The North Face

May 16 | Mike Hopkins :: Bralorne BC

By The North Face

Last Summer Mike Hopkins spent 10 days in the backcountry outside Bralorne BC exploring first descents and sick new lines in addition to testing some of the 2013 Mountain Bike line for The North Face... Here are some of the best images from that trip and his blog update from last September post trip.

It’s been way too long! No excuses. First up, what happened to summer?! Some how September snuck in the mix and I’m not sure about you, but I’m not so happy about it. Summer’s been treating me too well, making me not all that interested in the winter months that stand on the doorstep. Perpetual summer bring it on!

The answer to waltzing away from Crankworks early lies in one magical little word … Bralorne.  For months I have been working on a project alongside The North Face and Sherpas Cinema, and on August 17 it was time to put that plan into motion.  I packed the truck, prepared for 8 days of camping, and made my way to Kamloops to pick up the other athlete who would be saddeling up for this adventure.  While putting this project together, it was suggested that we bring along another rider so I wouldn’t be standing atop these massive lines fearing for life itself all by my lonesome.  And so, I made the natural choice and brought along someone I had never met.  I made the selection off what I had learned on the internet (not always the best way of making a decision, but in this case it was dead on) and after hitching up a couple ATV’s I picked up Matty Miles and we made way of the mountains.

On the Eastern edge of the Coast Mountains lies layers of peaks seemingly undecided in which direction to reach.  Some tower skyward, others have given way to gravity and pressures of time, beginning their slow top-down degradation.  This tectonic playground is home to one of mountain biking’s most exciting environments.  It is one of the only places that truly blurs the lines between skiing and riding a bike.  We traded the confides of trails for steep open faces and tight coulouirs of rock.  There is only one way I can put it into perspective… It’s what Alaska is to skiing, but for biking.  The goal of this project was explore the uncharted potential of the area, and chalk up a few first descents.  And oh buddy, did we accomplish our goal.  I could write a novel about this trip but I won’t.  I am just going to dangle the carrot. Having Shperas Cinema, the most talented production team in the game covering all the angles, and Blake Jorgensen capturing each turn of the excursion moment by moment, it would be rude for me to lay all the details of the trip in a spoiler blog.  The film and imagery we captured even blows my mind so I figured we better do it justice with a proper release.    Although you have read this far so instead of leaving you so the least I can do is give you a couple insightful tasters… Insanely Beautiful Landscape, Float Planes, Snow, Alpine Base Camp, scaling sketchy rock walls with Bikes, fastest moments ever on a bike (and my back brake was fully locked), Helicopters, 2500 ft. first descents, escaping lightening stroms, flipping quads, bush whacking, Snow Roads, Breakfast laps, carving, roosting, countless “High-Fives”, close calls, Gnarly drop-in’s, epic sunsets, the most scenic bathroom of all time, feeling like a pioneer, wicked crew … Trip of a Lifetime!!  The Carrot has officially been dangled.

Huge Thanks to Everyone who saw this trip through, especially The North Face, Sherpas Cinema, Blake, Matty… insanely stoked!

 

Feb 14 | The Masters of Snowboarding 2013

By The North Face

Friday is the 2013 Masters of Snowboarding LIVE from Squaw! 

Watch the show live starting at 10am on Friday February 15th!  For all the action check here:

http://www.thenorthfacemasters.com/live/

The 2-star competition of The North Face Masters of Snowboarding presented by PrimaLoft concluded today under sunny skies at Alpine Meadows. The venue conditions were firm but chalky providing many fun features and technical lines for athletes. Harry Kearney of Telluride, CO and Mary Boddington out of Crested Butte, CO took top honors at the event.  

"The riders impressively managed adverse and variable snow conditions throughout today's competition," said judge Rob Kingwill. "It takes a lot of experience and skill to maintain control while executing difficult tricks and fluid speeds on this type of snow. At the same time, the athletes really pushed the progression of big mountain snowboarding choosing creative and highly technical lines."

Harry Kearney took the men's first place position with a score of 82.00. Kearney chose to tackle the incredibly technical Castle Chute. He rode a flawless line through the chute maintaining fluidity and control throughout the maneuver. He punctuated his stellar performance with a back flip off a jump near the finish.

Rounding out the men's podium in second place was Squaw Valley local Gregory Terziev with a score of 79.67. Terziev rode a smooth line on the looker's right side of the venue executing a 180 off a knob near the top. Jonathan Penfield, from nearby Northstar California Resort, clinched the men's third place finish with a score of 79.00. The judges particularly enjoyed the huge backside 360 Penfield threw off a large cliff near the bottom of the venue.

In the women's field, Mary Boddington charged straight down the fall line with a nice clean air at the top. She continued her run with fast fluid turns and a second air in the middle. A method grab at the bottom of her run was the icing on the cake and earned a score of 86.00.

In second place, was first time Masters competitor Claudia Laflamme out of Fernie, B.C. with a score of 83.00. Claudia rode an aggressive line through the trees hitting a number of features along the way. Also on the women's podium in third place, Lizzy Beerman out of Snowbird, Utah linked nice carving turns from top to bottom earning a score of 68.33.

Three women and five men total earned competition spots in tomorrow's 4-star event at Squaw Valley. Heightening the excitement of their wins, both Kearney and Boddington advanced. Joining Kearney on the list of advancing men are Jerry Mark, Zeerip Zepplin, Jake Larue and Dave Trout. Claudia LaFlamme and Brithany Thomson will also join Boddington tomorrow at Squaw Valley. 

The North Face Masters is part of the Freeride World Qualifier system. FWQs are rated on a 1 to 4-star scale with competitors earning more or less points at events according to venue difficulty and scale, competitive pool and other factors. The Masters is the top-level qualifier event and a pivotal step for athletes hoping to advance to the SWATCH Freeride World Tour by The North Face.

Tomorrow's 4-star competition at Squaw Valley will be webcast live starting at 10AM PST and available at  www.thenorthfacemasters.com.    

The North Face Masters of Snowboarding is presented by PrimaLoft and supported by Subaru of America, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Mountain Sports International, Snowboard magazine, Clif Bar, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

 

Jul 23 | ANNOUNCING THE SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR PRESENTED BY THE NORTH FACE

By The North Face

Event organizers of SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR, Freeskiing World Tour and The North Face Masters of Snowboarding announced this week a merger that will combine all three tours under one unified global 5-star championship series. The new six-stop world tour – named the SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR BY THE NORTH FACE – will include freeride skiing and snowboarding at each stop.

Confirmed tour locations include Revelstoke, Canada, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France, Kirkwood, USA, Fieberbrunn PillerseeTal, Austria, and one more stop still to be confirmed, before the World Tour finals in Verbier, Switzerland.

“The union of the three tours is a major step in the sport’s growth,” said Nicolas Hale-Woods, Freeride World Tour Managing Director Europe. “Not only at World Tour (FWT) level, but also at qualifying level, with events happening in New-Zealand, North & South America, and Europe, all counting for one unique Freeride World Qualifiers (FWQ) ranking, enabling riders from all active areas to qualify for the next season’s SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR BY THE NORTH FACE.”

For 2013, start lists will feature qualified athletes from all three of the 2012 Tours, as well as from qualifier events (4-star events), along with a limited number of wild card entries from both continents.

“The merger of the two ski tours is a great step for our sport,” said 2012 SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR Champion Reine Barkered of Sweden. “It will add even more recognition around the world. For me as a rider I'm looking forward to an even more exciting season with a lot of new faces.”

In addition to the SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR BY THE NORTH FACE, there will be around 50 qualifier events (FWQ) around the world, ranging from 1 to 4-Stars for up-and-coming athletes to earn a spot on the next years FWT. First stops of the 4-Stars FWQ will be in New Zealand and in Chile in August 2012. Riders will score points in two separate rankings, a FWT ranking and a FWQ ranking. 

The North Face, a long-time supporter of big mountain skiing and snowboarding, Freeskiing World Tour and founder of The North Face Masters of Snowboarding, has joined on as presenting sponsor to the new merged Freeride World Tour.

“Since the 1980's, The North Face has been at the forefront of snow-sports with our technical product and pioneering athletes, including Scott Schmidt and Jim Zellers. Inspired by our team at the recent Freeride World Tour - Giulia Monego, Janette Hargin and Xavier De Le Rue - we continue our commitment to the future of freeriding and the next generation of skiers and snowboarders. We are excited to be partner of the globally-unified SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR and look forward to taking an active role with the tour's organizers and partners in the coming seasons.” said Eric Pansier, VP Marketing EMEA The North Face.

 

SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR BY THE NORTH FACE 2013

Competition Calendar

1. Swatch Freeride World Tour Revelstoke 2013 by The North Face

• Dates:   7 - 12  January; Location: Revelstoke (CAN)
• Disciplines: Men's and Women's Ski and Snowboard

2. Swatch Freeride World Tour Chamonix-Mont-Blanc 2013 by The North Face

• Dates: 26 January - 1 February; Location: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (FRA)
• Disciplines: Men's and Women's Ski and Snowboard

3. Swatch Freeride World Tour Kirkwood 2013 by The North Face

• Dates: 27 February - 3 March; Location: Kirkwood (USA)
• Disciplines: Men's and Women's Ski and Snowboard

4. Swatch Freeride World Tour Fieberbrunn Pillerseetal 2013 by The North Face

• Dates: 9 - 15 March; Location: Fieberbrunn Pillerseetal (AUT)
• Disciplines: Men's and Women's Ski and Snowboard

5. Stop No5 in Europe - Location To Be Confirmed

6. Swatch Verbier Xtreme 2013 by The North Face

• Dates: 23 - 31 March; Location: Verbier (SUI)
• Disciplines: Men's and Women's Ski and Snowboard

Jun 06 | Role Models :: TNF Athlete Kris Erickson tips for the traveling parent

By Athlete Parents

Visit www.thenorthface.com/rolemodels to find a Role Models clinic near you!

Tips for Traveling with Children

 

All parents know that they need to pack healthy snacks, extra clothes, DVD's, favorite blankets, and stuffed animals to keep their children comfortable and entertained when traveling.  But there is much more to packing than just physical objects. Here are 5 things that The North Face athlete Kristoffer Erickson never leaves home without when traveling with his daughter Noor.

 

Patience – Travel is hectic. Remember that kids, especially little ones, don't understand schedules and time frames and will find all the pieces of travel that make us crazy interesting, new and fun.  Build in time for this exploration, get to the airport early, stop at rest stops, give yourself plenty of time and patience for children to explore their changing surroundings.

 

Flexibility – The only thing reliable about travel is that it is unreliable.  We can't foresee delayed flights, flat tires, or weather interruptions.  Make plans and set goals for travel but be prepared to be flexible when things change and don't go as planned.

 

The Great Outdoors – Make getting outside your number one priority.  Fresh air is therapy to children and adults alike and gives everyone the patience to travel, plus it makes the kids sleep better! Incorporate fresh air into every day's schedule.  It doesn’t have to be a full day outing in the forest, a little can go a long way. Do some research ahead and find a park near your hotel or get up early and go for a nature walk,

 

A Sense of Adventure – Turn everyday activities and tasks into an adventure for little ones. Involve your children in the decision making process while creating your schedule and make a point to do something they suggest, even if it seems crazy.  Let them take you on an adventure and take a minute to see life through their eyes and for the adventure that it is.

 

Leadership – Children follow our lead as parents and mentors. They look to us and our actions to see what is okay to explore and experience. Traveling provides a unique opportunity to lead them into challenging, stimulating and educational experiences.  But new places and different cultures can also be scary for children, so show them that it is okay to eat something different or to say hello to a stranger in a different language.

Nov 28 | Snow Safety Month :: The Inside Scoop with Protect Our Winters

By The North Face

Living in Colorado, one plague I dread every spring is the threat of dirty snow.

Blowing in from southeastern Utah, dirt poses two problems.

The first is personal danger, as dirt forms a weak layer and poorly bonds with newer snowfall, resulting in a sketchy layer buried in the snowpack as spring tours come into play.  Simply put – dirt equals danger.

Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies 

The second problem dirt causes is irregular melting and accelerated run off. Irregular melting forms sun cups which wreak havoc on spring corn cycles and have spawned an entirely new vocabulary with my friends. What was formerly thought of as buttercakes or reconstituted spring pow turns into frozen ocean and junkyard chunder. Ever had a ski partner go down with a broken rib from a fall on frozen chunder landing on their beacon?  Not pretty, I can tell you.

 Dirt and avalanches

Beyond the selfish context as a backcountry skier, dirt poses a much bigger issue than just personal safety. The Center for Snow Studies based in Silverton, Colorado has been focused on this problem for years, as it tracks to a much larger macro issue  - that of climate change.

 Note to self, ski the clean snow

The dirt that blows in on the front end of Colorado storms in the form of apocalyptic billowing red clouds is at least in part due to the fact that the southwestern US has been under prolonged drought for years now.  Climate models show we're likely to only see this increase as the planet warms, turning the southwest, eventually, into a dust bowl. While dust on snow has multiple causes (grazing, off road vehicle use, drilling impacts, agriculture), drought only exacerbates the impacts.

The kicker here is scientific research that culminated in a story in the Los Angeles Times by Eryn Brown (September 21, 2010), that shows dirt on snow reduces the amount of water flowing in to the Colorado River by a conservative estimate of 5%. What does 5% mean? 5% translates to over 250 billion gallons annually which equates to twice the amount of water a city such as Denver or Las Vegas uses in a year and equal to what Los Angeles consumes in 18 months.

 Independence Pass, CO. Snow to the left goes to the Atlantic, to the right the Pacific

Dirt also reduces snow’s albedo (reflectivity) by 30%, increasing melting by 50%. It’s akin to putting a black’80s concert t-shirt on during your next sunny spring tour. That rapid melt exposes surface vegetation earlier in the spring which consumes the runoff prior to reaching the river. Additionally, the faster decline of the snowpack negates the positive impact that traditional slower melts have in terms of cooling the atmosphere by reflecting heat.

So, next time you consider burning an old pair of rock skis as a tribute to the snow god Ullr add a few good words to keep the dirt away. And be sure to make good decisions, whether schralping pow in the backcountry with friends or in terms of consumption of plastic, energy and gas.

Penn Newhard is a Protect Our Winters Board member, Partner at Backbone Media and aspiring ski tech for his alpine racing kids.

 

 

May 16 | Lhotse Ski Expedition Dispatch 2

By The North Face

 

Nov 29 | The Arch of Ba-Chikele

By Renan Ozturk

“Expedition Time Distortion”: I think this could describe what the whole crew is experiencing at this point out here in the remote Chadian desert.  Although we have only been gone for a matter of weeks, and it probably seems like a blink of an eye to all those back home, to us it truly feels an eternity lost in the endless sea of unclimbed sandstone, micro barbed picker grass and roaming camels.

Despite the looming homesickness, today the moral is high.  We convinced Piero, our tireless guide, to go for a final hail mary quest to the most remote part of the region to check out what seems like the most inspiring formation from our research: a tower/arch that we have deemed “the delicate arch” of the Ennedi.  Piero is skeptical of the whole journey after the incident with the knife bandits (see dispatch 4) and tried to ward us off from the idea:  “You know there are vipers and cobras in camp-- definitely maybe!!”  Even though we will only have an afternoon and morning worth of water to explore the location before have to turn back we all agree it’s worth it.

More 4x4ing through the heat and we arrive at the objective.  It is even more inspiring than we could have possibly imagined: a helix of two spindly towers ~160 ft tall connected by a tiny arch that truly resembles Canyonland’s famous Delicate Arch!

With our limited time the team quickly sprung into action and headed up the talus cone in the brutal midday heat to scope the line.  Each side had distinct cruxes of chossy unprotected slabs or decomposing cracks. Eventually Mark and James decided on the slab.  The rest of the day was spent battling for protection in the decomposing sandstone. At one point Mark tried to place a bolt and it was so loose in the hole he had a double stack pitons around to make it even remotely passable as protection.  Jimmy, Kempy and I scrambled around trying to document the madness we could here James cursing after Mark relinquished the lead:  “Its like bloody Caster sugar up here, after you break the outer surface the rest just explodes,  #(*)&#@#&!!!”.

 Feeling a bit antsy at the base Alex took matters into his own hands and went for the kamikaze onsight free-solo first ascent of the crack up the other side.  At this point it was a free for all with time running out to find a way to the summit.  “Here you go dude, take this wireless mic,” I suggested and he clipped it on.  After sending half the formation I could hear his breathing elevate with is knee stuck in a wide crack unable to commit to a loose flake transfer.  Displaying good judgment and some extreme skill he carefully retreated down the lower tech face as we all watched clenching our teeth.  Darkness set in James and Mark also decided to play it safe and descend, hoping to get it done with an alpine start the next morning.

During the night as the climbing teams rested for the morning we stayed up most of the night documenting a moon-rise we will never forgot:  The nearly full moon rose directly behind the arch and tracked a perfect path slitting the formation.  For the Camp4 Crew this was a mind-blowing coincidence for us to be able to share the beauty of this place.  We ran 3 timelapses through the night, one on a motorized Kessler dolly tracks to add another layer of movement to the tracking stars and moon.  I have to say it was kinda gripping scrambing around wondering if the aforementioned snakes might be lurking under any rock.

Before sunrise the games began again.  James took the final leap of faith.  I’m sure the details of his moment with God will come out in his and Mark’s own detailed descriptions but all I have to mention is that Mark could barely force himself to belay the pitch.  If he fell he would have ripped the entire pitch including the anchor... 

After some victory screams he brought up the rest of the crew for some truly feel good moments.  Its so rare that in this day and age that such iconic first ascents are still a possibly.  Looking out over the expanse of rocks and village life below it was an unsaid realization how special this experience has been. .  (The Arch of Ba-Chikele)

Our time here is coming to a close.  By Marks’s vision of putting this adventure together, Piero’s 20 year knowledge of the landscape/people, Alex and James’ bold summit leads and the Camp4 Collective crew photo/video efforts we all hope to bring back a greater understanding of the Ennedi to share with those back home.  However haggard, diarrhea ridden, sand caked, starved and exhausted we all may be there is no doubt we are vastly grateful for the experience and the opportunity to be the first to climb in this remote region.  Stay tuned for not only a feature in Outside Magazine and Video Dispatches but a more polished film festival piece highlighting the start to finish epic! 

Thanks for following and cheers from the whole team out here in middle of nowhere!  ~reo

Nov 27 | The Arch

By Renan Ozturk

So this dispatch is about a cool arch I got to climb. I’m typing it from the back of the jeep while we quest around the desert.

            We stopped at the Sao Paulo [sp??] Arch a few days ago while we were driving just to see it as tourists. But when we parked underneath we discovered an amazing offwidth crack that split the whole formation from one side to the other. The whole team decided that we should give it a go, but we didn’t have any wide gear and no one else really seemed thrilled to climb a sandy offwidth. Tim was kind enough to go up top and drop a line down through the crack to give me a toprope belay and I set out up one side to check out the rock. My first attempt I chose the side with better rock that looked a little easier. I made it half way across the roof before my legs gave out and I collapsed from fatigue.

We broke for lunch for a while and then I tried it again from the other side, which involved a sandy boulder problem on friable face holds before gaining the crack. This time I gave the whole things the fight of my life, knowing that once I made it to the middle I would be back into familiar terrain. Jimmy was hanging in the middle of the arch shooting pictures, which always makes things a little more fun to have a friend hanging out next to you. And Mark and James were shouting up encouragement from below while I grunted and struggled across. The whole process took an hour and ten minutes of hanging from my legs and thrutching wildly. I broke off tons of holds and a certain points could hear sand pouring into my ears.

In some ways it was the most disgusting route of my life in terms of poor sandy rock and hard climbing. But it was also the most satisfying pitch of the trip for me. It was awesome to try my very hardest for so long and barely be able to squeak it out. I’ve deemed it the hardest offwidth in Chad. I don’t think there’s much competition.  Alex Honnold

Nov 25 | Desert Gold

By Renan Ozturk

There are two types of thugs in this world. Those that will knife you and those that threaten to knife you. Fortunately these were the later.

Its been one of those days for me really. The harshness of the desert has begun to set in --every step calculated, as snakes, spiders, insects, and flesh eating grass seem to be lurking everywhere. Making things more stressful, we’ve broken enough camera gear to keep B&H in business for another year… its almost like our video equipment can feel the stress of the Ennedi as well. Yesterday James and Mark bagged another tower first ascent (The Wine Bottle) so we packed up the 4x4’s and headed deeper into the sand in search of more desert gold.

We have no real system for finding new routes. Just drive for hours across the desert to the next well known landmark and see if the rock is climbable. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so much stone in my life, so at times it can be overwhelming. Its mostly loose sandstone, but there is enough good rock to be found that every turn finds everyone’s eyeballs glued to the windows wanting to be the first to spy the next gem.

That’s how we were yesterday when we ran underneath Aloba Arch, reportedly the biggest land arch in the world at close to 100m. The solid ‘Red Rock’ black faces to either side of the arch were going to be the perfect passport to the summit. We were stoked! Problem is we were also so busy looking up that we hardly noticed the 4 knife wielding teenagers approach from the bushes. At first we thought they just wanted us off their land, but soon it became clear that they wanted to mug us. 

Normally I would have been fine leaving my gear for the bandititos, but I forget North Face athletes don’t like being told what to do; so we picked up sticks and got ready to do battle… Fortunately their knives were just threats and they ran into the dusty desert afternoon.

We took off as well, the Delicate Arch of Chad awaits.

tk

Nov 19 | First Taste

By Renan Ozturk

After finishing our rather long drive, and getting our first glimpse of rock, we pulled into an amazingly shady spot on the back side of a giant brown rocky castle. Piero obviously knew of this spot from previous journeys as he came directly here, no detours or backtracks, simply straight to the point.

Having a guide in this place is essential and Piero’s endless knowledge is worth its weight in gold. This place is like a maze- a giant, spread out, incredibly open maze, that looks the same in every location, has perilous traps waiting to catch the unweary, and is hotter than hell for all hours of daylight.

After eating a feast of tomato plus tuna our eagerness got the better and we ran from camp like giggling school kids to make a group free solo of our new local cliff. The next few events past something like this: Shoes on, chalk up, break a hold, crumble a foot, look scary, climb down, begin to cry!

OK, so the crying part may be an exaggeration, but the rock was really shitty, genuine choss. We salvaged the day by scrambling up loose gullies to bag the summit which was a f***** stunning place. By the looks the the cairn on top had been enjoyed by brave people unknown, at some point in the past.

This place is stunning, perfect vistas for 360 degrees and the most beautiful sunsets/rises one could ever with to see. At the end of the day Piero drove us to the first area he thought had potential which did not disappoint. After walking for less than 5 minutes I saw the best line of the trip so far: A line that was instantly obvious was become my focus for the near future.

The rock on the upper half looked like it could be fairly solid, but to get here requires climbing over two steep roofs made from rock resembling wheat-a-bix! With 3.5 days drive to the nearest city the consequence of any injury out here doesn’t seem to fun, and so before Europe, I told myself that self preservation would be the order of the game. Unfortunately, part of being a trad climber is convincing yourself that the rewards justify the risks, and by the time we return to camp the wheels had already been set in motion,

Some days things just work, and sometimes they don’t, but fortunately today was one of the former. Written beta about the route is neither necessary or needed as the video and stills will speak thousand of words. What I will say is that the quality fo the climbing was wholly unexpected, and combined with the location and the formation, made for a phenomenal first taste.

First route of the trip. First ascent of the tower. First rock climb in the ennedi!

So, so, psyched :)
James Pearson