Rogers Pass: Bruins and Video Peak

With Joy in the brain I set off with some of my good friends to the hallowed halls of Rogers Pass, BC. With below average snowfall, the pass still presents about 80% more snow then we have here in the Rockies at this point- we will take it. Craig, Zach, Drew and I were looking for a couple of big days to solidify the base for the upcoming touring season, barring bad visibility we were stoked to get up high and ski off some summits and with the stability at good/good/good, we were ecstatic.

Bruins Ridge
Craig Langford- Summit of Video Peak.

Day 1 we toured up into the alpine and over Bruins Pass to shred some sweet turns down the North Bruins glacier. A couple laps here sealed the deal and we punched back over and schralped up the remaining snow in the main bruins gully and down to the Hotel. About 5500 feet total elevation gain. Burgers and enormous talk prevailed soon after.

Sweet Bruins glacier powder turns
Our last day, we toured up the familiar Connaught valley with intentions on bagging a peak, Drew had to opt out on account of blistered feet- we could tell the last thing he wanted to do was be a bench warmer and we missed him on day 2. Too bad because we schralped up some pretty sweet December powder that day...
We punched it up to the Vid and skied from the summit. We were really stoked and energy was abounding all around so we just kept on going, up over Bruins Ridge and a much needed fresh powder session down some un-tracked lines on the ridge and back into the 8812 basin. Back up we went and over to Bruins Col for a run down into Connaught and back to the hotel for some chow. About 6500 feet elevation gain.

A really great trip with a couple of decent days in the mountains with great folks. Of note the Rogers Pass Hotel is really worth going to again if you are skiing there, the food is good, the service is good and the new owners are really physched. Its good that its back on track.

Happy Holidays!

Work and Whistler

A few days ago I returned home after a great trip out to Vancouver and the surrounding area. I mixed things up this this time around with a stopover in Vernon before heading west where I enjoyed some time in Whistler, Squamish, Victoria and of course metro Vancouver. This trip revolved around work with patagonia, mostly showing the Fall 2011 line up of product. This is a very good, satisfying and busy time of year for a sales rep- lots of phone calls, emails, driving and getting ready for Christmas while toting around many bags of garments and product to show store owners.

Squamish Brew Pub and Hotel. I stayed at this great place for work and a bit of skiing in the Whistler backcountry. Gear.
Tunes, double espresso and 12oo km's..
What I do, just add some great folks into those chairs.

I must say that the highlights as always included great food, friends and some skiing. I really love the Whistler area and BC backcountry skiing in general. A good day of touring was had as well as two on hill days; one skiing 50cm of fresh powder and one following a 10 year local to all the best spots. Great times.

Now I am recharged and ready to go skiing, its on!

Won Ton

wonton soup

Ground Pork

Green onion

Ginger

SoySauce

Wonton Wrappers

Chicken Stock (Pork preferred)

Broccoli

Bok Choy

Carrots

Take the top three ingredients and mix. Take wonton wrapper and wet edges, put a little meatball of pork inside, fold the wrapper. boil for 5 minutes- try one first to make sure.

In a different pot take broth and boil- add broccoli and carrots and toss in cooked wonton at the last minute.

2o minutes from no wonton to wonton.

early season skiing: Smithers, release the hounds.

Just finished up a great few days in Smithers visiting my good friend Katie, working some and of course getting in some early season turns...

We toured up onto a shoulder of Hudson Bay Mountain and had decent skiing and turns on the descent. One run was all we had in us with the arctic low parked right over us and really cold prevailing winds shoving it all in our faces.
Katie getting some tele-turns down the south slopes of Hudson Bay Mountain.
Prince George airoporto
Last week, Marc Andre and Drew and I teamed up for a too early attempt to go skiing, it was actually not to bad as we hiked into a beautiful spot to get a few early season turns.

yalda, dragons and more

What do you think of when snow hits you in the head? nothing..

In persian folklore, Yalda was the ceremonial first day of winter, a time to celebrate and rejoice over a good summer and hopefully a bountiful harvest. Wine, great feasts and dancing was enjoyed by all with cellars full of jams, roots and meat. In very early Japan, winter was commonly feared. Artwork from this time depicts glaciers as dragons, snaking down vast peaks and hiding man eating holes and other terrors of the mind- You were not to be seen or heard again if you dared to enter the mountains. No matter how you look at it, when the tilt of the earth favours skiers and the sunlight grazes the northern hemisphere at that magical oblique angle something good is about to happen and what better way to take advantage of it then by strapping some waxed boards to your feet and shredding the poop out of something?

Today I am on a plane bound to northern BC thinking about Yalda and Dragons. Next week I am back though and have about 10 days to try and squeeze in a couple of ski days. The forecast calls for snow and mild temperatures, the perfect combination for a good early season..

So friends, I suggest kicking back and dreaming about winter nights, powder skiing adventures and endless white with a glass of your favourite beverage because it is close at hand.

Early season 2010...

California and Times

Well I just got home from another jaunt to California for meetings with patagonia. Apart from seeing the coolest assortment of technical apparel I have seen in many years, highlights included spending time with the two other Canadian reps, Denis Delorme and Melissa Trudel. We enjoyed amazing dinners (pretty much everything I ordered was braised, my favourite) with Melissa and Denis as well as many other great patagonia folks as we enjoyed the hospitality of Ventura and the environs.

As usual, Rob and I managed 3 days of climbing after the meeting- this time we set our sites once again on that fab so-cal climbing mecca- Joshua Tree. The climbing is honest and so is the vegetation which can only be described as "sharp". We had a great time getting schooled in the art of balance.
We stopped at Trader Joes, the most amazing grocery store in the lower 48. You can find bargains here that will blow your mind: Almond Butter 3.99, Penfolds Malbec 7.99 and much much more. At J Tree we enjoyed some TJ's coffee.
Rob on "figures on a landscape" 10b. Rob had wanted to do this 3 pitch route for 15 years. This trip I was not in top form and I declined the offer of joining him on this heady route. My shoulder injuries have sidelined my brain as well as my right arm extension prowess. Suffice to say I felt bad about turning this dream upside down especially since we had hiked here just to do this route. Being a good friend, Rob came down happy as a clam and we figured out a new plan for the day.
After a good trip it is time to spend some quality time with Erin, getting our place ready and planning our 3 weeks while I am in town. There is talk of La Nina again this winter and I am vibrating with the thought of skiing, as I ski more seasons I am realizing that there will always be something out there to do with skis on foot, bad conditions or good- being out in the real environment is all I need.

Cheers all, happy Autumn.

Middle Earth Gully, Andromeda

Cascade Mountain

Last week it was good to get up high and feel alive, an added bonus was hanging with my friend Zach as well as chief- his first summit of the summer after an injured shoulder from having a fight with some un-seen force in the bushes back in June. Back to Cascade for a second, I have always looked up at it and thought how nifty it would be to be up there looking outward, the views were reported as legendary, as is the walk back there. So it was finally time to go. Zach had wanted to go to so with the promise of a coffee/pastry combination from the acclaimed WildFlower cafe in Banff afterwards, we set out...

Frost had the forest and trail in grips as we padded up the very well worn corridor leading into the alpine, my favourite part of any day is the early morning; so much potential and so much time ahead to explore and enjoy the day.
Chief- It was very hot for an Octobers day and so wearing a fur suit was not the most appropriate attire, lingering snow made up for the heat by providing an excellent AC option. Chief is looking down at Canmore right now thinking "what the %^&$ am I doing up here?". I always find it kinda perversely funny how dogs just follow along for the day, even if it is for a 20km scramble or one of the countless 8 hour ski days Chiefy has been on. As long as he can do it I will take him, he loves it.
Summit shot. Interestingly, we were not the only ones here on this idle Thursday, some nice Korean folks were there also, very friendly I might add. Willing to share their large bin of boiled eggs with us, all I had in return was some dry pita bread (yuck) and some expired Humous (2X Yuck).

We had a great day hiking, sometimes it is just nice to be out in the mountains enjoying some conversation, checking out the views and wondering how you were made to be.

Cheers friends.

Put the Halibut into the taco...do it.

The last couple of weeks were spent travelling through the mountains, fields and highways of BC for work. I count myself lucky for having such a great place to work and although the hours spend on the road add up into frighteningly large numbers, I would do nothing else right now. It has taken me to places that I would never travel to on my own accord, a good by-product!

Tofin Wharf. Hours can be spent wandering Wharfs, looking at boats and inter-tidals- wondering how it all works.
Beaver in Tofino- The long standing heavy hitter of the bush plane community. In Alaska, after getting dropped off on a glacier by one of these beauties we watched as a Cessna 180 Power Wagon endoed into a crevasse. With the tail sticking out like legs from a barrel, our pilot and also owner of said crashed plane looked at me and said "Well, we just bought that plane- didn't even pay for a tank of gas yet". I could tell it was not a good day for Paul.
Erin at "Big Daddy's fish fry", amazing soup here and pretty OK halibut wraps. Big Daddy was mysteriously missing this trip but I do remember him from last time I was in Tof, a large man suitable for the name. Instead, momma was manning the stand- all smiles.
A great coffee shop. I have zeroed in on some of the best coffee shops on the coast, this trip I had the pleasure of enjoying many a good cup with my friends.
Behind the Tofitian lies the Tacofina, probably the best taco's I've ever had. I haven't been to mexico for taco's but Erin has...she thought these were pretty damn good taco's. I believe her.
Hayden a few weeks back.

You might notice that my posts of late are void of activity of any kind. Well, after a minor shoulder injury a few months ago I have been laying low, cooking and bike riding. Just enjoying life's simple rewards. Ski season is on the horizon and I want to be tip top for that, I don't mind a little rest sometimes. Listening to good music, having good conversations with friends and drinking some great wine is good too.

Catherine and Craig

A few more shots from Catherine and Craig's wedding last week, I hope you enjoy..

The decisive moment.

Italian Wedding Soup, Albertan Style.

I was just in Edmonton this weekend where I had the opportunity to take photographs at a friend of my sister's wedding celebration. A wonderful gathering culminating in the joining of two seemingly wonderful families in the small hamlet of Villineauve, Alberta. There is just something to be said for small towns and weddings.

Tomorrow I am back for a short time before loading up the car and blasting West once again for the next series of work instalments, mostly for patagonia. I really look forward to travelling through my territory; meeting up with my friends and enjoying the variety of culinary, climbing and cultural adventures that it provides.

Well, here is to family and weddings- The oldest of traditions.

Fall and Times

Well friends it is basically Autumn in the mountains these days, winter in the big peaks and occasionally summer here in the valley bottoms of Canmore. Town is quiet and in the morning the air bites and you know that soon the first storms will arrive and winter will capture the landscape for a few months. This is also one of my favourite times of the year. Nursing a bit of a shoulder injury, I have been taking it easy in the climbing department. I find myself focusing on biking, cooking and preparing for my next trip out to the coast later in the month. Recuperation is on the front burner, hopefully in time for a winter climbing trip to some warm locale.

Yamnuska. THE crown jewell of trad climbing in the Rockies
Skunk Cabbage, Lake Louise.
Eeor (East end of Rundle)

6 Months

It has been 6 months since my very good friend Mike passed away. I usually think of him everyday, sometimes I miss a day or two but most days I think of something he did or said. Mike was a really great person, one of the best I have known. He was a great climbing partner, he would say things like "what a great lead" or "Man, you made that look sooo easy" all the time, even when you looked like a drunk sailor! I remember a trip, recently broken from a rather nasty time in my life where we drove to Yamnuska from Edmonton for a day on our favourite cliff. We started up and I couldn't bring myself to climb, I was too bummed out and I felt terrible about it. Then Mike offered, "Why don't we head down, grab a coffee and go for a drive?". It was exactly what I needed, even though this was Mikes one day all week to climb, we ended up walking, coffee in hand up a creek, Mike playing therapist. It was one of the best days.

Here is to good friends.

Cold, Cold World.

Every year around this time I get lusty. For ski season that is. The nights have been cold in Canmore lately and after a rather frosty trip into the Valhallas last week the worm is turning and I cant help but think of winter things and the encompassing magic that is sure to come. Around October when the nights get longer and the cold runs into the bones I like to pull out the maps and guidebooks, pour a nice scotch and dive into it with stoke on the brain and endless adventure at the fingertips. I cant wait.

Rogers Pass, 2008.

Here is to warm fireplaces, winter storms, snowy roads and powder snow.

Hope all is well friends.

Valhalla

I had the great opportunity to join my good friend Drew for a successful outing to the Valhalla range in the southern Kootenay's this past few days. We have been hearing about Mt. Gimli for years and it was a great feeling to finally pack up, load up the car and make our way to BC. Finally catching a first glimpse of the beautiful South Ridge of Gimli was a great thing.

On the Shelter Bay Ferry to Nakusp. On the return trip, under a full moon and cloudless sky I couldn't help being introspective and quiet, watching the ripples in the placid water and marvelling at the wonder of it all.
Mt. Gimli, the object of our desire. Valhalla Provincial Park. S Ridge is the obvious edge.
Drew and I on the big ledge at mid height on Gimli's South Ridge. The wind and cold let off enough to remove the jackets hood from time to time but little else.
"Here on the ridge-crest, climb perfect cracks and corners on perfect rock in a spectacular position. One of the best 5.7 pitches in the world" So the North American Classic Climbs website goes on to say after describing the already stellar climbing below. Indeed, this is the best 5.7 pitch I have ever done and I can best describe it as 5.7 climbing in 5.10 terrain, the whole while the 300m north face of Gimli draws you in to the right.

Drew on the descent back to camp.

Drew immersed in the wonder of it all.
All the while, maurading bands of goats graze around the camp in an endless pursuit for salt. A very fitting companionship for this park given that Valhalla is supposed to be home for Heidrun the goat.

After 8 pitches of dreamy alpine wonder-stone and taking it all in for hours, we were full of contentment and grateful for such a great day. Thanks Drew!