Mt. Collie

A great time was had by Zach and I up on the Wapta these last two days as we climbed and skied a classic ski peak, Mt. Collie. I have never really given this zone of the super-popular icefield much thought but as I thumbed through my worn copy of Summits and Icefields, there it was looking like a really great thing to do.

Passing through the usual canyon on the approach to Bow Hut one usually keeps their boards attached to feet but as spring approaches its time to get nasty.
Our camp with Collie behind. Norman Collie was a British academic who on a few occasions, set the local standard by climbing the remote (at that time) giants of the Canadian Rockies. I've always thought to myself that his first ascent of the N Ridge of Athabasca and the impending "first sight" of the huge Columbia Icefields to be one of the great moments of Canadian climbing history.
Looking down on camp during an evening ski of the lower slopes of Collie.
Summit Ridge.
Great descent. There was a rock hard slab with about 15 cm of lightly pressed powder laying on top which gave you the similar feeling to halloween as a child, without the sugar hangover.

All in all, Collie is one of my favourite places I have been on the Wapta. Great to be out with a good friend in these wonderful mountains.

Mt Cayoosh and Vantage Peak- Coast Mtn Skiing

So as a lot of you know I am a die-hard Rockies skier. When friends rave about the "Wet Coast" or the "Smellkirks" I casually glance towards the ground and mention something about the weather or tell a story of a great latte I once had in Salt Lake. Well, its not all entirely true but when the conditions are good in the Rockies its hard to beat, at least for me. The trouble is that the conditions are rarely "good"! (Insert Rockies slag here)

It is also a well known fact that skiers live on the Coast and climbers live in the Rockies...for the most part. Of course sooner or later it was going to be time to check it out and as I was down in Vancouver for a couple of weeks working it was a perfect time to call up some friends and head up high. The weekend in question dawned clear and the conditions were quite good, basically a typical year out in the coast! (Insert rockies slag again).

Cori and I blasted over to Pemberton after I finished a marathon day of Patagonia clinics in Vancouver and as we pulled into the cheap motel, flicked on the HBO I knew I was home and that a couple of days of skiing lay ahead. In the morning we packed up and drove up the Duffey Lake Road which is the classic HUB of skiing in the area. Wonderful alpine basins, deep snow, steep glaciation and a truly endless capacity for skiing. In other words...perfect.

Cayoosh Mtn- Standard Route (Armchair Glacier)

Cayoosh is a classic in the area and after looking at this photo for a few minutes we had made up our minds to check it out. Storm snow in the area had hidden all previous ascents and it was a joy to fire in an up track taking us high into the sunshine.

Cori coming up into the alpine.After a near summit, almost 1500m of fall-line descent to valley bottom and the awaiting beers.
Vantage Peak- Standard Route
Julian looking pensive over the landscape of Matier and Joffre. We toured up a nice creek to a basin which unfolded into cols and ridges gaining the summit of Vantage peak. A classic.
Descending Vantage after a great day in the very warm temperatures. A big thanks to Michael, Jullian and Cory for a great day out.

Well what can I say, it was a great experience and one I would like to repeat. The Coast is what its cracked up to be for a lot of reasons. Skiers aren't holding on to that season 5-6 years ago that was so good and praying for another. Nope! Almost every season on the coast is good and people bag big things regularly. I might not be moving out there anytime soon but the seed is planted! I feel lucky to have these two great days as a primer for this area.

Wicked Wanda & Observation Peak Glaciers

So the last few weeks I have been trying to get outside as much as possible to be around friends, stay active and prepare for a spring ski traverse.

Jon and I on top of Wicked Wanda, first time for me and a great climb/trip into the ghost.
Wicked Wanda
Craig Langford on top of Observation Sub Peak with Cirque Peak int he background. Did a wonderful tour here skiing the back of these peaks where small glaciers reside. Pretty good runs down as far as you want to go.
Craig pushing the snow to the right.
Gaining the Ob sub peak/cirque peak col.

Michael M Pollard

When the phone rang yesterday at 7:34 am I didn't realize then that I would remember that time forever. From the soft, heartbroken and weakened German voice of Mikes girlfriend Barbara, I heard words I didn't think were possible, "He's dead". All I could muster was a prolonged and voice cracking "noooo".

Mike was more to me than a friend, he was a brother, a mentor and my sole guidance through some of the darkest times in my life. I can't believe he is gone.

3 weeks ago we were skiing across the Wapta Icefields together. I was trying to convince him that ski touring is like easy summer mountaineering except you can ski down at the end of the day. We laughed together. As he skied the slope above Bow hut I could see that despite this being perhaps his 1oth day on skis, the discomfort of boots with blown out liners (bought the day before at the consignment store), big skis and a HUGE pack he was having the time of his life. I could see the concentration in his eyes as he reached me and we prepared to keep going. This same enthusiastic mindset was applied to everything from cooking to organic chemistry.

I met Mike in the late nineties while belaying our friend Jon on a cold and windy "bridge" climb in Edmonton. He saw that I was cold and gave me his sweater, we spoke and I knew he was a unique person right away. What followed were the best 5 years I have had as a climber, we succeeded, learned and failed together in the Rockies that we both loved. Leaving Edmonton on Thursday night ( I had Fridays off) we would drive to Jasper or Banff, sleep in the parking lot and climb the next day. We would drive home that night so Mike could finish a chemical reaction in the lab, usually without sleep. We did this almost every week for these five years in Edmonton.

Mike was committed. He worked harder than anyone I know to accomplish what he saw as the right thing. He graduated from Queens University before moving to Edmonton for his Phd in chemistry, something that he knew he could work with and create change in what he saw as the biggest problem we face, the environmental crisis. A cornerstone to Mike was his tremendous desire to effect change and he did. When I moved to Canmore he moved to Holland for his post doctorate, he maintained close ties with his friends in Canada and we planned trips every summer in the Rockies. Upon moving back he got a job as a professor at York University and started to work on the research that he had aspired to since graduating high school.


What is so hard is not just the pseudo selfishness of losing one of my very best friends but also the thought that the people who he would have influenced as a teacher and friend will not have the privilege. I feel a void in my world.

I love you man.

Wapta

A great few days with some of my best friends up on the Wapta. Its always good when we can get together as we all have very busy and difficult to sync schedules. Jon-Vice Presedent Quality- Covenant Health, G-Philosophy Instructor, Mike-Organic Chemist and me, your friendly sales rep. Every one of these trips with these guys is a keeper.

Mike with small camera bag.
Bow Headwall
Patagonia rep
G.
Jonson and Skin
Glacier and North Rhonda.
Sastrugi.

Thanks guys, don't change.

Guiness Stout

Had a great day of ice climbing in Field yesterday with my friend Drew. We climbed the mega classic Guiness Gully which then continues on the Guiness Stout with a bit of walking. The route "Stout" is positioned quite high on Mt. Denis, near the alpine in fact and it is a very cool place to swing the tools and look around. Its been years since I felt the ice climbing love I must admit but this year I am really feeling great to be out again. Skiing has become my center passion in winter time and although adventure and stellarness abounds when on skis, to me nothing compares to the risk=rewards that winter climbing can give. With the epicenter of ice climbing so close, its easy to take it for granted. I remember visiting ice climbers coming to Valhalla back when asking if its a good year for ice climbing, my standard line was "Its always a good year for ice climbing", its just that good all the time here!


Drew nearing the top of "Stout"

Screw cleanin'
Drew on the first pitch of Guiness Gully.

Thanks for the good day buddy!

Red Rocks- Vegas

I had the chance to do a quick "credit card" trip to Red Rocks last week and it was really great. There was a time, a few short years ago that I would be on the road every winter to some sunny climbing local and it was great to have a mini-road trip again. Red Rocks is a truly great place for a moderate level climber like me, so many super classic long routes and excellent sport climbing.


Hiking to "sunny and steep" a great spot where you can get your T-Rex ski arms back into shape in under 5 hours.
Classic crack climbing on Windy Peak, Diet Delight.

Another good thing was that I could reconnect with my good buddy Leigh for this trip. Her and I used to travel south often to escape the winters cold when we were mostly just rock climbers. We both got worked on the few climbs we could do in 5 days...highlights were..Solar Flare 5.10 5 pitches of glorious gear climbing, Diet Delight 5.9 4 pithes, Windy Peak..Our first route there and a good primer. Kraft boulders, Calico 2 and Sunny and steep...oh yeah...and Atman!

Black Prince to Sawmill Ski Traverse

Another good day out today enjoying the solidifying conditions in the Rockies. Next week I am off to "Lost Wages" for some climbing so it was a fitting last day of skiing for a while. Aaron had the idea to traverse across some excellent country in Kananaskis starting at Black Prince and Ending at Sawmill. Approx 9km with about 1200m total elevation. Along the way we skied excellent NE facing shots and skinned up in the wonderful spring like temperatures. A great and highly recommended outing if the conditions allow.



Zach and Amitai on the approach above Black Prince. I've never skied the Prince and it was great to finally check it out. This place gets hammered by skiers probably every day of the winter.
Ascending towards an unnamed col leading up and into the "James Walker Creek" basin. Critical decision making time.
Excellent run down with 20cm of powder atop a hard crust.

Aaron contemplating the surroundings.

Big thanks to Zach, Amitai, Aaron and Megan for a great day. Nothing beats just looking at a map, figuring out a line and going skiing.

Whats In Your Bag?- Ski Touring

After a great trip with Marc yesterday to Mt. Nibloc, the coffee is flowing this morning and the gear is drying on the floor beside me. For some reason I want to tell you what goes into the pack for an average tour in the backcountry without glacier travel:

1) Pack: Deuter Guidelite 32- One of the best packs I have ever used because it can haul loads and is super light.

2) Big Jacket: Patagonia Das Parka- The best

3) 3 Pair Gloves: Light, medium, Damn Cold!

4) Goggles: I prefer one with a low light lens

5) Skins: G3 Alpinist- Still gathering an opinion on these..

6) Insulated Water bottle carrier: Keeps tea warm all day, is much lighter than a thermos

7) Sunglasses, headlamp, TP, Sunscreen, lighter, thermometer

8) Emergency Bivi Bag, First Aid Kit

9) Snow/Wood Saw: Allows not only snow work but emergency fire building

10) Probe: I like one that you can clip to your harness to drag behind on a glacier

11) Shovel: G3- I love this shovel

12) Beacon: D3- Its good at most things

13) Licorice: Never leave without it

Mt. Nibloc

Today with Marc- Andre a classic ski trip was had. Mt. Nibloc is a true Rockies ski classic. 1100m of ascent to a wonderful high col and a quick scramble to an easy summit where the great divide opens before you. Pointing the skis downhill sometimes means an outstanding descent almost right to the car door, today was like that. All photos taken with my new Canon G11.

Approach.
Alpine glory.
Mussels?
Wonderful alpine turns
Black and White in the alpine halls.

A great day with M.A.

Waptacise- Mini Wapta in a day

After a good 10 days or so of focused work, travelling to the mighty city of Abbotsford for a regional trade show and Patagonia line viewings, I was really itching to get outside for an aerobic day in the mountains. Mike Trehearne has been in New Zealand for the past couple of months doing some guiding work and seeing how he is enrolled in the ski guide training program, he was quite keen for a similar "huck a lung" adventure. Well I must say that this is not the FULL wapta traverse but only the "mini" as advertised in Chic's book, Peyto glacier to Bow Lake and out, a fairly straightforward trip when compared to the full wapta traverse- more than double this length. I could share tales of the "bow summit" approach to the peyto glacier whuch shaves an hour off the traditional approach, canyon side hill gouging, dusk hitchhiking and mid winter accosting by warm hut and coffee but instead I will leave you with a few photos of the day, enjoy.

ACMG and Patagonia
Rip em and grip em.
What its all about.
Hut art, I forgot this was up here but it needs to be preserved.
North Wapta glory.

At one point during the day we stopped at a small rise on the otherwise flat icefield and started talking about something, (worlds worst chuckwagon crashes or best family guy quotes-Cant remember) after a few minutes I stopped and said, "dude, there is NO wind right now". Alone as we were up there that day, with the low sun outlining the peaks with crisp backlighting- there was also no wind. Something that is not common in these high places and something to stop talking about family guy for and let slowly digest.

Thanks Mike!

Off the Grid

Another great day in the local backcountry ski-touring with my friend Craig. Craig is a local skier from way back and its always great to hear the many stories of big traverses, epic lines and blue bird days that he has up in his noggan. We enjoyed a truly great morning ourselves as we fired up a great ridge and dropped into a run that brings grimaces to all involved. All before a stellar coffee and an afternoon in the office.

Craig and Chief, savouring the wonder.
Craig pushing the snow to the left.
Wonderful up-track.

Burns on the approach. There is always somewhere to go in these Rockies of ours.

Emerald Peak Slidepath

Well today Zach, Amitae and I ventured up into one of my favourite spots in the Rockies, Emerald Peak for some deep deep powder skiing. We were fortunate enough to hear about the amazing conditions from my friend Martin "The Real Beal" Beal and so it was this in mind that we awoke at an early hour and sped up towards the alpine for our little chance at glory.


I must say that after re-breaking trail over the previous days up-track and noticing that we were in fact breaking trail in 30 cm of new storm snow over the last 40 cm that fell the day before it was rather tempting to just point em down and ski all the way down with large grimaces. We eventually went up to a rock face near the top of a side gully and got ready to enjoy a snow sandwich. The first turns where all-time as the snow piled up against our stomachs and flew over our shoulders until we landed at our up track, indeed with grimace intact. After 3 good laps, the crews of skiers started to show up en masse and it was time to head to The Trailhead cafe in Lake Louise for a bean and donair fix.

Thanks guys for a stellar stellar day.

Thanks to Martin for the inside scoop!