havecarryonwilltravel

It is the day we have been waiting for – 28cm of new snow. Trouble is, it is only -1 and it is wet. Very wet. Travel will be hard and the only turns to be had will be on very steep slopes.
We have a destination in mind but is a long slog and will take a considerable amount of time and energy. Talking with A, the custodian, he suggests we stay close. There is a run called ‘The Ramp’ visible across the lake and has been skied a lot. It is steep enough to ski today and within ear shot of the lodge.

Travel across the lake is difficult so when we get to the slope we know we are in for a lot of work. It is a steep climb and moving is slow. About 30 M up a couple of the guys want to dig a pit. They do the test and are unhappy with the result so we scrub the mission. 6 maybe 8 turns to the bottom and our ski day is over.

Oh well. We’ve had a good 4 days and we are all pooped anyway.

Heli tomorrow and home.

We get up and the snow has been falling for a few hours. There is more than enough to fill in our tracks from all the previous days. The ceiling is low so we decide to go to Christmas, the area we skied on Tuesday. We loose our up track about a tenth of the way up, but we have a better sense of where we are headed this time and only have to use the compass 3 or 4 times. Soon we see the little knoll we are looking for and up track right to it. You would think we knew what we were doing.

On the uptrack

We want to ski south of the lines we did on Tuesday because on the way by last time it looked like some pretty good turns waiting to happen. They are. We are tired from the last 3 days on the slopes so we only manage 3 runs. But they are three outstanding runs. Even though a whole heap of kilo-joules of energy are put in for 3 runs it makes every turn worth it.

E having a great run

The run back is interesting for me. The light is so flat we really do not know what we are skiing over. Two turns from the top of one of the pitches and I am in the air. Not my normal orientation. Then I am head first in the snow and a double heel release. Snow down my back, goggles around my neck and poles strewn behind me up the hill. Not the most graceful ending to a banner day.

It is still snowing and it does not look like it is going to stop anytime soon. Tomorrow could be good.

We are headed for Castor Peak. The up track was set 90% of the way 2 days ago and we want to see what is up there. The travel is easy and there are no decisions to make so we get to tree line much faster today. Maybe 2/3 the time it has taken the last couple of days.
At tree line the wind is strong and cold, the vis is about 0. We have just traversed some of the sweetest terrain we have seen so far this week. The executive decision is made. We’ll yo yo a couple of runs here and if it clears we will see if the peak is worth while.

The first run is so good we skin up and do one more. The sky has not cleared so it is one more. Lunch at the bottom and hell let’s do another. In all we do 6 runs today. Not super long but fantastic each and every one. The area we ski was trashed by the heli skiers yesterday, but their tracks are filled in for the most part and we just find lines they had not used. Knee deep snow, 50 turns long. WOW!

The terrain around Blanket Glacier Chalet is outstanding. There should be something to keep everyone entertained.

I have had trouble with the ski/skin combination of my fat skis since I first started skiing on them. Today with the slightly wet snow and the well worn track I was slipping every second step. I need to buy wider skins that fit the width of the shovel. I am stopped on a slope, start to slide backwards, and fall. I snap and crack my pole against my ski. The pole is now broken. It’s our last run but even though using a broken pole is fine to ski with, it is real hard to push when we are skinning.

When we are almost to the bottom we realize we are a down a couple of drainages over from the one we need to get back to the lodge. Damn. Skin up again and crawl over a couple of ridges. Soon our up track is in front of us and we turn for home.

Good day, bad day.

Fog, clear, sun, fog. The morning is changing constantly. We get some advise on good spots from a couple of the other guests that have been here previously. We have a general idea where we are going, but never having been here before, it is a bit of an adventure. We head off and use compass bearings to feel our way up.

When we stop we are exactly where we want to be. It took us a while to figure out we had arrived. Our first turns are east, the terrain is rolly and it is a stop and go prospect. After talking it over we decide the run we are looking for, Christmas, is actually over the ridge and slopes west.

Oh boy, did we find a great spot to ski. The slope is perfect for the amount of snow and there is enough untracked snow for us to ski for days. The skiing here is real good, real good. The tours here are long and we manage two runs and a long run home.
The day is shorter and I’m home at 3. Gotta pace ourselves. It is a great day.

Early, early, early. Jami said 6:15, we’re there at 6:00 and La Baguette isn’t open. They don’t open until 6.30???? We spend our time on the ‘summer patio’ signing the waiver. Door opens at 6:31 and Jami is happy, we will probably make it to the heli on time.

Get to the pick up area and it is hurry up and wait. There is fog, or clouds or whatever. The machine makes it this far but we are grounded. No flying until the heavens clear. We stand for about an hour and other choppers start to fly up and down the valley, we are on our way. First time weather has ever delayed me up or down.

Once we get to the chalet it socks in again. We can’t see any of the terrain we wanted to ski, so today it is tour by Braille. Kind of know where we want to go so stay high and work our way in that direction. Snow seems nice, about 40 cm new according to the pole, with a crusty layer under. Just like the avilanche report says. We find our way up without crossing anything with enough pitch to slide. Walking into the alpine the skiing looks great. There is a whack of turns to be had here. We can pick and choose where we want to go; no barriers on this slope.

Skiing is good. Snow is a bit wet but the skiing is smooth. We end up near our uptrack and do it again.

The terrain we have chosen is a wonderful introduction. No danger and trackless snow.
As the ceiling rises we can see across the valley and there is a huge area we will explore tomorrow.

Blanket Lodge

The lodge is, I’d say, rustic, but cozy and adequate. Dinner was prepped before we came up and takes hardly time to prepare, we are eating by 6:00.

Not so much of a rush tomorrow, we’ll be on the uptrack by 10:00. Looking forward to it.

Murray has been at a lodge this past week backcountry skiing. The lodge does not have WIFI. HORRORS!! He assured me he would write posts each day and post them when he gets home. This is a post he wrote last Sunday after he arrived in Revelstoke, where he is to catch his helicopter to the lodge. He emailed it to me so I could post it.

Canmore is significantly warmer today. I have to be gone by 10:30. Need to be in Golden between 12 and 1. E is watching the football game in the Boston Pizza lounge and he doesn’t want to be there all day.

Travel is fine until Castle Junction. A couple of cars in the ditch but I think that was last night’s doing. Then there are a few more cars in the ditch. Cops go by, lights flashing and going fast. A few kilometers further along a sport truck is rolled on its roof and a gaggle of uniformed folk standing around investigating. No more cruise control. Pass a few more ditched vehicles and a lot more icy road and I get to Golden before 1.

E, and his gear, are carefully ensconced in the car and it’s off to Revy. The conversation is good, the roads are good and the time passes quickly. Just outside Revelstoke the snow starts. Big wet flakes. It does nothing but build the anticipation of the trip to come.

The Cube Hotel is a boutique hotel in the middle of town. Interesting place. Sort of a cross between a hotel and a hostel. Small rooms with a common area to sit in and meet the other patrons. Not really like other boutique hotels I have stayed in, which are generally what I would say upscale, funky, and more cozy then a regular hotel or motel. The Cube is definitely funky and cozy but not upscale. I like it though.

Catch the heli tomorrow.

Stayed tuned for more posts, and some photos, after Murray gets home tomorrow.