Magazine Test Season

The Blade. Killing it with or without skis full time.

The phrase "flurry of activity" doesn't quite do justice to the last few weeks. Since SIA I've done time in California, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, more Utah, and most recently home here in Colorado. It's had it's ups and downs, but skis, snow, and fun reign supreme.

The terrain in Taos is unreal, and the snow has been good all season.

 

 

New Mexico was a riot, we skied some great snow and poked some fun in good-nature...

Three Klint Employees in a row make... Racist smurfs?

In between all the driving I have to stop and tune skis in weird places. I've been in half a dozen random basements in the last couple months. This next one is the best.

Secret Rad Basement in SLC. Soo many skis.

Little Cottonwood Canyon is just amazing. The view from Alta is great even on a low snow year.

The it was off to Freeskier test. Aspen is a silly place, and when you pack a bunch of pros, edit staff, and ski reps in the same place things get a little out of hand. Here are some of the pictures I CAN show...

Bight sun and Brighter colors. Freeskier has fun.

A certain ski tester getting an extra workout after testing.

This dude 360'd off this railing. And kept the monkey on his back.

We're off to Targhee this week for a team trip! More to come soon.

Back in the Saddle

The Squaw Tram high over the Liberty Van

 The last couple weeks have been a little wild to say the least. After leaving Colorado last week the I've put on two thousand miles and made stops at 5 resorts.

Chicken and Waffles. Demo Tour Rules don't let you skip this meal.

 In California we traded storm clouds for sunshine, and busted out the grill at the demos. After four grueling days of retailers checking out 2013 product we became one of the more popular tents as starving retailers and other indy ski companies. You're welcome Rocky Mountain Underground!

Thumbs up Spotting!

Not much snow at Mammoth this year, but I'll take some Spring skiing early.

 After all the driving I'm here in Utah getting ready for some on hill demos, and a Public Demo at Alta on Friday and Saturday. We'll also be giving away skis three times this week! Three Times!

Tonight in park city at the No Name bar, Thursday in Ogden at Brewskis, and Friday night at the Canyon Inn in SLC. Drink some Coors and win some skis!

The Best way to settle anything. Snakes and Ladders.

Back in the 'rado.

Sunset shot from the Saddle of the Demo Van.

"You don't leave Jackson Hole during a storm." Ask anyone who has ever skied Jackson during a storm and they will tell you that phrase is surely somewhere in the New Testament. But, in sub-zero temps, with this winter's largest storm barreling straight towards the Tetons and 55 inches in the forecast, that's exactly what I had to do. Sure I thought about staying, but the price for getting paid to ski all over the country is having a schedule to keep, and skiers to make happy. That, and if I was having any more fun I'd just be greedy.

Lost Trail. More than meets the eye.

Before I got to Jackson Hole I did a demo stop at Lost Trail. Lost Trail? Huh? Where is that? Lost Trail is a smaller locals hill on the Montana/Idaho border. Filled with fixed grip chairs, flannels, and plenty of powder, Lost Trail kicks ass. The locals live for skiing, and for a tiny hill, Lost Trail holds some legit, scare-yourself-silly terrain. I even had some help from Missoula's Back Country Racks. Check them out at backcountryfreeskier.com. Little hills might lack the glam of big resorts, but the people who ski them everyday are just as dedicated as any "Big Resort INC" ski area. They all love Liberty as well.

Best way to get ready for a not-so-big day.

I left Lost Trail with some happy Liberty converts, as well as a well fed ski patrol thanks to Clif Bar. From there I went straight to Jackson Hole and did as all should do in a Mountain Town in Wyoming. Played cards and prayed for snow instead of luck. As posted earlier the snow is coming, but I'm already gone. Instead, I took out some shop locals on a special sneak preview of next years skis. In turn they showed me some Jackson Hole secrets. I never imagined going caving at a resort.

The Blue Room. Nuff said.

 Now I'm looking forward to a Liberty Underground at Eldora this Friday. Meet at 1pm at the top of the Corona Chairlift. Be ready for impromptu contests that will favor no one. Expect swag from Liberty, Trew, Poc, Discrete, Kicker Audio, Clif Bar, and Hestra. Don't forget the demo on Saturday at Monarch this weekend either!

G
 

Bozeman or Bust... A re-cap.

Choppers, Bikes, and Ski Tunes. One Hell of a Garage.

My time in the Northwest is dwindling, and in the last few weeks I've had more than my fair share of fun. From my first sunrise outside of a truck stop in Oregon to this last weekend in Bozeman there hasn't been a dull moment. I've skied deep snow, skidded on ice, been buried in ClifBar wrappers, tuned skis in frigid garages filled with motorcycles, and slept on more couches than I can count.

The view from the top of Lone Peak doesn't suck...

Bozeman was a blast. The pilot Liberty Underground project was interesting. The snow was soo icy it was possible to see your own reflection in it. Wild. We made the best of it and had fun.

Turns out the van doesn't charge through soft snow. Thanks Cat!

I'll be headed to Lost Trail, this weekend before heading back to Colorado to do a bigger and better Liberty Underground event at Eldora Friday January 20th. Meet me at noon in the parking lot. There will be more prizes from Kicker, POC, TREW, Clif Bar, Hestra, and Discrete. more contests, and a cookout afterwards. On Liberty. Come join the fun!

Liberty Underground

Liberty Skis recognizes all the best parts of skiing, from deep days and first tracks to just cruising with friends and hanging out in the parking lot afterwards. To celebrate that we’re proud to announce a new series of events called Liberty Underground. How does it work? Follow Liberty via the Demo Tour and Facebook. Liberty Underground Events will be announced a week or so in advance and will be kept totally informal.

Liberty Underground #1 will take place Noon, Friday January 6^th at Bridger Bowl Montana. Look for the Liberty Van in the Parking Lot. We’ll meet up grab some turns, get some video of shredding the best Bridger has to offer. We’ll have some informal contests for chances at winning prizes from Hestra, Poc, Kicker Audio, Trew, Discrete Headwear, and Clif Bar. Sound good? See you there.

Keep tabs for the next event, which will take place Friday January 20^th at Eldora Mountain in Colorado. 

Come Party!

Demo Tour Whirlwind Results in Snow

Better Words Don't Exist.

I'd like to think that the over 2,000 miles I logged in 5 days have something to do with Winter deciding to show up to the party. The whirling forces spreading off the van's perpetually moving wheels must have created enough of a tumult to dissipate the high-pressure system hovering above the Rockies like an the alien ships from the movie Independence Day. I'm pretty sure meteorologists will tell us otherwise.

Chaos on the Road

 The route up to Mt. Bachelor from Liberty World HQ was mostly a smooth one. I saw some serious carnage, drove a van filled with skis through the middle of Utah's desert, and spent some time sleeping in a truck stop. Between the Kicker sound system and sneaking into my supply of Clif Bars I managed to drive through the night and into Oregon. The snow was better than the locals said it was (They're spoiled in the North West) and then got set up for a demo in the middle of the one shady patch at Mt. Bachelor under a cloudless sky. Oh well.

Mt. Bachelor is a pretty place.

 Then it was off to 49 Degrees North and Schweitzer for some Demoing and riding with the Ski Patrol. It was pretty amazing teaching a bunch of Patrolers that they could ski the same terrain on wider skis with less effort after getting them to change their technique.

Just Dumping!

Finally I made it home to Missoula for Christmas. The best part? Over 10 inches and an empty parking lot. After some serious time spent riding express chairs and paying for parking it's good to remember why showing up to the "local" hill can be so good. Video up soon!

Looking forward to more deep days!

Enjoy the winter and Happy Holidays.

-G

Butte to Bend. N-Dub Here We Go!

Crested Butte. The grinch rode down this on a sled to deliver gifts to the Whos.

Crested Butte was a RIOT. Between the National Brotherhood of Skiers, a river of Coors, and some fantastic sunshine I barley made it out alive. There are few authentic mountain towns these days, and Crested Butte is one of them for sure. The people are friendly, the hill is steep, and everyone rips.

Is that a Ski-bow?

I may have witnessed one of the first ever Ski-Bows as a free-heeler was inspired by Denver Bronco's QB Tim Tebow. I'm not a football fan but I thought this was hilarious. Two points for the tele crowd. I also got to hang out with the locals on my day off. Crested Butte knows how to spend a sunny Sunday on the deck for sure.

Nothing beats a Bloody.

In other news we got our gear in from Discrete! You've never looked so good keeping your ears warm.

Soo many Colors! First person to guess mine in the comments wins a Hat.

 Getting ready for the tour has been an adventure on it's own right. Between packing up, saying good byes to everyone here in Avon, and sampling strange Chinese beverages things can get a little different. We don't only just play Foosball.

Jake's Game Face.

Now the sneak peak of next year's gear...

As you can see next years graphics rock

We've been getting ready to unveil all of next years products at the trade shows. Here's your first peek at next years skis. The graphics are better than ever, and they ski well too!

 
Lastly the Van is finally stickered up and ready to hit the road. I'll be at Mt.Bachelor Saturday, 49 Degrees North on Sunday, and Schweitzer on Tuesday. What's up Northwest!