Yampa River

Five Day Float.  80+ Miles.  Three Canyons.  Two Rivers.  One awesome time.  Got lucky as some friends of mine had a permit for the Yampa River in Northwest Colorado in Dinosaur National Monument for Memorial Day weekend.  This is a one of the most sought after permits in the country rivaling the Grand Canyon and the Main Fork Salmon River.  Especially to launch on Memorial Day is one in a million odds.  We had great weather, big water and good times with new and old friends alike.  Check some photos and enjoy.

Kinda like Jurassic Park.  Real Dinosaurs lurking.


Some old and new graffiti in a cave.

Looking the other direction from inside the cave.


Whiskey.  Need I say more?

Taking in the view.  Notice our boats below on the left.


Guitars are key on the river.

Sunset on the first night.


Typical view from within Yampa Canyon.

Zach and Catherine running Warm Springs Rapid.  Maytag Hole is just left of Zach's head.  Ya want to avoid that one.


The crew in the lower left.  Big wall.



More boating....

Ben on the guitar.

Another desert sunset.


Split Mountain Canyon and the end of the road...or river in this case.



Puerta Vallarta y Sayulita, Mexico

Immediately following Superpark I packed my bags and headed south to Mexico for some much needed R&R.  My leg had been killing me all week at Superpark due to an injury I sustained snowboarding a few weeks prior.  I landed my ass and leg on a stump and nearly broke my femur.  Basically I got lucky and ended up with a really sore leg and huge hematoma.  Needless to say I was a bit over the snow world and needed some sun and beach time.  My girl and I flew into Puerta Vallarta to meet up with Gunson and some other Breck people at Gunson's really, really nice condo overlooking the beach.  This was our home for the next few days.  The party period of our trip was here.  Not the best for my leg, but what can you do.  After some long nights, rough mornings and margaritas on the beach, my girl and I headed to the small town of Sayulita, 30 miles north.  Sayulita is truly a gem of a place.  Very low key and relaxed.  A mix of fisherman, surfers and American dirt bags, it has a really cool vibe.  We ran into some friends down there but mostly did our own thing.  Sleep in, mellow mid day breakfast at the Choco Banana with some cafe con leche and some form of burrito or scrambled Mexican bowl of goodness.  Then straight to the beach for some all day sun and beers, and then a late dinner and usually to bed.  No, we really didn't party too hard and that was nice.  Straight up rest and relaxation!  Just what I needed.  After 10 long days it was back to Breck, where the weather has actually been decent since arriving home.  I look forward to returning to Sayulita in the near future.  Such a  sick spot.  And because I was fairly injured I didn't get to surf.  Another reason to return sooner than later.  We stayed at Casa Los Arcos in Sayulita and highly recommend it to any one taking a trip down that way.  A bit more expensive then some places but well worth the extra dough if you are trying to have a relaxing vacation.  If you main objective is to surf and bum around there are much cheaper options, however, this place for the price was legit.  WiFi faster than at home, 5 minutes to town and the beach, small kitchen with full fridge, pool, etc.  No complaints execpt that I had to leave!  Till next time.....


Mini Pacifico


The View from Gunson's spot in PV



You don't see that many working pay phones in the US any more


Church



Tourists



Zap



El Gordo



Typical street trash



On the job


More pay phones


There is just something about this.  Can't put my finger on it...


Mural in PV


PV sunset


PV toilet


PV party


OXXO food


Cab rides home in PV


Taxi anyone?


Gunson ready to set sail


PV from the sea


Clouds, duh


Lunch spot


The view from our room in Sayulita at Casa Los Arcos.  Not bad, eh?


Sayulita street


I would hate to work for the electrical company here


VW


Juice stand


Wash them hands


Tacos


Crab


Sailboat with Sayulita in the background


Hummer


Horses on the beach in Sayulita


The Choco Banana.  The jam for Breakfast


Walk in barefoot, buy a beer for 10 Pesos and drink it on the curb out front.  Doesn't get much better


Fresh fruit


The same sailboat in Sayulita


Thing


Door


Another door


And another door


Cool table


Cool house


Kids & OXXO


Laundry day


Typical afternoon in Sayulita


Dance Dance revolution


Last night in Sayulita


Goodbye paradise!

Superpark 14

Its that time of the year again.  Yes Superpark.  Hard to believe that this event is now 14 years old.  And yet it still does not get old.  Lago spotted here blasting on the hip.  Th features include a slue of step downs, ranging from about 40' to 80'.  A 100'+ gap, a tranny pool contraption with hips, jumps over hips and 1/4 pipes to 1/4 pipe linkage, rhythm section, another 80' step up and a 30' 1/4 pipe.  Its going to be a good week.  Stay tuned for more or log on to Snowboarder Magazine for daily updates.

Edit, edit and edit some more

Well its that time of the year for most snow photogs.  Time to edit the years pics down to the bangers and doctor em up for the magazines.  Came across this little self portrait I took on one of my many trips to the midwest.  Its funny what you find yourself doing in the down time between shots.  This is one of those moments passing the time.

Women in Wonderland

I got the call in the middle of my Sims shoot to head down to Silverton to link up with a Roxy/DC all girls crew consisting of Robin Van Gyn, Raewyn Reid and Erin Comstock.  Amber Stackhouse was there to film, and Heikki Sorsa came along too for support.  Super fun crew!  Its been awhile since I've been able to focus on the women's side of snowboarding and I must say I was impressed.  It was great to mix it up and I couldn't have asked for a better crew to end my season with.  Well, I have Superpark in Mammoth and then thats it for me, but essentially this was my last trip of the year.  Time to head back to Summit County, get my edit on, and relax a bit!

This coyote was curious what we were doing in his zone.  Luckily he didn't front too hard. 

I'm an ELK-AHOLIC


I just wrapped up a week long shoot with Sims Snowboards in Crested Butte, CO.  This is my third shoot with Collective Licensing out of Denver and easily one of the best.  I huge thanks goes out to Marc, Carly, Gabe and Chris (along with the entire team) for taking care of us all week and helping create another successful shoot.  Also, a huge thanks to Tom Sims for...well being Tom Sims.  Tom is the man, and it never gets old making turns with him and hearing his endless vault of stories from the good old days.  Next stop Silverton for another week long shoot.  This time with DC and Roxy.  Looking forward to it!  Stay tuned....

Cool Boarders 2010

Idaho is a wrap.  After sessioning one of the bigger jumps I've seen hit in person, our trip into the Idaho BC is done.  This jump measured somewhere in the ball park of 80+' in length with a similar or longer drop.  I felt that the angle shown here makes the jump look a little bit smaller than that but at the same time it really worked so I went with it.  This is Lago's first hit, where after he stopped yelling and screaming in a state of pure excitement he said something to the effect of, "that was the most amazing thing I've ever done.....that was some cool boarders shit."  A pretty strong statement consider he just took home the bronze medal in the HP at the Vancouver Olympics a mere month ago.  After this he stomped two B/S 360's and we were out.  Such a good way to end the trip.  A huge thanks to Cory Smith at Smith Optics for putting us up at Smiley Creek Lodge.  I will greatly miss the home cooked meals, country hospitality, and general good vibes of this amazing place.  Until next time.....

Lago, flying like an eagle....



"That was some Cool Boarders shit!"

U Da Ho

Actually its pronounced Idaho.  Made it to the lovely land of potatoes in one piece and am glad to be back in this neck of the woods after not making it up last season.  Cory Smith has some big things going in his backyard zone of Smiley Creek, but don't think you can just roll up here.  The zone is on private property and without the proper credentials you could get messed up quick!  Trespasser's beware!

This is not a line you want to cross if your not invited.

Cabin 5 is treating me good so far.

Robot Food was here.  Well actually Pierre Wikberg and Eddie Wall are in the crew and working on content for their new website www.videohypershred.com.  Keep checking in as it should go live any day now.  Its gonna be sick...

Just put it on my Master Charge card.

Tunnel Vision

The rafters

Lago is the shit.  Congrats to the best damn bronze medalist I know.  USA!!!

CB

Made a quick pit stop in the Crested Butte region of Colorado before heading out to Idaho.  Otterstrom said he had the inside track to some new zones in the area, and the weather looked good.  So we made the call and B-lined it over for a quick one and a half day mission.  I have to say it has been a few years since I have been to Crested Butte, and it is as sick or sicker than I remember.  Its kinda like a mini Jackson.  Also very similar to Aspen, but without all the bullshit.  The mountain is for real, and the backcountry is just as for real if not much realer.  Not sure that's a word, but it's a dope spot to say the least.  Lots of pillows, cliffs, big lines, and even some kicker zones all in the mix.  One interesting thing too is the fact that they are really feeling the recession here.  No one can find work so everyone is moving out of town.  This in turn has made property extremely cheap.  I found a 3 bedroom, 3 bath, two car garage condo for $175,000.  That is unheard of in Colorado, and on top of it, in a mountain town.  I mean that is cheaper than Denver.  Makes me wonder if I could pull off living here.  Hmmmmm.....

Otterstrom hiking to the goods.....


The locals have a real good thing going out here.  10+ acres with this sick Airsteam trailer.  Not a bad way to kick it in the BC if you ask me.

The Land of Enchantment

After a few days at home in Summit County, I'm back on the road in the American Southwest.  Home was a good refresh.  The snow really turned on and was able to get out for a couple of pretty fun pow days.  I also linked up with E-Tree from the magazine (Snowboarder) for a resort shoot at Copper Mountain with Erich Dummer, Madison Ellsworth, Brett Esser and Eric Willet.  It was a fun day and Willet is an absolute destroyer.  Park kid only, you might ask?  Well it was my first time watching him shred pow and the kid has skills for sure.  Monday I got up early and headed down to Monarch and with over 40" reported in the last few days it made for an epic day of soul shredding.  Yeah, I went solo and I coudn't complain in the least bit.  It was so good!  I might add that out of the 40" reported over the last few days 17" were reported overnight.  It was a much needed day to say the least.  At about noon and after 20+ laps I peaced out and headed south to meet back up with Erich Dummer and Madison Ellsworth at an undisclosed location in the American Southwest.  Feet upon feet of snow have fallen here in the last week and it is without a doubt a record year for this region.  Monday afternoon proved to be a little too hairy to make anything happen, considering it was dumping and avalanches were everywhere within sight.  We awoke to a bluebird clear sky Tuesday and got after it.  We were able to set up two features, the second one taking a few hours longer than expected, but I think it'll be worth it.  Wednesday should be good if all goes as planned.  Stay tuned for an update tomorrow or the next day....


The sond feature we set up today.  We didn't think it was gonna take 6 hours to build but we stuck it out and I think is going to shoot amazing.  
The crew after a very long day.  Beer anybody?

Probably the best hotel room I've stayed in ever.  Aside from maybe a suite or two.  Sauna included.

Not surprised at all...


So you might be asking yourself just WTF is going on here.  Its not art.  Well it could be art I guess.  Yeah what the hell lets call it art.  Art created by my shutter failing.  Yes, my shutter in my camera shit the bed today.  What you are seeing here is this.  The black bar is the shutter trying to do its thing but getting stuck and in turn blocking light to the sensor, and the white streak is caused because the shutter isn't making it to that part of the frame to block the light and in turn adding a little burn into the sensor.  Its kind of like an unpredictable and less desirable dodge and burn.  But I'm not surprised.  It was bluebird today, and pretty epic.  Why wouldn't something semi-major go wrong?  Luckily I shot most of what I needed before this happened, and was lucky in the sense that most filmers these days are rolling around with nice DSLR cameras because they shoot HD video.  So luckily Butters had his 5D Mark II and was nice enough to let me use it for the remainder of the day.  All in all it worked out, but it once again goes to show what kind of a year I'm having.  Something, some force of nature doesn't want me to succeed and is out to get me.  Well, I'm probably rolling back to CO to take a little break and wait for my camera to be repaired.  I tried to track down a rental here in SLC but no one rents a camera with a motor drive faster than like 3-4 fps (and they wanted $200/day), and I can't continue to borrow Butters, so basically I'm looking forward to my tires falling off my trailer at 75mph going down the freeway tomorrow on my way home.  Surely causing some minor death and destruction.  You think I'm kidding?  It'll probably happen, no doubt.  I need to go knock on some wood.  Stay tuned....

Isn't it February?

I'm pretty sure it is February but it sure doesn't seem like it.  I've been able to log about 20 days that I would consider a shooting day so far.  Maybe 25 if I stretch it.  I usually log that before the new years, but something is different this year.  Its like everything is working against me.  It has been a hell of a year so far with near death accidents, avalanches, deep snows, no snow, rain, epic...ly long road trips to nowhere, and the list goes on and on.  Bjorn Leines seen here looks back up to see what went wrong, only to see that he's lucky.  Lucky to be able to look back up the hill at all (2 feet further and he would have made tranny I might add).  So does anyone know when things are going to improve this year?  I'd love to put it in my calendar for future reference.  On the flip side I could be stuck in the rut of an office job or even worse no job at all.  All in all life is good, and sometimes a quick reflection of where I am and what I'm actually doing is all it takes to put your head back in the right place.  I'm already looking forward to tomorrow!  Something tells me its gonna be sick...

The Mayor of Breckenridge


Todd was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma this past fall.  So friends of the Franzen family are gathering items to raise funds via live auction and raffle to help with treatments his insurance does not cover.  Please join Todd for an evening of fun, fellowship and general kick ass time!  I've donated a photo entitled "Fruita in Autumn", so please help Franzen out and bid on it.

Date:          Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Time:         5:30pm - 9:00pm
Location:   Breckenridge Golf Course "Clubhouse"

Todd is the man.  He has been a great friend through the last.....damn, almost decade now, and I know he will continue to be for many years to come.  He's a fighter and a survivor and I know he's gonna beat this unfortunate illness.  We shot this portrait back in December before he started his treatment to try and capture his hair in all it glory before he started treatment.  Well last time I saw Franzen it didn't look like he'd actually lost much hair, and is more proof that he's got this battle. He's not giving into the cancer and the nasty side effects associated with his treatment.  Franzen, I wish I was going to be able to make it to the party, but unfortunately I'm on the road as usual.  I'll be seeing you at the Southridge very soon though!  Hang in there bud and have a kick ass time on tuesday.

Circa '93

Found this shot on the old facebook of myself and just had to post it.  My kit brought back so many good memories from the era when, as Willie McMillon might say, "Snowboarding.....It was better when you hated us."  I can even remember the hat I was wearing was the Special Blend zippo hat, and that green shirt was a "Shred Shed" shirt, the local shop in Durango at the time....R.I.P.