dawn patrol

 "Bleepbleepbleepbleep" - I hit snooze and look towards the window and the dark sky, the residual night hangs still and the stars linger, time to get up. Truth is I've been up for about an hour, truck sounds broke the silence at around 4am and heart racing with the thought of the morning ahead, skiing - I couldn't fall back asleep. I am used to that though, this process: that of the dawn patrol.

the fruits of your dawn patrol labor

Rule #1 of dawn patrol (herein called DP) : You'll never regret waking up early, you'll only regret sleeping in.


The rule above seems downright rude as I shuffle through the dark house, this part is wired though. Shut the bedroom door so the coffee maker doesn't wake Erin, it and the grinder cause a racket. Clothes are already laid out, this is way simpler then trying to figure out where your socks are when your eyes are pea sized and your brain still near slumber.

Rule # 2 of DP  Caffeination - "I like it when I start to vibrate" -Peter Croft

Silvia (the espresso maker) purrs to life, it is a good day for her. The bean in use is heavily tested in this house, Galileo's Howe Sound Espresso has become 'de rigour'. Perfect espresso globs out of the filter head, sweet to the nose and almost chocolate like. A travel cup is filled and placed on the bench by the door along with a pack and large grocery bag filled with boots, skins and two different gloves, one for putting on tire chains and one for the soon to be aerobic pace that will bring me into the alpine. Everything fits into two hands and on shoulder and back, off to the car.

Low volume hip hop sets the stage for the uptrack, the Kia has made it up the road, an uncertainty, and has arrived in the parking lot amidst decaying 4 x 4's, hero like mini vans and the ubiquitous Subaru forester, that perfect mountain car. Up up up! The light is low now, the sun not quite up but enough to move without headlamp, the track is only slightly beaten and I go over the mornings plan - there is no plan! Once in the alpine the sun is splashing the west facing peaks in beautiful alpineglow, I make my way up, no other thoughts in my head except mountains, skiing and snow. My thoughts trace the distant peaks, Alpha, Tantalus, Serratus - so good.

the process

At the top of the run I am a bit nervous but the snow has felt great and I know the terrain well. I will ski conservative lines today and just enjoy the process of skinning and skiing, the slopes below are un touched and I am ecstatic, a feeling that is the same now as it has always been - time to slide on snow! "Click, click" and its go time, some shnooldy turns down the low angled approach then left into the bowl. Perfect preserved north facing powder - untouched as it had snowed a good 50cm a few days ago and the weekend is not yet here. I feel like a kid and laugh aloud to no one in particular.

The second lap yields the same quality snow down a slightly steeper shot, turn, turn, turn, turn - so good! The surface is covered in surface hoar, glass like and it fills the air with a swooshing sound which trails behind me..

uptrack thoughts

At the bottom I regroup and climb out of the basin, headed for home. At ridge crest I check the time - 9am. Erin has made these awesome little energy bars, all natural and super healthy and full of goodness. I scarf one and wash it down with bengal spice, the best of the teas. I have seen no one yet today but there on the ridge are a few skiers, I make my way over and swap howdys before wishing happy trails and heading out. The luge track is exciting to the car, by now hammered into hardpack by about 15 snowshoers en-route to the hut, in 15 min I am at the car.

Rule # 3 of DP back to work for a full day.

first lap

oh the glory

At 10 I am in the office, coffee in hand and working through the days tasks. The fact that I am wearing long underwear doesn't change the fact that I am getting it done! At around 3pm it seems like a normal day at work but thoughts drift back to the alpineglow, the uncertainty of the early morning and the mystery of the dark sky...