Joined: 07 Dec 2004 Posts: 506 Location: Alberta Rockies
Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 11:34 am Post subject:
Just one of those run of the mill types, checking in from the bike trails.
The singletracks are rockin, aspens poppin', and snowy mountains have become just a scenic backdrop to two wheeled fun.
After a great ski season with 75 days on snow, I've let it go, and now sleeping late, short drives to trailheads, light packs and warm sun on pale skin are what I crave.
After all, it's only 5 months until the next one!
See you in October. _________________ "Kindness is like snow, it beautifies everything it covers"
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Joined: 06 Sep 2006 Posts: 531 Location: Confluence of the Bow and Elbow
Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 6:05 pm Post subject:
aqua_toque wrote:
But what's doubly exciting is that just around the corner is the very, very late season ski trip report season. This, combined with the very, very early season ski trip report season and the totally out-of-season ski trip report season are the times when (humbly) I set myself apart from your run-of-the-mill Alberta backcountry ski trip reporters -- your bigsteves, your Kevlars, your CSGs, your skiitsbetters, your snotsicles, and various others here and on the internet's less sophisticated Cdn Rockies threads.
Make no mistake, they are all outstanding ski trip reporters in their own right and, though I hardly know them or don't even know them, I love them like brothers.
But… how can I put this? They tend to lack a certain je ne sais quaahh….they ain't quite got that doe-rae-me… so to speak, if you know what I mean.
Again, at the risk of sounding aloof, we will soon be entering the time of year when ski trip reportage becomes fraught with danger and discomfort. The thrill of snow becomes interspersed with long periods of the boredom of water, rocks and dirt. The less dedicated among us reach for their mountain bikes, kayaks, hang gliders, rock shoes and what have you.
Whoa, throwing down. Well, I thought I was pretty much done with the skiing, but with that kind of smack talk... First, I got to put together a small, perhaps even pedestrian and predictable ho-hum big mountain Purcell - Selkirk traverse TR thing. Then I'll be out with the Z dog hunting down scrappy little snowpatches in the Front ranges.
Or maybe, you know, just go rock climbing or mountain biking, eh?
Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 1342 Location: them thar hills yonder
Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 1:23 pm Post subject:
Now now, kids. Settle down. Who cares what's run-of-the-mill and what's heroic. It's all good.
I skied Chickadee Valley on Monday. The snow was not quite to the highway, but there was only a few hundred meters of bushwhacking to get to the snow. Soon, the snowbank on the left side of the roaring creek made for easy travel. A slight freeze-up made for quick traveling in the morning, but by 10 am the snow started to get mushy. The moraines at the head of the valley were trapping a lot of radiation. It was hard to see with all the sunscreen running in my eyes, from sweating. Fun turns were had in soupy snow.
Chickadee Valley
Little glacier beside the moraines
Still lots of snow out there
View of Chickadee Valley from above
Chimney Peak, one of the prettiest mountains in Kootenay Park
Good on you guys for still getting out there and still skiin' 'n stuff! We were in Penticton the past couple of weekends for the CAC AGM and the only "touring" we did involved wineries. Not a bad way to spend a few days, however.
Otherwise, I've pretty much traded skies for paddles these days
...Although I am heading to a conference in Insbruck Austria after the long weekend and plan to do some ski touring in the Stubai region </brag>
Joined: 07 Dec 2004 Posts: 3088 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 9:18 pm Post subject:
A recent outing in the aforementioned environs accessed via Rte 66.
Less than 2 hrs of walking and I was able to switch to skis and skin up Glasgow Creek.
The thread comes full circle as I encounter yet another defiant small tree.
A typical Elbow Valley letdown. I thought that this slope would be holding more snow especially after the winter we just had.
But….I'll pass. Further along I found better opportunities.
From my high point I was able to scope out the next cirque over for future reference. Anyone who has scrambled Glasgow via Kane's route will know this as the soul-sucking scree slope on the lower part of the mountain. It makes for a pretty good ski slope though. It looks like there's still snow on a good part of the access, which is nice. Having been there in the past, I can also tell you that from the top of this slope it feels as though you could throw a rock to the Glasgow-Cornwall col. However, getting there would involve traversing some nasty gullies on the side of Glasgow.
This was interesting. Look how the cliff band aligns with the summit of Remus on the other side of the Little Elbow River valley.
Clouds had rolled in as I prepared for my descent but the day had been mainly sunny and mild so my slope was mushy hero snow. I launched in with a couple big arcs, getting a feel for things. Then I started to throw in some short snappy turns for variety, deftly avoiding cookies and small rocks with the greatest of ease. All the while thinking "internet gold, my man, internet gold -- just wait til the boys back on the Alberta thread see this shot!"
Well, imagine my dismay when, at the bottom, I realized that an evil schmoo monster had been right on my heels, obliterating my artistry as fast as I was laying it down!
Now I had a problem. With the recent comments I've made on the thread I knew that my next TR would come under intense scrutiny. The audience would be expecting (demanding?) something unique and out-of-the-ordinary. Luckily I was wearing my John Deere hat.
And that's not all. On the glide out along the creek bed I took this action shot with what I have dubbed a "POLECAM".
Yes, you heard right, the camera was actually attached to my ski pole!
Aqua_tocque, I want to be first in line to buy the hilarious book that you really should write someday. You will, of course, have to personally autograph it.
Nice TR. _________________ A humble student at Fryingpan University.
Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 37 Location: AB, Canada
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 4:15 pm Post subject:
aqua_toque wrote:
You hit all those in a single bike ride?!
(And we thought CSG was huge)
there were old people wearing day glo (gotta make sure those cars can see you!), riding mountain bikes with panniers who probably rode for longer than I did.
Just providing an update to the HPAS...
Does that line on the north face of Storm "go"? I'm guessing that one would have to climb back up the north face and ski the south side to get out of there. _________________ as it stands, plan b is to giv'er
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