I was recently asked my greatest accomplishment in the mountains all I could think of was 30 years skiing and still adoring it – of countless expeditions where my partners and I have come out safe and better friends than ever, already planning our next adventure together.  We have traveled the globe together – the US, Canada, Alaska, Tibet, China, India, New Zealand, Europe, South America, Central America, Greenland, Baffin Island, Lebanon, Mongolia…the list goes on…with no end to the adventure in sight…documented on film, in magazines, and course in our mind’s eye.

Mountain Highlights

• Ski descent of choy oyu 26,907 ft (8201m)

• Womens ski and kite expedition Baffin Island

• Ski and kite Greenland

• 21 peaks/21 days Bolivia

• Trek of Frozen Zanskar River – Ladahk, India

• Mongolia Women’s Ski Expedition: first ski descents of the Five Holy Peaks, including Kuitan, the highest peak in Mongolia

• Mt. Waddington Ski Expedition: descent of Mt. Waddington and Combatant Couloir, British Columbia

• Yukon Territories to Dry Bay, Alaska, ski exploration, accessed from the Tatshenshini River

• Hannuman Tibba Women’s Expedition: first ski descent of RFHP, a 2500m couloir in the Himachal Pradesh region of India

• Kamchatka Women’s Ski Expedition: first ski descent of Mt. Udina and Mt. Zimina, as well as the first female ski descent of Mt. Tolbachik

• Lebanon Ski Expedition: ski descent of Qornet as-Sawda, 3090m, traverse of the Mt. Lebanon Range

• Mt. Belukha: ski exploration and descent of highest peak in Siberia

• Cotopaxi (5897m) and Chimborazo (6310m) Volcanoes of Ecuador: ski descent of world’s highest active volcano

Jess grew ski racing up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and later raced at the University of Montana and coached for the Jackson Hole Ski Club. In the summer, you can find Jess river guiding and kayaking in Ashland, Oregon.

WEB MEDIA

Website: griffpost.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/griffpost
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/griffpost

FILM SEGMENTS

• Teton Gravity Research “The Dream Factory” 2012
• Teton Gravity Research “One for the Road” 2011

CAREER COMPETITION RESULTS

 2nd 2010 Freeskiing World Tour Overall
• 1st 2010 Place U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships
• 1st 2010 U.S. Extreme Skiing Championships; Crested Butte, CO
• 2nd 2010 Freeskiing World Tour Overall
• 2nd 2009 Las Lenas Freeskiing Open; Las Lenas, Argentina
• 5th 2009 Nissan Russian Adventure; Sochi, Russia
• 3rd 2009 2009 U.S. Extreme Skiing Championships; Crested Butte, CO
• 4th 2008 Freeride de Tignes, Tignes, France
• 1st 2008 Telluride Freeskiing Open; Telluride, CO
• “Sickbird” Belt Buckle Winner; 2008 Squaw Valley Freeskiing Open; Squaw Valley, CA
• 2nd 2008 Nissan Mammoth Quest; Mammoth Mountain, CA
• 1st 2007 Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open; Jackson Hole, WY
• 2nd 2007 Telluride Freeskiing Open; Telluride, CO
• 3rd 2007 U.S. Extreme Skiing Championships; Crested Butte, CO
• 1st 2006 U.S. Extreme Skiing Championships; Crested Butte, CO

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

• Powder Magazine
• Skiing Magazine
• Backcountry Magazine
• ESPN.com

CURRENT SPONSORS

Kastle Skis, The North Face, Smith Goggles and Helmets, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Hestra Gloves, Garmont Boots, and Ortovox.

Brennan Lagasse has been on skis since the age of two. His passion for spending time in the mountains has provided unlimited inspiration for living each day to the fullest.  He makes his living as a writer, teacher, and guide living on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, CA with his wife Jillian and their dogs Olas and Nieve.

Between teaching courses in the Interdisciplinary Studies and Environmental Science Departments at Sierra Nevada College, Brennan also acts as co-guide for Points North Heli-Adventures Ski Touring Program in the Chugach Mountains of Alaska. He also teaches Wilderness Survival at Truckee Meadows Community College and contributes to several print and online publications as both a freelance and staff writer.

Brennan’s writing has been published by a myriad of outlets in several disciplines. On topics related to sustainability his Master’s work was published as a book, and he continues to write for Vision Magazine on a monthly basis. While he also writes for various music industry media, much of Brennan’s writing is focused on backcountry skiing. He has contributed to several ski outlets such as Tetongravity, Clean Snipe, Skiing, Powder, Adventure Sports Journal, Skiing the Backcountry, and authors a weekly ski season column-“The State of the Backcountry”-along with other backcountrycentric coverage as a reporter for Unofficial Networks.

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I grew up in a mountain village of the Swiss Alps, in a family where mountaineering and skiing is “what you do”. On weekends and during the summer holidays my family packed the packs with food and clothing and off we went, destination a small hut in the high mountains.

It was natural for me to spend time in the mountains, ski race, ski touring, hiking or climbing. It took me a few years until I realized how lucky I am, growing up in the mountains and having parents who have shown me what an amazing life the mountains give us, “we just have to recognize it”. Already at the age of 15 I realized  that steeper and challenging mountains mean a lot to me. Hard alpine rock routes and mixed alpine faces became my playground. I was 22 years of age when I have received the “Bergfuehrerpatent” (Mountain Guide Certification) by the Swiss and International Mountain Guide Association. My dreams became reality, guiding people on great alpine routes and amazing ski-tours and in addition I got paid. How much better can life really be.

In 1980 I immigrated to Canada and promoted European style ski-mountaineering in the Canadian Rockies and the Northern Selkirk Mountains, something which was at the time definitely not known in the USA and in Canada. It was a though journey and required a lot of educating skiers about “my” style of guiding ski mountaineering.  In addition, in 1985 I founded Selkirk Mountain Experience and have built the Durrand Glacier Chalet, a remote alpine lodge in the heart of the Northern Selkirk Mountains. Finally, in the late eighties it all paid off.  Guiding ski-mountaineering in Canada reached big success and became worldwide highly regarded.

I can definitely say that I have the best life. Living with my wife Nicoline and the two daughters Charlotte and Florina at the Durrand Glacier Chalet. Guiding guests on great ski tours with endless powder and guiding climbing guests on long alpine rock routes …. in an area where there is really nobody else except me and my guests. Every year, when the ski season comes to an end at Canada’s Durrand Glacier then I fly to the European Alps and guide the Haute Route, Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and in many other areas of the Alps where the deep mountain culture is readable on every rock and mountain slope.

I think my biggest achievement is that I am able to have a deep passion toward the mountains and my profession, guide people in the most incredible ski terrain and take them on harder and easier alpine routes. For me it is not about all the extreme ski descents I have done, guide ski-tours year after year well over one million vertical feet while cutting trail,  that I have pioneered many ski traverses in Canada, managed numerous expeditions to high peaks and achieved over 220 first ascents in Canada and the European Alps; for me it is all about being able to share something with my ski guests and climbing guests which means everything to me.

Ruedi Beglinger

Retiring from swimming after the 2000 Olympic Trials, she quickly added more to her plate and became a professional multisport athlete. Teaching herself to mountain bike and run, she became a professional cyclist and triathlete, focusing on the off road because of her love of the mountains. All while working full time with directing and managing a mental health agency for children and families in North Idaho.

To stay in shape and get off the bike through the cold winters, she learned to ski mountaineer and began Alpine climbing again. Instead of walking down mountains...now she ski descends them. Brandyn's Native American roots (her grandfather is Sioux) ground her to the earth and the mountains. Her parents love and her devotion to God are the reason she is driven to keep climbing mountains whether they be in nature or in life.

Brandyn studied Anthropology, psychology and physiology in college and was the director of a mental health agency for children for 8 years. She is passionate about working with children, coaching, teaching and playing outside!
Brandyn currently resides in the Rocky Mountains outside Denver where she works and plays with her other half, Brad Arnold, who inspires and encourages her everyday to find new peaks to climb and keep JOY in all she does. They have two fuzzy kids, a yellow lab named Doc and a Husky-border collie named Maka-Sioux.

She is STOKED to be part of the Garmont family and honored to partner with them for years to come.