Two winters ago I first started experimenting with filming timelapses at Alta. I'd find a comfy spot, set up my camera and hang out to watch the clouds go by for a while. At first I filmed for five or ten minutes. I soon realized that 30 minutes is the minimum you need to get good footage, an hour or two is preferable. Hardly something one's friends want to wait for on a powder day.

For something that seems so simple, it is amazing how many thing can go wrong. A dirty camera lens can leave you with an hour's worth of totally useless video... a fantastic but blurry sunset, just visible behind the perfectly in-focus dusty lens. The camera battery can run out too soon from the cold, or the wind can blow snow onto the lens. I once hiked to the high ridge at the very top of East Castle and spent 45 minutes shivering behind the rocks while the camera filmed. The wind was probably blowing 30 mph and the sky was incredible. Giant cloud formations were ripping overhead and out towards Mt. Timpanogos; every split and break in the clouds released a moving beam of yellow sunlight. When I couldn't take the cold any longer I went to get my camera and found the battery had died from the cold after the first 10 minutes.

Sitting in the snow for half an hour waiting for clouds to move might sound boring but I really enjoy it. I love to ski because it gives me a chance to spend time outside in the mountains. Filming timelapses give me an excuse to sit down and enjoy the scenery for a while. It is also never ceases to amaze me how a seemingly static sky suddenly becomes alive and full of motion when you speed up time.

Note, you need to have Realplayer 9 installed to play the videos