Recently by Grete Eliassen

Skiing powder in August is the most amazing thing, ever! And skiing in Las Lenas, Argentina is just ridiculous in itself. I just spent a week in Las Lenas with my clothing sponsor Oakley testing new outerwear. It could not have been planned better either. We arrived at the Mendoza Airport (7 hr. van ride from the resort) the day after a huge storm hit the resort. Everyday after that would be sunny and beautiful as well.

Our hotel, Virgo, was one of about ten others located up in the middle of the mountains totally secluded from any other culture then skiing and snowboarding. This place was really unbelievable. Marie-France Roy (Red Bull Teammate) and I began to explore the mountain on our own the first day, but there was just so much terrain it would be impossible to even see a tenth of everything. The next couple of days we were directed by our guide, Jose, and the rest of the Oakley crew, which included Seth Morrison and Pep Fujas. 

I just returned home from Russia where I went skiing with the Oakley/Redbull girls team in Krasyana Polyana. This was my first time to Russia, so I didn’t really know what to expect. The trip turned out excellent and very educational. We got a little skunked with rain in the beginning, but then it snowed and the sun came out and the trip was on. We experienced everything from being beaten with tree branches in the sauna, to not being able to heli-ski because Prime Minister Vladamir Putin was using the heli for his own skiing pleasure and house-keepers splitting out of town because the K.G.B. was after them.

Check out the photos!

I’m back home in Salt Lake and it feels good. I’ve been working on a lot of different things since I’ve been back. Mainly, just planning out the rest of my winter. I went up to Solitude on Wednesday with Freeskier for their annual ski test. It was fun cruising around with the “Freeskier Gang A.K.A. Shaywill, Nicole, Harvey, you know who you are.” The first day skiing back in Utah was epic as usual, fresh pow, no big deal. I’m going to Russia in March so I’ve had to be on the phone a lot with the Russian Embassy and sending a bunch of things in, but it looks like they’re going to let me in after all. Valentines Day was fabulous.. “Best V-Day Ever!” I went and saw “Step Up 2,” go see it! Best quote from the movie was, “If the 410 doesn’t want us in here, we’ll be outside where the streets started!” If that doesn’t make you want to dance then you can just call any of us in the 801 and we’ll take it to the streets with you.