Carl Kohnstamm

Last year, we posted our picks for the best ski mountaineering trip reports from North America in the 2013/2014 season. We decided to do it again this year with the following criteria: a well written report with exciting photos and true ski mountaineering, not just ski touring.
While last year was marked by a series of exciting reports on FKTs in North America, this year that front was much quieter. Instead, we have a handful of cool trip reports to take your mind off the unbearable summer heat.

I was lucky enough to spend a day skiing in the Sky Pilot area (near Squamish, BC) with Dynafit athlete Trevor Hunt. While warming up on an easy couloir, we got a good view of Ledge Mountain and a series of steep ramps above cliffs. Conditions were perfect and Trevor returned the next day to solo it for the first descent. His report is as emotion filled as it is possible to convey via the internet and his spectacular photos barely reveal the seriousness of the descent. Check it out here.
Next up is a report from our Utah friends, the Dorais brothers. Jason and Andy have been fixtures on the skimo racing podiums in the US and have also been stepping up their game in big mountain terrain. After returning from the Ski Mountaineering World Championships in Switzerland, along with Tom Goth, another top US skimo racer, they ticked off the Teton Trifecta in excellent style. A technically demanding series of descents, presented with words from Andy and excellent photos from the group here.
Also be sure to check out the recent film documenting the Dorais bro’s approach to life and skiing by Duct Tape Then Beer Productions at the end of this post.

Continuing… Carl Kohnstamm is a 21-year old Montana native transplanted to Squamish BC. Carl is a stand out solid-at-everything ski mountaineer with some serious lines on his resume in Montana, the Tetons, and on the Coast. His understated reports reveal just enough to comprehend his motivations and his photos speak for themselves. While on a semester at University of Montana, he took his breaks seriously and made a couple of great trips to the Tetons including a strong solo outing on the Middle Teton that he details on his blog.
Another report is from Noah Howell, formerly of Powderwhore Productions, is well versed in story telling and generally an impressive photographer. While he may look a rather unlikely skimo racer, he seems to be one of the few who truly race for the fun of it. When he isn’t racing skinny skis on the North American series, he seems to have an affinity for getting a little further afield than most of us and embracing the suffering that accompanies such trips. His report from a spring trip to the Beartooth Mountains is illustrative of this approach to technical ski mountaineering descents.
Last up, not a specific trip report but a blog to follow for its beautiful pictures and excellent beta if you find yourself skiing in the Cooke City area, the Cook City Chronicle by Beau Fredlund.
And that should be enough reading to stoke the excitement for winter! 🙂
If you have any other awesome trip reports that you think must be included, link them in the comments below!

Dorais brothers movie