After almost six weeks with a pathetic amount of snowfall, the Kashmiri snow gods finally had a can of whoop-ass in store for us. With 1.5 meters in the forecast, some skiers fled the resort knowing it was their last chance to catch a flight for days to come, while other’s bunkered down to see what the storm would yield.

While we have been skiing low angeled backcountry powder for kicks and giggles here at Gulmarg Ski Resort, Kashmir, India, some disastrous and sad avalanche events have been occurring all around us.

One minute we’re skiing in the woods, practicing our avi safety, and seeking the best pow stashes we can find – just like any other ski day. We could be anywhere in the world, any place or time. Then an entourage of 20 army troops marches past, rifles and machine guns in hand.

Just after Christmas, skiers in the Coast Mountains were blessed with some sweet backcountry conditions in the way of clear skies, decent West Coast stability, and minimal wind blasting.

When: Tues December 22nd, 2009 at 9pm
Where: GLC, Base of Whistler

An evening of epic slideshows, videos and stories of an amazing trip by 8 local rippers to the Monarch Icefield in BC's in Central Coastal mountains just south of Bella Coola. 

Aaaah, the bucket list. We're guessing we're not the only ones out there that make to do lists. You know, some people make lists for what to buy at the grocery store, others for chores to do, or in the case of Steve Buscemi's character in the movie Billy Maddison... list of people from highschool to kill.

Winter is on like Donkey Kong, very suddenly, here in the Pacific North West. Any skier who has looked up to the sky lately has clued in that the rain in the valley meant epic amounts of snow in the alpine. The weather has only cleared periodically, so it's hard to even catch a glimpse of the snowline. The best way to find out what's going on up there? Go for a wander and find out.

After Portillo on we headed to Las Lenas, Argentina on an overnight bus via Mendoza with a quick Asado stop at the parilla (aka BBQ of every cut of beef known to man) next to the Mendoza bus station.

The internet has been buzzing since ski mountaineer  Dave Watson skied the infamous 'Bottleneck Couloir' on K2 in August. It's one of the most challenging mountains on the planet, and just climbing is a feet that few accomplish.