makingturns.com

So I happened to check the weather last night and noticed an upslope starting to develop. Then I checked sno-tel and saw that Grizzly Peak had gotten 8 inches in 3 hours. I had to ski. I had to get some of that goodness. Then I checked CDot and saw that Berthoud and Loveland Passes were closed. Bummer. I at least got to sleep in though and the destination changed to Loveland Ski Area. When I got up there the gate to the Pass was open. Oh Yeah Baby!!!!!! Finally Some Pow. Got 1st tracks down the saddle hike then went back for more and hit some big rocks. 8 inch core shot and cold ears. It was so nice. I’d estimate moisture at about 3%. It fell with almost no wind and bonded well. Pics of random people I skied with for a few runs. Some of you might worry about the lack of packs and avy gear. I’ve been skiing up at Loveland Pass now for almost 20 years and know where to go to keep it safe. I was beeping with gear however in case something went down and anybody needed help.

In an effort to enter the video TR realm I downloaded the demo version of Sony Vegas Pro 9. I’ve used it for 3 videos so far. I like the user interface. I like the ease with which you can blend different scenes and the addition of tracks of music couldn’t be easier. I’m just a novice at this point but the ease of use is making me think that I will get better very quickly. Rendering times don’t seem to be very long , though I have only done a few short clips.

Chopping the clips in the time line is very easy and the playback is easy as well. I messed around with some of the transitions and they seemed very smooth and professional. Being able to add photos is very important and this is also very easy. I need to get a microphone so I can add some commentary. I also am looking forward to mixing/mastering a multi song soundtrack. I have a feeling that this will also be fairly easy.

Well done Sony. I think you have a great tool to make some great videos. I’ll add more thoughts on this software as I use it more. Hope this is helpful

Well I’ve decided to go ahead and get into POV. I figure that with the up coming big mountain season it will add something nice to the trip reports, especially the trips that I end up doing solo. After a bunch of research and looking at the quality of the the TGR videos I settled on the VIO SPORT POV 1.5 Video System . I paid for this myself and am in no way getting any hookup for this review.

Setup of the unit was very simple. Using the menu button you can control everything from the image quality to the mic levels to the brightness of the integrated screen. You can also view your movies on the screen, though this uses a lot of battery life. One draw back concerning this is that the fast forward button only does 2x, but I don’t really watch the movies on the screen anyway. The unit takes 4 AA batteries so keeping them fresh for shooting video is more important to me.

So far I have used this system on 2 trips. The first trip up Mt Helen provided about 1.5 hours of footage. I briefly tried to edit this video down on the provided Vio editing software but found it very cumbersome so I ended up editing with Sony Vegas Pro. I have to say that I was happy with the video quality as a whole, but feel that I need a lot more work on placing the unit on my helmet. The conditions were very bumpy and the detail was still very good. I’m interested to see how it does in smooth powder or corn. I’m also interested to see how it handles brighter conditions.

So the second day was up at Berthoud and I think I’ve found the position on the helmet that I like. I’m not sure if there is something loose in the mount or if my helmet shakes too much. I guess I just need to ski quieter. I like the video quality for sure. The unit turned off mid run though so I think I’m going to try the chest harness next time instead of the inside pocket method I was using. So far I’m really happy with it. I will update and upload more videos in the future.

Got out for some nice runs at Berthoud today. Still trying to dial in the POV, so bear with me as I try and fine tune it. The Perfect Trees and the 110s were skiing very nice today. Floral was pretty played out as were the 90s, almost like a bump run, but fun nonetheless. I was feeling the altitude as I had to go to Florida after Mt Helen and I wasn’t able to get out last week. I was sucking wind by the last lap for sure. Starting to get excited for the lines that are getting filled in by all this new snow. Now we just need some melt freeze.

I’ve been wanting to get up high for a few weeks now. Uncompahgre got my alpine juices flowing but the time just hasn’t seemed to be there to do anything more than ski Berthoud or do lift serve laps. I wasn’t sure what the weather was going to do on this one but we went for it anyway. I’m glad we did. I needed the exercise. It was a fun route with super easy access and OK snow. It was a bit hollow at treeline, but who cares. 2800′ vert and 5 miles round trip. You should try this tour sometime, it’s a great winter tour. The angle isn’t too steep at around 28 average with just one steep zone easily avoidable if the snowpack is like the one we have right now.

It’s also really fun getting out with a new partner. Dan it was great, who’da thought I’d ski BC with the guy that bought my Endorphin’s off Craigslist. You’ve got some good knowledge, and I look forward to the next tour.

MMMM Morning Light in the Mountains

Challenging Skinning in the Sweet Trees ; Read as Sugary

Weather Starting to Fade

A Look Down The South Face of Helen

Another Option on Helen's South Face

Father Dyer/ Mt Helen Ridge. I Did This Solo Back in Jan. '93. FUN

Dan Thinking That He's Gonna Come Back and Ski The South Face When Spring Comes

Get That Ski On

Starting to Get Good About Here

Yep And Here Too

Finally Found Some Snow

I Like This One the Most

I uploaded a portfolio of my art from the days of my youth. Hope you like it.

Art Portfolio

Click the Pic or Follow the Link Above for More

Well thanks to benners from 14ers.com I had beta that Uncompahgre was in from the summit. I knew that it was a great chance to get a long flat slog out of the way so I could save a day in the spring for a steeper line. I drove down the night before and camped at the 2wd trailhead. I got into a fight with my alarm clock in the morning and slept very comfortably till the crack of 7:45.

The route is 5500 vert and 16 miles round trip, though my altimeter only showed 5200 vert. Those are GPS stats from 14ers.com so I’d believe them over my altimeter any day, not to mention the fact that a brief storm was encountered today further throwing off my data. I made good time in my opinion. Summited in exactly 6 hours and had an overall time of 8:30 hours. I would have gone faster had the clouds not parted and given me such beautiful views at the top. I got a clean summit ski and then pieced together a bit more on the summit plateau. The notch gully was blank for 3/4 of it but the skis went back on and stayed on the rest of the way to the trailhead. The snow was a mix of hard soft and crusty. I’d say I got 5350 of the 5500, plus I tucked off the summit so I obviously had the most extreme summit start ever.

After having a bit of a rough stretch after Christmas, I really felt that the best way to go on this trip was solo. I invited a few friends at first but in the end I really ended up wanting to go by myself. I really needed some space to gather my thoughts and reflect on my family and some of the deeper meanings of life. No better place to reflect about the man who introduced me to skiing than to go skiing. No better place to listen than in the mountains. For the mountain’s song is one of peace. I have no God in the Christian sense, but I do have my Church and in times of trouble and sadness so much joy can be found in the struggles and beauty that nature provides. It’s just a place where things are put into perspective for me.

I ran into 14ers.com members bergsteingen and Kansas at the summit. We talked basketball as the Mrs. was/is a KU girl. They grabbed some pics of skiing from the summit plateau. It was good meeting you two. I like the aggressive approach to skiing Uncompahgre for your 1st BC trip Kansas. Way to get after it.

Anyway on to the pictures.

Thinking about Being Ambushed By Lions. So Many Mind Games Going Solo

4WD Trailhead

A bit of Weather Rolling In

If you Don't like the Weather Wait 5 Minutes

Greybrid

Dude Trim Your Beard

The Clouds Parted at the Summit Ridge

Wetterhorn

Great Meeting you and Thanks for the Photog Skills. bergsteingen and Kansas at the summit

A Look off the Summit Cliff

So Fast Off the Top. Photo By Otina

So Fast Off the Top. Good thing I had my Helmet on my Pack. Photo By Otina

Firm. Photo By Otina

Piecing it Together. Photo By Otina

Still trying to figure out the Dynafits. Photo By Otina

Milking the Gully. Photo By Otina

Heading Home. Photo by Otina

Dav Shot

Pretty light.

13er South of Trailhead. Might have to Ski that one Someday