Early Season Skiing in CO

The TatsVan Chronicles: Cataract Canyon 2010

I always knew I'd make it to this point in my life, where my college loan-paying needs and ski bum desires begin to equal out. Yet, while some things have drastically changed, many of my habits have grown quite well formed. Years ago, when I began rafting, my only income throughout the calendar year was comprised of meager paychecks and saved tip money from the summer's commercial raft trips...

Friends of the TatsVan: Drew Tabke wins 2nd Backcountry.com Sickbird Buckle!

Drew Tabke is another friend of the TatsVan. He is currently down in South America destroying freeskiing comps and bagging peaks after all-night, wine-fueled parties. Recently, Drew became the third ever freeskier to win a second Backcountry.com Sickbird belt buckle for his impressive skiing in Las Lenas, Argentina. http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg842/scaled.php?tn=0&server=842&filename=4dff.j...

Snowmass, again.

My friend Ed took this shot on my DROID. Epic night in Snowmass Village.

Video: LINO’, an Animated Surf Flick

Check this video out...I've watched it ten times already. The music is super mellow, vibing well with the impressive stop-motion animation that makes those little Playmobil figurines look like they're just shredding some epic waves. Lino', made by Karim Rejeb of KarimRejeb-SurfArt.com, is a masterpiece fit for anyone who has played with plastic toys. His vision of the world of surfing, a...

Friends of the TatsVan: Scott McBrayer – Bull Rider

Scott McBrayer, better known on the Freeskiing World Tour as McSlayer, just rode his third bull at the Carbondale Thursday night rodeo. Known for tossing frontflips to a stomped landing off of 40 foot cliffs, it's his background as a hunting guide and cowboy that makes Scott really stand out. He didn't make eight seconds (the minimum time for a score) in this ride, but as any cowpoke knows...

Posted By: admin-christatsuno on December 18, 2009 in All New Posts - Comments: No Comments »

Well, I finally did it…I stuffed my bandaged and padded toe into my ski boots and found myself skinning up Snowmass. At this point in the season, I am re-acclimating to mountain elevation after spending close to two months at sea level. It’s nice to breathe the fresh air up here in Colorado, but the air definitely felt a little thin upon my return.

Now, with a few days of skinning and skiing under my belt, I feel once again like the ski bum that won Powder Highway’s Ultimate Ski Bum contest. Snowmass has limited coverage, so it’s mostly groomers, but that just makes the ascent that much easier. Typically, I would go find some backcountry tours to mission, but the snowpack here in the Roaring Fork Valley is the worst its been in years. There are reports of a hoarfrost layer 13 inches deep. The worst part? …it’s the bottom layer in the snowpack, making things really unstable and scary.

So, inbounds touring has allowed me to get after it in a controlled environment and build my climbing/skiing muscles up for the rest of the season. I even had a great day skiing on Aspen Mountain with my good friend, Mike Glock, and his liftie co-worker Keith. We ripped around the mountain looking for whatever soft snow stashes we could find. But, due to my sad big toe (see previous blog entry), I’ve been relegated to my Agent AT alpine touring boots. They’re nice and soft for comfortable climbing, but a little mushy for inbounds lift accessed shreddage. This leaves my ankles a little worn out after a dozen runs, so I ended up calling it quits by 2pm.

Tomorrow, I will skin up Buttermilk with Jamie and then head over to Breckenridge for some Winter Dew Tour action. I will crash at the POC house, where some of the athletes will be staying.