Lee Lyon

Wet Dreams in the Hida Mountains: Shakushi Southeast

This series documents riding spring big lines in the Hida Mountains. The first part reports from the Shiradake Diagonal Couloir. One cool thing about Hakuba is that many of the biggest, most aesthetic lines are clearly visible from town. Every sunny morning, I wake up and stare at Shakushi’s SE face lit up in alpenglow. I scan the surrounding terrain for signs of instability for the day ahead, and I dream about putting tracks on Shakushi’s spines. I’ve been waiting for the right conditions to get on this face for some years now. In late March, an opportunity finally presented itself. […]
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Lee Lyon |
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Wet Dreams in the Hida Mountains: Shiradake Diagonal Couloir

Due to the complete media blow out coming from Japan this winter, I’ve been hesitant to share anything from over here. I know I’m sick of hearing about how awesome Japan is; I can’t imagine how annoying it is if you live somewhere suffering through a rough snow year. However, I thought it might be appreciated to see a different perspective on the skiing and mountains in Japan. Everybody knows about the deep mid winter powder season. It is a lot less common […]
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Lee Lyon |
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Atomic Automatic 109 Ski Review

For the 2014-2015 season, Atomic has expanded their extremely successful Automatic model into three different widths: a 102, 109 and 117. They still have that Automatic shape you know and love, and now you can choose the size that fits your style and the conditions you ski in most often. The 109 is the most versatile ski in the Automatic lineup. It’s a great ski for any and all snow conditions, and it is light enough to be a good touring ski. It is fun and playful and can also carve, but it is not stiff enough for heavier skiers who like to go fast. I tested the Atomic Automatic 109 in a wide variety of conditions over the course of 40 ski days at Nevados de Chillan, Las Leñas […]
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Lee Lyon |
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Japan Conditions Report: Bottomless Powder at Cortina Yesterday

What a start to the season at Cortina! With 50cm today and 50 cm yesterday, it was truly bottomless, by any definition. Snow quality was quite good, and face shots were plentiful. As the lifts opened, the clouds parted and gave us a few hours of beautiful light before it started to snow again. Despite weekend crowds and limited terrain due to only Chairs 2 and 4 being open, the resort did not track out too quickly. This last storm has done […]
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Lee Lyon |
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Atomic Outerwear Review | Ridgeline Ski Jacket & Ski Pant

Ridgeline Jacket.

The Ridgeline jacket and pants are as light, breathable and comfortable as a thin mountaineering soft shell; but are also waterproof, windproof, warm and durable like a heavier resort skiing hard shell. This outerwear combination can handle long hikes, varying temperatures, and heavy wind and precipitation, all in the same day. It is perfect for the skier who hikes, rides lifts and skis hard every day, in every condition. Test: 40 days between Nevados de Chillan, Las Leñas, and Cordon del Plata. Trip reports available HERE and HERE. The Ridgeline 3L Jacket and 2L Pants make use of Pertex Shield+ and Pertex […]
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Lee Lyon |
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2014 South America Recap: Nevados de Chillan and Las Leñas

 I spent two months skiing in South America this summer, and it was fun! My trip took me to Nevados de Chillan for two weeks, Las Leñas for a month, and the Cordon del Plata for a week. I’ve been coming down here for nine years now, which makes me feel kind of old, but also very fortunate. The majority of these photos were taken by Moritz Morlok. Thanks Boyscout! I arrived in Santiago in the middle of August. Typically I head straight to Las Leñas, but things were looking a bit dry and warm there, so I decided to go south to Nevados de Chillan instead. I’ve been hearing good things about Nevados in recent years, and it seems to be the […]
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Skiing at Over 17,000-Feet in Argentina: The Super Canaleta

Dorian, dropping.

As the season came to a close in Las Leñas Argentina, Dorian Densmore, Alejo Sanchez and I decided we wanted to explore and ski something new. Here is what we got up to. Video (by Dorian) and trip report are below. Enjoy. If you’ve ever spent time in Mendoza, you’ve probably noticed some rather large, snow covered peaks not far from the city. This is the Cordon del Plata. We’ve all eyed runs from the city and dreamed about skiing up there, and decided it was finally time to do something about it. The highest peak and most enticing ski line seen from Mendoza is Cerro Plata (19,574ft), which towers more than 17,000 vertical feet above […]
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Las Lenas, Argentina Conditions Report: Backcountry Powder for Days

Las Lenas ski resort in Argentina was going to close on September 8th due to a major lack of snow. Then it snowed 5-feet. Now, Lenas is officially staying open past the 15th. They say they will extend on a day by day basis, but I guess they will be open till the 22nd. Conditions in Lenas have been fantastic since the big storm in early September. There is plenty of snow up high, and we’ve had plenty of sunny windless days. Everyone has been getting after it, and all the high […]
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Lee Lyon |
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Las Lenas, Argentina Conditions Report: “5-Foot Storms Rock”

Morlok the Warlock below Telemacho

What a week in the Valle de Las Leñas! Our week began with a wet and heavy storm that lasted for three days, dropped two feet of snow on the lower mountain and five feet on the upper mountain. We’ve  had a couple days of storm skiing, an incredible Marte powder day, some waiting for the wind, and some partying. Monday and Tuesday offered up a variety of storm skiing conditions, which culminated on Wednesday with over the head powder runs down Cenidor all day. During the storm, temperatures at the base hovered around freezing, which led to some really wet and heavy powder at times. Marte remained closed, and […]
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Lee Lyon |
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Japan to Alaska: 2014 Season Review, Part 6

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Please check out all 7 parts of “Japan to Alaska”: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 *** Things were starting to heat up around Turnagain Arm, so we headed for higher climes. Hatcher. Same run different day. Billy from the Powder Palace. Still good north facing powder on Thompson Pass. Long couloirs, long bootpacks. Phantom, Berlin Wall. Dimond, north side. Lonely turns on the Worthington at the end of April. […]
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Lee Lyon |
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Japan to Alaska: 2014 Season Review, Part 4

In March, it was time to head for Alaska. We arrived in Anchorage just in time for a good-sized storm. After a couple of endless days of shopping and organizing our van for camping, we headed for Turnagain Pass. Good to be back in Alaska. Unfortunately, new snow and rain crust weren’t getting along so well. We kept walking and stuck to mellower slopes. And eventually stability improved. Thin snow year equals more interesting couloirs. Elevator Shaft. Eekey Popplemayer photo. Then, it was time to head for Valdez. […]
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Lee Lyon |
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