Spread in SBC Skier Photo Annual

It's been far too long since I've updated this blog - I promise I'll try to keep things more current. With summer in full effect here in Utah, I thought it would be nice to share this spread I had in the Photo Issue of SBC Skier Magazine from the depths of last winter. If it looks similar to the last photo I shared here, it's because it was taken at the bottom of that same run at Steven's Pass, Washington with photographer Garrett Grove. With such a dry winter for the rest of the country, my time in the great North West was pretty much a dream. Every day we skied multiple feet of fresh snow.

Much of our time was spent skiing road laps outside the resort, which end about where I'm pictured below. What's funny is that when Garrett suggested the idea of getting a shot turning into the road, I laughed. The slope wasn't even really steep enough to make a turn in and it seemed like a silly idea. But I really tried to dig into the turn and make it work. If you look closely at the photo, you can almost see me laughing. Well, some times you just have to go along with silly ideas...

Powder Magazine Spread

I'm pretty psyched to have a 2-page spread in December's issue of Powder Magazine. The photo was taken at Stevens Pass Washington by Garrett Grove. 

Last season I met up with Garrett and spent about a week in Leavenworth, Washington shredding Stevens Pass. We couldn't have had better timing, as it proceeded to dump a foot or two of snow nearly every day. It's really tricky to shoot good photos in a heavy snow storm with minimal light, but Garrett has had a lot of practice living in the Pacific North West

From the Vaults: Shooting with Jake Lawlor

Time for Throwback Thursday! Here's some shots I got with Jake Lawlor a few years back. I've always liked these photos but never posted them. Click on them to enlarge.

This was from a night shoot we did in Big Cottonwood Canyon. After a full day of skiing powder, Lawlor talked me and Tony Pavlantos into hauling a generator and running extension chords across a creek to get this shot. It was a lot of effort, but definitely worth it.

Late season booters at Brighton are always fun.

First hit at sunrise. Brighton.

This is the funniest picture I've ever got. Jumping through trees and having a camera flash blind you is very startling

Jumping through a mini double cliff. Are those stars or snow flakes in the air?

PNW with Garrett Grove

Last Winter I was lucky enough to spend some quality time in the Pacific Northwest. While the rest of the continental U.S. was hurting for snow, it seemed that Washington was getting puked on for most of the season.

Deep / Garrett Grove Photo

Deeper / Garrett  Grove Photo

I met up with Garrett Grove and Sakeus Bankson up in Revelstoke and headed down to Bellingham to ski one glorious day at Mt. Baker. After that, we headed to the town of Levenworth and linked up with a top notch crew of ski bums including Drew Stoecklein, Pat Haggerty, Matt Bowen, and many others. We timed our trip perfectly, getting hit with 1-2 feet of snow per day. After being deprived of deep days for so much of the season, getting over-head face shots was truly a spiritual experience.

Ferry / Garrett Grove Photo

Submersion / Garrett Grove Photo

Garrett was nice enough to let me post some B-roll photos from the trip. These were without a doubt the deepest days of my season. I can't wait to get back up there for more epic days and jalepeño margaritas!

Avalung / Garrett Grove Photo

Basket / Garrett Grove Photo

Crouch / Garrett Grove Photo

Smile / Garrett Grove Photo

Ghost / Garrett Grove Photo

Grateful Shred - Utah, Canada, and Washington

Well it's been far too long since I've updated this thing, but it's starting to get cold and skiing has been on my mind a lot. I'll be updating this blog a lot more in the coming weeks as we get closer to the season.

Last year, the lower 48 states had a rough snow year to say the least. The Wasatch mountains, like many in the West, developed a persistent weak layer at the bottom of the snowpack that plagued the mountains with dangerous avalanche conditions for most of the year. We also experienced some of lowest snowfall on record.

On top of all that, I took a hard crash in December and sustained a bone contusion in my knee that followed me around for most of the season. After resting and doing physical therapy for six weeks, I was feeling good and joined some friends for the Surface Canada Tour. We hit lots of good spots in B.C. like Whistler, Red Mountain, Revelstoke, and Whitewater. We ran ski demos on the weekends, and got to explore and ski during the week. We ended up staying with our friends at Sweetgrass Productions and got to film with them as well. The snow up north was awesome, and skiing it felt much better on my knee than skiing ice in Utah.

Sunrise to sunset with Eliel Hindert and Nick Mcnutt - one of the longest, best days of the year - Photos: Eric Balken

Photo: Bobby Jahrig

Photo: Bobby Jahrig

Photo: Bobby Jahrig

Whymer Peak - Photo: Eric Balken

Sunset ridge - Photo: Sweetgrass Productions

After spending a month playing in British Columbia, I linked up with photographer Garrett Grove and headed to Washington to ski a storm that was supposed to pound the Pacific Northwest. The storm delivered and we ended up skiing some of the deepest powder of the year at Baker and Stevens Pass. I'll be posting another update for that trip later.

When I finally came back to Utah in March, that same storm in Washington had made its way to the Wasatch and dropped some snow. We had a few good storm cycles and the avalanche danger had tapered off significantly. Conditions were finally good in the home country. My friends and I enjoyed the last month of the season in Utah skiing powder at Alta and Brighton.

Better late than never! Sunrise in the Wasatch - Photo: Eric Balken

Good morning Alta! - Photo: Eric Balken

LCC - Photo: Eric Balken

After a season of such terrible snowpack and numerous avalanche deaths, I was extremely grateful to ski some good snow. In the words of the Rollings Stones - you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need.

This is a little video I put together from some of the more powder-rich portions of my season. Nothing too epic, just lots of fun times. Enjoy!
Grateful Shred from Eric Balken on Vimeo.

Season of Plenty - 2010/2011 video

Here's a short edit I put together with the help of my good friend Shayne Metos. Enjoy.

Northern Slayers

Time to show a little love for my Canadian friends who've been killing it.

Nick Mcnutt ruthlessly attacks pillows:


Eliel Hindert recaps his 09/10 season filming with Dendrite Studios:


Rob Huele goes top to bottom at the Canada Olympic Park in Calgary:

Surface Canada Tour 2012 - Part 1

No tour is complete without an official poster. Artwork by Aaron Schwartz.

Made a trip up north with the boys from Surface skis last month. Here's a little video teaser for the trip and a few photos from our first stop in Whistler.

Getting ready to drop on Decker Peak with Eliel. Blackcomb backcountry.

Staring at the sun. Photo: Shayne Metos.

Me making turns down Decker in the alpenglow. Photo: Shayne Metos.

Surface Hoar. Photo: Shayne Metos.

Blackcomb panorama. Photo: Shayne Metos.

Friends in Skiing Magazine

Some friends and I got a few cool photos in the November issue of Skiing Magazine. Check it out.

Me jumping the Mt. Baker road gap. Photo: Jay Beyer.

My friend Paul Kimbrough making the perfect tele turn in Revelstoke. Photo: Garret Grove.

Eliel and Carston down in Chile. This is one of my favorite photos ever. Photo: Juan Luis Heeckeren

Escape From Zion: Whistler

The 2011-2012 season has been one of thinnest I've ever seen. All across the inter mountain West, from Tahoe to Colorado, there has been minimal snowfall. To escape the grim state of things in Utah, I made a quick trip to Whistler with fellow Surface guys Eliel Hindert and Jordan Seldin. The trip was brief and I ended up tweaking my knee pretty hard a few days in, but it was worth it - it always is.

Nice to see some snow again. Photo: Andrew Strain.

We toured around and ended up finding some really good snow in the back country. The avalanche danger was high, so we kept it to fairly mellow terrain. Check out these pretty photos courtesy of Whistler photo wizard Andrew Strain.

Pillow Country. Photo: Andrew Strain.

Me finding the end of a fun little pillow line. Photo: Andrew Strain.

Eliel plunging into glory. Photo: Andrew Strain.

PRAY FOR SNOW!

Carston Skis Argentina

It takes a true master to ski harsh the conditions of Argentina's mountains and make it look smooth. Check out Carston's edit from Summer 2010 courtesy of Sweetgrass Productions.

Generation Alta - Salomon Freeski TV

Last year, the boys at Sweetgrass Productions spent a couple months in Utah shooting at Alta and Brighton for this webisode of Salomon Freeski TV. Normally Salomon Freeski TV focuses only on Salomon Athletes, but this webisode really shows the energy of the entire ski scene in Salt Lake and all the ski bums who reside here. It captures some incredible moments of deep powder and big lines, featuring many Utah rippers. I'm stoked I got to shoot with these guys for a couple days and make an appearance in this edit (at 2:24). Enjoy.

Big Cottonwwod Article - Powder Magazine

Last month's issue of Powder Magazine featured an in-depth article about Salt Lake's Big Cottonwood Canyon. Compared to the popularity of Little Cottonwood Canyon, the glories of Big Cottonwood are often overlooked - so it's nice to see Big Cottonwood get some attention in the ski world. It's not as steep and prolific as Little Cottonwood, but if you know the right spots, it can be epic.

Here's a shot of Carston Oliver on the now famous "Sendy Wendy" cliff. There are lots of opportunities to go big at Brighton Resort. Photo by Adam Clark.

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Here's a shot of myself at Brighton by Steve Lloyd. This photo was taken on the last night of night-skiing last year. What's funny is that this cliff is normally pretty big, but with the 20 foot snow pack shown here, it became much smaller.

Another shot of Carston by Steve Lloyd at one of our favorite backcountry zones outside of Brighton. If you look closely, you can see me lurking in the trees above the cliff.

Carston Jumps His Bike

We've had a slow start to Winter in Utah this season, which means Carston Oliver has been jumping his bike as much as he's been skiing. Check out this cool edit that Steve Lloyd and Carston put together:

Rest in Peace Jamie Pierre

The ski community suffered a great tragedy last week when Jamie Pierre lost his life in an avalanche at Snowbird. The resort was not yet open, and no avalanche control work had been performed. The area was considered back country, and the snowpack was extremely unstable.

Ever since high school, my friends and I considered Jamie to be one of the gnarliest skiers out there. He dropped the biggest cliffs anyone had ever seen and pioneered some of Utah's famous gap jumps like pyramid gap and the legendary 160-foot Leviathan Gap. He was one of the first Utah hucksters to push the boundaries of reason and constantly blow peoples' minds. In 2006, he broke the world record for biggest cliff jump on a 250 footer in Targhee, Wyoming. He pretty much set the standard for going big in everybody's book.

Last year I got the chance to go out with Jamie along with some other friends in Wolverine Cirque to film with Sweetgrass Productions. It was intimidating to pick out a line in the cirque after Jamie pointed out his aggressive run that culminated in an 80 foot drop at the bottom. Even though the snow in the landing was sluffed out, choppy, and generally non-ideal for such a huge cliff, he committed to his run and sent the massive drop at the end. It was truly amazing to see him work his magic in real life; I'll never forget it.

Here's a video of the above-mentioned run. January 2nd, 2011.

Here's a video of the last interview with Jamie. Although I hardly knew him, his skiing made a big impression on my life. He will go down as one of the most epic people of all time. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Boot Deep by Janky Films

My friends up at Alta just dropped their new film Boot Deep. A beautiful film made in the heart of Little Cottonwood Canyon, this flick has some incredible powder footage, a sweet Wolverine Cirque segment, and a nice Pyramid gap session. What else could you ask for? 

Joystick Presents Sack Lunch

Over the last couple months, Shayne Metos has worked his butt off to make this video project a reality. Compiled from footage taken at Mount Hood this summer, Sack Lunch shows off the talent of Joystick's resident park wizards. The raw skate-style of this movie sets it apart from other park edits. I often find park skiing boring to watch, but this movie is of a different breed.

Pull up a chair, smell the meats, and enjoy Sack Lunch!

Solitaire Premieres in Salt Lake October 5th at Brewvies!

The latest film from Sweetgrass productions, Solitaire, will be premiering at Brewvies Cinema Pub in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, October 5th. This two-year project has already received critical acclaim and won the prestigious award for best cinematography at the iF3 Film Festival in Montreal. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak of the film and it is incredible. If you're going to be in Salt Lake that week, you have to check out this premiere!

Check out their website for entire tour schedule http://www.sweetgrass-productions.com/solitaire.html

Official Trailer:


"On the Road" Episodes

Backcountry Magazine Cover

I was pleasantly surprised last month when a friend informed me I was going to be on the cover of Backcountry Magazine. For a ski bum like myself, getting a cover shot is definitely a dream come true. I put in a lot of time shooting with photographers last year, so it's nice to see the rewards of many hours of hard work. The one that ended up making the cover was taken by local photo wizard Jay Beyer.

This photo was taken on Thanksgiving Day, 2010. It was my first time shooting that season, my first time shooting with Jay, my first published photo, and my first cover. I really liked the way the photo turned out, and was thrilled to hear it was gonna get used. It's ironic that I'm the cover of the 2011 gear guide riding 2009 skis, wearing hand-me-down outerwear from 2007, and an old hand me down helmet and pair of goggles. Such is Life.

Wolverine Cirque. August 19th. Really had to.

The never ending season continued in Wolverine Cirque this week...

Hiking up to Twin Lakes Pass

Epic snow means full mountain reservoirs

Checking out our line

Gearing up

Lexie dropping in

All smiles at the bottom!