Behind The Scenes Of HP&M: Shaun Raskin

Yet another system lines up to hit the Wasatch with even more late Spring snow

So like I do every year, I booked my flight and made my annual migration to NY to spend some time with my family. However, this season as I hit the skies heading east I could not see that close behind me an endless storm cycle of snow was going to blanket over 50inches of the fresh white stuff over Utah. The weather in Utah has definitely caught most off guard, with many of my friends itching to ride bikes, but still feeling the need to buckle up their boots and get after the fresh because…well… “this might be the last storm of the season”.

Riverside Bike path overlooking the Hudson River

While it is quite tempting to jump in a plane and head back west to join my friends in the April and May powder crazed emotion, I realize that as a professional skier in the winters and a full time guide in the summer times, these short couple months between seasons are some of the only time I get to see family and childhood friends.

Reuniting with some High School friends

So I stick to the plan, spending a week at my childhood home northwest of Manhattan, watching my mom walk down the isle with the man of her dreams, spending time with my grand parents who taught me how to ski way before I can remember, and kicking back with my cousins aunts and uncles.

Rita and Phil, The Matriarch and the Patriarch of the Family and the ones who introduced me to skiing

Rolling on the Subway with one of my bestfriends Rachel

After soaking up the family love I head into my sanctuary outside of the rugged world of jagged peaks and swooping valleys, New York City has been a place of inspiration and comfort for me since the time I can remember. Whether it’s the rhythm of the subway cars vibrating beneath the busy city streets, or the collective energy of 1.5 million people living within 22miles of one another, the city has always spoken volumes to me. So I use it to revive my cultural and spiritual being, as well as to catch up with some great friends from my past, before heading south to Miami to catch up with my father.

Luch time in Manhattan's Financial District

Welcome to Miami

Miami is a strange place to find yourself when you still have a goggle tan, a stark white body, and an alternative sense life. None the less, the bleach blond hair, fake boobs, and overly tanned bodies can be something to appreciate and like any community, there are misfits, hippies, and punks in Miami, you just might need to look a bit harder to find them. One of those who has always beaten to his own drum of life is my father, and while his New Yorker heart still flutters irregularly with out the city’s bustle keeping him on beat, he is still staying true to himself in the city of plastic. Getting to spend time with him is always special.

Sunset with Downtown Miami in the background

Papa Bear!!

So with my soul, now filled by family and friends, I am in the airport heading back to Salt Lake City, where yet another storm cycle is expected to hit and I will return to the mountains to join my friends and industries in excitement over this fluke endless winter!

Sunrise over the La Sals

The objective, of making it to the top of our lines before noon.

The last push before the boot pack

The approach was long and the final boot pack up the couloir (later named Helen Keller) was steep, icey and really mad me wish I had an ice axe.

Alex and Weston get ready for the boot up Hellen Keller

But none the less, myself, Alex Paul, And Weston D. made it up to the top of our lines by 11am.

You can't tell but this couloir is about 50 + degrees

Weston skied Helen Keller, the tightest shoot of the three, at parts his skies barely fit through the narrow walls of the Couloir.

View from the top. If you look close you can see Arches

After hearing the icy turns echo through the basin there was talk of abandoning my line, but I decided to go for it. It was just lookers right of Helen Keller, a steep couloir that had a narrow choke about ski length wide. I dropped in and it was an ice sheet with lose rocks peppered on top.

Lookers left: Helen Keller. Right: My line

It was bullet proof, scratchy, slow survival skiing, but at the end I was stoked to have skied it anyway.

Alex Paul Finding the good snow

Alex took the good advice and hit a line that was getting a little more sun and his first few turns were delicious, however as he dropped down his line too became scratchy. All and all we decided that it was cool that we skied our lines, but the quality of snow and the energy and time it took to get into that zone was not worth repeating at this time.

The Summit through the lens of Alex

So we say bye bye to the La Sals. We will see you next winter!!!

Sunsetting on Moab

So here we are in a desert with all of are ski stuff (and a bit of climing gear as well)

Desert and Snow

The point of this trip… well to ski some fun spring lines with the backdrop of the beautiful Redrocks of Moab in the background and enjoy wearing flip flops, board shorts, and camping int he hot desert.

The first scouting mission= Tomorrows lines

It’s gonna be a great next few days, stay tuned….

I showed up on Friday just in time to watch the final run for the women and then cheer on the men. It was truly great to get to watch the girls rip up the venue with outstanding performances by Megan Michelson, Paige Brady, Lizzet Christensen, Brooke Edwards, and Candy Froerer. After watching the girls get after it we took a couple runs including a lap down Christmas shoot, then it was time to get our drink and grub on over at Brooke’s before the awards.

The Venue

The night proved to be a big party with dancing and many shot of Tequila, which left our morning a bit sluggish but appropriate for the grey-bird andon and off snow/rain conditions. So we did what any group of professional skiers would do, we hit the hot tub and pool in hopes that by surrounding ourselves with water our hangovers would dissolve. By 4:30 we were ready to motivate and hit up the last night of Night Skiing at Alyeska. The days snow had accumulated, leaving about 8 inches of fresh covering the mountain.

It was a rad night filled with face shot and lots of laughs.

We left the mountain as the snow continued to fall and by this morning we woke to 24″ of fresh snow!! The lifts don’t open till 10:30 here at Alyeska so our 10am arrival for the tram was on the early bird side of things. As it were we got on the 4th tram around 11:00 and hit the mountain.

It was a great day, but the heavy snow left us all hurting and calling it a day by 4pm.  All and all Alaska is producing the goods. Josh Madsen and crew come in tonight and then it’s show time!

Tram line

Enjoying a tasty brew at the “Fox Sports Sky Box” In the Phoenix airport on my way to Anchorage, it dawns on me that I have just flown an hour and a half south to then wait at the airport for another 3 hours to then, finally fly north to Anchorage and land at 1am. Why is that???

Well, maybe it has to do with the $300 price difference that separated the non-stop Delta flight with the “take two steps back to take one step forward” U.S Airways flight that stops in PHOENIX. At any rate, here I am catching up on some much behind work.

Can't wait to get back here!!

I arrive in Anchorage and then hitch a ride to Alyeska in time to watch the finals of the Women’s World Tele Freeride Championships. I have always loved competing, but this year the  timing was just wrong, but I am excited to sit on the side lines and cheer my fellow competitors on. After which, I will be meeting up with Josh Madsen and friends to film for his newest project that will probably be hitting a town near you this fall.

All and all it should be an exciting next few weeks and I will keep you all posted! Stay tuned….

This edit highlights what happens when five girls get together and push one another to go beyond their comfort zone and progress the sport that drives us. There were a lot of crashes, but some huge pillow lines and cliff drops that show just how hard women are pushing on Teles!!

Thanks to Paige Brady for putting together this edit.

Oh, but I remember that first day was always a right of passage, one complaint, one needing hot chocolate, one extra bathroom break could have you sent right back into ski school. It might sound crazy or a bit over the top, but it worked. To this day my family’s favorite way of getting together is on the hill and last week my Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Mike came into town and graciously invited me to go cat skiing with them up at Alta.

We lucked out with the snow as a system pushed through  the Wasatch and blanketed the cottonwoods with over a foot of fresh utah pow.

It was a great day, filled with laughs, many face shots, and doing what our family does best! Thank you Uncle Mike and aunt Steph for treating me to such a great day!!!!

The Venue

There were such influential characters such as Josh Madsen, Noah and Jonah Howell (of the Powder Whores), and JT Robinson as well as phenomenal performances by Ebon Mond, Will Cardomone, and Paul Kimbrough. On the female side Megan Michaelson, Paige Brady, and Kate Cardomone battled it out on the snow to decide their podium positions while Lizet Christiensen and Brooke Edwards along with Tough Guy Productions, worked their butts off to create an incredible event.

Looking down the Keyhole

The venue was the Keyhole area of Alpine Meadows which offers a bunch of exciting options for descents. While the conditions were a bit boney and the snow quite firm, athletes still pushed the limits and pulled out some spectacular runs.

Joana, Will, and Jake enjoying the apres snacks

Along with the high energy that the competition brings, the sense of camaraderie and overall positive energy that was put forth at Alpine is definitely note worthy. With most of the competitors getting put up by Megan Michelson’s mom, “Momma Phelps” we were able to bond beyond the nervous start gate and relieved finish line, to spend time and communicate over home cooked meals,  some beers, and even late night dance parties. Building friendships and talking about the future of our sport and our individual visions for the telemark community and industry is what it will take to continue to grow the sport that many of us have dedicated much of our young lives to.

Dinner is Served!!

End of comp. dinner and dress-up party!!

Candy getting her party face on

Dance! Dance! Dance!

We'll be back Next year to Do it all over again!!!