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…

First Ascent Hits Tahoe Backcountry

When coastal storms hit the Sierras, it’s time to go “billy goating” for powder, skiing all the steep granite faces that usually don’t hold snow. This past week Tahoe was hit with an epic 6-day storm unloading 5-plus feet of fresh snow. I started the week storm skiing on KT-22 and checking out how some of my favorite lines were starting to fill in. We rode some of the best lines on the upper mountain and then pillaged the “rooms of rock” — skiing all the nooks and crannies for the last stashes of fresh powder Read More…

Tahoe Powder Playground for First Ascent Ski Guides

Heavy snow continues to fall in the Lake Tahoe region.  As predicted, there has been over 4 feet in the past 4 days and more snow is forecasted.  First Ascent guide and local Tahoe patroller Lel Tone has been busy at work throwing bombs and trying to keep the resort open. “It’s been a battle,” admits Tone, “but this is why we live here.” Read More…