2015 Retrospective- Christian Paul Photography

Another year of adventure in the mountains of Utah comes to a close. I have had an amazing year out in our wilderness for 2015. The times I have spent with my good friends and my family will be memories that I shall never forget. I feel I challenged myself pretty hard this year out there. And every time I was able to get in the mountains it always felt like going home. From big climbs on the splitboard, to grueling hikes, to dangerous storms, I survived them all. I set a record, for me on trail of 221 miles hiking and backpacking this past summer. That is a lot of walking! I was fortunate to go on adventures with good friends, and to reconnect with those from the past, and to make new friends that make our mountain family complete. Final tally for the year- 37 days snowboarding and splitboarding, 70 days hiking and backpacking, 27 days backcountry camping, 221 miles on trail, memories that will last with me a lifetime! This video contains my entire year, January to December, of my adventures in the mountains here in Utah. Sit back, get a beverage and a snack, and enjoy this video I put together of all of my adventures from the last year. What will 2016 bring? Stay tuned..........

2015 Retrospective from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

Scotts Backdoor Tour- Big Cottonwood Canyon- 12.30.2015

Its been a couple of weeks since I have been out on the splitboard. I had some friends Jason and Jeremy get in touch about getting out on the skins. Since things finally stabilized, I figured why not check out one of my favorite safe zones. Temperatures were in the single digits when we started up. But we all quickly warmed up because that is what you do when you are climbing. We made a quick jaunt up to the elbow, and the jeep track that goes up to Scotts Pass. We were breaking trail most of the way because there has been very little traffic in this area since our last storm. We got to the pass and headed up the final section to the top. We all made the switch over and I was first on slope. This was better than last year when I was up here. It was a nice ride to the car and I got some really nice powder up there. A great day out with friends getting some classic five star powder in the backcountry which Utah is famous for. Enjoy the video! Pray 4 Snow!

Scotts Backdoor Tour- 12.30.2015 from CPPhoto on Vimeo.

Xmas Came Early In The Wasatch! Soiltude- 12.23.2015

Just when you think nothing could possibly top Tuesday up there. Tuesday night a storm rolled in and dropped another 21" of amazing powder up at Solitude. It filled everything back in and refreshed the mountain. The wind was in play and helped keep certain areas sooth and deep all day. It was so much fun! Here is an edit of my first turns of the day up there. Amazing storm cycle, sending this year out on a good note! Avalanche conditions in the backcountry are very dangerous right now. It needs time to settle out. I'll just play at the resort for now. Enjoy the video. I know I enjoyed the powder! Pray 4 Snow!

21" Refill 12.23.15 from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

24" Of Bliss! Solitude- 12.22.2015

Thank Santa Claus, Ullr, or whoever for the wonderful gift that we received today. 24" was the overnight report. You really just could not pick a bad line anywhere. I put the base to slopes today that I have not ridden because of previous coverage issues. It was timeless, loose yourself to the powder today. Time just seemed to stand still and the riding was all time. This was by far the best powder storm we have received in the Wasatch in over two years! It was an amazing day, one that will go down in the history books for epic powder days! Enjoy the video of my first run today. Pray 4 Snow!

24" day at Solitude from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

Sleeper Pow Day- Solitude 12.17.2015

This week has been amazing! We have not had real winter like this in a couple of years. I am enjoying every minute of it! After the monster dump the Wasatch got in the first part of the week, we had a sneaky front swing in Wednesday Night late. It put down 7-10" wherever the wind blew, on top of 21" we have already gotten. Talk about refilling the cup! This time it was bluebird, but very cold. The temps helped the snow not build up the chop when is was tracked out. Here is a video of my first run of the day on Thursday, as the Sunshine Bowl was smooth and just the best ride all the way to Eagle of the year yet! Looks like more is on the way! Pray 4 snow!

Sleeper Pow Day 12.17.2015 from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

Solitude- 12.15.2015

I got a couple of days Monday and Tuesday to shred some powder from this incredible storm that was the biggest we have had in two years. Monday was the primer with very little traffic and 6" of fresh to carve it up in. Tuesday was the bottomless day as 11" fell overnight making for the best turns of the season so far. It seems our pattern has changed and things are looking to be ramping up with the storm cycle. Enjoy the video below. More adventures to come!

Solitude Pow Day 12.14.2015 from Christian Paul on Vimeo.

Millicent Tour- 12.13.15- Big Cottonwood Canyon

While we have been waiting for winter to show up we went up Millicent again since it is still not open. The skin track was a little greasy to start, but eventually we made it up to Twin Lakes. We pushed on up to the top of the Millicent Lift. The snow pack is layers upon layers of faceted snow to the ground with Fridays 6" of fresh on top of it. Still made for a nice ride to the bottom. Even got a few powder turns which was better than I expected. Looks like a huge pattern change on the way. More adventures to come.

Millicent Tour, Big Cottonwood Canyon- November 2015

I got the chance to get out on the skins and climb up to the top of the Millicent Lift at Brighton the last Sunday of November. It is not open yet, so we got to get after it before the resort does. The walk up was beautiful, a mix of sun and clouds. It was a bit chilly in the lot, but once you got up the hill, you were taking the beanie off in the sun. We had an awesome walk up there, and the views kept you climbing because they kept getting better and better. We did take a pit stop at the dam at Twin Lakes, and it was frozen over and just amazing to see smooth, unlike the rocky place that it is in the summer time. We then climbed the last stretch to the top. Literally our last steps to the lift and it started snowing.

We switched everything from tour mode to ride mode after some photos. Me and my friend Chris just sat there and watched it just start to stack up where we were. Eventually the snow started to fade and the sun started to peek out from behind the clouds, and we decided it was a great time to drop in. We found some good spots, and some really hard spots. But all in all we could ride all the way to the base, the last 500 ft to the lift were rock solid because they had been slowing snow, which is essentially frozen water out of a cannon. It was really fun to be up there and a better time than I expected. Touring is a bit tough in most places because there are not great exit options right now. For a lack of snow, the sticks and stones aka downed trees and big rocks are more dangerous than the avalanche hazard at the moment.

It was a great day and a good opportunity to get up and out for a day since the air quality in Salt Lake was unhealthy, and just awful to look at. Mountains are much better to look at no matter how cold it is. Sorry I am just getting this up. I have been very busy of late. I just have not had the time. The video for this day will come at the end of the month when I release my Retrospective for 2015. More adventures to come! Pray 4 Snow!