Zach Paley

Big Mountain Riding in Japan: 10,000-Foot Peaks & Wet Dreams in the Hida Mountains

Despite seeming close, Yarigatake requires the most walking of the big three peaks that make up the Hakuba skyline. It’s well worth the hike. The massive ramp that runs southeast off the summit tightens between formidable rock walls about half way down to form a couloir that finishes one of the longest, most consistently steep pitches in the valley. Growing tired of climbing the Daisekkei, we opted to climb past Yari Onsen […]
Zach Paley |
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Wet Dreams in the Hida Mountains: Tateyama Dreams Turned Nightmares

A lot inspired the namesake of this saga. Constantly dreaming about getting to ski these towering mountains played a factor, however it wasn’t until a deluge of rain for two consecutive weeks that the literal sense of being in a wet dream set in. Like most wet dreams, things got weird. When not used to the confines and time constraints that come with what most consider normality, there’s only so much down time one can tolerate before feeling a little unbalanced. Thankfully, before the Gary Busey level of sanity set in, the promise of fair weather returned. […]
Zach Paley |
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Wet Dreams in the Hida Mountains, Japan: Shirouma Central Couloir

The day after the northeast face of Shiroumadake promised for optimal weather. We decided it was a good time for round two. Burning the candle at both ends with these early starts and long days, I couldn’t help but allow ‘Brown Girl in the Ring’ to creep into my head while walking in the dark. Sunrise couldn’t have come soon enough. The sun did a sufficient job broiling the easterly facing central line down Shiroumadake, making it prime for corn turns. Wind kept things firm and interesting for the top few meters, but once in the line, it rode quite smoothly. […]
Zach Paley |
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Wet Dreams in the Hida Mountains: Goryu Diamond Couloir

Rather than a dreamy peak observed from our window, Goryudake hides a bit farther back with a less straightforward approach. When observed from the correct angle, its diamond shaped rock formations become obvious, revealing a couloir seemingly cut by Zorro himself. It’s a tantalizingly close, deceptively far objective that usually requires a tent and some luck.   Goryu literally translates […]
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Zach Paley |
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Trip Report: Snow Camping in the Lyngen Alps of Norway | Photo Tour:

(editor’s note: Zach has been living and working on and skiing from a boat in Norway’s arctic circle all spring. Check out more great photos and stories of his adventures on his blog: Zach Paley) It’s as if May is Lyngen’s month. Clear and calm weather after Jotunheimen coupled with no sunset meant ski days long past my threshold. I finished my time in Lyngen camping with friends new and old. The impalpable sensation of hiking, skiing, and camping amongst these fjords was finally shared with others. Much like last year, we ate when hungry, slept when tired, and skied constantly. […]
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頑張って – Photographic Reflections of Japanese Spine-Pillows

頑張って = Ganbatte = “Do Your Best” Spines and pillows: two of the more desired features in skiing. They come together in one of the most profound and sought after zones. The terrifyingly joyful minutes between top and bottom provide years of living, learning, and experience. At the bottom, you’re too breathless to shout, too exhausted to feel elated, too surprised you’re alive to be excited. Religious, out of body, life changing, orgasmic. Love outweighs fear. We find ourselves sprinting up the skintrack to ski these prolific lines. […]
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Zach Paley |
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