Most of you may be planning on attending a ski movie premiere soon to get stoked for the ski season. Most of you will probably go to Warren Miller's 'Dynasty.' Most of you would probably enjoy it and walk out of the theater with that buzzing tingling sensation that you only get when you can't go skiing, but you really really want to, or when you're waiting for the lift to open on a three foot day and you're first in line.
Before you go and spend a lot of money on a mediocre ski flick that's a year behind all other ski flicks, consider this: Warren Miller Entertainment (which has no affiliation with Warren Miller, the ski legend, because he doesn't like the direction they have taken with their films) is suing a small, independent company called Level 1 Productions Level 1 makes my favorite ski movies as of late and have done nothing wrong or illegal. Josh Berman, Level 1's director, asked if Warren Miller would contribute his voice for a small section of the movie as a surprise. Again, Warren Miller has no affiliation with WME. WME is claiming that Mr. Berman has infringed on their companies copyrights. This is a totally bogus suit and on par with suing for too hot of coffee, or for McDonald's making you fat.
I realize most of you probably don't care, but that's the gist of it. It's hard enough for these small companies to make it in the industry. They need as much support as they can get. Buy their movies, go to their premieres, and buy their merchandise. If you care. These 'indy' movies show what's happening at the top of our sport in the most creative way possible. Unlike the latest Warren Miller movies.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sam Wins!
Sam Hill took 1st at finals, which also gave him the overall for the season. Nice! Two Americans in the top 10 too, which hasn't happened in over ten years.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Downhill Finals
Practice for the DH finals in Schladming, this race is gnarly. I predict Sam Hill to win, because he's Australian, and Australians are gnarly.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
More MHGees and Tall Tees
2009 Freeskier Park Test from Dave Amirault on Vimeo.
In case you were wondering, MHG = Menacing Hand Gestures, usually directed at a camera to show how Hyphy you wish you were.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
School and Skiing
Balancing school work and skiing is very difficult for you weekday kids. School cannot be taken lightly, but if you do it right, you can still ski as much as you want, and get all A's until you graduate high school.
USSA has provided a nice letter that may help some of you dealing with school authorities. It is very hard to balance school and training time for those that ski during the week. It is even harder to convince your respective schools that ski racing is a viable alternative to football or cheer leading.
If you are in need of any assistance with your athlete's school situation, take a look at this letter. It may help. I can also write a letter and explain the situation if need be.
USSA has provided a nice letter that may help some of you dealing with school authorities. It is very hard to balance school and training time for those that ski during the week. It is even harder to convince your respective schools that ski racing is a viable alternative to football or cheer leading.
If you are in need of any assistance with your athlete's school situation, take a look at this letter. It may help. I can also write a letter and explain the situation if need be.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Dryland Conditioning
WHAT: Sundance Ski Team Dryland Training
WHERE: Fort Park. 200N Geneva road in Provo
WHEN: August 31st - November 6th. Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 4:00 - 6:00 pm.
Skiing specific workouts focusing on plyometrics, strength, power, and agility.
BE THERE! (high five!)
WHERE: Fort Park. 200N Geneva road in Provo
WHEN: August 31st - November 6th. Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 4:00 - 6:00 pm.
Skiing specific workouts focusing on plyometrics, strength, power, and agility.
BE THERE! (high five!)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Timpanogos Extreme Summiting
What? Timpanogos Summit Excursion
When? Tuesday, August 18th. 5:00 AM
Where? Aspen Grove Parking Lot
Why? Tradition, and we will be running for 60% of the trail, and carrying heavy rocks for 40% to get in shape for the season.
Not really, but if you wanted to, more power to ya.
When? Tuesday, August 18th. 5:00 AM
Where? Aspen Grove Parking Lot
Why? Tradition, and we will be running for 60% of the trail, and carrying heavy rocks for 40% to get in shape for the season.
Not really, but if you wanted to, more power to ya.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Win some ish
DRYLAND CONTEST!! (!!!)
Whoever does the most sit-ups, or push-ups, their first day of dryland training will win a t-shirt or beanie. So, if you do the most of both, you will win both prizes.
The athlete to do more sit-ups or push-ups than Tyson, will win the most ballin' prize ever. It's shiny, loud, hip, and (hint) really sweet for your cranium.
BREAK!
Whoever does the most sit-ups, or push-ups, their first day of dryland training will win a t-shirt or beanie. So, if you do the most of both, you will win both prizes.
The athlete to do more sit-ups or push-ups than Tyson, will win the most ballin' prize ever. It's shiny, loud, hip, and (hint) really sweet for your cranium.
BREAK!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Surface Jr. Fattie
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Just Passing Thru
Mikael Clarke and filmer Blake Kimmel have set out to bring a fresh style to ski movies. Their site explains it all with updates every day (pictures too!) It should be cool, 'bunch' of pros and the MOST rad tricks. Stoked.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Life Cycles
A new bike movie is in the process of being made right now called Life Cycles. It won't be out until December[ish], but I am way too excited for it. Ryan Gibb, the main cinematographer, married a good friend of mine and I got to ride with him the other day (not to film). But he was telling me all about the movie and gave me a little preview that is top secret. All I can say is that it's going to be amazing. Peep the action below to get a sampling of the artistry and creativeness. Stunning.












Thursday, May 21, 2009
Awards Banquet
For those of you that couldn't make it to the party on Wednesday, it was a good time. We presented Hunter Flinders with the 'Most Improved Skier' award, and P.J. Baymiller with the 'Skier of the Year' award. Nice work boys! These two proved their dedication to skiing this season with all the hard work they put into their training. Hunter improved tremendously this year with 3 top ten finishes and throwing huge 360's off of even huger (as in bigger) jumps. PJ earned the skier of the year because of his ability to be a team leader and willingness to help his team at every opportunity. His knowledge and ability to teach that to his fellow teammates is a great showcase to his character. Heap 3 first places, one second place, and the overall at Brian Head, plus his mad freeskiing skills on top and shazaam! you've got yourself the Sundance Skier of the Year.
Both received a custom ceramic plate made by Tim at the Sundance Art Shack.
We want these awards to properly recognize two of our most outstanding athletes from the previous season. We also want them to become something that every athlete desires to earn the next season. We are a growing team gaining a lot of recognition from other teams, organizers, and [cool] people in general. What we do now as a team will set the standard for years to come, and we hope these awards come to embody everything that is cool about the Sundance Ski Team. Everyone of our athletes give something unique to our team, and the more that you involve yourself in it, then the more that everyone benefits. Thank you all for a great season and we look forward to next year!
Both received a custom ceramic plate made by Tim at the Sundance Art Shack.
We want these awards to properly recognize two of our most outstanding athletes from the previous season. We also want them to become something that every athlete desires to earn the next season. We are a growing team gaining a lot of recognition from other teams, organizers, and [cool] people in general. What we do now as a team will set the standard for years to come, and we hope these awards come to embody everything that is cool about the Sundance Ski Team. Everyone of our athletes give something unique to our team, and the more that you involve yourself in it, then the more that everyone benefits. Thank you all for a great season and we look forward to next year!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Whipping Trees
Thanks to Scott Sprenger for this nice video. Someday when I can bike all-day and all-night... right.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Motivation
I found this nice little tidbit of info while researching for a paper. I found it quite relevant to sports, and especially coaching. Made me wonder what kind of interaction there is between confidence and desire. Will the desire to improve performance toss out the fear and lack of confidence, or does the level of confidence dictate the amount of improvement?
Motivation and Arousal
The concept of setting a proper task difficulty leads to the
consideration of additional factors that could potentially influence
the outcome of training: motivation and arousal. Whereas motiva-
tion and arousal have been largely (if not completely) ignored in
the field of skill learning (but see Ackerman & Cianciolo, 2000;
Ackerman, Kanfer, & Goff, 1995), these factors have been and
continue to be actively considered in social psychology, education,
and many other fields concerned with learning. For instance,
motivation is a critical component of most major theories of
learning in these fields, with motivation level being posited to
depend highly on the individual’s internal belief about his or her
ability to meet the current challenge. Vygotsky’s (1978) “zone of
proximal development” corresponds well with the skill learning
literature discussed above. According to this theory, motivation is
highest and learning is most efficient when tasks are made just
slightly more difficult than can be matched by the individual’s
current ability. Tasks that are much too difficult or much too easy
will lead to lower levels of motivation and thus substantially
reduced learning. This is not to say that no learning will ever occur
if the task is too difficult or too easy (Amitay, Irwin, & Moore,
2006; Seitz & Watanabe, 2003; Watanabe, Nanez, & Sasaki,
2001), but learning rate should be at a maximum when the task is
challenging, yet still doable.
Taken from Psychology and Aging, Exercising your brain... By C.S. Green et. al.
Motivation and Arousal
The concept of setting a proper task difficulty leads to the
consideration of additional factors that could potentially influence
the outcome of training: motivation and arousal. Whereas motiva-
tion and arousal have been largely (if not completely) ignored in
the field of skill learning (but see Ackerman & Cianciolo, 2000;
Ackerman, Kanfer, & Goff, 1995), these factors have been and
continue to be actively considered in social psychology, education,
and many other fields concerned with learning. For instance,
motivation is a critical component of most major theories of
learning in these fields, with motivation level being posited to
depend highly on the individual’s internal belief about his or her
ability to meet the current challenge. Vygotsky’s (1978) “zone of
proximal development” corresponds well with the skill learning
literature discussed above. According to this theory, motivation is
highest and learning is most efficient when tasks are made just
slightly more difficult than can be matched by the individual’s
current ability. Tasks that are much too difficult or much too easy
will lead to lower levels of motivation and thus substantially
reduced learning. This is not to say that no learning will ever occur
if the task is too difficult or too easy (Amitay, Irwin, & Moore,
2006; Seitz & Watanabe, 2003; Watanabe, Nanez, & Sasaki,
2001), but learning rate should be at a maximum when the task is
challenging, yet still doable.
Taken from Psychology and Aging, Exercising your brain... By C.S. Green et. al.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
End of the Year Party
Hello Team,
We will be having our end of the year banquet on Tuesday May 19th. It will be at the Timpanogos Storytelling Park up Provo Canyon at 5:00. It's a little bit late this year, but it will be worth the wait, I think. This may also change depending on one thing. So get it on your calendar for now. I will send out more info in a few days.
We will be having our end of the year banquet on Tuesday May 19th. It will be at the Timpanogos Storytelling Park up Provo Canyon at 5:00. It's a little bit late this year, but it will be worth the wait, I think. This may also change depending on one thing. So get it on your calendar for now. I will send out more info in a few days.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
En Route Back Home
Here's the latest from Nimbus Independent. All the usual heroes plus one of our friendly neighborhood Nymans. Blake Nyman that is. He's got some great shots in here, which is very good to see.
Go to Nimbus Independent for more videos.
Go to Nimbus Independent for more videos.
JOSS Videos
For those that don't know, the Jon Olsson Super Session contest is probably the coolest contest ever. Teams from all over the world go to Sweden for two weeks to jump stuff and look cool in front of the camera. The team with the best shots and cinematography compiled and edited at the end of the trip, wins. I'm way late getting this on here, but that doesn't make it any less radical.
Team Norway 1st (Andreas Hatveit & PK Hunder)
Team Europe 2nd (Henrik Harlaut & Laurent Favre)
Team Canada (TJ Schiller & Ian Cosco) - 3rd
Team America (Simon Dumont & Tom Wallisch) - 4th Warning: Biggie Smalls is a gangsta, he also helps out Team America with their video because that's what skiers are now, gangsta, or as we like to call them Gayskers. Being a gangsta, he sings about gangsta stuff, so you may want to turn the sound down if you're not gangsta. It's my favorite one though so it's gotta go on here. American's kick butt.
Team Sweden (Jon Olsson & Jacob Webster) - 5th
Team USA #2 and Team Down Under were there too, but I can't embed their videos.
Team Norway 1st (Andreas Hatveit & PK Hunder)
Team Europe 2nd (Henrik Harlaut & Laurent Favre)
Team Canada (TJ Schiller & Ian Cosco) - 3rd
Team America (Simon Dumont & Tom Wallisch) - 4th Warning: Biggie Smalls is a gangsta, he also helps out Team America with their video because that's what skiers are now, gangsta, or as we like to call them Gayskers. Being a gangsta, he sings about gangsta stuff, so you may want to turn the sound down if you're not gangsta. It's my favorite one though so it's gotta go on here. American's kick butt.
Team Sweden (Jon Olsson & Jacob Webster) - 5th
Team USA #2 and Team Down Under were there too, but I can't embed their videos.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Timpanogos Slain
I don't want this to turn into Tyson's Blog, but I thought I needed to share some pictures of us skiing Timpanogos. Me and three of my friends hiked up from Aspen Grove and skied the front side of Timpanogos on Mon. the 13th. Something every skier in Utah Valley dreams of doing right? It definitely is what dreams are made of, one of the coolest things I've ever done! The skin up wasn't too bad and the snow was stable so avalanche danger was very low. It took about 4.5 hours to get to the saddle (check picture)
This kind of shows our line, I forgot to take a picture from the bottom, so this is the best I could find online. The first couple of turns were crusty, but then it got soft and really fun for a few turns before the first cliff band. After that the snow deteriorated and we skied some weird crusty-punchy-icy-but-still-very-fun-snow to this gully at the top of Dry Canyon. The gully was super fun because it was softer and there were all sorts of little things to jump off and play around on. All in all, the run down took about 45 minutes. We stopped a lot and soaked in what we were doing.




This kind of shows our line, I forgot to take a picture from the bottom, so this is the best I could find online. The first couple of turns were crusty, but then it got soft and really fun for a few turns before the first cliff band. After that the snow deteriorated and we skied some weird crusty-punchy-icy-but-still-very-fun-snow to this gully at the top of Dry Canyon. The gully was super fun because it was softer and there were all sorts of little things to jump off and play around on. All in all, the run down took about 45 minutes. We stopped a lot and soaked in what we were doing. Timp Pics
My favorite pic, this is rounding the corner to Emerald Lake looking back down into Heber and Aspen Grove.
Looking back down into Emerald Lake.
Last push up into the saddle. This is the Glacier you slide down in the summer time.
Made it! On the saddle preparing to descend into awesomeness.
Oh ya, Surface love!
Taylor shredding the best snow at the top
Matt and Taylor riding the Timper
From left: Matt Harding, Pete Later, Taylor Tuttle, and some really tall goon in his pajamas
Friday, March 27, 2009
Rollerskates!
Parents Vs. Athlete Race
Hello Team,
Everyone should know by now that if it snows, I don't get anything done. And it's been snowing a lot this week.
The results from the Parents Vs. Athletes Race went something like this: Athletes owned. The end.
That's a true story.
Teams:
1st: PJ and Kanako 68:75
2nd: Adam and Dell 69:94
3rd: Kyle and Ben 71:65
Individual Athlete:
1st: PJ 31.75
2nd: Joseph 32:50
3rd: Kyle 36:00
Parents:
1st: Dell Brown 33:96
2nd: Ben Harris 35:65
3rd: Bill Freedman 35:88
Not too bad I guess parents. Good Times
Everyone should know by now that if it snows, I don't get anything done. And it's been snowing a lot this week.
The results from the Parents Vs. Athletes Race went something like this: Athletes owned. The end.
That's a true story.
Teams:
1st: PJ and Kanako 68:75
2nd: Adam and Dell 69:94
3rd: Kyle and Ben 71:65
Individual Athlete:
1st: PJ 31.75
2nd: Joseph 32:50
3rd: Kyle 36:00
Parents:
1st: Dell Brown 33:96
2nd: Ben Harris 35:65
3rd: Bill Freedman 35:88
Not too bad I guess parents. Good Times
Sunday, March 15, 2009
BH Champs
Well, we've done it again. Sundance had another great weekend of racing and fun in the sun at Brian Head. Everyone skied amazing and we brought home a grip of medals. A fine ending to a great season of hard work. All that training has definitely paid off. Good work boys and girls!
Just a quick summary of the results since I realized how boring words are without pictures. Sorry for slacking on the peeps.
Our two solitary girls, Amanda and Samantha, had a good time and skied hard. Amanda was consistent and finished 24th both days. Samantha was doing the dishes again, BUT I thought she skied her best run of the year on Sunday. Sweet. Hopefully this is her first step to shedding her nickname.
Joseph Prososki finished 7th in Slalom with a mean run, and I mean mean man. He nailed every gate, which is awesome.
Adam Brown had a very successful race with two medals, 6th in slalom and 5th in GS. Very nice Adam my man, can't wait to see what next year will bring you.
Dillon Flinders skied hard as usual and finished 18th in Slalom with a run full of bobbles. He also had a killer GS run and finished 12th. Nice work Dil, that GS run had everything I've been looking for from you.
Hunter Flinders had an outstanding weekend with a 7th in SL, and a 10th in GS. This kid is on fire and has improved so much this year.
P.J. Baymiller took the race with a 2nd in slalom, 1st in GS (once again the fastest time of the day, check the results), and the overall fastest skier award for the weekend = one big, phat trophy. That's all that needs to be said, I think. Well, I could go on, but that would make him blush. You go girl.
Thank you athletes for your hard work and determination. I hope everyone feels pleased with their performance and improvements throughout the year. All the coaches, Sundance, and parents can't say enough about you. Take a look back and see how far you've come, and see where you want to be next year. There are opportunities to improve everywhere, so take advantage. Our team can only go up from here on out, and we'll be there for you.
Thanks doods!
Just a quick summary of the results since I realized how boring words are without pictures. Sorry for slacking on the peeps.
Our two solitary girls, Amanda and Samantha, had a good time and skied hard. Amanda was consistent and finished 24th both days. Samantha was doing the dishes again, BUT I thought she skied her best run of the year on Sunday. Sweet. Hopefully this is her first step to shedding her nickname.
Joseph Prososki finished 7th in Slalom with a mean run, and I mean mean man. He nailed every gate, which is awesome.
Adam Brown had a very successful race with two medals, 6th in slalom and 5th in GS. Very nice Adam my man, can't wait to see what next year will bring you.
Dillon Flinders skied hard as usual and finished 18th in Slalom with a run full of bobbles. He also had a killer GS run and finished 12th. Nice work Dil, that GS run had everything I've been looking for from you.
Hunter Flinders had an outstanding weekend with a 7th in SL, and a 10th in GS. This kid is on fire and has improved so much this year.
P.J. Baymiller took the race with a 2nd in slalom, 1st in GS (once again the fastest time of the day, check the results), and the overall fastest skier award for the weekend = one big, phat trophy. That's all that needs to be said, I think. Well, I could go on, but that would make him blush. You go girl.
Thank you athletes for your hard work and determination. I hope everyone feels pleased with their performance and improvements throughout the year. All the coaches, Sundance, and parents can't say enough about you. Take a look back and see how far you've come, and see where you want to be next year. There are opportunities to improve everywhere, so take advantage. Our team can only go up from here on out, and we'll be there for you.
Thanks doods!
Independently Nimbus'd
This is hot off the Mac from Nimbus Independent:
Go to Nimbus Independent for more videos.
Go to Nimbus Independent for more videos.

The boys at Nimbus Independent have been hard at work skiing powder and jumping off of [stuff] on their skis. Which is fine with me as long as they film some of it and make it available to watch as well. Which they have. They also managed to dress up as Germanic natives in some nice lederhosen and too-tall socks. Not my favorite on the average Nimbus dude, but hey, they were drunk. I always find myself enthralled by their short webisodes because they are full of compelling images of the true spirit of skiing. Like this old guy, completely content with life because he is skiing. Sure we're all young and rebellious and we laugh, and cry, and delight in the fresh, wild, confusing, emotional, regenerative excitement of youth. And once that has been washed away by loss, greyed by wisdom, pierced by responsibility, and evaporated away along with the ebb of hormones, we can become wizened old people and sit back in the warm winter sun in our white one-pieces and smile.
Be sure to check their site for other webisodes of goodness.
Go to Nimbus Independent for more videos.
Go to Nimbus Independent for more videos.

The boys at Nimbus Independent have been hard at work skiing powder and jumping off of [stuff] on their skis. Which is fine with me as long as they film some of it and make it available to watch as well. Which they have. They also managed to dress up as Germanic natives in some nice lederhosen and too-tall socks. Not my favorite on the average Nimbus dude, but hey, they were drunk. I always find myself enthralled by their short webisodes because they are full of compelling images of the true spirit of skiing. Like this old guy, completely content with life because he is skiing. Sure we're all young and rebellious and we laugh, and cry, and delight in the fresh, wild, confusing, emotional, regenerative excitement of youth. And once that has been washed away by loss, greyed by wisdom, pierced by responsibility, and evaporated away along with the ebb of hormones, we can become wizened old people and sit back in the warm winter sun in our white one-pieces and smile.
Be sure to check their site for other webisodes of goodness.
Monday, March 9, 2009
South Champs
The South Series Champs went very well at Brighton last weekend. The competition was stiff, the courses were difficult, but we Sundancers held our own. Amanda and Jessica were our only girls there and put together some good runs. Great job chicas!
Zack and Kyle laid down a solid first run in GS, but then they both blew up on the same part of the course second run. Bummer. That's racing though and you should be happy with how you skied before that.
Hunter finished in a very fancy place of 17th in GS. Kendall W. Harris finished 24th. PJ came out in 14th, and Adam finished 23rd. Very nice skiing boys.
Slalom was a blast. We definitely need a lot more training in Slalom, but we skied amazingly well considering. Hunter F. had the best finish in 12th place. Nice work buddy. We had a bunch of DQ's, but once again, that's racing. Especially in Slalom. Overall, I am very pleased with how everyone skied in both GS and Slalom. Adam and PJ were DQ'd first run, had a mulligan, and slayed their second run. They both had breakthroughs this weekend and that's a success no matter what.
South Series is an entirely different animal than YSL. Way more competitive, but there is no doubt in my mind that we can hold our own once we get a hang of dealing with that mentality. We have the ability, now it's just working on the mental aspect. I think we have our work cut out for us next year. In the end it's all about fun, and we always have plenty of that.
Nice work team.
Zack and Kyle laid down a solid first run in GS, but then they both blew up on the same part of the course second run. Bummer. That's racing though and you should be happy with how you skied before that.
Hunter finished in a very fancy place of 17th in GS. Kendall W. Harris finished 24th. PJ came out in 14th, and Adam finished 23rd. Very nice skiing boys.
Slalom was a blast. We definitely need a lot more training in Slalom, but we skied amazingly well considering. Hunter F. had the best finish in 12th place. Nice work buddy. We had a bunch of DQ's, but once again, that's racing. Especially in Slalom. Overall, I am very pleased with how everyone skied in both GS and Slalom. Adam and PJ were DQ'd first run, had a mulligan, and slayed their second run. They both had breakthroughs this weekend and that's a success no matter what.
South Series is an entirely different animal than YSL. Way more competitive, but there is no doubt in my mind that we can hold our own once we get a hang of dealing with that mentality. We have the ability, now it's just working on the mental aspect. I think we have our work cut out for us next year. In the end it's all about fun, and we always have plenty of that.
Nice work team.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Slalom Training
If you check this in time, we are training Slalom on Thursday and Friday this week to prepare for the South Champs at Brighton. Please bring slalom skis if you have them. Sharpen your edges as well. It's still solid up there in the morning and it's going to be cold for the next few days with some snow accumulating at all elevations with the highs in the upper 20's. Depending on how much snow we get, it may be extremely hard still. So sharpen and tune your skis please! Get them to me and I can do it (or teach you how) if you have time.
Denial and Ignorance
I know, it's too early. But this warm weather is messing with my equilibriated hobby desires of sensations. What?
Anyways, I found this teaser for a bike video and it got me kind of excited to go ride. Even though it's a while away, and we will get at least two 4 foot dumps before the ski season is over. Oh well...
Barred For Life Teaser from Bjorn Aunet on Vimeo.
Anyways, I found this teaser for a bike video and it got me kind of excited to go ride. Even though it's a while away, and we will get at least two 4 foot dumps before the ski season is over. Oh well...
Barred For Life Teaser from Bjorn Aunet on Vimeo.
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