My buddy Jason Caudill and I put this video together. All footie from the amazing Colorado backcountry skiing we’ve been having. From the western Elk Mountains. Enjoy. (Click TWICE to run). The helmet cam action is all filmed using the tiny Digital Hero camera on their helmet mount.
20 Responses to “Video TR – Colorado’s Epic Midwinter”
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Loui,
You have a real future as a ski film producer. Wathch out TGR?
Chase
Nice work gentlemen! Even nicer to not see fur lined collars or bad plaid outfits. Perhaps there is hope for the future (grin) – or maybe I’m just getting old!
Hi Louie,
Great video! Really great shots! Might I inquire as to where the cliff is that you floated off at the end of the video?
Awesome! It is the next best thing to being out there…which is just what I need as I sit here in the office.
Amazing footage that makes me want to get out of my office and up in the hills. You make the powder skiing look like a real art form…great work Louie!
Hey Joe and Kathy, good to get the family checking it out! Glad you liked it!
ChaseD,
The cliff at the end (and the little pillow in the middle) was up above McClure pass.
The Lou’s
Quality skiing, great video… more snow is on the way. Love the site and the link directly with TetonAT. Complement each other well. If only our politicians got along as well as the backcountry ski community.
Doug
Nice! But, uh, is he still pursuing an industrial design college? Maybe one that has a film program, so, you know, just in case….
(also nice to see credits for the music – very legit)
Steve, yeah, I think we’re still on track. We were just joking about how nearly every kid we know seems to want to make film for a living, and that perhaps doing something other than that might be a more sure thing for a job that provides lots of opportunity for days on snow. After all, if one gets a job in film making it could just as easily be as a grip on Stupid Pet Tricks as holding a camera for TGR.
Proof positive that there are places with snow just as dry as Utah!
Nice job Louie & Jason! Great film and even greater skiing. I need a tutorial from you on the Hero Cam – I’ve had very disappointing results with mine and am thinking of ditching it. Perhaps it just takes some practice?
Fun to watch the video. I think it could be a good way to get our kid out and about on the pass. I read about the Hero camera on Amazon and not all are in love with it. Some feel it lacks focus and other basics. T or F ? Have you tried others or small weatherproof point and shoots? More info or links please.
John,
The hero cam doesn’t have many features, like you would get in a camcorder or a helmet cam that attaches to one. It also doesn’t have as high quality as the ones you might use for a “real” movie. But for home movies or the web it works fine. We like it because it is small and light, so you can bring it on a trip when you don’t want to lug around a camcorder (ours is old and big), which you also have to keep dry and protected. It also doesn’t have a cord connecting it to your pack, so you can attach it anywhere. There are a couple of shots in the video where we attached it to our skis. I even tried taping it to my helmet by means of a aluminum tube so it looked back at me. It has automatic focus and exposure, but I haven’t had any problems with them. For what I want a helmet (or ski) mounted camera to be, it works great. The biggest problem is battery life, in warm weather it is pretty good, I suggest using rechargeable since it still eats through them at a good rate. In the cold however, regular alkaline batteries only last about a half hour (if that) and high capacity Nmh rechargeables are not much better, so when it’s cold you have to use lithiums, which last for a few hours but get costly.
Andrew,
The operation seems pretty easy, it is a little clunky since it only has two buttons, but easy to use for the same reason. Just turn it on by holding down the power button (the one on the bottom), use the same button to switch to whichever mode you want, then press the shutter button to start filming/taking pictures
Louie Dawson
John, I use a blackeye helmet cam. It connects to your head/helmet via a headband. View is just above eye level. Negative is that it connects via an AV cord to a camcorder. Can be a bit of a hassle on cold days, etc. I think the quality of image is excellent however. I use it with a canon zr700 camcorder and have gotten nice results. Here is a link to see some of the vids produced. Also will give you the Blackeye link
http://jaywalkerlodge.com/program/treatment-program-expeditions.html
http://www.blackeyeusa.com/en/products/
OK thanks Louie & Lynn
I confess I know very little about digital video. The quality is a function of the 3MP ? What other settings are there? Will the Hero change focus while shooting? I assume it captures sound? Easy to swap cards & batteries while out in the weather? How many minutes of action can you get on a 1 Gig card? Is it fixed lens or can you zoom? Thanks
Nice Vid w/ a very good feel to it!
John,
The hero shoots pictures in 3 megapixels, but the video is 513 x 384. Besides the video and photo mode, there is a photo every 5 seconds mode and a burst mode of 3 photos. It does capture sound, but on mine it isn’t very high quality and it is recording at a super low volume. I talked to the guy at Gopro, and he said that the sound quality on mine might be a defect. I am planning on getting them to fix it but I am using it too much! The lens is fixed but I don’t need any zoom when it is mounted on my head anyways. However, they do sell a wide angle lens for it. Swapping cards and batteries is really easy, you just open the waterproof case and pop them in, although you do have to take your gloves off. I have been able to get about a half hour of video on a 1 gig card.
They have alot more info on Gopro’s website: http://www.goprocamera.com/
Louie Dawson
Lou, work sux for some of us. Suddenly it all seems a little more worthwhile….ta
Hey love the video.