Attention Attention to the throngs of readers and potential hirerers of ever so talented photographers who frequent this monumentally important web log conveniently shortened to blog. It has been brought to my attention by this fellow, known by his closesest friends as “Hippie”, that I have not credited his entirely awesome and ingenious eye for photography and composition which graces every viewer to this site with it’s presence. That’s right, sound the trumpets! Aaron Fienberg (does it get more jewish than that?) is the gracious photographer who captured the banner above in which I, ever so modestly rip sick turns on the skis of the variety telemark. Thank you Mr. Fienberg for allowing me to display your photo on my site.

I just recently purchased a pair of Black Diamond (formerly Acension) skins for my very big Karhu Team Jak skis. For those not privy to the lingo, skins are essentaily a furry unidirectional skin the adheres to the bottom of your ski allowing one to glide uphill without sliding back. Having trimmed them before my friends came out I’ve been anxiously waiting for an excuse to take them for a ride. Last night was the perfect chance. The full moon, clear skys and light breeze made for pretty much the perfect conditions. I set out by myself for a peaceful climb up to take some pictures and otherwise unwind from a busy Saturday in the cafe.

As the slopes here are quite steep, I quickly found that skins have there limitations. Firstly, while snow conditions play a large role in the purchase of the skins, there is definitly an inlcline limitation which is to be expected and turned out to be about 30 degrees to my untrained eye. Second, when you end up slipping, it is absolutly vital that your skins are properly trimmed such that your edges are exposed and ready to take grip. Mine weren’t perfect and I fell a bit but now I know better and you do too.

So upon reaching the the gun tower at the peak of the wildcat lift (technically its Mount Baldy’s shoulder) I took some night time photographs with a 3 inch tall tripod and very long shutter speeds. Click the photo below for some of the shots I took.

Two of my best buddies from high school came out to visit. Here are some photos from their trip.

Of all the types of bums in the world, ski bums probably have the most fun. Everyday we do the same thing; wake up early, eat, work, eat, ski, eat, drink, dream of skiing. There is no responsibility needed, just put in the 25-30 hours of work a week and ski the best snow on the mountain.

At first I thought it would get tiring or even boring to ski everyday but it’s simply not true. If anything skiing is one of the most addictive drugs there is. The more you ski the better you get. The better you get the more you want to ski. The body craves the adrenaline and builds a tolerance that can only be satisfied by ever increasingly challenging runs and deeper snow. Everyone who comes to the mountain whether they are an employee or a visitor is here for the same reason: to get high on powder snow.

For the past month now I’ve been working at the Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge as a cafe cashier or barista. This means I either place breakfast and lunch orders for people and take their money, or I make chai lattees, espressos and serve beer. I have my bar tending license and my food handlers permit so I can serve alcohol and prepare food… its kind of a scary thought. When I’m not steaming milk in the glassed in cafe which is a stone’s throw from the main base lifts, I’m working on becoming a better skier.

I haven’t met one person who was a ski bum and regretted it. I’m having a great time and I hope to ski with you.

I am obsessed with watching ski videos, especially of the Tele variety. My favorite video is last year’s PowderWhores video since all the skiing is done on the Wasatch Mountains surrounding Alta and SnowBird. You can check that one out here.

In promoting there new film they’ve also released a preview and a trailer which are quite hot.

This video is worth it just for their song. Its sounds like the crap Dave and I would make up. Their skiing actually sucks but they have one dude who is quite nasty in the air.