Tobin Seagel's blog

Nepal agrees to China Everest Ban

Tobin Seagel — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:17:47 -0400

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Everest closed this spring until May 10 so no Tibetan independence protests get in the way of taking the Olympic torch to the top....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7296677.stm

Red Bull Powder Kick in Bulgaria's Bansko

Tobin Seagel — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:50:47 -0500

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Congratulations to Doglotion's own Les Manley for taking third spot on the podium at the Red Bull powder Kick in Bulgaria's Bansko!

Rounding out the podium were Romanian freerider Ion "Le Saint" Trandafir in first, and Bulgarian skier Andrey Balevski in second.

For more check out: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=90714

Cops, snow, snakes, and skiing, oh my!

Tobin Seagel — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:21:11 -0500

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November 11, 2007. First tour of the season. Drove up to the Duffey and ran into a po-lice blockade. Cop: "It's puking up there!". Us: "Heck ya!, that's why we drove all the way to get here". Cop: "turn around". Tough luck I guess. Instead, we skinned up Whistler. Tough going, but maybe that was the summer legs talking. Either way it was deep, and winter is here to stay. By the looks of opening weekend last week, its a go.

Jamie and Sam...slogging up what will soon be a tourist favourite.

Sam, in there. You could say its nipple deep, cuz Sam has saggy nipples.

B.C. skiers face off over remote peaks

Tobin Seagel — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 13:44:11 -0400

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Heli-skiing firm wants to open range to flights

GRANT SHILLING

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

A heli-skiing company is hoping to open up the remote Waddington Range to flights, pushing the clash with quiet-loving landbound skiers to new heights.

If Knight Inlet Heliskiing has its way, the classic answer to the why-climb-a-mountain question may soon be replaced by "because there's air."

The application by the Courtenay-based operation has reignited debate over appropriate use of wilderness areas: Should technology such as helicopters be used to overcome human limitations faced by skiers who make their way to the peaks on foot?

The Waddington Range, containing the highest mountain located entirely within B.C., is a remote, rugged region far from the most rudimentary roads. The range is situated between Bute and Knight Inlets.

FERNIE FREESKI COMP CANCELLED

Tobin Seagel — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:44:41 -0400

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March 13, 2007.

Regretably, the Smith Optics Fernie Freeski Competition has been CANCELLED due the deleterious effects of the piña expresa, that has been $h*t-kicking the province since the weekend. You'll have to wait until next year for your chance to ski the headwall, win some cash, get thrown in jail (*cough*Bougie*cough*), and slide down the bar naked.

Or just come on out to the WSSF and join the doglotion crew where we will be engaging in all the aforementioned activities.

Buenos dias!

And now for something completely different: a tribute to our japanese, spanish and arabic friends..

Regretablyは、スミス光学Fernie Freeskiの競争取り消された賦課金$h*t-kicking週末以来の地域のずっとpiñaのexpresaの有害な効果である。 headwallスキーをし、現金に勝ち、刑務所(*cough*Bougie*cough*)で投げられて得、露出した棒を滑らせるあなたのチャンスを来年まで待たなければならない。またはちょうどWSSFに進展されて私達がすべての前述の活動で従事するdoglotionの乗組員に加われば。 Buenosのdias!

La competición de Fernie Freeski de la óptica de Smith ha sido deuda CANCELADA los efectos deletéreos del expresa del piña, que ha sido $h*t-kicking la provincia desde el fin de semana. Tendrás que esperar hasta el año próximo tu ocasión de esquiar el headwall, de ganar algo de efectivo, de conseguir lanzado en la cárcel (*cough*Bougie*cough*), y de resbalar abajo de la barra desnuda. O apenas adelantado hacia fuera al WSSF y ensamblar a equipo del doglotion donde engancharemos a todas las actividades ya mencionadas. ¡Dias de Buenos!

الاثار الضاره للبينيا expresa ، الذي قدره ح * ت الرفس الإقليم منذ نهاية الاسبوع. ولن يكون لكم الانتظار حتى العام القادم لبلدكم فرصة التزلج في هيدوال الفوز النقدية على بعض الحجارة في سجن (السعال * * * * السعال بوغي) ، وتنزلق المحامين عارية. او تأتي الى لوسف والانضمام الى الطاقم دوغلوتيون حيث سنكون منخرطين في كل هذه الانشطه. بوي

Backcountry skiers put high stress on wildlife

Tobin Seagel — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:16:32 -0400

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TENILLE BONOGUORE

Globe and Mail Update

Backcountry skiing and extreme winter sports are stressing out native animals in the Alps, European scientists say.

In a study of European black grouse, the researchers first put captive birds under stress to measure the levels of stress hormone corticosterone that emerged in their feces.

The scientists then took that knowledge and used it to measure the stress hormone levels in animals in the south-western Swiss Alps.

What they found is native birds in outdoor recreation areas are suffering higher stress levels than birds in undisturbed habitats.

“Disturbance by snow sport free-riders appears to elevate stress, which potentially represents a new serious threat for wildlife,” the researchers note in The Royal Society's Journal B.

Corticosterone is used by many species to regulate stress, metabolism and immune reactions.

The ability of animals to cope with that stress is yet to be ascertained, they said, but the research team said Alpine wildlife may need protective zones to keep them away from increasing human activities.

This article was excerpted from the glove and mail. link below. If anyone knows what journal this was taken from, please forward me the info. I'd love to know how they isolated backcountry skiers from the myriad of other factors that occur in the mountains. thanks.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070307.wskistress03...

When good ideas go wrong...

Tobin Seagel — Mon, 5 Mar 2007 23:18:14 -0500

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The guidebook made Mt. Wilson's couloir out to be something dreams are made of. 6000ft of skiing, what more could I ask for? I was pretty stoked on the mission in the Saskatchewan Crossing area of the icefields parkway. Stoked to explore another mountain in Canada, stoked to keep on skiing the deep pow that has been following us around all year, stoked for a little friendly hecklin' of friends at home that missed the mission.

On first glance, we thought we hit it right. The couloir looked fun, the peak hidden in clouds. The approach was direct, the snow good in the trees, the sun coming out.

Wish you were me?

Possibly, but likely not. The couloir turned into a bowling alley for avalanche debris. One side solid ice, the other side rotten sugar to ground. Still with nothing better to do, we ventured up to the col. I was strangely happy when the sugar ended, replace by solid ice buffed by the constant wind to a consistency any hockey rink would envy...

(good times)

Skiing down was possibly the funniest thing I've done recently on skis. Even the swiss army doesnt make edges sharp enough to interrupt the 800ft slide to the first reasonable snow. Skiing looked more like railsliding; butt checks were legitimate technique.

Morals learned from this mission: 1) When you know there's better snow elsewhere, go there. 2) Any junction with Saskatchewan in the name can be categorically crossed off your tick list of skiable areas. And 3) Always leave plenty of beer in the car (obvious general guideline).

If you want to learn to ski ice, consult this helpful website before your trip: http://www.ifyouski.com/Technique/Alpineskiing/Pistecraft/Ice/

(dinner)

Smith Optics Lake Louise Big Mountain Challenge Finals

Tobin Seagel — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 01:38:29 -0500

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The Smith Optics Lake Louise Big Mountain Challenge went off last week, and one of Doglotion's favourite shredders made another podium appearance. Here's the dirt from our man on the inside, Tobin Seagel...

Photo: Dave Mossop Skier:unknown

ER5 was the site of Saturday's final and super-final. Contestants pulled out all the stops to get atop the podium and get their hands on a share of the prize money.

Photo: Dave Mossop

Notable mentions include Colin Puskas making turns down Boogie's spine, Rob Meaney and Wes Harris throwing backflips of a sizeable cliff at the top of the venue, Hector for throwing in a frontflip recovery when he hit a rock on take-off, and Martha Burley charging the course and every air in her way on teli-skis. Kevin Hjertas put together a solid billygoat line covering every feature on the course, only to get unlucky when he broke one of his skis.

Photo: Dave Mossop Skier: Athan Merrick

The top five men and three women moved on to a super-finals on a permanently closed area of ER5. The area is characterized by big terrain, plenty of rock, and some sugary snow in spots.

Photo: Dave Mossop Skier: Alex Blais

In the women's field, Leah Evans put together a strong run only to lose a ski, which left the door open to Sonja Lercher and Martha Burley. Both women skied well, hitting their lines, but it would be Martha Burley (Fernie) that rose to the top, sliding through some tricky rock sections and hitting plenty of airs on her telemark skis.

Photo: Dave Mossop Skier: Kevin Hjertas

The men's field was strong, and a clean line with no falls was the minimum required to get on the podium. To win it, some teched our skiing mixed with big airs had to be added to the mix. In the super-final, Caleb Mullen and Athan Merrick, had what they need to do well, but one fall each exiting the cliff band resulted in a tie for fourth between the two of them. Mike Hopkins also got hung up in some rocks, losing a ski and earning third spot. Brett Crabtree (Whistler) put his billygoating skills on display getting into and out of the middle cliff section and hitting a huge air at the bottom. However, CJ Wright stepped up to the challenge and slayed his line, skiing fast and aggressively through the upper section and dropping the largest "side-hop" air I've ever seen landing between two rocks and earning the Champions title.

Photo: Dave Mossop Judge: Jeff Holden

The after-party got started early with plenty of Appleton's rum and a huge bottle of Jack circulating freely courtesy of sponsors and prizes. Banff then took the brunt of the actual party. Its all a bit blurry, but highlights included finding $1.75 highballs at Mel's, Jer and Hector mooning an entire restaurant, and a run-in with jerk-off hotel security that resulted in me waking up at 7am in my car when it was -15 outside.

Photo: Dave Mossop Skier: CJ Wright

Thanks to Lake Louise and all the sponsors for putting on an amazing event. See you all in Fernie in a few weeks!!!

Photo: Dave Mossop

Women Bib# Thur Fri Final SF Total
1 Martha Burley 8 20.8 26 25.8 26.5 99.1
2 Sonja Lercher 6 17.2 27.8 22 24.2 91.2
3 Leah Evans 12 25 24 24.6 17 90.6
Super Final
4 Lindsay McDermid 9 20.2 22 20.8 63
5 Chelsea Sullivan 3 18 20 18 56
6 Crystal-Rose Lee 2 22.2 26 48.2
7 Meagan Klassen 5 15 22.6 16 42
8 Sarah Frood 4 17.4 11.4 28.8
9 Emma Mains 11 16.6 11 27.6

Photo: Dave Mossop Skier: Kevin Hjertas

Men
Name Bib# Thur Fri Final SF Total
1 CJ Wright 61 28.2 38 34 34.4 134.6
2 Brett Crabtree 34 36.4 30 31.6 30.6 128.6
3 Mike Hopkins 79 34 40 29.8 12.8 116.6
4 Athan Merrick 74 31.8 36 31.8 16.2 115.8
4 Caleb Mullen 75 34 24.6 38.6 18.6 115.8
Super Final
5 Mathieu Gagnon Theriault 38 30 31.6 31 92.6
6 Colin Puskas 77 24.8 30.2 36.8 91.8
7 Ross Janzen 54 24 31.8 35.6 91.4
8 Blayne Hettinga 76 38 24.4 27 89.4
9 Peter Hodgson 62 28.8 28.2 32.2 89.2
10 Jeremy McClure 67 32.4 35.4 20 87.8
11 Kevin Hjertas 57 33.2 28.8 24 86
12 Wes Harris 70 31 30 23.2 84.2
13 George Ezard 53 28 32.4 22.6 83
14 Rob Meaney 64 31.8 30.6 20.4 82.8
15 Alex Blais 30 30.4 24 28 82.4
16 Todd Patterson 56 29 29.2 23.2 81.4
16 Jeff Harker 63 25.2 28.2 28 81.4
17 Josh Bremer 28 24.2 28.2 27.4 79.8
18 Drew Wittstock 26 27.8 27.4 24.4 79.6
19 Kai Caemmerer 29 25.2 28.8 22.6 76.6
19 Jordan Kropper 66 33 19.4 24.2 76.6
20 Bryce McLean 78 26 29.8 19.8 75.6
21 Sam Wright 73 28 24.6 21.4 74
22 Scottie Dodds 43 26.8 29.6 17 73.4
23 Robert Smith 68 27.6 28.6 15 71.2
24 Dustin Clark 32 23.4 28.2 TDQ TDQ

***Thanks to Dave Mossop from Rocky Mountain Sherpas for the amazing photos. Check out his website at: www.rockymountainsherpas.com

Competitors, contact Dave if you want any shots...

Photo: Dave Mossop Skier: Jeremy McClure

Smith Optics Lake Louise Big mountain Challenge: Day 2

Tobin Seagel — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 22:46:08 -0500

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Today's venue, ER3, was in perfect condition and the sun was out. The venue was technical, with plenty of sharks and exposure. Smart skiing was the mantra of the day but actions proved louder than words, and competitors throughout the field put it all out there for their chance at skiing in tomorrows finals.

The top score on the day in the women's field went to Sonja Lercher (Whistler), putting her into contention with the rest of the top three: 3) Martha Burley, 2) Crystal Rose-Lee (Whistler), and 1) Leah Evans. Rounding out the women's finalists are Lindsay McDermid (Fernie), Chelsea Sullivan (Whistler), and Meagan Klassen.

Venue: semi-finals

In the men's field, the field of 40 was axed to 23. The field was strong, with many competitors choosing a gnarly looking double through peppered rocks. Top score of the day went to Mike Hopkins, who skied fluid and stomped his landing. Athan Merrick and Jeremy McClure (Whistler) tied for second, followed by Brett Crabtree (Whistler). CJ Wright deserves a mention in 4th (can you say charged it) and was rewarded with the second highest score on the day.

Rounding out the top 23 in this order are: Rob Meaney, Blayne Hettinga, Kevin Hjertas, Mathieu GT (Whistler), Wes Harris, George Ezard, Caleb Mullen, Todd Paterson, Peter Hodgson, Scottie Dodds, Robert Smith, Ross Janzen, Bryce McLean, Drew Wittstock, Colin Puskas, Alex Blais (Whistler), Kai Caemmerer, Jeff Harker, Sam Wright, Josh Bremer, Jordan Kropper, Dustin Clark.

My favourite quote from the day has to go to Blazer. Never a dull moment with Blais, he drinks a redbull before his run and charges hard and fast out of the gate, sending his airs bigger than he planned, and missing a section of his run. I suggested maybe dropping redbull from his pre-game diet. His response: "NO!!! Tomorrow, I will drink two...and SEND IT!!"

Ya buddy! If today was anything to judge by, tomorrow's finals is going to be amazing. Get up to Louise this weekend and take in the finals at ER5.

Blazer and Mathieu

Smith Optics Lake Louise Big mountain Challenge: Day 1

Tobin Seagel — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 22:06:48 -0500

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Yessir folks, the The Canadian Rockies at Lake Louise is once again the epicenter of Big Mountain Freeskiing. Qualifiers were held today on ER6, with good snow and weather letting the athletes showcase their skills. Tune in throughout the weekend for updates and stories.

Results below:

Women Bib Score
1 Leah Evans 12 25.0
2 Crystal-Rose Lee 2 22.2
3 Martha Burley 8 20.8
4 Lindsay McDermid 9 20.2
5 Chelsea Sullivan 3 18.0
6 Sarah Frood 4 17.4
7 Sonja Lercher 6 17.2
8 Emma Mains 11 16.6
9 Meagan Klassen 5 15.0

Cut Off

10 Kasie Stroshin 1 11.2
11 Candice Drouin 10 11.2
12 Danielle Rosenbaum 7 10.0

Men
1 Blayne Hettinga
2 Brett Crabtree
3 Caleb Mullen
3 Mike Hopkins
4 Kevin Hjertas
5 Jordan Kropper
6 Jeremy McClure
7 Rob Meaney
7 Athan Merrick
8 Wes Harris
9 Alex Blais
10 Mathieu Gagnon Theriault
11 Todd Paterson
12 Peter Hodgson
13 CJ Wright
14 George Ezard
14 Sam Wright
15 Drew Wittstock
16 Robert Smith
17 Mike Rooney
18 Scottie Dodds
19 Richard Small
20 Bryce McLean
21 Mike Schoof
22 James Wilson
23 Kai Caemmerer
23 Jeff Harker
24 Colin Puskas
25 Josh Bremer
25 Jeremie Duchaine
26 Ross Janzen
27 Kevin Bernier
28 Dustin Clark
29 Kyle Armstrong
30 Dave Petch
31 Martin Olsson
32 Glenn Hjorthol
33 Will Dawson
34 Mike Shynkaryk
35 Andrew Duncan
35 Darryl Hierlihy
36 Kas Farsh
37 Chris Raeside
38 Daniel Lindh
39 Jacques Auger
40 Lief Coughlin

Cut Off

41 Parker Blackstock
42 Jonatan Odby
43 Mike Cole
44 Matthew (Matti) Wade
45 John S Dalton
46 Fred Naas
47 Chris Wren
47 Neil Farren
48 Chris Bouius
49 Joey Fournier
50 Dan Evans
51 Tom Clendening
52 Mike Klement
Ethan Johnson TDQ
Noah Cooper DNF

Photographer call-out: Louise

Tobin Seagel — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 13:58:42 -0500

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Any photographers attending the Lake Louise Big Mountain Challenge 2007 that are interested in having their photos on this website, please contact me at tseagelAThotmaildotcom

I'll be writing day-by-day reports on the event, and would love some high quality photos to animate the story. No pay, only fame! (due credit will be given).

Thanks!

Lady Louise shows some goods

Tobin Seagel — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 01:40:33 -0500

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This weekend was a welcome rest from driving to Golden everyday. We pulled up short at Lake Louise (the actual lake), and went on what was supposed to be a quick tour to an uneventful couloir. I was blown away by the potential for lines, and size of the terrain. Got to ski ~3000ft of pow on a hard layer in stunning scenery...and I was back at my homework before 3pm.

The Rockies are great for wildlife. This one seemed to laugh at us as we slipped our way down an icy section en route to the couloir.

This uneventful couloir didn't disappoint...

Skiing hazard....

Tobin Seagel — Tue, 6 Feb 2007 13:20:44 -0500

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I've heard about cornice failure, avalanche, and rockfall....but deer?

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/070206/K020606AU.html

The Red Canadian Open Freeskiing Championships 2007

Tobin Seagel — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 16:30:39 -0500

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The Freeskiing competition season has begun... with the Ledcor Canadian Open Freeskiing Championships at Red Resort, BC. Some well-deserved Whistler and Fernie shredders took top honours - here's the dirt:

Qualifiers
Thursday’s qualifier on Lynx Line was all about line score. In the days prior to the competition, wind scoured the notoriously mogul ridden line under the chair to a smooth fast carpet. To qualify, it wasn’t enough to ski a flawless line, competitors had to milk everything out of the run, upping their line score to help them rise to the top and qualify for the semi-finals on Mt. Roberts. With no pre-qualified athletes and everyday’s score counting towards the final standings, Lynx line qualifiers was a critical day. 80 men were widdled down to 35 and 23 women were cut to 12. Crystal Lee, Dana Carmichael, and MC Larivee were 1-2-3 for the women: a strong showing for Whistler women (current and alumni). The top men were Oakley White-Allen, Ross Janzen, and Justin Modroo.

Mt Roberts, day 2 & 3 venue.

Semi-finals

The semi finals took place on Mount Roberts, a slack-country venue facing Red Resort and accessible only by hiking or snowmobile. This venue is 1700ft of steep skiing, with enough features and cliffs to give this World Class group of competitors plenty to keep them busy. Conditions didn’t disappoint; the wind hadn’t missed Roberts and the venue was fast and punchy. Lots of good snow to edge into and the hard landings didn’t discourage anybody, especially Christian Boucher who stomped the s*&t out of every air to flat in his line. His line stood out amongst this deep field of competitors earning him top spot on the day, followed by Oakley White-Allen of Whistler and Brady Smesrud of Montana.

In the women’s field Janina Kuzma from Fernie (shown above) must have like the venue change, scoring 37 points, more than ten points higher than the closest woman, and *ahem* enough to earn her 5^th place if she were competing against the boys on this day! Go Janina! Rounding out the top three women in the semis were Crystal Wright of Wyoming and Dana Carmichael from Whistler.

Mt Roberts Upper Section

Finals

The final day of competition was “Round Two Rumble on Roberts” with skiers right being opened up to competitors. Given the competition format, the competition could go to anybody and there was plenty of opportunity for competitors to carve out their place in history. A crash or a bobble could change the outcome of the competition. The leaders had to ski smart to protect their leads.

Those lower on the ranks could afford to just giv’r. This was competition at its finest.

In the women’s field Janina Kuzma earned 32 points (enough for 4^th place on the day overall), and took the competition, Crystal Wright held on to second place, and Crystal Lee skied a solid line to move up from the bottom of the finalists to third place.

The men’s field also saw a shake-up after the final day. Joel Jacques skied consistently on Roberts and moved from 4^th to earn 2^nd spot. Brett Crabtree skied his best line of the competition moving from 9^th to 3^rd place. Brett skied an unconventional entrance into his final run which I can only describe as “rocky, billygoaty, cliffy, gnar”…good on ya buddy! First place went to Christian Boucher of Pemberton (shown above) who skied another flawless line, throwing down big and skiing fast.

Spectators taking in the action and...er...keeping warm.

Summary

The 2007 Canadian Open Freeskiing Championships is widely considered one of the best competitions on the circuit because of the venue, the depth of competitors, and the professionalism with which it is run. This year was no disappointment. El Capitain Jack Carry, competition director, had the competitors moving through the event like clockwork. Jeff Holden and his panel of judges showed professionalism and were accessible and up-front about scoring and results. The 2007 Canadian Open Freeskiing Championships was presented by the Ledcor Group and supported by Kokanee, K2, Australian Wool Innovation Ltd., Skier BC, Mountain FM, Biglines.com, and Gore. Thanks to these companies for supporting freeskiing. And don't forget to find out more about the wicked venue - Red Resort - if you aren't already obsessed with this awesome place and aching to return.

Mens Final Results

Bib # Competitor City Thurs Friday Sat Final Score

1st 73 BOUCHER Christian Whistler 33.80 42.8 42 118.6

2nd 47 JACQUES Joel Whistler 32.00 39.8 40 111.8

3rd 32 CRABTREE Brett Whistler 28.00 34.2 41.4 103.6

4th 111 WHITE-ALLEN Oakley Whistler 34.60 38.6 30 103.2

5th 34 SMESRUD Brady Red Lodge, MT 31.40 41.2 27.2 99.8

Ladies Final Results

Bib # Competitor City Thurs Friday Sat Final Score

1st 18 KUZMA Janina Fernie 22.8 37 32 91.8

2nd 4 WRIGHT Crystal Wilson, WY 23 26.8 28.2 78

3rd 13 LEE Crystal-Rose Whistler 27.8 16.8 26.2 70.8

4th 2 CARMICHAEL Dana Whistler 24.4 25.2 20.8 70.4

5th 24 HUNT Phillipa Salt Lake City, UT 22.4 24.6 18.4 65.4

6th 105 GAUVIN Steph Rossland 21.4 23.6 20.2 65.2

Sunset from Roberts

Ski Porn Elections

Tobin Seagel — Mon, 4 Dec 2006 15:43:54 -0500

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Like this photo of Las Lenas? VOTE FOR IT!!!! (and help these hosers win a camera) http://powdermag.com/community/entertowin/cannon-rebel-vote/

Also, check out the the VAST Video Awards...super radness on your computer http://www.vastawards.com/ .....and if I were you I'd VOTE FOR HEATHER ;)

Portable ski lift

Tobin Seagel — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 01:39:18 -0400

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Ladies and gentlemen, the future is here...the portable ski lift. At only $950 its cheaper than a season's pass to Whistler!!! Beat the liftlines this season and get some...http://www.skilift.nashacanada.com/

( this product is for real...however their ancient photos in the promo are completely inexplicable...)

Update from "Les Lenas"...

Tobin Seagel — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 14:45:44 -0400

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Guess Les's battery was dying so he asked me to post this for him:

Something about 50cm of fresh on the way!!! ...sharing lyra 1 with only Ivan and cougar attacks. I've only been back a week, but I miss it already.

"(3430 m) Issued at 06 am Wed 11 Oct SUMMARY FORECAST: A heavy fall of snow, heaviest during Fri morning, Temperatures will be below freezing (max 0°C on Wed morning, min -11°C on Fri night) Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Wed morning, strong winds from the NNW by Thu night)"

Skier: Chris Cardello
Photo: Tobin

Argentina: hitchhiking helicopters

Tobin Seagel — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 15:01:32 -0400

Rating

Sometimes hair-brained ideas really do work. Adrenalina had been staring at me through my front window since I arrived in Lenas; a 6000ft couloir starting at 13,070 ft. with a 48-50 degree entrance. I knew I wanted to ski it before coming to Argentina, but finding a partner to climb the thing hadn't proven easy. With only a few days left down here and a storm system looming, my opportunity looked to have passed.

Chris and I were about to drop into Lido, an aesthetic line just outside of Lenas, when the inevitable ball dropped: "I wish we could just take the heli up there tomorrow, to keep our legs fresh for pow thats on its way". I didnt really put much more thought into it until later that night when the idea was dropped again. It was mentioned to the operator that some Canadians wanted a drop on Adrenalina, and the response was far from positive...a heli-drop up there had never been done before... but he said we could stop by the helipad the next day and talk about it.

In the morning Marcus, Les, Chris and I wondered over to the helipad, skeptical that such an idea could actualy pan out. Gringo Mike turned up offering to "guide us"....I think that's spanish for "stow away", but who cares the more the merrier. When the heli showed up, a total junkshow unfolded where it was generally determined that flying up to 13000ft with 5 skiers, and heavy skis would be bad. But the pilot had a different idea..... So he told Les and I that we should get our gear in the heli, and we'd try...I only found out afterwards that the owner of the operation had not given permission for us to go up there.

Yes, that's an oxygen mask our pilot is sporting.....what?

Our pilot did everything he could to land us right where we'd drop in from, but (thank god) it was deemed better to land on a shoulder a few hundred feet below the summit. Having circled the peak 3-4 times, with some gages flirting in the red zone, we were all pretty stoked to have landed. As we got out of the heli, more unconventional behaviour...instead of crouching over our gear, we were to lie as flat as possible.....hmmm....reassuring.

Skiing corn out of the exit from Adrenalina.

The entarnce to Adrenalina had some good snow in it, and the skiing went off without a hitch. There was plenty of room for us all to have a line.

Thus begins a new chapter in Las Lenas....high altitude heli-access skiing.

Argentina: calm before the storm

Tobin Seagel — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 17:08:32 -0400

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Well, after last week's storm cycle, I think we all thought it was time to ski corn for the rest of the season. Gringos jumped ship and left town en masse today. But it looks as though there's another dump on its way Monday. The picture is of Riley enjoying semi-spring conditions in Sans_Nom. Adrenalina looms in the background.

Skier: Riley
Photo: Tobin

Argentina: gaper-iffic

Tobin Seagel — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 17:02:32 -0400

Rating

Sometimes I think that the gaper factor is so prevalent in Argentina that I'm beoming desencitized to it. Then these three dudes showed up....the guy on the right has a board that says "Wild Duck" on the base......sick!!!

gaper

Tobin Seagel's blog

Nepal agrees to China Everest Ban

Red Bull Powder Kick in Bulgaria's Bansko

Cops, snow, snakes, and skiing, oh my!

B.C. skiers face off over remote peaks

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Latest Comments

FERNIE FREESKI COMP CANCELLED

Backcountry skiers put high stress on wildlife

When good ideas go wrong...

Smith Optics Lake Louise Big Mountain Challenge Finals

Smith Optics Lake Louise Big mountain Challenge: Day 2

Smith Optics Lake Louise Big mountain Challenge: Day 1

Photographer call-out: Louise

Lady Louise shows some goods

Skiing hazard....

The Red Canadian Open Freeskiing Championships 2007

Ski Porn Elections

Portable ski lift

Update from "Les Lenas"...

Argentina: hitchhiking helicopters

Argentina: calm before the storm

Argentina: gaper-iffic