A New Camera February 17, 2009

I have a new camera. A Canon Rebel XS. I’m in the process of learning how to use it, so hopefully the quality of the photos I post will get better as time goes on.

I’ve taken a whole bunch of photos in the past few days. I’ve been dragging people out to ski powder so I can take their picture. It takes some coaxing, but in the end it’s worth it.

Here is Deb getting some deep turns near Rock Gully.

This is a close up of Max doing the same.

Scott took a line to the skier’s right to avoid my lens.  I had to zoom in through the trees.

Max aired out Mel’s rock. I used the sports mode on the Rebel XS. It takes three shots per second.

We got back into the area just in time to do some lift evacuation training. We shut the lift off and practiced lowering people to the ground. Here we are setting up.

This is Ed putting his faith in the ground crew.

Booker was there to heckle us all along the way. He never stopped barking as he watched his friends lowered to the ground. Not to mention he hates my camera.

Luckily he saw a crow soaring off in the distance. He ran off in a futile attempt to put an end to it’s existance.

I got a nice shot of Deb’s hindquarters as she was lowered to the snow.

Today, I was stationed with Jane the avalanche dog. Playing with my camera settings, I got a close up of her nose.

She spent most of the day in the recliner.

Until Juan took her out to play fetch.

She goes after this one raging bull style…

And this one kamikaze style…

-A

Out Of Area Ski Tour January 31, 2009

Because so many people ski outside of the ski area these days, it’s important for the ski patrol to be familiar with the the terrain that surrounds Aspen Mountain. We inevitably serve as the first responders when something goes wrong outside of our boundaries. We don’t have any legal obligation, but we are always willing to help.

This also gives us an excuse to take some familiarization tours out into the powder.

Yesterday we took a trip to Harris’ Wall. At the very top is a small cliff. We peeked over the edge before proceeding forward.

Yannick is our exchange patroller from Chamonix. He is here for the whole season. He is quite the quintessential crazy Frenchman. This is him launching the cliff.

Dan followed.

Harris’ is really steep, and avalanches pretty frequently, mostly in the early season. As time passes, it gets more and more tracks and becomes more stable. We dug down into the snow to see what it looked like.

Satisfied with what we found, we decided to ski it. We took turns, skiing one at a time. Maile found a nice line.

We were so lucky to have blue skies and deep soft snow.

Yannick had a great time too.

That was fun! I want to do it again!

Once we got back to the ski area, Yannick hiked up 50 feet to help some poor lady who was in way over her head.

I was lucky I had my camera out, because I was able to snap this photo of him falling 50 feet back onto the road after a small misstep.

He came to rest on Lud’s Lane with a big thud, in what appeared to be a Dynastar advertisement.

It was truly a miracle he didn’t get hurt. We were relieved to see him get right up and laugh it off…

-A

Winter Black and Whites January 29, 2009

Some photos from today.

Ajax Express. A haven for ski instructors.

Aspen trees grow like weeds.

Pretty weeds…

Looking down Aztec at the town of Aspen.

I have no idea how this is possible.

-A

Full Moon Skiing January 15, 2009

Allison and I took advantage of the full moon the other night. We were due in town for a party, so we decided to ski some powder on the way there. We dressed in a ridiculous combination of going out clothes and ski clothes- careful not to forget our beacon, shovel, and probe.

It was nice and bright outside, with only a few high clouds inbetween us and the moon. We brought headlamps with us, but didn’t end up needing them. I snapped this picture as Allison flew by. I think she was a little excited.

See?

We stopped at the top of FIS for a photo. I set the camera in the snow and exposed for 15 seconds.

We made our way down the Checkboard.

Our destination was  Bonnie Bell. Here’s Allison at the top of the chute.

I checked her signal. One half  meter sounds about right.

I volunteered to go first. The chute is steep, the snow deep and soft. A perfect combination.

Safely at the bottom, we posed for a quick photo and made our way into town. Not a bad commute…

-A+A

Skiing Aspen Highlands January 10, 2009

Allison and I visited Highland Bowl today.

This is Allison happy we are finished walking up.

This is me happy we are skiing down.

It felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The snow was nice.

Light enough to kick up clouds of dust.

Always finish the ski day with a beer…

A+A

Winter Fun January 9, 2009

Winter is in full swing. Here are some pictures of us enjoying the mountains:

The sun finally came out in January. Here it is shining on Allison.

We love the sun. But no snow and sun means skiing bumps. This is the face of bell.

We’ve been spending time riding chairlifts.

And hiking to closed terrain. This is Allison and Art walking out Trainor Ridge.

After we walk out to the closed terrain, we ski the closed terrain.

Lately we’ve had some snow. In this shot, we are about to take advantage of it.

We get very tired after long days of skiing. So do our dogs. Here is Jane the avalanche dog stretching out after a day on the mountain.

But they are not always so angelic. This is Booker the avalanche dog misbehaving.

This is Allison and some friends misbehaving with the shotski before a night out.

The next morning requires caffination. Allison overdoes it sometimes…

Alex and Allison

Allison Is Here! December 20, 2008

Allison arrived to Aspen on Wednesday, and she brought the snow with her. She really hit the ground running, and we’ve been skiing powder non-stop since her arrival.

Here she is ripping up bingo.

And Da Kine Bowl.

Here we are with Bell Mountain in the background.

Allison’s first few days here have been tough. Sea level to 11,500 feet in one day can be a little rough on the body. Her first night here, she was real tired and fell asleep on the couch. Her face turned a little blue from the lack of oxygen and I measured her oxygen saturation at 77%(that is very low). Take one 125 mg Diamox and all better!

We’ve been skiing mostly closed areas trying to get everything ready and keep the mountain safe. This is one of our avalanche “routes.”

Sometimes we have ot use explosives to shake up the snow. Here I am arming two pounds of pentolite.

These bombs are loud. Allison is trying to save her hearing with the mushroom cloud in the background.

The downside of pentolite is that it turns the snow a yucky black.

Allison arrived in time to say goodbye to our friend Cory Brettmann, whom she worked with as well. It was a sad sad week for everyone. His memorial service was yesterday, and we were amazed at how many people he touched. The service was beautiful- full of great stories and inspirational words. Despite the sadness, it was a great send off- complete with huge explosions and a 60 person tourchlight ski down Aspen Mountain. Our hearts go out to his wife and children.

Alex and Allison

Goodbye Cory December 17, 2008

We all lost a great friend Sunday night.

Rest In Peace Cory Brettmann.

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20081215/NEWS/812159851&parentprofile=search

http://avalanche.state.co.us/pub/accidents_co.php?accident=20081214_aspen

Let’s Go Ski Last Dollar December 16, 2008

Let’s Go Ski Bear Paw! December 12, 2008