The caption reads:

Caption:
"Caroline Gleich givin’ and taking at Alta,
Photography by Lee Cohen"

The shot was taken last April after spring showers dumped a few feet of fresh powder on the Wasatch. I woke up early and starting hiking before the sunrise with photographer Lee Cohen and snowboarder Forrest Shearer.

At 5:30 in the morning, every one is quiet and that is one of the things I enjoy most about being in the mountains. In the dark, you are forced to look only at the step in front of you instead of the big mountain you have to hike. We hiked up to the top of Silverfork, spun a few laps in there, and dropped back into Little Cottonwood in the early afternoon when this photo was taken. I must specifically thank Forrest for allowing me to have first dibs on this line because the snow was perfect!

As the winter turns to spring and the avalanche danger begins to settle, I am excited to check out some of the other peaks around the Wasatch that have always seemed so far away. I skied Coalpit last year and the Hypodermic Needle is high on my list along with some lines on the Pfeifferhorn.

Here are some of my gear picks for ski touring (click the pictures for links to Backcountry.com):

Black Diamond Ascension Nylon Custom STS Skins

I did a lot of hiking on these last year and they have held up remarkably well. The glue is still super sticky and I’ve never had any problems with them, which is what you want when you are in the backcountry.

Ortovox S1 Avalanche Transceiver

Last year, I did an avalanche refresher course with Dean Cummings at Snowbird. Anytime you go outside the resort (and I even wear mine inside the resort on a big snow day), it is 100% necessary to have an avalanche beacon, shovel, probe and the knowledge to use them. The S1 beacon has one of the longest ranges (70m) and uses a flip top screen to show you exactly where avalanche victims are.

The Marker Duke binding

For accessing the Wasatch sidecountry, I highly recommend the Marker Duke. This is the first backcountry binding I’ve skied where I didn’t notice much of a difference. It’s easy to use for touring and with a DIN that goes up to 16, it will keep you feeling secure off airs and straight lines.

Another great resource is Andrew McLean’s website. I received a copy of his book, The Chuting Gallery, when I was 16 and it is an indispensible guide to steep skiing in the Wasatch.

Happy touring!

I love the composition of this one and how the snow is blowing up around my skis.

Even though the trees aren’t covered in their usual layer of fluffy powder, this photo still evokes the sense of winter solitude we convey through ski photography. It’s that moment in between the turns where you are pointing the skis straight downhill and letting gravity work its magic for a moment.

We didn’t have much blue sky to work with during the workshop, but this little window of sunlight gave us an opportunity to get this shot in lower Mineral Basin.

Photos by Sandra Gnandt

I love these shots that Gregg (nickname LG for Lil Gregg) sent me from the workshop as well. To me, these shots capture the beauty of Snowbird and Little Cottonwood Canyon with its dramatic cliffs and trees. Even though we haven’t been getting huge powder storms dropping feet of snow, the splitter storms have given us a few inches here and there and I was pleasantly surprised by the good conditions. It’s hard not to smile when skiing.

Photos by Gregg Trawinski

At first glance, ski photography seems pretty simple. But we really put a lot into getting each shot. Sometimes I get calls from photographers at 4am during the winter to get up Little Cottonwood Canyon before the road closes so we can have first dibs on the fresh powder. As athletes, we have to hike long distances through very deep snow to get the shots we do. It’s a lot of work! But it obviously has its perks

I am so fortunate to be able to work with talented photographers like Scott Markewitz. Photography, even ski photography, is an art form. Each artist has his or her own creative vision. As athletes and models, we are a crucial part of this collaborative creative process. I had a great time helping Scott and his students get the shots they wanted.

Here are some shots I took from the day:

Monoskier in the parking lot. I love the dolphin graphics on his monoski.

Forrest Shearer showing how it’s done

Markewitz, explaining how to set up the shot.

Jenn Berg airing it out.

Forrest in Mineral Basin airing off the cornice.

Check out my shot in the opening of this trailer.

Cheap Ski Movie will premiere fall 2010.  Join the Facebook fan club, sign up for the mailing list and find out more about the movie at http://www.cheapskimovie.com

Awesome.

Near Wolf Mountain, UT

Powder Mountain Ticket Office

Portrait of a young bowhunter

Empty train car on I-80 W en route to Reno

Bonneville Salt Flat self portrait.