A night with some Legends: Mc Hammer and Ice

Logan and I, Check out Logan red shades, 

The man the myth the legend MC Hammer 

Hammer and Ice sharing the same stage, 18 years in the making 

Ice, Ice baby, 

Killing it 
Last was amazing I attended the show of shows, I attended  an  Mc Hammer and Vanilla Ice concert south of Salt Lake City, it was a dry show no booze but this is Utah, don't forget, we still had a pretty sick time, according to Hammer the last time these two shared the stage was 18 years ago, so I guess lady luck was on my side having Hammer and Ice get together for a little reunion show and in the  SLC. Who knew Salt Lake would be were the two would meet up for a show. Here are some photos from the night

Cham, La Grave Style in the Wasatch: Skiing the Heart of Darkness

In the heart, down climbing through the rock

Looking back up, trying to see the light
Skis on time to Shred! kind of.

At the top looking into the darkness, Spooky

Adam Booting up the ridge with snowbird below 

(More photos to come) 

So today, I went out with photographer Adam Clark with the goal  to shoot and ski the Wasatch classic Heart of Darkness a couloir on the bask side of Monte Cristo peak with a constant grey bird sky and a ripping west wind at our face all day, it was going make for a very cold and windy day. A short three hour skin and climb up from the Alta Lodge we arrived at the entrance to the Couloir we quickly learned that we wouldn't be able to ski off the  top, I would have to do some 4 class down climbing throw snow and vertical rock to get to the point where I would be able to get my skis on. 

At the point when I put my skis on, I quickly learned why this couloir is called the heart of darkness, the walls of the chute are vertical and all I could see were the clouds over head and the constant attack of blowing snow, I also found out how narrow the chute was, as my skis almost would  fit in it. There would be no fast shred turns, down this it was time to go old school and hop turn my way down it. 

After carefully working my way down the narrow walled couloir I quickly learned my little ski mountaineering day wasn't done, I had to re boot out of the bottom back up, this mend climbing up the rocky face I had to down climb at the top. All I have to say is the Lange Banshee pro boot with it's vibram sole is the ticket so sick on days like this, with out the vibram it would have been one hell of a experience sliding around on the rocks. 

The stella's  at the sitzmark and talking of the days events after getting back to the truck sure hit the spot after a long day in the mountains. The wasatch is such a cool place you can get into some pretty hairy European ski mountaineering descent only three hours from the car. 

Make hay while the suns out

Drew up in a tree to get the shot 
The goods of Solitude Fantasy ridge 
Up at snowbasin 
A money shot, by Adam Barker shot at Snowbasin 

This last week has been filled with early mornings and late days spent wallowing through waste deep snow in some places or standing alone left only to your thoughts on top of big cliffs before jumping off, during the week I when out and shot with   Steve lloyd, Drew Steoklein, and  Adam Barker.

And as the old saying goes "make hay while the suns out", and with a big high pressure settling over the Salt lake for the week we made hay, shot photos day after day all along the wasatch range. After a day spend dropping cliffs  up at Brighton on Saturday with photog. Steve Lloyd where first thing in morning I  clipping a rock at the take off of the first cliff we shot and more or less falling of the cliff as if I jumped off it with no speed, falling through the air like cat on a hot tin roof   landing on my shoulder and head 40 feet at the  bottom of the cliff. 

While in the afternoon it went a little better we spend it out in the dead tree cliff zone  in the brighton backcountry I still was able to rang doll losing both skis after landing a 40 foot cliff and then bent my ski pole around my side as I landed off the 50 ft dead tree air. All and all a tough day out,  with my nerves shot I needed a little break. But as sunday rolled around and the grey bird of winter showed it head turning the Wasatch front from blue bird to grey I got a much needed day of rest to mend my sore body from the weeks work.  

Here are a few shots from that week, with more snow and sun forecasted it looks like the rest time with be put on hold again

A trip up north to Snowbasin

 Just home from another day of shooting today I went out with Adam Barker  we traveled 45 minutes north along the grate Salt Lake  to Odgen and  then in to the mountain to the resort of  Snowbasin. Snowbasin was the host mountain for  Olympic speed events  during the Salt Lake winter games , the mountain is pretty sweet a lot of big cliffs and little straight lines ready to  shred, and it often holds fresh snow days after storms.  It was a great day of shooting getting it  done under perfect Utah  blue bird sky.    

Brighton's Cliffs, Dry forks powder and sketchy cliff in the dark

Out running the sluff at brighton.
Airing it out in dry fork
Teeing off with the Driver in Dry Fork hole 1 Par 5
Teeing off in the Dark, Lights camera action!
Dry Fork is sick!
Shredding, Wasatch style 

  All Photos Drew Stoecklein 2009 

So since getting back to Wasatch, I had the opportunity to go out and shoot with local big mountain shredder and up and coming photographer Drew Stoecklein.

Meeting up at the seven eleven in the early morning at the mouth of big cottonwood before heading up Brighton Mountain resort in search of some of the big cliffs around the resort to send. Brighton is sweet, it's the hot spot for Salt lake city snowboarders because of it terrain park and rails, so the rest of the resorts cliffs, and pillow lines don't get slashed up and bomb holed out like the cliffs at resorts in little cottonwood would during and after a storm.  After a little searching we found our zone, nothing like a little 40 footer as a warm up.  Good think I brought my helmet.

I also found this super cool granite shoulder which was near vertical but held snow at the top,  but the bottom was all exposed granite with big rocks at the bottom, so plan was  to jump off of the shoulder where the snow ended and air into the small pocket of snow between the rocks. 

 As I dropped in on the shoulder the entire face gave way, white rooming my vision, panicing I straightlined out of the sluffing snow down the face, I quickly popped over the exposed granite face landing in the small pocket. The force of the landed pushed my knees into my chest knocked the wind out of me, blow my goggles off my face and my ipod earphone out of my ear. But we got the shot.  

After shooting all day we took a two hour break before heading out for the night shoot. I was able to go home change into some dry gear, eat a quick snack, and stretch before it was time to go back out there.  Night shooting is always very interested from setting up the flashes in the dark, to setting up the exposure of the camera to capture all of the light and get right angle, oh and hitting a 25 foot cliff in the dark with a bright flash going off right as you take off from the lip of the cliff. Good think night shooting also entails beer with buddies. Because otherwise there is no way a sane person would hit a cliff in the dark.  But once you hit a cliff in the dark in the day time it's no problem. Day 1 in the books, all and all it was a super good day. 

Day2 Alta backcountry, Dry fork zone: The following morning we headed out to the dry fork zone on the backside of Alta. After setting a quick bootpack where we wallowed up to our chest we topped out. We quickly set up for two quick powder shot while we had the light, after the powder shot were in the bag, it was time to start teeing off of some big cliffs in the basin.  Griffen went first and sent it Hugh, making me think twice what i was doing on top of this 4o plus cliff. Right before I dropped in I saw a group of Ravens (my power animal long story ) cruising around the gulch, after seeing the birds I knew it was all good, a big deep breathe, "camera ready" "skier ready" "dropping in 10, 5, 3, 2,1". 

My japanese powder shredding video

Nick, At sweetgrass emailed  me a little video footage from my recent filming trip to Japan.  Check it out!! 

If you want to see it larger, watch it on this player, Cheers

Forrest Coots January 2009 Hokkaido Japan teaser from Forrest Coots on Vimeo.

Driving back to Utah from Shasta via south lake

So today, I drove from south lake to Salt Lake. I have driven the Reno to  Salt Lake I80 route in the last five year ten time or more time, but todays travels were the most stress filled yet. Driving in a blizzard for 300 miles white knuckled as my little tacoma was pinned in the head wind. As I raced the storm across the grate basin,  with only one near miss 70 mph fish tailing lane crossing event with a big rig right behind me. Set me straight for the day. No coffee or Red Bulls needed after that. A good stiff drink when I finally arrived in the SLC helped take the edge off of my 10 hour day of driving.  I counted 16 car accidents, from big rigs to SUVs and small cars. I got pulled over in Utah for being a tired  driver, this time no ticket.  Today I really didn't have the time to dwell on to many things other then staying on the road. The powder I will be skiing in the coming days and those people I said goodbye to until the spring.  Well I'm off to un pack and try to get up early for some powder shredding. 

Shastafarian time

 new painting, 80's colors are my favorite to paint with! Given to Jen to help put some color in her tahoe home 

I've been in Shasta since getting back from Japan , at home for a extra week for the celebration of life of my grandma's memorial service who passed away while I was traveling home from Japan. She was a amazing person,  a lived life to the fullest everyday. 

 Also while here I have had time to finish a painting, hang out with friends and family. And spend time with those I don't get to see all the time. 

The highlight of my time here was a super cool morning spend at a local super hippie mineral springs resort going from the mineral bath house to the sauna then  to the  icy cold river 24F water and then back to the mineral pool and sauna.  After flying half way around the world in coach, skiing the backcountry everyday for three weeks it felt super good on my body, and I got to go  with one of my favorite people in this world who was also home for a few days.  I'm heading back to Utah tomorrow not looking forward the 12 hour drive but it will give me time to think, and ponder all of those crazy thing in life like color theory, Utah powder , comps. in Europe  and the girl that  always  haunts my thoughts  .  (driving 12 hours alone  is always super fun !!!) 

Japanese Photo Slideshow

A photo slideshow of my  trip to Hokkaido Japan  to film with Sweetgrass Productions or their next years backcountry ski film, shot from the eye of Mike Brown, Adam Moszynski and myself. 


Japanese Photo Slideshow from Forrest Coots on Vimeo.

Sweetgrass Productions Hokkaido Japan January Trailer

Nick, Ben, and Ian at sweetgrass productions sent over a little teaser from the filming that happened in Hokkaido  Japan during the month of January when I was there. The teaser is pretty sick!! So stoked to be working on this project.  A breath of fresh air in the ski movie world.