- Details
- Written by: Brock Butterfield
Life In The Bus Lane - Episode 5
-Written By: Brock Butterfield -
After the long drive to Alaska and waiting in the grey clouds for almost 9 days we were finally able to hike lines and ride some beastly terrain in Haines, AK.
Glacier travel and crevasse crossing was a must to reach these areas but the pay off was worth is as we tilted the noses of our snowboards into steep, deep and technical lines. More snow came in as we were just getting started but an uneasy snowpack made us think twice about spending more time in Haines.
Colin Spencer gives insight to his first time in Alaska choosing and riding big lines. Our two biggest tools to get to the lines were our snowmobiles and Verts. The biggest and steepest lines typically require us to put in a boot pack right up the same line we're riding which allows for a close up of our lines before dropping in from the top.
Tune in below for our time spent on Haines Pass.
- Details
- Written by: Brock Butterfield
Life In The Bus Lane - Episode 4
It's 2,500 miles from Salt Lake City, UT to Valdez, AK and the Alaskan Highway while stunning can also be treacherous if weather is present. We were lucky on our drive up to only hit a little weather and enjoy the landscape. Before we hit the Yukon we were able to camp out each night in Wal-Mart parking lots and took full dumping advantage in their restrooms in the mornings.
A little hiccup at the border crossing with emigration for our cinematographer Brian but once we got into Canada we put the petal to the metal and kept the rubber side down. Gas station junk food such as Cheezies kept us going while we averaged 13-16 hour days to make the most of our time. If you've never had Cheezies they're way better than Cheetos!
The Liard Hot Springs are a must stop and great way to break up the long drive. We soaked out bones for an evening with fellow gypsy travelers in the parking lot and then proceeded to drive deeper into the Yukon where you're lucky to see a gas station every 300 miles. The gas pumps are also the old school pumps without a credit card reader so the attendant inside has to turn on the pump which means once they close down for the day you can't get gas. Planning is key. Spare tires, serpentine belts and gas cans are essential.
After the long drive we pulled into Haines Summit Pass where we would have to wait for almost nine days of cloudy weather before we could actually get out on the road.
- Details
- Written by: Brock Butterfield
Life In The Bus Lane - Episode 3
- Written By: Brock Butterfield -
Episode three of Life In The Bus Lane takes Brock Butterfield, Jacob Carey, Sam King, Adam Chuntz and Claudia Avon to southern Colorado where a predicted seven foot storm total was expected to hit. The first night sleeping on a mountain pass Brock, Jacob and their cinematographer woke up to snow higher than the hood of the bus. With avalanche danger on high alert the Bus Life Adventure crew found themselves staying in The Respect Hut just outside Silverton, CO where they found some deep and safe snow on low angle slopes and in the trees.
As snow began to settle they make their way into different zones outside Silverton in hopes of riding some bigger and more technical lines. A giant avalanche triggered by snowmobilers kept the crew on their toes as they put down tracks in a fun zone.
- Music -
Bronco "Calm In The Air"
Strings Of Atlas "Unreality"
Colored Animal "Under The Colored Lights"
- Details
- Written by: Brock Butterfield
Life In The Bus Lane - Episode 2
- Written By: Brock Butterfield -
Episode 2 of Life In The Bus Lane features the beginning of last winter when we met up with Mike Hood on Vail Pass and tested out the snowpack. It wasn't as deep as we would have liked it but we did find some good snow and were able to get some filming in before chasing a storm that just hit Jackson Hole.
In Jackson we were joined by Colin Spencer, Byron Bagwell and Rajat Bhayani and we ventured into a zone deep in the Wind Rivers where a lake surrounded in natural features greeted us. We played the weather game but were finally able to get a couple blue bird days were we rode some pristine Wyoming powder. A minor set back with our cinematographer's snowmobile blowing a piston towards the end but we muscled through and packed up camp as we heard Southern Colorado was about to get a seven foot storm (Episode 3).
