EarlyUps.com has a weekly series which features pro skiers and the music they jam to.  This is a great way to update your music selection and get in the head of your favorite shredder.  It’s interesting to hear what pumps people up for the big moves on snow, or to find out how skiers get their groove on in the off-hill part of their days.  I was honored to be included in this list of athletes, following none other than Julian Carr the snow yeti himself.  Click the picture below to link to the feature and listen along to the mix provided courtesy of Spotify.com.

Click above to view the feature and listen to some Talking Heads

Skin it to Win it

My first week back in Aspen has been an uphill climb.  Literally.  I’ve been hiking for my turns to begin the winter after a fall season spent as a flatlander back east.  There’s a lot of things I almost forgot about mountain living during my time as a warehouse box-slinger and struggling surfer.  The air is thinner, the nights are cold, and the snow is crunchiest in the early hours of the morning.  Sure, there are lifts spinning on Snowmass and Ajax, but there’s something to be said for slapping some skins on your skis and huffing and puffing your way to the promise of unadulterated speed and glide.

Today, Lane Johnson and I hiked up Ajax and passed the race crew for the Canadian ski team.  They were training for the World Cup races over the hill in Beaver Creek, and were prepping the training course with blue dye and lots of side-slipping.

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.