Welcome to the Born Out There Blog. Check back often or subscribe to the RSS feed to get the latest First Ascent announcements, expedition dispatches, downloads and more.
Want to try out the gear the guides are wearing on Everest? FIRSTASCENT.COM
It was quite a year for First Ascent ski guides Reggie and Zach Crist, Lel Tone, Tom Wayes, Erik Leidecker and Kent McBride, as they set out to design the 2010 ski collection. They packed up the First Ascent Airstream back in December in Sun Valley, Idaho and made their way through California, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Washington before catching the ferry to the big mountains of Alaska. Using the Airstream as base camp, the guides designed, tested, redesigned, and retested gear until they finally ended the season with a fifth prototype that will be the basis for final product this fall. We hope you enjoyed the journey as much as we did, and we can’t wait for you to see the gear in time for the 2010 ski season.
The knife-edge ridge leading to the summit of Rainbow Peak arcs into the sky overlooking the brilliant blue ocean and the small town of Haines, Alaska. My ski partner, Sunny, pulls out his rope and feeds it through an anchor system called a ‘dead-man’ as I prepare to walk the fine line to the top.
On belay, I straddle the ridgeline and begin kicking steps into the side of the mountain. Instincts take over as I jam my ice axe above my head and balance for another incremental step. My focus is skyward as I try to ignore the loose snow pouring Read More…
Throughout my heli-ski guiding career I’ve had a few opportunities to work with film, video and still photography production teams. My responsibilities usually include snow stability evaluation, assistance in run selection and emergency back-up. Today, in Haines, I found myself on the other side of the camera with First Ascent ski guide Reggie Crist and SEABA guide Scott “Sunny” Sundberg, while photographer Will Wissman and videographer Vinny Urgo shot our action Read More…
First Ascent junior ski team member, Lexi DuPont, joined the rest of the team in Haines, Alaska for a couple bluebird days of spine skiing. Check out her run down Light Meter “the sickest, most epic run of my entire life” says Dupont.
What does the First Ascent ski guide team do when the heli’s grounded in Alaska? They hit the icy waters and the sleds for a different kind of adventure. Whether it’s crab fishing on the Sundowner or jumping on the snowmobiles for an afternoon ride, there’s no shortage of ways to entertain yourself in America’s last frontier.
The weather finally presents ideal snow conditions, allowing Reggie Crist and the rest of the First Ascent ski guides to log some heli time on the peaks near Haines. Transitioning from ski guide to freeskiing athlete for the day, Reggie descends spines he’s been eyeing for more than a decade.
Following eight days and more than 10 feet of new snow, the skies finally parted for our first “blue bird” day in Haines. The early morning pink light instantly generates enough ambient heat to evaporate the remaining layer of low-lying clouds. Rainbow Peak stands proud above town as we begin our 7:00 a.m. daily guide’s meeting, fueled by copious amounts of caffeine. The dialog is cautiously optimistic as weather observation and snow pack analysis are discussed Read More…
Last week Neil Fiske, Eddie Bauer CEO, flew up to Alaska to check in with First Ascent ski guides Reggie and Zach Crist, hard at work finalizing the new FA ski gear. Haines offers some of the most epic backcountry ascents and heli-skiing in the world and is the perfect location for the final round of field-testing gear before it’s available in-store this fall.
The Crist brothers are in Haines, Alaska in pursuit of big mountain skiing, and to welcome Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures, or SEABA, to the First Ascent family. Putting the guide built philosophy to work, First Ascent has outfitted the entire SEABA heli and cat-skiing guide team in our new ski gear (due in stores this fall). SEABA guides will continue testing the gear day in and day out, providing critical feedback from some of the most demanding terrain in the world.
Subscribe
