Tag Archives: Mountain Sports
DolomiteSport profiled by Backpacker Magazine
Exciting news for our DolomiteSport site, Backpacker Magazine has put a profile of our work and site on their website: Backpacker Magazine
This is ahead of their August issue sporting another of our photos from the Dolomites on the cover. We are super happy to be noticed by these guys!
Posted in Dolomites, DolomiteSport, Photo Business, Profiles
Also tagged backpacking, Dolomiten, Dolomites, Dolomiti, hiking
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Learning from Loss
The loss of friends carries a message. Death has the ability to teach us to live.
In the last months I have seen death in the mountains. I have been both witness to it as well as removed, watching from afar as its effect sweeps through a community of friends and family.
I have sifted through others thoughtful words after the loss of Shane McConkey, Jonny Copp, Micah Dash, Wade Johnson and two men whom we watched taken in an avalanche. There is always consistency; life is to be lived, and if in so doing one is lost, at least life was had. As a mountain person, I understand the risk inherent in the opportunity to feel tremendous joy for living within so much beauty. Loss can strengthen love by serving as a reminder the importance of appreciating the present, both for people and experiences. Jeremy Collin’s eloquent letter to Jonny Copp is a perfect summary of what I feel.
Each day I must go through our photography. In it we have a collection of memories. The nature of the way Janine and I work is to document what we do. At an early point in our careers, we made the decision that our work is less about “photo shoots” and more about shooting photos, of our lives as people who greatly enjoy being in the mountains with each other and all of our amazing friends. In our own work I see why we do what we do, it gives us life, strengthens our love, builds our characters and teaches us about the natural world and our place within it.
And so I have looked through some of our work and identified those photos that are of experiences that have made us better as people, images of perfect moments that have shaped who we are. Ironically, the most memorable, are from climbing in the mountains. Climbing can be frightening, dangerous, and difficult. But because of this, the rewards are some of the greatest . We can all identify with the emotions coming from friends of people lost. To carry on the lessons is how we can enrich others as well as ourselves, and turn something so tragic into something life giving.
Below are a few images that come from experiences that gave us life.
2001, our first climbing trip to the Swiss Alps. Too poor to stay in huts, we had to camp on the glacier. Our stay included a 3 day storm so fierce we couldn't leave the tent. The early days of our relationship with each other and with each other in the mountains.
Swiss Alps, 2001, my first alpine route in Europe. We would spend the next 6 summers climbing in the Alps before moving over to Europe.
Janine and I on the summit, a rare day of being the only people on a Swiss mountain.
Climbing Mont Blanc with friends John and Julie Stamstad. John had raced, and finished 11th in the 100 mile/27,000 foot elevation gain Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc only a few days before. We arrived at the summit for sunrise.
My closest friend Mark Leffler racing to our belay in a lightening storm on California's Mt. Russell. We thought we were done for as lightening was making all our gear hum and our hair tingle.
Janine took this picture of me as we waited for Mark, previous photo, to settle into the belay. This is a look of true concern. Moments later we were rappeling.
In 2002 I did the Sierra Nevada's longest route, the Evolution Traverse with Dave Melkonian. We started in the late afternoon and bivvied on the nearly 14,000 foot summit of Mt. Mendel. This remains one of the finest trips I have done in my 23 years of climbing, not just for the route, but for the company.
Janine and I did a long enchainment in the Swiss Alps in 2003. Beginning at about 2 a.m., we arrived to an alpine ridge for sunrise and one of our greatest days together.
Continued from the previous photo, our ridge traverse in the Alps went up and over numerous peaks and always on a ridegline. It is a magical position to spend a day.
Together with friends we started the Aiguille d'Entreves Traverse above Chamonix. The weather turned from blue sky to storm very quickly. Our friends opted to turn back and descend, Janine and I continued.
Posted in Climbing, Friends, Personal Story, Photography
Also tagged Climbing, Grieving, Inspiration
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iPhone Apps for the Mountain Sport Athlete & Outdoor Photographer
Ok, I am just going to do it, digress from all things I would normally discuss and delve into technology chatter. The iPhone. It is a big enough part of our lives and business that it deserves mention along with a sharing of our top 10 favorite applications.
Yep, I am one of those people who worships their iPhone. And why not? It allows me the freedom to be in the mountains every day of the year while efficiently running my business. I always love seeing people roll their eyes while I am working (and occasionally obsessing) on my phone while on a mountain run or ski tour. But for us, the mountains are our workplace, and we’d have it no other way.
In no special order:
1. Google Mobile App
Read the news, access Gmail, use Maps and Earth, go straight to Google Reader and of course just plain old Google. Voice Searching is possible as well for both your address book and the web. A perfect App if you have integrated Google’s many free services into your tech life. If you are a road rider in a new area, use Maps to see what options you have for exploring. For Europe, it is almost mandatory with all the countless offshoot roads that can turn into the best road you have ever ridden. Must Have.
2. Easy Task
A great Task Management tool. Keep a detailed To Do List synced on all your devices; laptop, desktop, iPhone. I can be on the bike or shooting, think of things needing to be done, type them in and they go straight to all the lists on all our computers. Janine gets a little annoyed at this one as her to do list grows while I am away.
3. Tweetie
My favorite Twitter App – love Twitter. Enough said.
Follow PatitucciPhoto : http://twitter.com/patitucciphoto
Follow DolomiteSport : http://twitter.com/dolomitesport
4. Dialer
Voice search and call anyone in your contacts, perfect for on the bike or driving.
5. WordPress
Blog and post photos from your iPhone. A perfect App, seemingly bug free. I enjoy a good trailside or summit blog. Did I just say that?
6. GPS Motion X
I use the GPS to record photoshoot locations. A great way to have a reminder of where you saw something you want to come back to or just to be a reminder to do some research on Google Earth.
7. Camera Bag
Fantastic app for making some artsy photo adjustments.
8. Photogene
Adjust a photo’s brightness, crop, saturate, etc… You can take photos from the app as well to eliminate switching from one app to another. Shoot a fun pic, adjust, crop, off to Twitter it goes.
9. FTP on the Go
Okay, this is a lifesaver. Few have the need for this kind of app, but if you do, it works very well. I can access and deliver images from our hi-res server. Wonderful. On an alpine route? Get an order? No problem. Love.
10. Skype
Who doesn’t love Skype? For us, living in Europe, Skype has eliminated phone bills and kept us reachable in Europe with an American phone number. I can have a text conversation while in mountain locations with someone on the other side of the planet, it costs nothing and works perfectly. And now, get on a wireless network and make Int’l calls at the low Skype rates. A Must Have.
And finally, well it is number 11 but in a league of its own:
Ski Touring
An App specific for the Sud Tirol, the Dolomites, and the Silvretta Region of Austria. Instant access to mountain weather, avalanche info, ski tour options, gear reviews and a soon to be integrated website for additional resources.
For the future version and website, PatitucciPhoto’s DolomiteSport will be a content provider through photos and information. This App is available at the iTunes Store by clicking on Ski Touring App.
All New DolomiteSport.com
First up – a HUGE thank you to the countless people who wrote on the Comment page of the Avalanche post, and especially for some very touching and emotional emails from people who felt comfortable enough to share their stories of loss. We learned a lot from this experience. One friend said it very well though, “Strange how after something like that happens, the world just wakes up and the day starts and life goes on…” This is a fact. Now we’ll take some things along that we’ll never forget.
Onward. After a few days of relaxing at home, Janine and I decided to rebuild our DolomiteSport site to meet the needs required of it – now it will be more like a Blog.
Photos - Interaction - Fun Stories - Trip Reports - Gear Reviews, etc…
And we’ll not be the only people involved, others will now be contributing as well. With numerous trips having been booked through our partner’s sites, travel details sent our way, and countless emails of appreciation for the resources we’ve provided, we realize that the site is a huge success. This all makes us tremendously happy.
After only one year online, it is time to grow and take it to a new level. The new site is up and running but still in need of additions. Beta version at DolomiteSport.com There are some known issues we’ll deal with soon. Still learning WordPress. In the coming week there will be all new photos and much new information.
Also, we have a new Twitter feed just for DolomiteSport, you can subscribe at: https://twitter.com/dolomitesport -This will be specific to things we do in the Dolomites. Tomorrow we’ll kick off the new feed with live updates and photos (and humour) from our team training camp. For day 1, we’ll be riding about 200km from home to Lake Garda where we’ll stay for a few days of training. One thing is certain: Duration of the rides+group energy= abundant Italian cuisine photos.
We’d love to hear from you on the new Comment feed as well – we hope you’ll check in.
Applied Infant Psychology for the Endurance Athlete
A few years back we found ourselves regular babysitters for a toddler, Sloan. Her parents would drop her off with us and then head out for some non-parenting time.
I vividly remember one night when they brought her over, plopped her down on our bed, and said we could just let her lay there and squirm. They explained that it was time for her to, “process the day”. As one of her parents is a psychologist I accepted this as fact, and somehow it stayed with me. Today, it all came back as I headed out for my late morning run.
My own head was filled with fragmented thoughts; an issue of a stolen photo, marketing ideas, managing 2 businesses with much to do, learning Italian, travel plans, etc… I think there was even a random AC/DC song as background noise. Internal chaos. As I entered the forest on singletrack, the external noise dropped away, it was just me, my foot steps and I. My only company was the occasional chirping of a bird. My head was turning everything over, 4 seconds on this before 2 seconds on that, and so on and so on. Then it struck me. Sloan, on our bed, processing her day.
While I was not horizontal surrounded in pillows, I was churning along with both my legs and arms just as she did. It is likely my face held a semi-blank stare at the trail ahead, just as she stared blankly at the Ikea light fixture on our ceiling. I realized that this time we give ourselves as athletes is critical for our development as adults, more so for our sanity in a busy society. Why should it be any different as adults? The individual endurance athlete who seeks solitude in their training is certainly also seeking the comfort that comes from being in their own peaceful world. Personally, I never return from my training in anything but a relaxed state of mind. I can leave agitated, but I always return centered.
Posted in Humor, Personal Story, Random Thoughts, Trail Running
Also tagged Endurance Sport, Trail Running
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April Flowers vs. April Corn
It is April 15. I have about 80 days of backcountry skiing in this season. I also have 3000 km in on the road bike since January 1.
Now, I live with the frustration of training for road races, trail running or skiing corn while it is to be had. Which it is in great abundance.
Snow vs. Non-Snow sports? For some odd reason I turn to our Blog for answers, or just to do something other than ponder what to do. I know this is not really a “problem” in the traditional sense of problems. But for Janine and I our activities also dictate what we are doing for work. Shoot skiing? Or put away the skis and shoot trail running, mountain biking and road biking? April is tough. Green, warm valleys below and big, snowy peaks above. This or that? Our friends are the same, some off to warmer climates, some still making turns. The photographer needs things just so for great images, this is all just so in-between good and great.
And then the phone rings and we are reminded that we are supposed to go ski Mont Blanc. Or we go to Tuscany for a week…
Posted in DolomiteSport, Random Thoughts
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Susie Sutphin Interview
Skiing corn beneath the Tre Cime di Lavaredo
A good friend of our’s from the US, Susie Sutphin, just stayed two weeks with us here in the Italian Dolomites. Together we pushed the limits of our legs and motivation, managing to ski every single day of her visit, 2 weeks solid. Included was Austria’s Silvretta Tour, a few days in the Zillertal Group, numerous days in the Dolomites, including three doubles where we skied during the day, finished at a hut, and then maximized our ski time by skiing out under fullmoon with a slight grappa buzz. The weather was at its absolute best behavior, favoring long days and lots of mileage.
Susie making tracks upward
Susie is the former Patagonia Athlete/Ambassador Coordinator from where we came to know her years ago, but now lives and works in Truckee, California for the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival. She is, simply put, one of the best telemark skiers around. Where people just should not be dropping their knee, she does, with grace and power at the same time. More than a few Austrians are likely singing songs about her right now. Susie’s primary goal in skiing is one thing, skiing steep, narrow, and mightily long couloirs.
This was Susie’s first visit to the Dolomites, I asked her some questions about the skiing.
I know what is coming, but what are your thoughts on the Dolomites?You have expectations from places, from the media, videos, etc… then what a place really is becomes focused when you arrive. The Dolomites are like the Eastern Sierra times 10. Turn everything up 10 notches and it is the skiing here. There are so many visible lines, so many things I look at and know I can go ski, the Dolomites are raining couloirs.
Here it is GO TIME. My skiing really improved in two weeks because the terrain required me to improve. Back home we have training grounds, then the Dolomites are the olympics. The Dolomites make you show what you’ve got.
And it is just so beautiful, the scale is massive, to be up high in the mountains at night and see the tiny villages shimmering below – fantastic.
Why the love of couloirs?
You always hear climbers describing being a part of nature when they climb. For me, being in a couloir, I feel connected to something so big, to actually be inside a mountain where not everyone can go is a great experience. And to stand on the top, looking in, seeing your ski tips sticking out above the drop, feels so good.
Explain the quote of the trip, “I love Europe”.
And not just for skiing, for everything. This trip was special, spending all my time with people who live here and not being just a tourist made it feel even better. Seeing how people live here, seeing my friends living here and how to make it happen, I love this.
What is your perception of Europe’s Mountain Culture?
The sports are just part of the culture, it is what you do. I heard a girl on the Silvretta Tour who was learning to ski in the mountains say, “I am from the Tirol, I must ski.”
And all the older people out?
Great, to be in the mountains, on a tour, arrive at a hut and there are 150 people inside of all ages, amazing. It is so inspiring and motivating. There is so much depth to the culture.
Would you return?
The question is “How do I come back forever?”
Finally, in your group of friends back in the US, is there an awareness of the Dolomites?
They think, “They’re somewhere in Italy, right?” That is it. They seem to be known for just climbing. For skiing, Chamonix and the Alps overshadow everything. But the Dolomites are the most varied, the location and proximity to other incredible areas, the Ortler, the Silvretta, Stubai, etc… And then the Dolomites themselves, if you love skiing couloirs and love just real skiing, go to the Dolomites.
Susie Sutphin dropping into the Holzer Couloir, note the ski line, straight down
Susie Super Psyched post Holzer Couloir
Skinning beneath the Tre Cime di Lavaredo
In the Silvretta
Posted in Dolomites, DolomiteSport, Profiles, Skiing
Also tagged Backcountry Skiing, Dolomites, Europe, Ski Touring, Telemark Skiing, Women
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Dolomite Couloirs: The Holzer Couloir
Susie Sutphin dropping into the Holzer Couloir, note the ski line, straight down
When I first started coming to the Dolomites I kept hearing about all the couloirs. Today I really found out what they are about.
Together with Janine, Andreas Irsara, Susie Sutphin and Arnt (last name unknown…) we headed out for what Susie would later describe as, “The best day of my life!!!”.
First up was the more serious business, the Holzer Couloir (Canale Holzer). Immediately beneath the Piz Boe tramline on the Sella Group, this is a backcountry endeavor without the need for skinning. As you arrive at the entry the first thought is, “No way, nothing can go through this”.
Impossibly steep, narrow and at first blind, one only enters because there are ski tracks already in place. Then the fun begins; sustained 45-50 degrees, 5-8 meters wide maximum, and 500 meters straight to the bottom. It is a stunning line and once seen, obvious as to why it has appeared in countless extreme ski films.
Once we squirted out the bottom we headed straight to the tram and back to the top for the much easier Canale Joel, this one a much more modest 35-40 degrees and south facing – thus, a corn fest.
Finally, after a sizeable lunch, we descended the Dolomite’s most famous off piste ski descent, the Val Mesdi. This was my first time to ski this line and I quickly discovered why I hear about it so much. It is perfection. Being incredibly long with a fantastically narrow and steep entry, it starts off with some business but turns into a massive open canyon with thousands of feet of vertical Dolomite rock on each side. It was difficult to ski because I was continually looking around. We agreed that the style of skiing in the Mesdi must be something like what a big wave surfer feels, just riding this massive feature of what nature dishes out.
Once back enjoying beers on the deck of a hut, I realized Susie was right, this was one of the best days of my life as well, but somehow, here in the Dolomites, I just keep saying that same line.
Exiting the Holzer Couloir
Susie dropping into the Joel Couloir
Susie Sutphin in the Joel Couloir
Looking down the length of the Val Mesdi
Posted in Dolomites, DolomiteSport, Photography, Skiing
Also tagged Backcountry Skiing, Dolomites, Sella, Ski Touring
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