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 (Photo: Ryan Walsh)

 This past fall I have the opportunity to go on a photo shoot in Silverton, Colorado with the photographer Sven Brunso.  We had some good conditions and the sun was out so we got some great stuff considering it was early in the season.  The good news was that HEAD liked the shots and was looking for some marketing material.  This is where it ended up.  There are thirteen of these vehicles around the US and Canada which are being used for their marketing and sales representatives.  There are three pictures, on the sides and back, that are all a little different but this will give you an idea of what to look for.   

The closing of the season could not have come at a worse time this year, but it was for sure the best closing weekend in my memory.  Skiing waste deep powder up until the closing day is a unique experience, however skiing down the mountain after the last on mountain party and not seeing one dirt patch or rock is unheard of.  Here are a few pictures from the closing party of Vail.  It was a good party to say the least, but too bad we had to shut down the lifts.

(The Gore Range Still Covered in Snow on closing day.)

(Whitney and Mark, Looking great is what skiing is all about…)  

(Ryan and the costume of the day.)  

(Ryan getting the look from the cops… Curious!)  

(4@4)

(Last run of the resort season.) 

ST. Anton, Austria — After leaving St. Moritz, Ch we boarded a train to St. Anton, Austria where we were greeted by the Tourism office and sunny skies.  We arrived late in the afternoon so we spent the day walking around the beautiful town taking pictures and time-laps video.  We had a cultural experience at the Wellness Center, where the Austrians displayed their comforts with nudity, then got some dinner and exhausted from travel and activity we went to bed early but awoke to a blizzard. 

We got dressed for skiing, but after walking only a few hundred meters to the store down the street, my cloths were soaked from the heavy wet snow falling at an incredible rate.  I went to the lift office to learn that the mountain would not be opening up top so we spent the morning enjoying our Bed & Breakfasts called the    The spread of food was amazing with fresh roles, cheeses, meats, pastries, coffee, and other delicious goodies.  The spring like morning did not yield great skiing conditions or visibility so we stayed low on the mountain and played around on a few small features that a group of snowboarders had created and took it easy as we watched the snow accumulate.

We met some locals as we walked off the hill and they told us about a party that was taking place that evening.  The theme was a beach party, although ironically the snow was falling the hardest it had in months in St. Anton.  We got ready with a slight level of trepidation because the guys we spoke to said it would be a little crazy.  When we walked in there was no sing of normality considering it was a blizzard outside.  Everyone was wearing bathing suits, bikinis, hula-skirts, etc.  In one corner there were two blow-up kiddy pools filled with water and people candidly frolicking about.  As the night drew longer the bar gradually became one big water fight and about two inches of free standing water covered the floor.  Corey and I sat back in amusement and watched as the locals completely drenched themselves, only to walk home wet in a blizzard.

The next morning however 65cm of snow had accumulated.  I sat in line waiting for the mountain to open, but due to the conditions it took a long time.  However, when it did there was ample snow given that most European skiers stay on the groomed trails.  For two days Corey and I skied fresh snow, but only on the lower two thirds of the mountain.  So much snow had fallen the patrol never popped the top of the mountains where the good terrain is, but we still had a great time.     

Lenzerhide, CH – I flew from Oslo, Norway to London’s Heathrow where I did the left-side-of-the-road shuffle around the busiest and in my opinion worst airport ever on my way to Zurich, Switzerland.  In Zurich I boarded a train towards Lenzerhide with half the Swiss army who was returning back to duty after the Easter holiday.  The kids, all about 18, were happy to see each other so they were heavy into their fermented beverages and snuff which made it a unique ride to say the least.  They did not seem to mind sharing the train car with an American skier as they were eager to laugh and test their English while criticizing each others pronunciation as we shared stories and questions.  When I arrived in Lenzerhide however I was a little ill-prepared as all I had to find our accommodations was an address and no phone number.  Lenzerhide is not a big place, but it was Monday night and there was not a person around to ask directions.  So, I was stuck dragging my bags around the village looking for building “14” for about two hours.  Meanwhile, the snow had stared to fall but none-the-less I was excited to be walking after a few days of sitting on planes and trains. I awoke to catch up with the group which consisted of Tom Winter, Derek Taylor, Corey Tibljas, David Lesh, and Alex Norton and then proceed to the hill.  The mountain was empty, and we had the 30cm of fresh snow to ourselves.  Only one lift was open due to the visibility, but we lapped the T-bar until we were wet from the falling snow.  That night things got interesting however.  We took a venture to the local watering hole called the Slalom bar, but shockingly we were the only ones there aside from one infamous local.  For all intensive purposes I could explain the night in great detail, but I’ll just sum it up with a game called Neglin, for which the hammer ended up I the fire, loud music, shots, and the bar lit on fire…  This was a night to remember and we met our “ski professional” for the next day.   Anyone knows it is always better to have a local show you around a mountain, but we found “this guy,” who still smelled like booze and sweet from the night before.  Theo, our local guide showed us around the resort but had a different idea of skiing.  He was conscientious for mountain safety, yet his assiduousness for being the omniscient professional was refreshing.  The level of skiing we were looking for was a little different, but we still found a few zones with 2500ft chutes.  With 20 horses in his stables, Theo was a great guide and set the trip off on the right note.  Laughter! We continued on our adventure that afternoon and boarded a bus headed for Davos.