Esha Peak

This was a bit of Sierra serendipity: as I was driving into Mammoth last weekend, I found myself staring at an unknown peak up the McGee Creek drainage. I snapped a photo through my car window for the archives, and then emailed my friend Jed Porter, of Sierra Mountain Guides, to see if he wanted to come out and play. Jed wrote back suggesting Esha Peak, which turned out to be…the very same mountain I’d spotted driving in (more…)

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A Telluride Storm

I love the sight of snow falling. On the last night of our Telluride trip this year, it unexpectedly started snowing heavily—big, fat, wonderful flakes dropping out of the sky. I figured it was just a squall since the forecast called for clearing. But it kept snowing. So after an hour or so I grabbed my RX100 and went for a walk outside, thinking I’d try to capture some shots around town before the storm quit (more…)

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San J Okay

I can’t figure these storms out. After a forecast initially calling for as much as 43″ of snow, Tuesday’s storm left a much smaller but still respectable 18″ or so in the higher elevations of San Jacinto State Park, where Brent and I went exploring on Wednesday. Despite the combination of abundant new snow plus last week’s totals, the SoCal backcountry remains pretty marginal, however (more…)

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Snow Valley: Top to Bottom

Sure, Andreas Fransson skied the Whillans Ramp on Patagonia’s Aguja Poincenot…but has he ever skied Snow Valley?

I highly doubt it.

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My Most-Hated Video

I don’t get much feedback on my videos, positive or negative, and I certainly don’t get much in the way of ‘likes’ or ‘dislikes’, but there is one huge exception: my video review of Volkl’s RTM-84 ski. Something about this video has sure aroused the passions of my otherwise-disengaged YouTube audience. That crazy RTM84 video gets a ton of views, and a ton of dislikes (more…)

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Grand Canyon: Rim to Rim in 7 Gigs

Is Grand Canyon but a dream, or is it instead where I am most truly awake? I shot a massive 7 gigs of raw video on this hike, starting at Yaki Point on the south rim and finishing at Bright Angel Point on the north some ten hours later. Looking back over these incredible images, I find myself transported back to this magical October day. I hope it takes you there also.

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Wilson Mtn Panorama

Nice views, to be sure—but the behind-the-scenes on this one is worth sharing. This was a training/test day for an upcoming Canyon hike with my brother. Problems began with water: I was using a borrowed water bottle, and badly misjudged how much water it held, so I wasn’t carrying nearly enough. It was in the 90′s at the trailhead, so I ran out of water pretty quickly. But I figured I’d be okay (more…)

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Today’s Slice of Zen

Here’s a quick sample of video from my Sony RX100 compact. Truth be told I’m using the RX100 a lot in my day-to-day photography, and I’m liking it a lot, so I’ve made some changes to my review to better reflect my evolving impressions. These dancing jellyfish aren’t ideal for judging sharpness, but this is hand-held, straight out of the camera footage, and overall picture quality is quite good (more…)

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Marina del Rey Fireworks Return

Budget woes forced the cancellation of Marina Del Rey’s annual 4th of July fireworks celebration last year, robbing us of one of Southern California’s best free pyrotechnics shows. Happily, the fireworks returned last night. Though the show seemed lighter overall than in years past, it was still a fine return, concluding with a spirited Grand Finale that admirably resumed Marina Del Rey’s tradition of excellence. Happy (late) 4th of July!

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West Coaster: Hero2 vs. Contour+

Contour lent me their flagship Contour+ helmet cam this past month, so I’ve been trying to think of good off-season ways to compare it to my GoPro Hero2. Here’s something interesting: a side-by-side comparison shot taken from Pacific Park’s West Coaster roller coaster at Santa Monica Pier. What makes this a good test shot? Heavy vibration and lots of abrupt motion (more…)

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