Posted by Jack Brauer on April 10, 2010 at 3:14 PM
Last November I moved up to Jackson Hole to spend the winter here. Now that my season here is wrapping up, I've compiled a gallery of my favorite skiing and snowboarding photos from the winter:
This shot here is from the Canon 5D2; however, most of these action shots were taken with a Panasonic GF1 + 20mm lens. I've grown to love this camera for ski/snowboard shooting. It's small enough for me to carry in my jacket's chest pocket, and the fixed 20mm lens seems to be a perfect length for the style of ski shooting I'm doing (where I'm always riding the lines with the skier/snowboarder - never far away with a telephoto). Using the pre-half-press-autofocus and the continuous shooting mode (~3 fps), it's fast enough to capture the action as the rider is zooming by me.
Anyhow, it's been a fun winter but now I am so excited for summer! I'm returning home to Ouray at the beginning of May and looking forward to a summer of backpacking and photography!
Posted by Dan Walters on April 10, 2010 at 3:34 PM
Great action images! Really like the sunset skiing images. The light is incredible!
Posted by Kurt Bowman on April 10, 2010 at 4:11 PM
Excellent collection of ski shots Jack! The action is incredible! I also like the posted shot.
Posted by Todd Caudle on April 10, 2010 at 4:19 PM
Man, that is some sick sh*t! I've got a million questions, but I'll just ask a few. But I first want to say I love the terminology sprinkled into your captions: snowboard track at a "lower frequency" -- perfect!; "slackcountry"; "an interesting ridgeline," where here I assume "interesting" means "death-defying," or "sphincter-puckering." I mean, come ON, LOOK at that freakin' cornice!!!; Moving on: "boosts a method off a windlip" -- boosts a method off a windlip??? Are you kidding me??? That's classic!; finally, and maybe my favorite: "cold-smoke powder" Ahhh, cold-smoke powder, I can feel it creeping into my nostrils as I glide through the trees.
Question #1: Did you already know all these people, or did you make friends on the fly? I imagine the community of "slackcountry" skiers must be fairly small and tight-knit, where a guy with your experience level can move up to Jackson and fit right in.
Question #2: What about avalanches? So many of your shots look like what I would assume to be high-probability avalanche zones. How in the world do you know when/where to, and when/where not to ski? I'm not a skier, but these places you go just seem so gnarly and dangerous.
Fantastic Images Jack, glad you got one last blast of snow. I finally got my split-board setup and I'm loving those sparks. Thanks for the recommendation. If you ever decide to come up here this summer you should let me know.
Posted by Jack Brauer on April 10, 2010 at 4:59 PM
Thanks for the comments!
Todd - Glad you like the terminology! I was already good friends with Jason King, my main riding partner (who was also my roommate this winter). He's lived here for about a decade, so I met and rode with a lot of his snowboard buddies. I also knew some of these guys from back in '02 when I spent a winter in Las Leñas, Argentina. And finally, some of those people are friends from the San Juans who came up to visit.
As for avalanches, yes that is a constant concern! We ride with avy beacons, shovels, and probes; but most importantly we try to use good judgement - avoid terrain traps, ride terrain suited to the avy danger, and use safe protocol when riding (keep your partner in sight and stop in safe places). So far so good. Also, the avy conditions in the Tetons tend to be more stable in general than I'm used to in the San Juans (I've noticed here that Coloradans tend to be a bit more cautious, careful, and wary about avalanches).
Jeremy - That's great you got your splitboard setup! Say goodbye to snowshoes! I'll let you know if I make it up to Montana. Also let me know if you make it down to the San Juans!
That is an impressive collection of images, Jack! Excellent action and conditions.
Posted by Bert Fukuda on April 10, 2010 at 6:10 PM
Jack ~ That's a sweet a$$ series. I wish we had that much pow here this season. On a another note, my wife just got a nice splitboard setup and went the sparks as well. Loves them!!!
Freaking awesome shots, Jack. I love the shot of Cody Peak. Just excellent!
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on April 10, 2010 at 10:02 PM
What an incredible set of action shots!
Looks like you had an incredibly fun winter!
Posted by Paul Wegemann on April 10, 2010 at 10:52 PM
I'm living vicariously through your adventures, Jack. Thanks for the thrills and great photography.
Posted by Amy Lindsey on April 11, 2010 at 1:39 AM
Some of those shots give me serious acrophobia! Great stuff!
Posted by Darren Huski on April 11, 2010 at 5:02 AM
Those are some awesome images! Sounds like a great way to spend the winter.
You are living well.
Posted by Don George on April 11, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Looks like you had a great winter. Maybe we'll pass on the road as I'm heading up there for a couple of weeks the first of May. Have you heard of any recent bear activity?
Posted by Paul Beiser on April 11, 2010 at 10:46 AM
Most awesome Jack, I have really enjoyed your weekly shots on your blog. Thanks for the tip on that camera as well. Welcome home soon!
Posted by Kalin Wilson on April 11, 2010 at 10:49 AM
Excellent! That's a great way to spend the winter! Best of luck with the move back, I'm looking forward to your summer exploits!
Posted by Kathryn Engle on April 12, 2010 at 12:46 AM
Cool! I love going there to ski. Jackson area (Tetons, etc) is great for summer backpacking and hiking too. You should continue to stay over for the summer months. Do you ever get over to Targhee? (I'm an Idahoan)
Discussion
21 replieshttp://www.widerange.org/gallery/jackson-hole-winter/
This shot here is from the Canon 5D2; however, most of these action shots were taken with a Panasonic GF1 + 20mm lens. I've grown to love this camera for ski/snowboard shooting. It's small enough for me to carry in my jacket's chest pocket, and the fixed 20mm lens seems to be a perfect length for the style of ski shooting I'm doing (where I'm always riding the lines with the skier/snowboarder - never far away with a telephoto). Using the pre-half-press-autofocus and the continuous shooting mode (~3 fps), it's fast enough to capture the action as the rider is zooming by me.
Anyhow, it's been a fun winter but now I am so excited for summer! I'm returning home to Ouray at the beginning of May and looking forward to a summer of backpacking and photography!
Question #1: Did you already know all these people, or did you make friends on the fly? I imagine the community of "slackcountry" skiers must be fairly small and tight-knit, where a guy with your experience level can move up to Jackson and fit right in.
Question #2: What about avalanches? So many of your shots look like what I would assume to be high-probability avalanche zones. How in the world do you know when/where to, and when/where not to ski? I'm not a skier, but these places you go just seem so gnarly and dangerous.
Todd - Glad you like the terminology!
As for avalanches, yes that is a constant concern! We ride with avy beacons, shovels, and probes; but most importantly we try to use good judgement - avoid terrain traps, ride terrain suited to the avy danger, and use safe protocol when riding (keep your partner in sight and stop in safe places). So far so good. Also, the avy conditions in the Tetons tend to be more stable in general than I'm used to in the San Juans (I've noticed here that Coloradans tend to be a bit more cautious, careful, and wary about avalanches).
Jeremy - That's great you got your splitboard setup! Say goodbye to snowshoes!
So good in fact, that I had a sense of being there. Thanks for sharing these here!
- Dan.
Looks like you had an incredibly fun winter!
You are living well.
Theyre all great, but 1, 2,13, &19 are the standouts for me. Ill be looking for your name in all the ski/board zines.
Well done!!