KT22 From Broken Arrow
Squaw Valley Ski Resort, California
Camera: Hasselblad XPan
What makes it special: Some of us live in the moment and feel the richness of emotion and feeling in our experiences. Then there are those who instinctively and naturally live in every moment, every experience, whether happy or sad, growing or grieving, or simply just being. It's a quality I strive to realize in my purest work.
The story: "The rumors are true, KT22 is one of the finest chairlifts in the world. But why is it that this relatively small mountain garnishes so much attention and praise? There are amazing athletes who ski only this chair and totally ignore Squaw's other significant faces. With over 1800 vertical feet being served up every 8 minutes (the time it takes to ride the chair), consistent over-40 degree slopes, and ridiculously diverse terrain, KT22 is a resort in itself. Day after day, lap after lap, it's never the same. KT22 always changes.
For me, it's about the land. I love the rocks, the trees, the chutes, the airs; KT22 is all-terrain skiing at its finest. When you mix in the wide range of conditions typical of any given season, it's impossible not to be challenged, enthralled or enchanted any time you get to ski KT22.
But most of us locals would agree that this mountain is at its finest in the middle of a storm. The numbers dwindle and you can't help but feel omnipotent. The falling snow filters the grey light to paint a translucent canvas. Subtle, faint shadows and shapeless, ashen clouds diffuse evanescing borders between mountains, ridges and trees. Your senses are heightened, you ski by feel, weightless in space, no beginning, no end. It's the closest I come to flying. Each day's individual voice beckons more distinctly with each passing hour. You instinctively realize no storm day is ever the same on KT22."
