Montana

photo by Joey Vosburgh

I have never skied in Montana. When Brad enticed me down to do a slide show in Whitefish, I could not refuse. Firstly because it was to help the Glacier Avalanche Center with a fundraiser as well as inspire people to get educated and out there.  I skied in the morning in Revy and drove to Kimberley. Around 11:30pm a deer ran onto the road,  I could see that I had him beat, and he was not going to come over the hood, so I didn’t swerve much. But as I blew by him at 120 km/hr I watched as his head hit my sideview mirror and broke it off. Poor deer.  My first deer kill ever, pity I couldn’t take the meat from her.

Anyhow I got to Whitefish, toured the hill the day before it opened and enjoyed some powder and then went and did my slide show.

Then on Saturday I went and toured with the locals. What a psyched and fit group of people. the nine of use did 6000 feet very efficiently. 6000 ft of great powder skiing, cold and settled powder. We were pumped. For my first tour in montana I was being rewarded with sun and powder. Wicked. I had to leave after summitting Tongue mt and skiing 3 wicked runs,  they then went back for another run or two.

And now I am heading off to Chatter Creek with Arcteryx for the next four days. 26 days left of this mission, still lots of vert and an average of 7250 per day till the end. It won’t be easy but I won’t give up.

also check out a decent article in the Globe and Mail.

And  a big thanks to Tony Girardin and Hans Bishop for their Donation.

The Final Month……

Well its been 11 months of hard work and now the final stretch is ahead of me. All year I had hopes that I would not need to push really hard the last month but the late snow season has left me with no options but to hammer it out till the last moment. In most races I have always had to pick it up and sprint the final 10%; so here we go.

Today was epic powder skiing, settled, cold and fast. Super fun turns that has left me tired and blinking with heavy eyelids, so I am off to bed.

But if anyone is around Whitefish this weekend, I will be doing a slide show at the rec center around 8 pm. Come by and help support the Glacier Avalanche Center.

A little tired…

My legs are feeling a little punched today.  Its been ten days of touring, not that they were all huge days, the smallest  being 2000 and the largest 8400. But the smallest day might have been one of the hardest. There was 60 cm of fresh light snow but it blanketed a bunch of logs, rhododendrons and all sorts of rocks. So touring was super hard and we ended up getting nowhere and skiing nothing great.

But winter is finally arriving and looking around things look great.

We are still limited in where we can go but where we are going is usually pretty amazing up high with a variety of not great skiing down low. The Globe and Mail is interested in doing a story so one of their writers David Ebner came and enjoyed a day in the mountains with me. It was great that Dave could come out with me and actually experience some of my quest, it will give him a more personal view of what I am doing. He was able to enjoy some deep powder turns, and also he came over at night for a glass of wine and met Tracey and the kids.

As for snow conditions, they have changed drastically over the last week. Epic last weekend, freezing/very windy during the week, 40 cms of new snow lying on top of that windslab now, which is proving to be pretty amazing skiing. So the psych is back but the legs are tires today, no big skis and big runs today. Just the tlt5’s and the manaslus for some fast and easy vertical.

p.s. I am not posting my vertical per day this week, because of the contest. But don’t worry it is increasing daily.