Utah was pretty dry until a few days ago so a few friends and I decided to go ski BASE jumping near Park City, UT. The snow was getting thin but we could still send it!

So, it felt like the right time to step it up before the snow was gone. After thinking about what to do and looking at the conditions, I felt very comfortable and confident to do a triple backflip. So, check out the link below to view the headcam footage.

A few days ago, a storm rolled in we got 19 inches of snow at Alta and surrounding areas. I got to shoot with Jonathan Cracroft for a day there and then headed to The Canyons on saturday. The conditions are epic right now and I am looking forward to playing more in the snow.

Stay posted for more updates soon!

GoPro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QtuxholJzE

Jean-Guillaume was all fired up on the idea and the location. Nico Favre at Wildrush was kind enough to provide the images.

I will be back in France on May 20th to get another ski BASE jump in if the mountain cooperate! Until then, I will be spending time in Lake Tahoe, Southwest Colorado, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Iceland, Norway before ending back to the motherland.

This season is going well so far and I am super stoked. Also, make sure to grab the lastest issue of Snow Magazine and check out the story on Megeve, France - my home resort. Just got a full page in Skiing Magazine with photographer Grant Gunderson (February issue) and another one in Kiteboarder Magazine (March Issue) with Richard Hallman. Stay posted for more news!

L’Equipe TV: http://www.lequipemag.fr/EquipeMag/Xtrem/adrenaline-petite-lecon-d-escalade-20100128_160002.html

Check it out by opening the link below. I am back in Utah now and getting ready to go skiing in the backcountry. I will be leaving for Oregon and Washington in a few days. The traveling circus is back on the road!

Skipass: http://www.skipass.com/articles/saison-09-10/46264-premiere-en-ski-base.php

After taking another lift, we get to the shuttle but all the people rushed into it, Both camera guys are in and the driver tells me: “sorry, no more room”. Thankfully, a guy is behind the shuttle and gives me a ride to the other side of the valley with his little Renault. The sky is getting a little milky by now and we start losing the light now. No wind is picking up however.

So, we take one more gondola, 2 chairlifts and the last lift to the top of Mt Joly is closed so we decided to skin up with our skis. But, the camera guys’ skins are old and keep coming off their skis. They end up boot packing up and we are already 1hr30min behind schedule.

We get to the top of Mt Joly from where we can climb the ridge to get above the face and we realize that the snow conditions will not allow us to travel fast and that there are 2 long uphill sections on the ridge. After another 2 hrs, we finally get to the spot. I find the top of the line and the camera crew is getting set up but by now it is 2 pm and the light is completely flat which means that we can’t see the hazards and shape of the slope very well which makes skiing the line very challenging.

To add to the challenge, the snow conditions were pretty unstable but just stable enough if you want to ski light and fast.

The camera is rolling. I give the guys the 30 second check and drop in. The snow is sloughing all over the place and I ski lightly so it doesn’t turn into an avalanche. I am getting into a tight chute and my skis are fighting the crust. I quickly realize that falling is not an option and it is turning into a you fall, you die situation.

I try to breathe and relax but the other issue is that I don’t really know where the edge of the cliff band is since I am blind skiing the line. Finally, I feel like I am getting closer and start pointing it. All of the sudden, that’s it, I am in the air and 600ft off the ground and all the slough from the top is falling next to me!

I am going so fast that the air is grabbing my skis and trying to flip me on my stomach but I manage to pull my chute and stay stable. Finally, the parachute opens and I am screaming like a madman and fly back towards the cliff to get a good look at it. It was just too incredible to just fly away!

But, it was time to think about a landing zone and I found a spot between little evergreens - smooth landing. I look at the cliff one more time to soak in the experience and call my family to let them know I am safe as well as my girlfriend.

It feels good to be alive one more time and to do another first. This was probably one of the most terrifying lines of my life and one of the most fulfilling and magical moments.

Nico Favre calls me on the radio, he is fired up, got the shot and it is sick!

So, in a nutshell, this was my experience! I want to do it again but we only had one day to make it happen since the weather turned bad again and the snow is now pretty bad.

After that, I came home to hang out with my family and drink champagne! It felt really good to be home again, conqueer my home mountain after cheating death across America and hanging with the whole family for the first time in 6 years. Good times for sure!
 
I am back in Utah on the 30th and will get back on the road towards Mt Baker and Mt Hood around January 5th. If the snow is good, Grant Gunderson and I found a nice drop at Baker but it will be minus parachute.
 
I hope you all had a great Christmas and I already wish you a happy new year! The video link will follow very soon!

Outside Magazine: http://outside-blog.away.com/blog/2009/11/pro-skier-and-ski-base-jumper-matthias-giraud-26-was-the-the-first-to-ski-and-base-jump-off-mt-hood-tellurides-aja.html

After Mt Baker, I headed straight south to Portland to ski Mt Hood with Randy Boverman and once again, the NW snow conditions were not disappointing. This is a great start for the season, let’s cross our fingers and hope it will last!

More news to come and more pictures so stay posted!

ESPN: http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/blog/_/post/4667543

Mt Hood Meadows: http://www.skihood.com/Photos-and-Videos.aspx?media=9#4117805633

I arrived on the 11th at night, woke up at 5am and headed to the hill and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Mt Baker generally gets no sunlight from November to March. I, personally, have NEVER seen sun at Mt Baker in the last 2 years. We had a perfect blue sky and 4 ft of fresh powder on top of the rest that fell before.

Grant fired the camera and we got EPIC shots. Skiing with Drew was a great experience too - humble, passionate, and fun.

Here are a couple links below for Grant’s shots and an article from Skiing Magazine.

I just arrived in Portland and I am about to pick up my new Smith, Elan and Dabello gear at The Ski Chalet. Great store with a very prefessional staff. So, come over and check out their gear. I heard Mt Hood got snow too… time to go back to work…

Mt Baker: http://www.mtbaker.us/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=8092

Skiing Magazine: http://www.skinet.com/skiing/resorts/2009/11/mt-baker-opens-with-a-hefty-base 

I just created a Twitter account so follow me and stay posted on a life of endless fun!

Twitter: www.twitter.com/matthiasgiraud

Freestyle USA: http://www.freestyleusa.com/team/blog/2009/10/12/monday-blues-breaker/

I have been skiing and BASE jumping with I/O Bio products for the last 3 seasons and I have been sold on the products since day one.

I traveled to the French Alps last season and wore the same I/O Bio Merino piece for 2 weeks straight. I traveled with it, slept with it, skied with it, partied with it everyday and guess what? No smell and the feel was the same. The quality speaks for itself so try it out and check out the new products on their website.

Inside/ Outside, you decide… A great company with a great concept ready to explode!

I/O Bio Merino: www.io-bio.com