Spent the last couple days flying solo up at Sunshine. It's good to get on some harder packed variable snow to keep your skills up. However, I really can't wait to get some new fresh deep powder. This drought has to let up some time right? On the plus side, all the high pressure did make for some stable conditions to hit some really cool lines, but right now with the recent wind we're in a bit of a transitional time. Been touching off some slabs off of ridges lately, which makes me not really want to go boot pack any couloirs that go to ridge tops lol.
Let it snow let it snow let it snow.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Big Bee Hive
Went to check out some possibilities at Lake Agnes (Lake Louise) with James. Very popular trail in the summer time, didn't see a single person up there today. Plenty of tracks heading up to the touristy tea house, and only a couple heading over to the back bowl. We found some nice chutes coming down from the ridge off of Big Bee Hive. It was a bit of work getting up the 40 degree chutes but it made for a really nice run back down. No other tracks anywhere in sight. I don't think these chutes get skied very often at all. Nice consistent pitch. Lot of sluff (surface snow) running down the slope with us.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Face plant and avy conditions: Good or bad? You decide.
Once ever while your reminded of how easy it is to really fuck yourself over. Thursday brought one of these reminders for me. Decided to do a quick lap out to the low angle (since I was solo) shoulder of Twin Cairns. As I was skiing down, I knew the snowpack was shallow in that spot, but rather than stop the run and traverse out skiers left, I held my line in the interest of testing my helmet cam. I hopped over a few rocks but managed to hang up a ski on a shallow section that I couldn't clear. My ski was grabbed and I pitched forward superman style and came down hard on a rock right to the face. The rock put a hole right through my bottom lip. It also compressed my jaw back into the joint a bit. I could have sworn that I broke my jaw at the time, and it was bleeding like mad. Even had the pleasure of seeing a couple peices of skin fall onto the snow. Not having a mirror on me I pretty much thought it was worse at the time. Got out of dodge and went back to the resort to visit ski patrol. They put a few stiches in on the spot, and that's that. Went for a lap with one of them after ward in Delerium Dive, which was skiing quite nice. Had to recoup for 2 days after that incident.
Got pretty lucky on that one as far as not getting knocked out, or a broken or dislocated jaw, or having a tooth knocked loose as it would have only needed another cm higher to do so.
Monday:
On the plus side, avy conditions are good, on the other hand they are also quite touchy in the right (wrong) areas. All the good skiing right now is on the N / NE aspects. The ridge tops on this aspect are also quite touchy at the moment. Released another slab avy remotely on a NE slope off of ridge top today. No suprises though as I was fully expecting it and traveling some what close to the edge (in safe areas duh) to see if I could get one to pull out. Had lots of whoomfing and settlements on the ridge again. Had a great run back down into the trees and out. It's been quite warm out lately. Feels more like spring than winter. Where the snow is sheltered from sun and wind there is still some really nice snow to be had.
Got pretty lucky on that one as far as not getting knocked out, or a broken or dislocated jaw, or having a tooth knocked loose as it would have only needed another cm higher to do so.
Monday:
On the plus side, avy conditions are good, on the other hand they are also quite touchy in the right (wrong) areas. All the good skiing right now is on the N / NE aspects. The ridge tops on this aspect are also quite touchy at the moment. Released another slab avy remotely on a NE slope off of ridge top today. No suprises though as I was fully expecting it and traveling some what close to the edge (in safe areas duh) to see if I could get one to pull out. Had lots of whoomfing and settlements on the ridge again. Had a great run back down into the trees and out. It's been quite warm out lately. Feels more like spring than winter. Where the snow is sheltered from sun and wind there is still some really nice snow to be had.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Fernie Thunder Meadows video
Finally finished editing the video from Fernie. 5 days in the back country in a hut. Good variety of terrain and lines.
return to thunder meadows from Kevin A. on Vimeo.
conditions
Was at Bow Summit today. The wind has picked up and we got 2 small results in the snowpack. 1 cornice bomb that resulted in a small pocket of slab coming out above treeline, and 1 ski cut soft slab that cut out at treeline. Fun lazy day.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Mt. Patterson couloirs
Don and I went to ski a couloir today off of Mt. Patterson. Turns out some other people had the same idea within the past few days. Suprising given that it's Febuary, and I hardly ever see tracks in there. Gives you an idea how well the snowpack is holding up this year. Usually lines like this are saved for spring in our snowpack.
We bootpacked about half the couloir before turning around. The last party in there sluffed it out and it was quite hard and scoured as a result. So do we beat our legs into submission, or save them for the next few days and get back in there when ski conditions are a bit better? We went with the latter option.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Conditions ect since Fernie
After getting back from Fernie we went to hit up some more laps near Crowfoot Glads and on the Helen Lake ridge area again. Crowfoot was holding some really stellar snow and made for nice turns.
The following day Don and I went up to check another chute we were wanting to do off of the NE side of the Helen ridge. We went to check out our old tracks to try to get an idea of how much wind transport there had been and off the top our old tracks were filled in. Much different conditions wise this time. Travel along the ridge resulted in wide spread whoomfing and settlements. I also managed to remote trigger a size 1-ish slide from about 40 metres away. We also had some of the smaller side slopes release quite easily. Many shooting cracks ect...needless to say we ended up not skiing the chute we were after. I had one crack shoot out from my skis (on purpose) and it released a length of cornice about 30 metres long. Touchy stuff.
2 days after that (day after Crowfoot) Sean, Jason, Don and myself went up the southish shoulder on Dolomite Peak. Travel on the ridge top in the alpine was a repeat of the days previous. Many more huge settlements in the snowpack. We ended up skiing back down the ridge, which held some really nice turns, and did 2 laps in the "fun pad" on good snow. Jason got the rebate on a double drop he bailed on last time up, and ended up hitting it as a single drop. Nicely done!
Headed up to Parker ridge today and had some ok turns on wind hammered snow. We did manage to find some decent wind buff to ski, however getting out of there was a tooth chattering affair.
Looking forward to getting out tommorrow. Maybe check out some colouirs possibly, or there's a nice bowl to be had aswell. Should be good.
The following day Don and I went up to check another chute we were wanting to do off of the NE side of the Helen ridge. We went to check out our old tracks to try to get an idea of how much wind transport there had been and off the top our old tracks were filled in. Much different conditions wise this time. Travel along the ridge resulted in wide spread whoomfing and settlements. I also managed to remote trigger a size 1-ish slide from about 40 metres away. We also had some of the smaller side slopes release quite easily. Many shooting cracks ect...needless to say we ended up not skiing the chute we were after. I had one crack shoot out from my skis (on purpose) and it released a length of cornice about 30 metres long. Touchy stuff.
2 days after that (day after Crowfoot) Sean, Jason, Don and myself went up the southish shoulder on Dolomite Peak. Travel on the ridge top in the alpine was a repeat of the days previous. Many more huge settlements in the snowpack. We ended up skiing back down the ridge, which held some really nice turns, and did 2 laps in the "fun pad" on good snow. Jason got the rebate on a double drop he bailed on last time up, and ended up hitting it as a single drop. Nicely done!
Headed up to Parker ridge today and had some ok turns on wind hammered snow. We did manage to find some decent wind buff to ski, however getting out of there was a tooth chattering affair.
Looking forward to getting out tommorrow. Maybe check out some colouirs possibly, or there's a nice bowl to be had aswell. Should be good.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thunder Meadows Fernie
The past 5 days have been absolutely fantastic. Rob, Jason, Adam and myself started at Fernie ski resort, ducked into the back country and skinned in to Liverwurst bowl where Rob and Adam headed up over Liverwurst into the back, while Jason and I continued up and over Orca bowl, which gave us a really good look at the terrain to be had in the area.
Second day Rob and Adam hit some chutes and bowls while Jason and I took a mellow rest day hitting the slopes around the hut.
Third day the 4 of us headed up to the top of Big Steep Mother (BSM). We skied down the BSM bowl and then skinned up to BSM ridge and dropped into "Clitorous Chute" back down into Orca Bowl. Skinned half way up Orca Bowl and then dropped yet another fun chute down in to Cabin Bowl. Skinned up and ended the day with a short run back down to the hut.
Fourth day the visibility was not all that great so Jason and I did a few laps in the snow ghost trees on the south side of BSM. We hit the top of the ridge for our final lap of the day and noticed that the visibility had lifted some what, so we ended up doing a sweet line into Cabin Bowl called "Don't Worry". What a fantastic run. On the way back up over the pass we were tempted to hit a couple shorter steep runs but it was getting late so we decided to wait until the morning.
5th and final day. Woke up early to go hit those shorter steep shots into Cabin Bowl. Fun stuff. Back over the pass, packed up our stuff and skinned up to the top of Orca Bowl. Had a fantastic run down Orca to valley bottom and back to the car down the valley.
Hit some really stellar lines!! I'll spare you the details of the general silliness at the hut, but I will say that Jason did a fantastic intentional flying squirrel belly flop in to the snow out of the second floor of the hut.
Hopefully I will have some pics up soon.
Second day Rob and Adam hit some chutes and bowls while Jason and I took a mellow rest day hitting the slopes around the hut.
Third day the 4 of us headed up to the top of Big Steep Mother (BSM). We skied down the BSM bowl and then skinned up to BSM ridge and dropped into "Clitorous Chute" back down into Orca Bowl. Skinned half way up Orca Bowl and then dropped yet another fun chute down in to Cabin Bowl. Skinned up and ended the day with a short run back down to the hut.
Fourth day the visibility was not all that great so Jason and I did a few laps in the snow ghost trees on the south side of BSM. We hit the top of the ridge for our final lap of the day and noticed that the visibility had lifted some what, so we ended up doing a sweet line into Cabin Bowl called "Don't Worry". What a fantastic run. On the way back up over the pass we were tempted to hit a couple shorter steep runs but it was getting late so we decided to wait until the morning.
5th and final day. Woke up early to go hit those shorter steep shots into Cabin Bowl. Fun stuff. Back over the pass, packed up our stuff and skinned up to the top of Orca Bowl. Had a fantastic run down Orca to valley bottom and back to the car down the valley.
Hit some really stellar lines!! I'll spare you the details of the general silliness at the hut, but I will say that Jason did a fantastic intentional flying squirrel belly flop in to the snow out of the second floor of the hut.
Hopefully I will have some pics up soon.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
more vid
...some more vid from the past few weeks
Kicking Horse slack country from Kevin A. on Vimeo.
Kicking Horse, Revy, Rogers from Kevin A. on Vimeo.
Snow stability has been fantastic over the past weeks. This has allowed us to get out and hit some fun lines, and even one that I had reserved for spring. Jason, Lorenze, Rob and myself headed out on the Sunday and skied the highway side, but not before I spotted some nice looking lines headed down to Helen Lake.
Don and myself returned on Tuesday to have a peak and ended up skiing a fun line and scoped out a nice chute from the bottom. The following day we hit a slope across the valley that I have always wanted to ski, and the day after that Don and I returned with Jason to hit up the chute we checked out from the bottom. Here's some vid from those few days.
Don and myself returned on Tuesday to have a peak and ended up skiing a fun line and scoped out a nice chute from the bottom. The following day we hit a slope across the valley that I have always wanted to ski, and the day after that Don and I returned with Jason to hit up the chute we checked out from the bottom. Here's some vid from those few days.
Icefields fun from Kevin A. on Vimeo.
out and about
Have the last minute running around and pick ups to do in preperation for Thunder Meadows hut. Looking forward to some good snow.
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