Avalanche!!!!! Mountain

Since my last post the avalanche hazard went through the roof and we were playing conservative for awhile. Some touring off the hill, some early morning and late night vertical missions up the hill, and then yesterday a tour up the Bonney with Mom, Don and Tracey.

I have been wanting to bring Tracey up here for a few years, its a longer hike but such a mountainous place. Glaciers, cornices, seracs, huge vertical walls, beautiful.

Today Joey, Mark and I headed up Avalanche mt, another peak I have never summitted. I have been within 300ft of the summit and always turned around in the steepest part of the chute. Today we climbed both summits, and skied the Se run which was awesome.

We then skinned/boot packed our way up the south ridge and summitted again.

A great day out with two splitboarding buddies. With a great finish down the NW chute. Some great alpen glow made for a perfect finish.

All for now, tired and excited about tomorrow I need to make my lunch and go to bed.

The other side of Grizzly

Its funny how so many lines can sit there for ages and never be seen. I was feeling a little tired today and not exuberant, feeling that after the week of new runs that it was time to take a break. Jeff mentioned Grizzly, Aaron took his idea and suggested a north chute off its western summit. Aaron had a great photo of the line from last week and we all looked at it on his view finder, zooming in and examining it. It was such a  defined line; it seemed funny that I had never really noticed it. Maybe in passing but never as  a ” we should go ski THAT” sorta line.

We quickly climbed up and summitted Grizzly Mt and then Jeff and Aaron checked out the entrance.

The start zone was small and we were able to drop some cornice on it and then ski cut it. It all fell away beautifully and soon enough the three of us were leapfrogging our way down. Small slabs had to be ski cut off the sides of the chute and then the fan was thoroughly enjoyed by all of us. A 2000ft run, back up to Little sifton where we waited patiently for the clearing that never came. then down through a notch and back into Grizzly bowl. Good times.

McGill finally visited

Since bagging Bagheera, I did one quick nightime ski run, and spent yesterday morning running around Macpherson, skiing a few of the fingers, till I reached 10080ft and then home. Pretty decent for being so close to town.

Today I went out expecting to do some laps at Mcgill shoulder and pull in 10 000 feet and then go home. But  Jeff called midway through my first run and said he would join me. So I skied 2 runs and met up with him around noon.

The weather was teasing me and I could see summits so I suggested we push up towards the true summit. Somehow I have never been to the summit of Mcgill and ever since climbing Bagheera and I kind of needed to.Mcgill was the last in the range that i had not summitted. Hermit/Swiss/Rogers/Sifton/Grizzly/UrsusMinor/8812/UrsusMajor/Catamount/Bagheera/Copper/MCGILL. There are still a few other named peaks in that range that I have not climbed like Truda/Fleming/grant but the major ones have now been visited. Pretty fun to finally summit Mcgill.

It was a burly day though, the weather never improved and we were wind blasted and snow rhymed while climbing the ridge. I would like to re visit this summit on a sunny day to really get a feel for the climb. Today was simply whiteout and windy but adventurous.

10410ft                                                                                                       248354ft