Christina Lusti eats first descents for breakfast. The Canadian ski racer turned ski mountaineer turned mountain guide teamed up with her buddy Andrew Mcnab to nab another line in the heart of British Columbia's Monashee range on a somewhat hilariously named mountain called Mt. Niflheim.

2/14/24 - This week’s stoke:

What we’re watching:

• Brandon Semenuk | Afterlife - In case you thought Brandon Semenuk gave up on mountain biking completely to become a rally car driver, he wants to prove you wrong. Filmed not in Utah, but in the flatlands of Alberta, Semenuk shows off the type of riding only he knows how to do. 

• Moonlines | Skiing and Highlining - Here's another unlikely combo: freeskiing and highlining. In the wild mountain range of Queyras, in southeastern France, four female skiers and guides (Silvia Moser, Coline Ballet-Baz, Chloé Roux-Mollard, and Aurelia Lanoe) unite them during a few days spent in a remote cabin in the mountains.

The Beta:

• Salomon Teases New Park Ski - Salomon seems to be teasing a new freestyle/park ski with a cryptic and kind of hilarious new microsite. We don't know much about the ski itself but seems to be a new rider-designed special project freestyle ski. Will it be called the Depart?

• East Coast & Northern Rockies to Get Pow This Week - Powderchaser Steve has some good news for the East Coast and other areas that have had a lackluster winter like the Cacades and northern Idaho. The East Coast storm looks to be coming in right-side-up with totals of 5-10 inches across the Catskills and Vermont. The PNW should are predicted to see upwards of 2 feet.

Elevating the Craft:

• IFMGA Guide Dave Searle Dives Deep on Using the Petzl Rad Line - The Petzl RAD line is the gold standard for ski mountaineering ropes - it's light, it's compact, it's strong, and it's incredibly useful for certain specific situations. Chamonix-based IFMGA guide Dave Searle talks about how he uses the rope, some of it's shortcomings, and shares a few tips and tricks for those of us looking to use it in high-angle terrain.

Sidetracked

• Cougar Attack in Utah Ski Resort - A snowboarder was on the backside of Beaver Mountain, Utah when he noticed a fresh set of paw prints in the snow. This put him on high alert and within a few minutes he was attacked by a mountain lion. Luckily he was able to fend it off by swinging the board at the animal until he was able to escape and ride away.

• Skier Dies in Avalanche Near Crested Butte - A skier tragically died in an avalanche outside Crested Butte, CO in a zone called The Playground in the Anthracite Range. According to the preliminary CAIC report, the skier triggered a small pocket above a cliff, pulled his airbag, was carried over the cliff, before triggering a much larger slide below that fully buried him. His partners were able to extricate him, but he died from injuries sustained in the fall. The victim was identified as Gunnison-area local Eric Freson, a much-loved member of the Blister Gear editorial team.

Thanks for reading and see you next week,
Max Ritter and Andrey Shprengel