With snowsports exploding in popularity in recent years you may have noticed an increased presence of people on the slopes at your local spot. On the one hand, this is a good thing, more revenue coming into your favorite companies ultimately (well, hopefully) means a better, more durable product. On the other, it means that there are that many more people standing in line waiting to load the lifts on any given day. For those of us who live at the hill, this extra traffic can get old. People not paying attention in the lift lines, people getting themselves into terrain they shouldn't be in. Calls of "Bro!" everywhere. And in general an overall sullying of what was once a very counter-culture movement. As Seth alluded to in his brilliant piece 'The Point', the mainstream is slowly strangling the lifeblood out of snowboarding. Just yesterday, the web blew up with the trailer for Travis Rice's latest contest sponsored by Dead Bull entitled, "Supernatural". I couldn't help but be amused by the fact that an event that is supposed to focus on natural terrain and a rider's ability to improvise will feature several man-made obstacles all in the name of being more "extreme" and selling more energy drinks. Sometimes it can just be too much.

You can call me jaded, cynical, or hell, even old if you want; but if you understand what it means to be a snowboarder, then you probably share my sentiment. As an instructor, I constantly face an internal conflict. It is my job to teach people how to snowboard, no matter where they come from, no matter how outta shape they may be. You see snowboarding has become "cool" and most people want to be cool, even if they have no idea what being "cool" entails. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I love stoking people out on snowboarding. Its cool to take someone from Texas who has never seen snow, and get them turning in a few hours. Its pretty rewarding actually; but at the same time I can't help but feel a little guilty for making the slopes a little more crowded.

Still, I believe that snowboarding will never die. Long after the X-Gaymes and the Rotten Tomato have faded into oblivion, snowboarding will perceiver. Guys like the Drink Water crew and others will make sure of that.

That being said, after the madness of the holiday season is over those of us who work in the industry need a break; an escape if you will. I rounded up a crew of friends from Loveland to make the trek out to "The Stash", a secret cabin tucked away in the front range far from the hordes of I-70 fashion-show retards who pile in their SUVs every weekend to be seen standing in line at Breck or Vail, because after all its all about the scene these days right...brah?

We only had 24hours, and we figured that the snow wasn't going to be that great since we're in the middle of one of the driest, most depressing seasons in the last 100years. But that wasn't the point. In fact, sometimes everything that is snowboarding has nothing to do with actually sliding down hill. With the crew assembled, we made the drive around and through the foothills to "The Stash". Arriving in the late afternoon, the long rays of the sun cast a warm amber glow on the western aspects. We loaded up our gear and made the hour and 20min hike up the trail to the old Cabin. For some, this was their first backcountry experience; their first time actually earning their turns. As we crested the final hill, the cabin came into view along with the teaser image for this story. We had timed our arrival perfectly with the setting sun, and we were rewarded with a display of hues that was nothing short of spectacular. It was one of those sunsets that got better with each passing minute. We all stood there, more or less in silence discussing safety and taking it all in knowing that we were the only people around for miles in any given direction. The isolation and solitude was as welcoming as a hug from your grandmother and we all settled in for a night of community, and to me that's what snowboarding is all about.

In the morning, we were blessed with a dusting of fresh snow which didn't do much for the riding conditions, but it did make for some spectacular morning light. Since the snow was less than ideal we took our time getting out of the cabin in the morning. 2 and a half feet of unconsolidated facets capped by 5inches or so of soft wind slab was what we were greeted with on our descent. Conditions like these kept us off of anything even approaching steep, and coverage was still low enough that a lot of immature vegetation was still poking through. Needless to say, the riding was pretty brutal as with all the ground cover it was tough to get much speed built up, and with the sugary facets our boards struggled to stay afloat. Still, at the bottom of our first run everyone was laughing and smiling, and that is pretty much what its all about right there. Even with horrible conditions, we were able to have a good time. No one threw a single trick; hell we were lucky to string a few turns together, but we were stoked to be in the middle of nowhere far from the lifts, crowds and ads of the resort on a beautiful day with our close friends. We hiked/skinned our way back up to the top for another short lap on a southern aspect that offered slightly better conditions, but still, nothing to write home about. We retired to the cabin for lunch and a long safety discussion, one of many had over the course of our 24hrs at the stash. After lunch, we cleaned up the cabin and made our way back down to the cars. The tired looks on everyone's faces were set off by smiles that come from hard work, and good times. Surely we will be back again this year....if only to get away from the masses.

Photo Credit: pbourdon231

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Sunsets like this are even better when you've walked for more than an hour to see them.

Photo Credit: pbourdon231

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A great group to spend time with.

Photo Credit: pbourdon231

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We got a little wild that night...perhaps the moon had something to do with it, or perhaps it was just the feeling that anything goes in the backcountry.

Photo Credit: pbourdon231

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A minute-long exposure of the interior/community room of the cabin.

Photo Credit: pbourdon231

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I ride Loveland because Vail sucks, and that's just one reason why.