West Twin

photo:Doug Sproul

Thanks to an overabundance of forests, Canada is blessed with an amazing logging road system. There are logging roads that go up every major valley and most broad ridges. In the summer I spend my time driving these roads for work and in the winter for access. If I had a sled I would access more but I usually wait and find out which roads are plowed.

 This year West Twin is plowed up to around 4000 feet. This is a perfect starting point for a variety of runs. I usually wait till weekends to access these roads so as to not bother the logging truck drivers. A large group of 9 boys traveled up there this Sunday.

Initially we had thoughts of traveling up valley and finding some decent runs but our skins decided to start touring upwards immediately.  We wrapped right up  4000 feet to a ridge and had some amazing turns down the south face. and then perfect  powder turns the whole way  down the avalanche path. Nine men on all forms of backcountry gear, Splitboard, Tele alpine, Dynafit, Diamar.  Regardless of  type we all had great turns to the valley floor. And then from there we were able to tour up through some great gladed forest up to the west side of the valley.

I had hopes of skiing the Shadow line on the right, the more direct line off the peak. But the terrain and  timing decided for us and we ended up skiing down the way we came up. It was a great day of new terrain, none of us had ever skied any of the lines we toured. It’s great that after 8 years in Revelstoke I can still find lots of terrain that I have not even touched. I am always searching and it still seems limitless.