The Twins!

So it has been long over due for an update. We have been very busy getting ready for our new twins to be born. On 21st we introduced Tyler and Maya to the world. Tyler was 2507grams and Maya was 2376grams. They are both small and are in incubators. The kids though are doing well and they should be coming home in early June.

Tyler


Maya

Touring with the PM gear Brokers

Thanks to Jeff and PM Gear I got hooked up!





I have now been touring the new Broker prototypes for about a month. As far as I know I am the only one consistently touring on these skis. The tours that I have done have varied from 30 minute quick accents, to full day, full on touring.



My set up
Broker carbon prototypes
Marker Duke Bindings
Skin Col Tex (they suck)
Boots Techica Diablo




This is not the lightest set-up. I prefer performance to climb ability when conditions are good enough to still get into the bigger lines.





The skis
The Broker Carbons are very light for an 110plus waist ski. So light in fact, that I only really feel the weight of the really heavy marker bindings. I quite enjoy the lightness of these skis. They are light, yet have lots of power and energy. The soft tip allows the ski to plow through soft snow with ease. The rest of the shape then takes over and drives the ski down the hill. Breakable crust is also very enjoyable, as this ski does not dive. Of course the lightness of the ski is not good in debris or super hard cruddy conditions, but that is survival skiing anyways. One thing that I have always found with rockered skis, is that you start to get into the back seat. This type of ski generally pushes you up and back. The Brocker skis ski more like a traditional ski and allows you to keep that traditional balance point. I feel this is very important, as we switch from rockered skis back to our traditional skis during the touring season, you don’t have to fight to regain your balance point.




Climbing with this fat rockered ski is much easier than climbing with other rockered skis that I have tired. Other rockers tend to have a bow shape vs. the Brocker only has the tip rockered, then light camber. This allows the skin to make maximum contact with the snow. This stops slipping and allows the skin to glide more naturally across the snow. I feel that this rocker ski is the best rockered ski for touring on the market today. I would love to have a second pair mounted with freerides!


If you have any questions about the skis please ask. Like I said I think I am the only one that has toured full time on these skis.

Time to Hike a bit!

After many days and nights begging Dan to come ski with me, it finally happened!
We hiked above Happo and did 2 lines over 2 days. The first line was a 1300 meter decent. The second line was a 1100 meter run. A mixed bag of wet snow and spring the first day to light dry wind blown powder the second day!
Great day out there and I was very glad to be able to get Chuckles- AKA Gandalf
out there too. I really owed him from the week before. You see, he picked us up after every sick line we did that weekend and that just isnt fair. Had to be fair and show him a good run or 2.

This that with some big lines thrown in!

You have to love spring when things get super stable!
You can run some of the bigger stuff and there is a ton
of sunshine. Went Skiing With Jer, Mark, Trent and Matt.
Got some really nice photos and the snow wasnt have bad
either!

Just some Powder pics!

Thought Id link a few pics up from my guests they took some great shot all week.
Thanks to mark, Hugh and Pat for the pics.

Happo a Tree riding report!

After sitting out Saturdays skiing to have an onsen with baby Hannah, I really wanted to go for a ski on Sunday. I met my good friend Janus on Saturday night and wanting to keep the group small we hatched the Happo plan.

The shock on Sunday morning in the lodge was that everyone was going to Happo too! Shocked really! Knowing that the mountain was only going to open up 1/3 of the terrain do to wind. We had to start thinking early. Top that off with every other mountain opening up almost nothing and you get a very busy Happo morning.
Ended up being me Janus and my old friend Damon today. I did ditch my SJ buddies (sorry guys, but heck you ditched me for a whole month!lol :laugh: :o :laugh:)

The plan was hatched and after a bit of stunt driving (thats a whole other TR) we made it to Sakka right at the opening. I felt like I was back in Canada on a Powder day! Locals and mates were everywhere! I turned to Janus and said man we are going to have to think fast today!
Got off at the top and headed into some great thigh deep trees! sick turns and considering Janus hadnt made a pow turn in more than a year he did well! (He is a ripper actually so when you are good it come back fast)

Then it was time to start thinking... Think about where to go to get fresh tracks. Also figure in the wind which people werent doing to which I say "thank you". After 6 runs of bottomless, uncrowded powder we met up with stunts and Dan to do a run. Great pillow line which to my surprise everyone let me do first! Sick I love going first! Pillows and face shots.

Got off the chair and went to a steep short line that had a few tracks, but heck it was a transfer line. See the key point of the day was to get in where the crowds were then get out! Had some pizza to recharge the engines and back out we went. I thought maybe my favorite trees in Happo had been hit, but nope, not at all. 1pm and not a f>>>>>>ing track period! Lets say that again, 1pm and no tracks. This on the day all the locals came out to play! The first line was insane pillows and an open gullie. The second line was as many pillows as you wanted! The third liene was really only pillows. Then a 4th was a long ridge to pillows and the last line was just a bunch of pillows. Never once crossed a track nor even saw an old track. Finally called it a day at 4:30 just spent and done riding sick pillows! My best day inbounds at Happo in a long, long time!

A very good WEEK!!!

Well a great week just came and went with some of the sickest turns of the Season. Got to ski with so many people that I wanted to ski with too over the weekend.
Pat, Matt, Becka, Mark the list goes on. Got some great pictures of people all week too. Ill let the pictures do the talking this time!















I hope the pictures did the week justice!