Since 1999 I have been 11 times, missing one year in 2003 because I was on a ski trip.  After that I realized that Black rock City (as it is known) was a place that fed my soul, my creativity, and inspired me so greatly that it was something that I wanted , I needed to be a part of.  Our crew now consists of 50-60 people, and over the years has gained new faces each year, some bounce in and out balancing the experience of burning man with other adventures, and many friendships, and relationships have formed with this rotating cast.  Portland, Bend, Salt Lake, Reno,San Francisco, San Diego, Jackson, are some of the towns where our inhabitants call home most of the time, but the stark Nevada desert is were we come together to live for one week each year.

Three years ago It was where I met my girlfriend Annie. Burning man is the type of place where powerful sparks can be ignited and in the case of our meeting this was true. She was new to our camp, brought by a mutual friend, and a flame started there that has changed my life.  We have such a strong bond fueled by our creative passions, and inspired by our outlook on life.  I am grateful for a place like Burning man that can cultivate that sort of relationship.

The center piece of our camp is our art car, a double decker, party barge,  made on the platform of a bio-diesel flat bed truck.  It has a large scale sound system, and dj booth, and is a community staple, cruising around the open playa bumping amazing music.  Much like the pied piper, as we troll around, people come running, bobbing there heads from their camps eager to climb aboard regardless of where we are headed.
The city is full of car camping styles of many variety. some have tents, some RVs some igloos made of reflective insulating blocks.  For Annie and I our home is a solar powered, tipi, equipped with lights, and a swamp cooler. A North Face Dome houses our kitchen and area to chill and with that set up we easily live out our time in the desert despite the potentially harsh enviroment. The tipi is such a great place to spend time, its grounding, comfortable and is truly a sacred space.

I am not the only skier to hang in Black rock city, it is a place that has attracted snow people for years. Its no surprise, not batting an eye to harsh environments, in fact enjoying them, while playing is a huge aspect of skiing.  And being prepared, yet thats the name of the game while storm riding, skiers are all aware that by having the right gear will allow you to enjoy the otherwise gnarly climate with glee.  I hung out with Cody Barhill a bunch this year, saw Jacqui Edgerly all over,  Nick DeVore was there, as well as countless others Im sure.  Mconkey had been there a few times, Gafney is a regular, and Ingrid, while she didnt make it this year has been going for as long as I have.  There is even a huge  Apre ski party held every year, complete with fake snow,  and full of goggle clad, stretch pant wearing, ski pole toting burners!

Space men

Blue ice cave...

Daron Rhalves amongst hanger cornices

Very big...

...to very small, snow forms in amazing ways

down the rapids...

At the helm, Ian McIntosh was our point man. With countless hours scouring topo maps, virtually flying goolge earth terrain, and scanning the backgrounds of climbing photos, he demonstrated how he earned his nickname, Mapintosh.  Ian showed up in Alaska two weeks before our trip started and began doing recon in between Anchorage and Valdez. He booked fixed wing aircraft flights, and logged terrian with a GPS and a digital camera in hand.  Ian’s report was grim, in a email he noted that it would take a seasons worth of snowfall to ski the type of lines we were looking for. Reports were that south east AK had been getting the most snow, but thoughts of retreating to Haines were unappealing.

With new beta on hand we made arrangements to check out  Juneau, Ian booked more recon flights, and hundreds of miles were covered with eagle eyes.  Scoping terrain between Haines and Petersburg we slowly developed a hit list confirming that we were in one of the only places holding good snow, and new terrain.

Scale is always so tricky in alpine terrain, this glacial toung is five miles wide

The “why?” question started creeping up in our minds and certainly in others, begging for an answer to what motivates us to go through so much trouble. We could easily roll in to Haines, where terrain is well established, and pick the low hanging fruit.  While our mission, our job, is to ” get shots” that goal is overshadowed by the desire, and need to go beyond. To feel the excitement and awe that a new experience provides is not only what makes life interesting, but also makes it so fun.

Views like this keep us searching for more...

Below is a showing of the pieces I have on display.

and a flyer for the event!

Above is a carving from our hotel, this image is of a “eye in hand” symbol of protection and good health.

above image is from the airport in Sitka.