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Why do we covet the months of doldrums when others hunker down waiting for longer days and warmer weather? It’s difficult to pinpoint one thing. It’s the frozen landscape but it’s also the warm wood stove. It’s the feeling of speed but it’s also the smooth flow. It’s the raw silence but its also the boisterous stoke. It’s the personal joy but it’s also the friendly folks. The feeling is hard to understand when put into words but if a picture is worth a 1,000 words then contanied in these pages are about 286,000 words to go that will give you a glimpse into this world of stoke, flow, joy and fine folks. This is a single season in the eyes of our photographers, skiers, snowboarders, women and men who live this life year in and year out.
ENJOY.
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PEACE.
Mt. Baker, Washington, USA 48.7767° N, 121.8144° W
Golden, British Columbia, Canada 51.2961° N, 116.9631° W
Bend, Oregon, USA 44.0582° N, 121.3153° W
Sierra Nevadas, California, USA 36.6060° N, 118.0629° W
Champéry-Les Crosets, Switzerland 46.1817° N, 6.8748° E
Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan 43.2203° N, 142.8635° E
Mt. Baker, Washington, USA Mount Baker is tucked away just a hair south of the Canadian border cloaked with glaciers and a welcome view when there is a day clear enough to catch a glimpse of its peak from Mt. Baker Ski Area. Just below Baker a wide expanse of dense rainforest fills the landscape where it’s rare to go multiple days without rain. Rain can be a very welcome sound on the tin roof cabins in town as it usually means lots of snow at higher elevations. Bend, Oregon, USA Bend is Central Oregon’s largest city and despite its small size it continues to grow in population year after year. While the area’s climate is considered high desert, snow from the nearby mountains of the Eastern Cascades will occasionally interrupt Bend’s clear sunny days to load the town with lots of short lived snow. When such an event occurs the growing urban area can be a playground for skis and snowboards. Champéry-Les Crosets, Switzerland Champéry-Les Crosets is the home ski area of Swiss ski extraordinaire LDM or Laurent De Martin. On any given day you can find him there when he isn’t on the road traveling. The ski area is so close to the French border from Switzerland you can not only see France from the summit but you can practically ski directly into it. If you’re having trouble finding it on a map look for the popular French Ski Area of Chamonix and draw a line directly north into Switzerland. Golden, British Columbia, Canada If it wasn’t for the fantastic snow at nearby Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, this place wouldn’t exist for anything else but a truck stop for drivers chugging there way up and over potentially treacherous Roger’s Pass. Regardless of the resort, the Canadian Rockies offer a wide array of backcountry terrain for skiers, snowboarders and slednecks. It’s not uncommon to see a trailhead packed to capacity with trucks equipped with sled decks here. Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan It’s cold and it snows a ton. That pretty much sums it up. There’s endless areas on the northern most island of Hokkaido where you can find perfectly spaced birch trees loaded with waist deep snow. It’s the reason skiers and snowboarders flock to the island in January (a.k.a. Japanuary) every year because even on a bad snow year it seems they still get loaded with great snow and you can find good places to ride anywhere from the resort to right off the highway. Sierra Nevadas, California, USA If you live in California you’re going to be hard pressed to find a place anywhere in the world that is better for human powered backcountry skiing and snowboarding than the Sierra Nevadas. Home to twelve 14,000ft peaks (14,000ft Mt. Tyndall pg 88-91) including the tallest in the continental United States (Mt. Whitney), the Sierras on a good snow year can provide exceptional skiing and snowboarding well into the months of May and June at high altitudes.
ALL PHOTOS BY ERIK HOFFMAN unless otherwise noted
Unknown Rider
Matt Belzile
Mt. Baker, Washington
Mt. Baker, Washington
Ian Post, Matt Belzile,
Mt. Baker, Washington
Parker White, Mark Rainery
Mt. Baker, Washington
Matt Belzile, Parker White Mt. Baker, Washington
Slim Dog, Parker White
Parker White
Mt. Baker, Washington
Mt. Baker, Washington
Mt. Baker, Washington
Gigi Rüf
Victor Daviet, Gigi Rüf
Victor Daviet
Victor Daviet
Hokkaido, Japan
Hokkaido, Japan
Hokkaido, Japan
Hokkaido, Japan
Victor Daviet
Gigi Rüf
Gigi Rüf
Gigi Rüf, Victor Daviet, Flo Eckhardt,
Hokkaido, Japan
Hokkaido, Japan
Hokkaido, Japan
Tsutomu Nakata Hokkaido, Japan 101
Laurent De Martin
Laurent De Martin
Champéry-Les Crosets, Switzerland
Champéry-Les Crosets, Switzerland
Photos: François Marclay
Photos: François Marclay
Sammy Luebke, Evan Lavalle
Golden, British Columbia
Golden, British Columbia
Golden, British Columbia
Tyler Lightfoot Golden, British Columbia
Sammy Luebke
Forest Bailey
Golden, British Columbia
Bend, Oregon
Forest Bailey
Forest Bailey
Gus Warbington
Forest Bailey, Gus Warbington
Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Matt Belzile
Matt Wainhouse
Matt Wainhouse, Ryan Paterson
Mammoth Lakes, California
Winthrop, Washington
Winthrop, Washington
Winthrop, Washington
Photos: Brad Andrew
Photos: Brad Andrew
Photos: Brad Andrew
Kyle Mack, Chase Blackwell
Mammoth Lakes, California
Mike King
Mike King, Chase Blackwell, Jacque
Mammoth Lakes, California
Lammert, Kyle Mack, Nick Miles
Mammoth Lakes, California
Mammoth Lakes, California
Brett Esser
Sammy Luebke, Tyler Ravelle
Mt. Baker, Washington
Phil Jacques, Patrick McCarthy,
Mammoth Lakes, California
Mt. Baker, Washington
Photos: George Covalla (left),
Matt Wainhouse, Gigi RĂźf
Erik Hoffman (right)
Mt. Baker, Washington
Andrew Sayer, Blake Hamm, Brian Burke
Andrew Sayer
Andrew Sayer
Sierra Nevadas, California
University Peak, California
University Peak, California
Andrew Sayer
Andrew Sayer
Andrew Sayer, Erik Hoffman, Blake Hamm
Andrew Sayer, Blake Hamm
Mt Tyndall, California
Mt Tyndall, California
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Blake Hamm
Sammy Luebke
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Mt. Baker, Washington
Mt. Baker, Washington
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Featured Photographers:
Erik Hoffman Los Angeles, California @erikhoffmanphoto
François Marclay Lausanne & Val-d’Illiez, Switzerland @klorklor
Brad Andrew Bellingham, Washington @bradandrew
WISH YOU WERE HERE.