I would be fooling myself if I said I didn’t want to win the first comp of the season. I’m a competitor and I would of loved to win Revelstoke, but sometimes it’s just not your day. Yes, some disappointment sets in and I go over and over in my mind where my run went wrong. Did I pick too challenging of a line? Should I have just sent that cliff and hope it was good to go? Could I have made the turn towards my original plan and been okay? The reality is it’s over and dwelling on what I did wrong is not going to help me for the next comp.

Getting ready to watch the finals

I’m trying to look at the positive side of things. What went well? Well, my first hit I came into with no hesitation which has been something that’s really important to me. Also, I would rather be here healthy and ready for the season because I skied smart and was cautious in an unknown area to me instead of just sending it into what could of been rocks. Even though a long pause on the top is a little embarrassing it’s a lot better than jumping blind and ending up hurt.

Of course I wanted to ski this venue. Look at it!

At the end of the day all that really matters for me is if I’m still having fun and if I’m still working towards my goals. For me skiing is about pushing myself to be the best I can be and having fun. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me to get where I want to be but every little step helps get me there. When I do have my next victory it will feel so good because it will be with a line that looks fun and challenging. So I’m going to keep chasing the guys

Beautiful B.C.

This season I’m very proud to announce two new sponsors. For outerwear I’ll be working with Helly Hansen. You can follow my adventures this season here and also at:

You can also visit Helly Hansen’s You Tube channel where you can find product reviews from the great group of Pros at Helly Hansen:

And last but not least for eye wear, helmets, body armor and poles I’ll be working with SCOTT!

I’m very excited to be working with one of The Freeride World Tour’s sponsor as well.

I’m currently in Bellingham, WA hoping for the weather to change back to snow while in route to Revelstoke for the first stop of the Freeride and Freeskiing World Tours for the 2012 season. It should be a fun and exciting season! I can’t wait for it all to go down.

A few weeks ago when I arrived in Sweden Reine and I went to check out Tannforsen, waterfall. It’s located in Jamtland region of Sweden where Reine is from. It also happens to be one of Sweden’s largest waterfalls with Sweden’s largest volume of water flowing though it.

Reine and Stella

Tannforsen

Reine and Stella out on the overlook

Tannforsen from below

The other day I flew to Sweden to have some down time and meet up with Reine before the winter gets way. We’ve been getting out o a few adventures. Recently we went to Valadalen and the Blankt Tjarn Lakes. The tjarns are mountain lakes or pools, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. The best part is the water in these lakes was such an amazing green color.

Heading down the Esker to the Blankt Tjarn

I love the color of the water!

These signs mark snowmobile trails for the winter

Last weekend I took part in my first DH race in I over ten years! In high school I spent my summers traveling from resort to resort every weekend for dual slalom, down hill and cross country races. It was a great time, but after a few accidents I decided to take some time off from racing.

Some time turned to over ten years! Bikes are expensive and mom and dad are no longer buying them!! Ahhh getting older, anyways this summer I finally made the move and bought a new mountain bike. My XC bike is a little out dated and I was over due for a new one. Perhaps some rear suspension as well? Ya, I think so.

A few weeks ago I ran into my friend Adrienne Schneider. She had been saying we should go riding for a few years now and the thought of following her around on my Moots soft tail did not really sound like a good time. This time I had a new bike and I decided to take her up on her offer and try to keep up. For those of you who do not know Adrienne, she just happened to have qualified for the World Cup for DH, in other words she’s fast! Very, very, very fast! Luckily for me a great coach too!

Adrienne convinced me to take part in the Karpiel race last weekend at Northstar. Apparently Karpiel is one of the toughest trails on the mountain and not many ladies wanted to show up that day. This section shown below being one reason why;

Adrienne making her way down the waterfall

Adrienne moving on past the waterfall

I cleared this section four times in a row before the race. Of course that was not the case during the race. Here I am right before I lose my line in the waterfall.

Myself in the waterfall

After the waterfall came another section called Vietnam. That one gave me some troubles in practice yet I was able to clear it and was feeling pretty confident. Unfortunately I had some troubles there and between that and the waterfall probably lost at least twenty seconds off my time. Oh well It was still a good time.

Adrienne, myself and Dennis getting ready for awards!

Adrienne of course came out on top!! Securing her spot on the top for the Northstar 2011 DH race series! I came in second and I have to say in the end I was pretty happy with my first Pro DH race in long time!

The big pay day!

This weekend I gear up for the Race for Tara at Northstar. I’m hoping there’s an expert class so I can warm up a little before I try and compete against a World Cup racer again! If you’re in Tahoe this weekend check out the action up at Northstar for the Race for Tara. Tara Llanes was a champion DH racer who was paralyzed in a crash a few years ago. Read more about her road to recovery and how you can help out at :http://www.tarallanesclassic.org/

I’m excited to announce one of my new sponsors! Sheex Performance Sheets. I’ve been sleeping on them for a few months now and I have never slept better! If you want to try them out for yourself visit:

www.sheex.com

How do they work?

Temperature Control
Transfers body heat 2X better than traditional bedding for cooler, deeper sleep
Moisture Transport
Wicking properties keep you dry and comfortable
Breathability
Breathes nearly 50% better than cotton
Precision Fit
Flexible microfibers offer optimum fit on all mattress types
Superior Feel
Ridiculously soft and luxurious to the touch for unrivaled comfort
Durability
Advanced fade, wrinkle and shrink resistance

SLEEP BETTER, PLAY BETTER
Better Sleep Leads to Better Performance. That’s why we have created Sheex, the world’s first luxury performance bed sheets. Sheex were inspired by the finest professional-quality athletic fabrics, offering a superior level of comfort and performance to help you sleep better.

-Sheex

So it’s been a while since I posted the first day of my trip down in the high Sierra’s earlier this summer. All I can say is that I live in Tahoe and it’s been sunny all day everyday so I’ve been out enjoying summer! So I’ve got a few adventures to write about but I’ll start with day 2 of the shootout.

We started out on Tioga pass right before the West Entrance to Yosemite National Park.

Me and the boys started skinning up to the Dana Plateau. Our crew got a bit of a late start, the day before was a long one and I know I was personally a little worn out. However it was a beautiful day and I was happy to be out in the mountains.

It was pretty hot and the snow starting to get sticky. A big difference from the slightly overcast day we had the day before. This day the sun was out in full effect and it was finally starting to feel like summer.

The lines that are up there look like so much fun. I’m definitely coming back to this area again to do some more exploring.

This weekend was my first day back skiing in California in a few months. It was nice to meet up with a few of my Tahoe friends, like Mr. Mike Vaughn.

I have to admit my run down was not the greatest. I was pretty worn out this day, and the snow was not ideal. However any day on the mountains is a great day!

relaxing after a great weekend of skiing

I just got back from the East visiting family the other day and decided I wasn’t going to miss out on all the snow Tahoe had received this winter. I texted a few of my friends asking if there was any interest in a backcountry trip this past weekend. Immediately John Parker notified me about the  Green Creek Shootout. It’s an annual event and this year was even more special than the past. This year was a tribute to Kip and Allison. I have to admit I’m not sure that I’d ever met Allison but I had met Kip and can only imagine she was just as amazing as him. This was a weekend I’ll remember forever.

We arrived late Friday night at Big Hot. I went straight to bed knowing I probably had a long day ahead of me. When I awoke in the morning I was greeted with the most amazing view.

It was a beautiful day in the High Sierra’s and I was so excited for my first backcountry experience down there. After a little tea and breakfast we headed up the Virginia Lakes rd. and started our adventure up Dunderberg Peak. It was just amazing to see all the people that showed up. I was so impressed by all the kids that made the long trek as well. I wish that I had grown up in the backcountry like them.

I know going into the backcountry for some people is about getting away from the crowds, but this was different. It was so great to share the outdoors with some of the most amazing people Tahoe has to honor in tribute of Allison and Kip.

Almost to the top, kinda...

The first ridge we reached is where everyone gathered to toast Kip and Allison and others that have passed.

Rom and John

After a group picture and a memorial for our friends the group headed down along the ridge and back up to the entrance of Dunderberg Peak. Although I heard where most of us dropped in is actually called something else.

Our first run

The snow was pretty good and I was so excited to make some turns. It had been a while since I’d had a chance to go skinning and I have to admit I was definitely feeling it on my way up.

We continued along the route traversing our way up and over to Green Creek Couloir. It was about 2,500 vert and the perfect way to end the trip.

Green Creek Couloir

Eventually we made our way back to Big Hot for some hot springs action and a beautiful sunset.

The High Sierra’s are just so beautiful this time of the year.

Later on we enjoyed some music by the campfire and good company on what was one of the best days of the season!

When Reine was back East with me my friends Polly and Kevin over at Mahoosuc Guide Service in Newry, ME where kind enough to let us stay in their farm house. We decided to take a tour of the place one morning when Kevin was out feeding the dogs.

In the summer Mahoosuc Guide Services has conoe trip’s throughout Maine and other locations. I first met Polly and Kevin when I was 13. I joined them on a Maine Jr. Guides trip. Since then I’ve had a chance to help out with the dogs as well as follow along on a few canoe trips.

Come winter Polly and Kevin have dog sledding trips. The dogs have all summer to rest up for another winter.

The dogs all get a chance to run around in their pens during the day.

So cute!

They also have a new lodge where clients can stay before taking off on an adventure.  Here they have lodging and areas for other functions like dances, Wilderness First Aid courses and Wellness weekends.

Go to www.mahoosuc.com to find out more about Mahoosuc Guide Services!

Last week Reine and I took a trip over to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. For those of you who do not already know Mt. Washington is the tallest peak on the East coast at 6288 ft (1917 m). It is also located along the Appalachian trail that runs from Maine to Georgia and is Approx. 2181 mi (3510 km). On Mt. Washington you will find Tuckerman’s Ravine, which is probably the most popular backcountry ski spot in New England. Which still to this day sadly I have not skied only hiked up to. Anyways I thought it would be a good stop for Reine’s New England tour.

Info located at the trail head for Tuckerman's by Pinkham Notch

When we got up to Tucks there were a hand full of people skiing or riding enjoying one of the first nice spring days of the season. Although you can’t really tell from these pictures. I swear there were more out there. The hard core few that wanted to hike up with everything strapped to their packs. Although I did see one guy that made the majority of the trip hiking with his ski boots on up the dirt trail. He eventually made the switch to sneakers.

Reine and I decided to hike back down to the Lion Head trail and cut across on the Alpine Garden trail to Huntington Ravine.

looking down on Tuck's from the Lion Head trail

It was a pretty mellow hike once we hit the Alpine Garden trail. It cuts just below the summit of Mt. Washington.

When we finally arrived to the top entry to Huntington Ravine we encountered a family that had decided to turn around. They had said that the trail was too steep and they were having a hard time finding the trail. Reine went down just a bit to see if the trail really was as bad as they made it out to be. After a quick look we decided to go for it. It was kinda steep but not impossible.

Reine hiking down

looking back up at part of what we came down

As we got a little bit further down into the Ravine we did find it a little difficult to stay on the trail. Snow was covering some of the makers and from time to time we found ourselves on minor detours looking for the right direction. Eventually we made our way out of the ravine. The trail out had turned in to a stream from all the run off and we encountered a few crossings.

After eight hours of sightseeing and trail finding we had made our way back to the trail head. It was great to get up on Mt. Washington and explore some new areas that I had never seen before. I hope to one winter make it up there again and get some skiing in!