As the sea ice beneath my feet gave way, my legs plunged into the arctic ocean. I quickly spread my arms to stop me from falling deeper into the ocean, I had two thoughts. First, I wish I had my dry suit zipped up. Second, I wish I was wearing my skis to spread my weight out over the thin ice.
This movie is about the Mountains, and the nature. It gives you the feeling of what it's actually like to be there, high in the mountains, camping, climbing, feeling the cold. Traveling on foot throughout a variety of different mountain ranges, many days and nights (and months) are spent out in the wild. This film cuts no corners to bring you the most authentic mountain experience possible.
The West Gunsight Couloir is certainly one of the most iconic lines viewed from our side of the Tetons, a geological magnum opus. Doyle has wanted to ski it since he saw it as a kid; I've wanted to ski it since my first year as a liftie in 2011; Joel since he moved here. It's so damn aesthetic. Also, it's pretty far out there. Those two in conjunction make for a mighty fine goal.
My knowledge about terrain choices was slowly coming into focus. But, I started to recognize other gaps in my knowledge. Even though I wore a beacon every day I wasn’t very proficient at using it. I understood what made a good start zone for an avalanche, but not why some days or times of day that avalanche would be more likely to occur.
The terrain in the Tetons was inspiring and this was another moment where I realized I had to continue my avalanche education to keep skiing the things I wanted to ski.
Before this season we took a hard look at the pool of epoxy resin by the ski press. We focused on our distorted, yellow reflections, took a deep breath and asked: “What does ski touring mean to us?”
