Loving Life

Working nights has enabled me to get out during the day and take advantage of the Wasatch...a lot. Depriving myself of a vertical world this summer/fall immediately got me jonesing for ice, no matter how cold it was. And let me tell you, it was cold when I first arrived in the beginning of December. With an actual temperature of near zero, I got bit and slapped around by the mountain. Wearing skimpy clothes for ice climbing doesn't help much either. Why would someone do this?! To feel more alive!


(Almost off the Great White Icicle WI3, 4 pitches)

This year I've been focusing more on leaving the safety net of ski resorts and venturing in the backcountry. It's allowed me to have a much more intimate connection with the mountain, where I spend 3 hours or so of "skinning" to ski a single line. The rewards have kept me grinning from ear to ear. So far, the outings have mostly been grabbing some low hanging fruit by meadow skipping. Hopefully the snowpack will become stable so I can knock off a few lines on my tick list.


(Jeff skiing "100 Turns", near Tom's Hill in Big Cottonwood Canyon)


(Seth making beautiful turns off of Wolverine Peak)


(Me on top of Toledo, LCC)

I'm still drawn to the resort when the days are super deep. Enjoy some point of view video the week it snowed over 7 feet of snow.