Into the Backcountry

Mary, Rockett and I took a 2 day backcountry trip in and around Mammoth Lakes in the Californian High Sierra. We learned a bunch of new techniques, mostly for going *uphill* - and much about avalanche awareness.

There's something very satisfying about knowing you earned every downhill turn by having climbed for it first. Even more gratifying was the fresh powder we got to ski from a storm 48 hours earlier. I think we'll be back very soon. Perhaps that's why they call it the backcountry.

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).


Contrails linger in the cold sky above Mono Lake on the way to Mammoth.


Our guide Neil, Rockett and Mary ski towards Red Cone, our destination on day 2.


Rockett learns to read the subtle signs of the backcountry...


... and how to perform oh-so-elegant uphill kick turns.


Mary skis a gully on the decent from Red Cone.


Happy skiers framed by our first tracks down Red Cone Bowl.


A stitch-together of sunset over Mono Lake. Click on the picture for a decent sized version.

Mr Silent Kay

The last 2 years of our lives have been stalked by a shadowy figure. Although his only trace was a small scar, his influence never left us and for a while he was the most important character in our lives. He became such a fixture of our conversation, particularly those back home, that he assumed his own identity. Recently he's become a less frequent visitor but he can still make his presence felt. Mr Silent Kay is never far away.

Two years ago Mary's knees were equally noteworthy - and only for their aesthetic appeal. All that changed in the instant of a bad fall in Alaska, and Mr Silent Kay entered our lives.

Mary underwent reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee. The procedure replaces the damaged ACL with a piece taken from another ligament in the knee. It's a very clever procedure performed by arthroscopy - a minimally invasive keyhole surgery using a type of endoscope. Still, it meant we were out of action for an entire summer while Mary was first immobile and then on crutches. Mary missed last years ski season, but she's back this year. Mr Silent Kay is here too and perhaps even enjoying himself a little.

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).

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).

Annapurna Sanctuary

The Annapurna Sanctuary was the turnaround point for our trek. It is a valley in the middle of the Annapurna range surrounded on all sides by huge mountains, including Annapurna I, the tenth highest in the world.

We were blessed with 2 days of clear weather when we reached the Sanctuary. Previous days had seen cloud and rain roll in by early afternoon and this would have meant snow and zero visibility in the Sanctuary had it continued. Because of the enforced early finishes we started walking early in the morning and by lunchtime were sipping hot tea, eating Dahl Baht and settled in a lodge for the night. This meant lots of time for reading and backgammon! Current backgammon score: Mary 'doubles' Brett - 23, Matt 'luckless' Darby - 18.

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).

Alaska heliski video

Here's a video I took of a flight back to base from the ski zone in the Chugach Mountains in 2006. Our pilot is Nick - the guy in the Union Jack helmet. Nick flew Jaguar jets for the Royal Air Force in his younger days. We bought Nick a bottle of single malt to say "thanks" for his effort and skill on our first fly day. He reciprocated with this roller coaster flight following the course of a river across Nelson Bay.

When we landed, I asked Nick how far from the ground we were flying, expecting it not to be nearly as close as it looked. "Oh, we were never closer than 5 feet" said Nick. :-|

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).