WATCH: WIND SLAB by Austen Sweetin

This past year, Austen Sweetin found the upside to lockdown: a full season at home riding in Washington. The wiles of winter in the Pacific Northwest are like few places on Earth and hitting conditions just right takes time, patience, and a bit of luck. For those willing to put in the effort, the snowy spoils of Mt. Baker—untracked steeps, bottomless turns, and overhead roosts—are well worth the effort.

For Austen, everything came together as he hunkered down in the Cascade Range, riding out the ebb and flow of the atmospheric river. Right place, all the time, and Austen was rewarded. Sunny days at Mt. Baker with perfect conditions offered up iconic terrain that Sweetin had been eyeing up his whole life, but never gotten to hit before.

Wind Slab is the culmination of Austen’s season of dedication to the weather patterns and storm fluctuations of the PNW. Hit play and get fired up for winter—for the stashes, surprises, and sneaky gems that can be found when you just take the time to look around where you call home.