Last weekend my dear friend Jason visited from Canmore. J and I have done a lot of trips together over the years, obsessing over skiing, ice climbing, rock climbing and rockus dance parties for years and years together, we've always shared a bond around enjoying life's simple pleasures. Although now living in different provinces, we occasionally get together for a great 'summit' of sorts usually revolving around an outdoor activity of our choosing. Age and wisdom only small barriers to getting things accomplished and having a great old time.
Part of my 'nuclear ski family' ,John "chappy" Chapman was also keen to join in on the fun!
We made our way to the local haunt, Paul's ridge above Squamish. I have skied here a lot...a couple times a week for years and I know every tree, bump and feature in the place. I've been wanting to show Jason the local stash for ages so it was a special treat to head there with him and Chappy, another Paul's frequent to sample the goods, which on this day was pretty close to, well, perfect.
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| Chappy in a pensive moment. |
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| Jason, one of the best skiers I know coming in to the mix at Pauls ridge. |
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| Chappy. |
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| Ascending into the magic. |
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| It was well, deep. |
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| We finished the day on a secret run which leads way down, one of the longest runs in the area through perfect trees. |
Day 2 sprung with a lot of excitement as today is a DUFFEY day! The three of us jolted to action with lots of espresso and eggs and made our way to Mt. Currie Coffee for more of the same. Soon we snaked up the road to Cayoosh pass watching the snow banks grow and grow, it is always a special day on the duffey and I couldn't wait to get going! The week before, Julian and I had been completely flogged on a Duffey outing, trying and failing to get to a remote peak. The wind had swept the area like the 'broom of god' and we were happy to make it back to sheltered snow and some mellow turns before retiring home. On this day we were astounded with a complete reset of the area with perfect powder on all aspects and terrific skiing. What a treat!
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| Making our way up N Joffre Creek. |
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| E face of Cassiope. |
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| E Face of Saxifrage |
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| Excellent run down into the basin from up high |
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| Jason |
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| Chappy |
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| As a guide, Jason loves to link perfect runs together - this day was no exception as we twinned up a couple of perfect 300 m runs. |
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| Nice entrance into a perfect long run. |
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| Our run on the opposite peak. |
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| The best way to end a day, in my book. |
On our last day we made our way to the sea to sky gondola country for a quick mission before Jason's flight. We had a stellar time debriefing the trip and doing a nice run before retiring to the lodge for a beer, enormous talk and scheming for next round. Although older, slower and rounder: we evidently can still have a good time in the mountains - outstanding.
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| We bumped into our friend Richard Jagger, a great guy and tremendous skier. He styled the ice lense that we had to ski n part of our run like only someone with a lifetime of world cup ski coaching under their belt can style. |
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| Some of the best tree skiing around... |
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| Packing up... |
All in all a fabulous trip and a great reconnection with Jason. Till next time mon ami.
