Three Days of Peace

I've been so busy this past week I realized I haven't updated my blog in what seems like forever. Where do I start? Well, work has been a zoo. With President's Day weekend and the week following, we've had a pretty large number of tourists to deal with. It's been gorgeous and sunny outside so there are plenty of opportunities for beautiful shots. For the first time in a while I've been making money at my job.

I wrapped up the weekend with a morning hike up Mt. Glory and shooting a wedding in the afternoon. I can't think of anything more romantic for two die-hard snowboarders than getting married at the top of the tram. Here's a shot of the newlyweds riding off into the setting sun. Congratulations Cindi & Brian!

On Tuesday I finally got a chance to have some "me" time. David and I started off the morning with a photo session in the big park. He's really progressed this year and it's been super fun being on the opposite side of the lens doing all of the documenting. Latest trick: backside 900. Check it here:

I also got some photos from a few new angles too which I was super stoked about. It gets hard to find new angles and to get creative on the same features all the time but I was really happy with what we came up with!

I love shooting photos, but one of my favorite parts of the week was progressing my own riding. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday riding in the small park to practice my jumps and also riding switch. It really felt good to take a day like that to just practice. By the end of the day I could make it down the bunny hill with my opposite foot forward without falling. Woohoo!

Today was another epic day with 9" of new snowfall! It's been weeks since we got a big dump so I grabbed some friends and hit the slopes. I rode with David, Anna and her roommate Michael for most of the day. We really had an awesome time and ended the day with a lap through Rock Springs and margaritas at the Moose. Couldn't be better :)

It's Park Time Again

It's been a while since we've gotten any new snow here in JH, so I'm back to shooting photos of David in the park. Not that I don't like that, but the level of creativity is limited in the park because I'm shooting the same features every time. This time we were out in the "intermediate" terrain park. I would consider myself above an intermediate level of riding, at least in the backcountry, and I don't really see myself hitting any of these mammoth jumps this season. Here are a few shots from the morning:

On another note, I'm sorry for the massive delay in blog posting. My last post was a bit of a rant, and a much needed one at that. I had my friend Kevin, a bartender at Teatro Zinzanni, visiting me over the past week. We were pretty busy getting after it while he was here. Lucky for him, it snowed a ton over the holiday weekend and he was able to experience what it's like to rip some JH pow.

As for future plans, I guess I'm going to drag myself out to the mountain today. All of my favorite riding buddies are working so I'm a bit less motivated. On a good work-related note, David is off to get oriented with working for Teton Gravity Research! He's going to spend three mornings a week logging videos for them. I'm not exactly sure what logging videos means, but it would definitely be sweet getting on board with TGR. If you're not familiar with TGR, check out a little preview of their upcoming snowboard movie "Deeper" featuring two of the most respected backcountry snowboarders in the industry -- Jeremy Jones & Xavier De Le Rue.

Fun in Four Pines

A few days off left lots of opportunity for hikes into the backcountry. On Friday, I headed out to Four Pines with David, his buddy Conner, and Halina. It was kind of a foggy day but I took the camera out anyway just in case. After the two hikes, we dropped into the north side of the ridge and were greeted with really deep powder turns. It wasn't long before Conner, David and Halina were scoping out some gnarly pillow/cliff lines. I, of course, tried to veer around such courses. As much as I am looking to drop more this winter, I think I'll hold off on the 20-footers for now. I carefully made my way around the first bunch of cliffs to see what my friends could do.

On the way down we came across several more outcroppings. Conner spotted a pretty crazy pillow drop and nailed it. He was a little fast for me to get a shot but I caught David following in his path. I was pretty glad I got at least one decent photo from the day because it was totally socked in and dumping snow, which made for pretty challenging shooting conditions.

Powder Pillows - David Duffy.

I'm sure we'll all get out together again for more photos. I always get stoked to shoot with talented skiers and riders, especially when they're girls :) Go Halina!

Next up was Saturday, another great day for venturing out of bounds. I was really excited to ride with my friend Laura from University of Washington. She works 9-5 so I haven't ridden with her all year. It was just lucky that I got a Saturday off of work. We started out the day with a hike up the Crags. They weren't open the day before so we thought it would be really good. It was totally deceiving from the top -- a field of untouched powder -- but when we dropped in we realized that it was sunbaked and heavy. Yuck. I still got a decent shot of David ripping down the heavy stuff.

A rare bluebird day in the Crags. Rider: David Duffy.

After that we decided it would be best to go out to Four Pines. We followed a parade of people out there and I felt like I really had to push myself on the hike so that nobody passed me. I'm definitely getting better at hiking at 8,000 - 10,000 feet!

We took a pretty mellow shot down the nose of the ridge in order to avoid avalanche danger on the steeper slopes. We were all stoked and tired by the end of the traverse so a trip to the Mangy Moose was in order.

I can't really think of more perfect days off. Lots of snowboarding, hiking, and spending time with friends...only the best :D

Big Days lead to Big Mountain Lines

Much to my dismay, the biggest snowfall of the year fell on a day that I was taking photos at the top of the kiddie lift. I woke up to a snow report of 12" overnight, 18" in the last 24 hours. I was super bummed. Luckily, the manager let us take some runs over on Apres Vous, and Jake and I tore it up in Saratoga Bowl. It was some of the deepest powder I've seen over there, and the traverse out was even mildly tame. Whew. Luckily, I had Tuesday off so I could at least get some leftovers from the huge day before.

David's friends Jesse & Chris are in town, so we started the day with a lap on the tram. It turned out to be a sunny day so we showed them the gorgeous view from the top. Jesse got really excited:

Jesse Atkins. Jumping for joy over Cody Peak.

We headed down to the bottom of Sublette and decided on our next plan of attack. David spotted a chute that looked ride-able and decided to go for it. Needless to say, he went a little bigger than I thought he would and I kind of freaked out on my side of the lens when I saw him do it. That's David though.

Rock drop to stomp 6 " from a rock...no big deal.

On the way to that line I had spotted a much gnarlier line that needed dropping. The sun was out and the snow was good so David decided to go for it. Let's just say that I was pretty stoked on David's riding today. I've seen him hit some pretty big drops and stuff in the park, but watching him do these big mountain lines got me really excited. Cody Peak is next.

Soon I had to get my hiking itch taken care of and I met up with my friend Steve to hike the Crags. It took about 45 minutes from the Apres Vous side, but we found one of the best lines. Trees and knee-waist deep powder. Steve hit a tree stump and ripped his pants, but other than that it was all good.

We spent the remainder of the day playing around in Saratoga Bowl. I took a few shots of the guys "jibbing" this big pillowy rock. It was too abrupt to hit and jump off of so a spray was the way to go.

David Duffy rock spray.

Back to work for the next two days, and then some more good riding. I must say that I'm getting awfully used to riding with my 25 lb. camera bag...and that's a good thing :)

Making the Most of the Mountain

The past few days have been some of the best that I've had here in JH. Yesterday I met up with Anna and we took some runs in the fresh 5 inches of powder. Stuff was good all over the mountain. We stopped for lunch at the Moose and a little Bailey's and coffee to get us going.

After, we prepared for my first trip out to Four Pines. The avalanche conditions were definitely a little more questionable out there than in the comfort of Rock Springs. The journey required passing over Rock Springs and then hiking up a steep knoll. Soon we dropped down into a small canyon, shadowed by the line called "Breakneck". Don't think I'll be hitting that anytime soon. Looks gnarly.

Anna on hike #1 to Four Pines

Cody Peak looming in the fog.

Our destination: the knoll in the left upper corner of the photo.

The line called Breakneck. Yikes!

After a second mellower hike, we reached the top of Four Pines, along with several other go-getters. We looked down at the awesome powder below us and couldn't believe how epic it looked. The sun even started peaking through on our descent.

Hike #2 to Four Pines.

Anna on the descent.

View from where I was about to drop -- fun chute!

We reached the flattened area at the bottom and proceeded to take the long, tiring traverse back to the resort. All of the hard work hiking and traversing was totally worth it.

Looking back at the goods.

Today was another hard hitting day. I got out to the resort early with David so I could show him Rock Springs. It was sunny and the avalanche danger was supposed to increase as the day went on. It was pretty tracked through there with some heavy sun-soaked snow, but it was still a blast. A parade of people were hiking up the ridge to Cody Peak...good idea since this was one of the first sunny days we've had in weeks! I bet that was a good time.

After Rock Springs, we headed up the elevator shaft hike up the Headwall from the top of the Gondola. We met a snowboard instructor named Steve who also had the day off on our way up. Turns out we have lots of mutual friends, so when David took a sweet line down through the trees so he could go to work, I showed Steve the chute David and I had gone down in Casper Bowl a few days before. The snow was lots heavier today but still nice and soft. I ended up meeting with my friend Helena as well, and we had a small crew roaming around the mountain for the rest of the day. Another hike up Headwall and a Saratoga Bowl run later, I was spent. Now here I am writing this and soaking up the afternoon rays that are pouring through my window.

I have to go back to work tomorrow, but the days off I had were amazing, and I think I'll be able to power through while I look forward to some more adventures!

Lifted Spirits

Today put me in a much better mood than I was yesterday. I did have the day off though, so that helped a lot. As usual, David and I caught the bus bright and early to catch some fresh turns out at the resort. With our surprise, we peaked around the corner of the Bridger Restaurant to find the gates OPEN to Casper Bowl. I strapped my board to my pack, and we raced to the top, only to be trailing behind three other guys.

Me, about to drop into Casper Bowl. Look at all that pow!

I stared in awe at the endless field of powder below me in the bowl. We dropped in through a narrow chute and reaped the benefits of our strenuous morning hike. Soon after David had to leave for work and I met up with Anna.

David's first turns through Casper Bowl.

I was a bit skeptical after the insane amounts of recent snowfall, but headed out to Rock Springs with Anna anyway. When we got there I was surprised at the amount of people who had already gone though. I guess that's the story of Jackson people though -- always pushing their limits. At least it made me feel safer.

Quick shot of lower Rock Springs.

We ripped through the fresh powder, happy and tired after the long run down. I have the next two days off and can't wait to do it all over again!

Anna, finishing out a lap through Rock Springs.

You Have to Work for It

I've come to many realizations during these past few days. It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride for me lately. With four feet of snow falling in the past three days, and me having to work during all of them, it's been a little bit tough. While everyone else went and rode pow, I watched hopelessly as my board gathered more and more snow on it as it leaned against the side of the lift shack. I got many comments such as "Not a very good day for pictures huh?" or "Bet you're not getting much business today!". I just want to let all know that those comments are better left unsaid. It's almost like saying "You look tired." or "Pretty slow tonight huh?" to a cocktail server. On commission based jobs, it's very tough to keep spirits high in slower situations. I don't really have a choice but to stand out there and get people stoked on taking photos, blizzard or not.

Don't get me wrong, I love photography. Especially snowboarding photography. There's nothing that gets me more stoked than capturing that perfect moment in a shot where the rider is right at the peak of their trick and I am able to capture that 1/1000th of a second for them to look at forever. I get so excited, and so do they. Snowboard photography is art to me. It's a way that I can take the sport that I have such a passion for and turn it into a beautiful self expression, even if it's not me in the shot. It's a way of combining the human element with the powerful forces of nature and being able to capture the moment forever. A moment that will never occur in the same way again.

In conclusion of these contrasting thoughts, I've realized that life never really goes the path that you expect. To get to one place, you have to work through another, even if it's a place you don't want to be. Right now, I feel a little bit stuck, but I know that if I just keep my drive up, I will get to where I want to be someday. Most successful and creative folk don't get the luxury of skating through life and achieving their dreams. Doctors go through countless hours of school, lawyers study tirelessly for tests, writers may move to a big city only to hear the word "no" for years, high school seniors may apply to 20 colleges only to get into 5, etc. Everybody fails. The only ones who succeed are those who take those mistakes and learn from them.

With that in mind, I'm going to fall asleep, and start a new day. A day without work and drama that goes along with it. A day with photography that I love. A day with snowboarding, friends, and the love of my life, in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I've got a lot going for me, and it's time that I start acting like it.