Well this season was busier than any I can remember. My wife and I had our first son last summer, and I took on a full time teaching position for the year, so my skiing was limited to holidays and weekends. That being said, I still got out into the mountains regularly, and continued to push to accomplish some goals in the Pemberton backcountry.
Over the Christmas holidays I snowmobiled into a cabin with my Dad and younger brother Dave. We were able to explore some new territory and bag some fun lines, including some south aspects that hadn’t yet seen the sun, and a full moon lap. It was a trip I’d wanted to do with my dad for a long time, and great memories were made.
During early January I joined Bob Legassa and his crew of Freeride Media at Monashe Powder Snowcats. We had 4 good days of filming for his TV show which airs on over 200 different US TV networks. We also shot photos for internet use and promotion. https://www.facebook.com/
As usual, I spent much of my season using my snowmobile to access lines in the nearby mountains. This year we were able to get photographer Bradley Slack into one of my favorite zones to shoot some photos. The following are some of his photos, along with his website. http://www.
Additionally, I shot photos with Blake Jorgensen and Bryn Hughes which will be distributed to various international ski magazines.
Media exposure from the season includes photos published in Ski Canada, Mountain Sledder and on various Facebook pages. The Evoc video that Dendrite Studios made last season circulated the web on a variety of websites throughout the year. http://vimeo.com/57358837
I have been given the opportunity this year to write for Mountain Sledder Magazine, and this past season I had two articles published, one of which was a feature article. This summer I have written three small articles which will be published throughout this next season. http://www.sleddermag.com/
A big accomplishment for me this year was completing with honors the Avalanche Operations Level 1, which was snowmobile specific and focused on search and rescue scenarios. I was 1 of 16 people from search and rescue groups throughout BC awarded with a bursary for the course. It was good to have my snowsence reassured, and learn more about mountain behavior.
While not chasing the snow this summer, I have been chasing white water in my kayak, covering ground on my mountain bike, enjoying lake life in my home town of Kenora, Ontario, and surfing in El Salvador.
With the next ski season fast approaching I’m already excited to play in the snowy mountains. I will actually be up skiing for a Heineken commercial on Saturday! I will again be teaching this year, but will only be part time, allowing for more time on the slopes J
Thank you for your support this year; you make my adventures possible.
