Pretty epic up high

Video peak looking great before it had its first skiers of the year. Its a bit of an assumption but I don’t believe anyone had braved it past the alders. It was an epic first tracks down it, 60 cm of super light, blower powder. Its a pity our first run off the summit was a little flat light, so I lead with a little trepidation. My second run off the summit was sunlit and great, skiing with gusto and confidence made it that much better than the first.

We then toured up to Bruin’s bowl and skied down to the valley, all in all 7 grand of great turns.

Alders

Well I have been avoiding my blog because I don’t want to see that my number is going up very slowly right now. I am avoiding writing because that means I have to enter my vertical and 4200, or 5000 feet days do not add up that quickly. So if I wait a few days the jumps are larger but still slowly falling further behind.

This is the slowest start I can remember in Revelstoke. Out of the 11 years I have skied here; only one has had a slow start like this. But that year I did not want to ski two million feet so it was OK. Now I am wanting so much more but having to be content with what we have.

Its not that its bad, up high its great! Deep, cold and fluffy, with occasional rocks to contend with. You can ski with gusto and confidence from 10 000 down to 7000 feet. Then the base disappears and its 60 cm of awesome snow on rocks and trees.  Injury fest.  Its not only the exits but the approaches. The typical zones have alders twenty feet tall.

But the skiing is great above, so I shouldn’t be complaining. And Jack suggested I stop whining and get after it; so I will.

Jerimy also wondered how I count my vertical. This can be debated for ever but the way I look at it, I am trying to climb and ski 2 million feet. The harder part being the climbing, the skiing being the reward.

So whatever human powered form of climbing that gets me to the skiing is counted. Its all effort.

Thanks to Dave Mountain and Robert Hamilton-Smith, both generously donated to my cause, which was very much appreciated as the strangle hold of debt was making it hard to breathe.

Time to get after it.

Regardless of conditions its go time. Luckily conditions are getting better almost 3 feet in the alpine and storms are coming. But that 3 feet shrinks quickly and skiing is dubious below 6000 ft.

I have been busy, Vancouver and Urban Rush which was fun. Except I used penultimate in the wrong context but now know what it means.  Teach me to throw out a word I do not truly know.

I spent three days touring outside of Vancouver, one towards the Black Tusk, which was whiteout and not great, followed by 2500ft of down walking. Then a day off Blackcomb, skiing Husume and The Glacier, which was fun, and then 1200 feet of down walking. Then up Whistler and some ok turns and 1500 feet of down walking.

And now a day out of Revelstoke, so I am starting to get after it again just slowly and not with huge days.   The inner coach is pissed off and ready to rock but we need a tiny bit more snow.

Today on our way touring, my buddy Joey’s van, slipped its timing belt. Mid road Joey did a complete belt change, which was impressive and we continued to drive up higher. A screw got loose and screwed things up again, but a full timing belt change on a logging road! Seriously who does that and then continues driving upwards. I thought we had it till the screw messed things up.  Regardless,we managed to change vehicles and ended up getting some decent skiing in. Anyhow tired and ready for bed.