Articles by cydwhit
For the last few years, I’ve been updating my original backcountry checklist that I made for newschoolers. Last year though, I started working with Kellen Busby to digitize the checklist and make it into a web app.
You can find the new, all-digital version here.
And I wrote a more in-depth...
I’ve made the mistake of saying goodbye to NS before. Way back in 2015 I made the jump from writing and shooting photos for NS on the side to working full time for Blister Review. I worked that adult job for a few years, took a break to pursue illustration full time, worked construction, worked...
I haven’t skied yet this week. If everything is going correctly, I’ll be driving up to the hill when this publishes, loading the lift as you read it. But for now, I haven’t skied yet this week. It’s been dumping in the Tetons, not like it’s been in Tahoe or the Wasatch, but we’ve had that...
Ski: Salomon QST Echo 106
Reviewer height/weight: 6’1”, 200lbs
Ski weights: 1803 g (only one ski weighed)
Length Skied: 181cm
Straight tape-pull length: 179.7 cm
Dimensions: 139-106-126
Radius: 19m (for 181 cm size)
Mounted: -8 cm from True Center
Bindings: Salomon Mountain Summit 12 BR...
The sky was clear when I woke up. Red streaks burning through the wispy clouds. It hasn’t snowed in a week, and for once I can see the ski hill from the back door. I imagine I can pick out the texture of moguls, the slight sheen of ice on the steeper groomers. No reason to ski today. Leisurely...
‘Tis the season for depressing old winter safety Cy to come out of the cave and wave my bony fingers at all these skiers having too much fun. It’s outreach season for our local SAR team, it’s “fat snowpack, let's make sketchy choices” season in much of the mountain west, and this stuff is on my...
I know I missed plenty, so let me know in the comments what else I should include!
We used to ski this run all the time. It’s the first thing I ever skied at this hill. Opening day 2016, unload off the lift, peel right, couple hundred yards on the cat track, jump off, wide open pow, traversing gently west. Big, mellow curving fall line, just steep enough to make fun turns in...
Some folks like to characterize the readers of this wonderful website as a monolithic collective of tall-T wearing, rail sliding, Skullcandy Icon listening, Full Tilt boot touting park rats. And maybe, at one time, that was true. But all of us, as skiers change and grow in our relationship to...
Periodically I'll get emails or messages asking how I learned to do what I do, what sort of art education I have, and why I draw random stuff for a ski website now. The answers to those questions are: YouTube, barely any, and because it's more fun than installing flooring. It's that simple...
Boot: Dynafit Radical Pro
Reviewer height/weight: 6’1”, 200 lbs
Boot weights:
-Stock Weight: 1518/1520g
-Modified Weight: 1588/1590 g
Size Skied: 26
BSL: 297 mm
Flex: Not Listed
ROM: 60°
Locations: Teton Pass, Grand Targhee, Grand Teton National Park, Crested Butte, assorted backcountry...
The sun has risen, technically, but it’s overcast and we’re in a drainage anyway, so everything still has that dark purple hue. We slip into our boots quickly, it’s cold, no sense in standing around, and shoulder our skis to cross the highway. Look both ways, move across quickly, hyper aware of...
Just like last year, I’ve decided that my post for the weird, dead week between Christmas and New Year’s won’t contain anything original, but will instead be a compilation of things that I consumed that affected my work this year. So buckle up!
I’m going to do my best to not include any...
What makes your skiing yours? What makes a turn, or an air, or a lap feel like it belongs to you? I don’t just mean style. Style is part of it, sure, but so much of style is expressed in how we do things, not just why. What I’m talking about is more granular than style, more easily quantified...
Last season I put together 10 stained glass windows to thank the folks who make skiing possible. At the time, I knew I wanted to combine them into some sort of church scene, and finally, this season I got around to making that happen. Here's the result, sprinkled with some of my favorite people...
If you've been living under a rock, the holiday season is fast approaching. And, whether you're buying yet another tie for your dad, or some sweet ski socks for your NS Secret Santa, a personal touch goes a long way. That's why I put together these holiday cards for skiers.
DOWNLOAD THESE CARDS...
The tracks are bold. That’s the only word that truly describes them. They’re confident, fluid, arcing without pause. Bold.
Small turns through the pepper at the top, effortless, bigger ones in the open bowl, before they shut back down, no skidding or side slipping, just a smaller radius before...
Two weeks ago I wrote this piece encouraging folks to work on their own gear. I explained how tweaking and repairing my ski gear adds to my overall experience as a skier. But, it seemed like it might be worth sharing some of the work I actually do, beyond the obvious things like waxing my skis...