Re Wikstrom Photography: News/Rants/Updates
_________________________________________________
02.15.07
     Greetings from Whistler Canada! I'm up here visiting, skiing, 
and shooting with the international woman of mystrery, Holly
Walker. We just came from Baker, WA where we had two great 
days of skiing, but a rough day of shooting (with Holly, Heather 
Roberts, and Brianne Taylor) due to some thick clouds and low 
visibility. We were lucky en ough to hang out with, and get the
full ski tour from Grant Gunderson, the photo editor of the new 
(and really awesome coffee table quality) "The Ski Journal". 
I Would have loved to stick around, but Whistler Blackcomb was 
also calling from the  north. It has been snowing here so we're on 
a mission for some storm shots since I leave Monday and most
likely will not see blue skies before then. Tomorrow we will also meet
up with Sarah Oakden in attempts to make some more photo magic. 
_________________________________________________
01.24.07
     Wow, it's been a while.... been to Argentina and back. If you
missed the adventures of my ski bag, check in to Powder.com
for a short narrative by Holly Walker and some photos from the
first few days (after i got my skis back!) of our trip. And seriously
if that's not the most lovable ski bag you've ever seen....
There is also some great evidence of our southern presence 
on Doglotion.com.  And many thanks go out to the  people who
made the trip so much fun (i.e. Holly, Suz, Tobin, Bjorn, Jamie, 
and all the other riff-raff we ran into). 
     As for the winter here in Utah, we are all trying to stay positive.
The epic storms have not materialized and a lot of people have 
headed to the northwest where some places are already well over 
200% of their average annual snowfall. Meanwhile, here in Utah, 
we are learning how to avoid rocks and bushes, keeping in 
perspective the fact that we can at least ski (unlike many other 
drought stricken mountains), and keeping the faith that with a
little more patience we will get our dues. 
     Anyway, despite that slightly depressing state of the winter.... 
I am stoked to have been getting out to shoot a bunch in the 
past couple weeks with Molly, Suz, and Kelly.  We've been able 
to explore a couple new areas, and do some sunset shooting.  
I just think, at least we aren't on the couch bitching about the 
conditions and are trying to make the most of it. And at least the 
avie danger has been staying really low and there is some soft 
snow to be had in some places (though harder to find right now). 
There's always a good side, right?
_________________________________________________
08.13.06
     The Outdoor Retailer Trade show descended on Salt Lake this
past weekend.  A couple vendors I would love to highlite from the 
show are GoPro Camera and Chrome.  Both are awesome 
companies with some super rad products run by really cool people.  
And I am stoked to have picked up a couple of their goodies (the 
Hero camera and a Metropolis messenger bag) to take adventuring 
with me in South America!
       Another highlite from the weekend was the "Ramp It Up"
event to benefit the OIWC (Outdoor Industry Women's Coalition).
This event showcased women's outdoor clothing lines in a unique 
way... by hosting a DRAG SHOW!  The "ladies" in drag were top 
outdoor industry men from such companies as TNF, Horny Toad, 
National Geographic and TONS more!  The venue reached capacity
before the show even started, and once it did get underway it was
non-stop laughs, cheers, and cat calls.  Being the first drag show
the OIWC has ever done, I know I am not the only one to say I 
hope this was just the beginning of one of the greatest annual 
events at OR.  
     P.S.  11 days till take off!!!
_________________________________________________
07.31.06
     It's official. It's been official for a couple weeks now, and I can
hardly contain the excitement!  I have plane tickets to South
America!  It's been 3 years since my last visit and I am so very
excited to go back. After one of the most rediculous itineraries 
I have ever been a part of (try flying from Salt Lake to Atlanta
to Ft Lauderdale to Bogota, Columbia to Santiago, Chile) I will
have a day to rest and explore Santiago before meeting up with
Holly Walker and Suzanne Graham to hop a bus across the Andes
and grab another transport from the city of Mendoza, Argentina
down to Las Lenas.  We will have 2 weeks to pray for snow, shred
as much as possible, shoot as much as possible, enjoy our daily 
siestas, and forget about life in the Northern Hemisphere. 24 days 
until departure! 
_________________________________________________
06.19.06
	The past weekend was spent in the beautiful Spanish Peaks
in Montana. A month of two prior Kelly Holland mentioned skiing
in June and before asking for details I told her I was in.  Previously
my June skiing experiences have been either working on Mt Hood
or annual trips to Tuckerman Ravine before moving west. This trip 
was a little different.  I hate to give away too many details right
now but there may have been some camping, a lack of trail to the
summit, a beautiful day of spring shredding with Kelly Holland and 
Rachael Burks, and uh, a few mules. 
_________________________________________________
05.26.06
     Not that I haven't gone skiing since then, but it's been well 
over a month since the chairs at Alta stopped spinning. We gave 
the season a proper send off at the annual party on High Boy. 
For those who missed it, or those who just want to relive it, you 
can catch a glimpse of the debauchery on powdermag.com: 
http://powdermag.com/gallery/alta-closing/

_________________________________________________
04.03.06
     Kirkwood has been a blast as always! The World Tour finals
wrapped up yesterday with mostly clear weather and 2 feet of 
fresh pow! I travelled out here with partner in crime Holly Walker 
and we've been enjoying luxury accomodations compliments of one
Ms. Amy Holland.  Also got to meet the awesome Tess Weaver and 
catch up with Kelly and Rachael fresh off the plane and enjoying 
a week of jet-lag from their (mis)adventures through The Alps. 
     To recap the event, the qualifier went off on thursday with 
some gnarly wind, but decent visibility. (Article and Pics are up on 
www.DogLotion.com). Friday brought more wind, along with fog 
and snow. And while we all love new snow, it completely sucks for 
judging a comp.  That night mother natured dropped 2 feet of snow 
over Kirkwood and then told the storm to split.  Saturday was a full 
on pow day...  you know, for those people that weren't standing 
around taking photos all day.  ;)  
_________________________________________________
03.24.06
     We have come to the end of a sick 3 week storm cycle.  There
were deifnitely some good shooting days mixed in there with some
radical stormy-pow-ski days. It's kind of sad to see so much of the 
snow turning to mank, but it's spring, and that's how it goes.  
     With the spring however comes the North American and World 
Tour IFSA Finals going off next week in Kirkwood!  Stoked for the 
road trip and the insanity that is sure to go off in The Cirque, woO!
_________________________________________________
01.30.06
     Since November the snow gods have smiled upon the Wasatch. 
We've been getting some really nice storms, not the huge snow
totals of last year, but the snowpack has been really bomber for
the most part, very unlike last year's huge avie cycle, and the 
storms have been relatively consistent. It looks like we may even
get through a January without the dreaded inversion.   
     Speaking of avies above, I finally did the level 1 Avie course. 
And I can't speak highly enough of how important it is to educate
yourself on avlanche hazards and safe travel in the backcountry. 
At the risk of sounding like everyone's mom, please read as much
as you can on the subject, attend every free or non free clinic you
can, and then take the course. And don't expect to be an expert
strsaight away. Even the ex-forecasters, patrollers, etc who teach
the courses are still learning. The mountains are a humbling place 
that deserve our respect.  
_________________________________________________
11.13.05
	Salt Lake is off to a slow start in the winter department. We
got a few inches this weekend, but weather models are calling for
another warming trend this week. All residents in the wasatch
area are encouraged to hold a sacrificial ceremony of ski burning
to please the snow gods.
_________________________________________________
10.07.05
	Today is the Mountain Maiden release party for their 2006
calendar. You will find a couple photos from yours truly, along
with other photos of women in the outdoors, so get out and find 
yourself a copy!
_________________________________________________
10.06.05
	We have snow!  A cold front came through earlier in the week
and left a nice layer of white over the Wasatch and the Oquirhhs.
_________________________________________________
9.23.05 
	heading up to the water ramps in park city tomorrow.  i am 
seeing alot of face plants in my future. oww.  
_________________________________________________
9.19.05 
	This is the Obligatory Welcome-to-my-new-website-newsflash. 
Accompanied by the usual this-site-is-still-under-construction-
disclaimer. woO