Well, I worked for a month and then got laid-off and then got rehired and then broke my clavicle and couldn't work anymore. It was a tough end of the summer. The summer itself was great. I was able to make good use of my time climbing and Mountain biking. The peak total for the summer is: Morrison, Tyndall, Williamson, White Mtn., Cathedral Peak, Half Dome, Mt. Ritter, Crystal Cragx2, Mammoth Rock and Mt. Aggie. The bicycle became a big part of my summer, and I discovered what it takes to be a Downhill mountain biker...broken bones. On October 10th, I [View Full Entry]

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Spring 2009! It was a great season at Mammoth; my best ever. We ended with 477 inches of snow!!! I had my first chest deep day and accomplished a lot in my skiing. To end the season, we explored around Mammoth, skiing Hollywood Bowl and Rock Chute, and going to the Reds Meadow Hot Springs. My roommate, Andrew, and I took a trip up north with a plan to summit the two volcanoes; Mt. Shasta and Mt. Hood. We were unable to summit either mountain, but we returned with great experiences and all of our appendages intact. Mt. Shasta was our [View Full Entry]

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The past three weeks have been snowy...very snowy. It was waist to chest deep on Tuesday..55 inches in 48 hrs.. After all the work was done we got first run down Viva, the first face-shot caused me to burst out in laughter and after awhile I was fighting for air. It was awesome. Wednesday was a bluebird powder day. I waited in the Gondola line for two and half hours and then had one of the greatest days of my life. [View Full Entry]

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With a 3 foot storm on Halloween weekend, Mammoth Mountain opened on November 3rd. The first storm was wet and stuck to everything. I started work a week after the mountain opened and have been in skis 6 days/week since. On Saturday December 20th, I was freeskiing in the Dragon's Back area and became part of a herd of skiers traversing the ridge trying to find a line. I passed up the second chute and dropped into the third. As I turned under the rock ban, I saw a plume of snowy smoke and a ski, stuck nose-in backwards below a [View Full Entry]

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Brandon and I are back on U.S. soil, unscathed, with a new appreciation for our lives here. The trip was amazing. We went to five countries: Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Columbia. We were only in the airport in Columbia...but we were there. Over the course of the 60 day trip we spent more than 240 hours in a bus! That’s almost ten days, over a 60-day trip. Luckily, the majority of the buses were extremely nice. In Argentina, we had a bus cama which means the seats are basically beds and we were served wine with a three-course [View Full Entry]

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We finally made it to Portillo and the Andes which I envisioned. It worked out very nicely that my cousin Sharon married the great Patricio Friere, who has a sister Sylvana who lives in Satiago, Chile. So...after our 26 hour bus ride from Iquique to Santiago, we got a hotel near the bus station the first night and then met up with Sylvana and her husband Felipe the next morning. They are extremely nice and Sylvana is studying to be a chef. So, we have been eating really well and have been able to rest for a change, instead of moving [View Full Entry]

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Estamos en Iquique ahora. After Cuzco we went down to Puno where we took a two day one night trip onto Lake Titicaca. It was a very culturally rich experience. We took a boat three hours out to the Island Amantani, and there we stayed with a native family, ate native food and danced the native dances. It was definetly an experience. After Puno we took a bus to Tacna then took a very interesting car ride across the boarder of Chile to Arica, then we took another bus to Iquique. Iquique is a bustling city on the beach with palm [View Full Entry]

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Brandon, a friend from Canada; Marko, and I were successfull in hiking an inka trail sin guia, without a guide. We took a local bus to Santa Maria and then hiked the rest of the way through Acocalmayo, which was the most amazing hot springs I have ever been to and then through Santa Teresa and then on to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. We stayed at a very cheap hostel the first night before our trek and then camped the rest of the way. It was amazing and such a fun adventure. If I didnt know how to speak spanish, [View Full Entry]

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¡Hola todos! Estoy en Peru con mi primo Brandon...oh sorry... I will try my best to write in English. I don´t know where to start with the story of this trip so I will start at the beginning. Ever since 6th grade, when I learned about South America and the Andes, I´ve had a strong desire to travel here. To see the Andes and the land of ceviche, arroz con pollo, and chicha morena. Two years ago Brandon and I were camping and we were talking about how we both wanted to go to South America for a summer. That was [View Full Entry]

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Some more photos from the winter. It's a pretty wild place. [View Full Entry]

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