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[Platinumstorm]

I'm not the best, but I like to make these to look back and remember what I've done to get me hyped for the season. I usually share them here, so here is this year's.

 

[AJUMP23]

some really nice clean powder. You are a good skier.

 

[kanjobazooie]

Do you not fear death?

 

[AJUMP23]

Do you not fear death?

Do you fear life?

 

[German Hops]

 

[Platinumstorm]

Do you not fear death?

I'm going to assume there's a bit of jest in this, but I most definitely have fear skiing.

In the first feature clip, you see me take a turn and cut to the left. Turning to the left is my stronger way to turn, and it gives me more confidence. I am testing to feel if there are ice spots underneath the snow, bumps, or rocks. I pause a bit because I'm afraid of the degree of the slope [and that area still scares me to this day].

In the second feature clip you see that I don't point my skis straight off of the cornice, I go to the side and am immediately speed checking and feeling the quality of the snow to see if I trust it or not. I went right off of the cornice [which is at least an 8 foot controlled drop] because it lets me commit on a left turn, where I again do the terrain and snow check. There's a lot of obstacles in this area - I gouged my skis going over 3 rocks 5 years ago in that bowl.

I've started a small avalanche before in the Winter Park cirque chutes. I've had snow cracks 25 feet in front of me at Breckenridge [a suggestion that the snow is unstable] to the point that I wouldn't ski that area for the rest of the season. I've had a cornice collapse on me to the point where had it fallen 6 more inches I would have been skiing; this immediately after ski patrol had thrown dynamite in the area of the second feature clip. I've also skied in no-fall-zone terrain at Crested Butte which was a challenging, but scary, goal. I'm also petrified of trees.

Much of the joy I've found in skiing is finding that line between ability and pushing yourself against fear. In recent years I've actually dialed it back, and I'd say 2016 or 2017 was the peak of my risk taking.

There's also a point where you know you can safely get down most anything. In the final skiing clip - that was the first time I had ever skied at Vail. There was a ton of snow there, and if you notice how I just sort of "stop" at places, it's because there are big moguls underneath that run. I was controlling my descent and I wasn't going for it as I've never been there.

 

[Platinumstorm]

The first time I heard the band for the song I used was in SSX. This was two years before I had ever touched a ski.

 

[Tams]

Bring your skis closer together.

 

[EviLore]

That's legit man, nice work. GoPro footage is always deceptively chill compared to the real experience too. Yelp at 2:36

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Nice powder there, great visibility on the day too. Looks like a heap of fun. I don't ski much in Aus anymore, overseas is much better and cheaper.