Check out more of Shaun and her winter exploits at TheLifeUnbound

August has arrived, and with it the weather has only continued to spike higher, the sun’s rays seeming so much stronger and threatening heat stroke and sunburn.  The rafting business is in full swing, and people are flocking to rivers and waterholes wherever they can escape the heat wave.  While the rest of the freeskiing world is down in South America yukking it up on pisco sours and Chilean and Argentine powder, I found myself gorging myself on gourmet food and grasping both hands ’round cans of beer.  The last eight days of my life included driving upwards of two-thousand miles through the Rocky Mountain west and rafting 175 miles down the Lower Fork of Idaho’s Salmon River into the confluence with the Snake River.  A group of six from Aspen rallied Ed’s big red van up to Boise, ID to meet up with the other six in our crew for some mountain beach debauchery.  Forget the strippers, we brought glow sticks, fireworks, and a potato cannon to launch Idaho’s famous spuds, much to the delight of the booze hounds on the trip.  With enough beer to fill almost every cooler on the rafts, we were prepared for a trip almost double in length.  So, we did as any good bachelor party would do and got to drinking.  With class II and III rapids in a pool-drop succession each day, there was some great rafting with some 70F degree water for swimming between wave trains.  Add in a ducky and two paddleboards, and you can bet there was some awesome floating being had.

I’m working on editing some video footage from the trip, but here are some photos to drool over in the mean time.

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Tuckerman Ravine has long been on my list of ultimate ski bum destinations in the Continental U.S.  There have been many stories, along with time-honored traditions, that have been passed down through generations of ski folk based on this little Eastern gem.  Granted, the best U.S. skiing is, and will always be out West or in Alaska, but Tuckerman’s has kicked it’s heels solidly into the annals of skiing history and will continue to be the destination for Eastern riders’ annual pilgrimages.

There is a lot to learn about Tuckerman, including it’s claim to fame as the birthplace of American giant slalom and Dick Durrance’s infamous ‘schussing’ of its storied slopes.  My good friend Zach Ornitz recently spent some time in the area, dreaming of another winter spent out West.  In the mean time, he made some friends, collected some interesting interviews, and captured the essence of good ‘ol Tuckerman Ravine in some captivating timelapses.

Following is the video, produced by Zach Ornitz, and a quick summary, in his own words.  Enjoy!

A Tuckerman Tradition from Zach Ornitz on Vimeo.

Tuckerman Ravine, located on the eastern slope of New Hampshireʼs Mt. Washington, is considered by many to be the epicenter of the New England skiing tradition. For nearly 100 years, people have made their annual pilgrimage to this backcountry skiing destination. Jeff Leich, Executive Director of the New England Ski Museum offers some historical insight: “The first party on skis that thereʼs any record of in Tuckerman Ravine was a Dartmouth Outing Club group in 1913. In the 1930s, ski racing found a home on the mountain and in 1937 the first Giant Slalom in the United States was held in the ravine.

What makes Tuckermanʼs Ravine and skiing in the area so special? Why has it remained a rite of passage for so many generations of skiers and backcountry enthusiasts? My premise is that beyond spectacle of the weekend party scene, it is the tradition and link to skiing history that adds to the allure of “Tuckʼs.”

Photo: Mike Schirf

It’s not very often in the skiing world that the major ski media promotes the up-and-comers of the freeskiing world who don’t hail from the superpipe or slopestyle scene.  Yet the competitive Freeskiing World Tour (read as gnarly cliffs, manky venues and sometimes, billowy powder) has had its share of stars emerge from the ranks of ski bums and college students alike.

Chopo Diaz, Chilean Invader

Over the past few seasons, Chopo Diaz has been making a name for himself on the Freeskiing World Tour.  If you’ve tuned into the live web-broadcasts of the FWT competitions from Snowbird to Kirkwood to Aleyeska, then you’ve probably seen Chopo dropping huge cliffs with his signature Chilean style.  A lot of power and some smooth shredding are packed into his small frame, making for quite a show whenever he straps on those familiar K2 skis.  Below is a video of Chopo at Snowbird, in an effort to introduce our South American friends to some classic ‘Estados Unidos’ skiing.  Hailing originally from La Parva, Chile, Chopo brings a unique perspective to the steeps and deeps at Utah’s best known powder palace.