015 13:50:57 +0000 http://spreadstoke.com/?p=5136 Adventure Dining Guide heads into the Colorado backcountry with Summit County natives Jake Black and Tanner Banks.  Tanner explains how to start a healthy fire in the snow using an avalanche shovel, while Jake cooks up his Venison Hobo Hot Pockets.  This fun episode has some great pointers to help you get cooking during the winter. To watch the full episode and learn the secrets to Jake and Tanner’s successful meal check out www.adventurediningguide.com.  ]]>

Adventure Dining Guide heads into the Colorado backcountry with Summit County natives Jake Black and Tanner Banks.  Tanner explains how to start a healthy fire in the snow using an avalanche shovel, while Jake cooks up his Venison Hobo Hot Pockets.  This fun episode has some great pointers to help you get cooking during the winter.

To watch the full episode and learn the secrets to Jake and Tanner’s successful meal check out www.adventurediningguide.com.

After a spring-like February, we finally got that big storm we’ve all been craving! Here’s a few photos of me, and a quick edit filmed on the GoPro of me and my buddies getting some well deserved pow!!!

With most of the western mountains measuring in with below average snow totals, here’s a video from February 2013/14 showcasing what Park City’s complimentary bus is capable of accessing. Hopefully March will pull through for bottomless powder turns. Keep those snow dances up.

This picture shows the beauty of urban skiing. When things aren’t always great on the mountain, this shows how you can still have fun simply in someone’s backyard or neighborhood.

Here’s a quick and insightful look into the world of veteran Snowbasin ski patroller, GR Fletcher. I was fortunate enough to be able to follow GR during a morning of avalanche control work on the mountain as he explained what motivates him to continue as a patroller after over twenty years on the job.  The video is short and sweet, so grab your coffee and enjoy before gearing up and heading for the mountain.

Enjoy!

Had an epic Christmas slaying pow at Canyons in Park City, Utah!! Check it out …

A few friends and I headed up to Beaver Mountain in northern Utah, not quite sure what to expect. We ended up having an amazing day shredding pow with great friends. Please watch and share!!!

Day two, we overslept. It was only 8 AM but we missed our window of opportunity to climb and ski anything of significance. We conceded that the day would be better served by setting up an auxiliary camp close to some of our targets as well as observing the snow and sun movement in order to have a more educated idea of our possibilities. The basis of our conversations the night before revolved around the large, open north-west face of the peak looker’s right of Kickstep. Due the sun’s movement, we figured our magic window would be between noon and one, just after the sun began to hit the slope. Anything before would be rock hard ice, anything after would be too soft and run the risk of wet slides.

There we were digging again, not skiing. Pausing for lunch, we were treated to a fireworks show of sorts. It was just before three and like clockwork, southerly and easterly faces around us let go of what was left of the snowpack. Our serenity was interrupted by what sounded like jet engines echoing around the valley every five minutes. They served as stark reminders of the omnipresent dangers that exist in the mountains, amplified by below average snowpack and above average temperatures. After lunch and some impromptu nude foot races, we put our gear back on and collectively skied some fun, low-angle terrain before returning to camp and calling it a day.

Up before the dawn, the four of us set out on the day’s mission. As we reached Camp II, Lange, Sage, and myself continued towards the ridge as Sales remained behind with the promise of hot pancakes and bacon upon our return. The three of us traversed along a route that alternated between snow and exposed tundra on the way to the base of the ridge. We decided the quickest way up the ridge would be to boot pack so we strapped up and began the hike. Lange took point and broke trail – MVP of the day. The ridge was a lot longer than it looked but after an hour of solid hiking, we made it to the top.

The sun had yet to hit the face and sure enough, it was frozen solid. We found a cozy plot of exposed tundra to rest our legs as we cracked jokes about what Sales had been doing by himself for the past four hours. Over the radio, Sales’ voice crackled, “Okay, you guys ready to drop?” Our reply was concise and resounding, “No dude, it’s rock hard!” I awoke from a nap about an hour later, slightly startled at my surroundings. This place is indescribably beautiful with layers upon layers of mountains as far as I could see. Testing the snow, it was go time.

One by one, we descended the ridge to the top of the open face. I won – or lost, depending on your view point – rock, paper, scissors for first drop. Pointing down the fall-line, I made a few cautious turns as I approached the blind roll-over. Feeling confident with the perfect corn beneath my skis, I raced down the remainder of the slope and raised my arms in elation as I made one final arc towards the direction of camp. In a safe spot, I cheered as I watched my two friends snake down the two-thousand foot face at high speeds.

Stoke was high as we rendezvoused at Camp II. Sure enough, we had hot pancakes and bacon waiting for us. Jet engines signaled that the day was done, but we didn’t mind. One run was all that we needed. That feeling still hadn’t worn off as we sat around the fire that night on our three-piece sectional made out of snow. Returning to Anchorage the following day to see Sage off on his journey for higher education, we took the time to recoup, refuel, and resupply. Real furniture that wasn’t constructed out of snow sure was a welcome sight.

Check out the beginning of this series in Part I of the Myst crew’s Alaska trip report.

Four season tent – check. Skis, boots, skins – check. Beacon, shovel, probe – check. Harness, rope, ice screws, crampons, axe – check. Beer, whiskey – check. Reindeer sausage – check. “You sure all of this will fit?” Camera gear, radios, stove – check. We sat in Sage’s basement meticulously packing all of our gear into the sled and respective packs. Preceding this was a full day of frantic running around Anchorage ensuring that nothing was forgotten for five days of camping and skiing. By mid-afternoon, we set off along the Seward Highway en route to our destination.

I was taken aback by the surrounding scenery as we drove along the Turnagain Arm. This was the first time that I have ever witnessed such dramatic peaks arise immediately from the ocean. Sales informed me that this body of water has some of the most dramatic tidal ranges in the world. As the tide ebbs and flows during the colder months of the year, car-sized blocks of ice will be traveling along the inlet as if they were another vehicle on the highway. No such frozen cars today, but there was a fair share (read: more than one) bald eagles flying overhead – perhaps an omen of good things to come.

A short ninety minute drive had us at the turn-off where we would embark. The route we selected was a fairly mellow skin that would have us at the planned campsite well before sundown. In hindsight, we should have left in the morning allowing easier transport of our sled, which at this point weighed well over a hundred pounds. Our timing was largely centered on Sage returning to Anchorage in a few days to board a flight to Chicago for the start of med school, leaving us with no choice but to depart this afternoon. Sage bravely volunteered as the first sled mule and we set off at a less-than blistering pace along half-frozen, half-cream corn snow. Less than five hundred yards from the start, the sled had already tipped over, requiring two of us to assist in getting it back upright. This was going to take a lot more effort than we had originally hoped.

Spirits were high despite the slog. Smiles visible, jokes aplenty, even as we lifted the sled upright time and time again. Two hours in, after some bushwhacking and a change of course, I hopped in the saddle despite knowledge of some inclines ahead. This wasn’t so bad. Aside from a few tip-overs here and there, it was relatively smooth sailing complete with a hundred pounds strapped to my hips. We approached our first sustained climb for about a half mile, maybe a fifteen to twenty degree slope at its steepest point. This climb might as well have been vertical. In the two hours it took us to get to this point, it required another two hours to ascend a quarter of that distance. At its worst, Lange was carrying Sage’s skis as Sage pushed the sled from behind because I could no longer get the thing to move under my own power. The smile was gone from my face. By the time we crested the ridge, it had been five hours since we left the car. Exhausted from two hours reminiscent of power sled workouts for soccer, I handed sled duty over to Lange for the final push as I basked in my new found fleet-footedness.

Still short of our intended campsite, we settled on a level plot of land sheltered by tall trees on all sides. As the other three began to dig a solar well and pit for our fire, I set off on a brief recon mission to see where we ended up. Fifteen minutes above camp, I first got eyes on Kickstep and the surrounding zone. It was just as it was described to me, except for the fact that the spine face to the north was all but melted out and wet slide debris was visible on just about every aspect of the compass. Changing over, a smile came back to my face as I linked some downhill turns through the trees back to camp. Finally! I made my first turns in Alaska.

Part III of the Myst crew’s Alaska trip report is up next.
In case you missed it, check out Part I of the Myst crew’s Alaska trip report.

Looking back at some footage from Mammoth last week. More coming up very soon! Up to 36″ expected over the Sierra Crest and it is ON.

Skier: Tim Feess
Camera: GoPro Hero 3+ Black, 1440/48 fps
Tunes: 1612 – VulfPeck

Fifteen hours into a day that will be burned into my memory forever, I paused amidst watching Nick Langelotti manhandle our gear sled down a now-grassy slope. I thought about the Alaska I optimistically envisioned before I landed in Anchorage – you know, the Alaska that you’ve seen in just about any form of ski media ever published. I was standing there, thinking about the raid about to ensue at the Girdwood Tesoro station, if we ever got there. Knee deep in a frozen porridge, I was more exhausted, cold, and hungry than I have ever been in my entire life. Just after midnight, I collapsed on the gravel parking lot we had departed from 18 hours prior. It was simultaneously the best and worst ski day of my life and is the embodiment of my first trip to Alaska.

Rewind three weeks to a Taco Tuesday meeting at Spedelli’s in Salt Lake City, Lange, Eric Sales, and myself met up to discuss our plans and expectations for the trip. The idea was to tour into a zone at the foot of Kickstep Mountain in the Turnagain Pass region of the Chugach Mountains. From there – on a good year – we could tour to a multitude of options including spine faces, open bowls, and even an attempt on summiting Kickstep. This was not a good year, with mountain ranges in Southern Alaska seeing snowpack levels well below average for late April. Upon landing in Anchorage, it became clear that we would have to dial back pretty much all of our expectations.

We were picked up at the airport by Sage Gale, Sales’ college buddy who grew up just outside Anchorage. Sage’s contributions to the trip are priceless as his family took us in and allowed us to stay in their basement for two weeks. Shortly after arriving at Sage’s home, we were in the hot tub in the backyard with local Alaskan brews in hand. Catching up and ragging on each other, I interrupted the conversation by pointing out a faint, grey-green streak dancing in the sky above me. Sage assured me that it was probably a cloud, and that he had only seen The Lights this far south only a handful of times. I was not convinced and the longer we gazed, the more we began to realize that this was indeed a solar event. We hopped into dry clothes and cruised thirty minutes north to get further away from any light pollution.

This couldn’t be happening. Surely, within two hours of being in Alaska I was witnessing one of Mother Nature’s greatest shows for the first time in my life. We stood there in awe. Sales taking exposure shots, naturally. The grey-green streak had turned into green waves gently moving across the sky. We watched for about an hour before the full day of travel had caught up with us and we decided to turn in. There was quite a bit of work to do over the next two days to prepare our gear and supplies for the coming days. We were there to ski after all, although beers and a hot tub were pretty enticing.

It’s funny, once the ski season ends most people are talking about summer plans and how much they’re over the cold weather. However, for a few of us, we look at oncoming summer with a sense of dread. Sure, we love wearing flip flops and seeing girls in bikini’s for maybe a week, but we soon find ourselves getting intense winter withdrawals. Some people are lucky enough to travel south to Argentina and Chile and keep their season going almost indefinitely.

For those of us who are not lucky enough to make to the southern hemisphere, there are several ways to cope. One is curl up in the fetal position and cry until next season. Or you can look at all your old footage from last season and make something with it! Hey it may not be actual skiing, but it sure does help. Plus, flip flops and girls in bikinis doesn’t hurt either!

Nov 2nd was a kickass day in Utah. It was the first rideable amount of snow and a bunch of us got after it. Snow, friends, dogs, campfires, jibs, rails and more fire!

Watch the edit here!!!

First snow edit!

Thanks to the following companies for the support: Nectar Sunglasses, SANDMARC, Discrete, Gnarly Nutrition, Smith Optics, Goal Zero, Rossignol, 3B, Ski Utah, and Hit Case.

だいすき – DAISUKI – LOVE

This one time I went to Japan and fell in love. These are my favorite things in no particular order.

1. ONSENS, ONSENS, ONSENS!
In Japan, hot tubs are pretty much non-existent. Instead you have the glorious Onsens – aka Japanese word for hot springs. There are many hot springs all over Hokkaido, there is even a public one just for your feet in a small mountain town. I pictured these magical things to be in the middle of a snow covered mountain where men and women would sit together… naked. I was sort of wrong hahah.

Things you should know about going to an onsen:

• The onsen’s I went to were separated by men and women
• There are usually a few pools inside with different temperatures and another one outside
• You DO have to get fully nude – (it feels amazing on your skin!)
• Before you can actually get into the onsen, you have to completely wash yourself including your hair
• There are shower heads in the onsen area where you sit on a bucket and rinse off with soap provided
• Tattoos are frowned upon and sometimes not allowed, especially in the more public onsens (at a ski resort)
• Ladies – if you have long hair, make sure you put it up so it doesn’t touch the water!
• It is the most peaceful and rejuvenating experience – it probably results in longer life
• Your skin will look and feel so fresh
• Your first time might be a little awkward… but now you know so embrace it!

2.   7/11′s and SEICO MART 
Okay, if you live in America you have most likely at one point in time been to a 7/11. No big deal, right?
Japan is very different! I survived off of these places, and so will you! You can literally get everything you want, including porn!… if you’re into that. The food is made fresh: fresh beef bowls, rice bowls, other meals. These places are on almost any block in Sapporo. They are everywhere! My favorite thing, besides the fresh rice bowls, were these mini pancakes that came in a package of 4. They were actually pancake sandwiches, so when you bit into it the butter and syrup spread out. Yup, I could live off of those for 100¥ (basically $1). The stores also have hot bottled drinks. America – get with it! Perfect place to stop before heading up to film on the slopes. You can also buy beers out of vending machines throughout the streets, so that is pretty neat.

3.  TOILETS
Let me just say you will be pleasantly surprised by the toilets in Japan. After a 10 hour flight from LAX->Tokyo and going through customs, the first place I headed for was the bathroom. I thought I was in a hotel for a minute, maybe due to lack of sleep or maybe just sheer insane excitement. As I walked in, a robot voice talked to me and I found that each toilet station was like it’s own little room where it had high walls and two doors you shut together. If you hate going to the bathroom (you know which one) in public, you have found your heaven. First off, everything is so clean. There are wipes you can clean the toilet seat with before and after. When you sit down on these modern toilets, you realize the seat is HEATED! And then the unthinkable happens, music or a flushing noise comes from the toilet. You guessed it, no one can hear you. Sometimes I wish these existed in America.

4. FOOD
Alright, well I already talked about 7/11, but we all know that Japan is known for its food. This is true, I never had a bad meal there. Obviously sushi is a must while you are in Japan. There are some sushi places where they make it in front of you and put it out on a conveyor belt, so you can pick whatever looks good to you! Don’t get me started on soup curry. Soup curry is my favorite food ever and I try not to think about it while I’m here in the States. Then of course you can’t forget about the famous ramen.  I felt so healthy and my skin was very clear because the food there is pretty good for you! I’ll be writing another piece solely on great places to eat in Hokkaido – mainly in Sapporo, so look out for that.

5. YUKI aka SNOW!!!
Last but not least…. SNOW! Holy shit. That is all I can say about skiing in Japan. Let’s face it, we all grew up watching Warren Miller and TGR films where they go film powder skiing in Japan and we all dreamed of doing the same thing. When I was 16 I was sitting in a golf course at work watching an old Warren Miller flick and decided that one day I would live in Hokkaido for 6 months. Well, 7 years later I went for 5 weeks and it was enough to fall in love with Japan. It snows all the time, the access to backcountry riding is incredible, the people are friendly, and you will love it.  If you ever get the chance to go to this magical land, please go… and don’t forget your boots.

Hope you found this useful and I hope you will visit Japan one day! Enjoy my continuation of stories on Japan in the near future.

Always stay stoked – Dani.

Remember Indian burns when you were a kid? My brother and I would give them to each other for fun. We would grab the other’s arms with both hands and twist, quickly in opposite directions, and then we’d fall over laughing about the brief pain it caused. Now imagine having that feeling all the time in your shins along with intense stabbing, like a toothpick was boring into your leg. I came to call this stabbing pain my “tiny, evil-elves.”  I could see them laughing and poking me with little pitch forks.  This is chronic nerve pain.

It was spring of 2011 and the snow season was a good one! We had just come back from a trip with out of state friends to Vail, CO. The back bowls were so heavy with snow our friends got stuck. It was one of those trips that keep you chasing fresh tracks and dreaming of cold smoke.  I was starting to notice that I had low back pain, sciatica in particular. That’s the hot, radiating pain from your low back that spreads across your butt cheeks. I thought it was just from being at a desk for 8+ hours each day since I had been working at my 1^st sedentary job in years.

Being a person who is pretty proactive when it comes to health, over the next 2 years I tried everything from chiropractors, massage, acupuncture, exercise physiology to prescription anti-inflammatories and pain medications. Everything helped, for a little while. I would feel great and the pain would go away, then it would slowly start to creep back in. These were elves I could live without.

In June of 2013, after dealing with my elves for over 2 years, I decided it was time to see a specialist. An MRI revealed a herniated disk. What caused it? Good question. With an L5, S1 herniation it’s really hard to say. That’s the joint in your low, low back that connects your pelvis to your spine. It’s the most common place to get a herniation. Disks are made up of spongy, crab meat like material. A herniation is when the lining that holds the crab meat in, ruptures and the crab meat pushes out into your spinal canal that holds all your nerve roots, thus the nerve pain in your legs and sciatica in the low back. It’s this particular area of the spine that the nerve roots come out of the spine and run down into the legs. So I had disc material compressing my nerves.

Can this be healed on its own? Yes, in many cases this is possible. However, since I had already done just about every conservative treatment available the less invasive methods were looking grim for me. More physical therapy was prescribed and then a cortisol steroid injection into my spine was tried. This was partially to diagnoses the kind of surgery I would need, as well as to relieve pain. Since sleeping was becoming sporadic the pain relief was welcomed! The decision to proceed with a micro discectomy surgery to clean out the herniation was made. I felt thankful for not needing a fusion.

I spent New Year’s Eve 2013 on pain medication recovering from surgery. Not an ideal party, but at least today I’m mostly pain free. Although it’s proving to be a long and challenging road to recovery, I am thankful for my health and know that it can always be worse. I was saddened to miss the season last year. But I’m super stoked for the coming one!

I’ve come to a place with my snowboarding and my back pain that has made me appreciate quality riding over quantity. I’m no longer a beginner just trying to improve on a groomed run. I’ve been there already. So what’s next with my great love of snowboarding? I believe the answer is backcountry.

As I spent my disability recovering from my tiny, yet huge, 2” incision I started to look into backcountry riding. I found tons of information and sites that offer everything from avalanche education, gear, guides to snowcat and helicopter tours. Wow! It’s overwhelming in fact. Intimidating is somewhat of an understatement. Do I need to be a professional to do this kind of thing? The information was not very centralized. I’ve spent hours researching and combing through all the sites.  I feel like I have just as many questions as when I started. Then I had an ah-ha moment! What if I came up with something to centralize all of this information? I’ve always wanted to be self-employed and I am passionate about snow play. The idea for Snow Minions was born.

My vision for Snow Minions is that it will become the hub of backcountry resources and education. A central location for people to connect with what they need to fulfill their passion for powder. Why not share my learning with others so that they can progress too? So I’m building a website and blog that will create a place for people to learn and grow into the backcountry experience. This backcountry concept feels elusive, like it’s something meant for professionals or adrenaline junkies only. Snow Minions is the bridge between those that want to drop off a 30 foot cliff face and people like me, who are simply looking to have quality days on un-groomed snow. This is my chance to do something that both me and my body love.

I see an opportunity to reach out to all of the other people like myself that want more out of their skiing/riding experience than lift lines and crowds. I mean, there’s no way that I’m the only person seeking this change in their snow experience that’s feeling a bit lost in the backcountry conversation. I’m just not that unique. This seems to be the right idea at the right time. I hope I’m right.

So this is my shot at getting out of the “cube farm” career path and onto something more active. Something that will help my back get better and stronger, not possibly cause another surgery. It’s crazy to me that sitting could be the culprit. I may have to learn to live with some intermittent nerve pain for the rest of my life anyway. As I sit and type this story, my elves are back. I can hear them laughing maniacally. Ironically, this motivates me. I’m on a mission to heal my body, get stronger and happier even if I have to accept that these elves could be my life-long friends. At least I know they love to snowboard. Maybe one day I can consider them my friends, warning me of when I have done too much.

This is my journey on the path of health and recovery. Overcoming the Evil Elves has opened my eyes to dreams I was unaware I wanted to chase. It may not be pain-free, but I guess life isn’t either. I’ll see you at the next peak, chasing that cold smoke. Race you to the top?!

Skullcandy headphones are great and all, but I don’t really need them. What I do need is a ticket to a mountain with snow so I can practice my crossblocking, instead of sweating my male genitals (I’m a girl, it’s not literal) off in Palm Beach County, two hours north of Miami. Sure, living in “paradise” sounds fun, but this isn’t my kind of paradise. Tan lines aren’t the lines I want, and the biggest hill here is Dyre Park, a landfill. Instead of doing something productive such as skiing, I’ll seal myself away in my room, studying a ridiculous amount of advanced classes with the hope that I’ll get a scholarship to a mountain college where I can finally do what I’ve been dreaming about for five million years. I was born in the north to a FIS-racing mom and a beach-loving dad, and now I am where I am. I know it sounds selfish, ranting about everything I don’t have, but I just want the chance to feel winter for more than twelve days. I want to feel the frustration of having to put tire chains on my car, or forgetting my season pass at home and having to drive all the way back to get it. I don’t want to be a tourist who just sees the nice side of winter, I want to feel it all. And I can’t.

So this whole story has been about how boo hoo, girl can’t go skiing. Other people have bigger issues. Other people can’t ski, even if they live on a mountain. This Stephanie person obviously didn’t grasp the concept of overcoming obstacles.

But I have. I’ve come this far in my pursuit of skiing, and I will not be stopped. I will not be stopped by my classmates, who think that I’m too obsessed and I’ll never get anywhere. I will not be stopped by some people in my family, on both maternal and paternal sides, who think it’s a waste of my time. I will not be stopped by financial issues, which get in the way of almost everything since my mom found out that she has a problem that starts with c and rhymes with dancer. I will not be stopped by society, which says that I’m too young to know what I really want, that I should take an ordinary path in life, that it’s too late for me to develop the skills needed to go professional. I have not been stopped, and I will not be stopped, because I have pushed too hard and worked against the odds for too long to give up now. I will be the girl from Florida, with little money, little support, and big dreams that makes it. Because if my mom managed to go skiing in between chemo sessions, and she stands behind me, then I can definitely do what I love. I always have been my mother’s daughter.

In 2006, everything changed. It all changed for the positive but I never thought this 180-Safety grab would be the last time I ever hit a jump and land successful on my skis. The morning after this shot, I over shot a step-up jump at Mammoth Mountain, going 130ft on 100ft jump. The resultant impact burst-fractured my T12 vertebrae into my spine, causing incomplete paralysis of my lower extremities.

This accident fueled the start of High Fives Foundation. I encourage everyone to check out the Foundation and the program services we offer: www.highfivesfoundation.org