I got the call from long time colleague, ski photographer, Jeff Cricco late Tuesday night; “Dude ya gotta get down here it’s gonna be sick, we’ll kill it. Helitrax is getting us up for a day of shooting” He didn’t have to convince me, say the word heli and I’ll drop everything. I had been keeping an eye on the forecast for Southwestern Colorado the past few days and it had become clear it was going to dump! The San Juan Mountains were a bullseye for 20-30″ over the course of the next 3 days….

I packed my gear, loaded my SkiDoo into the truck and hit the road to Silverton, CO the following am; about a 5-6 hour drive from my home in Breckenridge, CO. I had made it just early enough in the day on Wednesday that the snow had just started falling and the roads where in good shape, just the normal wildlife (deer, elk, bighorn sheep) on the side of the road and rubber necking scenery….gotta love the western slope of Colorado.

I met Jeff at a trailhead just past Silverton Mountain Ski Area around 7am, passing crowds of people gearing up for the day at the resort; the powder panic is REAL…

There were no other snowmobilers/skiers in sight at the parking lot, YES! Bouncing up the road on the ski doo’s through a foot of pow laughing, we get to tree line and somehow the sky clears!!! 10-15″ of light dry powder high in the alpine around 12’500-13,000ft with little wind effect…. we laughed to each other, is this happening!!?!! We made a plan, discussed the snowpack, set the hill climb up to the top with the ski doo’s and proceeded to have one hell of a morning.

After a few unreal runs, high fives, and holy sh*t moments we retreated lower to the trees as the storm moved back in. We ski’d in some amazing old growth forests as the snow intensifies, I LOVE this sh*t we both exclaim…what a freakin’ day!

With our expectations exceeded, we returned to the truck for some beers n’ brats at the truck…life is good…

6 AM and I’m driving up to a different trailhead once again, the stoke is high. Jeff is shocked when I beat him to the spot, last time I was cursing his sunrise call….but today is different and I’m chomping at the bit. It’s now partially clearing and it has snowed all night, its gonna be epic. Jeff always insists on trying to catch a sunrise if conditions allow, as a photographer the early and late hours of the days are always the best shooting conditions. What a sunrise it was…and you guessed it, the snow was

even deeper. A snotel site (measures snow water equivalent for water basins) nearby was reporting 28″ in 48 hrs!!

The skiing was unreal, words can’t describe so here’s some more photo’s, Jeff sure is a sniper behind the lens….saying it was a productive morning is an understatement…

A main focus for the trip was to shoot marketing images for Telluride Helitrax. I’ve been lucky and developed great relationships with Jeff & Helitrax for years and it’s always something I look forward to. The place is incredible, there’s truly nothing like the terrain they have in the lower 48, it’s such a magical place.

Given the past couple days were “all time” we knew our day with Helitrax was going to be no different…we had scored. These trips are a highlight of the winter regardless of conditions but damn it feels good when you don’t have to “fake it” for the photos. We hit multiple basin’s in the morning finding great powder in all, what a time!

Escaping the “hot” light of midday we took to Telluride for a few hour lunch break. After filling our “heli belly’s” and slamming a couple Redbull’s we returned to the airport at 4:30pm for the flight out for sunset. Run of the trip has got to be “Polly’s” for me, absolute cream!! I can’t thank Telluride Helitrax and Jeff enough for having me, the operation you have and everyone involved is truly top notch.

After riding such a high all day we were brought down to the lowest lows…news of a helicopter crash in Alaska and the loss of close friends sent shockwaves through the industry. My deepest condolences to the family’s, friends and the community at large for suffering yet another tragic accident. #Booyah #Fuckyea  #Endlesswinter

Links:

Greg Harms Memorial Go Fund Me – #Booyah Forever! I Got You Send It!

Sole Survivor in Serious Condition After Helicopter Crash in Alaska Kills 5