by Colin Whyte
Jeremy JonesJones
named this the Brothel. "It took me five years to unlock this thing
because there was so many crevasses and seracs in the out run."
Think of it as going to church with God: a spine run primer with Jeremy Jones. If
you're a snowboarder who likes the combination of steep, powder and
fast, you'll dig this overview from Jones's always-informative blog.
What are spines? How do you find them? Where do you find them? What does
it feel like to ride them? Jones hits all these points and more but
it's not some "check out how much burlier I am than you" ego piece so
much as a peek behind the curtain of Jones's long-time fascination with
spine runs.
And trust us: he is obsessed.
This isn't a straight how-to either; it's more like a scrapbook of some of the spine lines Jeremy has ticked off in his lifetime. That said, the aspiring aficionado will find plenty of practical advice on choosing lines here. From party runs like "Avocado" and "Sexy Spines" he encourages almost anyone to ride, to Jones-only fare like "The Brothel," "The Prow," and "Dr. Seuss," you'll find enough fluted faces in this post to keep your imagination engaged until the mountains open.
A few thoughts from the man himself on what it feels like to drop into a serious spine garden: "They are so steep that riding them is like standing next to a wall and your whole body is touching the snow. Oftentimes, both arms are needed to hug the spines to help keep you from getting peeled off the wall. The spray from each turn instantly turns into small avalanches and there is no way to beat your sluff so you are forced to work around it and often ride through it. Meanwhile, gravity is doing all it can to pull you off the face and oftentimes you cannot stop if you want to. One slip or misjudged sluff and you may find yourself cartwheeling down a face at 60 mph."
Maybe we'll stick to "Avocado"...
And trust us: he is obsessed.
Jeremy JonesMore accessible spines for the less advanced rider. "So ripe and perfect we named them Avocado."
This isn't a straight how-to either; it's more like a scrapbook of some of the spine lines Jeremy has ticked off in his lifetime. That said, the aspiring aficionado will find plenty of practical advice on choosing lines here. From party runs like "Avocado" and "Sexy Spines" he encourages almost anyone to ride, to Jones-only fare like "The Brothel," "The Prow," and "Dr. Seuss," you'll find enough fluted faces in this post to keep your imagination engaged until the mountains open.
A few thoughts from the man himself on what it feels like to drop into a serious spine garden: "They are so steep that riding them is like standing next to a wall and your whole body is touching the snow. Oftentimes, both arms are needed to hug the spines to help keep you from getting peeled off the wall. The spray from each turn instantly turns into small avalanches and there is no way to beat your sluff so you are forced to work around it and often ride through it. Meanwhile, gravity is doing all it can to pull you off the face and oftentimes you cannot stop if you want to. One slip or misjudged sluff and you may find yourself cartwheeling down a face at 60 mph."
Maybe we'll stick to "Avocado"...
