Alaska trip

This year concludes a decade of skiing in the mountains for me. In ’99 I moved from Ontario to a camouflage camper in Fernie, BC. Now 10 years later many of my dreams have becime fond memories, including a recent trip to the famed Alaska …

Alaska wasn’t a free hand out. I wasn’t given a travel budget by sponsors and thrown into a heli to drop me on top of beautiful mountains with perfect snow. No, it was a long journey that began as a childhood dream, and became a reality this year as I began climbing and skiing many of the big mountain lines around Pemberton, BC. I enrolled in the Pemberton Big Mountain Hunting Club, and bagged Mt. Joffre, Mt. Currie, Mt.Sampson, Mt.Meager and Pylon.

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Brother Dave and I had dedicated April to being on call for a weather window in Hyder AK. When we had all but given up, the weather broke, and on April 24^th, we loaded truck and trailer with sleds, sleighs, jerry cans, food and ski gear. By 6 PM on Saturday the 25^th we were at our new home; a refurbished trapper’s cabin, 40 km up the Salmon valley, at the toe of the Salmon, Berendon, and Frank Mackie glaciers. We unloaded our gear and rallied up to ‘Matrimony Peak’ where Dave had proposed to his wife Tessa the year prior. We skied a couple lines each as the sun slowly set and cast long shadows down the glacier.

Day 2 - Sunny. We tandemed (doubled on the ski-doo) up a ridge and skied a 1500 ft warm up run. With a stable snowpack we continued up the ridge, and hiked the peak, then dropped into the 2500 ft face, and skied down another 500 feet of glacier back to the sled. From the peak, we witnessed some impressive views, including a big spine face across the Salmon glacier, so we ripped up to the top and railed 3 lines each before heading back to the cabin.

Day 3 – Sunny. The spines were so amazing that we headed straight back to catch them in the morning light. Wow, possibly the coolest lines of my life!

Once we skied every combination of lines, I had to check out the North face of this big peak that loomed in the distance. As we sledded around to the North side, this beautiful long sustained face came into view. We were able to sled half way up, and then we hiked the rest. The ski down was awesome … big long fast turns in slivers of sun light. A classic for sure!

Day 4 – Sunny. We sledded up the backside of this peak and hiked to the top, where we found a weather station/cabin on a cliff. We were able to climb onto the roof and see the ocean. Then I roped up and slid into the ‘curve ball’ couloir on the North face. 3000 ft later I arrived at the sled, and watched Dave ski to the right of my line on a huge exposed spine, that entered the couloir half way down. A crazy line that he skied with grace, and claimed the line of his life.

Keeping with the couloir theme, we approached another peak where we had to belay one another across this shelf to get to its entrance. There is something about a guarded line that makes it that much more special. I dropped in a steep spined face that lead to the couloir, rappelling down the rope for the first bit, then skiing to a safe spot until Dave leap-froged me. Half way down I dug in an anchor and we rappelled through an icy choke, then carefully skied the last of the 3000 footer to the sled. We skied this line using ice axes instead of poles. I called this line ‘God’s Hands’ because that’s exactly where we were!

Tim Grey met us at the cabin in time to witness us at the climax of our trip.

Day 5 – Sunny. We skied some of the ‘mellow’ lines with Tim, and explored the glaciers looking for more North faces.

Day 6 – We ate pancakes in the sun, then warmed Tim up on Matramony Peak. As he skied to the sled, a grizzly bear crawled out of the snow and started climbing up the slop. I ripped to the top and dropped in as he was gaining the ridge. I hoped to ski with him, but settled for a close up view and exchanged anxious glances.

We then headed off exploring more of the Frank Mackie glacier, finding a gem of a North Face that was covered in big hanging seracs. Amongst the ice was a spine that was sun lit. We skinned up, then climbed over the burgschrund to the peak. The ski down was epic as there was ice beside, below, and eventually above us.

Day 7 – Sunny and warm. We woke early to get into a slot on a cliff that was covered in a big cornice. The slot faced North and the snow was good, but when Dave and I got to the choke, where we were about to build an anchor to rappel down, warm sloughs on the east facing cliff started coming down on us. We were able to dodge the heaviest parts, then quickly put our crampons on, and basically run back up the line.

Looking back on this epic mission, we realized that we had prayed on top of every peak – something we normally reserve for the few scary lines per year. We also noticed white hawks (no not sea gulls) circling above us as we climbed and skied throughout the week. What a trip!!

The Cathedral

As you drive down Pemberton meadows, the setting sun silhouettes two peaks on the far horizon: aptly named Pylon, and Meager (previously aptly named Cathedral). I desperately wanted to ski these but thought I had missed my window, until old ‘father winter’ sand bagged us with a late season dump followed by clear skies. Li’l bro Dave and I sledded into base camp late at night and met Dave B. and John Johnson.

We spent the following morning punching a new sled route up onto the glaciers that connect the amazing volcanic peaks. Jack Hannah and Cheddar followed our tracks and caught us climbing the last pitch to Cathedral’s peak. As we skied the first N.E. face, Dave B. was the last to drop in while I was watching from behind a rock below; camera in hand. On his second knuckle dragging turn, he hit an unstable pocket that released and fired down slope at me like a freight train. In the split second I had to react, I thought of getting the shot, instead, I took a mental picture as I ducked behind my ‘safe rock’ and dodged the slide that caused another avalanche further down and disappeared into the crevasses below. Instead of following the slide path, we cut over the ridge to the North face where the snow was amazing. We carefully shredded down onto the spine crux, and into the open bowl to the sleds below.

We should have called it quits there; but Pylon looked so good, and we justified the avalanche by Cathedral’s sun exposure. By rights of setting the boot pack up Pylon's North chute, I dropped in first and had a good run down the steep face. The run was similar to that of Cathedral's but on a much smaller scale; beginning with a protected N.E. fan that chocked on a spine, then opened again into the bowl. John was next and similar to Dave B’s turn on Cathedral, he released a slab that threatened to pull him off the face over cliffs. By punching his fists through the slab into the snow below he was able to stop. They then skied down the chute that we hiked up, but Dave B hit another pocket and released a small slab that poured off the cliff below and onto Little Dave and Cheddar. They were able to run down slope and avoid taking it on the head, then Dave played 'Marco/Pollo with his radio until he found it under a foot of debris.

I still had to ski down another shorter pitch, so I waited until the crew made it around by sled, then ski cut the convex roll, which predictably released the entire slope I was about to ski. I scratched my way down, and we headed back to camp.

Day 2, we packed away our skis, and sledded deep into the Coast Range, scoping other epic faces that will haunt our dreams until we get back there again.

Keeping with our theme of being too ambitious we attempted a new route off the glacier, only to be cut off by a canyon. We retreated and made a first sled decent down another drainage that we had previously scoped.

We were all pretty stoked to arrive at the valley bottom, assuming our trials were over. After a crossing a couple sketchy avi debri paths, and siphoning gas from one sled to another, then towing as we continued to run out of fuel, we arrived at the trucks. Safe, tired, happy, and a little smarter.

Mt. Sampson

Mt Sampson has intrigued me since I first saw it on the map.
My bro Dave and I skied a long couloir off it last year, but the protected North face was calling.

This time we camped out at the base, and began an early assault. Fellow locs. Cheddar and Sam helped in this mission navigating around crevasses and over burgschrunds.

At 3 PM we summited and I began the last decent of my 20s. With good snow, I hopped down the steep spine face then cut out before the big ice fall below. The light deteriorated on the last pitch as we entered the maze of crevasses, forcing us to ski by brail.

By 7 PM I was back home ready to celebrate my 30th birthday party!!

Mt. Currie

Mt. Currie is the Matterhorn of Pemberton. With the recent closure of the Pembi Heli Ops. I was forced to earn my first decent. Our team was led by locos Joe Lax, Dave B. and John Johnson, all very experienced and skilled riders.

We departed at 5 AM, and I was having a beer on top of one of the Pencil couloirs by noon.

The snow was awesome in the 1800 ft couloir, and slowly warmed as we descended the remaining 4000 ft. through gladed pillows and eventually into alders and avalanche debris.

I had previously attempted to ski Currie 3 other times but was shut down by wind, weather, and work.

This day went down as a highlight of my ski career – along with many others this season.

Joe Lax posted the story on the interweb as well, check out his version http://modestbike.com/studio/?p=136#more-136

Monashee Powder Cat Skiing

Some of the deepest powder I have skied was at Monashee Powder Cat Skiing, so I returned this year, again with my brother Dave, and photographer Jordan Manley.


Our guide Mark warned us that this year was different ... it hadn't snowed in 3 weeks. For me, this was the best snow I skied all season and we took full advantage.



Throughout our 4 day stint, it started to dump Monashee style, but stability became an issue and our planned departure coincided with a big avalanche cycle.

Mt. Joffre's North Couloir

JD Hare, whose regular ski partners have recently taken different paths, recognized my enthusiasm and invited me on a couple ski touring missions on the Duffy Lake road. Our first trip we sledded into a cabin, then climbed and skied two nice couloirs.

Our second trip was an assault on the Joffre’s North couloir, which can be seen from many places on the road.

This was the steepest and most consistent slope I have climbed and skied. The top was exposed and icy, but conditions improved as we descended.

With crevasses below us, the ski down was

gripping.

It was awesome to return to the parking lot and look back at the monster we just skied.