Josh Daiek goes back to Nevada to seek redemption in obscure desert mountain ranges, finding both solitude and a whole lot of powder. Daiek has an insatiable appetite for going off the beaten path and then proceeding to ski down things very, very fast.

10/24/23 - This week’s stoke:

What we’re watching:

• The North Face’s Women’s Team Goes Skiing on Baffin Island - In early 2022, a ski mountaineering dream team made up on Christina Lustenberger, Emily Harrington, Brette Harrington and the late Hilaree Nelson headed to the shores of Baffin Island to ski some of the area’s biggest unskied objectives. Turns out there’s a whole lot more than just the Polar Star Couloir. The North Face’s new short film Earthside dives deep into everything that went down, offering a fascinating look into an expedition and a set of friendships unlike any others.

• Matchstick Production’s The Land of Giants - Redbull TV is hosting Matchstick Productions 2023 feature film for free! If you’re in the mood for a full-length ski flick, grab the popcorn, a buddy and your favorite refreshment, and get stoked for the season the old-fashioned way!

The Beta:

• First Reported Skier-Triggered Avalanche of The Season - If you guessed it was in Colorado you would be right. Snow from earlier in the season had faceted and was covered by a recently developed wind slab. The skiers remotely triggered the R2 D1.5 slab from the nearby ridge. Luckily no one was caught in this slide, but it serves as a good reminder about the dangers of an early season snow pack.

• It Might Snow ALOT in the Rockies This Week - OpenSnow is reporting an active week of weather ahead for the western US. Wednesday and Thursday look for a bigger system hitting the PNW, Montana, and Wyoming (think 15+ inches), with light snow further to the south.

Elevating the Craft:

• Propagation Labs Picks Up Where Avatech Left Off - Some may remember the company Avatech that launched around 2014 with a digital pressure-sensing probe for creating snow pit profiles to help assess avalanche risk. The company pivoted to crowd-sourced conditions reports and later became acquired. Propagation Labs, a new company, appears to be trying to breathe new life into the automated snow hardness profile probe project. The tool will enable snow scientist, avalanche forecasters, and potentially recreational users to gather significantly more data in way less time.

Sidetracked:

• First Lift-Served Turns In The US - A small ski area in Massachusetts called Ski Ward was the first to open for the 2023-24 season, beating out Colorado resorts. An “all-weather snow making machine” allowed them to get a head start on snow making, and while they only opened a small strip of snow serviced by a magic carpet, hey…it’s skiing!