nabbott blog

In all my time in and out of Summit County, Colorado I cannot even imagine the number of times I've looked at the peaks of the 10 Mile Range--from the road, from my house in Frisco, from old houses in Breckenridge, from the other side at Copper or on Vail Pass, riding my bike up Freemont Pass towards Leadville, while snowboarding at Breckenridge, or wherever. I can say that less than 40 times I've been on top of any of the peaks, and then only Peak 8 a bunch of times and Peak 7 maybe 5 times.

So when a friend mentioned hiking all 10 peaks (as well as a few other sub-peaks) in a single day last month I was intrigued by expanding my viewpoint without going too far from home. And then a bunch of other friends said they were going for it last weekend so I decided to tag along. Straight out my door and within 2 and a half miles you've climbed 3700 feet to the top of Peak 1. In total, it was somewhere around 12 miles and 8000 feet of climbing over 13 hours (including one near death rockfall experience, one big backtrack and a 45 minute break for the sun which was going to be up "any minute now").

Enough words. Photos. (Also, hopefully blog redesign will happen soon and you can see the panoramas in all their glory...)

3:30am, packing up and heading out.

On the way up Mt. Royal, in the dark.

Headlamps.

Kimmy waiting for sunrise. 10 second exposure at f2.0, ie dark.

Way too long on top of Mt Victoria, waiting for sunrise.

'twas chilly on the westside.

Kimmy just above Mt Victoria.

Whole crew on the way up to Peak 1.

Summit of Peak 1. (Left to right) Mt Victoria, Lake Dillon, Dan, Kimmy, Bryn, Brandy, Joe, Peak 2.

Peak 1.

Peak 2 (or...Japanese teens hoping for world peace).

Got a little scrambly for a while and we had a gnarly rockfall / Cliffhanger moment after this. That's I-70 and Copper Mountain about 3000 feet straight down from Dan. (And all my thoughts are with the Nelson family who lost their son in a horribly unlucky accident the same day in Aspen.)

Obligatory snow photo, followed by a halfhearted snowball fight.

Hero shot, probably making calls on the iPhone.

Summit of Peak 9, with Imperial Express lift very small on the shoulder of Peak 8, and Peaks 1 & 2 in the shadows way, way back there.

Panorama from the Microwave tower on Peak 10- I've seen it a million times, never been there before.

Dan and Bryn on the last bit of Peak 10, with Breckenridge below and to the left middle of the picture.

Ah.

Self timer, top of Peak 10.

Posted by at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Each week a group of people gather in Breckenridge to ride around, carouse, laugh, dress up, break the monotony and generally liven up Main Street. Yeah, the dirty fucking hipsters are there on their fixies doing half-block skids, but the real joy comes from the true fringes in a group like this--the old and the young and those riding a bike for joy not for style. And, hopefully without too much drama from either side, it gives a speed check to the harried grocery store warriors and too focused landmarks hawks with their Texas-plates who cannot understand how to work the roundabout at the end of town even without a swirling circle of 30 toga clothed warriors making two or three laps before being spit back up Main Street. Check out the Breckenridge Cruisers FB group...HERE...for info on themes and schedules.

To interject a little philosophy before we get to the pictures, I could have kept this post to 2 or 5 photos. We started Toga Night in the rain at twilight--flat and terrible for what I cherish in my photos (especially after being drilled on finding special light by Frank in Santa Fe the previous week). But I'm posting the early shots and generally not editing enough so perhaps you can appreciate how things progress in any shoot from the early nervousness. To a moment Dan Allen raises his phone to his face perfectly lighting it. To riding one-handed in the dark while shooting blurry but fulfilled images by the headlights of passing cars. Imperfect. Cold. Fun. Real. Perfect.

Pre-game (failed) attempt to wait for showers to pass

Michael chooses the themes, brings the tunes and generally keeps things going.

Roundabout.

Fire pit lap #1.

Fire pit lap #2.

Toga crew.

Hearts painting.

Serious face Bryn.

No one's FB'ed me?

Second lap down Main--after dark.

Perfectly imperfect.

Sparkles.

Posted by at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After Santa Fe I did a hellish 2 day trip up to South Dakota, where I met my Dad on his way across America--on his bike, which reminds me that 20 hours in the car isn't really that bad. Read about it over at rabbott47.blogspot.com where he's doing an awesome job of blogging. I got to snap some photos and ride about 25 of 145 miles he was doing on his 14th day of 30. Not bad for less than a year removed from breaking his neck and looking like this. Glad I got to visit and I was lucky he was so gracious with his time and energy in the midst of it all!

Badlands NP climb, 1.

Badlands NP climb, 2.

Hay rolls.

Rolling hills.
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Last turn.

Info board at hotel. Murdo, SD.

Tan lines and road rash, healing.

Scars and helmet tan.

Murdo, SD.

And a bunch of snaps from along the way, bike and car.

Posted by at 6:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's been so long. With the travel and having two jobs last winter (Senior Photographer for Freeskier
and blogger for ESPN) I seem to have lost my personal blog. Plenty of other projects going on too, like a new website and blog (hopefully launching on August 15th). Hopefully I'll get back to it until the snow is flying in Colorado again.

Briefly, I just got back from a week studying in Santa Fe with the estimable and creative and inspired Frank W Ockenfels III at the Santa Fe Workshops. Not much else to say about it currently, but here are some outtakes from some shooting with classmates and models.

Posted by at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"Live it, shred it, be happy."

I can't process my feelings or the repercussions right now--another friend we won't see again. My thoughts are with Tanner and Tahoe and Squaw and the whole world of skiing.

Thanks to CR Johnson. For France and for that day in the pipe and for all the smiles and for our lives you will always be in my thoughts.

Please leave your thoughts at Freeskier. And if your didn't know, or can't taste the tears that the mountains are leaving in the snow, read what Micah had to say here at ESPN (http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/blog/_/post/4943902).

More stories and more pictures will follow when I'm done enjoying the mountains.

Posted by at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, I wrote this post about how people (read: you) should go check out this slide show I'm involved in, along with a bunch of talented sports photographers, or rather photographers who make pictures of sports. But then I checked the link and it looks like the slide show night is completely booked or sold out or too cool. The slide show will be supporting a gallery show at the Annenberg Space for Photography featuring the work of two legendary photographers, Walter Iooss and Neil Leifer, who have captured some of the most important moments in mainstream sport over the past million years or so (sorry, no time to double check that fact). Anyhoooo, Iooss is one of those guys who crosses with ease from making amazing portraits to capturing real action images with an eye for the extraordinary convergence of great talent and great light and great location that is so hard to come by. He's someone I've always looked up to and been inspired by and it's an honor just to be able to mention his name here.

Anyway, Micah Abrams has checked out the show and told me it is amazing, so either get to the Annenberg Space for Photography (2000 Avenue of the Stars, #10, LA) early on the 11th of February and tell someone at the door how important you are. Or just go check out the print show sometime before March 7th.

Here is the LINK for info.

And here are a couple of frames from my slide show.

Mark Abma at Chatter Creek Lodge, Canadaaaa.

Simon Dumont in Trysil, Norway and at Riley Poor's apartment in Long Beach, CA.

Laurent-Nicolas Paquin in Houghton, Michigan.

I think this guy's name is Shaun White. He's pretty good at X Games.

Simon Dumont at Mammoth Mountain, California.

Posted by at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)