New Year's Canadian Style

January 2, 2011

Epic start to the new year! Kristin and I arrived in Nelson at 11:47pm and run into Mike's Place Pub. Goal: to get a tasty beverage in hand for the ever important toast as the ball drops. We get the tops popped from 2

Paddywhacks

(Nelson Brewery IPA's) as the 5 second countdown begins!

Day 1, A recon day of sorts:

Beginning with single digit temps at the car sucks! The burning sensation in our hands as we struggled to equip our boards with skins was almost enough to call it quits for the day and head to

Ainsworth Hot Springs.

The day ended up being awesome, near bluebird skies with all world stability within the snowpack. We figured out the lay of the land, and fine tuned our approaches for the zones to be shredded on Day 2. Oh ya and we did get in a 1800' and 1000' run on this "recon day"

Day 2, Sick Sick Sick:

After leaning our lesson in the single digit tmeps the morning before, we equipped our boards and got everything completely ready from the comfort of the

Whitehouse.

We then spent the next 7 hours touring Five Mile Basin / Half Dome, climbing and riding over 6000 vertical feet over 8 miles. The best part of the day was climbing out of Five Mile Basin as the sun was setting over the Bonnington Range, and wondering if we were going to get down to the pub before it closes! Both days we skied the final 1000' line through Ymir Basin eventually ending up "in-bounds" at the Whitewater ski resort, with a final destination Johnny Coal's Pub.

Blue = GPS tracks, yellow = our lines

Our 2000' line off of Half Dome

Our 2nd zone / line of the day

Evening Ridge (lookers right) was popular this weekend, Whales Back (lookers left)

K on the skin up

Half Dome in center of photo, with Ymir peak to the right. Our Five Mile Basin "playground" under Half Dome

Ymir Peak

White Queen and the Valhalla range in background

Nearing the summit of Half Dome

Slightly after the summit of Half Dome

K shredding Five Mile

An awesome chute as we near the bottom of Five Mile Basin

K leaving the headwall between Half Dome and Enma Peak, on our second run

The headwall run again

Our tracks at sunset after the headwall run

The Boddington's at sunset, now 1000' left before it gets pitch dark!

Christmas Day - St Regis Basin

December 25, 2010

A solo jaunt (10 miles roundtrip) up St. Regis Basin, MT. A recon mission of sorts, turns into a fan-tabulous bluebird day in the BC.

Skin track in blue

A subtle reminder of the dangers one may encounter in the BC

I would later find myself on top of the ridge seen at the top of the photo

Stevens Peak and its surrounding terrain, which we will be skiing this season for sure!

Which line first?

Here I am standing on the border of ID and MT, eying my line back down to St. Regis Basin

Nelson Newbies: Evening Ridge

December 19, 2010

Kristin and I ventured into British Columbia, Canada seeking our first exposure to what backcountry enthusiasts call "Canadian Cold-Smoke" And YES we will we be returning!

Evening Ridge near Nelson, British Columbia. Ymir Peak the prominent peak to the East is going down this new years :)

The typical evening ridge tour includes the balder peaks lookers left of our skin track (

see this photo taken on 1/2/2011

). However due to limited time, visibility, and a shallow snow pack, we figured it safest to tour among the trees and lower angle slopes

The Whitehouse Backpacker Lodge in Nelson, was awesome, a hostel full of backcountry skiers! Awesome. We have a date this coming new years:)

Ymir Peak in the Background is the goal for the 1st of 2011 :)

"I feel like we are in Narnia" says Kristin at this very moment

Some of the goods!

Schweitzer Area Backcountry

December 4, 2010

Day #4 of 2010-2011 season: Kristin, Andrew, Brian, Kyle, Alex and I. Head into the Selkirks of the Idaho Panhandle. Snotel stations in the area, report that the Schweitzer area of the Selkirks with having the most snow fall with a base nearing 5 feet. Plus a bluebird day was on the schedule.

Our day consisted of skiing un-tracked ( of course its the backcountry) knee deep powder in two different bowls! About 6 transitions from ride to skin mode throughout the day. AMAZING!

Now that's bluebird for ya!

Bryan and Kyle our new BC buddies....skiers?

Andrew, enjoying his brand new splitty, which allowed for me to upgrade to a ROCKER!

Bower trying to figure out the splitboard transition

K, enjoying the Sunshine...it was hot for DEC

DAY 12: Tincan Mtn -Todd's Run

March 30, 2010

This was one of trips highlights. The Tincan formation is very long ridge system ending at its summit. The ridge system offers countless skiing opportunities, one could spend a full season touring on Tincan itself. Todd's Run as called by the locals was named after Todd who was killed on the line as the entire bowl ripped out. When conditions are right this is many's favorite line on Tincan. I can see why, after 2500 vertical feet and 1 mile of perfect turns I was calling it the best run of my life. Hmmm thinking back...there is a pattern in AK...every run seems to get the "now that was the best run of my life" designation.

9 hours, 8.5 miles and 3 amazing lines later

Looking back towards the Turnagain arm and the Breathtaking Chugach Mtns

Tincan Mtn Proper

Sun Balls

Snow Angels (aka Anson)

our tracks from run 1 - "The elevator shaft" on Sunburst Peak, and Pastoral Peak in far background

Exposure - nearing Todd's Run

Pastoral Pk the highpoint on the right, was DAY 1's tour

Todd's Run topout on left, Kickstep Pk in background

Todd's Run

Todd's Run on left, skinned back up for one last run before sunset on right

Day 1: Pastoral Pk to Sunburst Pk

March 22, 2010

"The perfect figure 8 tour" Is how I like to think of my first experience touring in the AK. Defiantly didn't break into it slowly. As this tour consumed 9 hours over 10 miles and included two peaks. Well almost, we decided against a summit push to Pastoral Pk due to the previous nights high winds. Thus we skied off a subpeak to the north. Then climbed back to Taylor Pass and over to Sunburst Pk.