Washington Pass Backcountry Skiing

I had just looked at the Stevens Pass webcam on June 10th and saw that there was still plenty of snow for skiing. I thought if Stevens Pass still has tons of snow then Washington Pass which is over 5000ft should have even more. A quick look at the forecast showed a 3-day window of good weather so I called up BirdMan to see if he could ski for a few days in Mid-June. Sure enough he was willing to get some of the last of this seasons skiing in.

Birdman was just back from a successful steep skiing trip in Chamonix and was happy to be home in his backyard. This is where BirdMan grew up and this pass is one of the reasons I moved to Washington 14 Years ago. Mountains as far as the eye can see. A special place indeed and what can be better than roadside backcountry skiing! Here are few images from our time at Washington Pass during June 13-15 2010.

Ski the Cascades! Literally.

Liberty Bell Spire!

 

Silver Star in the backdrop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon and Christine Wedding

Christine and Brandon Moland were married on May 30th 2010 in beautiful Leavenworth Washington at the magnificent Bavarian River House. The weather was calm and the fresh green of spring was all around. Christine and Brandon have been together for 7 years and you could tell they have been best friends for a long time. This happy couple decided on a traditional wedding style so they did not see each other until Christine was walking the aisle. When their eyes met you could feel the excitement in the air! Needless to say the ceremony was fabulous and these two amazing friends are now united in marriage.

Thanks so much to Christine and Brandon for letting me be a part of your amazing day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earth Day Apple Cider Press

This years Earth Day Festival in Leavenworth was a fantastic success. The day was filled with sunshine, music, games, smiles and appreciation for our planet. Amy and I took the opportunity to share our new apple press with the community. We had just received our brand new prototype apple press from master craftsmen Steve Gossett of CherryGroveForge.com who custom built it for us.

We picked up 300lbs of apples and set up at 10am on April 25th 2010 at Lions Club Park. Having never done this before I had no idea what to expect but what we found was a community centerpiece in the apple press. The kids loved it! The parents were dripping in cider juice and everyone worked together to press all the apples into one of the earths greatest gifts, fresh juice! Huge thanks to Life2 for throwing one of the best parties of the year! Here are some photos from our first community apple press.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Icicle Creek Kayaking 4

Marco Colella from Crossfit Cashmere called me up and said it's a new river. The Spring runoff has transformed Icicle Creek into a Class 5 or 6- white water adventure. The river must have risen 4 feet since I last photographed these high end kayakers. The same locations where I filmed from last time were now under a torrent of fast moving H2O. Here are a few images of Rob and Darren shredding the high water of Icicle Creek on May 21st 2010.

Rob and Darren running Limbo.

Darren Running Richochet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rob below the gates.

 

 

Rob sets up for the business.

 

John Marshall Photographer

On Thursday May 13th I was fortunate enough to follow acclaimed landscape photographer John Marshall around for a day in the Mad River Valley of Entiat. John is teaching an intermediate level photography workshop here the following weekend so he was excited to get out with me and do some scouting in preparation for what is going to be a fantastic 3-day course.

We toured the valley looking for potential photography sites for his students. What we found was a valley removed from the hustle of daily life and we were transported to a place of natural beauty and grandeur. We found boulder strewn creeks lined with wildflowers.  Cliffs, trees and wildlife jutted up from the valley floors and snow covered mountain tops faded into a sea of rolling foothills. It's a perfect venue for any adventurous photographer who is looking to create original landscapes.

Throughout the day John and I teamed up to create a photography video that will offer some insight into what it takes to create captivating landscape pictures. We get an up-close look inside John Marshall's photographic process as he shares 30 years of photography experience with us. Visit his website JohnMarshallPhoto.com to learn more.

Video coming soon...