Sunday, April 26, 2015

Sunday Funday- Powderhorn Tour- Solitude- 4.26.2015

After wrecking myself harvesting some corn snow last Sunday, it was all about redemption on this trip. We had a full crew, five deep skinning up Solitude to the top of Powderhorn. It was really nice to be back on the splitboard. Great day to be out, and about 8-10" of fresh everywhere overnight. That combined with what we got on Saturday was gonna make for a great day. It was in the mist on the way up, pea soup at times. But we eventually made it to the top and hung out for a bit. We had a fog delay dropping in as everything went whiteout. Eventually it moved on up canyon, and we were able to drop and make some incredible turns. We decided a second lap off the top of Apex was in order and we strapped in and dropped into some really good snow. The ride to the base with everyone charging it was just a great time!

It was so nice to redeem myself after hucking my meat to the mat last Sunday and wondering if I was going to get out on the board again this season. Today was just that day, getting back on the pony that bucks you off. Great day in the mountains with friends riding powder. Hard to beat that. Not sure how many more of these gems we will get before summer decides to show up and put this party to rest. More adventures to come.

Solitude Powderhorn Tour 4 26 15 from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Splitboarding Solitude- 4.16.2015

It has been a winter for the record books. The kind of winter you do not want to see as a snowboarder. But it seems that old man winter was trying to redeem himself with this late season April storm which dropped some serious snow on the Wasatch. We decided to skin up Solitude because they are closed, and it still has good coverage unlike other parts of the Wasatch. We started from the base to see trees littering the landscape that were blown over in the wind storm that preceded the snow event. We made our climb up pretty fast and in no time it seemed we were standing on the Eagle ridge with the winds just pounding us. We all got exfoliated on the way up to Powderhorn from gusts of wind that were just brutal at best. Finally got to our spot, switched out from touring to riding mode and we made the drop. There were for sure some variable conditions out there as the wind was having its way with the transport of the snow. I still made some nice turns and had a great run all the way to the base. The lower part of the mountain was a bit heavier, and kind of grabby. A great day, first time out for my friend Gabe on the splitboard. He did awesome! It was nice to be out with the crew in the mountains once more. Enjoy the video with pics below. We will see how much longer mother nature lets this party continue. I'll take it while I can with the lackluster season we have had. More adventures to come!

Solitude- Powderhorn Tour- 4.16.2015 from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

36" of magic! Snowbird- 4.15.15

Just when you thought winter was over, pow! Mother Nature dumped 36" of the goods up at Snowbird. Everything was delayed today, so it was best be patient and the goods would be available. We rode everything that was open and had miles of powder turns. Things were knee to thigh deep every where you went. Highlight of the day was finishing off a great one on the mountain as they opened Peruvian Gulch. It was so deep off the P-Dog chair it was like watching a digging convention with all the skiers who lost ski's in the abyss. So much deep powder out there, and tons of terrain to get after that was not one week ago where you wanted to be. Mid-Baldy was my favorite line of the day with a blasting slash that I rode out of the cloud in. Here is a shot of me rockin' out as I was about to drop into Primrose. Winter is back for the moment. We will see how long this party lasts.