With skis and ski boots hanging from our packs, we departed the trailhead at 4am. It was a spectacular morning and we were giddy as we switched out from hiking shoes to ski boots and crampons. Below the ramp up to false summit we found protection from the wind and snacked on gorp at the infamous “lunch counter”. Wispy clouds high the sky made for a glorious sunrise and we pushed up the wide-open south-facing ramp that is full of glissaders on August weekends. As we gained elevation up the ramp, the snow become increasingly firm and the clouds a bit thicker. But when firm snow transitions to ice you’re forced to reassess. Having ascended up the lookers right side of the ramps, we decided to traverse across to see if the left side (west side) held snow instead of ice. No luck. After a quick conversation we both agreed that it would be wise to turn around and head back down. There was no way with the increasing clouds that the snow/ice was going to soften up and be skiable. We began our down-climb on the ramp and wandered to an area littered with rocks. The ice was punchable and the rocks provided natural features to grab on to for support. Seemed like the perfect place to work our way down. My mind must have drifted off for a minute as I moved down the volcano because when I looked up it seemed as if someone with a fire hose sprayed the entire area in 4 inches of blue ice. Dave and I were gripped. Then the unthinkable happened- Dave fell.

Mt. Adams from the south

We don’t know how he fell. His crampon could have caught his pant during a step or a boulder covered in ice could have shifted under his feet. Who knows. He landed on this ass, slid 7 feet and jammed both of his crampons into a 4 foot high boulder that just happened to be downhill from his fall. Thankful to have his crampons lodged in this ice-covered boulder, we both realize it would have been a very ugly scene (very likely death) if Dave had kept sliding down. We barely caught our collective breath before the situation got worse. Those wispy clouds that had slowly been getting thicker and more prominent turned into a full on blizzard in a matter of minutes. It was as if Dave’s fall flipped the switch for heavy snow, 30mph winds, and nearly zero visibility at 10,000 feet. And then the situation got worse yet again- Dave’s crampon broke during his fall. A side point of the crampon that houses one connection of the toe bail snapped, leaving his right crampon useless. 10 feet above and to the right of Dave, I couldn’t believe what I just saw. How could all this being happening to us right now? All indications were for perfect weather and we had made such a smart decision by turning around and forgoing our summit attempt. This is just cruel, I thought to myself.

temporary fix to a crampon

I worked my way down to Dave to share my Voile ski strap and three smaller cords that I carry in my backcountry pack. We had no choice but to attempt to secure the crampon to Dave’s ski boot using the aforementioned ski strap and cords. The crampon was on his boot, but not very tight and we both knew it would require delicate downclimbing in a blizzard with 30 mph winds. All extra weight had to go so a nice pair of Volkl Gotamas and Black Diamond poles were tossed into the abyss on Mt. Adams southern flank. (If you find them this summer, please email us at info@trewgear.com!). ‘One step at a time’ was our motto and it was particularly hard for me to move at a snails pace because I wanted off that f’ing mountain as fast as possible. Dave continuously reminded me to slow down and stay within eyesight. After what seemed like an eternity, we made it back to the lunch counter safe and sound, but were still in the midst of a full-on blizzard with almost zero visibility. It was cold as hell and we both had on long underwear, softshells, mid-weight insulated garments, and our shells….and we weren’t over heating.

Now we had to find our way down this giant volcanoe and that was no easy task when you can’t see where you’re going. At 3pm we were still above tree line and thinking to ourselves that we very likely might be spending the night in the woods. And if that was the case, we figured we ought to move down the mountain to find shelter despite the fact we still hadn’t located the trail on which we ascended. Luckily, with a little work with a compass, the GPS locator on my iPhone and after moving west over one more sub-ridge, we found the trail around 4:15pm. I’ve never been that excited to walk another hour with my skis on my pack.

Dave and I are lucky to have emerged from this crazy day without any injury or death. It was a stark reminder of how powerful and unpredictable the mountains can be. While we have developed the skills and tools to conquer mountains, don’t ever forget they are a force to be reckoned with and must always be treated seriously and with respect.

While the seriousness of mountaineering and ski mountaineering is necessary and should never be lost, I was recently reminded of how we often we take ourselves too seriously and how many of our skiing and snowboarding endeavors could use more than a touch of humor, humbleness, and lack of ego. If you’ve never met Asit Rathod, you’re missing out. He is unabashedly Asit and no one else. What you see is what you get and he doesn’t take himself very seriously. And in an industry where pros have to self-promote and every other ripper is “getting after it”, it’s nice to spend time with an accomplished skier who laughs a lot, skis naked, and has dance parties on the top of lifts and the top of mountains (primarily Mt. Hood).

Asit on Mt. Hood's Cooper Spur

Asit skins at snails pace, skis on fat skis, and if it’s a perfect day on top of Mt. Hood, might even smoke a cigar. He’s skied off the summit of Mt. Hood more than any other human on this planet (110+ summit descents) and that’s no small feat. Hood is a big mountain and frequently kills people. And he respects that mountain as much as he respects anything in the world. Yet that didn’t stop us from having standing on top of the tallest point in Oregon dancing to “Return of the Mack” at 9am last week. He doesn’t care that all the other climbers on the summit give him weird looks and probably question his behavior on top of large active volcano. He’s not there to prove anything to anyone. He just wants to shred (maybe naked, maybe not), laugh, and throw thumbs ups to his pals back at the Timberline parking lot.

We could all use a little more Asit in our lives. He reminds us that we need to take the mountains seriously and not ourselves.

-Tripp

ps. big thanks to Richard Hallman for the photos of Asit. you can view all his images at www.freelanceimaging.com

Guest blogger Asit Rathod checking in from The Ring of Fire Tour and Mount Hood; and what a day it was my friends!
Quote of the day award goes to Jess MC during brunch in Hood River…”I’m really happy about being drunk right now.”
It’s funny but as we grow older and the years keep adding we start realizing how much life changes but good friends still stay the same.

So I got an email a few weeks back from my old friend Chris Davenport that his merry band of crazies were going to ski the Pacific NW Ring of Fire. I read the itinerary and thought they’d have a better chance of winning the lottery than staying true to the dates. Well son of a ……. I should have bought a lottery ticket.

We all rendezvoused around 10pm in the parking lot of Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood last night and it was as if time had never passed since our days together almost two decades ago. Yes we are that old. Then out of nowhere I see a smile that made me smile from within as if I had just seen the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause kung fu fighting each other. Mr. Jim Morrison gave me a hug and that signature smile that was exactly as I remembered it 15 plus years ago. I knew a whole lot of awesomeness was about to happen but we had to get some zzzzzz’s. So a big hug, HI5′s, and ‘sleep well’s’ was all that two old friends could give each other.

The alarm at 3:37am hit me like an angry ex-girlfriend asking me why I was such a big !$?. We had a crew of 13 skiers, snowboarders, and photographers ready to start the day at 4am with two objectives; ski from the 11,239ft summit of Mount Hood and have fun. Having fun being the number one objective. True to tradition my cardio, or lack thereof, allowed me to bring up the rear. Too many Perdomo cigars and Jameson are to thank, and I joined the group on the summit around 8am. Lots of HI5′s, hugs, photos, and a name ceremony for my Brother and super badass Dave Watson’s new daughter, Amaya Kula Watson, ensued. Within an hour all 13 of us were ready to drop in and have an amazing ski down Cooper Spur on the NE face of Mount Hood. Cooper Spur has about 1500ft of relief with a fair bit of consequence. Basically it means don’t fall or mom on mother’s day will not be happy. Getting ready to drop in fully clothed my brain kept repeating in Shane McConkey’s stupid pitched voice, ‘Do it! Do it Indian guy, just ski it naked.”

“Carlos could you put my pants in your bag?” and next thing I knew I was naked and ready to ride. Skiing naked has always been about one simple fact, we enjoy a sport with serious consequences but we need not take ourselves too seriously. My close friend, hell every skiers close friend, Shane McConkey is the one that reminded all of us that no matter how cool or bad a$$ you think you are, it doesn’t matter if you’re not having fun. Take your dreams and passions seriously but never take yourself too seriously.
The beauty of the great state of Oregon lies in the fact we were back in the parking lot by 10am drinking Jameson and in Hood River having brunch with the line we just skied as our backdrop at Divots golf course by noon.

I have always wondered why I have had such luck in my life with all the great friends I seem to have and continue to gain. Today I realized it’s not luck but it is the mountains. Friendships are built on years of experiences together which are hard to find as we grow older. The mountains have a magic that accelerates friendships and bonds that last a lifetime. I don’t know what the objective is for the Ring of Fire Tour but I can tell you it was pretty awesome reconnecting with old, new, and current friends. Thank you Chris, Jess, and crew!
Love,
Asit Rathod

1. Alaska changes you as a skier or snowboarder.
2. Hut trips are simply the best ski/snowboard vacations.
3. Sometimes it’s as much fun to chase sunny spring skiing than it is to chase bottomless pow.

In late February, I was lucky enough to spend 10 days in Haines, Alaska with athlete Colter Hinchliffe. It was the first visit to Alaska for both of us and our jaws were hitting the ground every day. The mountains in Alaska are simply awesome. They are powerful, sharp, rugged, flowing, and alive…….and they change you as s skier/snowboarder forever because they humble you. And they do it fast. In no time you realize you’re not in good enough shape to ski a 3,500 vertical face without stopping, you don’t have the skill to manage your slough, and you don’t want to think about “Big Game Hunting” because those runs will eat you alive. You also learn that everything said about AK is true—perfect snow, good stability, and unrivaled terrain. And the great news—you don’t have to ride in a heli to be humbled. Touring and sled skiing will put you right in the thick of things.

In our world of email, smart phones, and constant contact, disconnecting from society might be the nicest thing you can do for yourself. Throw in a little shredding, majestic views, lots of laughs, and it quickly becomes obvious that hut trips are the ultimate ski vacation. Spending your days burning calories, not crossing anyone’s track , and only worrying about melting snow and what’s for dinner is as fulfilling as anything I know. After a few days in the middle of nowhere you’re recharged, refreshed, and ready to handle the numerous texts and voicemails that await….

The past three winters I’ve focused so much energy scoring those deep pow days with varying levels of success. Pow pow pow. That’s what I wanted. However, in mid-April I scored perfect spring skiing complete with denim, spandex, neon ball caps, and plenty of zinc. We shredded mushy groomers as a group, listened to music on the lift up, told jokes, and pretended to ski like it was ’86. I had the time of my life and it made me realize that some times, just some times, it’s worth chasing those sunny spring days because they’re a helluva good time too!

- Tripp

Have a great season,
Mike Barney

Thanks again for your continued patience throughout our late delivery this year. We are working hard to ensure this never happens again.

Be TREW,
Tripp, John, and Chris

the remaining grey bibs and all eagle pants should be in our warehouse in the next 7-10 days. more to come on that. thanks for your continued patience through this difficult time. we hope that when the remainder of product arrives the weather will change and we’ll all be shredding pow!!!

Be TREW,
Tripp

Another shipment of bibs left Nepal yesterday and we are hoping to have them later this week or early next week. The remaining bibs and pants are scheduled to leave Nepal late this wee or early next week. So, we should have all inventory in stock by middle of January.

thanks again for your continued patience!!

LET IT SNOW!! and Happy New Year!

thanks again for your patience.

Be TREW,
Tripp