havecarryonwilltravel

The group decides to start our ski day at “The Whaleback”. We will ski it a couple of times and maybe go to “The Leprechaun”.

The top of The Whaleback is about 1,000 feet above the lodge. If we assume a story of a building is about 12 feet, the climb to the top, right from the lodge, is about an 80 story building. OUCH!

We follow the track Sandra and I put in yesterday. Step, pause, step, pause. A slow pace ensures that we do not sweat too much on the way up. (I am still learning about this heat/cold management.)

The ski down is great! New powder, trackless expanses to choose from. We gather at about 3 /4 of the way down the big slope.

On the Whaleback uptrack

And, we go up again. This time it is about a 40 story building. It takes us about 25 minutes, but B says it feels like 3 hours. And, we ski down again.

At the bottom, part of the group decides to head over to “The Leprechaun”, but N, J and I stay put. We have a quick lunch and a hot drink.

And, we go up again. Another 40 story building. And, we ski down again.

No wonder that my legs are tired.

We like Mistaya Lodge. It is comfortable, homey, roomy, efficiently laid out and welcoming.

Lonely skis on my day of rest

Upon entering the doors from outside, we find ourselves in the boot room. An ample space for skiers to hang jackets, skins and store packs and boots and to gear up for a day of skiing.

The kitchen is large, accommodating the cooking that happens twice a day. There is cold pantry next to the kitchen to store items that require “refrigeration”. There is a small fridge but only milk, eggs etc get placed inside. There is a freezer in the entranceway for the foods that need to be kept frozen.

The main dining and sitting area is surrounded by windows looking out over the lake and mountains. The area is comfortable and the views ever changing with the sky.

Front window view

The building is heated by one franklin stove type fireplace. S, our caretaker this week, keeps it fed so we are toasty warm.

There are two washrooms on the main floor, one in the boot room and one by the pantry. The toilets are composting toilets. The sinks have hot and cold running water.

Upstairs there are 5 bedrooms that sleep anywhere from 2 to 5 people. We are only 7 plus S so each couple and single person has a room to themselves.

There is a sauna building with two showers. A sauna and shower after a day out on the trail feels absolutely wonderful. And I am not really a sauna person, but I look forward to it every day.

There are 2 outhouses in case the lodge is full. There is also another small building that can be rented separately. It sleeps 6, has a kitchen and small dining area.

The lodge at Mistaya is a place where we will return.

Mistaya Lodge

Off to the Whaleback. A place we have never skied before. But it looked good from across the valley so we are going to give it a try. It is an easy trek to get to the bottom and not too bad up.

On the trail to the Whaleback

The skiing is a lot different than the last few days, the wind has pounded the snow and it is quite compact and stiff to ski. It is still quite skiable and we lap many times over.

This is a slope made for beginner skiers. No trees. Well, maybe 2 in the whole area. The tree at the bottom is called Ron, named by a kid visiting. Easy slopes, but loooong.

Debbie has a hard time with the expanses, so I just tell her that it is the same slope as Snow Valley. She repeats that in her head as she descends. Her first turns are perfectly shaped esses. By half way down though she is tiring and the esses start to fall apart. She does well for a novice skier on the 4 runs she completed.

I stay and ski 2 more long runs, with J, after K and Debbie skin up and glide back to the lodge. We find some snow that is not wind affected and the ankle deep powder was great.

We are now awaiting our turn in the sauna for some heat and a shower. It is snowing and we will have some fresh powder tomorrow. Appitizers, supper, sleep and we do it again tomorrow.

Our third day, Debbie stays at the lodge to rest. Six of us head up the hill. Same slope as the last two days, Heather Ridge. We might as well trash it. We know it is safe and we thought we  should use it up before the sun makes it unskiable.

At breakfast, the avalanche danger was consulted and it was “considerable” on all levels. The group must be careful today. They want to ski the trees, which is more advanced than Debbie wants to ski, so she volunteers to stay at the lodge and have a rest day.

Every day the up tracking gets easier. Maybe it is us getting used to the elevation or maybe we are skiing ourselves into shape.

Glorious day. There was just enough high cloud cover to keep the snow good and it is clear as far as the eye could see. We keep making runs where we think the sun will thicken up the snow and the run is great. So we go up and try to beat the sun on the next run and again it is excellent. We do that until 3 pm and finally the last run down the snow as getting heavy,

Five runs and at the end of every run it is an easy decision to up track once more. A long day but a good one.

The alpine glow after a great day of skiing

Some folks are early risers, some late. The early risers congregate downstairs by the fire, the warmest spot in the lodge in the mornings. Yoga, meditation, reading, waking up.

We are a self catered group, which means we have brought all our own food and prepare it too. The group has been divided up into small groups and each smaller group assigned a number of breakfasts and suppers to plan, purchase groceries for and prepare.

The group assigned breakfast starts their preparations and has a delicious breakfast ready for 8:00. The breakfasts range from yogurt, granola, fruit salad and toast to frittatas and bagels. The skiers eat heartily preparing our bodies for the exertions of the day.

During breakfast, the Avalanche forecast is consulted and a discussion of where to ski that day is had. The decision is made and everyone is in agreement.

Once dishes are done, lunches made (everyone makes their own lunch), we gear up and are out the door.

On the uptrack to Heather Ridge

We climb, and climb and climb. Our skis have skins on them that prevents us from slipping backwards. Our toes are locked into our bindings but our heels are free. We can walk easier this way. We are breathing hard and our heart rates are up. About an hour later we almost reach the top of the “hill”, called Heather Ridge, beside the lodge. The trees have thinned out and there are pure white slopes, dotted with small trees waiting for us. We climb more and end up on what feels like the top of the world. The views in very direction are stunning.

Murray taking his skins off his skis at what feels like the top of the world

We take the skins off our skis and prepare to ski down. Since J broke trail at the top, he gets to go first into the untouched whiteness. One at a time we swoosh and turn down the hill. We stop at the point where the trees start to thicken. Some of us stop there, skin up and head back up. The others ski down further into the trees, stop, skin up and head back up.

Almost at the top, we find a lunch spot and everyone sits for a break and lunch. Skis are laid on the snow, a sit pad is place over the skis, a hole is tromped down where your feet are, and there you have a nice little seat to eat at and enjoy the views. I say to the group that this is what my idea of backcountry skiing is. The sky is blue, it is warm and the view, well, it is amazing.

Our lunch view!

After lunch, we climb again and ski down again. Some make the trip down to the lodge and some keep going for more runs. By 4:00, everyone is back at the lodge.

There is a sauna here and we take turns in groups getting warm and showering. There are buckets of water heating in the sauna that we use for having a very quick shower. The system works well and it feels absolutely therapeutic after a hard day.

Another small group prepares appetizers and then supper. Stories are told, laughter shared. Dishes are cleaned up and we all relax until the eyes start to drift shut.

Another great day at Mistaya Lodge.

Lousy sleep, don’t know why. I’m not the only one. At least 1/2 of us slept bad???

We woke to find L, daughter of J & C, was taken to the local hospital at about 4am with a pain in her side. The heli goes with or without them and they don’t make the flight time. Can’t do much about it.

Yesterday was a bad day for flying and a couple of groups did not make it into the lodges they were headed for. So today the heliport is busy. Somehow we end up on the ‘big bird’, the 212. This helicopter has a passenger capacity of 14. They took four seats out to carry gear. So with only 8 of us going in and 9 headed out they were able to do the exchange in one trip. There is a thin layer of fog over the river but once we lift above it was a clear and blue day. As it is only one flight it was about 30 minutes and more direct, right over the mountains rather than following the valleys. Over the mountain tops we go. Never been on the bigger heli and never been on such a long ride. It was definitely a trip for the record books.

View over Golden

After settling in at Mistaya Lodge we head out on the first tour. First we have a practice session with our beacons.

Waiting my turn to find a buried beacon

The up track exists to Heather Ridge and if we choose the right way down it is a mostly wide open and gentle slope. Perfect to get Debbie down on her inaugural journey into the backcountry. In control and patient turns all the way to the bottom. Only one crash and she is up and back on the skis in no time.

Our first ski day!

The new snow is a bit dense but very skiable and, in fact, fantastic. Looks like it is going to be a good week of skiing.

The helicopter we rode was new to all of us and Debbie had a first good run, the day is a success. Tomorrow we’ll head in a different direction, no trees at all and hopefully snow as good as today.