Weather forecast on K2 was stated to be excellent. It was clear when Fredrik Ericsson left for the summit, but suddenly a very strong storm moved in. Fredrik, Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and other climbers were already near the top, but something went wrong and Fredrik fell.

According to Austria Press Agency (APA), German climber Ralf Dujmovits (Kaltenbrunner’s husband), who had initially made the K2 climb, confirmed there had been a serious accident. Gerlinde was able to return to Camp IV, and is already coming down from K2.

Conditions on the mountain have not been easy. The team has reported numerous avalanches.

According to Wikipedia, Fredrik Ericsson was born in Sweden on 1975. During the summer of 2003 Ericsson climbed and skied the 7495 meters high Peak Communism in Tajikistan. In 2004 he became the first Swede to ski descend the  8000-meters peak when he skied from the central summit of Shisha Pangma (8012m) in Tibet. In 2005 Ericsson and his Norwegian friend Jörgen Aamot made an attempt to ski the coveted Laila Peak (6069m) in Pakistan were forced to turn back due to bad weather condition. Same year they also skied from the summit of Gasherbrum II (8035m). Ericsson returned to the Himalayas in 2007 to attempt Dhaulagiri (8167m) in Nepal. Massive amount of snow and dangerous conditions forced him to turn around at 8000 meters from where he skied 3000 vertical meters down to base camp.

This is a sad day. Fredrik Ericsson was attempting to ski world’s three highest peaks: Mount Everest, K2 and Kanchenjunga. I still remember how excited and enthusiastic Fredrik Ericsson and Trey Cook were when I received Trey’s email from Peshawar. They were really looking forward to climb and ski K2. We agreed to publish several stories with stunning photos from K2, and I was eager to hear all the news from Fredrik and Trey, but it all went different.

Our thoughts go out to Fredrik Ericsson’s family and friends.

“Skiing the high snowy mountains of Afghanistan would be a dream come true for many backcountry skiers, but as we all know, it is not possible as long as the fighting keeps going on in the country.” – Marko, Homeboy ski.

At the time Marko was writing this in the Autumn of 2009, Afghanistan had already seen a number of skiers on its slopes and was preparing the ground work to accept its first batch of foreign back country skiers. As with many things about Afghanistan, the public perception of the country is often very different to actual life on the ground.

Picture taken by Chad Dear, March 2010

Ever since the International forces ousted the Taliban regime in 2001, intrepid foreign workers have been heading to the slopes near Kabul for some escapism during the winter months and today a small group now regularly use the slopes of the Salang Pass for few runs each week. In the winter of 2009 the Bamian valley in Central Afghanistan has had its first injection of a US$1.5 million investment to boost its fledgling tourism industry. Local guides have been trained to show how the region, most famous for its giant standing Buddhas which were destroyed by the Taliban 9 years ago, can be a year round tourist attraction. Two American ski consultants spent last winter there and can confirm that the slopes of Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush range is one of the worlds finest backcountry ski areas. Already the prospect of ski tourism has attracted some media interest and it seems that against all odds Afghanistan can be a ski destination.

The development plan in Bamian is to first attract foreign workers from Kabul and wealthier Afghanis before trying to attract foreign tourists in 3-5 years time but Untamed Borders, a travel company from the UK, is already advertising places for Afghanistan’s first ski tour in March 2011.

Untamed Borders is a small niche travel company that organises guides and trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan. They want to use their experience, knowledge and long lasting relationships in Afghanistan to allow back country skiers a unique experience that will be as much a cultural exploration as a skiing trip. Their itinerary intends to allow the guests to follow the routes pioneered by the ex-pat workers in the Salang Pass and then to use the services of the newly trained local guides in the Bamian region. They will also encourage the skiers to bring extra second hand ski equipment to help stock the fledgling local ski rental business of Bamian.

Picture taken by Chad Dear, March 2010

It seems incredible that peaceful pockets can exist in Afghanistan. However, one of the things that has driven the violence in Afghanistan is the fact the country is made up of many different ethnic and religious groups who are often distrustful of each other. Bamian is the home of the Hazara. The Hazara are descendants of an army left as a garrison by Genghis Khan and have mongaloid, oriental faces. They are also Shia muslims in a country dominated by Sunnis. Over the years they have persecuted and neglected by various governments and it is only since the US and ISAF forces have been in the country that schools, hospitals and roads have been built here. This is why the security situation there is far removed from the Pashtun led insurgency you see on the news in the southern provinces.

Untamed Borders use guides that have worked in Afghanistan since 1997 and have a deep understanding of the risks involved in travel to the country and where it is possible to travel safely and why. They have many friends in all the places on the trip who give them up to the minute information on what is really going on.

The question still remains whether Afghanistan, a country with poor infrastructure, no ski lifts and possibly crucially, where alcohol is illegal, can really attract skiers from Europe and America that are used to their creature comforts. However, it is clear that it will not be for a lack of opportunity should the brave wish to make the trip.

Photo: www.FredrikEricsson.com

Ericsson and Cook travelled from Islamabad to Hushe via Skardu where the trek into Laila Peak base camp began. As reported the team found the deepest snow in the Gondogoro valley in at least 15 years. The team attempted a ski descent of Laila Peak but were turned back 300 meters from the summit by deep, unstable snow. However, Ericsson did enjoy a 1000 vertical meter descent on Laila’s pristine, 45-degree northwest face.
 
Following their attempt to ski Laila Peak, Ericsson and Cook and 18 porters took three days to cross the Gondogoro-la pass, swing through Concordia and arrive at K2 base camp.

Photo: www.FredrikEricsson.com

The team reports that conditions on K2 are favorable and will be heading up the Cesen Route tomorrow to Camp 1 for an early round of acclimatizion and to scope the route.
 
To learn more of the team’s adventure check out their Ski K2 blog at www.FredrikEricsson.com or Facebook site Fredrik Ericsson – Ski Mountaineering.

Hey Steve, what is Packlate.com?

Packlate.com is an online marketplace where you find and book great deals on last minute vacation rentals.  We opened the marketplace this winter with vacation rental properties throughout the US Rockies including top destinations like Aspen, Breckenridge, Dillon, Keystone, Telluride, and many others…

Nice. It sounds like many good North American ski resorts are included. Anyhow, Packlate seems not to be the only player on the market, so what sets Packlate.com apart from other travel booking sites?

Packlate.com offers members (it is free to join) big discounts on premium vacation rentals.  In fact, many discounts are 50% or more.  The way it works is that prices drop as you get closer to the check-in date – so when booking with PackLate, procrastinators win! PackLate customers can closely track moving vacation home rental prices all the way down to hugely discounted levels.  Packlate.com also has great customer service with a goal of answering all questions in less than 60 minutes.

How has the site been received by users?

As a result of our unique approach to pricing and rapidly changing discounts, we have recently been featured in a number of US publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Budget Travel, among others.  We are also quickly becoming a favorite destination for skiers who are looking for big discounts in North American vacation rentals.

Pretty cool. So Steve, what inspired you to start Packlate.com?

I got the idea after owning two properties in Park City, Utah, where vacancy rates have reached 50 percent during the economic downturn, and finding that I could cut my losses by steeply discounting rates at the last minute.  I couldn’t stand a night to go unused. So I set-up Packlate.com to offer steep discounts to customers on last minute vacation rentals.  This benefits both the customer (great deals) and the property managers (higher occupancy rates).

Interesting. Thanks Steve!

I tried Packlate by searching deals in Park City, Utah and Aspen, Colorado. I wanted to travel between March 18th and March 22nd. As a result I got 100+ properties with many offering a discount over 30%.  Seems like sweet deals to me.  I was also able to set “price drop alerts” so I could stay up to date as prices moved down as the check in date moved closer.  The one catch is that when you set a price drop alert, other consumers are alerted that “others are watching this property” so it’s a bit of a game that you carefully have to manage your watches and choose when to book so you don’t lose out on your great vacation rental deal.

Are you guys using the Internet to find vacation rentals? Any experiences you can share?

This is how the marketing message of iSki Instructor begins. Although I have seen already quite a few similar ads I got curious and wanted to know more about this particular application, so instead of reading and trusting the whole marketing bribe I wanted to hear more from the company behind iSki application. I contacted  Pernille Slot who runs the Danish company and shot few hot questions.

Interviewing Pernille Slot – the creative founder and owner of Danish iSki company

[Hometown Boy]: Pernille, what’s the purpose of iSki application? As a self-learned skier, snowboarder and telemarker I’s like to know what kind of benefits such an application provides to skiers?

[Pernille]: I believe you “Homeboys” are already experienced and skillful skiers, so I wouldn’t recommend iSki exactly to you, but people who are learning to ski can benefit from using iSki application. Having iSki on your iPhone or iPod Touch you can listen to how you get into the most optimal skiing position and you can also watch live on the screen how your are doing the exercises. This way you can start preparing yourself at home or on your way to the destination and listen to iSki’s guiding when you are on the slopes. If you find special interest in certain chapters you can choose to practice them as many times as you like.

[Hometown Boy]: All right, I see. I’d like to dig this a bit more, so could you describe who exactly needs “a ski instructor in a pocket”?

[Pernille]: I would say iSki Basic is for you

• who have been skiing more than 3 weeks
• who would like a dynamic skiing style
• who would like a nice relaxed and stable skiing style
• who would like to learn how to control the speed during turning
• who would like to learn how to carve ski

In fact iSki is not meant to be used only by beginners. It could also help experienced skiers who have been away from the skies for a little while, to find there balance point again. It`s a good brush up for everybody who is not standing on skis several months a year. So for the common ski enthusiasts who have few weeks a year time to ski, and who would like to develop their skiing from the beginning, I would say iSki brings them faster to the point where they can start developing instead of using a day or two to adjust body to the new environment. Start with iSki and develop to the level you want.

[Hometown Boy]: May be my next question is a bit silly, but do you personally use your own product?

[Pernille]: No, it’s not silly at all. I do use iSki when I go skiing. I have the opportunity to do my ski lessons when I like to and as many times as I like. Basically with iSki you get your own personal ski instructor for less than the price of one ski lesson, and iSki you may use again, again and again.

[Hometown Boy]: Does this mean we won’t need real ski instructors anymore in the future?

[Pernille]: No, because iSki is not meant to replace a real human ski instructor. Anyhow, it can prepare you so that you will get the absolute best out of your skiing also when you are with your local ski instructor.

[Hometown Boy]: Ok, I see. iSki seems to be an additional tool for learning to ski. Pernille, how did you come up with the idea of iPhone or iPod Touch teaching people to ski?

[Pernille]: Well, it’s a long story, but let me tell you..

I had been away from teaching skiing for a couple of years when I was invited to come along on a trip with teenagers. The first day I had 16 beginners on a cold frosty northside of the mountain. I started teaching without thinking too seriously about all the ski teaching or technicals trueness. It was just me teaching these kids and having fun. After 1,5 hour of balance training all 16 beginners could ski.. All this happened without talking anything about technics such as “This is how you break, this is how you turn”, but only by letting them play with there balance on skis and guiding them to the good feeling of balance. That was amazing to me, and I acctually thought it was a coincidental.

Later on the afternoon a pair wanted to get a ski lesson. In the beginning the of the lesson the lady told me that she was a little bit scared because she was ran over by a snowboarder earlier that day. We started out nice and easy, and I did the same way as with teenagers. I communicated with my tools from my knowledge about how the human brain works and the fact that the body is learning faster than the brain. I trained them balancing in 2 hours on all diffrent kind of terrain. In the end of the day I was waiting on the side of the slope when she came down to me doing nice big curves, while suddenly a snowboarder approaced behind here and came really close to here legs. She just continued with the same peace and dynamic as before. I was affraid in that moment on her behalf, but she just continued and told me afterwards: “I saw him but It’s fine now, I have the control. I know how it feels when I’m running good, and I knew he would stop because he had the giving way.”

Then it stroke me. This is to good to keep in my mind. I had to find a way to provide this information to anyone who wants to learn to ski. Afterwards some of their friends said to the male “Soren, what have you done? You ski like a whole other skier than for 2 hours ago!” They have been skiing together for over 15 years.

[Hometown Boy]: Interesting story, Pernille. Thanks for giving us your time and sharing your story. Is there something more you would like to say?

[Pernille]: Well, my bottom line is that the strategy of my work is to do it as simple as possible, and to make it work most places possible. People can see the video at home, on the road, in the lift or even on the slope. They can plug in the earplugs and let them be guided for just 1 hour to their best balance point where all good skiing begins. In the future I will add some software technical features as speedometer, altitude meter, trailtrack and even a movement sensor. So it will become an interactive ski instructor.

[Hometown Boy]: All right, thanks! All the best for you and your iSki Instructor application!

What do YOU as a reader think about apps like iSki? Is this the future of learning to ski? Please have your say.

Hopefully there are ski movies that make a difference, and SWIFT.SILENT.DEEP is absolutely one of them. The story of the legendary Jackson Hole Air Force it so fascinating, inspiring and cool that I found myself watching the film over and over again.

SWIFT.SILENT.DEEP is a great story of brotherhood

Jackson Hole Air Force was a tight-knit, underground group of skiers who pushed the boundaries at Jackson Hole ski resort and redefined the possibilities of what resort skiing means. Back in the early 70s people only skied slopes, but Jackson Hole Air Force members wanted to explore the backcountry and find the freedom and joy or freeskiing. Unfortunately this was illegal in United States, so sometimes they had to break the law in order to initiate the big-mountain ski culture we know today. For example Doug Coombs was arrested and banned from skiing in Jackson Hole. He was welcomed back in early 2000, only few years before he suddenly passed away.

What makes SWIFT.SILENT.DEEP really interesting is the “battle” between Jackson Hole Air Force and ski patrols. While the patrols did their best to keep people inside the boundaries the Jackson Hole Air Force skiers managed to slip to the other side of the rope. The best part of the story is that some patrols actually wanted to ski the backcountry with Jackson Hole Air Force, and one of the patrols was fired because of breaking the law with the renegades.

SWIFT.SILENT.DEEP ski movie opens the history of Jackson Hole Air Force from the beginning to the present including all the highlights and lowlights. It all started in the early 70s when a group of ski bums hang out together and started exploring more challenging ski terrain such as Corbet’s Couloir in Jackson Hole.

During the years Jackson Hole Air Force became well known and respected. If people saw lines in the backcountry they immediately thought “wow! Jackson Hole Air Force guys must have done that”. During 90s and early 2000 extreme skiing became popular and the first World Extreme Skiing Championships were organized in Alaska. Top five places were all taken by Jackson Hole Air Force members. After a while everybody wanted to join the Air Force.

SWIFT.SILENT.DEEP is a ski documentary that has been created from the archival footage of Warren Miller, Roger Brown, Dick Barrymore, TGR, Howard Henderson, Rick Hunt and few others. SWIFT.SILENT.DEEP is not only the best ski documentary on planet Earth but also the greatest story in the ski world. It is absolutely fantastic. Hometown Boys strongly recommend watching SWIFT.SILENT.DEEP!

Buy SWIFT.SILENT.DEEP ski movie from Amazon.

It’s a lovely day in late January. Rays of the sun dancing on pure white snow fields make the day so bright that I hardly can see without sunglasses. As an old stick chaser I am teaching my 6-year-old the “secrets” of slalom skiing. He is clearly not interested in my “methods” and rather wants to discover his own way to learn to ski. This time he wants to collect all sticks of our little slalom course while coming down a straight line.

I’m a bit afraid. Last three times he has failed to collect them all but came down so fast that he almost forgot to look ahead and avoid crashing with other skiers.

My boy is focused. He wants to make it to prove me something. “Am I him pushing too hard?” I think. I grew up with strong entrepreneurial spirit and I have my desire to challenge and compete with others, and for some reason I expect others to behave like me. I want my kids to learn to survive on their own whatever happened, but I don’t want them to do things just to get my acceptance. I want them understand that they are good as they are, but I would love to see them grow strong and independent.

“I’m coming now, dad! Look”.

And I am watching. There he comes, fast and furious. I like his attitude. He is a fighter, but also a fragile child. This is a play he has invented and he likes it, so let’s play.

What’s the result this time? A huge smile and a number of sticks in his little hands.

“I did it!”

“Awesome! You were so fast. I knew you can do it. Now let’s enjoy some hot chocolate, ok?”

I like their philosophies

It is interesting how a small event in life can make you think about something for days and weeks. Few weeks ago my friend and lifelong skier Skipe Oivo told me about a humble Swedish dude who goes big in Chamonix.

“Why not interview Andreas Fransson who is living here with us? He is a really nice dude who skis some pretty nasty mountain faces, AND he looks at skiing from a bit different perspective”, said Skipe. “Yeah, why not. Let me call him this week”, I replied.

Easy access to a nice couloir in in L’Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

I called Andreas by Skype and spent couple of hours chatting about skiing, Chamonix and life. In fact we spoke mostly about life and philosophy. During those days I also happened to read Yvon Chouinard’s “Let My People Go Surfing”. The founder of Patagonia is a climber, surfer and kayaker who cares about people and nature. He is a reluctant businessman who wasn’t supposed to become a business man, but “suddenly” created a $230 million company that has been voted as one of the best 100 companies to work for in the world.

Just like reading Yvon Chouinard’s book Let My People Go Surfing made me stop and think about my own philosophies, also discussion with Andreas Fransson was clearly influential. I recognized that these two gentlemen have something interesting to say, and I should listen up. Both respect life and try to live to the full. They rather live rich and colorful life by doing things that can literally open your eyes instead of sticking to the “holy triangle” of work, milk shop and home. These two men offered me philosophical thoughts that made something “click” in my head.

Secret spot in the backcountry of Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

I have been a skier all my life and in the mountains I have experienced moments that are far beyond the imagination of typical nine to five people, but during the last few years I somehow got stuck. My safe but boring 9-5 lifestyle froze my imagination and locked me inside my very own “career prison”. I wasn’t living my life to the full, and in fact I was dead bored. I threw my career goals to a thrasher already some time ago and started bringing the joy back to my life, but every now and then I need a wake up because I easily lose my focus and start working too much again. That is the guilt of a workaholic like me. This time my wake up call was the lessons I learned from Andreas Fransson and Yvon Chouinard.

Andreas Fransson goes big in Chamonix

Born in northern Sweden Andreas Fransson naturally got introduced to skiing during his early years of childhood. His family includes a number of successful cross country skiers who used to train in ski resorts in northern Finland. Andreas tried cross-country skiing but soon realized that alpine skiing was pulling him like a magnet.

Soulskier Andreas Fransson. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

By spending most of his time in ski resorts Andreas learned to ski various terrain from slopes to the backcountry. As a teenager he met Finnish colleagues Jani Johanssen, Joonas Karhumaa and Skipe Oivo, and spent a lot of time in the slopes with these “dirtbags” (a.k.a. die hard skiers).

Passionate young skier went to the Alps (St. Anton) already at the age of 16, but in 2003 he finally discovered the magnificent playground of these young mountains. Not a wonder, because in their first road trip with Joonas Karhumaa they skied resorts such as Verbier, Monte Rosa and Chamonix which are some of the best places for ski mountaineering in Europe. Now as a 26-year-old Andreas Fransson is living in Chamonix, in the headquarter of European mountaineering and backcountry skiing.

Andreas Fransson hucking in Courmayer, Italy. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

Andreas is a smart guy but not interested in MBA and successful career in international companies. He is clearly not a corporate junkie collecting work merits to his CV. Instead he prefers to conquer mountains and work enough to support his lifestyle, and in fact his long and broad experience in skiing has helped with finding perfect jobs. Andreas doesn’t need a CV or resume because to his job as a ski instructor and heli ski guide he has qualified already years ago. No wonder because his best year includes incredible 340-350 days of skiing which is even more than legendary Seth Morrison told me to ski every year. For Andreas this is possible because as soon as summer comes to northern hemisphere he used to take a plane to the southern hemisphere. Nowadays he lives full time in Chamonix, skiing the winters and climbing the summers.

Just like for any of us the road has been bumpy also for Andreas. Enthusiastic skier has been forced to rest due to numerous injuries. Six operations and months of rest during seasons have made him think about life and health. In fact he feels that getting injured might be one of the best things that has happened to him. In my humble opinion this is a good measure to make distinction between an active skier and a “Sunday skier”, because only a pro skier would come up with such a deep philosophical thought.

Just a random rappel in L’Auiguille du Midi, Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

Today Andreas feels good and skis a lot. Unlike most of us he doesn’t have a problem to ski alone. When skiing alone he can tune in with  the rythm of the mountain and do things in his own pace following his intuition fully. There are no fears or wills from others, just him and the mountain, in many ways he feels like he learns more like that. When skiing with others he prefers skiing with his closest friends that he can trust in 100%.

I don’t have problems with dying with what I do, but I don’t want that people skiing with me face their destiny, so that’s why I enjoy skiing alone. If I decide to ski with someone I prefer skiing with people that i can trust and that can take care of themselves.. or; good young people who are humble and really want to learn and listen to my directions..

As it was mentioned in the beginning Andreas Fransson goes big in Chamonix. He has courage to ski very challenging backcountry runs where most of us would bail out. He for example solo skied the north face of L’Aiguille du Midi of Chamonix via Mallory couloir already in autumn. Nobody had done that since the 70s. Even though he skis pretty nasty mountain faces he doesn’t consider very extreme runs as any kind of highlights in his life. His highlight is more like a day during which intuition and experience have come into play.

It was actually pretty surprising that skiing the Mallory in autumn became a “big thing” here in Chamonix. I mean I like doing these sorts of things for the adventure in itself and wasn’t counting on that attention really..

Andreas has shown his capabilities also in competitions since his first telemark freeride event in Riksgränsen in 2000. He was second in Scandinavian championships of telemark skiing in 2003 and second in Engadin snow invitational in 2008, but unfortunately got injured and decided to have a break with competitions. Although getting injured forced him to rest, the biggest reason for the break is more philosophical. He just didn’t feel like racing at that time, and therefore he decided to focus on adventures and freeskiing.

Andreas Fransson freeriding in Marecottes, Switzerland. Photo by Patrik Lindqvist.

Andreas is supported by a few companies. He receives all needed clothing from Haglöfs while he skis on all the Nordica freeride skis from Girish to Jah Love and Enforcer with race bindings or Dynafits when ski mountaineering. All protection gear and goggles’ he receives from POC. In addition to skiing he also climbs rock and ice about 150 days a year, and he is currently studying to become a UIAGM mountain guide. Climbing gives him confidence to ski big mountains.

If not skiing or climbing, Andreas likes to read a lot. He is also in love with yoga and tai chi that clearly support his philosophical thinking. But he is more into their applications in to everyday then in the movements in themselves. He is curious to learn new things, and maybe that’s why he is also learning French. As a professional skier he travels a lot which is a great way to learn about life and yourself.

Skiing is my yoga

Andreas does not believe in statistics. You don’t hear him bragging about what he has done in the mountains. In fact  he is not looking for huge drops or nasty places in order to add yet another line in his never ending list of killed mountains. Instead you can hear him talking about something deeper and philosophical and the beauty of life.

Andreas Fransson charging the backcountry of Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Lindqvist.

Skiing for Andreas is his yoga and a tool to learn about life. He skis very challenging mountains in order to learn about life and himself. Surviving alone in difficult mountains gives a tremendous possibility to learn about ones strengths and weaknesses. Up there you can find your limits and even stretch them. Back in the valley you know yourself a bit better.

Hold on! Let’s have a bit more precise definition of yoga by his own words: “first of all one has to understand what a yogi is. It’s someone who never sleeps.. not physically of course, but in his mind. He or she is always awake, fully conscius. I think skiing and most action sports can drag you in to that state or level of consciousness”, says Andreas.

“I ski because it brings me joy just like to anyone else, but I’m also interested in question why.. Why does it bring joy (and so much more) to me and so many others? What are the mechanics behind the joy it brings? I say its because it drags us in to this present moment, and then the next question is; why would that bring us joy? Because feeling fully present we lack nothing. We don’t need to add something, everything is like it is – we are whole, and so everything is perfect. It’s a perfect state. Try it out right now and you will see, and watch what happens to your skiing or whatever you do when you succeed in applying it to your life”, states Andreas.

“From another point of view my skiing can be related to the subject of fear which also can have to do with being in this moment, and/or about being whole as a human being, not divided. Being divided gives doubt, which is fear.. and so on. Or it can be related to skiing and society in the sense of how the ski world is just a small model of the much bigger world and how the same mechanics, action-reaction and so on are working in our ski towns in the same as in any town all over the world.. Basically you can take any subject and it all relates to the world. We just hide ourselves behind our skis and hope or think that we are different. I don’t think we are”, concludes Andreas.

According to our soulskier there are lots of people to whom skiing is a way to learn about life. No matter if people are business men, ski bums, students or even unemployed, they all get into their “special moment” when skiing. Days in the mountains make them happy. “Some people are looking for a meaning in their lives, so why not through skiing?” asks Andreas. “There are lots of unhappy people out there. They can help themselves understand more about their lives by skiing.. or of course by anything they do, but manytimes doing something one loves, that still provides fear and holds you in the grip of this moment is one of the greatest catalysts“, continues Andreas.

Climbing in order to access a nice backcountry run in Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

I believe I got the point from our discussion. Andreas is looking for answers to philosophical questions and he is using skiing as his vehicle to find the answers. He has clearly stepped into next level of “philosophical skiing”, so that’s why we immediately called him “The Soulskier”.

My discussion with Andreas was truly an eye opening moment. I have lost my passion to discover the world and set myself physical challenges. I have drifted away from the soul of skiing and I have become part of the machine, a real “cubicle ninja”. I am not really proud of it, but I have recognized my root cause for the lack of joy. As a father of three kids I have responsibilities and certain limitations to ski the mountains like I used to, but I learned my lesson from my “Zen master of skiing”. There is more than just skiing in skiing. I will keep this in mind when chasing sticks or checking the backcountry with my son next weekend.

All photographs by Patrik Lindqvist. Remember to check out his cool shots in his website. Also don’t forget to check more Patrik’s amazing shots in Outdooria image agency.

Years ago I went to our local library to search for an avalanche book. I had already skied the backcountry of Chamonix and I had learned the basics of avalanches, but I felt I needed to know more. I was going to ski the classic route of Haute Route (from Chamonix to Zermatt) with my friends and I wanted to lower the risks by understanding more about avalanches. Unfortunately I found only books written in 70s. Although the basics of avalanches were understood already in the 70s it is clear that today we understand much more about avalanches, mountain weather, rescuing and avalanche gear. I wish my library had Tony Daffern’s Backcountry Avalanche Safety back in the day.

Tony’s book is comprehensive and well-organized. Even though there is a lot of detailed information like those related to mountain weather it’s all pretty easy to read and understand, even for people like me whose first language is not English. This book is already third edition and it focuses on two basic user groups: those who wish to avoid avalanche hazard by careful route-finding, and those who deliberately seek steep slopes to ski or ride.

Backcountry Avalanche Safety clearly explains the basics of snow and avalanches, identifies avalanche terrain, promotes trip planning, describes the skills needed for safe backcountry travel and provides guidelines for skiing and snowboarding steep slopes, all with an emphasis on managing risk.

Tony Daffern’s Backcountry Avalanche Safety book begins with the anatomy of an avalanche accident and a case story of a typical avalanche. It continues with a long discussion of mountain weather and snow structure which are essential information for understanding the behavior of avalanches. Next Tony gives detailed descriptions of various snow avalanches, and after that he focuses on describing different avalanche terrain. After 100 pages of detailed information of avalanches Tony Daffern’s Backcountry Avalanche Safety discusses about trip planning and avalanche gear, not forgetting the latest innovations such as Avalung and avalanche airbags. Finally Tony talks about traveling in avalanche terrain, rescuing avalanche victims and skiing and riding steep slopes.

There are over 200 pages of valuable avalanche related information in this book. As I said in the beginning Tony Daffern’s Backcountry Avalanche Safety is by far the best avalanche book available. There’s all you need to know about avalanches. Strongly recommended!

Tony Daffern himself is a climber, hiker and ski mountaineer with close to 50 years of experience on various mountain ranges throughout the world. Tony lives in Calgary, Alberta.

If you are interested in this book check the latest price and place an order in Amazon.

Yvon Chouinard is the founder and owner of Patagonia Inc that makes clothing for outdoor people. Patagonia is not only known from being one of the world’s top 100 companies to work for but also from being highly respected for their values and environmental activism. What makes Patagonia interesting to us is their exceptionally strong background in climbing, skiing, surfing, kayaking and river running. I would say Patagonia is “one of us”.

In his book “Let My People Go Surfing” Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard shares the lessons learned and philosophies defined during the years. He starts it all from beginning by describing his childhood and early years in climbing, continuing to the birth of Chouinard Equipment and Patagonia, and finally describing the philosophies shared by Patagonia leaders and employees.

Yvon Chouinard’s “Let My People Go Surfing” is not only a great book for entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, but also very inspiring and interesting read for any outdoor-minded people. I got hooked in this book and I strongly recommend it to anyone to read, especially today when we all should learn to live hand in hand with the nature.

Let My People Go Surfing – A book and a company policy

In his twenties Yvon Chouinard founded a small blacksmith shop creating climbing hardware. Yvon got interested in climbing in Yosemite and wanted to create good tools for himself. Soon his friends started asking “where I could buy those”, so Yvon had to make some more tools. He sold climbing hardware from the trunk of his car, quite quickly Chouinard Equipment was known from making the best climbing gear in the world.

Yvon Chouinard was a very active outdoor man. During his climbing trips he got an idea of making better and different clothing for climbers, and soon Patagonia was founded. Again they started selling colorful down jackets and such to their climbing friends. Patagonia made clothing with excellent quality and colorful design. Just like Chouinard Equipment also Patagonia was different and provided high quality products. Naturally sales figures went up.

It took a long time for Yvon Chouinard to build Patagonia and reach their current position in the market. Although Patagonia makes $230 a year they could probably make $2.3 billion, but it’s not what they want. Dozens of buyers approach Patagonia every year saying “you guys are low valued. We know how to get you listed in stock market and make gazillion dollars”, but every time their offers are turned down.

So why are they in business? According to Yvon Chouinard he wants Patagonia to show corporations the way to ecologically better future. Patagonia wants to be an example of a responsible company who cares about the planet, people and other values than financial.

What makes Patagonia so successful? There is probably no one “big reason” but several small reasons. First of all Patagonia was one of the first one in the market, so they naturally had a good starting point although the climbing hardware market was rather small back in the day. Anyhow I believe one of the biggest “secrets to success” with Patagonia is that they have been good at building a strong community and fan base that works as a “natural marketing wheel”. Patagonia doesn’t advertise much because they Yvon believes that people who need Patagonia’s products can find them without advertising on buses and such.

Another reason for Patagonia’s success is probably in their way of treating people and environment. From their early days Patagonia has been responsible for environment and people, which can be seen in their philosophies. Patagonia was one of the first one using totally organic material in their products, and in people side they were one of the first ones offering day care to the children of company employees.

Few years ago Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard founded One Percent for the Planet organization who exists to build and support an alliance of businesses financially committed to creating a healthy planet. Each member provides one percent of their yearly sales to the organization that supports scientific research organizations looking for solutions to climate change problem.

Why do I love Yvon Chouinard’s Let My People Go Surfing

How would you like to work and live your life? Would you prefer working 9-5 or “all the time” like typical entrepreneurs? Would you prefer chasing money on Wall Street or London City or feeding your own chicken in southern Portugal? Would you prefer having a clear distinction between work and leisure time or would you prefer creating a work from you hobbies? Whatever you prefer a key question is “are you happy with your life”.

I started thinking these kinds of questions few years ago. For years I used to spend months and months skiing and traveling before I became a workaholic. I did prefer “skiing forever and working whenever”, but as soon as I stepped into university the course of my life changed. The first few years were absolutely great. I loved to study fast and see my income growing as I progressed in my job, but I was never really happy because I didn’t feel like living my life to the full. I realized I really don’t want to be a corporate junkie. I just don’t belong there.

I was in my career path or “pipe” when I decided to make change. For the last couple of years I have been building two businesses with my mates and I feel a lot better, even though I still can’t spend time enough outdoors. I just know that I’m on the right direction. I was faced with a dramatic drop in my income but I don’t care because money is not the main point. What I really enjoy is creating things based on my own ideas and working hands-on with my mates. What is my ultimate goal? To survive on my own and spend lots of time outdoors with my friends and kids, and to connect my hobbies and lifestyle with my entrepreneurial goals.

I love Yvon Chouinard’s book “Let My People Go Surfing” because I share the values and philosophies with Yvon and I believe there are a number of lessons for corporate junkies to learn from Yvon and Patagonia. It’s the lifestyle, attitude and mindset that make Yvon Chouinard an interesting person and a good leader, and all this can be learned from his book. And as an entrepreneur I want to adapt Yvon’s philosophies in my own entrepreneurial actions because I believe with Yvon’s philosophies we young entrepreneurs are on the right path.

There is also another reason why I fell in love with this book. I had no clue how much healthier we could live. I had no clue about all the junk I eat with processed food. This book kicked my ass and made me study more about organic food, recycling and such. I might sound naive, but yes, I am jumping into the ecology bandwagon and I believe it’s only good.

Yeah, it’s a great book for sure.

If you are interested in the book place an order in Amazon (just click this link). It costs only $11.05.

The man was skiing off piste near Evolène in the Swiss Valais when he was buried by the slide. His parents reported him missing and search operation began. Soon they found the remaining of an avalanche measuring 50 by 150 meters with tracks entering. Unfortunately the rescue team was not able to do anything due to security issues, so they came back next morning with a helicopter.

The man was buried but the top of his helmet was just below the surface of the snow so he was probably able to breath but amazing he didn’t not suffer severe or fatal hypothermia.

“I’ve never heard of such a case before,” said police spokesman Jean-Marie Bornet. “It’s already very difficult to survive more than 45 minutes beneath an avalanche.”

So far unidentified Swiss skier was skiing alone in the avalanche prone backcountry in the Evolene region about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Geneva. Last month a series of avalanches at the same spot killed six people in central Switzerland, the country’s worst such disaster in more than a decade. Every year dozens of skiers are killed by avalanches in the Swiss Alps.

The skier has been hospitalized but appears to have suffered no serious injuries, Bornet said.

“He’s a very lucky man,” he said.

In case you didn’t notice our previous article check how massive and avalanche can be.

Source [Le Nouvelliste and TSR]

Aadne Olsrund is our mate living in Tamokdalen, Norway. Although early January is pretty quiet up there, a fellow skier told Aadne about the remains of a huge avalanche. Aadne decided to take a look, and what he found was maybe not the biggest avalanche on Earth but very big and literately massive.

“My hand reaches about 2,3 meters”, says Aadne Olsrund

This “avalanche from hell” was a wide giant of about 700-800 meters  that slid over one kilometer pushing the snow down into a valley. According to Aadne, the thickest part of the slab was well over 3,5 meters. The slope is only about 20-25 degrees steep, but in lower section the grade becomes 30-40 degrees.

Avalanches are classified by their morphological characteristics, and are rated by either their destructive potential or the mass of the downward flowing snow. Some of the morphological characteristics used to classify avalanches include the type of snow involved, the nature of the failure, the sliding surface, the propagation mechanism of the failure, the trigger of the avalanche, the slope angle, direction, and elevation. Avalanche size, mass, and destructive potential are rated on a logarithmic scale, typically made up of 4 to 7 categories, with the precise definition of the categories depending on the observation system or forecast region.

I guess in the European avalanche size table this avalanche is considered “large” (biggest one on scale 1-4). Any arguments?

In avalanches the snow pack is composed of deposition layers of snow that are accumulated over time. The deposition layers are stratified parallel to the ground surface on which the snow falls. Each deposition layer indicates a distinct meteorological condition during which the snow was accumulated. Once deposited a snow layer will continue to evolve and develop under the influence of the meteorological conditions that prevail after deposition.

For an avalanche to occur, it is necessary that a snow pack have a weak layer (or instability) below a slab of cohesive snow. “I wasn’t able to recognize layers in snow cubes, but they I can say they were huge and hard as concrete“, says Aadne.

Avalanches are always caused by an external stress on the snow pack, they are not random or spontaneous events. Natural triggers of avalanches include additional precipitation, radiative and convective heating, rock fall, ice fall, and other sudden impacts; however, even a snow pack held at a constant temperature, pressure, and humidity will evolve over time and develop stresses, often from the down slope creep of the snow pack.

Human triggers of avalanches include skiers, snowmobiles, and controlled explosive work. The triggering stress load can be either localized to the failure point, or remote. Localized triggers of avalanches are typified by point releases from solar heated rocks. Remotely triggered avalanches occur when a tensile stress wave is transmitted through the slab to the start zone, once the stress wave reaches the start zone a fracture initiates and propagates the failure.

These pictures from Aadne are truly impressive. Personally I have never seen anything similar out there and I hope I never get the chance to either. I mean I would rather stay away from such avalanches. I just wonder if Aadne was worried about a second avalanche when standing in front of that giant snow wall..

Have you witnessed anything similar? If yes, please share your experience by leaving a comment. If you have photos and you would like to share them with our readers, please send them to info@fiercermedia.com.

If you are new to backcountry skiing you might be interested in checking our ultimate backcountry ski gear list.

Here are few examples of huge avalanches.

This is what a huge avalanche can do. This occurred in Argentiere, France back in 99. I woke up 6 am in Chamonix and went photographing when I saw helicopters flying. In an hour I started receiving phone calls and heard about the disaster. It was a sad day for many.

Check out the ski photos HBS readers have submitted to our Flickr group. If you wish to show you photos to our worldwide audience please submit them to Skiers & Riders Flickr group.

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