Stoke-o-meter Extremely High as First Ascent Ski Guides Wrap Up Season

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.

First Ascent Guide Tom Wayes Gets His Ultimate Day in Haines, AK

By Tom Wayes:

Throughout my guiding career, I have been on a quest for the ultimate day – whether it’s with friends on a personal trip or with clients. As a guide, you are trying to balance taking people where you want to go and where they should go Read More…

Erik Leidecker Enjoys the Other Side of the Camera

By Erik Leidecker:

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…

Lexi DuPont’s First Shot at Alaskan Spine Skiing

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.

Down Time in Alaska No Worries for First Ascent Ski Team

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.

First Ascent Guide Erik Leidecker Transitions to Alaska

By Erik Leidecker

Alaska backcountry pilot, Drake Olson, waits for a lull in the wind and then guns the throttle. His plane, a highly modified Cessna 180 equipped with skis for snow landings, lifts off circles around and heads back towards the tiny airport in Haines, AK Read More…

First Blue Bird Day in Haines

By Reggie Crist

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…

Sacrificing the Big Mountains for Something Even Bigger

By Zach Crist

Although we’ve had a few great days of skiing in the last week, we haven’t had much in the way of sunshine to document the magic of Haines the way it deserves. With more than 10 feet of new snow in the high country and a strong likelihood of widespread blower conditions, it was time for a sacrifice – someone to willingly go against all rational thinking by packing his bags and leaving the team in Alaska Read More…

Southern Utah First Descent Playground for Lexi duPont

I recently took a trip to Southern Utah to ski terrain that hasn’t seen this much snow in upwards of 30 years. A giant amphitheater of towering red rocks above 10,000 ft., the conditions provided a great adventure through untouched lands.

The canyon looked like one giant terrain trap with one-hundred-foot cliffs at the top of the rim guarding everything that looked skiable. The good snow funneled into what looked like steep and unmanageable gullies. We spent the entire first day assessing the terrain and analyzing the snow pack in order to form well-crafted opinions about the area. The next day we were lucky to find an entrance into the giant sand castle and the snow was stable enough to ski everything in sight. It was the best skiing of my life. I hope you enjoy the eye candy.

First Ascent Ski Guides Join K2 shoot at Monarch

First Ascent ski guides, Reggie and Zach Crist, design and test gear from head to foot working with both Eddie Bauer and Northwest ski company K2. This past week, they spent a few days skiing powder in Monarch, Colorado to capture photography in support of the 2011 K2 ski line.