Here are some images from last weeks Daily Powder Tours as captured by guide Patrick Graham.
Daily Powder Tours
Daily Powder Tours
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Mar 192012
svtrek
Mar 122012
Joe St.Onge guided a group of great skiers visiting from their home near the Wasatch this week. They stayed at the new Bench Hut in the Sawtooth Mountains. Strong lungs and legs took the team up into the alpine, skiing into the Monolith Basin one day followed by a circumnavigation of Mount Heyburn, including a descent of the Iliad Couloir, and an exploration into the Land of the Lotus Eaters. A good time was had by all, entranced by the magic of the Sawtooth and a half foot of Idaho’s white gold!
Fishhook :: “Amazing Adventure”
Fishhook Yurts, Huts and Yurts
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Mar 052012
Robin Carleton and 13 friends just returned from an “amazing adventure” up at our Fishhook Yurt in the Sawtooths. Check out the post and some sweet images from there trip here.
Mar 052012
We were pleasantly surprised when we learned that the Colorado Yurt Company had a replacement roof in stock for our Boulder Yurt and even more stoked to have had it arrive only one week after the wind storm incident. The roof arrived last Thursday and we were on site by 9am on Friday! Within six hours, the finishing touches were complete, the wood burning stove fired up, and a round of beers enjoyed. Once again, all is well up at the beautiful Boulder yurt!
Getting the new lattice riveted in place:
Setting up the ring and rafters:
Adding insulation:
Our new lid!
Job well done!
Tricks of the Trade :: Kick-Turns :: Part One
Tricks of the Trade
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Feb 292012
The “earn” in backcountry skiing’s notorious phrase, “Earn Your Turns,” is almost entirely directed to the act (if not art) of skinning uphill. For those who are not familiar with “skinning,” skiers and splitboarders adhere a nylon strap to the bottom of their skis in order to climb uphill. Each skin has been fabricated to hold millions of tiny hairs engineered so that they lay flat and in one direction which allows for uphill gliding only; the hairs catch/grab the snow as it starts to slide downhill, stopping the ski.
Skinning, while aerobic, can range from incredibly easy (on the flats), to strenuous (deep snow), to precarious and even life threatening (if you slip on hard snow or ice). As backcountry skiers and boarders contour up a mountainside, every so often it becomes necessary to change direction due to obstacles or hazards or a slope to steep to make a gradual turn–thus, the kick-turn. Our IFMGA guide and master kick-turner, Mark Puleio, shows us in this first post (of two) how to make the perfect kick turn:
For Hard/Firmer Surface Conditions:
Step #1: Ski past where you want to turn and make a flat platform
Step #2 Clear the uphill ski of snow and turn 180 degrees
Step #3 Place uphill ski flat/level in the new direction of travel
Step #4 Transition weight onto uphill ski
Step #5 Flex downhill hip back, allowing the downhill ski tip to rise
Step #6 Bend downhill knee slightly and pivot ski along boot cuff to turn in new direction
Step #7 Skin off in your new direction!
Subscribe to our blog or come back soon to catch our second part regarding kick turns as Mark will show you techniques to help those ski partners who need a little support when kick-turning.
Tricks of the Trade :: Guide Training
Tricks of the Trade
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Feb 292012
Yesterday, Mark Puleio (IMFGA) and Joe St.Onge took the Sun Valley Trekking guides and interns out for a refresher training day and to test out their Outdoor Research technical clothing. Craig Wolfrom was along to capture images of the lessons which included aiding guests while skinning and kick-turning, self arresting, kicking steps, short roping in 3rd and 4th class terrain, as well as building a sled with skis and lowering an injured skier. The terrain Joe and Mark chose proved the perfect challenge and every lesson was completed flawlessly.
Mark showing how to use a runner clipped to a backpack to assist a kick-turn:
Interns taking notes while Joe goes over proper ice-axe placement:
Mark and Joe going over proper body positioning and ice-axe placement for self-arresting:
Short-roping in mixed terrain:
Joe belays Shane up to a stance:
Climbing and belaying through mixed terrain:
After building an “T” anchor, Mark lowers a party down a steep and narrow chute:
Guides building a rescue sled:
Guides practice lowering an injured skier:
Boulder Yurt :: Wind Storm
Boulder Yurts, Huts and Yurts
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Feb 272012
On February 22nd and 23rd, a storm raged through the Smoky mountains bringing with it abnormally high winds. Early in the morning on the 23rd, we believe a rare micro-burst came down on the area surrounding our Boulder Yurts. This sudden blast of wind snapped a neighboring live tree in half whose top section came down on the smaller of the two yurts. Thankfully, no one was hurt. While the impact did collapse the roof, the damage to the structure was not wholesale; only six 2×4 rafters and a dozen of the lattice wall boards were damaged along with tears in the roof. Please keep in mind that the tree that snapped was a living, healthy tree, there were no “standing dead” trees, and that this was a very unexpected occurrance. We have already cleared the debris, ascertained what repairs are necessary, and have ordered the appropriate materials to get Boulder back up and running at full capacity. We have liaised with a similar roofing company Winston Salem to midatlanticroofingsystems.com but in our vicinity, so we can make the appropriate repairs to make them secure for anyone and everyone.
The larger Boulder Yurt and the hallway were unaffected by this incident and have been in continual use since the accident. Feel free to give us a ring if you have any questions.
Here are some images from Friday’s clean up session…
The culprit:
Now & for a limited time, Boulder yurt offers a spectacular outdoor deck area!
The yurt facility is still functional:
Feb 242012
Joe St.Onge skied with a a dedicated family of powder skiers yesterday. Fresh off a Level 1 Avalanche training, Jamie and Jace were ready to put their skills to use finding awesome powder turns in an amazing setting in the Boulder Mountains, Idaho.
Daily Powder Tours :: New Snow
Daily Powder Tours
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Feb 232012
You wouldn’t know it by the weather we’ve had here in Hailey, but, the mountains north of Ketchum have been getting hit with great snow this past week! The first set of images, captured by guide Kyle Coshow, highlights a break in the storms, good pow, and the fun terrain Galena Pass has to offer. As for the second set, Joe St.Onge had a great day guiding the “Bros in the Snow” traversing the Boulder Mountains from Mushroom Ridge to Galena Lodge. Awesome powder turns, many face shots and skiing to the lodge where cold beers by a warm fire finished a classic Sun Valley ski tour.
Joe’s tour:
Feb 212012
One of the best aspects of hut/yurt living is the ability to enjoy fantastic meals after a day spent recreating in the stunning landscape surrounding our six different locations. Our kitchens are fully equipped so you only have to bring your ingredients! Here is a great vegetarian recipe from Deborah Madison’s, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, cookbook that’ll pack in some protein thanks to the quinoa; always great to help your tired ski legs recover.
Potato Quinoa Croquettes
1 large Russet Potato–Idaho
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 small onion finely diced
2 tbspn sunflower seed oil, plus one for cooking
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley, and/or cilantro
1 egg
1/3 cup cottage cheese, grated jack, or mashed tofu
salt
1 cup bread crumbs
Boil or steam the potato until tender then mash with fork and mix with cooked quinoa. Saute the onion for two minutes then add spices and cook until onion is tender; add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add potato-quinoa mixture and remaining ingredients and salt to taste. Work the mixture together. Divide into portions, coat in bread crumbs, and saute in oil. Enjoy!