Sierra Journal

New TGR Film 'Re: Session'

Oooohh goody goody goody. A new TGR film to drool over. Here's the trailer just released. Debuts at the end of the summer just in time to make you crazy waiting for the snow to fly. Via WildSnow:

Video: Mont Blanc in a Day

Very cool. Check out Greg Hill's video, Mont Blanc in a Day. Via TetonAT:

New Film - The National Parks: America's Best Idea

I can't wait to see this new Ken Burns film. It just debuted at Mountainfilm in Telluride. The rest of us have to wait until September 27 to see it. Here's the trailer:

Via PBS:

Filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature's most spectacular locales — from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska — The National Parks: America's Best Idea is nonetheless a story of people: people from every conceivable background – rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy. It is a story full of struggle and conflict, high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration - set against the most breathtaking backdrops imaginable.

The Present - New Surf Film Playing Now

Er... it's been playing for a month but I just ran across it on the interwebs, so it's new to me. I'm pretty psyched to see The Present, a new surf film from Patagonia. I'm a surfing newbie myself, just feeling out local surf spots on my longboard. Footage like the below sure gets me stoked. It's very inspiring to see these guys tear it up. Here's the schedule. For you NorCal locals, it's playing in Santa Cruz on May 23rd. Here's the trailer:

 

Ski Mountaineering Mt. Shasta's Avalanche Gulch

Just back from an awesome couple of days on Mt. Shasta. This was my third time on the mountain. The weather set up nicely for us (particularly for this time of year), but it was brutal hot mid-day at high camp.

We climbed the trade route, Avalanche Gulch, then skied the broad gully to skiers-left of the Trinity Chutes. It has an exciting mildly-corniced entrance and wide-open terrain where you can lay down turn after turn for a few thousand feet on your way back to high camp.

Most climbers and skiers do what we did, which is to climb to a high camp at Helen Lake (not really a lake, just a flat spot below Avalanche Gulch) then head for the summit with an alpine start the next day. But some choose to do the climb car-to-car.

As we were climbing I noticed a dude gaining on us fast. He had left the parking lot around the same time we left high camp. He then proceeded to cruise right past us and beat us to the summit. So he covered 7000 vertical feet in less time than we could cover 4000. Wow. And he was a really nice dude to boot - a telemarketer from Tahoe named Shane. 

We lingered on the summit for a while with Shane. No wind, mild temps. Felt like a picnic. Then we headed down on the skis. Conditions up top were bulletproof, mid-mountain were PERFECT, and down low were sloppy. Love that mountain!!

I may chime in with another video report, but I don't think I got very much good footage this time around. For now, check out a couple of photos below.

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Slideshow of El Capitan's First Ascent

Here's an awesome slideshow and voice-over narrative of El Cap's first ascent narrated by Wayne Merry, one of the three climbers who accomplished the feat. The rudimentary gear they were using astonishes me - and scares the crap out of me. These guys had some serious cajones.

Via The Atlantic: 

Video: Wet Slide Avalanche in the Tetons

Extreme Skier Shane McConkey Dies in Ski-BASE Accident

Tahoe-based extreme skier, Shane McConkey, died yesterday after launching off of a cliff during a ski-BASE attempt. My condolences to Shane's friends and family. Via ESPN's Freeskiing:

Decorated big mountain skier and BASE jumper Shane McConkey was killed earlier today in a ski-BASE accident in the Italian Dolomites.

A member of the Red Bull Air Force and pioneer of the ski-BASE-ing phenomenon, McConkey experienced problems in the air after launching off a cliff with the expectation of deploying his parachute canopy and then gliding down to the ground—as he had done successfully some 700-plus times before.

"He did a double backflip off the jump and he has these releasable bindings so they come off in the air and then he flies off in his wing suit," filmmaker Scott Gaffney, a longtime close friend of McConkey's, told ESPN Action Sports in an interview this afternoon via phone.

"But one ski did not come off. And when that happens the drag on the skis causes you to flip over, so the skis go over your head. So he was struggling with the one ski. Then he also got into a bad spin. So he may have never even pulled his pilot chute. And that's coming from JT Holmes, who Shane was with in Italy and who reviewed the footage of the accident. So the combination of the ski, the spin and the pilot chute, apparently. Because you can't throw the pilot chute like that; if you throw it while you're upside down and it wraps around the ski, you're done."

Here's Shane in action:

Video Tidbit: Powder Day at Squaw Valley

I'm all about video these days. This quick one was taken by my buddy Jon on Sunday. There was a good 3 feet of powder on the upper mountain. This was filmed in the bowl to the left of the top of KT-22.

Video: Spring Conditions on Castle Peak

Just another day in the backyard. Sun was shining and the snow was deep, soft and heavy. But a great time had by all...