My friend Shayne Pospisil told me the other day that he was driving to Alaska. I said damn you are so lucky, have fun, stay safe. A couple days later my friend Mark Sullivan sent me an email saying “Yo you guys should come to Alaska”.

Little did I know that these guys were all preparing for a mountain adventure to be know as Tailgate Alaska and that it would be publicized on freecaster.tv Not that the publicity would have made a difference but these guys are up there shredding and learning with Mountain Legend Nick Perata. I mean the guy must have over a decade of AK riding under his belt. Stoked to see that this is going good for everyone up there. Wish I could be there. For all the other people that cannot make it up to Tailgate Alaska here are two videos that give you an idea of what is going on there.

This is Tailgate Alaska. Witness the world’s most legendary terrain and the world’s most legendary riders face off again this spring to push the limits of what man and snowboard can accomplish – all from the comfort of your living room.

About MTNOPS

Created by the founder of Snowboard Magazine, Mark Sullivan and backcountry guru JP Stoermer, MTNOPS is a brand dedicated to introducing new and different ideas to snowboarding through products that are useful, durable and unique, and marketing that embraces the culture of the sport. For the 2008-2009 season MTNOPS is offering a small range of American made clothing and accessories to a limited number of specialty snowboard retailers.

After a long 9hr drive from Tahoe we got in to SLC around 330am went to bed for a few hours and headed off bright and early up Brighton to ride. If you have never been here you truly are blowing it. After a long weekend in Tahoe, and Big Bear before that. We were all itching to ride some Powder. This for me could be the most fun place I’ve ever been snowboarding. Brighton on a powder day has endless terrain to shred all day and pretty much always find good snow. The park is fun too. Today we just brought out the little digi-cam instead of some people having to lug aound heavy bags so we could ride all day long, and hike all over the place. Our crew was Andrew Miller, Mark Dangler, myself (Joe Carter), and some friends along for the ride. In this one you might not be seeing the most wild snowboarding, but just a bunch of friends cruising an amazing resort and the rest of our first day back in Utah. Enjoy.

Top of Millicent lift traverse. 

Cryptkeeper coming out of a high speed turn 

Joseph getting in the white room 

 Joseph. That was fun, you guy’s wanna smoke?

 Heading up Millicent lift. Brighton has amazing terrain

 Cryptkeeper, front slash

 Too bad we weren’t up there. View from the top at some dudes about to get some amazing turns.

Not bad views of Grizzly Gulch 

Mark Dangler, no camera today. Just good powder. 

 Hiking out for some fresh

 Andrew shredding , making good turns after popping out of a chute to the left

 Andrew, end of run front slash

 Mellow hike out. Always worth it.

 Look how much sick terrain is here.

 Molca Salsa

 Waiting anxiously for some of the best Mexican food ever.

Good day. Back in Salt Lake after a fun day. 

Photos: Andrew Miller
Words: Johnny Centi

So you are thinking about riding in the back country? Thinking about hiking off the beaten trail, getting the freshies, exploring the out bounds of your local jib line. Before you do so, explore the sigma trianlge: SAFETY FIRST LAST AND ALWAYS.

Brighton Backcountry; There is some insane terrain just a short hike from the lifts. The main issue with these zones are that 1 they are “out of bounds” and 2 avalanches are very common; so you need to be aware and be prepared in case of an avalanche.

A common occurrence in the Utah backcountry. Three foot slab slide in the depths of the commonly known “safety zone” : The tree zones slide too. In this particular slide, one snowboarder was trapped under the snow (with oxygen) for an thirty mins before patrol could access him to dig him out. If his friend was unable to locate him and dig out his face this snowboarder would have been buried alive.

My piece of mind for you snowboarders is Test Your Equipment and learn how to use the expensive tools that are designed to save your life and the lives of your riding pals. John Centi searching with the Ortovox X1 which searches in both digital and analog.

Sam Spedale testing his peeps for the first time in the Utah backountry. Sam is using the Tracker DTS which only searches in digital. Be sure to practice with this beacon especially when using the multiple burial feature.

Very Much Success.

When searching with your avalanche beacon avoid using any electronic devices that can potentially cause interference to the beacon. Cell phones, radios, mp3 players, headlamps and more can effect your transceiver. Shown here is the Ortovox X1 which is a $300 USD beacon.

Here the crew decides to use the needle in the haystack method by searching for the burial without an avalanche beacon, you can buy a probe like this one at Suburban Blend.

To learn more about avalanche probes check out Avalanche.org

Multiple cell phones, mp3 players and other electronic interference made it very difficult for the group to pinpoint the exact location of the burial. You will also want to avoid magnetic buttons when using the

John Centi with the digital Tracker DTS. To learn more about this and more info on the current available transceivers check out beaconreviews.com

For Daily Avalanche reports, Snow conditions and more Utah Avalanche info check out Utah Avalanche Center

In order to ride a line properly, it is important to study it. Take the time to view it from all angles. Really sit there and stare at it. Don’t rush. Just embrace it! The more angles you look at it from, the better. As you stare try and memorize it in your mind, because on the way down you do not want to experience a blank. It will be more comforting when you know where you are. Read the snow, the slope, and also look for your safety zone, for a way out in case something goes wrong. Things may not always turn out the way you expect them to so you have to be prepared. Also pay attention to details. A divit or bump in the snow that may appear small from the opposite ridge, may in fact be very large. What appears as a roll over may feel more like a drop when you hit it with speed. Be aware!

It’s a good idea to take pictures of the lines that you want to do so you can take them home and study them. Once you look at something for a very long time you may start to see things that you have never seen before.

The more studying you do, the more enjoyable the descent will be. Get creative, be safe, and have fun!