When I was younger I used to be a pretty good skier. Growing up in Wyoming I skied Jackson Hole frequently. In college (in Utah) I was an instructor
even for a while. When the heavy snow clouds would shroud the Wasatch mountains I/we would.. **cough, cough**.. get "sick" and not be able to go to
school. And then it was off before daylight to Snowbird or Alta for some of the 'steeps and deeps'. We would be the first ones on the mountain to
ski the high mountain bowls of untracked waist deep powder. Below those bowls we would often have to 'ski the trees' (ski through the trees) and
traverse flats, sometimes even uphill, to get back to the ski area, but it was worth it.
Later, after college, I got in with some guys who lived to ski. Our mission was to ski all the 'big ones'. We skied Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Idaho,
Montana, California, did helicopter skiing in British Columbia. We were "powder hounds". Even took some trips to ski Switzerland and France.
Back then we were at the edge of what people called 'extreme skiing'. We were doing things that other people just didn't do. It was a rush, and it
was fun. We were immortal.
Earlier today I was watching some Youtube videos and I came across one of some guys skiing in France. The name of the video caught me, so I watched
it. I was always up for an interesting lift ride. Turned out the video wasn't so much about a lift ride, but the ski down.
As I watched, I suddenly realized how old I was. Some of today's skiers ski on a level I would have never dreamed possible. We used to see how many
vertical feet we could get in one day. Sometimes 30,000 vertical feet was just another day. These guys make one run, maybe 5,000 vertical feet.
Maybe they get two runs, but they are skiing on a level so much more extreme than anything I ever did it shocks me!
The exposure you are about to see is incredible. One tiny missed step...and you DIE. And it's not just one spot to get through, it's the whole
time.
If you want so see some unimaginable skiing, then take a look at this!
Enjoy! (this one will have you on the edge of your seat...IF you can even watch the whole thing!)
edit on 12/13/2020 by Flyingclaydisk because: (no reason given)
I've only been snow skiing once.
Turns out that it may not be such a good idea for a green-horn to tackle a triple-black diamond slope while intoxicated.
I spent the better half of the trip in a hot tub with a broke-ass knee.