'Failure'....

...Is one way to look at it. Then again, if I counted the times a trip didn't work out in terms of completing the 'objective' then my entire ski and climbing career would be pot marked with failure. Luckily for me and perhaps out of a penchant for somehow, naturally forgetting about most negative aspects of a day out and in the end, recalling only the positive, pretty much every day out with the exception of a few can be called complete success. New metrics start to emerge, outside of a summit or destination met; did everyone get there and back safely, did decision making and route planning happen smoothly and without anyone feeling negatively? Did we laugh? Did we enjoy each others company? and of course, did we have fun? It is always good to have a goal and I would say one of my many idiosyncrasies is that I am a objective based skier, not to say that I don't enjoy mellow days of pow skiing with large groups, only that it's the big days, with summits and interesting ski lines with maybe a bit more of a bite then we may be able to chew that keep me up at night, excited and mind racing for the day ahead. Balancing this goal oriented approach with the concept of 'enjoying the path' can be tricky and I must admit I don't always succeed in seeing the big picture but I want to. The path indeed is the most important, after all.

Here are a few would be missions so far this year that have ended in 'failure', failure only if the the outcome of the day in terms of success lay only in completing the objective. What I have noted in myself with age is that the destination or goal seems to fade and all I remember is the laughter of friends, smiles, great and interesting places visited and a new type of success measured more and more by good terrain choices and the safety and happiness of everyone in the group

North Shore Link-Up:

Julian, the skiing ambassador for the North Shore of Vancouver had convinced us to travel south to attempt a link up of a few lines and summits. We skied a very cool line indeed, walked on a neat-o ridge and had a few good laughs. We also couldn't see anything due to whiteout conditions and trouble with navigation so our day was truncated. We all called it a success when measured by our values.

Shannon Basin Link Up:

We had the idea to ski Co-Pilot and then head out for an unconventional circuit around some cool features and peaks. We got stymied by steep and rotten snow near the top of co-pilot and simply ran out of time for the larger link-up. We ended up skiing powder and truly enjoying ourselves in this special zone so close to home. The link up will be there next time. The cold snow and clear views are still seared in my mind.

Mt. Cheakamus, N Face:

I have lusted after this line more then many others. Its remoteness, entrance exam of corniced ridges and tricky stability calls and finally, a steep line with character followed by a 18km return to the car make it, to me, the crown jewel of the spearhead range. Our group assembled for the mission, making quick time to the base of the face, ascending the headwall and gaining the summit ridge. Here we slowed mainly due to uncertainty around the corniced ridge and only having minimal rope and harnesses between us.  Probing the ridge and second guessing, we ran out of time about 50 from the line and turned around to ski the upper steep glacier and apron down to the flats and continue home. One of our party caught a ski edge on the descent, wiping out and we all watched as one ski sped off towards the Mc Bride range. I chased it as fast as I could but stopped at the blue ice of the Diavalo Icefall, seeing clearly the path of the ski as it would have launched into the complex mess of seracs and crevasses. Just like dropping your keys into the lava flow, the ski was gone MAN and there was no getting it.

Faced with a long posthole out, which would likely have taken the upcoming evening in its entirety, we swallowed our pride and called in a helicopter for a quick pick up. 2 hours later we were at Samurai Sushi in Creekside having our usual post ski ramen feast, all feeling strange from the sudden change in environment. As with any ambitious (for us) outing, there were a lot of variables to this day and in the end, something none of us could have predicted occurred. I am proud of our decision making this day and I am glad it ended as it did, it was successful in some ways and not in others yet I would not trade the experiences away.

Not every outing happens according to plan but I think that is the reason we love to go into the mountains, you really have no idea whats going to happen, the art is being ready to change and adapt as conditions and other factors dictate while feeling OK with it.  As always, I am incredibly grateful to my partners for all of these highlights and outings.