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My Parents introduced me to Fly Fishing at about the age of five. We would spend summer weekends hiking to many high lakes in the Colorado backcountry in search of large Cutthroat Trout. Along the way there were wild edible mushrooms to gather and by the end of the day whether sitting around a camp fire or back in the comfort of our home, we would enjoy a feast of wild fresh caught trout and sautee’d wild mushrooms usually accompanied by organically grown veggies from my mom’s garden. It was these experiences that made up the majority of my early education.
Not much has changed since those days of grommithood and I often find myself at a highcountry lake casting for Cutthroats or on the river stalking wild Rainbows and Browns. I find myself drawn to these places not just for the thrill of hooking into a big one, but also for the relaxation of body and mind. For me fly fishing has become a source of meditation. Observing the river and everything around it allows one to experience the natural world at its finest. I believe that by observing the rhythm of the natural environment I am able to see my life from different angles allowing for clearer insights into how I really want to live.
I will often find myself on the river for hours on end and even if the fish aren’t feeding, I always come away feeling relaxed and happy. Fly Fishing in my life has become the perfect antidote for crazy winters spent chasing big mountains and deep snow throughout the world. Skiing at this level is often risky and can weigh heavy on one’s mind. It is necessary to have something to balance this out, for me that balance is being on the river with a fishing rod in hand.

This summer was my second season working as a Fly Fishing guide out of Aspen. We fish both the Roaring Fork River and the Fryingpan which are both gold medal fisheries. During a busy summer you might not get too much personal fishing in but this summer, due to the bottomed out economy, not many people were willing to pay for fishing trips. Despite not making enough money, I was able to do plenty of fishing on my own, as well as take a couple amazing fishing trips around the state. My buddy Mark Welgos and I took a trip over to the Taylor River outside of Gunnison Colorado, in search of monster Rainbows and we also made it down to the lower part of the Gunnison Gorge for the famous Salmon Fly hatch. It was a great summer spent on the river and I am ready, once again, for the snow to fall.

Here are some pics for your enjoyment.

Oh yeah! Taylor River Bow

Welgos with a nice Taylor River Fish

Salmon Fly, The largest of the stonefly family. Gunnison River

Big bugs = hungry fish

Salmon Fly Casings

Toad: Bugs and critters everywhere in this desert oasis

Collared Lizard

Salmon Flies everywhere thousands upon thousands.

Dinner: Fresh Trout with Onions and lemon baked in hand made rock oven!

Fishing at 11'000 ft

Trout and Chantrelles

Frying Pan Hawg

Hello anyone and everyone!

I am back from my summer blogging hiatus. Once again summer flew by when it seems like we just stopped skiing, yet another season of skiing is upon us. The mountains in Colorado are showing off a beautiful new layer of fresh and many ski resorts around the state have opened their lifts. We are still a week out from opening here in Aspen but soon enough we won’t recall the painful wait and the days of bliss will all begin to run together with only the most epic of the epic standing out. The stoke is definitely in the air and the countdown is almost over, but before the mayhem begins I would like to share some spring and summer adventures so when it is cold and gray and not snowing, we can all remember just how nice all the other seasons are!

I will start where I left off! Haines… and we’re not talking about the underwear. After returning from Japan last spring, I had about two weeks to enjoy the last of the snow in Colorado before heading to Haines, Alaska. My buddy Nick DeVore and myself met up with Noah Howell of PowderWhore productions as well as fellow telemarkers Andy Jacobsen, Andy Rosenberg, and our trip photographer Jay Beyer in Salt Lake City. We then flew to Juneau where we did some shopping before boarding the ferry to Haines. Our original plan was to fly into a zone and spend ten days touring and skiing to our hearts content. But Alaska is Alaska and we were on weather hold for the first four days. Finally the weather cleared and we got our first look at the mountains surrounding the small town of Haines. Everyone was awe struck by these peaks which held some of the steepest and most amazing terrain I have ever seen.
After spending the last four or five days hanging in the motel or fishing in the rain it was nice to get some sunshine and to see what Haines is really all about. The next morning it was still somewhat clear and we finally got the green light. We headed out to the airport and our pilot, Drake Olson began shuttling us two at a time up to the glacier. Do to too much snow for a safe landing in other zones we couldn’t be too picky but for the most part we ended up in a pretty amazing area. When everyone was in the gear was unloaded and Drake bid us farewell. It was a crazy feeling being out in the middle of such a huge mountain landscape and watching the plane disappear over the horizon. Especially when Drakes last words were, “If the weather moves back in you guys could be here for a while.”
The weather did move back in but only for a day or two and after it rolled through we were blessed with one of the most amazing bluebird days I have ever seen in AK. As is a common saying, “you only really need one good day in Alaska,” we definitely got ours. We toured up and over two ridges, about 4 miles from camp and found some amazing terrain. Our first lines of the day consisted of some small AK mini golf. They were steep and there was a thin un-bonded layer of wind loaded snow that slid on everyone’s first run. Luckily no one got taken for a ride but this definitely got the adrenaline pumping. Throughout the rest of the day we each got to ski two more bigger lines without incident. Being that this was the first blue day in a while after lots of new snow, as the sun warmed everything up the mountains started to come down. There were natural slides coming down on all the south facing slopes and the rumbling could be heard from miles away. It was by far one of the most exhilarating and humbling ski experiences of my life. I don’t recall ever feeling more alive than that one day in AK.
The remainder of our stay on the glacier was on and off with weather moving in and out. We were able to ski some more mini golf lines including a very steep smaller face that dropped into a wind lip then rolled over again. It was like having a dream line that was directly followed by a money booter. We all were able to get two lines in the evening pumpkin light before heading back to our camp. The next day, we got a call from Drake saying that there was a big storm on the way and if we didn’t bail that afternoon we could be in it for the long haul. We toured to some closer lines and got our last turns in before packing up camp and flying out. Drake gave us an amazing ride out that had my stomach in my throat pretty much the entire time. It was the perfect ending to another trip into the unknown and just gave us a small taste of what those amazing mountains have to offer. I left Alaska with a much deeper respect for the power of the mountains, and thankful that I was granted safe passage through the rugged environment. It is with this humility and respect that I will travel through the mountains in the seasons to come.

Here are a few pics from Haines for your enjoyment.