TeleVision
Ratings Guide:."G": Suitable
for the entire family. "PG": may not be considered
appropriate for the kids and/or may not be safe for work.
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Newest...
Favorite
Things
Friends and family,
fresh powder, and "silver white winters that melt into springs...
these are a few my favorite things." It's pretty magical
when it all comes together, as it did last Monday morning here
in Mammoth.
This was one of
those days when you want to make sure your skis are waxed and
ready the night before. And of course you want to crack it early.
Big Tim rolled into town just in time to catch one of the first
gondola cars to the top with me, while my 14 year-old step-son
J.T. (making his TeleVision debut here) was already aboard one
ahead of us. Six or seven laps later, through "snowflakes
that stayed on my nose and eyelashes," we hooked up with
Chris Lohman and John Brodie for a little more.
In late summer when
I'm missing winter and feeling sad,
I'll put a little Coltrane on and this will be the day I'll remember,
and then I won't feel so bad...
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TeleVision
rating: "G"......Length: 04:17
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Recently...
Everyone
Has To Get Away
Everyone has
to get away, and play, play, play, everyone has to get away.
Indeed.
Diggin' in that
garden, didn't it feel good, didn't it feel good? Laughin' with
a few friends, didn't it feel good?
Oh yeah. Found some
thunder. Two feet of light powder at Snowbasin, or two inches
of solid crust in the backcountry, we've been diggin' in that
garden. This and that for happiness. What luck, what luck, what
luck!
Get away, get
away, everyone has to get away and play play play, everyone has
to get away.
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TeleVision
rating: "G"......Length: 04:41
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Capturing
The Essence of Icefall Lodge
Three accomplished
professional photographers and a talented videographer visit
British Columbia's newest backcountry lodge in this latest TeleVision
offering from Scott Rulander's Hot Shot Productions of Sandpoint,
Idaho. Their mission: to capture the essence of a visit to Icefall
Lodge.
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Untitled
It's a pretty dream,
most of the time. Here is an untitled video from our little tour
up Mill D on Friday. BT and I ditched the last day of the OR
show here in Utah, trading the jingle-jangle for the dream. It
was a nice day.
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A Southern
Alberta Day
It's our turns and
the unique culture of telemark and backcountry skiing that binds
us all together, no matter what corner of the world we might
occupy. Year in and year out, these sort of "slice in time
and place" videos are always among our favorites, and this
one is no exception.
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TeleCube
From the makers
of "The Pinhead Hunter" comes "TeleCube,"
a finalist in the NET Telemark Film Festival and a favorite of
the Telemarktips crew.
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n..pc
.Still Rollin'
In the wake of our
close call on the mountain a couple of weeks back, we've spent
a lot of time skiing and hanging out with family and friends,
enjoying the simple and familiar pleasures that have always kept
us coming back for more. We've had cold sunny days on the groomers
to warm the heart, and a few stormy powder days to stoke the
fire in the belly... in short, life goes on, with a hard lesson
or two learned, and more appreciation than ever for the finest
things in life: close family, old friends, and the greatest sport
in the world.
Yeah, we're still
rollin'...
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captioTeleVision
rating: "G"....... Running time: 02:21
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EJ's Back
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From the beginning,
EJ Poplawski said that one day he would be back telemark skiing,
and true to his word, that day has come. As many of you know,
EJ lost a leg above the knee as a result of a horrific crash
into a tree while competing in the finals of the US Extreme Freeskiing
Telemark Championship comp at Crested Butte in 2006. In the aftermath,
the telemark skiing community stood up reached out to EJ with
an impressive display of love and support. Since that time EJ
has gone on with his life, building his contracting business
back up and finding new things to do, as well as looking forward
to returning to the snow to get some turns tele style. Recently
EJ reached that latter goal, and the Powderwhores were there
with him to record the moment. It's our great pleasure to share
with all of you this inspiring video of EJ's first day back. |
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It's been a long
time...
It's
been a long time since I rock-and-rolled
It's been a long time since I did the Stroll
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back, let me get it back
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Happy Place
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We found this in our
mail the other day, and popped it into the computer right away.
Recognizing a few of the names at the beginning as friends from
the tele comps, we were expecting some fine stokage... we were
not disappointed. |
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x
October
Derek Weiss, known
as "trackhead" on our Forum, has been making and posting
videos which we have enjoyed and admired for a long time. Derek's
High Definition videos inspired us to begin offering HD videos
of our own, and last year we had the pleasure of reviewing
his and
Piton Production's excellent feature film Teton Skiing--Legends
of the Fall Line. So we were really stoked last summer when
Derek said he would work with us this year and let us host his
videos here on TeleVision. October is the first video
to come out of our new collaboration , and here is Derek's note:
The following
is footage from October 8th to November 6th. A few early season
October storms had us skiing some legit pow in October. But when
the storms fizzled out, most went back to climbing and skiing
in the perfect fall weather. The skiing remained, and is still
fun on high, north facing aspects, but we're ready for more.
So this video is more about the month of October than it is about
skiing.
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caption
Anonymous Perspectives...
it's plural now...
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We named him Mr. Anonymous
a couple of years ago when his cool first-person "anonymous
perspective" videos started showing up at the Telemarktips
World Headquarters without any indication who had sent them,
not on the box and not in his short films. Apparently he likes
it this way, and the latest even came with a return address headed
"Mr. Anonymous." You gotta love it... and we love to
bring you the stoke he shares, especially as the final countdown
to the heart of the ski season begins. |
October Snow
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October 9,
2007-- The
backcountry is always stunningly gorgeous with a fresh 4 to 6",
it's especially awesome when that 4 to 6 falls during the first
week of October, as happened to us in Mammoth last Friday.
We rounded up an
NNN light touring setup for Urmas, I broke out some Karhu 10th
Mountains, and we headed up to the hill, expecting some kick
and glide but secretly hoping for more. We got more. Much more.
It wasn't easy skiing,
and on Saturday, although it was a Bluebird day, the snow definitely
wasn't as deep on Lake Mary ridge as it had been on the north
side of a little hill known as Woolly Peak the day before, but
Urmas and I both agreed when it was over that we had experienced
two of the finest days to start a season in recent memory.
And the backcountry
never looked more beautiful.... |
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An early season
backcountry tip from Urmas...
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October 6, 2007-- There are a lot of things to watch out for when
heading into the backcountry early in the season. Here's a quick
tip from Urmas that will eventually end up in the Lessons &
Tips section of the site. In the meantime, we thought this little
minute and a half clip would make a nice preview of the footage
we shot yesterday and today. This, after a surprisingly solid
little early October snowstorm swept through Mammoth, leaving
us grinning from ear to ear. |
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PW07-- The Trailer
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September 6, 2007-- In a recent video interview here on Telemarktips, Noah Howell said
that this third film from Utah-based Powderwhore Productions
would have a little different look and feel than their previous
two films. A slow start to winter in the Wasatch encouraged the
Powderwhore crew to head north. Watching this awesome new trailer
for PW07, the main result would seem to be insanely gorgeous,
big line, Alaska-style footage to complement the usual deep and
delectable powder stokage... chock full of memorable images,
for us this little preview is a mesmerising telemark thrill ride,
a perfect antidote to late summer, both a reminder and a promise
of more good times to come very soon... |
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Summer Reverie
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For telemark and backcountry
skiers in the Northern Hemi, the dog days of summer are upon
us. Fortunately we have our memories of incredibly fun times
on the snow to get us through, as well as expectations of awesome
days to come in the season ahead.
Lying on the beach at home,
I kick the sand flies off my assorted cuts and scrapes from the
latest epic mountain bike crash, then close my eyes and let my
thoughts drift back to our final ski trip of the year, a July
excursion to Hidden Valley on Mt. Shasta... this is my summer
reverie. |
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A little piece
of heaven...
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For the backcountry skier
looking to extend the season on into summer, Saddlebag Lake at
Tioga Pass has always been a little piece of heaven. As the years
have gone by it has become something more to me, a sort of Neverland,
where I can go to escape the city blues. A place where my cell
phone doesn't work and where the most important decisions to
be made each day are which boat across the lake to catch, and
what line to ski. Adult responsibilities just don't exist; the
"real" world does not intrude.
After nearly two decades
of this, Saddlebag feels like home, a summer skiing universe
of our own. A little piece of heaven, where the corn is smooth,
the smiles are huge, and the stoke runs deep. It's always good
to get home, and to share home, especially when home is Neverland.
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captioTeleVision
rating: "G"....... Running time: 05:20n
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The Prescription
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The prescription for
relief from the end of ski season season blues:
Hike to top of ridge across
from Mt. Dana, overlooking Ellery Lake.
Hang out in the sun, enjoy
the view. For best results this should be done with a good friend
or two.
Eventually ski down one
of several shots back to the road below. Walk or hitchhike the
short distance back to your starting point.
Repeat as needed, or until
complete relief is obtained.
Contraindications: None
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captioTeleVision
rating: "G"....... Running time: 02:28n
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The Bridge
.Oh what wonders await, on the other side of the
bridge....
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captioTeleVision
rating: "G"....... Running time: 05:14n
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O"It was like a dream..."
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When my son JT was just
4 we went snorkeling one evening out around Bird Rock, right
across the street from our old place near Laguna's Main Beach.
As luck would have it, we had an awesome dive, easily the most
memorable in 40 years of snorkeling and scuba diving, from Hawaii
to Tahiti, and back to here in Cali... As I held his hand and
led him around the tiny bay, we saw little leopard sharks, an
octopus, walls of schooling anchovies with barracudas darting
through, taking their evening meal, and pelicans wheeling around
overhead with the setting sun turning everything to gold. It
was an amazing experience, one where everything came together
to create the ultimate dive, and when it was over and we were
back on the beach, eyes as big as saucers, JT's first words were
"it was like a dream." And so it was. Years later we
still call it the "like a dream dive."
Last week's series of backcountry
ski days, with both older and newer friends, were similarly awesome,
and much needed. From the "now it can be told department:"
After the terrible and sad events of last spring, a couple of
which hit home pretty hard, by May all I wanted to do was go
sailing, take my kids and their friends to the beach, and forget
all about the mountains and snow for awhile, even though it's
usually my favorite time to ski bc. That's never happened before,
and it was really disturbing. Fortunately my ski stoke began
to return before the snow started to fly in the fall, but I was
still wondering if it would hold into the late spring and early
summer....
Well, it did, and while
driving south the other day I was thinking about how just like
that dive with JT, everything had come together on this trip:
Good snow, great weather, spectacular scenery and fine company,
all combining to create what were for me, the ultimate in ski
days... you know, like in a dream.... a dream you never want
to end.
Here's Cate on day four,
a tour for turns in Red Cone Bowl on the Mammoth Crest.
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On
A Monday Powder
Day-- Spring Style
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There is always something
special about a Monday powder day at any ski area, but especially
at a weekend warrior oriented, non-destination ski resort like
Mammoth.... and even more so in spring, when pow days are more
like icing on the proverbial cake.
We busted a move early
and got out in time to wait for the rope to drop on the backside
of three, along with a few other enthusiastic folks. Then, while
waiting for the top to open we spun laps off the lower gondola,
hoping to be in a car (rather than in the long line at the mid-station)
when the top opened... and that was about the way it worked out...
we passed right though the mid-station not long after the loading
for the top began.
We also hooked up with
Urmas for a run, that's him in the blue jacket, then Tim and
I skied down toward the closed for the season Chair 14 area,
and we hiked up "Hemlock."
The snow was fine and the
sunshine sweet on this sensational Monday powder day-- spring
style..... |
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On
A Couple of Days
in Jackson Hole
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Jim Lyall sent this in
a couple of weeks before Christmas... Big Tim and I were on the
road, and as sometimes happens during prime time, Jim's email
and his sweet stokage got lost in the shuffle... while cleaning
up the other day I found his message which read simply:
"I thought you might
like some mellow skiing."
Indeed we do Jim.... so,
better late than never... |
captionTeleVision rating: "G",
Running time: 08:19
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23mb
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Note: Use the original,
higher quality Mpeg4 if you have Quicktime Player |
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On
Fooling Around
On The Hill...
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It started out serious
enough... a few weeks back Urmas and I went out to do some follow
shots for the series of instructional videos we have been working
on... it was a beautiful sunny day and the skiing was really
fun... the temptation to just play was too strong. Before long
we were goofing around like kids.... One minute Urmas was skiing
high, then he was skiing low... it was one of those days when
anything goes...
Tele rules! That's all
there is to it... |
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On
Telemarker Nick
Devore Breaks New Ground, Makes Superfinal Round At The U.S.
Freeskiing Nationals
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March 26, 2007-- According to the International
Free Skiers Association (IFSA), "the strongest final field
we have ever seen in competition" made it to the last day
of the U.S. Freeskiing Nationals at Snowbird Utah earlier this
month, and making history, telemark skier Nick Devore went into
the Superfinal sitting in ninth place, ahead of 141 of the world's
best alpine free skiing competitors.
A day earlier, Devore,
a 20 year-old Aspen, Colorado, native and a Black Diamond sponsored
athlete, made the finals by skiing an impressive, hard and fast
line into Snowbird's North Chute. Sticking a mandatory air into
a steep, narrow line, Devore landed two more clean airs before
crossing the finish line, going into the finals in 18th place.
The finals were held on
North Baldy and the snow conditions were reportedly near-perfect
for a list of competitors that was top-heavy with freeskiing
World Tour champions and past winners. Devore was the only telemarker
remaining in the competition when he skied a strong fast line
and sticking solid, clean airs to make it into the Superfinal,
along with 22 other men. As
mentioned, Devore entered the Superfinal in 9th place. When it
came time to ski he picked a difficult line that observers report
had the potential to easily put him among the top ten finishers...
check out Nick's Superfinal run, as well as his earlier performances,
in this nearly 8 minute video filmed and produced for us by Powderwhore
Productions.
After the comp Nick tells
a reporter about his experience, "it's really cool to be
at these contests, skiing with all the major guys, and it's amazing
to be the only telemarker, I wish more telemarkers would come
on out, but it's just fun to be here skiing with everyone."
Amazing indeed. Perhaps
especially to those of us who have been knocking around in tele
gear for a couple of decades. Stunning even. Our heartiest congratulations
go out to Nick Devore, a freeheel athlete who is turning heads
while raising the bar to heights that would have seemed unimaginable
just a few short years ago.
Finishing up with the reporter,
and with a casual shrug of his young shoulders, Devore says simply
of his ride choice, "I choose to telemark." We are
super stoked that he does.
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Winter Returns
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Here is a rare late Friday
afternoon addition to the Web site: some minor stokage leading
into the weekend. After a nice little corn cycle preview last
weekend and into Monday, Big Tim and I caught a return to winter
up at Mammoth this week as testing of our NTN boots and bindings
continued. It's been a lean year out here in Cali, we've been
hungry like the wolf for powder, so every little bit helps....
and make no mistake, a little bit is all we got this time around...
thank goodness for fat skis that can make 4 inches feel like
8.
With a promising forecast
out there on the weather sites, we are hopeful for more powder
next week. Just like a happy childhood, it's almost never too
late to have a good winter! |
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Shadows of Snow
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I think it's probably
best to just let this very special video speak for itself..... |
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A Week On The
NTN-- Day 5
Mammoth Pass
backcountry, 3/3/07
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On Day 5 we decided to
take Mammoth Mountain's gondola to the top and head out of the
ski area and down to Mammoth Pass. After days of stormy weather
the sunshine and warmer temperatures were welcome. It was also
perfect conditions to test the NTN for icing and snow buildup
issues (more on this in our wrap-up next week).
As mentioned in our last
writeup below, our friend Lee has been a guide and avalanche
course instructor in the Sierra for many years. Not surprisingly,
Lee was very interested in the new Barryvox "Pulse"
transceivers we recently received for testing and review from
Mammut. So we skied down to McLeod Lake
and set up a single burial scenario to give Lee a chance to check
out the Pulse and to get his feedback. |
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As he says himself in the
video, Lee was "blown away" by the ease of use and
accuracy of the Pulse. After we finished filming the scenario,
Lee expressed some reservations about the way the search had
gone down. He was concerned about the fact that he had found
the buried backpack and transceiver on the very first probe attempt,
and he was worried that it might seem unrealistic or contrived
to our viewers. We pointed out to him that he had done the same
thing on a couple of warmup searches, and we also recalled how
much trouble he had had earlier in finding the same buried pack
in roughly the same spot by simply probing. Without the beacon
he had probed well more than a dozen times, even becoming a little
exasperated along the way by his lack of success. We feel that
the single burial scenario depicted in this video accurately
reflects the real-world performance an experienced transceiver
user can expect from the Pulse. In Lee's specific case, this
was the kind of speed and precision search he was able to pull
off after little more than an hour of practice. The video speaks
for itself but suffice it to say, we were all very impressed.
Oh, and we got some nice
turns in on this tour as well. As a bonus, we made it out of
the backcountry in time to make a 6:15 dinner reservation (barely)
with Dan-o Cruz, his wife Lori, and a few other friends. It was
a very good day out on the pass. |
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A Week On The
NTN-- Day 4
Virginia Lakes,
3/2/07
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With three days on our
NTN bindings and boots in the bag and the fresh powder at the
area totally played out, it was time to head into the backcountry
on Day 4. Our old friend, one time roommate, and Sierra Mountaineering
International guide
Lee Frees had been
skiing with us all week and he suggested the three of us pay
a visit to the Virginia Lakes area. It was a good call. With
all the new snow and plenty of ongoing wind loading to contend
with, Virginia Lakes provided a lot of route options.
Every ski season has its
share of memorable days, this was one of them. Blue skies, fresh
powder and very good friends, all in what the late Right Reverend
Bardini of the Church of the Open Slopes called the "Backside
of Beyond."
A day at the office doesn't
get much better than this.
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A Week On The
NTN-- Day 3
Mammoth, 3/1/07
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Despite a very late night,
we still managed to crack it this morning and get to the mountain
in time to catch one of the first gondola cars to the top. It
was a bluebird day with surprisingly few people out after this
latest storm, one which dumped more than four feet before finally
moving out of the area for good.
It was a fine day, made
even better by the fact that we made a new friend on that first
ride up. Turns out Aimee once worked as an intern at Backcountry
Magazine. She leads off the video with a message for Howie and
the crew.
Testing Rottefella's NTN
in cold, fresh powder snow has been a lot of fun the past three
days. Tomorrow BT and I are going north with Lee Frees for a
little backcountry tour... perhaps we will head out to Virginia
Lakes, or maybe Tioga Pass. Stay tuned for more....
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A Week On The
NTN-- Day 2
Mammoth, 2/28/07
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