January 16, 1997. It was a beautiful day at Smugglers Notch. There was a clear blue, sunny sky and the temperature was about 20 degrees. I had shed several layers, finally finding comfort in long underwear, windpants, hat, goggles, gloves and a windbreaker. In the previous week, it had dumped powder galore. In the woods, … Continue reading Mind Games: An Unplanned Night in the Vermont Woods→
Charlemont, MA – Exiting Interstate 91 at exit 26 in Greenfield, Massachusetts, Route 2 (a.k.a. the Mohawk Trail) climbs steeply out of the Pioneer Valley, then down to the Deerfield River. The road follows the river through several sleepy hamlets before arriving at one more: Charlemont, Massachusetts, the home to Berkshire East. I shared the … Continue reading The Beast→
‘Tis the season, the folks at the New York Institute of Photography are getting lots of letters from NYI students and other Web visitors about taking photos in cold weather. They’ve been kind enough to contribute this piece and another which discusses how to take great ski photographs, and that means going out in the … Continue reading How Should I Handle My Camera In Cold Weather?→
We’re talking here about downhill skiing. (And whatever we say for skiers is equally true about taking pictures of those snowboarders who are crowding them off the slopes these days.) Before you take a picture of a skier on the slopes, you should consider the answers to three questions: How should I handle the camera … Continue reading How to Take Great Skiing Pictures→
Lac Beauport (QC), Canada – The big eastern snow drought of December, 1998 weighed heavily on my mind as I packed my ski gear. I prepared for my annual pilgrimage from Florida to visit the in-laws in Québec City, and I fretted about what I would encounter once I arrived. My concerns deepened as I … Continue reading Le Relais→
Ski superstar Phil Mahre once said that skiing, for him, was best summed up as ‘the art of falling into the turn’. Indeed if you watch any accomplished skier carefully you will see a moment of relaxation between turns. n When first learning to give in to gravity, its often a battle with instinct. You … Continue reading Get Weightless Between Turns to Escape the Intermediate Rut→
When most people think of skiing today they think of high-speed quads, gondolas, multi million dollar lodges, computerized snowmaking systems and fifty dollar lift tickets. In terms of location, most people recognize either Vermont or Colorado as skiing meccas, home to conglomerate or corporate owned resorts. A vast difference from the day of the ropetow, … Continue reading Peak Adventures→