Ten down 90 to go

All day I use my watch to follow my vertical quest, checking my vertical gain, watching the little number grow all day. And finally when I have reached my 10000 foot mark I can go home. It seems really silly to obsess about a number, a number which in the end means nothing. But in the present it means everything. It means I have maximised my day, that I have enjoyed a lot of powder skiing and that most likely I am quite tired and ready to go home to my family. With a goal like this I realize how ridiculous it is. But if it forces me out and into the mountains, forces me to dig deep and get that extra run in. If it makes me get up at 5.30 and gets me up into the mountains to watch sunrises and sunsets than the goal is worth it.

Scott Dowling and I toured up Macpherson to the summit and skied a similar run to yesterday and then we skinned back up to the summit where conditions had worsened. Through the white out and down the north face we skied a different run into the womb and home. Great day where I managed to spend most of the day with Scott, with just a few extra runs to make my goal. I am being constantly blown away by the strength of the ski tourers in revelstoke, 8000 foot days happen regularly, progress is happening in the backcountry.

Macpherson Summit

The temperatures rose dramatically yesterday, with the freezing line being around 4000 ft. So I had to get to higher elevations today to find the good snow. I toured up the fingers and broke through the cloud layer around 5500 ft. From there on the day was beautiful with some sun and clouds high above. I broke trail up to the summit and then had two incredible 2000 foot runs and then off the summit and down 6000 feet to my car.

My 9th 10 000 foot day and they are really feeling easier, I can go out and climb a summit, tour 10 000 feet and the be home by 1.30 to see my daughter Charley before she has her afternoon nap. I missed her today though.

Lately Telus mobility has increased their cell service along the trans canada, getting service through Rogers Pass. I am not sure of exactly were it is strong and weak yet but I have had service on 4 summits and I am almost always in cell range. This is a huge safety net that has never been in the Selkirks before. Now in the event of any accident or home emergency I can contact emergency personel, or be contacted. Tracey is days away from giving birth to our second child, but she is still allowing me out touring as long as there is service. How lucky am I?

Avalanche Awareness Day

Seven years ago today I was taking my avalanche level 1 course. While we were out digging pits we had noticed a skin track high above us, ignoring it we continued to study our snow pit. Minutes later Jim Bay yelled down to us “Avalanche”, looking up we all witnessed a class 4 avalanche bearing down on us. Running to the safety of the trees, we were all okay. But those that had set the track above us were not. Soon enough we were all in a real avalanche rescue.

It turned out that the group above were all friends and they had triggered a 1.5 km wide avalanche that had caught all five of them, leaving them all partially buried and very injured all over the mountain. Although Scott got to Shane quickly there was nothing that could be done to save him, while Franks wounds were severe he managed to survive. The others all had injuries but none as severe as Shane and Frank.

Ever since that day we have been coming back to the scene and re-living that day, always trying to learn a little more from it. Over the years Frank has healed and now finally seven years later we managed to ski it from the top and directly down to the highway; the way they had dreamed of skiing it back in 1999.

Shane would have been happy to see us all on the summit today.