Rogers pass paying off

I am starting to feel more fit, my 5th 10 000 foot day and I managed it in under 6 hours, with 2000 feet of trail breaking. A nice 3000 foot run of Grizzly Shoulder, then a quickie up teddy bear trees, Grizzly chute was screaming my name but I had left my bag thousands of feet lower and was beginning to bonk. So down I went and up to Bruins Pass.

Two clear nights in a row and the surface hoar is building. Setting up for a serious avalanche cycle when it gets loaded with new snow.

I will have to be wary after the next storm.

 Head down and legs pumping I didn’t realize I had broken out of the clouds, when I turned and saw the sea of clouds with peaks poking through. Cheezy shot but I can’t hide my dorkiness.

I then had untracked turns down 8812 bowl. 2800 feet of alpine turns all to myself, and people say its crowded in Rogers Pass!

Macpherson Fingers

Macpherson Fingers Seemed early to be going to the fingers but with as much snow as we have been getting it definitely worked out. Dave and I started out at 7.45 and had our first run in by 9.30. I had hopes that Dave would ski 10 with me but at 9 his wife toured in with their 10 week old baby and they went for a little ski with him. Kaya is probably too young to realize how great the powder was but who knows he may have. There was about twenty different people out there today but with so many options we didn’t ski over many tracks. The recent snowfall added 45cm of fresh powder to an already deep snowpack. The snow is always amazing in Revelstoke but this seems like an extra deep start to the season. Here is my cousin Magee sampling some of the Monashee powder. No complaints!

Avalanche crest

Rogers Pass Rewards Clear day ahead so we toured up avalanche crest again, much better views and options everywhere. Winds from the north had played some havoc but this was why we were here. Protected and south west facing we had many options to play with. The 1000 foot alpine face looked a little too direct and exposed so we opted on skiing a few awesome alpine runs. Here’s Scott laying down a sweet turn

but I truly enjoyed Dave’s style of skiing?@?

  Most people worry about me while I am skiing in the mountains. They figure my greatest danger is avalanches. I wonder… On the way home I was in the process of passing a semi-trailer when over the hill came not one but two semi’s bearing down on me. I kept my line and squeezed as close to my side as possible, my little pathfinder found the one path through the three 18 wheelers. I was three feet away from certain death. Moments like this make me wonder.. the odds seem higher to die on the highway. Not to say I will ever let my guard down.