Ski Movie!

Silent Kay productions, in association with picotrip is proud to announce our first microcontent-length feature.

On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of all-mountain skiing and to ensure that the handful of men and women who graduated could make parallel turns in all conditions. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls it Ski School. The flyers call it: TOP FUN.

Ghost Rider, this is Strike. We have unknown aircraft inbound Mustang. Your vector zero-nine-zero for bogey.


Tip: click the grey play button in the center of the video to play it in this page (clicking outside the play button will take you to the youtube website and play the video there).

Ducking the Rope

If you want to ski fresh, untracked powder and lay down the first run in a freshie, you've got 3 choices:

1. Get up at the crack of dawn after a big storm at a resort.
2. Go heliskiing.
3. Go backcountry.

Option 1 might be the simplest, but you'll probably only get one or two runs before everything is skied-out. Anyone who knows Mary and I will also realise, this is not an option available to us.
Option 2 guarantees a lot of runs, but is hellishly expensive.
Option 3 involves a lot of hiking up for each run down, and sometimes camping out in the snow. Unless...

Ducking the rope at the edge of a ski area and skiing out-of-bounds gets you backcountry skiing, with a lift at the end of each run. Fresh, untracked powder every run, all day. You may loose your pass, but for conditions like this, isn't it worth it? And ski patrol have to catch you first ;-)











Name the skier and win an invitation to our 'lil ski cabin in Tahoe!

Competition Time!

To mark our arrival in Tahoe for the ski season, picotrip is pleased to announce our first competition! Try and spot the weather-related difference between the 2 pictures of our 'lil old ski cabin - one taken in the autumn and one taken this afternoon. Every correct answer wins an invitation to come and stay in our cabin and ski with us in Tahoe! Look closely and good luck!

Tahoe with Dave

Our first week 'off' was filled with our annual ski trip - Skipalooza 07. This year 17 people filled a monster house in South Lake Tahoe - 8 bedrooms and 6000 square feet!

(Un)luckily Dave was among our house mates (Dave is infamous Dave's husband). Dave has an encyclopedic knowledge of drinking games which meant our days were filled with skiing and nights filled with Mr Freeze, championship arse-slapping (to the strains of Motorhead) and the appropriately named Dave Game.

All the Dave's reported having a terrific time and we're already planning to do it all again next year in Utah. Email me to reserve your spot!

Tuesday's ski team works hard for a living. Front row: Dave (goggles and hat), Dave, Dave, Dave, Dave (silver helmet) and Dave. Back row: Dave, Dave and Dave.

Tradition and nervous system demand an imbibing ritual before each round of championship arse-slapping.

I ski with Derek Zoolander.