Re Wikstrom Photography: News/Rants/Updates _________________________________________________ 02.15.07 Greetings from Whistler Canada! I'm up here visiting, skiing, and shooting with the international woman of mystrery, Holly Walker. We just came from Baker, WA where we had two great days of skiing, but a rough day of shooting (with Holly, Heather Roberts, and Brianne Taylor) due to some thick clouds and low visibility. We were lucky en ough to hang out with, and get the full ski tour from Grant Gunderson, the photo editor of the new (and really awesome coffee table quality) "The Ski Journal". I Would have loved to stick around, but Whistler Blackcomb was also calling from the north. It has been snowing here so we're on a mission for some storm shots since I leave Monday and most likely will not see blue skies before then. Tomorrow we will also meet up with Sarah Oakden in attempts to make some more photo magic. _________________________________________________ 01.24.07 Wow, it's been a while.... been to Argentina and back. If you missed the adventures of my ski bag, check in to Powder.com for a short narrative by Holly Walker and some photos from the first few days (after i got my skis back!) of our trip. And seriously if that's not the most lovable ski bag you've ever seen.... There is also some great evidence of our southern presence on Doglotion.com. And many thanks go out to the people who made the trip so much fun (i.e. Holly, Suz, Tobin, Bjorn, Jamie, and all the other riff-raff we ran into). As for the winter here in Utah, we are all trying to stay positive. The epic storms have not materialized and a lot of people have headed to the northwest where some places are already well over 200% of their average annual snowfall. Meanwhile, here in Utah, we are learning how to avoid rocks and bushes, keeping in perspective the fact that we can at least ski (unlike many other drought stricken mountains), and keeping the faith that with a little more patience we will get our dues. Anyway, despite that slightly depressing state of the winter.... I am stoked to have been getting out to shoot a bunch in the past couple weeks with Molly, Suz, and Kelly. We've been able to explore a couple new areas, and do some sunset shooting. I just think, at least we aren't on the couch bitching about the conditions and are trying to make the most of it. And at least the avie danger has been staying really low and there is some soft snow to be had in some places (though harder to find right now). There's always a good side, right? _________________________________________________ 08.13.06 The Outdoor Retailer Trade show descended on Salt Lake this past weekend. A couple vendors I would love to highlite from the show are GoPro Camera and Chrome. Both are awesome companies with some super rad products run by really cool people. And I am stoked to have picked up a couple of their goodies (the Hero camera and a Metropolis messenger bag) to take adventuring with me in South America! Another highlite from the weekend was the "Ramp It Up" event to benefit the OIWC (Outdoor Industry Women's Coalition). This event showcased women's outdoor clothing lines in a unique way... by hosting a DRAG SHOW! The "ladies" in drag were top outdoor industry men from such companies as TNF, Horny Toad, National Geographic and TONS more! The venue reached capacity before the show even started, and once it did get underway it was non-stop laughs, cheers, and cat calls. Being the first drag show the OIWC has ever done, I know I am not the only one to say I hope this was just the beginning of one of the greatest annual events at OR. P.S. 11 days till take off!!! _________________________________________________ 07.31.06 It's official. It's been official for a couple weeks now, and I can hardly contain the excitement! I have plane tickets to South America! It's been 3 years since my last visit and I am so very excited to go back. After one of the most rediculous itineraries I have ever been a part of (try flying from Salt Lake to Atlanta to Ft Lauderdale to Bogota, Columbia to Santiago, Chile) I will have a day to rest and explore Santiago before meeting up with Holly Walker and Suzanne Graham to hop a bus across the Andes and grab another transport from the city of Mendoza, Argentina down to Las Lenas. We will have 2 weeks to pray for snow, shred as much as possible, shoot as much as possible, enjoy our daily siestas, and forget about life in the Northern Hemisphere. 24 days until departure! _________________________________________________ 06.19.06 The past weekend was spent in the beautiful Spanish Peaks in Montana. A month of two prior Kelly Holland mentioned skiing in June and before asking for details I told her I was in. Previously my June skiing experiences have been either working on Mt Hood or annual trips to Tuckerman Ravine before moving west. This trip was a little different. I hate to give away too many details right now but there may have been some camping, a lack of trail to the summit, a beautiful day of spring shredding with Kelly Holland and Rachael Burks, and uh, a few mules. _________________________________________________ 05.26.06 Not that I haven't gone skiing since then, but it's been well over a month since the chairs at Alta stopped spinning. We gave the season a proper send off at the annual party on High Boy. For those who missed it, or those who just want to relive it, you can catch a glimpse of the debauchery on powdermag.com: http://powdermag.com/gallery/alta-closing/ _________________________________________________ 04.03.06 Kirkwood has been a blast as always! The World Tour finals wrapped up yesterday with mostly clear weather and 2 feet of fresh pow! I travelled out here with partner in crime Holly Walker and we've been enjoying luxury accomodations compliments of one Ms. Amy Holland. Also got to meet the awesome Tess Weaver and catch up with Kelly and Rachael fresh off the plane and enjoying a week of jet-lag from their (mis)adventures through The Alps. To recap the event, the qualifier went off on thursday with some gnarly wind, but decent visibility. (Article and Pics are up on www.DogLotion.com). Friday brought more wind, along with fog and snow. And while we all love new snow, it completely sucks for judging a comp. That night mother natured dropped 2 feet of snow over Kirkwood and then told the storm to split. Saturday was a full on pow day... you know, for those people that weren't standing around taking photos all day. ;) _________________________________________________ 03.24.06 We have come to the end of a sick 3 week storm cycle. There were deifnitely some good shooting days mixed in there with some radical stormy-pow-ski days. It's kind of sad to see so much of the snow turning to mank, but it's spring, and that's how it goes. With the spring however comes the North American and World Tour IFSA Finals going off next week in Kirkwood! Stoked for the road trip and the insanity that is sure to go off in The Cirque, woO! _________________________________________________ 01.30.06 Since November the snow gods have smiled upon the Wasatch. We've been getting some really nice storms, not the huge snow totals of last year, but the snowpack has been really bomber for the most part, very unlike last year's huge avie cycle, and the storms have been relatively consistent. It looks like we may even get through a January without the dreaded inversion. Speaking of avies above, I finally did the level 1 Avie course. And I can't speak highly enough of how important it is to educate yourself on avlanche hazards and safe travel in the backcountry. At the risk of sounding like everyone's mom, please read as much as you can on the subject, attend every free or non free clinic you can, and then take the course. And don't expect to be an expert strsaight away. Even the ex-forecasters, patrollers, etc who teach the courses are still learning. The mountains are a humbling place that deserve our respect. _________________________________________________ 11.13.05 Salt Lake is off to a slow start in the winter department. We got a few inches this weekend, but weather models are calling for another warming trend this week. All residents in the wasatch area are encouraged to hold a sacrificial ceremony of ski burning to please the snow gods. _________________________________________________ 10.07.05 Today is the Mountain Maiden release party for their 2006 calendar. You will find a couple photos from yours truly, along with other photos of women in the outdoors, so get out and find yourself a copy! _________________________________________________ 10.06.05 We have snow! A cold front came through earlier in the week and left a nice layer of white over the Wasatch and the Oquirhhs. _________________________________________________ 9.23.05 heading up to the water ramps in park city tomorrow. i am seeing alot of face plants in my future. oww. _________________________________________________ 9.19.05 This is the Obligatory Welcome-to-my-new-website-newsflash. Accompanied by the usual this-site-is-still-under-construction- disclaimer. woO