Stephen Koch

I did not snowboard the north face of the Aiguille du Midi while I lived in Chamonix in 1990, although I wanted to. I did make some turns along the north side of the ridge traversing to the glacier on my way to ride the Gervasutti Couloir on Mont Blanc du Tacul. The “Gervasutti,” as [...]

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OK…I don’t say this lightly…best skiing footage I think I have ever seen…Candide Thovex…check him out here. And this footage is shot AFTER he broke his back when he came up short on this monster jump in this short crash video. Fresh off his win of the Freeride World Tour 2010, Candide busts out with Candide [...]

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I love swimming, and going for dips in extremely cold water is great too…it is invigorating, a way to appreciate warm clothes, environments, the sun and to simply have an intense physical experience that is psychologically challenging too. This morning I went for a short run, which I rarely do, with my host in Chicago, [...]

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I thought it was Sherman Poppin and many incorrectly believe it was Jake Burton (due to some wicked good marketing done by Burton Snowboards), who invented the snowboard. No one may be completely sure who was first to stand up sideways and ride downhill on a sled over snow, but in the 1920′s Gunnar and [...]

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While most visitors to Jackson Hole do not suffer any medical problems from their visit to our high altitude, I hope the following information will help you have a safer and more enjoyable vacation to Jackson Hole. ALTITUDE EFFECTS ON PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL PROBLEMS The reduced amount of oxygen at altitude may have adverse effects on [...]

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In the late Fall of 2008, with Tristen “Trippy” Sieleman, an extremely funny and good looking (might come in handy for spooning on a bivouac) man who I met through his girlfriend, Carrie Dagher, one of the funnest, most loving and positive people I know (and sexy as hell to boot), I returned to the [...]

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Stephen Koch This was first published in Alpinist Magazine in June, 2004. On January 17 at 4:45 a.m. Mark Newcomb and I began the Grand Traverse, a route that comprises ten peaks (in order: Teewinot, Owen, Grand Teton, Middle Teton, South Teton, Ice Cream Cone, Spalding, Gilkey’s Tower, Cloudveil Dome and Nez Perce) in Grand [...]

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My show at Keene State was a lot of fun. A dreadlocked freshman named Johnny asked a couple of questions during the q and a about moving “out west” and taking time off from college. I could tell he knew the answers to his questions already…he is ready to pack up and move out west [...]

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I had a great time at the 2009 Ouray Ice Festival and Competition. This was the second year I competed and I am very pleased with my 5th place finish. Last year I did not make it into the finals. My success this year must have had a great deal to do with the weight [...]

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On Sunday I drove to the Grand Teton National Park with my family for something fun to do because it was too cold (-28) to go skiing with my son Axl, age 2 1/2. As we drove north on the highway the first crown I noticed was one I had seen the day before from [...]

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