Internship Final Exam

 Daily Powder Tours, SVT Scene, Tricks of the Trade  Comments Off on Internship Final Exam
Apr 302014
 
Celebratory toast

Celebratory toast

For over 12 years, Sun Valley Trekking has run an internship program during the winter season. The goal of the program is to provide training and mentorship to aspiring ski guides. The “job description” is to : Ski from hut to hut throughout the winter, maintain hut supplies, gather snow and stability information, develop personal backcountry ski technique and experience, assist on guided trips as porters and tail guides and seek mentorship and skill development with the SVT Guide Team. Over the years, many interns have returned for a second year to continue this progression and many graduates of the program are working as professional ski and mountain guides today. We often finish the season with an “Intern Final Exam” designed to test the skill and experience developed over the season. There are two styles of exam open to the interns: to guide the guides or to be guided by the guides. Both styles can help push the learning envelope and provide a rewarding experience. This years team: Trudy, Toby, Niels and Alisa chose to guide SVT guides: Joe St.Onge and Chris Marshall on a particularly snowy late April tour in the alpine Smokey Mountains. Powder, white-out navigation, steep skiing and a Chinese Downhill tested the interns’ skill and grit and was followed by the end of the season Guide Games back in town. Good stuff!

April white-out

April white-out

Stoked Toby, taking the lead.

Stoked Toby, taking the lead.

Heading toward Peak

Heading toward Peak

Chris giving feedback on route finding and group management

Chris giving feedback on route finding and group management

The higher you get...

The higher you get…

Into the Alpine

Into the Alpine

Trudy, taking over the lead for the third descent of the day

Trudy, taking over the lead for the third descent of the day

April Pow!

April Pow!

Yehaw!

Yehaw!

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Alisa guiding a particularly challenging (and sweet) ski line

Alisa guiding a particularly challenging (and sweet) ski line

the Team

the Team

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wow!

wow!

Francie opening the "Guide Games"

Francie opening the “Guide Games”

Making the Toast!

Making the Toast!

Fun for all ages!

Fun for all ages!

Brian, showing grit.

Brian, showing grit.

Chris and Pato were an unbeatable pair!

Chris and Pato were an unbeatable pair!

Easter Peaks

 Daily Powder Tours  Comments Off on Easter Peaks
Apr 202014
 
not bad for her first backcountry run!

not bad for her first backcountry run!

A fun weekend skiing with a local family on the peaks of the Boulder Mountains. The backcountry corn factory is in full production!

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steep skiing

steep skiing

pretty good even if its not powder

pretty good even if its not powder

Alpine lounger

Alpine lounger

Father and son on the Peak!

Father and son on the Peak!

Approaching the summit of Senate Peak

Approaching the summit of Senate Peak

Mother and Son 2

Mother and Son 2

perfect corn in the Boulders

perfect corn in the Boulders

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searching for the powder

searching fro the powder

Mother and Son

Mother and Son

a little corduroy exit with Senate Peak in the background

a little corduroy exit with Senate Peak in the background

carving the apron

carving the apron

Sawtooth Woodcut and Ski Fest

 Bench Hut, Fishhook Yurts, Huts and Yurts  Comments Off on Sawtooth Woodcut and Ski Fest
Apr 182014
 

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We are just back from the annual Sawtooth Woodcuts: 4 days of cutting wood and skiing couloirs. Hard labor and Fun Stuff.

Heading out for a day of skiing couloirs from Fishhook

Heading out for a day of skiing couloirs from Fishhook

the Sickle above Fishhook Yurt

the Sickle above Fishhook Yurt

The Shovel Couloir

The Shovel Couloir

climbing an unnamed couloir

climbing an unnamed couloir

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Still finding dry snow of steep, sheltered upper elevation norths

Still finding dry snow of steep, sheltered upper elevation norths

Toby looking good

Toby looking good

Niels psyched for the Drop

Niels psyched for the Drop

The team

The team

Always great to be out with Irie

Always great to be out with Irie

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stoked intern

stoked intern

Chris leading the way up the Shovel couloir

Chris leading the way up the Shovel couloir

Alisa in the steeps

Alisa in the steeps

getting ready for the next drop

getting ready for the next drop

Trudy

Trudy

Nothing like the granite hallways of the sawtooth

Nothing like the granite hallways of the sawtooth

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Hope turn

Hope turn

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ah, a cold beer and popcorn after a great day of skiing

ah, a cold beer and popcorn after a great day of skiing

making the approach to Bench hut

making the approach to Bench hut

great effort by a tough team

great effort by a tough team

heading home

heading home

Galena Peak!

 Daily Powder Tours  Comments Off on Galena Peak!
Apr 112014
 
finished with the crux and 3000' of wide open skiing ahead

finished with the crux and 3000′ of wide open skiing ahead

Another awesome spring day skiing with the Sirens of Snow on Galena Peak!

Early morning start across Senate Meadows

Early morning start across Senate Meadows

Skinning the sunny ridge

Skinning the sunny ridge

Switching from skis to boots as the terrain gets steeper

Switching from skis to boots as the terrain gets steeper

ascending the summit pyramid

ascending the summit pyramid

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the final summit ridge

the final summit ridge

breather

breather

on top of the world!

on top of the world!

almost there

almost there

stoked on the summit

stoked on the summit

what a day!

what a day!

the summit shots

the summit shots

the Boulder Range in all its glory

the Boulder Range in all its glory

The 1st ski pitch is a beauty

The 1st ski pitch is a beauty

The beginning of the crux, midway down the south bowl

The beginning of the crux, midway down the south bowl

A little rope work makes for smooth skiing

A little rope work makes for smooth skiing

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skiing with the rope

skiing with the rope

Bond girls

Bond girls

woohoo

woohoo

sweet features

sweet features

and on down

and on down

stoked!

stoked!

Sirens of Snow at the Coyote Yurts

 Coyote Yurts, Huts and Yurts  Comments Off on Sirens of Snow at the Coyote Yurts
Apr 082014
 
Cover Girls.

Cover Girls.

Just back from an awesome 2 day trip to the Coyote yurts with the Sirens of Snow. Perfect corn, settled powder and lots of FUN!

Making the initial climb toward the Coyote yurts

Making the initial climb toward the Coyote yurts

Corn:30 on the souths

Corn:30 on the souths

wide open bowls!

wide open bowls!

Beaver Creek Fire makes a dramatic backdrop

Beaver Creek Fire makes a dramatic backdrop

chat-track

chat-track

Powder on the north burns!

Powder on the north burns!

woohoo!

woohoo!

Nothing like powder under an April Sun!

Nothing like powder under an April Sun!

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Joanie turning  the burn

Joanie turning the burn

"hey, hey we are the monkeys...."

“hey, hey we are the monkeys….”

Arriving at the Coyote Yurts after a 4000' day of skiing

Arriving at the Coyote Yurts after a 4000′ day of skiing

Ah, frozen margaritas hit the spot!

Ah, frozen margaritas hit the spot!

Nothing but the finest wine served!

Nothing but the finest wine served!

Pato and Alisa enjoying the Apres

Pato and Alisa enjoying the Apres

Trudy and the view

Trudy and the view

Now what is Pato doing?

Now what is Pato doing?

nothing like the sauna

nothing like the sauna

those aren't her real boobs!

those aren’t her real boobs!

sharing good food and good times around the table

sharing good food and good times around the table

sunrise at Coyote

sunrise at Coyote

The morning light is beautiful

The morning light is beautiful

Surface hoar and the Pios at the point

Surface hoar and the Pios at the point

nice boobs!

nice boobs!

Heading for another day of fun!

Heading for another day of fun!

and away we go

and away we go

stoked

stoked

hard to beat the views around Coyote Yurts

hard to beat the views around Coyote Yurts

Morning powder

Morning powder

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Yehaw!

Yehaw!

Bond Girls cranking corn

Bond Girls cranking corn

perfect peel-away corn

perfect peel-away corn

no fun had here

no fun had here

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The Team

The Team

Final run back to the valley

Final run back to the valley

sure was sweet!

sure was sweet!

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Blue Bird Powder yesterday with the Professional Leisure Team!

 Daily Powder Tours  Comments Off on Blue Bird Powder yesterday with the Professional Leisure Team!
Apr 042014
 

Great day with the Professional Leisure Team today. April powder and sun is hard to beat!

Fields of untracked Powder!

Fields of untracked Powder!

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Doug having FUN!

Doug having FUN!

Hard to beat the view

Hard to beat the view

April Pow!

April Pow!

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White Clouds to the horizon

White Clouds to the horizon

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Guides “Day Off”

 Daily Powder Tours, Guides Day Off, SVT Scene  Comments Off on Guides “Day Off”
Apr 022014
 
SVT guides/interns and friends taking a "day off"

SVT guides/interns and friends taking a “day off”

Was it April Fools, Niels’ Birthday, or the fact that it was snowing? Regardless, at our morning guide meeting yesterday, we decided to call a “powder day” and go skiing as a team. Nothing short of BIG FUN and pure stoke!

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Kyle loving the tow

Kyle loving the tow

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beautiful snow day

beautiful snow day

sharing jokes

sharing jokes

a stoked birthday boy, Niels turns 24!

a stoked birthday boy, Niels turns 24!

Birthday boys get 1st tracks!

Birthday boys get 1st tracks!

Toby

Toby

Pato

Pato

Alisa

Alisa

Kyle

Kyle

Trudy

Trudy

Brian going deep

Brian going deep

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having crazy fun

having crazy fun

fat flakes falling

fat flakes falling

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Happy Birthday Niels!

Happy Birthday Niels!D

Chainsaws and Peaks in the Pios

 Huts and Yurts, Pioneer Yurts, SVT Scene  Comments Off on Chainsaws and Peaks in the Pios
Mar 262014
 
nice view on the descent

nice view on the descent on Hyndman

We are just back from a 3 day mission into the Pioneer Yurt with goal of supplying the yurt with cords of firewood and other supplies for the next season. We transitioned from snowmobiles to chainsaws to skis and alpine axes, cutting lots of wood and climbing and skiing some classics in the process. Conditions are spring like on the big peaks and skied great.

Skier and snowboarder unite, its a happy world

Skier and snowboarder unite, its a happy world

sure, lets go ski that!

sure, lets go ski that!

up, up and...

up, up and…

still smiling

still smiling

Niels discovers that a Pick-omatic works when one forgets the alpine ax

Niels discovers that a Pick-omatic works when one forgets the alpine ax

summit of the Pios

summit of the Pios

Niels working out the jump turn

Niels working out the jump turn

hard to beat this setting

hard to beat this setting

carve

carve

playful skiing/boarding through the basins on the way back to the yurt

playful skiing/boarding through the basins on the way back to the yurt

ahh, relaxing on the fresh rounds cut for next season

ahh, relaxing on the fresh rounds cut for next season

après 1

après 1

après 2

après 2

après/après, burning the slash piles after the woodcut

après/après, burning the slash piles after the woodcut

heading to the Dorsal Fin

heading to the Dorsal Fin

Trudy working the pick-omatic for an ascent/descent of the Dorsal Fin

Trudy working the pick-omatic for an ascent/descent of the Dorsal Fin

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jerky girl

jerky girl

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stoked

stoked

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working the machines in the low country

working the machines in the low country

Mar 142014
 
The team on day 1 approach to Coyote

The team on day 1 approach to Coyote

Wow, what a great 3 days of spring skiing at the new Coyote Yurts! Bob and Kate (from our local backcountry ski shop: the Elephant’s Perch) joined our Canadian friends, Bernard and Sheri, for an action packed 3 days exploring the new burn skiing around Coyote with Joe. Splitter blue sky days made for an amazing backdrop of peaks, powder, corn and shadow lined burn skiing. We barely scratched the surface of the new north facing burned timber skiing possible and we skied a lot!

Oh yeah, the new Yurts are awesome too!

The 1st exploratory burn turns on the approach

The 1st exploratory burn turns on the approach

yep, Bob thinks it skis pretty good!

yep, Bob thinks it skis pretty good!

almost to the yurt on day 1

almost to the yurt on day 1

nothing like good corn snow to make you smile

nothing like good corn snow to make you smile

ahhh, the big south slopes of Little Round Top on the approach to Coyote are sweet

ahhh, the big south slopes of Little Round Top on the approach to Coyote are sweet

and a bit of corn on the souths

and a bit of corn on the souths

evening glow lighting up the ski tracks, a great view at the end of a fun day

evening glow lighting up the ski tracks, a great view at the end of a fun day

Day 2 heading out from the yurt

Day 2 heading out from the yurt

shadow skin

shadow skin

there's a lot of new burn skiing out there

there’s a lot of new burn skiing out there

Sheri enjoying the burnin' powder

Sheri enjoying the burnin’ powder

wow

wow

yes

yes

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coming home after a long day of FUN skiing

coming home after a long day of FUN skiing

Day 3

Day 3

the view from Coyote Yurts is pretty sweet

the view from Coyote Yurts is pretty sweet

what goes up...

what goes up…

...must come down

…must come down

1200' north facing burn lines out the door of the Yurt

1200′ north facing burn lines out the door of the Yurt

yep, Bob likes it

yep, Bob likes it

just open enough

just open enough

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yeoman's duty, Niels and Alisa carrying BIG packs on the way out

yeoman’s duty, Niels and Alisa carrying BIG packs on the way out

cranking corn turns on the exit from Coyote

cranking corn turns on the exit from Coyote

pretty much sums it up!

pretty much sums it up!

Powder is clinically proven to make you smile!

 Daily Powder Tours  Comments Off on Powder is clinically proven to make you smile!
Feb 022014
 

With the recent storm dropping 10” of light density powder and little wind, the skiing was amazing the past few days. The cold morning temperatures left SVT guide, JP, and Bernard with empty bowls and pristine ridge-lines to lay down some beautiful tracks.

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