Breaking trail. 9AM
This image was taken in the morning hours when the storm system was at its most intense.
White out conditions and single digit temperatures greet us at the trail head today, which was ice packed and snow covered. The slippery road is too much for the jeep and I get stuck with the trailer before reaching the parking lot. The sun is up but it seems like dusk. It is dark, cold, and windy, the jeep is stuck in a hole, I start asking myself, “Who’s ready for some fun!?”
Snow and blowing snow sculpt the terrain. Drifts consume everything standing. The above average amount of snow is obvious, as the familiar area is transformed into no mans land. The occasional 45mph wind gusts whips feather light powder into a stinging cloud that feels like sand in a dust storm. The wind chill peels away outer layers and freezes the bone directly. Exposed fingers burn in the wind and quickly become numb and useless. The "white room" consumes all and its force rattles the vehicle and sleds. It throttles the body and steals the breath.
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A solid layer was 40 inches down.
There is something that happens to me when I hear the zipping up of jackets, buttoning and buckling of helmets, the clicking and ratcheting of bindings, the beeping of avalanche beacons and the turning over of a sled engine. It is an empowering feeling that comes with “gearing up” before diving in to the ruthlessness of the elements. It is this point in time where one decides given all the dangers and chaos outside that it might be fun to get out there and play around. Either you get this feeling or you don’t.
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Enter the Dragon.
This image is black and white except for the focal point.
JP "Sledneckin" 2008
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