Beauty of snow and winter
February 21, 2020 8:40 AM Subscribe
Snow, Powder Surfing + Debussy = Meditative
Shot in Colorado, and yeah it's not drone footage. So props to the cam guy.
Shot in Colorado, and yeah it's not drone footage. So props to the cam guy.
They don't use bindings in powder surfing! Which is pretty cool.
posted by storybored at 8:52 AM on February 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by storybored at 8:52 AM on February 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
Less relaxing: REEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUREEEEEEE of the snowmobile he got back to
but yeah that is some powder-porn there.
If you like that, you'll like the light-suit segment of afterglow. Watch on a good monitor in HD!
posted by lalochezia at 8:58 AM on February 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
but yeah that is some powder-porn there.
If you like that, you'll like the light-suit segment of afterglow. Watch on a good monitor in HD!
posted by lalochezia at 8:58 AM on February 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
Wait, how is it not drone footage? Was there a floating cameraman? Very cool video. Were the trees dead, or do they just drop their leaves, I wonder.
posted by dellsolace at 9:04 AM on February 21, 2020
posted by dellsolace at 9:04 AM on February 21, 2020
I really like the idea of powder surfing - without bindings, catching an edge is less likely to throw you suddenly to the ground. And if you lose control, just jump off! Like surfing! With extra gravity.
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:30 AM on February 21, 2020
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:30 AM on February 21, 2020
They're skiing a burn. The first year or two after a forest fire, burns are typically poor places to ski. Lots of teetering deadfall and fire hardened punji sticks -- and you'll often look like a coal miner at the end of the day with all the ash and char.
But there's a magic decade or so after that when burns will make for terrific open tree skiing.
Near me, we've been skiing burns left by the 2003 fire in Kootenay National Park since about 2006 or so. It's almost done, though, as the regrowth (now 17 years old) at the lower elevations is an impressively tight sea of pine, the ones near the valley floor being over 2.5m tall now and almost impassable to push through on skis. We got about 15 years of skiing out of it, the wildflowers in the summer were and are spectacular, and it's been an amazing source of habitat and berries for the real locals (bear and moose and so on).
posted by bumpkin at 9:32 AM on February 21, 2020 [7 favorites]
But there's a magic decade or so after that when burns will make for terrific open tree skiing.
Near me, we've been skiing burns left by the 2003 fire in Kootenay National Park since about 2006 or so. It's almost done, though, as the regrowth (now 17 years old) at the lower elevations is an impressively tight sea of pine, the ones near the valley floor being over 2.5m tall now and almost impassable to push through on skis. We got about 15 years of skiing out of it, the wildflowers in the summer were and are spectacular, and it's been an amazing source of habitat and berries for the real locals (bear and moose and so on).
posted by bumpkin at 9:32 AM on February 21, 2020 [7 favorites]
Wait, how is it not drone footage? Was there a floating cameraman?
The cameraman is also surfing. Watch at 2:33, and you can see when the camguy surfs *ahead* of our main man and takes footage of him following behind. That's when you also see the camguy's snowboard track in the snow!
posted by storybored at 9:54 AM on February 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
The cameraman is also surfing. Watch at 2:33, and you can see when the camguy surfs *ahead* of our main man and takes footage of him following behind. That's when you also see the camguy's snowboard track in the snow!
posted by storybored at 9:54 AM on February 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
Great video, I'd love to ride down that run, we usually don't get that kind of length out here, especially when foot powered on the climb, not getting up on a sled.
bumpkin, I've heard that's a great place to tour. We have our own little section here in the slack-country affectionately known as "the burn" and it's one of my favourite short trips.
posted by sauril at 9:55 AM on February 21, 2020
bumpkin, I've heard that's a great place to tour. We have our own little section here in the slack-country affectionately known as "the burn" and it's one of my favourite short trips.
posted by sauril at 9:55 AM on February 21, 2020
Oh, that's beautiful.
posted by not_the_water at 10:00 AM on February 21, 2020
posted by not_the_water at 10:00 AM on February 21, 2020
Once on a family ski trip the weather turned very cold and ugly and the rest decided to retire to the ski lodge. I wanted to get one more run in. By the time I reached the top of the lift, it was a near complete white-out but I could barely make out the edges of the trail as slightly grey shadows. People talk about powder but I'm here to tell you that fresh snow is one thing and powder is another. This snow was at least knee deep and light as a cloud. The trail was absolutely silent and boarding it was the nearest thing to flying I've ever experienced. It was hard to tell up from down in the white-out conditions but the FEEL of the board was all it took to maintain balance and the turning seemed completely automatic. Powder was flying up left and right from my board, though I could barely see that either. It was truly magical.
Since then I have always had to bite my tongue whenever anyone comments on how nice the fresh "powder" is. I mean, it's not their fault they've never experienced REAL powder. I wouldn't have known either but for this one amazing experience.
posted by sjswitzer at 10:18 AM on February 21, 2020 [5 favorites]
Since then I have always had to bite my tongue whenever anyone comments on how nice the fresh "powder" is. I mean, it's not their fault they've never experienced REAL powder. I wouldn't have known either but for this one amazing experience.
posted by sjswitzer at 10:18 AM on February 21, 2020 [5 favorites]
The cameraman is also surfing. Watch at 2:33,
But then clearly at 2:50 the camera goes way up high.
posted by bitslayer at 10:29 AM on February 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
But then clearly at 2:50 the camera goes way up high.
posted by bitslayer at 10:29 AM on February 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
Speaking as a parent of a snowboarder who loves the glades, it would be more relaxing to watch if this guy wore a helmet.
posted by hypnogogue at 10:41 AM on February 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by hypnogogue at 10:41 AM on February 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
I had to stop watching because the guy is flying through trees and is not wearing a helmet.
I mean, seriously, I grew up skiing Big Sky sans helmet. But it was the late 70s, no one wore helmets then, they weren't a thing. As an adult now, and a parent? I'd never let my kid out on the slope without one. I don't go out without one. It looks really weird to me to see people without the helmet. It's just too big a risk to take, and besides, they're actually great - your head is never cold, you have a place to prop your goggles when you lift them up.
I work with a lot of folks doing TBI research; we've had a few kids in the area die over the past few years from accidents skiing or sledding (speed + tree + no helmet is not a good outcome, the tree will win every single time). The part of the video that I did watch was really cool and looked like great snow... but I could not get past the lack of helmet.
posted by caution live frogs at 10:42 AM on February 21, 2020 [2 favorites]
I mean, seriously, I grew up skiing Big Sky sans helmet. But it was the late 70s, no one wore helmets then, they weren't a thing. As an adult now, and a parent? I'd never let my kid out on the slope without one. I don't go out without one. It looks really weird to me to see people without the helmet. It's just too big a risk to take, and besides, they're actually great - your head is never cold, you have a place to prop your goggles when you lift them up.
I work with a lot of folks doing TBI research; we've had a few kids in the area die over the past few years from accidents skiing or sledding (speed + tree + no helmet is not a good outcome, the tree will win every single time). The part of the video that I did watch was really cool and looked like great snow... but I could not get past the lack of helmet.
posted by caution live frogs at 10:42 AM on February 21, 2020 [2 favorites]
I skied with a helmet for the first time two weeks ago and didn't know if I'd like it or not. I didn't mind at all! I'm not sure how much safety they actually provide re: concussions, but generally it is better to have head armor than not. They do clutter up mid-mountain lodge tables, though.
posted by grumpybear69 at 11:44 AM on February 21, 2020
posted by grumpybear69 at 11:44 AM on February 21, 2020
Beautiful! As someone who has never, and will never, go snowboarding, I'm amazed by the amount of control. I had no idea how nimble those boards are.
posted by hydra77 at 1:00 PM on February 21, 2020
posted by hydra77 at 1:00 PM on February 21, 2020
I thought the link was going to be this line-rider track.
posted by leibniz at 2:49 PM on February 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by leibniz at 2:49 PM on February 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
I've only been lucky enough to snowboard an untouched powder covered hill like this a couple times but it's such an amazing meditation. I find myself trying to leave as much untouched snow behind me as possible for the next person.
posted by zymil at 8:32 PM on February 21, 2020
posted by zymil at 8:32 PM on February 21, 2020
« Older Appalachian Mardi Gras | Celebrating the short stuff Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
Q: How did he just step out of his bindings at the end?
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:50 AM on February 21, 2020