Neil Provo .com

STEELHEAD & SPINES- 2012 trip to Alaska

2012-02-09T10:50:00.000-08:00

From the first time i strapped into a snowboard 16 years ago till this day, Alaska has been the ultimate dreamland in my mind. living in Connecticut in the late 90's watching old shred films with huge mountains and deep snow, i knew i wanted to live my life out west. After this last decade of amazing winters in Utah, my brother Ian and i agreed it was time for us to explore further north then we had ever been before. This spring we are taking our camper, skis, snowboards, and fly rods on a road trip up through the interior of BC up to Haines Alaska. The ultimate destination as a skier, snowboarder and fly fisherman.

After some pillow mashing in BC on our journey north, we plan to meet with Chris Coulter, Zack Clanton, Tony Pavlantos, and the Caldwell Bros to set off on what will be the craziest snowboard mission in my life! We'll be taking a prop plane high into the alpine where we'll set up camp, and pick off spine lines for 3 weeks. Really looking forward to my first AK experience, who knows, maybe i can even get in a heli! More to come on the expedition side of things...

When the skiing and snowboarding come to an end, the next passion in life will take over- Fly fishing. The coastline of AK and BC is not only dream spot for snowboarding, but equally so for fly fishing. In hopes of hooking our first wild steelhead on the fly, Ian and i will make our way south of alaska into some of the best rivers on the planet. Watermaster boats, big fish rods, new flies, and new techniques are sure to make for some exciting new experiences on the water.
http://www.orvisnews.com/FlyFishing/The-Start-of-a-Great-Adventure.aspx

We are excited to be working with Backcountry.com, Orvis and Outdoor Research on this project. Stay tuned!

Outdoor Research- Sidecountry Sessions Episode 5 Rodgers Pass to Jackson

2012-02-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

Link to VIDEO on Teton Gravity

The ups and downs of traveling with the Tiny House. From Rodgers pass to Jackson Hole, blown tires and blower pow!

Outdoor Research- Sidecountry Sessions Episode 4 Whitewater BC

2012-01-28T07:55:00.000-08:00

Link to VIDEO on Teton Gravity

Words by Molly Baker

When you find a place that’s good, stay there. The ski dream tells you that traveling from snowy destination to winter wonderland is the guaranteed way to find powder. Yes, you may see the world of ski areas and communities. Just make sure you’re there long enough to enjoy a few storm cycles. Once you’re out of the pattern it becomes more and more effortless to miss this storm or that one. For the tiny house and crew, driving away from Whitewater before a 70-centimeter cycle was our pattern mistake.

We may have not skied the best day in five years at Whitewater, but we did meet all the folks who would once we left. One of those folks was local patroller, Orry Grant, otherwise known as OG. A blonde hair, blue-eyed, hiking-machine, and unassuming bad-ass, Mr. Grant is without a doubt skiing powder at this very moment, regardless of what moment you are reading this. As a patroller and member of the avalanche control crew for Kootenay Pass, the Nelson native breathes ski-lifer.

Orry Grant embodies Kootenay mountain culture being born in Nelson, living in Revelstoke for years, and knowing the nooks and crannies of the best ski zones in the Koots. Coincidentally, one of our first impressions of the OG was in Kootenay Mountain Culture, a beautifully designed magazine that pays homage to the people, places, and centimeters that make BC a skier’s heaven. The Kootenays are a blessed place. For people like Orry Grant, that place is home.

Choosing Orry was really just another gift for the tiny house crew. We missed the major, epic storm, but we got to feel like we were helping make things happen for the Whitewater local. With a recent G3 sponsorship and a spot on the ambassador program for OR, Orry’s life just became that much more entrenched in the world of skiing. And for that, the skiing community should feel grateful.

A smile goes a long way. Orry’s kind demeanor and smiles (plus his assistance as a patroller) will undoubtedly keep many people out there skiing. It will definitely bring us back to Whitewater. That and the hopes of hitting the storm we missed.

Outdoor Research- Sidecountry Sessions Episode 3- Nelson BC

2012-01-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

With no snow in the lower 48, Zack, Molly and I had no choice but to tug the tiny house north of the border to one of my favorite places on earth, Nelson British Columbia. The minute we arrived i knew we were in for a good trip.
The snowbanks were stacked high and there were fresh cm's on the road up to Whitewater Resort.
Check out the video!

Link to VIDEO on Teton Gravity

-Words by Molly Baker-
Whitewater is a mythical place for an American skier. Not too distant, but yet so far out of reach. As we drove north, I heard the boys talking of finding a Canadian girl to marry. There’s that option and then there’s ex-pat status. How does an American stay in Canada, land of epic powder for the winter? Or even a lifetime?

As we drove further north, our question went from how we could stay in BC to how we were getting into the country. With a house on wheels and amounts of ski gear that could outfit the entire town of Nelson, our odds seemed low. The border patrol was sure to find something wrong with our situation. But without even a mention of Ullr and his presence in the lower 48, we went north to the border anyways. It would be worth trying and getting turned around.
At least we’d have tried.

We negotiated the border an hour before the crossing in rural eastern Washington closed, hoping the officer wouldn’t want to bother with questioning at the end of his shift. Of course, they pulled us out of our trusty old truck, Rusty Deluxe, and asked us to step inside while they inspected the tiny house and our bags of gear. The two solemn, but friendly (dare I say friendly? Canadians, it’s a stereotype to be proud of…) gentlemen threw our names in a Google search, watched the Sidecountry Sessions videos, laughed and treasured the spectacle of the tiny house, and sent us through to the land of “Neldor”.

Nelson, British Columbia serves up a fruitful combination of new age yoga/hippy culture, fresh prideful food, and Canadian quaintness. The Outer Clove, Baba’s, Oso Negro Coffee, and the two natural grocers in town could feed our crew for a lifetime without dispute. A vanilla chai from the town’s hobbit hole eatery, a.k.a. The Preserved Seed, could satiate our palette after every shred day. Life is easy in a ski town like Nelson. No desire goes unsatisfied.

More importantly than the food, is what quenched our skiing appetite. According to one local gent, “Whitewater gets more fresh centimeters than any resort in BC, eh?” Although this particular winter has been drier than last year’s strong La Nina, centimeters of fresh were common. The skies didn’t clear for our first week in the Whitewater parking lot. Every morning we peered out hoping to see Ymir Peak from the tiny house, but a low ceiling of clouds obscured any such view. We stuck to the trees and enjoyed the BC powder.

Our original schemes of staying in Canada for as long as possible panned out in an inevitable issue with Rusty D. After parking the tiny house in the first row at the ski area, we drove Rusty into Nelson, only to have the 1991 brown Ford catch on fire. Two extinguishers later, plus an appearance by the local fire department and police squad, and Rusty was totaled. We learned we weren’t just “stuck” to the trees.
We also happened to be stranded in Canada, just fifty feet from the lift at Whitewater.

This kind of occurrence had happened once already in Silverton—a tiny house near epic skiing, with no vehicle to tow it away. Luckily, this time we’d fallen down the rabbit hole to Whitewater, a wonderland of sidecountry lines and charming characters—people who smile from ear to ear, yelp, and scream to their friends to come check out the little cabin on wheels.

The tiny house has made it home.

Looking up to Ymir peak from the parking lot as it takes in the last light of the day. Our tracks exiting the cuba chute on the left. Hope to make it back to wh20 to hit that face!

Pray for Powder and pick up a pair of OR mitts on the link below!

Outdoor Research- Sidecountry Sessions Episode 2

2012-01-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

Link to VIDEO on Teton Gravity

Epic trip to the San Juans! Thanks for having us Silverton!

Words by Molly Baker
Silverton, Colorado is exactly the kind of place you want to spend the Yuletide season. Especially if you are a group of five ski bums living within 112 square feet—no shower and ski gear avalanching from every nook of space. The locals are blushingly generous, the streets caked white with snow, and the surrounding mountains a gift unlike anything that comes wrapped in waxy paper covered with Santas.

“People tour for miles and miles to get views like this,” said new friend and Silverton local Steve Mead.
“Here in Silverton we get to walk to the grocery store with these sights.”

Surrounded by peaks like The Grand Turk, at 13,160 feet, and Sultan Mountain, at 13, 368 feet, mountains towering thousands of feet above the town are the standard canvas. It’s precisely the kind of wall art we needed for the tiny house.
Looking out of any of the teensy windows, snow-covered goliaths fill every inch of glass.

Two weeks ago the Outdoor Research crew graced the San Juan Mountain town of Silverton and parked the tiny house at a secluded 9,138 feet after an intense drive over southern Colorado’s Molas Pass (intensified by a melted accelerator cable in a truck pulling a 5,000 pound trailer/house on wheels). The winding, icy mountain road ended abruptly in Silverton. Our planned five-day trip turned into over 14. At this point, we still don’t know our departure date. But, it has become apparent, there are worse places to get beached.

Built in the late 1800s, Silverton never experienced a devastating fire like many mining towns in the West during that time. Many of the original buildings in the town are still standing (along with the secret underground tunnels from Main Street to the original Red Light District). There are two streets in the “business” district: Main and Blair Street. These days there isn’t much taking place. But, during the town’s glory days, Blair Street was the home to over 40 saloons and brothels. Today only a few shops are open. Blair is where the tiny house has lived for the past two weeks, just down from the town’s hostel and the Avalanche Café.

With a year-round population of 500, the mornings are quiet albeit the occasional snow machine or dog sled drive by. Waiting for the sun to turn up the valley furnace, we’ve woken up to many negative temperature days. But the tiny house has been toasty.

A few days up at Silverton Mountain and even more out in the San Juan backcountry, we’ve found rocks, the deepest facets we’ve ever skied, and challenging avalanche conditions with no patience for skier complacency. Every line feels like your running from the bank with bags of money only to evade the cops by chance. Maybe it’s just because we hail from places like Washington and Utah, but the snowpack makes you feel like you are getting away with something everyday.

Eventually we are going to need to escape Silverton, although being on a first name basis with the owners of the cafes, the guides at the mountain, and the ripping mountain folk that thrive in this place, is going to make that a difficult move. All we need is a biblical storm to hit Jackson, Tahoe, SLC, Whistler—somewhere. At this point it’s the Jet Stream, or the mechanic’s decision, if the tiny house ever leaves the San Juans.

Support my adventures and pick up some OR gear on the link below!

Northstar couloir on Sultan Mountain- San Juan range CO.

2011-12-29T14:06:00.000-08:00

Check out Episode 2- Sidecountry Sessions from Outdoor Research! The last 2 weeks in Silverton have been a great way to get the legs in shape. The San Juans are mighty big and steep. The resort has one lift, but it accesses so much terrain. The backcountry seems endless out here. Hiking in the high elevation really gets your blood pumping! Even though it hasn't snowed out here for since we got here, things have stayed fresh and there are still plenty of good turns to be had.

December 27th 2011 was a beautiful day to get into the alpine. Zack Giffin, Molly Baker and myself went for a classic tour above town with the help of local and good friend Matty G. Topping out at 13368 ft, it was my highest hike to date!

Making our way up the south face of Grand Turk Peak. So warm it felt like a spring day.

Looking over Molas pass

Ridge walking in the high country.

Zack making his last few steps up Sultan mountain.

It was cool to finally look down on the town from the peak i had been eyeing from from the window of the Tiny house!

Fresh snowdrifts on the summit, and a view down the Northstar couloir. Into the gut and it was 4000 ft. of fresh pow all the way back to town.

BIG thanks to Matty G, for our sickest day in Silverton!

Matty G, laying out some nice turns before the long ride down.

Thanks for the great times Silverton! Stoked to come back

Outdoor Research- Sidecountry Sessions Episode 1

2011-12-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

Words from Teton Gravity Research - Link to VIDEO
No stranger to ski history, Sun Valley, Idaho is a living, breathing museum of the North American ski timeline, dating back to the 1930’s. On the other hand, it is an ageless place. While hosting the birthplace of some of skiing’s favorite young pros (such as Picabo Street, Lynsey Dyer and the Crist Brothers), this little Idaho hide-out still maintains the interest of mainstay figures like Warren Miller and Mike Hattrup and is the main office for companies like Smith Optics.

It all began in 1939, when the first chairlifts were installed at Bald Mountain in Sun Valley. The same year Ernest Hemingway finished “For Whom the Bell Tolls” while staying in suite 206 of the Sun Valley Lodge that fall. Lucille Ball, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and the Kennedy Family followed. Sun Valley was becoming a Hollywood haven. It wasn’t just for skiers.

Then in 1946 the most classic of all ski bums arrived.
Warren Miller made his movies from 1946 to 1949 living out of the River Run parking lot at the base of Bald Mountain.
First staging out of his car and eventually in an upgraded trailer, Miller made his mark on Sun Valley as a promised land for the occasional post World War II ski bum.

Naturally the 40th Anniversary Party for Powder Magazine took place in Sun Valley. And we wanted to be there in the Outdoor Research tiny house as a tribute to forty years of darn impressive magazine making and a passion about skiing we can only hope to convey with the Sidecountry Sessions tour. None of us had ever been to this iconic place. It was time to hit the ski history books.

We pulled into the River Run parking lot at 4 a.m. in the morning. Surely the Powder 40th Anniversary prom was over (although stories from others told us otherwise that morning at a relaxed 11:00 a.m. breakfast). The sun peaked into the tiny house around 7 a.m. An hour later, as skiers started to arrive, we looked out to see many curious faces peering in or at the tiny house. All ages and all types of boards were interested. The twenty-year-old snowboarder and his friends showed up right next to the seventy-year-old with groomer skis.

The group missed the Powder party and we never got to show Warren Miller the tiny house, but we were able to kick off the tour with many personalities, contributors, and fanatics of the ski community.

With the south faces nearly bare and an itch for powder turns, we left Sun Valley in search of the season’s storms.

Simple living in the OR tiny house!

Outdoor Research - Sidecountry Sessions trailer

2011-12-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

Session: noun \sesh-uh’n\ Any period of time devoted to a specific activity, such as slaying pow

Words from Outdoor Research -Verticulture
“The opportunity to explore the accessible powder stashes with the most passionate locals is the mission. Getting it the best we can is our objective,” says Neil.

This winter, we’re subscribing to the gypsy life and taking off on a two-month tiny house road trip in celebration of a passion-driven, low impact, ski bum lifestyle. “We are refining the entire process of living as ski bums. It is really about figuring out what you do and don’t need. For me, I want to ski and there isn’t much else that I need,” says Zack. Over the next 6 weeks, OR ambassadors Molly Baker, Zack Giffin and Neil Provo, along with videographers Sam Giffin and Andy Walbon will be road tripping to North America’s most respected sidecountry areas in search of deep powder and influential snow loving locals.

Unlike any previous skiing road trip, the Sidecountry Sessions crew is on a mission to find the best snow and greatest communities in prominent powder territory while living out of a ski bum’s dream-home-on-wheels. Along the way, the team will be on the search for the most esteemed, enthusiastic and talented individuals to bring on as members of OR’s Grassroots Athlete Team. Could you or one of your friends be the next team member?

Based on recommendations of local skiers via Facebook (no, you can’t nominate yourself), Molly, Zack and Neil will ski, climb and adventure with chosen nominees in order to select the newest members of OR’s athlete team. “Being a part of Outdoor Research is really about being genuine with an honest devotion to a life in the mountains. It makes it really easy for the right people because they essentially continue doing whatever it is that they do and that embodies the mission of the company as a whole,” says Molly. To nominate someone you know? Post their photo to the Outdoor Research Facebook page. In the comments section, reference hash tag #SCSessions and include a brief description of why your person would be a great OR Athlete.
If we come to their hill, Molly, Zack and Neil want to get in touch with them for a session of slaying pow.

Find out what it’s like to spend the season searching for new ski talent while living in 112 square feet of unconventional living space.
Showcasing local talent, communities and mountains, watch video episodes of the Sidecountry Sessions releasing each week and find out what happens when these gypsy shredders occupy your parking lot.

The tiny house made its debut last weekend at Powder Magazine’s 40th Anniversary party in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Stay tuned to outdoorresearch.com/scsessions and Facebook for the next Sidecountry Sessions destination.

Watch the Trailer here!

Rooster tails on a sunny november afternoon

2011-11-22T21:29:00.000-08:00

The last few days in Utah have been unfavorably warm, so the expectations were pretty low on the morning of November 22, 2011. We headed up Big cottonwood canyon and skinned our way to the park city ridge line. I was surprised to find that blower pow the Wasatch is so famous for. The clear days and cold nights have worked up a mean faceted layer on most aspects we passed through. Although it made for great turning conditions, i'm afraid it will become our next weak layer in the snowpack. With another clear night and tomorrows high's of 40, those flakes are only going to grow. The high winds better blow them away, Damn surface hoar. Hope mother nature unleashes soon and drops a heavy load to clear things up! Let the winter begin!

The Provo Bros- mining powder at Retallack, British Columbia

2011-11-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

Link to video
"During the winter of 2011, my brother Neil and I were presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity. We were to spend two months embedded in the heart of the Kootenays at the legendary Retallack Lodge. The mission was to shred pow with our good friend Tanner, who was on his comeback, and to help film Retallack:The Movie for Inspired Media Concepts. I took the role of the dedicated time lapse junkie, while Neil was a true on slope camera master. This video is a showcase of our skills behind the camera, as well as a few of our favorite long lens shots from Retallack:The Movie. Time lapses make way for deep powder mining, and a trip into the heart of the "silvery slocan" to see how silver miners conquered the mountains a century ago. Mining for powder in the Selkirk mountains is serious business, and we found out just how serious it can get. We hope you enjoy our short film, and perhaps absorb just a sliver of the energy that is Retallack Lodge in beautiful British Columbia." ian provo

Winter is back! First pow turns at Snowbird on October 7th 2011

2011-10-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

Its early October and the first blanket of snow has been laid upon the Wasatch mountains. I couldn't help but go poke around and find some powder! Good friend Nick Russell and i headed up to Snowbird for a hike on the splitboard through the colorful aspens, up to the snow filled cirques that the bird is so well known for.

The transformation from fall to winter in Utah. One of the most beautiful times of the year...

We were stoked to find some pretty good pow high up above the crowds of Octoberfest below.
Nick drops in for his first turn of the season in Upper Cirque.

Just a few days before i was casting dry flies out on the river in the warm sunshine, then BOOM!, winter time.
October 7th, one of the earliest dates i've ever strapped into my snowboard. What a place.....

Retallack: The Movie- Digital DownloadsDvd's

2011-08-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

Digital Download and Dvd's are now available for the ski/snowboard movie my brother Ian and i helped create at the Retallack cat lodge in BC last winter. We were up there doing a lot of filming our selves, but had the opportunity to enjoy the endless pow in front of the lens as well. It was a sick experience to be able to do both. Gives you a new look on things seeing it from both sides of the production.

Click on over to the Inspired Store to have a look at the movie, and pick up a t-shirt!

I am already looking forward to my next visit to British Columbia. The place is insane for snowboarding, fly fishing, Mtn biking, etc... Pretty much everything i love in life! I'll be making the journey north this winter no doubt, hoping that the little town of Nelson crosses my path. Check out Retallack.com if your looking for one of the most fun snowboarding adventures out there!

Provo Bros- Uinta summer solstice 2011

2011-06-29T01:01:00.000-07:00

"Utah has had one of the most incredible seasons in history and it's not over just yet. We've been riding for 10 consecutive months and it might be soon time to hang up the boards for the summer, but not because of a lack of snow thats for sure. On the summer solstice Neil and I made a trip to the High Uinta Wilderness to ride off some of the highest peaks in the state. The Uintas have the most alpine terrain in the lower 48, the skiing is vast and seemingly untapped. Neil and I learned everything we know about backcountry riding and camping in these mountains, and it feels awesome to continue to explore our backyard and push further into new, unexplored terrain."
-Ian Provo

Ostler Peak, a classic Uinta decent.

Ostler and Spread Eagle Peak

Retallack: The Movie - Official Trailer

2011-06-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the trailer for the new ski movie I worked on this past winter with Inspired media concepts. Snowboarding, and mostly filming. 90% of the runs I took in BC I had a big camera pack on my back which made for some rowdy tumbles down the steep terrain. In the long run I think the heavy pack helped my healing legs build muscle, and also kept me from sending it past my limits at the time! After what happened March 2010, I cant believe my legs held up to all the adventures I put them through!
Stoked to see all the hard work everyone put in start to come together.

Its going to be a righteous movie! Releases August 1st 2011 - InspiredMedia.TV

Lone Peak - Utah - May 25th 2011

2011-05-26T18:35:00.001-07:00

The north east face of Lone Peak is one of Utah's classic descents. It's characterized by a grueling approach from any direction, big exposure, and some of the finest steep skiing in the Wasatch. Our buddy Jim Harris had the idea of pulling an all-nighter because it was nearly June, and we had to get an early start, or late start depending on how you look at it. Regardless, at 1:30 am we climbed out of the salt lake valley and began the 6000ft march to the top. A dizzying 6 hours later and we were looking down the majestic north east face with our skis and board in hand. Tired and hungry, we made quick work of line before the strong sun had a chance to damage the snow. We all agreed on the way down that most people would find an outing like that completely awful, but this type of reward can only be achieved through a little bit of suffering.

Shredding down the north east face! Amazing morning!

Photo by Jim Harris

May 20th was a Powder day!

2011-05-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

May 20th 2011 was yet another amazing pow day. Just when i was getting stoked for summer, another mega snow storm hit Utah. It is insane how deep Utah's snowpack is! We pulled up to brighton resort to find the parking lot completely empty. Not a soul in sight. I guess folks in Utah don't enjoy blower powder in May! We had all of Big cottonwood canyon to ourselves!

Ian hikes up Millicent Peak.

The snow was amazing. It felt like January...
Here's ian carving into a nice one

Matt the meteorologist, diving down deep to sample the fresh snow.

Here's a photo Ian took of me on May 18th. An equally stellar day for may!

Ian and Ty standing on top of Fantasy Ridge. Might be dreaming cant be May 18th!

WHEN WILL WINTER END? WHEN WILL SUMMER BEGIN???

Retallack: The Movie - Teaser

2011-05-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

Check out the teaser for "Retallack: The Movie". I spent a lot of time behind the lens this winter, and a bit in front of it to! It was a great year to do so, considering i blasted my knees and legs one year ago. By mid season things started to feel normal again. British columbia is a magical place... Every single one of the 60 days i spent up there was a powder day. No joke. For a person coming off a knee injury, nothing is better then fresh powder with no tracks... Retallack is just that- Fresh powder with no tracks! Some of the most unreal fall line treeskiing, pillows, and alpine terrain i have ever wittnesed in person.

There will be a full Trailer for the film on June 1st, with the feature film release on August 1st, 2011.
Check out InspiredMedia.TV for more info...

The Retallack Movie will feature visually stimulating scenery, history, culture, soul, and flawless skiing action and conditions.
Spread the word!
Migrate to the Retallack Lodge!

Pfeifferhorn skiing & snowboarding - May 1st 2011

2011-05-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

AKA, "Little Matterhorn", is a nice little shark tooth of a mountain. Easily recognized by its similarity to the famous peak in the Alps, its the 5th highest in the Wasatch. On may 1st, it was not our original objective, but the unexpected sun forced us to bail on a more exposed line down the road. We were equally stoked on the new mission, and the incredible powder it would deliver for the first day of May.

Photo of the mighty Pfeifferhorn in mid winter 2010.
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VIDEO

^720p for best quality!
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Morning light comes though the trees and consumes you with intense heat, than its back to the frigid shadows.
Then up into the high country!
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The south faces of little cottonwood canyon looked tremendous.
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LEVITATION break!
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Ian makes his way closer to the objective.
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Dropping into the Northwest Couloir off the Pfeifferhorn- the top section was ICE!
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Well that was fun. Finished it off with a four thousand foot exit gully. The strong sun had worked the snow down low, turning it from dry crystal powder to wet mank in a hurry. Its that time of the year. Eventually the snow will melt, but with another cold storm on the horizon, the endless winter continues.
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Words: Ian Provo -Photos and Video by Neil & Ian Provo

Springtime snowboarding in Utah - April 2011

2011-04-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

After a long trip up north, it was nice to come back home. Living amongst the clouds for so long in BC i began to miss the blue bird pow days Utah is known for. The snowpack is as deep as i have ever seen it in the Wasatch and Uinta mountains in my 10 years of living here. It is going to be a great spring and summer to get after on the splitboard!

My bro and I linked up with our pops and headed up the mirror lake highway on the sleds for some fun pow turns in the sun! Only get to ride with my pop a few times a year, and this was the first time we got to snowboard together in the mountains where we spend many summer days flyfishing and backpacking. Great day with the old man!

My pop and i, loving the fresh spring pow!

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Zach Siebert, enjoying some fresh powder behind the Canyons resort.

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4/20/2011 High alpine adventure to the High Uinta mountains. My brothers Justin and Ian boot up the ridge with Pouch following.

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The snow just doesn't quit here in utah. Almost may and there seems to be no end in sight!
Looking down the Argenta slide path off Kessler Peak... A mighty force created this nice little ski run. The snow conditions were just right on this day- incredible for April 26th!!

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NATURE. Birds of prey on the mountainside...

Looking forward to riding more pow as it comes, and hitting some big lines when the melt/freeze cylcle begins. Record snowpack!!!!!!

Texas Peak, British Columbia - April 8th 2011

2011-04-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

Throughout our trip to the Retallack Lodge, there was one line that was stuck in the back of my mind every day. The northeast ramp off Texas Peak. A 2000' ramp perched above the massive exposure of the north west face. For days we tried to get higher and higher into the alpine, but the stormy conditions would always force us back down into the forrest. It was just a matter of time before the clouds broke and gave us a chance to hit Texas Peak before heading back to Utah.

The morning of April 8th Ian and i set out on the sleds right at sunrise. We got a great view of the mountain and began the tour up to the ridge line. 3 hours later, a huge slab was waiting for us to trigger it on the other side!

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The views are unbelievable in the Kootenay mountains!

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Still an hour away from the summit as the day starts to heat up. Danger lurking just around the corner of the mountain!

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We knew the south faces in BC had some sketchy sun-crust layers buried a few feet down, so we were cautious as to where we placed or skin track. About 50 feet below the summit, everything around me collapsed, right were it was shallow and rocks poking out. Just as i turned back at ian, the incredible sound of the avalanche propagating roared around us. Intense energy! We were in just the right spot, as every thing peeled away on the steeper angles below. It was a fine line setting that trail, because of the huge cornices on NW face, and of course the avalanche danger on the south side.
You can see bits of our skin track ripped even ripped out... One of the scarier moments in my life.

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This is a photo taken from a heli in the area that day. I didn't realize how deep the crown was below where we were standing. It was a big convex rollover and we weren't able to appreciate the size until seeing this picture.

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Standing on top, Ian and i were happy to be alive, and even more happy to ride stable powder for three and a half thousand feet back to the valley floor!!! It was the best run of my winter!

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Ian getting ready to SEND it down the ramp... He made it down in one minute flat. Shit was nuts!

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From the scariest moment in life, to the most fun!

We were hoping to get a line down the rocky Northwest face later that day, but we didn't want to push our luck crossing over the south facing slopes again! In the spring you gotta' start early, and end early.

Keep an eye out for a movie from Inspired Media Concepts filmed at Retallack this last winter!!!

Trip to the Kootenays ~ March-February 2011

2011-03-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

Living in my childhood dreams, catboarding deep in the canadian rockies! Haha its quite unbelievable how much fun i am having. Ripping top to bottoms all day long in such soft snow is really helping the knees and bones out! Feeling stronger, day by day. Crazy to think a year ago i broke both legs, and now i am here having the time of my life!

For the last 4 weeks we have been riding at and around the Retallack lodge located in the heart of the Selkirk mountains in British Columbia. One of the most fun places on earth! Working on a ski movie at Retallack with Tanner Hall, John Spriggs, Ben Moxham, Kye Petersen, Cal Pettit and my bro Ian- The BC INSPIRED crew! I have not seen one bad day up here yet. Snow stays so good and seems to never stop falling from the sky!

Here is a few pictures to have a look at, many more to come when i settle down and find some time one day soon.

Insane pillows here at Retallack

sunset photos by my brother Ian

Sub zero Wasatch tour- February 1st 2011

2011-02-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

Hiking and snowboarding in arctic cold front temps is a bit ruff. When mixed with precipitation, those temps bring the finest of Utah pow... On February 1st there was a fresh 15 inch layer at the top of Little Cottonwood. It was one of the coldest days i've had on a splitboard to date! Ian, Zach Clanton, Pouch and i went for a stroll to enjoy it.

Here is Ian, dropping into a classic Wasatch tube.

^At 10,000 feet, temps were -14°F with 30 mph gusts of wind on the ridgeline, and it becomes roughly -46°F. A couple thousand feet of blower pow will make anyone smile!

The Levitation Project 2011 Team Edit

2011-02-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

www.THELEVITATIONPROJECT.com

Bode Merrill, Chris Coulter, Jeremy Thompson, Lonnie Kauk, Wyatt Caldwell, Austen Granger, Matty Mo, Jules Reymond, Romain DeMarchi, JP Solberg, Deadlung, and Neil Provo.

Shot by Nico Nolan, Absinthe Films, and SEABA

Edited By Jeremy Jensen

Illustrations/Animation by Shanna Duncan

Snurf Ya Later - The Provo Bros ~ December thru January 2011

2011-01-20T23:21:00.000-08:00

www.INSPIREDMEDIA.tv

Recovering from broken legs last march, there was no better way to get back into boarding then Pow surfin'. When you free up the bindings, all the stress and pain goes away. Luckily here in utah the powder is deep and plentiful. Conditions have to be perfect fresh powder to be able to truley enjoy the Snurfer style boards. Ian and i used to snowskate every preseason for the last 10 years and it grew into a hobby far beyond an early season only activity. This year we got some amazing boards built, and for the first time really got to surf the snow! Here is a video we made from the last 2 months "snurfin" around the Utah backcountry... Riding these boards without bindings really helped me to get my balance and strength back before i jump back into snowboarding.
Winter is in full effect and its time for me to strap in!
SNURFS UP!

^watch in 720p for best quality

Special thanks to Jeremy Jensen and Grassroots Powdersurfing for building such epic surf boards!!!

Happy Holidays!- Christmas Eve "Sleigh ride" 2010

2010-12-25T23:16:00.000-08:00

www.INSPIREDMEDIA.tv
Went out for a nice ride on the sleds with Tanner hall and my brother Ian on xmas eve. In true holiday spirit the mountains were stacked with fresh utah pow. Tanner had just got a new snowmobile and it was perfect conditions testing her out.
One of the best days of the season so far! Great turns on the Snurf and sled were had by all!

720p for best quality^

There was some cool light happening at the end of the day...Tanner laying one over.

Ian below

Here's Ians picture of tanner and i enjoying a fresh meadow...

Provo Bros. Bubble Express Pow runs- P.o.v.- Dec.20, 2010

2010-12-22T08:24:00.000-08:00

www.INSPIREDMEDIA.tv
The Wasatch mountains, including The Canyons, has been getting pounded with snow the last week. At the end of every day i say "that was the best day of the year so far", yet the next day just gets better and better. These bubble runs here were at the end of the day, after a full morning of lapping and tracking the 9990 area. Building up those leg muscles day by day!

720p for best quality^

Early season=rocky riding!

2010-12-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

The snowpack is always quite thin this time of year...
Last season i tried to ride a line that only had about a foot and a half of snow- not enough for a safe way down!
Carful out there- Be sure to wear you're helmets!

720p for best quality^

Southern Utah Desert Spines- March 15th-17th 2010

2010-12-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

www.INSPIREDMEDIA.tv
Click "Play" and check out some photos below while the video loads up!...

720p for best quality^

"The 2009-2010 winter was not an average winter for Utah. The mountains in the north were plagued with sporadic snowfalls and dangerous avalanche conditions, while the southern regions were reaping the benefits of a strong el nino pattern. Neil and I had wanted to explore the ski terrain in southern utah for many years, but we knew we had to wait for the right snow year.

Early last winter, we made a few recon missions and found the kind of terrain we were looking for. Truly beautiful and inspiring ski terrain that none of us had ever seen before. Finally in late March, myself, Neil, and Josh Finbow made one more attempt at skiing and filming some lines before the strong desert sun melted them out for good.

A combination of good timing and preparation, along with a little luck, led to some of the wildest riding we had ever encountered. The whole time we felt so lucky to be skiing this exotic, weird terrain under such good conditions. It really seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity so we treated it as such. Utah’s color country might provide the perfect postcard image for millions of tourists, but when it’s covered in snow, its the skiers and boarders who can become inspired by the incredible landscape and find new ways to enjoy it.”
Words by Ian Provo

Here are some photos Ian and I took on our trip...Snowboard photos taken by Ian and Skiing photos taken by Myself and Josh Finbow.

The big line, in all her glory!

One of the best runs of my life... the next day, BOOOM- broken legs...

November powder with Tanner Hall and the Provo Bros. at Solitude, Utah

2010-11-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

Monday Nov.22nd was my first day back riding chairlifts in 8 months. Also, the first time i have ridden with Tanner in about 2 years.
Great to be back!

Words by Ian Provo -"11/22/10, Neil and I went with Tanner to Salt lake where he was doing a live interview with Fox business news. Right after, we jammed up big cottonwood canyon to the sleeper resort known as Solitude. There, we had one of the best days of skiing in a long time. For Tanner's first day back in nearly two years, it was ideal for him to jump right into the meter of light utah pow, it was effortless to ski through, like cutting through clouds. We were just in another world up there, having so much fun, happy to be back doing what we love."

^720p for best quality
www.INSPIREDMEDIA.tv
www.TannerHall.com

Surfing pow at Deer Valley- November 21st, 2010

2010-11-22T21:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Ian and i went for a hike up Deer Valley with the "snurfboards" on our packs. We were pleased to find super deep powder on the "ski only" runs which have yet to open for the winter season. It was an amazing day for November here in Utah.

^720p for best quality...
- - -www.INSPIREDMEDIA.TV- - -

The fish of my summer, July 2010

2010-11-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

When winter rolls around and snow hits the ground i start to get really excited. No mater how excited i get, especially this year, i always wish it were summer for just a little bit longer. Its just like spring time, when i wish it would stay winter for longer, yet i know i have summer and all the great shit to look forward to...

Fly fishing is my favorite pass time in the summer months. You can get lost in time searching for that next big fish. On a choice july day, my friend sean and i went for a float hoping to hook a big one. After a slow morning, things started to pick up. Caught a few nice fish in the same hole around 1:30 in the afternoon. I was just about to call it quits and i hooked into the biggest fish of my life.

I love Utah...

Photography by Sean Kerrick Sullivan

OCTOBER 27th, 2010- Winter begins, Once again

2010-10-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

The last few days Utah had been getting hit with a huge early season snow storm... I had just gotten cleared from the doctor to do what i please, but i was planning to wait for my knee brace i ordered this week to arrive. I also wanted to work a bit more on strengthening my legs before going riding. Well, the storm produced massive amounts of snow, and i couldn't help myself, went on a mission into the Wasatch to sample the snow.

-Video of the days adventures from both IAN and I-

HD vimeo Link

Heres a picture of my first turns of the year, and my first time back on snow since blasting my legs six months ago. What an amazing feeling to be back at it.
Oh yeah, there are NO bindings on this board, SNURFIN'!

This is my first time experimenting with a Spit-Snurfer i crafted out of an old broken splitboard... I put a bunch of stomp pads on the topsheet wherever there was no hardware... I need to rethink my traction set up though as it was hard to get a grip!

While i was making turns of my own, my brother IAN was skiing off Mt. Superior in the clouds into Cardiac bowl. He said the conditions reminded him of mid winter! It was an insane storm for all of us here in Utah!

Full moon Mt. Timponogos summit hike- 10/21/2010

2010-10-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

Went for a hike yesterday to the summit of Mt. Timponogos to watch the sunset, and also to hike down under the full moon light. The leaf colors down in the cirques were insane. Timp is a rugged mountain, and doesn't come easily! It ended up being a 14 mile round trip, 5000ft up and 5000ft down with the second half of the hike lit up only by moon light. No need for headlamps! The most action my legs have seen all summer! Its crazy to think that only 6 months ago one leg was shattered and one knee blown, after that hike i must say things are healed up pretty good!

Josh Finbow on his way to the top.

A nice spot to rest the legs on the ridge, getting ready for the last push to the summit behind us

The views on top were nuts. Here Josh and i are heading down from the little shack on the summit. The sun went down as the full moon came up, making it seem like day time on the way back down! Amazing view of the Wasatch up here, as well as salt lake city and orem way below.

Full moon was so bright! About 6 miles and 4500ft down from here, onward march! We got to the truck at 11:45- what a HIKE!
Ian, myself, Tommi, and fishbone taking it all in before descending...

-Photos by IAN PROVO-

SnowRev.com music pick

2010-10-05T23:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks SnowRev.com! Click HERE

The Levitation Project

2010-09-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

Look out for BIG things in the future from LP - Stoked to be a part of this crew
Levitation Shred Blog- Welcome to the team.

2010-2011 Rossignol Experience Snowboard

2010-09-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a piece i put together for Rossignol with some P.o.v. clips from last winter. Put your self in "my boots" to see how the 2010/11 Rossi Experience snowboard rides! -Steep and Deep, Cliffs, Chutes, Pillows, POW, hardpack, ice, you name it.
This is my board of choice...

View in 720p for best quality, 360p for slow connections
VIMEO version

Deeper Unplugged - Deleted Scene with Utah Locals Forrest Shearer and Neil Provo - Episode 12

2010-09-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

The last 2 seasons i got the opportunity to film with TGR out here in Utah for Jeremy Jones film Deeper. Click here to see more about the film. This movie is going to be MAD! These guys took it to the next level, riding all lines by foot and camping in the mountains for days on end. With 2 years of filming there was a ton of footage to squeeze in. The Utah segment ended up getting cut, wasn't to much story behind it that went along with the rest of the film. I am stoked that they put up some footage on the web, and hoping there will be some in the dvd extras! Utah has a lot of terrain to offer. A proper Utah splitboarding segment is going down in the near future for sure!
Do yourself a favor and pick up a dvd copy of DEEPER today! ...You will be stoked!

Here is some riding from Jeremy Jones, Forrest Shearer and I from last year in Utah.

TGR- "When making a two year movie a lot of great riding hits the editing room floor. We had a crew all year in Canada, spent three weeks in the Tetons, and made countless trips to the High Sierra. All of these trips were special but for one reason or another did not make the final cut. One of the last segments to get the axe was Utah. As such, here's Utah locals Forrest and Neil trading lines in their backyard."

I would like to give a HUGE thanks to Jeremy Jones, Pete O'brien and TGR for letting me get out there with you guys! BIG UP!

Check out these links to see more "Deeper Unplugged" on TetonGravity.com , TransworldSnowboarding.com , also TGR's YouTube for slower connections.

Mt. Superior and Cardiac Ridge video. March 1st and April 11th 2010

2010-09-05T01:46:00.000-07:00

On March 1st 2010 I went for my fist full moon sunrise tour in the Wasatch. Forrest Shearer, Julian Carr, Todd Ligare and I left the alta parking lot at 4am with our goal being Cardiac ridge by sunrise. Moon light sparkling on the snow for the hike was amazing. We got to the top of Superior at about 7am. The line i had chose on cardiac turned out to be a bit different than i had expected, and i almost landed on some sharp rocks! ...It was Close call!

The second line is of my brother Ian Provo from the summit of Mt. Superior, on April 11th 2010! I was laid up in bed with broken legs while he was enjoying this classic spring Wasatch storm. Utah had an unreal spring season, lots and lots of snow. It looked like great conditions!

***USE 480p OR 720p for best quality*** Check it out!

Click links for YouTube and Vimeo HD versions...

There she is in all her glory...The climb up Mt. Superior in the clouds with Cardiac Ridge in the background. The picture of me is taken just below the summit. Picture on the far right shows my track coming out of the chute, far left track... Click photos to make BIG

March 1st was the longest day of snowboarding in my life! After my line on cardiac, skied all the way back down the the big cottonwood road, drove back up to park city around noon to ride the resort for the rest of the day, then met up with some homies and hit the air bag at the DC mountain lab till it was to dark to see. LONG DAY!!!

Injury Recovery Update- 2010 Summer

2010-08-31T13:38:00.001-07:00

It has been 5 months since i shattered my left leg and 4 months since acl surgery on the right knee. Both legs are feeling great and healing a lot faster than i had expected. It's wild to think about while laid up in bed, but after a long wait and lots of physical therapy normal life becomes a reality. Time heals everything. Its as though life was put on hold and all i could do was twitch my legs and try to gain muscle day by day. Improvements are hard to notice day by day, but looking back i have come a longgg way! Feels good to be on a proper exercise program. Other then lots of hiking and normal activity i usually never got my body in shape before snowboarding season. This injury really made me realize how important it is to be in shape, and how much better you perform. Going to stay on this path and get stronger than ever! A few more months and things should be back to normal, and better!
I have been so focused on healing i forgot to share some pictures of my activities! Here's a few pictures and video from my summer of healing. Keep hiking, Fish on!

Early June sightseeing on the Snake river. First week off the crutches! She was flowing at 22,000cfs in this photo!

Finally got a mountain bike after growing out of mine as a kid. This is one of my favorite summer time sports. Feels good to be back on a bike, having a blast and gaining knee strength at the same time! Pedaling every day.

The sunsets were beautiful this summer. Being in hibernation for so long gave me a chance to play with my camera more. Photography is a great hobby with, you can never learn to much.

Got to float the green river twice this summer, hoping to get back there or another big river once more before winter hits.

Photo from the 1st float, with my mega knee braces and all! Got my flipper caught on a rock during this float and wrenched my freshly operated knee under my boat. The next day i went into physical therapy and had about 10 more degrees of flexion!! Sometimes you gotta feel the pain to feel the gain!

Here's a photo from the 2nd float of my dog Dutch and i enjoying a nice day.
Check this link to see some great photos from that trip- Green River trip by Sean Sullivan 8.21.10

Been trying to get out backpacking as much as i can. This photo here is taken while sleeping under the stars in the uintas by my brother Ian Provo

Photo taken from the "Dutch Cam"! Backpacking and fishing trip to Erickson Basin in the Uintas on 8.9.10-8.10.10

Video from the erickson basin hike and fishing.. **Play in 720p for best quality**

Getting my hiking legs back, Winter's around the corner here in Park City.
Muscles are not to far off from being normal, just gotta watch out for those flat landings!

See you next year old man winter!

2010-04-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

After many months of epic powder riding, my season came to a screeching halt. I had just gotten back from an amazing southern utah journey when it happened. On March 18th 2010, The day after we returned home, i decided to go have a mellow day riding park with buddy Dave Munoa. My first run through the park seemed to be going well working my way down the jump line... We stopped on the second to last table, and assessed the take off of the last jump. I watched dave clear it no problem and thought to myself, shit if he cleared it i should be able to! I had never hit this jump before and did not know what the speed was like. First major mistake, not testing my speed prior to sending it. I followed his line exactly and didn't speed check. I knew i was done for before i even left the lip... Mid air i was soaring toward the knuckle bracing for impact. BOOOOM! There goes my legs for the season! 2 broke legs, 2 blown knees.

It was a the hardest slam i'd taken in my life. A wake up call telling me to be more careful with my choices and decision making. When this is all said and done it will be a great lesson for me... I need to stick to my passion, freeriding, and stick with it without straying away. I seem to get to comfortable while riding terrain parks for some reason. You forget about the dangers in such a controlled environment, whereas in the backcountry i am always on my toes, thinking about the dangers and possibilities of injury.
.......Its not "if" you're gonna fall, but "when"

This oughta' keep er' in place! Be sure to make sure all you're zippers are shut!

A couple weeks down and i am feeling better already. Nothing like getting on the river to heal the mind, body and soul! I am now building muscle instead of loosing it. The bone in the left leg is mending quite well, and i'm off to acl surgery in a few weeks...

Excited to get this long process under way and get my legs stronger then ever before! I never ever exercise to keep my body in peak riding performance. So this was a wake up call to tell me to figure it out... I am coming back STRONG!!!!
-Time for summer activities! With all my extra time i will edit some photos and video from the past season... stay tuned!

REST IN PEACE CR JOHNSON

2010-03-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

I will never forget the good times my friend. Thank you CR...

Rest in Peace CR Johnson. August 10, 1983- February 24, 2010

Friend of the devil woods at the Canyons. February 15, 2010

2010-02-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

Got the chance to fire off a couple photos on a run today with the new bite switch. Cool perspective when you slow it down and get the blurry effect. Stoked to try out this rig in better conditions...

Finding little bits of pow on presidents day inbounds ...would have been a nice day to hike!

Wall hits all the way down this natural halfpipe, one of the finest in PC.

Thumbs up!

Wonderful week in the Wasatch. Feb 6th-11th 2010

2010-02-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

The last week has been a great one. Got out on some steep slopes, although probably not the best idea, we rode em' and got off safely. The avy danger has been nuts this year. The snowpack is rotten to the ground. No good. Here's a few photos from the last week. Hasn't snowed in a couple weeks, yet we find blower pow on every run!!! Gotta love utah for that. Gotta hate utah for that same reason though as it preserves those weak layers for months... SKETCH!

After hiking for about 2 hours, we approached a choice mountain in the clouds, littered with chutes filled with POW! Neil going UP!

Neil going DOWWWWN! One of my best runs in Utah to date!

The next few days were spent behind brighton, getting used to riding steeps again!

Forest Shearer, a master on the steeps, working his way down a deep and steep line...

Forest showing me up to the goods! Here we are looking down into Wolverine Cirque. This was my first time seeing this place and first time riding it. SO fun

Forest Shearer punching it through the crux on this GNARLY line! And a closer look at all the ROCKS! mad exposure, big ups Forrest! CLICK photos to see BIG

My virgin wolverine cirque line... Closer look on the right. Steep and deep. I was tripping that this line would avalanche at the top, but she stayed in place ;) CLICK photos to see BIG

Big thanks to Ian Provo for taking all these killer photos....

Uinta pillow lines. January 30th-Feb 2nd 2010

2010-02-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

When Ian and i got home from BC, Utah's snowpack was sketchier than i had ever seen it. Needless to say we took it real easy for about a week just riding safe zones. On high avy danger days, one of my favorite places to go is low angle pillow fields. No danger-Only FUN!

Piillllllooowwwwwwssssssss. Our little playground for a few days. Not a soul in sight.

One of my favorite photos. Thanks Ian! absolute last minute of light for the whole day... One of those photos when things just fall into place! The right place at the right time!

We had an epic couple of days... Good to be back in UTAH!!!
Where the snow stays fresh for DAYS!

...Neil was here :)

Pow Mow day. January 29th 2010

2010-02-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

Went up to Powder Mountain with ian and CR Johnson for some fun in the sun. Avy danger has been at an all time high here in utah so we have been trying to stick it in bounds as much as possible... It had been about a week since the last storm and Pow Mow still had fresh tracks to offer- Place is sweet, but boy it is low tide out there...
Scoping from the top...

Drrrop in! Lost in Pow

Chuck Rusty getting some at Pow mow

My tool of choice for days like today... The Rossi Experience!

My first taste of British Columbia. January 16th-23, 2010

2010-01-31T23:38:00.000-08:00

British columbia has been on my list for quite some time. Finally got the chance to make it happen. Ian had been up in Nelson skiing with armada for about a week while i was back in utah, riding hardpack due to the lack of fresh pow! The Doc gave me the go ahead on the ankle at 6 weeks. I had had about 2 weeks on snow and the leg was feeling pretty good, so i thought!
Ian's trip was coiming to an end when he called me up and told me about the terrain and conditions. Utah was hurting at the moment so i decided to make the journey north to meet up with him to shred the Koots! The next day i was on a new delta flight which only takes 2 hours from salt lake, straight into the heart of the Kootanay range!
Thanks Lisa and Jay!!
We ripped lonnng deep runs filled with thousands of pillows for a whole week. It was a dream! BC is one of my favorite places to be! Here's a bunch of photos to give an idea of the great times we had!

Day 1. Kicked things off with a day at White Water ski resort outside of nelson to get the legs warmed up. Click photos to see BIG

It should be called "White out" resort, because we couldn't see anything the whole day!

Day 2. On to a new zone we both had never been to. Ice-capped mountains! Crazy how many logging roads there are in bc, most of which lead to incredible terrain.

We dug some pits to check the snowpack. Southern BC had been dealing with a mega surface hoar issue for a while. It was buried about 3-4ft deep. Slabs were popping out clean below tree line, so we kept a watchful eye.

Ian is stoked.

At the top of our first run after discovering the sickest zone i have ever been to. A solid 1800ft run of tree's and massive pillows!

We had a great day. We were so happy to have found a good zone to tour. Plan was to come back the next day to dig a snow cave and stay for 2 days to explore the area.
Nothing like a full day in the mountains...

Day 3. Park the sled at the boundary and hit the skin trail! There was plenty of snow up there as you can see! 1500ft up we came upon a steep cliff zone that we saw the day before. Good lines to be had.

Oh here's a nice little pillow line to start the day...maaaash!

Ian dropping off a massive chalk stone.

Boosting into the whiteness...

Why make a snow cave when you stumble upon a public cabin in the woods? We chose the cabin, Duh! It was a choice starry night, perfect for a cup of tea and a smoke! Tomorrow was to be my first bluebird day in BC.

Day 4. Sure enough the sun was shining and the pow was deep. These mountains hadn't seen the sun in a while so they were fresh! You can see our destination for the day at the end of my ski pole, righteous steeps!

Killer views all around...

Here we are! This looks like a good place to ride for the day...

Have a look at these lines. Pondering the massive slide paths across the way while standing on a bus sized pillow!

Ahh the sunlight, only lasted for an hour unfortunately. Still have to get up there too!

Stick that in you're pipe and smoke it, a high grade bc run!

Ian's view from the top of his line, and my view from the bottom! Killer pillow line...

A looong run down filled with soft fluffy pillows. What a day!

Day 5. RETALLAK cat skiing! Thanks SO much to all the staff there, priceless. No photos cause we were having way to much fun ripping non stop top to bottoms... Had the helmet cameras rolling the whole day so we will have some cool footage up soon. I got lost in the moment and forgot that i had broke my ankle just months before and ended up tweaking my knee due to lack of strength from couch warming. It wasn't to bad so we took day 6 off to relax before heading into the back country again.

Day 7. Back to the zone we had discovered earlier on. A fresh line to start the day off right!

The views are great when you get up high, lots of possibilities in these parts

Ian was on point this trip and decided to step to the Ice spine wall...GNARLY LINE!

That was a nice one bud!

Hoping into the last bit of sunlight for the day on this slope.

Plenty of pillows on the way down.

Our trip came to an end the next day as we were driving up the logging road and almost slammed some trees. It was sketchy close call. Money was getting low, my body was beat as was ians so we decided to had back to utah. Fortunately utah was just getting done with a fat storm which dumped a ton of snow.
So stoked to come back to british columbia... It is now my new favorite place on earth. Next time im bringing my full backpacking kit, my sled and some studded tires for sure!!! Till next time, Thanks for having us Eh!!

Check in for a few BC video's coming up soon!

Southern Utah scouting mission. January 8th-10th 2010

2010-01-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

Went for a scoping mission to southern utah on the 8th-10th to see what it has to offer. Lots of goods, stoked to go back down when there is better snow and more coverage!

Dash todd and Pete checking out the scenery!

At the time, there was lots more snow than the wasatch, but also lots more wind on the ridge-lines as you can see here...

We were stoked to be in the mountains!

Beautiful zone.

yours truly!

Coming back for the spring corn cycle to nail this one out!

Dash enjoying the view, glad we're not in the smog down below!

Red Rock country!

Blown away by what utah has to offer

Red rock snowboarding, about to drrrop in!

Here you can see a line Todd Leger and i ripped, so stoked.

Hyped to go back down south when the snowpack stabilizes after the mega dump we received, boy its sketchy out there!

***stay tuned for the next post from Ian and my trip to British Columbia- BOOOM!!!***

Ankle test and Mt.Timp recon -January 5th, 10

2010-01-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

Ian and I took out the sleds to warm them up for the season, and to test my freshly healed ankle! Was planning to just take a mellow stroll but ended up finding some choice pow to ride. Ankle is feeling great! It is good to be up in the mountains and off the couch. Stoked to be back on the mission!!!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH IN HD

December 25th 2009

2009-12-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to all from the Provo family!

Photo from the early 90's at Ski Sundown, New Hartford CT.

The stomping grounds

^I'm thinking "where's my board?!"

Summertime Day dreams - float'n and fishin' on July 13, 09

2009-12-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

Since there's not much snow to ride here in park city, and since i have a broken ankle now, I've been thinking a lot about fly fishing! Here is a short film Ian and I made from a day floatin' utah waters. Boy i sure hope the snow comes soon, its december 9th and im still day dreaming about fly fishing! Soon the ankle will be healed up, and the snow will soon fall......

CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL HD

November 17th 09- Fly fishin the weeb'

2009-11-27T12:37:00.000-08:00

November has been a bit dry on the snowy side of things. We have only had a few storms this month, which didn't produce much. It's looking like a repeat of last year! Either way, the trout are hungry this time of year! I have had a dry-spell the last 5 times out fly fishing and finally broke it by catching a few nice brown's...

Ian's first cast laid him into a nice rod bender, a fat brown that got away after a few minutes of fighting!

Cold times out on the river this time of year!

FINALY! a trout for neil! Boy my luck was bad for a bit there!

The snow should be here any day now........... Getting excited for WINTER!!!

Epic October at Alta!- TGR Blog post

2009-11-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

Pete Obrien is a mad man. He was up at Alta shredding pow and documenting during and after every storm October brought through. There was some deep days up there! Espesially for the month of OCTOBER!!!

Click link to check it out his photos!- Epic October at Alta

My First true deep pow turns of the year. I'm on the left, and Chris Coulter laying into one on the right! October 29th 09

Photo: Pete Obrien

Timponogos recon #2 October 14th. 09

2009-10-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

After a long hike to cascade cirque a few days earlier on goat trails, Ian and i were anxious to get up to the snowfield, except following the right trail this time! This is a great hike. You start off waaay down at the valley floor, and climb up 4000+ feet to the snowfield. There was a good amount of snow up there, cant wait to go back with more ENERGY!!! Still have to make it to the summit on another day!

The sun heated things up quick, so i was hikin' in my overall's!

Beautiful view of the Provo Valley

Our play ground for the day- Timponogos snow field lookin' good for Oct14

Ian turning it out on the Snurf Board, possibly the 1st snurf decent down the timp snowfield??? You just never know!

My first turn's of the season on the snowboard... Always awkward but FUN!!!

Next time i go to Timp i'm getting to the summit, no questions!!! Energy is Key for this mountain... It is BIG

October 12th 2009- Hike to Cascade Cirque, Mt. Timponogos

2009-10-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Brother Ian and i wanted to get the legs fired up, so what better mountain to climb then Mt. Timponogos? You can start at the valley floor and climb 5ooo+ feet to the top, which is insane for utah. Our goal was to hit the summit, but we started off on the completely wrong trail which led us to the base of the waterfall at the bottom of cascade cirque instead! We were 2 miles in and the trail stopped! We had no choice but to bushwhack as far as we could go... We made it up to the gut of the cirque and boy, it was a work out! Check out the great views!

The start of the hike. Not knowing that the trail would end so soon, we kept trotting!

After about 3000 feet of scrambling and bushwhacking we made it to Cascade Cirque- Epic Views!

I brought the drum along for some extra weight in the pack to get those legs workin'... Sure worked!

Possibly the first drum session to go down in Cascade Cirque...?! The Billy goats seemed interested!

Check out this pack of gruff Billy's. Must have seen 20 different goats that day!

Loooong ways down into Provo valley, here we go!

This gruff Bill was hanging solo, protecting his crew

Where did the trail go? oh ya, there was none! Talk about BUSHwhacking!

We followed these crazy mule deer and billy goat trail's on the way up and down, Sometimes leading us in to some pretty dangerous terrain! Would have been impossible without em', but it was pretty sketch following those things!... Thanks to the Mulies' and Billies up at Timp! They are some rugged creatures!

October 1st 2009- First turns of the year

2009-10-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

The morning of October 1st was a great sight to any winter lover's eyes. The wasatch got a nice dusting of snow up to about a foot at the top. That means it was time to grab the Snurf' and head for the hills to see what we could get! The views and colors this day were amazing from a photographers stand point. My brother Ian brought our camera along for the hike to capture the beautiful sights... Check out his photos!!!

This was the view driving up the road to the pass

Rovin' up to the start our hike...

Up on top of the ridge looking back into Big Cottonwood

I got to thinking how sweet it would be if the colors were like this all winter long.... Now that would make some really interesting tree skiing!

My first snurfin' turns of the year, rocky but successful!

This photo here is from October 6th. Zack, Ian and i went on another hike to find some isolated pow still left behind. We found this choice patch as well as a few others and had a good old time!

Not bad for October 6th!!! Full on snurf' run!

Check out these short Clips from our day Snurfin'!

Click HERE to view this video in High-Def!

Fuel.tv Interview!

2009-10-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

BIG thanks to Robbie Sell over at Fuel.Tv for hooking this up!

Link- INTERVIEW, PHOTOS, VIDEO: NEIL PROVO

Provo brothers P.O.V.

2009-09-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

This is a short edit my bro Ian made recapping our 08-09 season here in utah. WINTER IS NEAR!!

Click HERE to view this video in High-Def!- Web version also available for slow connections

Summer backpackin 8/21/09-8/22/09

2009-08-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

August is a great time for camping in utah. The temperature is far cooler then salt lake and pc, and most of the skeeters have died off for the season. My brothers and i decided it was time to go do some hikin'. The fishing at this zone is epic! Justin, Ian and good friend lance "Monkey" made the hike over ___ peak around noon... I had to do some work that day so my buddy jabroni and i hiked up later around 5:30. The views are epic, Doesn't get much better then sleepin under a clear starry sky!

Matt looking down into the valley where he forgot his smoke at my truck, allll the way down there by the little road!

Taking in the views on top of ___ Peak, before heading down into the basin

Soon we had forgotten about the forgotten ganj down below, cause the views were sweet!!!

Once we got down to the lake i rigged up my rod in hopes hooking into one of the many cruising cutthroats! This place is the shit!

The stars were epic, photo by Ian Provo

One of my favorites! Ian throwing some loops early morning in the long Johns!!

I choice west basin cutty...

Be back next year in the spring, with snowboards and fly rods in hand!

Lake hoppin 8/16/09-8/17/09

2009-08-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

Went for a nice overnighter in the uintas, to go explore and fish some new water. Cr johnson and Zach Siebert joined my bro's and i. It was a great time, got down to 23 deg. that night! Brrrr..gets me stoked for winter!

Backpackin bredren's

Saw so many shooting stars that chilly night... Milky way photo by Ian Provo

CR, trying to reel a deal!

Ian and Dutch. Dutch is force not to be reckoned with!

Wyoming bonneville cutthroat journey 8/4/09-8/6/09

2009-08-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

The brother and i went backpackin to a small river in southwest Wyo for 3 days, in search of native Bonneville's... We found em! Had a great time exploring this new river. Pretty stoked to go back for the spawn next summer when the river is filled with large migratory cutty's!!! Here's some photos from the trip!

-Dutch and i scoping out some runs to go fish

-Throwing some loops!

-Love this place!

-Ian getting bent out of shape!

-One of many choice bonneville's fooled by Ian

-Another...

-Love this photo!!! Epic fish in an epic river!!!

June summer split tour 6/18/09-6/19/09

2009-06-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Just before i turned 21, ian and i set off on a mission to ride some peaks in the Uinta wilderness... The conditions and weather were perfect! We were planning on waking up early in the morning after camping in middle basin, and making it to the summit of Spread eagle peak, but the snowpack was rock solid and we had NO crampons or ice axe! ...bummer! Next time i go back im going to be ready, and have LOTS more energy! Had 2 great runs with killer storm snow on the first day, and great corn on the second.

...Check out the video and the photos!!

Click HERE to watch this video in High-Def!!

^The route of our tour over ____ peak.. 1st day Green on the way up and down the other side, and the second day is in red coming down the face.

^The hike up to the other side!

^This line was waiting for us on the other side! It tops out at 11,800ft- higher than the BIRD! did i mention this is also Ian's first time really shredding lines on a board! Turns out some of the lines were a little much for him, but he nailed this one no problems!!!

^Not bad at all for the middle of JUNE!!! there was 5 inches of fresh storm snow when we came down, so money!

^The sun was going down and we found this choice dry spot to camp on

^Sun setting over Hayden peak and Ryder Lake below

^Sunrise earth, Spread Eagle peak 7:03am -Our plan was to summit the peak, but it was suuuper icy and we had no crampons or ice axe's. Dummy's! Next time i come back here i am going to be SO prepared!!!

^Back on ___ peak, waiting for the other side to warm up to proper shreddable snow!

^Boy the view's are epic on top of ____, will be back someday with proper equipment to shred the shit out of the peaks in the backround.... Massive lines to be had out there, Massive!!!

Summer couloir scouting 6/8/09

2009-06-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

Now that the highway is open, we are stoked. Soon the fishing will be off the charts, but for now, there is still some good skiing to be had. We took a line down a west facing couloir and it was great.

the snow is melting, soon it wont be this easy.

the day started out good. Blue sky after some fresh snow fall from the days before

our line, looking good.

Then, in typical Uinta fashion, the storm clouds rolled on through.

Just like that we were back in winter. It started dumping like crazy. Neil setting the bootpack

time for the jacket and gloves. Just before this photo was taken, we were almost struck by lightning. It was scary as shit. We were still about 30 feet from the top, but we swiftly got off of there.

We dropped into what was basically a winter abyss. You could hardly see shit. We did score some pretty nice pow turns for june though.

glad to be at the bottom, after being scared off the mountain.

Hayden Peak

...Back for an overnighter and some fresh snow... April 27th o9

2009-05-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to watch this video in High-Def!!!

Thanks to SnowRev.com for posting this video on their site as well!

Had such a great time the last tour up here we decided to go back. 3:30 on a SNOWY afternoon, the bags were packed and we were off to the trailhead. 40 or so miles later we were setting up camp on a fresh blanket of new pow. The clouds cleared and we knew we were in for a good time the next day. The snow was great the next morning and we were able to get in some fun lines.

^Setting up camp around 6pm, just as the clouds start to clear

^A nice fresh blanket of april BLOWER!!!

^Fire sure is nice when the sun goes down...

^Ian and I, getting ready to rip a line down

^Great snow, great stability, and great weather. What more can you ask for?!? I love april showers in Utah!

Uinta scoping tour! 4/18/09

2009-04-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

Went for a stroll in the Uintas with Pouch, Zach and Ian to get some april pow turns. We had a killer time and found some great new zones. Hoping for some more fresh snow to go back and do some damage!

^Ian's Pano from the top, sweet view!

^Nice cooly to shred down!

^April showers bring uinta pow turns

^Nordic board'n out of the zone

^Some other deep, snowy year!

^Trusty steed...

April Snowbird session

2009-04-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

Had a great pow day with the homies up at the bird earlier this month.. Here is Pouch's gallery on snowboardermag.com -Enjoy!

View this gallery on Snowboarder Magazine

All roads lead to- The Canyons! -Photos and VIDEO-

2009-04-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

SnowRev's story and video from early spring Canyons session. Their Park was great this year, Lucky for us in utah we didn't have to go in the park much this year though. The Powder was plentiful!

LINK to SnowRev story and photos from the day...

March went out like a lion 3-31-09

2009-04-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

The last day of march turned out to be a deep one. The last few weeks have been insanely deep!

^Freshies in squaretop

3/12/09 turns up at guardsmans

2009-03-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

^Standing up on Claytons peak

^Hopping into some fresh

^Switch faceshot down 10420 peak from early march

^Great snow down cinder chutes at the canyons march 6th

Montana winter camp trip 09

2009-03-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

These are my photos from a 4 day backpacking trip to the swan range in montana. Big thanks to Cory at Smith Optics, and the Shurke bro's for sled dog'n up all the great food! It snowed over 3o inches, and didn't let up until the day we left! Was an epic time, just wish we could have seen the mountains better!

Here is a video Cory put together for the Smith Optics site...

Check it out, Crazy journey! - Montana sled dog trip- video

^at the trailhead

^Some of the crew- Dowell, Pospisil, T-bird, and Lago

^Trusty summer pack!

^T-bird and shayne getting warm by the fire

^Dowell watching some backcountry Tv

^One of the sled dogs and i

^Waking up with 14+ inches outside!

^Stoked!

^Dowell Digging out the tent

^Trusty Shelter

^Breakfast

^A view from camp looking at a line soon to be had

^A view from the top of the mountain looking down to camp

^Had these slides pull out a few runs later, had to step back to some lower angle slopes...

^Lago had a close one...

^Some how, After 4 days of non-stop snow, we got out of the mountains and the sky went BLUE! We had to drive back that day, Wish we could have stuck around for a bit longer

^Some other day!...

Powder mountain videos

2009-03-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

-A point of view edit from ian and i, shredding pow at pow mow!

Click HERE to view this video in High-Def!

SnowRev video below

LINK to snowrev story "Two days at Pow Mow"

snowy day touring at guardsmans pass-2/12/09

2009-02-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

Ians photo of a cliff in the woods!

The snow was over head!

My photo of ian getting waist deep in the light stuff!

Spring time 2008

2008-05-12T09:48:00.001-07:00

Deepest turns on my sled to date- April 10th, 2008

Siebert and i enjoying a smoke in the woods.

2007-05-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

-CONTACT INFO-

The best way to get ahold of me is by email...
email address- neilprovo@gmail.com

Links to social media:

-Published photos-

2007-05-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

Over a decade of my snowboarding captured in magazines!

From present to past...

Backcountry Magazine Blood lines interview- January 2012, volume 17 issue 84

Backcountry Magazine Blood lines interview- January 2012, volume 17 issue 84

Photo on the left... Snowboarder magazine- 2011 Photo Annual
Thanks Dodds!!!

Rossignol ad, 2010 Transworld Gear guide vol.23

08-09 Technine Magalog

Photo Annual, Snowboarder Magazine January 2007

Technine ad, Snowboarder Magazine December 2007

Section Ad, Back cover fold out- Snowboard Magazine Vol.3 Issue4 February 07

Section Ad, Snowboarder Magazine- Photo Annual January 2007

Technine/Section Ad, Snowboard Magazine vol.3 issue2 December 2006

Section Ad, Snowboarder Magazine November 2006

Gallery photo, Snowboard Magazine Spring 2006 vol.2 Issue7

State of Mind film Ad, Snowboarder Magazine January 2007

State Of Mind film Ad, Snowboarder Magazine November 2006

FODT interview Snowboarder Magazine 2006

Transworld Magazine brotherhood ad 2006

Snowboarder Magazine Barely Legal issue, February 2004

Snowboarder Magazine Barely legal issue spread, February 2004

Sims snowboards ad, Transworld Magazine back cover, April 2003

What the kids are Rockin', Transworld Magazine buyers guide, November 2003

Minor Threats! Snowboarder Magazine 2001- My first coverage in a snowboard magazine, I was SO stoked! This is what started it all for me! Thanks Estone and Snowboarder Mag!

2007-05-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Thank you for visiting my website! I was born and raised in New Harford Connecticut until 2000, then moved to the wild west- Utah! Ever since then i've gained a big passion for the outdoors, enjoying it in many different ways! Photography snowboarding skateboarding and flyfishing occupy my life at the moment!

Get out of the city and enjoy NATURE!

-SPONSORS-

2007-05-12T01:24:00.000-07:00

Help support my adventurous missions, by clicking these links and supporting these insanely FINE companies!!!
. . . . .

Backcountry.com- A one stop shop for EVERYTHING outdoors!!! Unreal selections with Unbeatable prices! Check out the smokin' deals and get suited up for adventure!

Outdoor Research- Products designed by adventure. Outerwear made from the finest materials and construction make for the most bomber Jacket and Pants i have ever used! Excited to be warm and dry thanks to OR gear this year.

Smith Optics and Helmets- Rocky mountain tested company with the BEST goggles and helmets on earth!!!

Rossignol Snowboards- French ski/snowboard company with years of experience building high grade boards. Excited to be working with them, the new headquarters right down the road in Park City!

The Levitation Project- Off hill clothing, First layers and face masks of the finest style and materials. BIG things coming in the FUTURE!

Dakine Backpack's and Gloves- Keep you're digits warm in goretex mitt's and gloves... Never leave home without you're avy gear packed in a dakine backpack!

BIG BIG THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!

LINKS PAGE

2007-05-12T01:19:00.000-07:00

My YouTube channel
My Vimeo page
- - - WWW.INSPIREDMEDIA.TV - - -
-FRIENDS-

www.CustomSplitboards.com

Ian Provo

Tanner Hall

Jeremy Jones

sage cattabriga-alosa

Julian Carr

Todd Ligare

Pete O'brien

Jenn Berg

...i will add more soon!

-GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT-

Teton Gravity Research

Spark R&D splitboard bindings

UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER

P.O.W. -Protect Our Winters

Heli FREE wasatch

Splitboard.com

The Goat- Backcountry.com blog

National weather service- Park city UT weather

PHOTOGRAPHS

2007-05-12T00:33:00.000-07:00

-Published Gallery-