2013 Retrospective- Christian Paul Photography

2013 was another year of adventures. This was a work intensive year which I found hard at times, and also found myself digging in when the going got tough. From snowboarding and touring in the Wasatch, to backpacking Boulder Mountain and the Uintas, our fall trip to Moab, to lots of day hiking in the Wasatch. There was no shortage of being able to get out there and enjoy the mountains. 86 days snowboarding, 41 days of hiking and backpacking, and 15 days of camping. Tons of images to share of the places that I found solitude and peace in. This video expresses the highlights of my year in the mountains. I am grateful for the time I get to spend up there, for it brings happiness to my life. Especially that I got to spend some of that time with my very busy family. Enjoy the video! What will 2014 bring? Stay tuned................

2013 Retrospective from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

Epic Powder Day- Solitude Mountain Resort- 12.19.2013

Well, after having one of the worst sinus infections I have had in ten years, we finally got a storm that pushed out the nasty inversion which has been a nightmare for health reasons. This storm was an early Xmas present for sure. It went a long way in burying the leftover features not yet previously covered. I started off my day sampling the goods on my first run. If this was any indicator that things were good everywhere, I do not know what is. I made my way around the whole mountain, finding copious amounts of snow in areas just a week ago I would not even imagined putting tracks in. This storm was not as cold as the previous cycle, and offered a 6-8% water content to cushion the ride. It seemed like a dream riding on this day, and every single run was fluffy slashing goodness! It snowed hard all day, so there was some refill action along with the flakes that had already accumulated. The best thing is that there was no crust, leaving just a few bumps, and bottomless goodness for one to get down with. I pushed it so hard, and wore myself thin getting after it all day. Friday the 20th brought the opening of Honeycomb Canyon, which was deep as you can imagine not being open during the entire storm. The photo above was taken on Friday after they opened it. This was a much needed paint job for the Wasatch, and we have are now over 100" of snowfall for the season. Enjoy the video! Pow Pow!

Epic December Storm 12.19.13 Solitude from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

December Begins- Solitude- 12.3.13

An arctic storm of epic proportions slammed the Wasatch early Tuesday morning. It brought tonz of snow to the mountains, and wouldn't ya know, Solitude was reporting 10" at 7:00AM. I made haste and got to the mouth of the canyon, threw on the chains, and headed up the BCC. The road was pretty greasy. I saw 4x4's struggling to get up the mountain. I made it to Solitude just before the opening bell, only to find it a virtual ghost town. There were people there, but not a lot as you would come to expect of this name sake resort. The first run was just a taste of what I was in for. The snow was the ultralight stuff that this place is famous for. It was snowing the whole time up there, and it picked up intensity just after my first few runs, and began filling it all back in. Free refills! I love days like this, it never gets old, and is renewed every time you drop in. I found knee deep pockets of fluffy goodness to carve in, with the shallowest areas still holding shin deep magic. This storm opened up so much terrain that only a week ago I wouldn't have even considered dropping in on. For sure a great way to kick off December with some delicious powder to get all crazy in. Enjoy the edit, I know I enjoyed being the person wearing the cam. Looks like we have entered a cold, active pattern. Lets hope that this is the beginning of the great cycle we see here in the Wasatch every year. Pray 4 Snow!

December Begins- 12.3.13- Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah from Christian Paul on Vimeo.