While most of us dream of going out there and skiing some of the best backcountry lines in the country, Michael Wirth gets out there and actually skis those lines, all while putting together some of the best short ski films for our entertainment! In his most recently released video, shot back in April, he gives us a look into skiing both Pyramid Peak and Thunder Pyramid in the Elk Range in Colorado throughout just a few hours. That alone is pretty wild, but just the day before, Wirth managed to link up Maroon Peak, North Maroon, and Pyramid Peak in one go.
If you haven’t seen any of Wirth’s stuff in the past, you should check it out. He has several more videos documenting experiences like this one, all part of his journey skiing 31 of the 50 Classic Ski Descents in North America (in one season). It’s a darn cool project, and I, for one, hope he manages to hit all 50. Also, he apparently skied all 52 13,000 foot mountains in Colorado’s Elk range in 60 days. A trailer was released for that project, but I’m still eagerly waiting for the full video to be released.
All together, these videos are probably some of the most in depth short ski films out there. They don’t just show a few short clips of the ascent followed by several minutes of the descent. Instead, we see a good chunk of the planning, a good chunk of the hiking, and a good chunk of the skiing. They’re quite realistic in their depictions of backcountry skiing.
Image Credit: Michael C. Wirth via YouTube