So It has been a bit since I last got my blog on, but as usual life has been extremely busy. Between early season training, ski season getting underway, work, and the Holidays, I haven’t had much time for much else but eating and sleeping. But now that the frantic Holiday season is over I can finally take the time to get organized and prepared for the rest of the season.
So far Aspen has been doing really well in terms of snow. As usual everyone was a little worried around Thanksgiving as we were skiing the white ribbon of death past patches of dirt and sticks. But it did start snowing and by the end of December we had reached the 100 inch mark. The snow has been amazing and light and despite a week long high pressure that hit us this last week allowing for big hard moguls to form, the snow came again and the amazing conditions are back. After having such an amazing season last year it has taken a little while to get back into the groove. This feeling also has a little to do with the fact that the backcountry has been extremely sketchy. Natural slides from wind loading and buried depth hoar have been occurring and it has kept everyone on piste. Hopefully the snow continues to fall and the backcountry settles out but until then we will continue to enjoy the fresh snow in bounds.
On another note, “The Ripple Effect” a film by Futuristic Films had it’s world premier this Friday at the Wheeler Opera House in the Center of Aspen. The film, produced by Aspen Snowmass was a project focused on capturing the epic winter of 2007-08. It also pays tribute to Snowboarder Wallace Westfeldt who died during a backcountry shoot for the film. Wallace was an extremely talented snowboarder and I am very fortunate to have called him a friend. The film also features my sister Kate Cardamone, Chris Davenport, Stian Davenport, Pat Sewell, Gretchen Bleiler and myself. It is a beautiful film, shot entirely in 16mm and remastered in HD. It features amazing lines skied all around Aspen and Snowmass both on Mountain and in the backcountry. Many lines featured could only be skied last season due to the large amount of snow. I highly recommend checking out this film if you get the chance.
Here is a sequence of me from the film. Pillowlicious!
Here are some early season pics to check out. Hope you enjoy.
Calling upon Ullr to bless us with freshies
Early season blower
My sister Kate making it look good
Hello,
I am getting back on it after a much needed relaxing summer and amazing start to my fall season. After such an action filled winter last season this time was very necessary to get my mind off skiing for a while and enjoy some other activities. Due to the fact that my credit card bill was looking a little overweight from the winter, work was also necessary. Being the outdoor person that I am, I always look for a job that is somewhat enjoyable and outside. This can mean anything from landscaping to construction, both well-paying jobs in the Aspen area. Instead of pounding nails or pulling weeds all day, I opted to work as a safety kayaker for a local rafting company. I have kayaked since I was about fourteen and have always loved the river so getting paid to kayak wasn’t a hard decision.
Due to the extreme amount of snow that we received over winter, the rivers were raging. The main run that I was working is a 5 mile class four that literally starts in Aspen on the Roaring Fork River. It is known as Slaughterhouse. The best thing about this run is that the action is more or less constant so from the time you put in till the take-out you are paddling. As a safety kayaker, my job is to look for trees and logs that may have washed down overnight, as well as pull anyone out who falls in and gets too far away from the raft. Being that we are in Aspen, and that there are no real restrictions on who we take down except for age, you never know who you’re going to get, and when the whole raft flips and people are bobbing down the rapids everywhere the job can be pretty exciting.
Now the problem is that this certain whitewater run only lasts about halfway through the summer before rafts can no longer make it down. This is too bad because at this point in the summer I am no longer needed and once again unemployed. But this year I had a plan. Last summer I began fly fishing again and I really got back into it this summer. I have fly fished since I was six but due to other activities during my teenage years I took a break. Now that my interest was back and stronger than ever, I decided to try guiding. I was offered a job through Aspen Fly Fishing and was able to pick up guiding very quickly. It is definitely the perfect job for me. Not only do I spend all my time on the river, but I get to show people the beauty of the place that I call home. Once again it is Aspen so you never know who you’re gonna get, and some of the people just don’t know how to appreciate the outdoors and its endless beauty, but for every person like that you get ten that are just blown away by their surroundings. Seeing this definitely has heightened my appreciation for my home and all that it has to offer.
Here are some pics from my summer hope you enjoy.
