Resorts and ski areas across the country have experienced an interesting phenomenon this season: powder panic.  Now, don’t get me wrong, skiers and snowboarders have always had that mob-mentality, freshies-frenzy when it comes to new snow and chairlift lines.  People have been known to shove, push, pole and also to be shoved, pushed, poled in the mess that is the rush for first chair and that taste of sweet, sweet powder faceshots.  I was raised by a powder-hound in Sun Valley, where powder days come fewer and farther between than our more western counterparts in the PNW or our southern counterparts in UT and CO, and our ski bum bachelor household was no stranger to the sense of urgency hanging heavy on those magical mornings.  My dad was notorious for arising early in the morning to shovel, sweep and pack down the new snow around our house for hours before I awoke, when we would immediately rush to the ski hill.  I’m not even sure he went to sleep on many of those nights, as he was up before the streets were plowed and the coffee addicts had dragged their way to Java Cafe next door.

But this season, this sense of urgency and heightened awareness of powder has been intensified all around the country.  A lengthy drought has left many ski areas with only minimal terrain open, or for the snow-making elite, a slew of hard, icy groomers have been meticulously maintained  to preserve the dwindling white stuff on the hill.  Warm temperatures combined with a jet stream that just wouldn’t drop below the 49th parallel have left Stateside skiers and snowboarders starving for that soft feeling under their feet.  In fact, many would-be shredders have ignored their seasonal conditioning and have resorted to weekend trips to the desert for mountain biking or golfing to soothe their thirst for action.

And, to compound the situation, the Norse god Ullr and Old Man Winter have conspired to reverse the effects of this unseasonal drought of late, only to drop multiple feet of snow on the western states.  With all this new snow weighing on either a faceted snowpack or no snowpack at all, avalanches have been decimating roads and backcountry stashes everywhere.  By many accounts, we have an extremely dangerous snowpack just waiting to impart its deadly kiss on the blindingly ignorant powder-thirsty fiend who dare tread into its grasp.  Luckily, most shredders are aware of this danger and have opted for the in-bounds approach at their local ski hill, which brings me to my original point – add a mass of snow-starved people, give them limited options on appeasing this appetite, and add in limited terrain and you have a recipe for powder panic.

The photos below are evidence of a true pandemic of the winter kind.  Lift lines have backed up beyond recognition to a point that is almost impossible to comprehend.  Yes, it is a Sunday, and yes, it did snow, but where were all these people when the lifts were empty even just last week?

Powder Panic is in full swing, and the only cure is a series of storms to continue dropping new snow on a consistent basis.  Once people satiate that initial hunger for powder, then the mobbing of local ski hills will taper off to the regular consistency of the season.  At least, we all hope.

The Pat and Tats Show is back on program, and we’ve kicked it off with our first season of Saddle Up with Pat and Tats, presented by Tecnica/Blizzard. With minimal snowfall this early season, Pat’s dreams have been full of powder shredding and good times from last season’s escapades. Throw in some dirt skiing and you can call it early season!

Watch this and pray for snow…it’s time to shred again!

Quick edit courtesy of fellow Backcountry.com and Aspen/Snowmass team athlete, Chris Erickson. What a series of beautiful, bluebird days! So much fun out there in Aspen shredding with an amazing group of rippers. Keeping me on my toes and wind in my hair!

Had a great time the other day with our local Trew Crew: John Pew, Casey Vandenbroek, Pat Sewell, JF Bruegger, Colter Hinchliffe, Parker Olson and more. It snowed 1/4in overnight and we took advantage of the freshies with slash-turn faceshots on every run. With this group, everyday is a powder day.

Full Moon Ullr Fire (photo: Katrina Devore)

The winter season here in Aspen has started on a slower note this year, with a big snowfall before Thanksgiving and next to no snowfall since then.  This has made for a different approach to December skiing.  Upon my arrival back from the East Coast, I’ve been hiking for some turns, mostly just to build up some leg strength for the long season ahead.  The downhill portion of the experience has been a good amount of groomer skiing – about as fast as my baggy Trew Gear will let me go – down runs like the infamous Spar Gulch and Copper Gulch on Ajax.  I’ve seen more carving and racing skis on my friends skis than I’d ever imagine, as the off-piste isn’t really begging to be skied yet.  So, groomers it is and people have just been flying down the hill.

With a dearth of new snow, the call was made to gather atop Buttermilk for a sacrificial bonfire to appease the Norse God Ullr.  With Ullr being the god of skiing and hunting, everything from old pairs of skinny skis to collected bacon grease was offered to the fiery pit, in part with some theatrics to complete the effect.  It is like the mountain town equivalent to the burning of tires and plastic coolers to mark the end of the Indy500, supposedly to appease the race car gods.  We even wrote our wishes down on scraps of paper and burnt them in hopes of their coming to fruition.  Coinciding with the full moon, the hike up and the ski back down were perfectly lit for some early winter antics and some squirrelly turns.  Hopefully, Ullr’s patronage has been sparked, and the snow will start to accumulate in its fluffy depths.

Pat Sewell to Faceplant (photo: Jeremy Swanson)

Just found this photo online from our opening day at Highlands.  We wanted to get some slash turn shots on the cornice at the top of Highlands Bowl for the AspenSnowmass #contentcrew, and after a few slashes Pat Sewell came in oozing with style.  As you can see, it ended well for him – surprisingly there were no rocks – and he got back up grinning like the stoke monkey he seems to be.  Haha…classic!

This week, I’ll be the live-in chef at the POC house in Breckenridge for the first stop of Winter Dew Tour.  We have  some athletes competing in the park and pipe, and I’ll be lending my burgeoning cooking skills to the team.  Bacon, eggs, lasagna, burgers and spaghetti will be the name of the game this week, and after our enormous shopping frenzy at Costco, we should be stocked for the week.  It’ll be great to connect with my jibbing counterparts and maybe I’ll pick up some shred tips throughout the week.  With guys like Tucker Perkins, Joss Christiansen, Walter Wood and more, it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn that backflip I keep thinking about.  After last season’s Freeskier ski test and my first backflip attempt, I can truthfully say I’m at least halfway there!