Born on the East Coast, Team Rider Erme Catino grew a love for skiing and the mountains. After college in Vermont, as many east coaster do, Erme made the pilgrimage to bigger mountains and deeper powder. After exploring the West, he settled in Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT where him and his wife call home today. Erme occupies his time as a freelance journalist, traveling the snow covered mountains and writing for the likes of Backcountry Magazine, The Ski Journal, Powder Magazine and many more.
PC | Erme Catino
"The shitter’s full! It was the first thought that crossed my mind as a mid-October storm began to rage outside our home. Living up Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT has its benefits, especially come winter. However the pre-winter chore list can sometimes be long, one of which is to make sure you empty out the holding tank before the winter."
PC | Erme Catino
"By the evening we had already surpassed the forecasted amount… The following morning we had fifteen inches outside our home, and the neighborhood was totally caught off guard. You could hear the hum of machines and snowplows - fixing snow blowers to tractors, chain sawing downed trees… It was early October! Yet, despite the chaos we all had that glowing feeling of early winter and understood the notion that after all of this is sorted, we’re going skiing!"
PC | Mark Erickson
"The smell of wood-stoves churning and the crunch of snow under our feet was welcomed as we booted up in the lot. Re-acquainting ourselves with having skis strapped to our feet was quickly forgotten as we kicked and glided up Brighton for a late afternoon lap. We ate snacks at the top along with some hot cider, and soaked it all in. We yearn for skiing all summer long, but the minor details of ski touring we take for granted feel so special on that first day out."
PC | Sam Watson
"The second system lined up a couple days before Halloween. Cold air spilled down from Canada draping us with 13 inches of cold smoke that sat on a supportable base. And while the skiing was still thin – heck it wasn’t even November yet - it was legit powder skiing. The sun was high in the sky and the temps barely struggled to hit the teens that day, winter straight up smacked us in the face. By the end of that cycle the word was out and skiers came out of the woodwork. I ventured for a few more laps around Brighton and then Alta, and by Halloween, Alta looked as if it had been open. The steep grassy slopes were superb, providing deep turns that wisped by as you arced down the fall-line, seemingly actually skiing and wondering what month it really was?"
PC | Mark Erickson
"The weather has since been sunny and warm. But winter is here in the Wasatch Mountains and skiing is happening. We’ll gladly take advantage of the high pressure to empty the poop tank, then it can dump."
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