Alex Ferreira boosting in the pipe (Photo by Brian Walker)

My week as head chef and stoke coordinator for the POC house at the Breckenridge stop of the winter Dew Tour has come to an end.  It was a special treat to meet and hang with the athletes we have representing the brand in the park and pipe scene.  Kids like Alex Ferreira, Kyle Smaine, Broby Leeds, and Robby Franco had a chance to hot tub, chow food, and relax right alongside some of the bigger names in the sport like Joss Christensen and Tucker Perkins and Alex Schlopy.  It is great to see the camaraderie and teamwork that thrives between these athletes in an event where egos reign supreme.  I was impressed to see how down to earth and motivated each of them were in dedication to this wild sport, and then, to see them take on the massive superpipe and park features Breckenridge likes to build was truly awe-inspiring.

Throughout the week we had all walks of life from the competition scene visiting the house, with team reps from ski brands, GoPro stoke monsters, parents, world-class coaches, and web gurus.  Willie Ford, the new POC team manager, and I kept everyone well fed and full of beer (those of age, of course!) as the week went on.  I learned a lot about cooking for an army and how to manage a dishwasher and trash compactor all without losing a finger or scalding myself with hot water.  Whew!

Check out the following video from the prelims for superpipe:

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!

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.