Outside Bellingham looking West: This is the view from the bike path that runs along the water from downtown to Fairhaven. I rode my buddies bike along this trail on the days I didn’t snowboard. The skinny tires on his 10-speed made the wet gravel path kinda treacherous. I have some great friends who live there. We used to live together but went different directions last winter. It was good to hang again, as the season was starting. We caught up, ate pizza, drank beer, wine, coffee and tea in their little house while it stormed outside. The windows rattled all night from the wind. It rained hard and snowed every night in the mountains. That’s when I decided I’d move there at some point and ride Baker every day, all winter.

Shaun McKay. First Run.

Robbie Walker. Lot lines.

Go there … (here)

Just got off the phone with Mike Ranquet. We’re giving him blog, look for it in the coming days…

Here’s a few recent email excerpts from the dude. The blog should be good.

I?m black from Glacier, with no phone coverage or internet in the 100 mile vicinity I ended up just staying up there somehow. Call when you have a chance (or email), I want to get caught up to date on the blog and what not. I have some good story ideas as well and want to learn what the proper procedure is to get them going. I told Kass my tandem boardercross idea and we?re gonna make it an event for the Grenade games. I came up with the ?bull ride? event (send someone down a mellow mogul run without bindings and see how long the last) that they?re still milking, what can I say I?m an idea guy.

Right on?..

I?m eager to write shit about shit?.

I really need this blog to be operational before I start losing friends due to my tendency to make fun of everything at their expense?..

A few photos shot on film.

Although these days about 90 percent of what I shoot is digital, i still try and fire off a roll of film every once in a while. I think there are some looks that can never be replicated. I didn’t do any photoshopping on these photos, just messed with the film in the development process.

Afternoon rake at High Cascade Snowboard Camp on Kodak Tri-X pushed one stop.

Shane Stalling. Motorcycle rock to fakie on cross-processed Fuji Provia. Big Sky, Montana.

Big Sky Montana. Sunrise on cross-processed Fuji Provia.

Sorry to get political, but just couldn’t help but disseminate this video.

Found this one on The Daily Beast (here).

It’s a current affairs Web Site I’ve been surfing some lately. Beautifully designed and full of pertinent info. Check it. Get learned.

My buddy has a theory about how the Mid West was populated. He figures that when the pioneers headed West, the settlers who couldn’t hack it and at some point felt they could no longer advance themselves, those ones, ended up stopping and settling for  places like Ohio. He believes it’s proof of Darwins’ theory of evolution. The weakest of the settlers settled. The stronger ones kept on and have been evolving in body and brain ever since. Adds some context to the political map if you ask me.

What do you think?

Pulled this advisory from the Gallatin National Forest Website (here). It’s a great resource for avalanche info. And this advisory is good food for thought in the early season. And some fodder for day dreaming.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2008

Good Morning. This is Doug Chabot with the season?s first Avalanche Information Bulletin from the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center issued at 10 a.m. on Sunday, October 12th. We will keep updating you on snowpack and avalanche information as conditions warrant.

AVALANCHE/WEATHER/SNOWPACK INFORMATION:

If there?s enough snow to ski, there?s enough snow to avalanche.

There you have it?an early season advisory in 11 words.

Since Friday morning about 24 inches has fallen in southwest Montana. Snotel sites (found here: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/Montana/montana.html ) are showing about half that amount outside West Yellowstone and Cooke City. With temperatures holding in the low teens, wind speeds have been 10-25 mph out of the northeast, which will definitely create wind slabs at the higher elevations.

WHAT TO DO:

Treat your early season skiing excursions with the same diligence and preparation you?d use mid-winter. Carry rescue gear, travel with a partner and only travel one at a time in avalanche terrain. Wind slabs could easily be 1-2 feet thick with limb busting consequences if you get caught.

Over the next few weeks we?ll be paying close attention to how this new snow changes. If the temperatures stay cold and the storms stop the snow will turn into faceted crystals?angular flakes of snow that could create a very weak and unstable base for the rest of the winters storms. At the moment it?s just guesswork, like the recent political polls, or the stability of Wall Street. It could go either way.

Got an email from my homie Jeff Hawe today. Outside the office the hills around Oceanside were burning bright. I could see flames. This shot made me wonder what the hell I’m doing in So Cal. So it goes.

Hey,

I figured you might get a kick out of the attached photos. They are from the Tobacco Root mountains just yesterday. Snow depth was 56 inches at higher points, it was too deep to make it anywhere. Wild, never seen that much snow in October. Hope it keeps coming. Cheers,

Jeff

But it still feels like summer in SoCal. Felt like the hottest day of the summer yesterday. It was just a matter of time till something caught on fire. It’s that time of the year. Waiting for the devil wind.

It’s almost winter. Saw so in Aspen. Weather channel said more snow through the weekend. Get hyped. I did.