Team Mammut: Mt. Washington

Showing posts with label Mt. Washington. Show all posts

Friday, August 14, 2015

Eastern Unicorns

Eastern Unicorns from Louise Lintilhac on Vimeo.

It has been a few months since Unicorn Picnic Productions released the webisode I have been working on called "Eastern Unicorns." It has been shared around Facebook but I wanted to share it again with the Mammut community because I am so very proud of what we have put together. It was my first experience with film production and was quite humbling. Mammut played a huge role in making this video come to life and I am eternally grateful for all of the support. Mammut is a company that understands the importance of adventure and camaraderie and because of this, I was able to finish a project that I am proud as an eastern female skier to have been a part of. The community of snow shredders here on the East Coast is tight knit and full of energy, and I am proud and honored to be able to ski with such amazing athletes and call Vermont my home. Some winters are good, some winters are bad, but we always have a blast and it is that essence of fun and dedication that I tried to capture in this piece I did for U.P. TV. Thanks again to everyone who was a part of this project and helped make it happen.

Credits for UPTV: Eastern Unicorns

Louise Lintilhac, Paige Fitzgerald, and Carla von Trapp Hunter go in search of Big Mountain lines and powder on the east coast. They visit locations such as Stowe, Jay Peak, Mt. Washington, and the Chic Choc mountains of Quebec to try and illustrate the beauty and adventure eastern mountains can offer for this adventurous group of women.

Athletes:
Louise Lintilhac
Paige Fitzgerald
Carla von Trapp Hunter

Cinematographers:
Brent Harrewyn - Hoverfly Photography
Dana Allen - Dana Allen Photo
Meathead Films - Skitheeast.net
Matt Kiedaisch - Outsider Media
Jim Surette - Granite Films

Shot on location at:
Stowe, Vermont
Jay Peak, Vermont
The Chic Choc Mountains, Quebec
Mount Washington, New Hampshire

Editing:
Brent Harrewyn - Hoverfly Photography

Music:
ODESZA - "Koto"
www.odesza.com

Thanks to our "Eastern Unicorn" project sponsors:
Ski Vermont: skivermont.com
Mammut North America: mammut.ch
The Outdoor Gear Exchange: gearx.com

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Cogs and Slogs

There is a common misconception that there are no big ski lines on the east coast. As a Vermonter I know this to be untrue. While the Green Mountains are rolling and treed, the White Mountains next door in New Hampshire have some gnarly peaks with pretty radical descents if you are willing to work a little. This winter I had the pleasure of filming with a group of skiers and Meathead Film athletes who are looking for the Big Mountain experience in New England. We have primarily stayed within the confines of the New Hampshire border, but there has been plenty of powder slaying with a dash of crust and ice thrown in the mix to keep us all on our toes.

While the weather was not always bluebird, we got some good photos and footage, and I got a great workout on the 4-6 mile approaches and the skinner up the Mt. Washington cog railway we tackled every weekend. Needless to say I broke my new ski boots in quickly. I was also surprised that in the past few months, I managed to get out and explore more than I ever did living out west over the course of a winter. There is an inspiration in the community here to experience the outdoors no matter how bad the weather is and no matter how inaccessible the line is. I have learned terms like “shwacky” and “sniggledy wiggledy” which refer to how awful and thick the hobblebush is. I have also trained myself not to close my eyes when I ski through said “shwack.” This has improved my chances of avoiding facial scarring.

All said, the couloirs we skied were aesthetic and Mt. Washington is as majestic as ever. I am excited to see what comes of these days in the Whites and I know there will be plenty more adventuring to come.

By Louise Lintilhac
A.K.A. Steezy Weezie

Friday, February 22, 2013

Behind the Tights

First, an introduction. I’ve had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with Mammut since about 2007 when JP Hong hooked me up with my first pair of Softech pants. I’m fortunate to work just a few miles from the Mammut USA Headquarters in Shelburne, Vermont, and it has been a pleasure to get to know so many of the folks there—they work very hard! Through the years, I was the local female climber, guide, gym manager, they were the attractive Swiss brand down the road...

The Rose, a classic overhanging schist crack in my back yard, Bolton, VT.

Mammut and I became more official this year when I arrived in Ouray, CO, to compete in the mixed climbing competition and help out with clinics. I ended up in Ouray thanks to an American Alpine Club “Live Your Dream” grant, and things exploded from there-- much appreciation to Dean Lords and Gribbin Loring. I was happy with my performance in the competition, although the list of “what-if’s” still includes “What if it hadn’t been -4^oF when I was up first to climb the comp route?” I ended up timing out, glad to have hung on for as long as I could with frozen hands. The experience was amazing and I met so many wonderful people. During the festival, I was assigned to teach the Mammut Women’s Moderate Mixed and Ice Footwork Fundamentals Clinics, and through these clinics, was excited to expose more people to Mammut gear and faces.

Stairway to Heaven, 1200', Silverton, CO before the Ouray Ice Festival.
First time seeing full sun in a long time. Photo Andrew Blessing

On the Ouray mixed competition route, Mighty Aphrodite. Working out the frozen fingers.

I returned to VT to manage our own ice festival, the Smuggs Ice Bash, and then headed to NH as a Guest Guide and Mammut rep at the Mt. Washington Valley Ice Fest (see Art Mooney’s posts below!). Much gear was demoed, and there were many happy ice climbers. I stayed in NH for the following week to take the AMGA Ice Instructor Course with Art Mooney, Silas Rossi, and Marc Chauvin. Although the ratio was 11 males : 1 female, I really didn't even notice-- we were just a group of guides practicing our skills and enjoying a week of climbing in Crawford Notch.

2013 Dry Tooling competition at Petra Cliffs, the kick-off party to the Smuggs Ice Bash

And… the tights. The tights go along with my first indoor dry tooling competition at Petra Cliffs, the climbing gym that my husband and I now own in Burlington, Vermont. I outdid myself in an attempt to be as ridiculous as possible and wore blue star-spangled Wonder Woman undies over gold tights. After this, people had high expectations. I’ve been trying to appease them with finding new fun tights for each competition, but the “Wonder Woman” moniker has stuck. I really thought the unicorn galaxy tights would win them over this year… Hey, when is Mammut going to put tights in their line?

Little Outdoor Giants photo, MWV Ice Fest 2013

I live in an amazing place, with great climbing in Vermont, sandwiched between the Adirondacks and the White Mts. of New Hampshire. I believe that the East really does make one tougher: the cold is colder, the ice harder, the schist sharper. But the snow is deep, the partners are friendly, and there are endless adventures to be had. It's good to get away every now and then, to take a break with a new panorama, and to appreciate what we have in the East.


Glass Menagerie, Lake Willoughby, VT. Home of phenomenal steep ice.

Psyched to be inspiring other women in our crazy sport. Smuggs Ice Bash 2012.

I’m excited to bring more rock-ice-mixed-ski-guiding photos and experiences to the Team, and I'm happy to be hand in hand with the brand. Greetings!

Andrea Charest (say "Sha-REST")