How's it going? How has your season been so far?
Winter has been good so far. I guess. December was pretty ridiculous until about Christmas. We have been getting some rain about once a week since then. And my sixth toe has been acting up. I was healthy last year, and this has been a frustrating reminder of how much winter sucks when you can't ski, even for a few days. That said, it has been worth it. Some of the early season night skiing we had was some of the best in bounds resort riding I have ever had.
You are a conditions reporter for PowderGuide. What else should we know about you?
Conditions reporting sounds so official! I first got an e-intro to Tobias in 2013 when in Lyngen. He liked my photos and offered to let me do some editorial style writing about how the skiing was that spring. Lots of people had taken an interest in the area and it was one of those 'right place, right time' sort of things. I wrote again about Lyngen in 2014 and was introduced to Lea and Lorenzo. I got to ski with them in Argentina the past couple of summers and things have remained relatively editorial/trip report focused and informal.
I'm pretty inconsistent with posting for a few reasons. I like to write and take photos of a place that's new to me. There's also a creative aspect that doesn't always flow for me. Sometimes it's as simple as the fact that a computer isn't available. In the months of May, June, and July, I work for Outward Bound where I take groups of teenagers age 13-18 backpacking, canoeing, and climbing in the woods of Maine. We spend as much as 22 days at a time in the woods. So even something simple like a shower can be an infrequent luxury.
These days I also work as a ski guide and photographer in Japan. I'm currently Hokkaido based but started out on Honshu. Both places are pretty special.
Tell us about your homespot. What is special about it?
My two homes are Japan and Argentina. I like these two places because they are polar opposites. Japan has lots of treeskiing, deep powder, shorter descents, easier access, lots of infrastructure. Argentina has no trees, infamously terrible snow, long descents, difficult access, and terrible infrastructure.
They are polar opposites off the hill too. Argentina has lots of partying and late nights, a meat intensive diet, it's a culturally loud and fun loving place. Not that Japan isn't fun, however the partying in Japan is nothing like what it is in Argentina. The diet is simple and vey healthy, and the mornings are early. One thing both of these places have in common is great people that are always excited to share skiing and the mountains. It's a big part of what keeps me coming back to both.
What is your perfect set up and why?
I ride the Praxis GPO 90% of my year and it is pretty perfect for almost any conditions I can find. Right now I'm on Dynafit Speed Radicals and Salomon S/Labs. I'm finding the hard way that the Solomons are a bit narrow for my feet, but they're otherwise a good boot that skis really well. I wish Dynafit hadn't gone back to the turn model and had kept making the Speed Radical.
My most important gear is my clothing though. If I can stay warm and dry all day, I stay happy. I like neoshell a lot, and find Patagonia comes out with pretty innovative gear when it comes to breathability and functionality.
While I get what I can afford, I hate to have something that doesn't work, and would rather pay money for the right gear than pay nothing for something that doesn't perform as well. I usually stick with companies that have lifetime warranties because I destroy gear quickly, thus my Patagonia addiction.
