We have all been amazed by Drew Peterson's skiing and professionalism for a young freerider. He was recent awarded #12 amongst the top 20 skiers under 18 by Powder Magazine.

According to Drew:
"It is a great honor that Powder picked me for the article. There are hundreds of kids like me coming up, that absolutely shred. I would like to thank Powder Magazine, Jason Anthony for his quote about me, and Tony Harrington for the two great pictures that he took of me."

To read more about this check out Drew's Blog here.

It finally started snowing in Wyoming and I was there as the storm began. It started a week and a half ago and the flakes didn’t come singularly, they came in the hordes dumping over 30 inches on Targhee over four days. Thankfully my buddy Rudy had the Chalet, an early ‘90’s rustic truck camper, parked on the ridge a mere quarter mile from the Ghee’s lifts. With plush ski in ski out accommodations and the first true storm of the season puking on us it was sure to be a killer few days of pooter hunting. The first day of the storm the Targhee ski patrol and lift crew battled to get the Dreamcatcher, the center point of Traghee, spinning and finally did mid after-noon. While they battled the elements we were farming low angle powder off the Sacajawea lift and dipping into the Toilet Bowl for some faceshots and cliff drops. Once the Dreamcatcher was spinning the Headwall offered up free refills all day thanks to Mother Nature and the fact that most already retreated to the Trap bar for nachos and pints. For the next two days the routine continued; the flakes fell, the ski patrol bombed, the lefties desperately tried to get lifts spinning and we skied. Unfortunately my camera passed on the trip due to high moisture content in the ol’jacket caused by a few  to many tomohawks in the deep pow.  Thankfully a few of the shots survived the ordeal. Here they are! –Ryland Mauck-Duff/MHF

The one action shot that survived.

The Chalet's hi-tech gear drying system.

Storm skiing!

Skinning up to go shred Mary's Nipple.

The Chalet and the Mountain High Freeride Yota after day one.

It’s a well-known fact that this winter has started off slow for us skiers in the lower 48. While it was easier to cope with the lack of snow before Christmas, once the New Year hit, I decided it was time to take action and seek out snow. While some have traveled to Alaska, Canada, Europe, and Japan, I didn’t quite have that time or budget, so after scouring the weather and finding a willing ski partner, we headed north: first stop central Oregon.

Busting out of Tahoe on the 1^st day of 2012, it was eerily warm, we made quick time up to the Oregon border where we saw our first dusting of snow on one of the higher passes east of Shasta. We rolled into Bend that evening and met up with some local skiers who were injured, but gave us some beta. The next morning, we headed up to Mt. Tumalo, a quick backcountry jaunt across from Mt. Bachelor. It was windy, but the skies were mostly clear. A mellow skin amongst the trees led us to the summit where we could witness the wind piling the snow into the northeast facing bowl. “Game on” we thought as we transitioned, did a quick snow assessment and dropped in. The first powder turns of the season -- so effortless and fun. We skinned back up for five more laps, upping the ante each time and connecting with a local professional skier and photographer. Small cliffs, then doubles, then a 30-footer, and finally a few flips off a natural kicker; we finished the day with high fives, snow on our goggles, and some new friends (all photos by Court Brock).

a windy skin

small hits to warm up

oh yeah, that's the stuff!

big hits with deep landings

stoke rubbing off! time to throw some backies!

We headed back to Bend to refuel and plan our next destination and ended up at Deschutes Brewery where the atmosphere was buzzing from a combination of locals night (1/2 off!), the Ducks playing in the Rose Bowl, and the fact that it was the last night open for a few months and they were planning on knocking the wall down that evening to kick off the remodel. The Bend locals seemed to welcome us and we even found a place to crash for the night and hatched a plan for the next day -- central Oregon was paying off so far, why leave a good thing?

The next morning we headed to the Three Creeks Sno Park to access the Tam McArthur Rim. We knew it was a long approach on a snow-covered road best done by snowmobile. We also knew there were yurts back there, but they were booked last time we checked. So the plan was to head up there, skin out to the base of the ridge, waving down a snowmobile for a tow if possible, and then ski out the road that evening by headlamp. Until we met Shane, who runs the Three Sisters Backcountry Huts on the road in. He had a group book both huts, but there were five no shows and one heading out that day. He offered us a ride in to the yurts and the chance to stay there for free. He even went back to our truck and got our sleeping bags and a change of clothes for us while we were out skiing! We couldn’t believe our luck so far in Oregon.

With our new friends, we headed up to the top of Tam McArthur Rim and checked out a zone called the Playground. It had great terrain and soft snow. With a rare windless day in the Cascades, we decided to leave the group and do a more scenic tour of the Sisters Range and headed out to ski Broken Hand and Ball Butte. It was a slog, but a beautiful one.

heading out to Broken Top (Photo by Court)

chalky snow on Broken Hand

skiing amid a volcano sunset

making the most of the short days and good snow

With no snow to even tour on in Tahoe, it was just what we needed -- a full day out in the mountains. Back at the yurts, we enjoyed a gourmet meal prepared by our new friends.

the beautiful three sisters yurt

The next day we focused on objectives closer to the hut, hitting a sunny line in the morning and numerous lines in the Playground -- skiing and skinning until our legs gave out on any landings we tried.

sunny soft lines on Tam McArthur

last round of soft turns in the Playground

Skiing out the 5.5-mile road was quick and we thanked Shane in the parking lot for a memorable time and headed back to Bend for a quick soak in the Turkish baths before the long drive back to Tahoe. Both of us were reluctant to leave since there was still great snow out there and central Oregon had treated us so well, but it was time to get back to Tahoe. But right before we crossed the border back into California, I had to make one last stop -- to buy a lottery ticket in Oregon because that is how lucky skiing powder with friends in beautiful places makes you feel. —Meghan Kelly

Photo by Chris Benchetler

A few weeks ago the powder drought was getting ready to really set in and we were already feeling the need to find it.  I was riding the lift with evo.com founder and pro skier Bryce Philips when he got a call from world renowned photographer, Adam Clark, inviting him on a heli trip to Juneau, AK.

The deal was that Adam had secured a private heli and need to fill four seats.  I got invited.  Now I just had to get a plane ticket to Alaska, because, when it snows 15' and you can work on the road (cell phone and a computer) you cash in your miles and go.

The only concern we had was, who is going to fill the final spot in the heli.  I got lucky and was ready to go when Bryce invited me.  The fourth seat was filled by none other then Chris Benchetler.

We flew to AK and the clouds never lifted above 5,000 feet.  The good snow was from 8000 to 4000 feet.  We were out of luck.  I spent my time working from a heli hangar in AK, boots on the flight deck, beacon drill done and out of the way.  We never flew, but, it was an experience.

-flylowdan

Still haven't done your holiday shopping yet? Don't worry, we're here to help. For the skiers and snowboarders on your list, here are a few suggestions for affordable gifts they're sure to love more than that itchy sweater you were considering buying them. We had to throw in a few Flylow items because, well, we make good stuff and we can't help ourselves.

At $25 a pop, Kiehls Cross Terrain 50 SPF sunscreen isn't exactly cheap, but it's the toughest face protector we've found for preventing sunburn, windburn and all the other torture your face endures during a day on the mountain.

One more way to prevent sunburn and frostbite? A face mask. Ditch the super dorky balaklava and neck gaiter and opt for one with style, like Outdoor Technology's $8.95 Yowi.

This Flylow hat is handmade by our friend Luke, who crochets these beanies from Durango, Colorado. You won't find a cozier, softer or more affordable handmade hat anywhere.

We'd prefer to ski powder all the time and never have to tune our edges, but unfortunately, there's not always powder to be found. If you're ripping groomers at the resort or tackling an icy ski mountaineering descent, you'll want sharp skis. Try Dakine's Edge Tuner.

Buying lift tickets online and in advance is the best way to save and there's no site that does that better than Liftopia.com. They sell gift cards from $20 to $500 that have no fees, no expiration dates and can be used to purchase lift tickets at ski resorts all over the country.

Got a friend with cold hands? Get them our tough-looking but super warm Oven Mitt.

For hut trips and tailgate après ski, it's nice to tuck a flask of whiskey in your backcountry pack. Why not give the gift of a cool-looking, handmade flask?

The world of bindings has changed a lot since the Marker Duke hit the ski scene a few years back. The result of which is that some of us have had to switch to softer skis to compensate for the stiff spot under our foot due to the Maker construction. On the other side are the Dynafit-type bindings, which have their own flaws (although I have never tried one due to price inhibitors). There are plenty of skiers that make either system work, but guys like Flylow's own Lars Chickering-Ayers have trouble with both of the systems and would rather lock into a race binding before dropping in but need to climb efficiently to be safe and fast in the backcountry. So, what does a crafty guy like Lars do? He built his own binding system. Enter the Send System, a binding plate system that he has made to climb and ski with efficiency and without ruining the flex of your stiff skis or pre-releasing. ESPN.com recently covered Lars' new binding -- see that story here.

Look for Lars' new binding system to take over in the next few years.

So, zippers. We have the pants pocket zippers close down and the jacket pockets close up. On the jackets having the zipper pull at the top of the zipper works better with pack staps and so forth.

On the pants, have you ever worn pants that were too small in the upper thigh? The result is that a lot of pressure gets put on the top of the zipper closure because your butt sticks out when getting low on skis or riding the lift. The result, your pocket opens if the zipper closes up. Solution 1: locking zipper head? the problem there was that we were shredding the teeth on the coil zippers we were using. Solution 2: zippers close down. The pressure at the top of the pocket does not effect the closure since the pocket closes in the downward position.

So far so good. what do you think? am i crazy? It is the time old question though.

Sherpas Cinema's new film "All.I.Can" is now available iTunes. In case you need more motivation to watch this film, they dropped this new teaser this week.

Our friends over at Apres Powder, a great ski blog in the Northwest, took the time to review our Ridge Glove. Says the review: "We’ve all picked up gloves that have fallen apart by the spring thaw or not delivered on all the features they promised. We've also yearned for real leather gloves but couldn't spring for the near $200 price tag for some ‘Pro Models.’  The Flylow Ridge Glove is none of the above."

You can read the rest of the review here.

Paul Kimbrough’s 2011-2012 Winter Wish List

I plan on skiing over 120 days across western North America this winter/spring so I need versatile gear that will last.  Here is my list.

Flylow
M Baker Bibs Orange: solid bibs keep the snow/rain out while the large side/knee vents cool me off on the skin track.

L Quantum Black: super waterproof and breathable the Quantum is on the list to keep me warm and cozy in harsh mountain conditions everywhere from Baker to Revelstoke to Alaska.  Huge pit zips allow me to wear this shell on the skin track when it’s windy, snowy, or even sunny (a huge plus for quick turnovers and staying dry all day long).

M Swindler Black: I want this super light, packable mid-layer to back up my Quantum on cold lift rides or for lunchtime on a long tour.

L Ridge Glove: warm and durable these are hands down the best deal on the market!!!

L Oven Mitt: for snow camping and the few days a year when my Ridge Gloves are not warm enough.

Moment Josh Bibby Pro 190cm: My favorite do-everything ski.  Mustache rocker makes this ski perform as well on hardpack as it does in bottomless pow.  If you can only afford a one-ski quiver this is the ski.

22-Designs AXL tele binding: not only is the AXL the most solid free hinging tele binding on the market, but also they are the most adjustable, so dial them in to suit your style.

Scarpa T-Race: I love this powerful 4-buckle tele boot for everything from side country at Mt. Baker to touring 10K in the Wasatch.  The new liners fit great right out of the box and the Powerbloc options allows me to fix the walk-mode into permanent ski mode for even more solid performance.

climbingskinsdirect.com Twin-tip skins: these simple skins will work on almost any ski and come with a block of skin wax.  They are hand made in Wilson, WY and the price can’t be beat.