Tom Burt's Blog - Winterstick Snowboards

Alaska: Dangers in Deeper

tomburt — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:21:56 +0000

When I think about Alaska, it has been 22 seasons since my first Alaska trip, which was very much the same type of trip. Flying in with a plane, camping on a glacier for 28 days, surviving through storms that bury camp, hiking everything you want to ride, avoiding the hazards that can kill you (creavasses, burgshurnds, avalances, hanging glaciers, ice falls, cornices, the weather). Since that time I have traveled the world to be in the mountains and have the experiences to determine the dangers of what we had to live with while out there on this trip back to AK. Here are a few more photos with some idea of what we as a group had to deal with while out for a 20 day trip into the mountains of AK. I did not put in storm photos.

Looking down from above at bergshrunds and cravasses that have to be dealt with, just for a fun run.

Here you see small point release avalanche, and our glacier travel route in one small corner of our world. You can see 4 cameramen and a rider on the glacier. The route we took this day became impassible in a week do to the glacier moving so much so we had to use a different route all together to travel back to this area.

Garry getting ready to descend down glacier after getting the shot. Lots of snow bridges to cross to get home safe.

Chris Edmonds showing off my supply of duct tape (use # 1,407,654) being used to act as a camera plate. Chris forgot it at camp. It was just a two hour hike to go back and get it.

One huge hanging glacier that was extra active. We saw ice fall / avalanche activity everyday off of this and had to travel by it on a regular basis to get to lines. Scary big stored power sitting on a mountain. Also notice all the bergshrunds and how big they were.

The hanging glacier letting go.

Josh Dirksen skinning up and staying away from a hanging glacier. When traveling around we rarely did not have some sort of exposure that could kill you.

Josh Dirksen and Lucas Debari switching over to verts on our hike up. We had just cross our first bergshurd of three and our other major danger is hanging on the ridge above us. The cornices were huge but we had some protection from the spine above us. You always try to find the least exposed route up a mountain.

Josh getting reward and his first AK turn on a spine.

Ryland Bell on a lower mellow 45 degree spine Just getting ready to drop over the series of bergshrunds that you can see out in front of me.

Stacked spines that never got ridden. We just did not have the time to get back to these nor the hundred or so other lines in our zone. If only we had a few more life times.

BACK FROM ALASKA

tomburt — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:41:00 +0000

I just got back from 24 days in Alaska with 19 of the them spent out camping and riding on the glaciers. I was there with Jeremy Jones, Lucas Debarri, Ryland Bell, Josh Dirksen, and Xavier Delerue. We found a zone with incredible terrain with spines. Here are a few pictures of the general area (you are just seeing one corner of the terrain we had to ride). The riders all teed off and threw down, stepping up their spine game. We had one major storm cycle which dropped 6 plus feet of snow and buried our camp and we had winds that were bending our tents and snapping tent poles. We lived through it and got great condition out the back of the storm as well as before the storm. This was one dream come true as far as conditions and terrain.

THIS IS OUR CAMP WITH THE GULF OF ALASKA IN THE BACKGROUND.

The Angry Elephant blowing ice and smoke.

Jeremy checking out how big the begrshrund had gotten in a week. We had walked right across this spot seven days earlier. Now we had to find a new snow bridge to cross as the glaciers were on the move.

Jeremy coming out of the glacier fog on our way back to camp.

Leaving on a Backcountry trip. AK

tomburt — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 15:58:53 +0000

Just letting you know I will be going out in the backcountry of Alaska and be camped out on a glacier with Jeremy Jones and the Deeper crew for the next few weeks. Will post a story when I return. Have a good April.

Tom Burt

Cordova Peak that someone stole

tomburt — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:22:54 +0000

This is a cut of Cordova Peak that Ari Marcopoulos and myself edited as an art piece. The footage was given by Mike Hatchett and Stanard films. Someone got a copy of it and posted it without our permission. It is still my favorite edit of the mountain. Voices on the tape are mine, Doug Coombs, Tex, Mike Hatchett and Victoria Jealouse. Hope you like this edit.

P.S. There is some swearing in the piece.

Washington, Baker and Crystal

tomburt — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:12:40 +0000

Home from a 9 day stint in Washington. The first four days was the Baker Banked Slalom. I took fifth in Pro-Masters and came home with a Pendleton blanket. Temple Cummins won the Pro-Mens with a come from behind win on his final run to bring home his 4th gold duct tape. I led Devon Raney, a friend who has lost his eye sight, down the course as his eyes. He wanted to stand up the course but fell on the same bank during both of our runs. There is always next year for Devon and my eyes. I have to say thanks to the Cummins family for putting me up while I was there.

Temple and myself picked up Andy Hetzel in Seattle and headed up to Crystal Mt. We were there to judge the North Face Masters freeride series stop two. What a great riding mountain Crystal is. Forrest Burki a Crystal local came through and won the contest.

Here are some shots of Baker and Crystal taken by Temple

looking down the Baker course

Three generations of Cummins (Cannon, Temple and Joe)

Devon and his eyes down the mountain, me

Hiking up Table Mt.

Dropping Table

“Crystal” clear with Mt. Rainier in the distance

Andy showing a little Northwest Style

Hiking is part of Crystal (Andy, me, Jim Zellers, and Jimmy Hopper)

Zellers drops in

Andy dropping

Me dropping a spine

Judging with Julie, Andy and Temple behind the camera

Forrest Burki out training with a half cab in

A COUPLE OF BACK YARD RUNS GETTING READY FOR THE NORTHWEST

tomburt — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:56:40 +0000

I got a new gopro camera and I thought I would give it a try. I went out in my back yard and took 2 runs. This is my play ground that is much like the Northwest. I am heading to Mt. Baker for the Banked Slalom and then on to Crystal Mt. for the second stop of the North Face Masters Series. Check it out.

Second Piece of Glass

tomburt — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:47:41 +0000

I just returned from the 11th Transworld Riders Poll Awards were I was voted for the Legend Award. They gave me a glass trophy the second one of my career. The first being the rider of the year in 1989 given out by ISM (International Snowboard Magazine, the first snowboard mag). Below the trophy picture is the bulk of what I said. Thanks to all the riders who thought I deserved this award.

The New Piece of Glass

This is from an interview I did and I am sorry if it takes a bit to say.

I know you’re a great historian I would like you to mention a few people throughout the history of snowboarding and say some word about them?

O.K. I’ll try.

Bob Klein, thanks for my first board.

Terry Kidwell thanks for being so far ahead

Alan Armbruster for being the cat and always landing on his feet

Jim Zellers for being a great rider, partner, climber, motivator.

Damian Sanders for more air with more style.

Bonnie Zellers for always charging.

Andy Coughlin(SPELLING?), the Hayes Brothers, Mark Hindgardner, and the rest of the East Coast crew who rode ice in the early years.

Regis Roland for Apocolypse.

Jose Fernandez for being the first European to kick our asses.

Craig Kelly for style and love of riding.

Dan Donnely for being Hollywood.

Shawn Palmer for being a natural athlete.

Shawn Farmer for calling bullshit where it was DO and riding bumps.

Andy Hetzel for being an exterminator.

Steve Link for making boards.

Noah Salasnek for the eye candy style.

Terje Haakonsen for natural talent and the vision to use it.

Temple Cummings for liking to ride.

Dave Hatchett for the heelside Hatchetress.

Mike Hatchett for believing my style worked.

Tom Hsieh for starting the first snowboard magazine.

Ken Achenbach for always showing up in odd places

Evan Feen for never changing.

Keith Kimmel for the slash

Victoria Jealouse for never growing up.

Tex for taking cold showers in Vars, France and still charging.

The Howett family for the Baker Banked Slalom.

Thane for riding with one leg.

Kelly Jo for the pool game.

Jeff Gerell for the external highback and ruining my advantage.

Dave Seoane for all the shits.

Shaun White for skating also.

Danny Kass for spinning with style but wanting to snowboard also.

Jeremy Jones for taking the reins.

Travis Rice for putting it all together.

Dimitrije Milovich, Tom sims, Jake Carpenter, Chuck Barfoot, Chris Sanders, Mike Olson, Pete Saari for persuing this stupid useless sport.

I’m sure I forgot a lot of people including all photographers and filmers who made me look so good and all the riders around the world that I have had the pleasure to meet and learn from. You all know who you are. I would like to thank everyone who made this happen FOR ME.

Utah! Stoke and Riding

tomburt — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:49:39 +0000

Well, I made it back from Snowbird. The North Face Masters contest went off on Monday with only the fog throwing a wrench into the Judging. So we split the Judges up on the Run. Andy and Temple sat up high and judged the first half of the runs and Julie Zell and myself sat at the bottom and judged the bottom half. It was like two runs combined to win. I still think the winners were all the riders got days of powder riding at the Bird. I would like to say thanks to the Snowbird Patrol for keeping the contest site roped off so it was untracked for the competition. All the Photos Temple is the photographer

Jim, Myself, and Andy stoked on getting ready to ride the Tram

Crammed in the Tram

Jim Zellers fore running the contest

Andy's Judging Site

Temple's view of the crowd at the finish area

JZ riding in the storm

After the judging was over, Temple, Andy, Jim and myself changing clothes in the lobby to get to the airport in time for our flights.

Utah! Going off

tomburt — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:03:01 +0000

I am at the North Face Masters at Snowbird, Utah! It is dumping snow with 2 to 3 more feet expected. I have been riding with Temple Cummins, Andy Hetzel, and Jim Zellers. It is all time here. I forgot my camera but I have to tell you it is blower. So no photos sorry. You can check out the contest at The North Face Masters link.

Canada with the Transworld Crew

tomburt — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:09:32 +0000

I made it back home from 5 days at the Monashees, CMH heli operation. I was there with the Transworld Shred Session. It was great riding although we were battling a pounding storm and with that came some avalanche danger. The guiding crew did a great job in finding us fun and safe terrain so our group ended up all smiles even though we got shut down for two days and only did some Canadian Mountain Hiking on those days. Here are a few Pics of the riding crew, the weather, etc.

Gailen, Hormaz, Tom, JP, and Graham

PARKING LOT DURING THE STORM

THE BOARD OF CHOICE

ICE CLIFF ON DOWN DAY

DOWN DAY RIDING

NATURAL AVALANCHE DANGER

HEAL SIDE SLASH

OUT OF THE POWDER CLOUD