Looking Forward
It’s April- no fooling. How quickly we got here.
Like February, March stormed in and out of my life like the storms that have crushed the San Juans all winter.
A flurry of media posts have just begun dropping, the result of trips with writers and publishers throughout late winter. Check out this piece from Jason Blevins in the Colorado Sun.
After 19 days of road closure, things finally seem to be getting back to normal up on Red Mountain Pass. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to the break being welcome. Although two trips I was slated to guide were canceled, the unexpected rest and recharge afforded me during this unscheduled pause in this winter’s action was incredibly valuable. I feel refreshed and renewed and ready to hit it hard through the first part of May.
Avalanche trainings are winding down for the year with only one more SJMG Level One and one more SAS Avy Rescue Course to go. I’ll save the stats for a future entry but needless to say, I may have broken a personal record for the number of L1, L2, Pro, Rescue and Custom Avalanche trainings facilitated in one year.
I recently completed training with the Durango Scenic and Narrow Gauge Railroad- What a great group of guys doing amazing work along the railway in the upper Animas canyon. Check out this recent Durango Herald Article on their efforts to ready the railroad for an early May arrival in Silverton. Looking forward to seeing how they perform after another round of blasting the start zones above the tracks this week!
I am looking forward to the next five weeks and I hope you’ll join me out there.
This week, I’ll be guiding and filming with Japan’s Yamauchi Kazushi. Yama-san, aka The Orange Man, is one of the most recognized snowboarders in the world and I’m honored to be showing him around my home turf. Looks like the conditions and weather are coming together nicely for our time together. Look forward to more on this trip!
Speaking of snowboarding legends, fellow Weston Snowboard Athlete and ripping American rider Josh Jespersen and I will be tackling a three day trip up on the Red Mountain Divide. Jespersen, the first splitboarder to ride off of all Colorado’s 14ers in a single season, will be profiling the RMP mining and backcountry skiing history as part of his new project, Journey Lines. You should definitely look forward to reading more about this!
And let’s not forget the 8th Annual Silverton Splitfest running the 18th thru 21st of April. Tickets are sold out for this grassroots gathering of the splitboard tribe. There’s limited space in the clinics and guided tours I led during the event. You can learn more about those opportunities by clicking here. With a historic snowpack and epic riding conditions, we’re looking forward to this year’s experience- undoubtedly the stage is set for the best Splitfest ever!
With all this professional action ahead, it’s important to keep the focus on my personal riding objectives and an upcoming trip to Mt Sanford in Alaska in only five weeks from now. The body is strong and my mind is right. I’m looking forward to getting it done in the weeks ahead and I hope you are too. We’ll see you in the mountains.