tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68745413673379954402024-03-21T06:18:24.647-07:00Ski TheorySki Theory is dedicated to all aspects of Backcountry Ski Mountaineering, steep skiing, racing, speed traverses, and general rowdiness. It's operated by Alex Wigley, a member of the Canadian National Ski Mountaineering Team, and Dynafit Team Athlete. Alex is also a master bootfitter and ski technician who loves to pass his knowledge on.
The Goal of the site is to shed light on all aspects of the sport such as racing, speed traverses, gear, training, technical know-how, etc.Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-80354994025153997742014-04-22T11:56:00.001-07:002014-04-22T12:00:46.797-07:00Albert Icefields Trip: A Week In The Deep FreezeEarlier this year my friends, Justin, Gavin and I had planned a week of ski touring up on the Albert Icefields, below Selkirk Lodge for February. We had set the dates aside in September but little did we know the dates we had chosen was going to be one of the coldest weeks of the winter, with temperatures dipping below -30 degrees C each night. But stubborn as we were, the skiing and terrain was going to be fun, so we committed to cold nights and cold days.<br />
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<i>(Video: Justin Ormiston)</i></div>
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We were flown in, with the gracious permission of Grania who runs the lodge, with Selkirk Tangiers helicopters. After quick flight in and we were in the expansive area of the Albert Icefields for the week. Big glaciers, amazing consistent fall-line ski runs, and steep terrain.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Home for the duration of the deep freeze. Credit: Justin Ormiston)</i></td></tr>
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We had brought one tent for sleeping, and a small floor-less cook tent, which we excavated a nice seat and trench out of for the week. Tons of great food for dinners, fuel, and of course a few bottles of high end Scotch.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Alex Wigley and Gavin Enns on the skin track up on the way to "Unholy." Credit: Justin Ormiston)</i></td></tr>
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Our goals for the week were only to ski tour great loops, not yo-yo terrain, and ski some fantastic dry snow. We were able to get up on to some of the glaciers, which were impressively large, and ski some of the most classic descents the area had to offer. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo: Still obscenely cold, Alex Wigley about to drop into Campion Bowl. Credit: Justin Ormiston)</i></td></tr>
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The cold though was a touch tricky. Of the three sleeping mats I had brought, two had holes I discovered the first night (and were the large luxurious and warm Exped Mats, that a friend had punctured while performing a rescue with), and it seemed that every morning getting out of the sleeping bag was a big effort. The cook tent, was truly amazing though, as the two XGK stoves warmed it up significantly and made the process of making food bare able until the sun hit us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Justin Ormiston on the Unholy Col.)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Gavin shredding another line below the Unholy Col. Credit: Justin Ormiston)</i></td></tr>
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It was a great week, but we ended up running away as it so cold, and all of us were becoming very concerned with frost bite. I would recommend Selkirk Lodge to anyone who wants to head out for a week of ski touring in big country. The lodge looked great from our cold tents, and the sauna was a tease, knowing it was just up the hill. We had a great week, and was a great break from guiding to go skiing with some friends.</div>
Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-2813945715324590042014-04-06T16:40:00.000-07:002014-04-06T16:40:04.360-07:00TLH Guiding SeasonI will open this post with one image, found below. When it snows 5cm an hour, starting as fast as a you can flip a switch, you know the skiing is going to be good.... providing you can scrape the ice of the rotor blades before you can go skiing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: The whole group pitching in to clean ice of the rotor blades so we can fly! Credit: <a href="http://andrewdoran.com/" target="_blank">Andrew Doran</a>)</i></td></tr>
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This winter season started on an interesting note. We had a few challenging days trying to find high quality snow, but were still finding good quality, so began exploring more. Not just exploring, but adding more fun to the package, and making sure people got the full experience of the mountains. We decided that if it wasn't going to be the best snow in the world, each descent had to be special. So, we went ski-mountaineering via helicopter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Guest rapping in, Scott Flavelle ferrying gear for the descent. Heli-Skiing at it's best!)</i></td></tr>
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So after a day of ski-mountaineering from the helicopter, it started snowing, and lots. My friend Vince Shuley, who I've skied with lots and who also happens to be a talented photographer and writer in Whistler, showed up for a week with us to shoot photos so we focused on mining only the deepest snow possible. The snow ended up being so deep, many shots were thrown out due to the skier being completely invisible from the immense amount of blower pow around them. Can't really complain about those problems.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Jeff our ski model mining white gold in the Slim. Credit: <a href="http://www.vinceshuley.com/" target="_blank">Vince Shuley</a>)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaz0tYVHeNfN27JGGnuTvI7Fsk2NLYU2LDfA2GLBFZJ8wGBjDnFTd-wyZy8fW4myTat6gSXVHsoyhwMrcngPQ80ZRmAFgliYWX0R9CQpNFho4YkG1ZPgMxbNB14RTAEuFvYs-HbIY/s1600/TLH_lowres-0687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaz0tYVHeNfN27JGGnuTvI7Fsk2NLYU2LDfA2GLBFZJ8wGBjDnFTd-wyZy8fW4myTat6gSXVHsoyhwMrcngPQ80ZRmAFgliYWX0R9CQpNFho4YkG1ZPgMxbNB14RTAEuFvYs-HbIY/s1600/TLH_lowres-0687.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: When's it starts to clear, go to the alpine, Chad harvesting. Credit: <a href="http://www.vinceshuley.com/" target="_blank">Vince Shuley</a>)</i></td></tr>
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Fast forward to later in the season, and we're dropping into 50 degree lines with hero snow, and skiing perfect 38 degree slopes and dry snow. Skiing was so good, we parked our photographer's Randy and Andrew across the valley to shoot some great photos from across the valley, while skiing in the Leckie zone.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Guiding an amazing line with perfect hero snow in the Leckie. Photo: <a href="http://andrewdoran.com/" target="_blank">Andrew Doran</a>)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Rolling the steep couloirs with the group finally! Photo: <a href="http://andrewdoran.com/" target="_blank">Andrew Doran</a>)</i></td></tr>
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Finished my last shift Heli-Ski Guiding, but so stoked on a great season, ready for more next year!Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-88607728829805874202014-03-23T13:25:00.002-07:002014-03-23T13:25:40.432-07:00Guiding At Whitecap Alpine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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February was a busy month, so was March, and generally the whole winter. One of the most fun weeks of guiding I've had this winter was at Whitecap Alpine. Whitecap has an amazing mix of tree skiing, alpine tours, peaks, and long circuits to complete. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Whitecap under the stars)</i></td></tr>
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The poor start of the season definitely didn't help stability for the long term of the winter, but that didn't stop us from finding great skiing, and staying safe. The group I was guiding was a great mix of strong skiers, fit athletes, and hilarious antics that kept us laughing through the whole week. The week's weather started out cold, turned incredibly warm, then cold again keeping the guiding very interesting and the sleuthing for good snow tricky but not impossible.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Guests staying cool in hero snow on a warm day that shouldn't have felt like spring.)</i></td></tr>
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Among the many circuits we did, I finally got a chance to take people up the super cool <a href="http://www.leelau.net/2007/whitecapalpine/departure070104/04pmdec042007mcgillivray.jpg" target="_blank">Mt McGillivary</a>. The snow that day wasn't perfect, but it was our last day, so instead of scratching around in pockets of hero snow we went for the summit. After a long skin, we dropped our skis, and boot packed up the ridge to the tiny summit, looking down over many other mountains on the way up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: The group coming up the last few feet of the summit ridge.)</i></td></tr>
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Ultimately, we skied and saw a large portion of the tenure, going somewhere new everyday. We skied great snow, got on some peaks, had a hilarious figure eight competition, drank beer, ate great dinners, and had a great time. It's always such a pleasure to guide at Whitecap. If you haven't been, it's really worth checking out!</div>
Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-54227235906319378792014-02-08T12:35:00.001-08:002014-02-09T10:14:37.535-08:00Navigation And The Framework For Route PlanningIt's been a busy winter, even with the below average snow year, but what has really stood out in day to day skiing has been trip planning and navigation. The success of a day can be blind luck, but I prefer to prepare, and ensure my success (and safety) when it comes to completing a loop or objective. There are three things that are of vital importance. 1. Topographic maps 2. Route and mountain photos, 3. White-out and GPS navigation plans. All of which can be combined, along with daily avalanche risk mitigation, to make your way through the mountains efficiently and safely.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytJgK3-RwFM-CFW3EzQ0LdzMT-GLNs9W2888Ucu2EM02N-blhKeQ6YslFlNYtZwfEinleqrq48cs_JlOMu3dEOLq9OKWXJ1_uteoOo8BlprGzNaSF4ZKiiGPkXv9S50iILL7z3uNO/s1600/Ben+White+Out+Break+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytJgK3-RwFM-CFW3EzQ0LdzMT-GLNs9W2888Ucu2EM02N-blhKeQ6YslFlNYtZwfEinleqrq48cs_JlOMu3dEOLq9OKWXJ1_uteoOo8BlprGzNaSF4ZKiiGPkXv9S50iILL7z3uNO/s1600/Ben+White+Out+Break+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Ben Groundwater on the Spearhead. Seeing is a luxury we don't always have.)</i></td></tr>
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Using topographic maps, seems pretty basic, but recently I've read a bunch of stories on the internet where people have epics just because they didn't bring a map and compass. Topo maps will give you an overview of the terrain from slope angle, avalanche path exposure, glacier crossing, and where large terrain traps my lie. They also can illustrate the best ski line, white-out management handrails, broken portions of glacier (crevasses), and benches to utilize on the up track, all with just a bit of practice. Not to mention topos can be used with a compass and altimeter to do a resection to find your location in case you don't have a GPS.<br />
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Topo maps are pretty easy to get a hold of as well. They come as PDF's from the government, you just save them, then print them AND laminate them at any print shop. Many stores have popular areas, where you can buy waterproof versions, and custom maps such as <a href="http://www.johnbaldwin.ca/maps.asp" target="_blank">John Baldwin's series</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://geobc.gov.bc.ca/base-mapping/imagery/topographic.html" target="_blank">GEOBC</a><br />
Free, printable PDF, 1:20,000 maps of all of BC. Did I mention they are free? Tends to be the fastest way to get a map, plus you have to option of customizing on the computer, or printing it to lay down some notes and route before laminating it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.data.gov.bc.ca/dbc/geographic/view_and_analyze/imapbc/index.page" target="_blank">IMapBC</a><br />
An online and custom mapping software, which allows you to build your own map with a variety of different scales, colours, even orthophoto layers if available for the area your working on.<br />
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<a href="http://caltopo.com/map.html" target="_blank">CalTopo.com</a><br />
This website rocks. It is another free topographic map provider, but it allows you to download custom sections of map, and also overlay it in Google Earth over the terrain so you can even see what the topographic terrain looks like in 3D. But that's not all, it has maps for all of Canada and The USA. Just click on the USGS 7.5' Topos section in the top right for 1:20,000 that include Canadian versions, that you would find on GEOBC. And, if that's not enough, you can load these maps directly from the website onto your Garmin GPS. The US section is ahead of the Canadian section, as it also has option for angle shading, and a bunch of really cool features. Oh, and there's more, but one of the really cool KML/KMZ downloads is an giant 1:20,000 topo map overlay of all of Canada!<br />
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<a href="http://hillmap.com/" target="_blank">Hillmap.com</a> <br />
Hill Map is much like CalTopo, but has some different features such as overlays, GPS route planning, and one feature I love... Points. Click any point on the map, it will give you Lat / Long, AND a slope angle. Perfect for planning white-out section where you may be concerned about avalanche hazard, thus knowing your okay, rather than just hoping.<br />
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<a href="http://www.google.com/earth/" target="_blank">Google Earth</a><br />
Okay, if you are a skier or climber, and you don't have Google Earth it's time to get off your horse and carriage and drive a car finally. This program and plugin is usually required for many of these websites, but is really useful when planning any trip.<br />
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<a href="http://geomag.nrcan.gc.ca/calc/mdcal-eng.php" target="_blank">Magnetic Declination Calculation </a><br />
This site will not give you any maps, but should never be skipped, as it simply gives you the magnetic declination required for your area to navigate properly. Write it down on your map, so you aren't forced to calculate it in the field when stress levels can be high.<br />
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<a href="http://geobackcountry.com/" target="_blank">GeoBackcountry.com</a><br />
Doug Sproul's amazing backcountry guide to Rogers Pass, utilizing Google Earth, Topo Maps, and route description all in one amazing package for your phone. This is the future of guidebooks.<br />
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Route photo's come in next and are incredibly useful, especially when arriving on top of a mountain where you can't exactly see all the hazards and route from the top. Do you go left or right? Is there a traverse? Cliffs? Crevasses? Most importantly, good skiing? By looking at the route photo's, everything becomes easier as you can landmark on your way down to hit the line you have planned. It also will help your mind to interpret the map data into a clear mental picture and get you dialled with your map reading. Do a google search, and also try <a href="http://bivouac.com/" target="_blank">Bivouac.com</a>, and <a href="http://www.pbase.com/nolock" target="_blank">John Scurlock's amazing aerial photo database.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGJ0ocoJwsg5cAUCe7t-jqDB1e2l-ghOcc61qBoQZOBMUOmhcRKCfdW9Oe3fXA_6omPc0W792_AvBAx0vWdIX8Eo8OdsNPvy7Q8ELy_GFJtnSiwd8cKmi9hhN0VsGBiPxMA2vkaqs/s1600/Route+Finding+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGJ0ocoJwsg5cAUCe7t-jqDB1e2l-ghOcc61qBoQZOBMUOmhcRKCfdW9Oe3fXA_6omPc0W792_AvBAx0vWdIX8Eo8OdsNPvy7Q8ELy_GFJtnSiwd8cKmi9hhN0VsGBiPxMA2vkaqs/s1600/Route+Finding+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: The high end of shattered terrain, but important to see why a photo would be absolutely essential to make your way down this piece of terrain. Most importantly, it also gives skiers an option of what looks the least hazardous for the conditions at hand. Tisiphone Area, Lilloet Icefield.)</i></td></tr>
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Another important photo tool, would be summer photos of glaciers, in order to get an idea of how shattered and broken the glacier can be. It will also give you hints as to where you might find thin bridges, and shallow snowpack over it's coverage. The photo above is taken in a moderate snowpack year, and can be useful in deeper snowpack years, to see what has changed and where some average years dangers might lurk. Just note, the area above requires only the high end of experience levels to ski it and proper conditions to match, and rarely gets skied due to the gapping building size holes. Just take note, glaciers change, so try to find out when the photo and plan accordingly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aZpZ9kNcxONfEKeFxXtp0xUosPx80NLEydvfmlNEyIk84G6Dkybto5tEuaRyjt1FLdQ6S-SFLxle1l4eSSCZHsIQGvnAMiDuhZzVSfshCmpCm0watQZ3PBo8G0a7iD_kjKlM-g96/s1600/Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aZpZ9kNcxONfEKeFxXtp0xUosPx80NLEydvfmlNEyIk84G6Dkybto5tEuaRyjt1FLdQ6S-SFLxle1l4eSSCZHsIQGvnAMiDuhZzVSfshCmpCm0watQZ3PBo8G0a7iD_kjKlM-g96/s1600/Map.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: 1:50,000 identifier map, to help with an overview in the field. Navigation is done best using the 1:20,000 map, with even more detail added to route and descriptions. Use different colours when writing on the map, to identify certain features faster. And if you want to get fancy, laminate the map after, so you can write on it every day with marker and erase the marker at the end of the day.)</i></td></tr>
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Now coming back to your topo map that you've printed and referenced so many times, it's time to draw on it. Take your notes, concerns, and plans and make sure they are on the map so there is as little to think about in the field in order to concentrate on what's in front of you. This will be useful when navigating in a white-out as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg304HY_JUds1xWFqiMBv4X8vSicU0AMDC0B5RKNd0FSKwIWdFNhAiDZQGhBWKRMSqALp8kBjnWe_PqHiEUBnoZT27W2RhFCiCiHqjeiQStYK6Jb298dAvLfeuz8mzztkFjhTzP53vu/s1600/Dais+White+Out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg304HY_JUds1xWFqiMBv4X8vSicU0AMDC0B5RKNd0FSKwIWdFNhAiDZQGhBWKRMSqALp8kBjnWe_PqHiEUBnoZT27W2RhFCiCiHqjeiQStYK6Jb298dAvLfeuz8mzztkFjhTzP53vu/s1600/Dais+White+Out.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: A long while ago, navigating the Dais & Franklin Glaciers, in weeks of white.)</i></td></tr>
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If the clouds and storm do come in, a white-out plan pre-preparred is your saving grace, and the difference between an experienced backcountry skier and a newbie. All of your trip planning, the topo maps, photo's, all combine to give you the basic frame work required to put together the white-out plan. By now, you've identified benches, terrain features, hazardous areas, and safe spots. All you need to do is choose your route that travels through those and around specific features. <br />
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When writing the whiteout plan, you'll need waypoints to input into your field book and GPS, route description to read in the field, compass bearing and back bearing, as well as elevation. Using UTM is much better than Lat/Long as it's much faster and easier to find your location on a paper map. These combined provide you with a step by step walk through of the mountains, and allow you to move your way through the white room without being stopped in your tracks completely, or potentially walking yourself into an accident.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1E2kh9BZ54Li19vZ_byKRtnuRDuDgB-U52k07lCbqMKiu72QQsn18UL9ojJWLq2Dwn5HIJ4f_IkviV9NG5VBSMqvPs-bEE5UQ-zgZPK8sj2pJp-7gZOgJZhUaDEGv1LoAaSz8sZT/s1600/whiteout+notebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1E2kh9BZ54Li19vZ_byKRtnuRDuDgB-U52k07lCbqMKiu72QQsn18UL9ojJWLq2Dwn5HIJ4f_IkviV9NG5VBSMqvPs-bEE5UQ-zgZPK8sj2pJp-7gZOgJZhUaDEGv1LoAaSz8sZT/s1600/whiteout+notebook.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Basic white-out plan, which can be even more detailed if you are expecting poor weather. The more detailed the less guess work. - Note UTM above is short hand, and not missing northing.)</i></td></tr>
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The white-out plan not only will help you make your way through terrain without seeing it, but will also be helpful in telling how long it will take. For trip planning purposes, plan on different conditions and different types of terrain taking different times. Below I've listed baseline travel times, which can differ for individuals, gear, and amount of packed weight so adjust accordingly.<br />
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5km/h on good trails<br />
3 km/h on open terrain<br />
1 km/h rough travel<br />
less than 1 km/h in a true whiteout<br />
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Preparation for a day trip, or multi-day trip, truly makes for amazing days in the backcountry with really cool loops. By doing this, you are not only prepared for any navigation challenge, but better prepared to deal with every other hazard from glaciation to avalanches as you are forced to consider everything before leaving. Go to new places, practice, and always leave yourself options to work with. Better days skiing, are just more amazing days to think about when your stuck working or on a forced weather day.Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-11822603915252260262014-01-07T11:31:00.000-08:002014-01-07T11:31:30.263-08:00TLH Setup 2014The Guide's work is never done, and it's an interesting year out there, as British Columbia has definitely seen so far. We just did a shift working on setting up TLH Heliskiing, focusing on getting everything ready, but more importantly sussing out the snowpack and checking out glaciers. <br />
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I think the one thing many people can take home from a few of our observations is that we need more snow, but not as much for our snowpack depth, but for the coverage on glaciers. Crevasses have started to bridge, however, with the winds they are bridged very thinly and very discretely. This was discovered very quickly, when we descended down a pocket glacier (probing our way down), and found a few crevasses that were perfectly smooth on top with no visible sagging. So with that discovery, our goal was to find runs that either had smooth glaciation with no holes, or simply no glaciation at all (at least until we get a number more big storms coming through).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_psnnq_F-KappE-6BGfGPc4mjpbrshlxP8SGnWLpls9x0Kyz5Li4t6snlIDdmndo8zzpENWPU9Rq46OA_ejMTKoDDjydeXiTZ4aCpV73LObC_Hd-sqDBRytBIOUDhdaqVhWfZRQ-i/s1600/Crevasse+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_psnnq_F-KappE-6BGfGPc4mjpbrshlxP8SGnWLpls9x0Kyz5Li4t6snlIDdmndo8zzpENWPU9Rq46OA_ejMTKoDDjydeXiTZ4aCpV73LObC_Hd-sqDBRytBIOUDhdaqVhWfZRQ-i/s1600/Crevasse+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Scott Flavelle probing a unknown width but deep crevasse, perfectly concealed by the wind and snow, only a small amount of snow bridging it. Notice the clues on the rib in the background, where the crevasse goes up to, and subtly suggests it's there. Too bad those clues aren't everywhere.)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzo0WslWjiXGGrGKihYn_5DpaqBUGoSNcv_Qv6n7Z-caBf0nLxIYSFZu8smBjiu5t7tbAzWjR2B8zZ044WU4h-RdI2THkmZCIuNSXVTRcZl5KfUWNz8phh2XJPL2cHQfIGTfLrULE/s1600/Bootpack+In+The+Gun+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzo0WslWjiXGGrGKihYn_5DpaqBUGoSNcv_Qv6n7Z-caBf0nLxIYSFZu8smBjiu5t7tbAzWjR2B8zZ044WU4h-RdI2THkmZCIuNSXVTRcZl5KfUWNz8phh2XJPL2cHQfIGTfLrULE/s1600/Bootpack+In+The+Gun+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Deciding we don't want to ski down a glacier riddled with slots that we are unable to see. Erika Flavelle and Conny Amelunxen escaping to a new pick-up. You can go Ski Mountaineering when hell-skiing!)</i></td></tr>
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The other main goal while setting up is to establish a strong understanding of what is going on in the snowpack. We go out, dig multiple profiles, in different elevation bands, different terrain features, and different aspects to learn what's going on. During the guides meeting, we focus on what we don't know, and then form our field objectives around learning and shedding light on those concerns. By the end of the week, we've got the snowpack pretty sussed out, and understand the variety of changes though out the tenure which is a touch larger than Switzerland. This process is key for us, but the process is standard even for recreationalists. Find our as much information as possible, if you have questions about an aspect, elevation, or layer, answer those questions. Just don't go ski something if you are unsure.<br />
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Overall, it's great to get out check out the terrain, travel through the mountains, and of course heli ski with friends in between "working."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdXvTUDg55mmYW2s59bgAOj68RajULfaVEdsWpUQRQ601g2LY3nX6WSpeniLJAwHx08wACI3bMH1HVwZfzIqesjwZ3q6BKJKNl5XTiQFzSXHXNmXgvYcQWjjTxAkVcmxzhBBZoO0H/s1600/Alex+Shot+By+Conny+on+White+Cross+SKITHEORY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdXvTUDg55mmYW2s59bgAOj68RajULfaVEdsWpUQRQ601g2LY3nX6WSpeniLJAwHx08wACI3bMH1HVwZfzIqesjwZ3q6BKJKNl5XTiQFzSXHXNmXgvYcQWjjTxAkVcmxzhBBZoO0H/s1600/Alex+Shot+By+Conny+on+White+Cross+SKITHEORY.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Alex Wigley on White Cross, "working". Photo Credit: Conny Amelunxen)</i></td></tr>
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Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-46442960091441240662013-12-15T11:41:00.000-08:002014-02-08T12:41:00.283-08:00The Problem With Avalanche Rescue<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nearly everyone who takes an <a href="http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/ast" target="_blank">CAC AST 1 or 2</a>; ITP 1,2,3; AAA Level 1-2-3; or any other form of avalanche course knows that if you have to rescue someone you need to act fast. Most people won’t last past 12-15 minutes under the surface, one third may suffer from trauma, and others may be buried deep. There is always practicing rescue from right beside the slide path, but while practicing right beside the slide path is for practice it’s not realistic. Typically travel times must be factored in, hazard, and transitioning from downhill to uphill in some cases. Then there are a maraud of other factors to think about, so let’s start going through the problems in order to put together a bigger picture of a rescue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">(Video Above: Unbelievably lucky guy in an big avalanche, with a helicopter on scene, and rescue team on standby. Not the reality that backcountry skiers have the luxury of.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">First, before anything, everyone in the group needs to have a 3 or 4 antenna avalanche beacon, anything less is out dated technology and should be replaced (why not just have the best and newest beacon, your life is worth it right?). Avalanche beacons are great, but do have issues like any piece of electronics, and many people choose to either disregard those bugs or just don’t know about them. So what can interfere with you Beacon signal? Any piece of electronics within 50cm of the Beacon such as Cell Phones, camera’s (especially those with GPS), GoPro camera’s mounted on the chest (GoPro on the head is fine), GoPro wireless & bluetooth controllers, iPods, heated gloves, magnets on the front of jackets, and even within a recent study that says <a href="http://www.avalanche.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=5c956bbb-c147-4aed-a002-6b5c1fb66a0e&MediaID=8c5ad7dd-758d-406b-a3e1-3ef0769d68cc&Filename=Interference++Issues+Concerning+Avalanche+Rescue+Transceivers.pdf" target="_blank">candy bar wrappers that have foil in their wrappers</a> that sit in the same vicinity as the beacon could create issues! These also aren’t just problems for searchers, but those who are buried, so be weary and keep your gizmos, well away from your beacon, inside your pack. Always wear your beacon under your jacket (never keep it in your pack).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now those skiers and snowboarders who have high DIN, or non-releasable bindings, have a number of things to be concerned about. While caught in an avalanche, skis/snowboards, and poles strapped to the hand act as anchors and pull the person under the surface of the snow in the avalanche. They can also cause trauma, twisting and pulling body parts in different directions. So the number one goal is staying on the surface, followed by avoiding obstacles if possible, and covering your mouth with your arm all while attempting to swim off the side of the slide. One thing that can help is an avalanche airbag, which is the only product on the market that attempts to prevent burial. So if you can’t get out of your skis or board, you may be buried deeper and/or with trauma issues for your rescuers to deal with if they get to you in time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sAG65egLas4A_Zuz34n4qdrkAIrl_lRo0BYsTetthVhe6hjDbzx4VvXz-VoYrZaohr-SC891MIFdy3x3HkxlMgDsqBZLgReJGsCZuqvLq3uCRYGqndulMSnTdqVfptVTOnoh80ep/s1600/Fitzsimmons+With+Justin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sAG65egLas4A_Zuz34n4qdrkAIrl_lRo0BYsTetthVhe6hjDbzx4VvXz-VoYrZaohr-SC891MIFdy3x3HkxlMgDsqBZLgReJGsCZuqvLq3uCRYGqndulMSnTdqVfptVTOnoh80ep/s1600/Fitzsimmons+With+Justin.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Justin Ormiston shredding the committing N Face of Mt Fitzsimmons in thigh deep snow. Better be sure it's stable, there's no fooling around with this big face. Terrain traps, steep open large terrain, and big spacing between partners.)</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Distance is the next key issue.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">How far away is everyone from the avalanche and it’s deposition zone?</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are they above and can quickly ski down in order to start searching, or do they have to put their skins on and start running uphill to the site?</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being far away, halfway down a mountain, and/or in a less than ideal proximity adds a huge amount of time to the rescue effort.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Did that person get swept into a terrain trap? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Speed is essential at this point, this is made from fitness, ability, distance, searching capabilities, skill and strategic shovelling.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPlZ8Qa7GZsr3iqp0SGbIAASkeDuiwE5vVuUOJnpsAGp0YATPjSkyCDfmr0Cszhe6CKcKZB0vILcU8_daXq9jzNasfwWTdUKH0gvkSsYHW-bJ9CrjzI7jg_fkZ2MY90sEIVGUdD8e/s1600/Avalanche+Through+Trees+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPlZ8Qa7GZsr3iqp0SGbIAASkeDuiwE5vVuUOJnpsAGp0YATPjSkyCDfmr0Cszhe6CKcKZB0vILcU8_daXq9jzNasfwWTdUKH0gvkSsYHW-bJ9CrjzI7jg_fkZ2MY90sEIVGUdD8e/s1600/Avalanche+Through+Trees+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Natural avalanche, due to the trees, this area would almost certainly result in trauma if caught in a slide.)</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now your friend has a beacon on, doesn’t have a cell phone around his/her beacon, got rid of their skis, and was lucky enough to be buried close enough to you and the surface for you to get to them in time.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now what?</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Many</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> avalanche victims suffer from trauma and can die from that alone.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Some may be unconscious, not breathing and/or have a blocked airway, unable to walk, spinal injury, hypothermic, etc.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Combine all your skills from avalanche rescue, wilderness first aid, survival, rescue planning, as well as helicopter knowledge, and you have half of the equation done to getting someone out alive.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">You also need the </span><a href="http://www.skitheory.blogspot.ca/2012/10/whats-in-my-pack-and-why.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">right gear</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">to drag or move that person to safety, deal with their injuries, and get them to medical care immediately.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">How will you move them in waist deep snow, will moving them make the injury worse, and do you have enough light left in the day to get home? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGIG23-3rX-z6ZITwGsZnwrzOgd0fVEUsNGXR5EZsBAzVtUI8tBvPTw_mb3WJOWJkWi1xQHvEMIWiXwBnsCk9seXC2Bp5841HhzKqqfcSrvs2Uu-xN1RsLxVpEgAzEF23EUIuIGGd/s1600/Cliff+Toboggan+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGIG23-3rX-z6ZITwGsZnwrzOgd0fVEUsNGXR5EZsBAzVtUI8tBvPTw_mb3WJOWJkWi1xQHvEMIWiXwBnsCk9seXC2Bp5841HhzKqqfcSrvs2Uu-xN1RsLxVpEgAzEF23EUIuIGGd/s1600/Cliff+Toboggan+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Practicing moving patients in a toboggan through undulating terrain, complete with cliffs, and deep snow.)</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now let’s say the incident has happened early enough in the day, the weather and wind is good enough for a helicopter to fly, and you need to get that helicopter in. Most helicopters need a spot to land where the pilot has depth perception (small tree, rock, anything that when they come in and the snow gets blown up in the air they can maintain sight). They also need a flat area that is large enough to land, otherwise they will be forced to sling a patient out and wind/</span>visibility<span style="font-family: inherit;"> really becomes a factor. Bell 212’s have a 48ft blade span and require clear 100x100ft area to land, and prefer to land into the wind. Bell 407’s are a bit smaller, with room for less casualties, and have a 35ft blade span allowing them to land in only a slightly smaller area than the bigger 212. There are many other helicopters out there, but these are just two of the classics, although we do see a few more B3’s out there from time to time. So if you do have a spot, you will need to let them know if they will need it in stretch configuration, or seated. As well as if they need to bring a paramedic with Advanced Life Support training, and the type of gear they may need to assist you. A complete description of your problem is vital.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHzgnopVKvHnWEnxFqdCm-88cZVi8C42jS63XJ8ZDAUpYaq057E91NSDCeO5ksvF4LPcu2TLsSuMtmS5ZGwis8JbzEEZn0q6eNyZQ2C-X_vL6iJJvrKmIfKA-Y-kjnG8pbzoBQSck/s1600/Spinal+Board+In+407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHzgnopVKvHnWEnxFqdCm-88cZVi8C42jS63XJ8ZDAUpYaq057E91NSDCeO5ksvF4LPcu2TLsSuMtmS5ZGwis8JbzEEZn0q6eNyZQ2C-X_vL6iJJvrKmIfKA-Y-kjnG8pbzoBQSck/s1600/Spinal+Board+In+407.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Testing the spinal board patient transport setup in the Bell 407)</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Time between avalanche and getting to the hospital is also critical.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Seriously injured patients may only have the ‘golden hour’ to get advanced medical help, whereas others may last much much longer depending on the severity of the injury.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hospital distances and resources must now also come into question, which hospital is best suited to deal with the issue at hand, and how far away is that.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">For example, it’s my understanding that the Whistler Health Clinic can only accept Twin Engine helicopters such as the 212 at this time, but not the 407 which is required to land at the heliport and rendezvous with an ambulance adding to rescue times.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So it’s important to have an idea of what kind of health care is closest to you, and how easy it is to get there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is a lot to think about when it comes to a full fledged rescue.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">SAR Teams are amazing at what they do, and will always be there working as hard as possible to get you and your friends out.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">However, make no mistake, if a handful of these problematic factors are present, they compound on each other and make rescue much more difficult.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> T</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">he key is to identify potential problems first, and consider them with your trip planning and also with how you ski in the backcountry.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Habits such as not skiing with a cell phone that is on and keeping it your backpack is great, regrouping at safe and smart locations is vital, and being prepared for anything is key.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> By thinking of the consequences of a rescue in the terrain we're in before hand, we can make better decisions, and set ourselves up for success if we are faced with the worst. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are very vulnerable, just how vulnerable is up to us.</span></div>
Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-72295343276478452592013-10-24T20:53:00.000-07:002013-10-24T22:51:50.120-07:0010 Tips To Have The Best Ski Season YetLast year I had published a handful of tips at the <a href="http://www.skitheory.blogspot.ca/2012/12/early-season-pow-skiing.html" target="_blank">bottom of a post</a> to have the best season yet. A lot of people really liked the idea, asking questions in emails, and I felt to expand upon those ideas as a set of rules for a great season.<br />
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But what is a great season? A great season is a season that allows you to greatly expand your experience as a backcountry and mountain person, build your skills, and give you adventures of a lifetime that are constantly different and always providing new ways of exploring the vast possibilities of what the mountains have to offer. Learning is what makes the best memories and makes us stronger human beings in the process. So with that, enjoy!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>10 Tips To Have The Best Season Yet.</u></b></div>
<b>10. Take one course that will expand your skills.</b><br />
There are tons of great courses out there, avalanche, mountain rescue, first aid, navigation and more. Take a course in the area you feel weakest in, and round out your experience. Handling anything in the mountains is vital to survival. The <a href="http://www.avalanche.ca/caa/" target="_blank">Canadian Avalanche Association</a> and <a href="http://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/" target="_blank">American Avalanche Association</a> have a plethora of different courses, ranging from professional Industry Training Programs (Level I, II, III), Mountain Weather, Avalanche Control Blasting, <a href="http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/ast/providers" target="_blank">AST Level I or II</a>, Avalanche Rescue, etc. Or if you into something else, take a glacier travel course with an ACMG guide, and learn crevasse rescue and risk mitigation techniques. All courses expand your learning, are ridiculously fun, and will help bring you to more places you dream of going.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7QelV006QFJ2yKnSZ12DuTNM5Xq_UtPalrN-9Kkxh8RQJzrlytogAiyR4Vq7COen-xqyWjhV6J5qz_ad-3mwD53Y0wSw6yZNOD-tCpZy1o1Dipvm2XVasy9DTuroR9nhmQoSDUJ3/s1600/Athelstan+Glacier+BW+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7QelV006QFJ2yKnSZ12DuTNM5Xq_UtPalrN-9Kkxh8RQJzrlytogAiyR4Vq7COen-xqyWjhV6J5qz_ad-3mwD53Y0wSw6yZNOD-tCpZy1o1Dipvm2XVasy9DTuroR9nhmQoSDUJ3/s1600/Athelstan+Glacier+BW+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: The beautiful and broken backside of Mt Athelstan, perfect for swallowing school buses and entire logging trucks)</i></td></tr>
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<b>9. Train</b><br />
Training and being prepared goes a long way. It makes the difference from skiing objectives that are nearby suffering from tracks, and remote untouched landscapes that excite and scare you. It is the difference between setting the skin track and being the first out to a peak, and being one of dozens heading out on a well trodden skin track. Leave everyone behind.<br />
<b>8. Ditch the heavy gear.</b><br />
That heavy pair of Duke or Guardian bindings are making sure that all that hard training doesn't amount to much. They're slowing you down and you know it. Buy a pair of tech bindings, ditch the alpine boots, and maintain the same performance on the way down. The choice is yours, ski hardcore places or look hardcore. It's worth it, just check your ego at the door.<br />
<b>7. Learn "Old School" Skills</b><br />
These days everyone relies on GPS and gadgetry to travel around in the mountains. And why not? It's there so we should use it. However, if those should fail we should always be able to make our way around and home without the use of technology. Learning resection, finding North without a compass, and telling sunset times from the sun are useful skills that can be added on to technology uses to move more efficiently in the mountains. Besides, if you have a GPS and totally screw up your navigation while practicing without it, it's there for you when you need it.<br />
<b>6. Ski an area completely differently than you are used to.</b><br />
Everyone has their favourite stomping grounds. An area or traverse where you can go, know the terrain, and have fun regardless of how many times you've been there. But before you go the standard route, think about doing it differently. For example, if it's a traverse, go do it backwards, if it's a couloir, try climbing a different route to access it, rather than boot packing straight up it, a circuit add another peak or variation. The options are limitless, but as soon as you break the mould, you'll discover new features, and have a better view of the terrain you regularly travel though.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDe0t6hfxuRHcVTzqIW9NYT0NEbwBveW9MB0rwlUXYDTmXW5W5ieAshs2K5mEfv222xiLMsAfSA01bQNZjh3-vHJUcr5F604ncDdEA4BwcdS4L0rh_QUWaPxgVS16PmCb-6qrAyyTq/s1600/Skier's+On+Joffre+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDe0t6hfxuRHcVTzqIW9NYT0NEbwBveW9MB0rwlUXYDTmXW5W5ieAshs2K5mEfv222xiLMsAfSA01bQNZjh3-vHJUcr5F604ncDdEA4BwcdS4L0rh_QUWaPxgVS16PmCb-6qrAyyTq/s1600/Skier's+On+Joffre+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Friend's on the Anniversary Glacier completing the Joffre Slalok Loop in reverse)</i></td></tr>
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<b>5. Ski at least one full moon night this year.</b><br />
Every backcountry skier has heard of amazing nights where the moonlight makes the night landscape appear as if it's daytime. Nothing is more special than dropping into an untracked couloir under a full moon and skiing powder under the stars without a headlamp.<br />
<b>4. Head on a hut trip every month, don't skimp on really good food. </b><br />
Hut's are great. They are a great staging point to get amazing skiing in remote areas, pack lighter (or heavier on food), and have the added comforts that a tent or snow cave could never offer. That being said, some huts are busy, full of people who have little intention of skiing, are loud, snore, and can be overcrowded. So to revise, head to a remote hut with your friends, socialize on your own terms, and sleep comfortably throughout the night. You'll be rewarded with no people, a remote wilderness to yourself, and your own personal slice of paradise.<br />
<b>3. Find the longest fall-line ski runs in all your favourite areas.</b><br />
There are runs in every area that people ski, but surprisingly, some of the best lines are not always the ones getting skied regularly. As a matter of fact, I can go ski my favourite lines off the back of Whistler or Blackcomb (also the longest lines) without ever seeing any tracks.... even when there are lots of other tracks on other runs. Bottom line: find the best lines, ski them as much as you can, keep them for yourself. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCf8InglWqqBxTOyjfFXiyzl2_7d-D4dLD0uK_6YPRpVt4Tgpb2EkUuPie8BeHpYT_kC7jrQWwAvTVXVdMkLoGyFcOqnnmh3Q82kB9eADicEiK3GNViHl1GLk37YgtTJzX0ZBlycP/s1600/Backside+of+Currie+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCf8InglWqqBxTOyjfFXiyzl2_7d-D4dLD0uK_6YPRpVt4Tgpb2EkUuPie8BeHpYT_kC7jrQWwAvTVXVdMkLoGyFcOqnnmh3Q82kB9eADicEiK3GNViHl1GLk37YgtTJzX0ZBlycP/s1600/Backside+of+Currie+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Christina Lusti cruising up Mt Curry, after a season of skiing the Coast's longest lines)</i></td></tr>
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<b>2. Ski a new area every week.</b><br />
#2 and #1 are really a tie, as skiing a new area every week is just as memorable as a big trip. Each time you head into new terrain you build skills, expand your navigational experience, and generally don't get bored with constantly going to the same hut, same area, and becoming more complacent in dangerous terrain.<br />
<b>1. Plan and execute that big ski trip you've thought about for years.</b><br />
This is a no brainer. Go somewhere bigger than you've ever been or dreamed of. These trips are burned into your memories from the commitment, effort, and thought behind them. Friends become brothers and sisters, decisions are forced to maintain movement, and communication becomes soundless between partners as seriousness increases. You know you want to live your dreams, now do it.Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-26779204004843369832013-09-28T13:25:00.001-07:002013-10-19T19:59:11.713-07:00New Route: "Western Harlot" 4p 5.9Squamish, and generally the entire Sea To Sky, has a serious load of climbs to get on. Some of the hardest climbs in the world, and also the most classic, in both sport and traditional styles. There are lots of great routes, but we still need more, especially in the lower grades for those who are just getting into mountain sports. Routes that aren't super hard, such as the beautiful Squamish classic "Daily Planet" which goes at 5.12a on gear, but more like the ultra classic "Star Chek" (minus the runout) which is 3-4 pitches with it's crux being 5.9.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZIOf7YkGA9rG7JybUpwiDFug713qQMZ1xUPa3KHXVWIrx42x5AFSEtAmaW5FzymEEHxXDCLpd2ktinHO3sQHfQaBiFQj-NU8NDF79nw7kjnI9KFB30Zmr5ekusEKsiAHv82idD3R/s1600/SkiTheory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZIOf7YkGA9rG7JybUpwiDFug713qQMZ1xUPa3KHXVWIrx42x5AFSEtAmaW5FzymEEHxXDCLpd2ktinHO3sQHfQaBiFQj-NU8NDF79nw7kjnI9KFB30Zmr5ekusEKsiAHv82idD3R/s1600/SkiTheory.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Heidi Savage following pitch 2 of the classic 'Star Chek')</i></td></tr>
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Conny Amelunxen, Jamie Chong, Ben Groundwater, and I spent a number of days hauling ropes, drills, batteries, brushes, bolts, and other miscellaneous gear in to the route. We set fixed lines to jug each pitch, and find the best moves on the route, all while cleaning moss, dirt, and loose rock from the route. Each pitch was bolted, with bolted stations and chains, along with a rappel route beside the climb that also uses two of the routes stations.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQ_3gXCKvAX3aE-5oLf6fattY6luaiw1m0iPejFfqSzkwrK88PfryuJfzW3buQCfGwzErc6wXmmERnVKlF5j2YHrBvzTaT9lzq3AsaEHY9i5PJWU1CA7jTDIs7rry6oWbRFd9Ndbh/s1600/Alex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQ_3gXCKvAX3aE-5oLf6fattY6luaiw1m0iPejFfqSzkwrK88PfryuJfzW3buQCfGwzErc6wXmmERnVKlF5j2YHrBvzTaT9lzq3AsaEHY9i5PJWU1CA7jTDIs7rry6oWbRFd9Ndbh/s1600/Alex.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Alex Wigley leading the crux pitch, photo: Conny Amelunxen)</i></td></tr>
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Stoked to have finished digging off ledges, pulling moss, and generally getting beat up tired from working 8+ hour days, we decided to make a quick first ascent. The route was definitely worth the time and effort. Each lead is incredibly well protected (as planned), for the leader climbing at his or her limit, but really cool thoughtful moves in a beautiful position above the trees made the climb an classic in our eyes. The climb faces the Tantalus range and the final view from the 'picnic' area at the top is amazing. After climbing the route for the first time, I have to say cleaning routes is definitely fun and hard work, but it's also great fitness and super rewarding.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ0iutd2w2EKgxVyjoEbJKXRnJ843e33q5OnXOqDe7FEch9iKq3ZZ9eU6USSOyzAtj0Rr13vBWaf0-MkGiy8meMIJKrxLKhEkNhxpu28xffDFwiHWhsfRoZ_jZ9CMennrRmY6HWnU/s1600/Jamie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ0iutd2w2EKgxVyjoEbJKXRnJ843e33q5OnXOqDe7FEch9iKq3ZZ9eU6USSOyzAtj0Rr13vBWaf0-MkGiy8meMIJKrxLKhEkNhxpu28xffDFwiHWhsfRoZ_jZ9CMennrRmY6HWnU/s1600/Jamie.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Jamie Chong enjoying the Tantalus View from the 'picnic' spot on the top of the route. Photo: Conny Amelunxen.)</i></td></tr>
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What might this have to do with skiing some may wonder, but climbing has everything to do with skiing, and is just as fun. The only way to elevate your ski mountaineering skills and get on some real terrain, is by learning to climb. Climbing is important to start feeling comfortable in high exposure, technical terrain, especially in areas where protection is sparse. Being able to push your limits up high in the mountains can only come from pushing your limits down low in the valley. Skills need learning, technique needs polishing, as the only way to get better is to try harder and focus. Where better to start than well protected sport routes?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sendage.com/img/topos/Western_Harlot_Topo_v2.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjN1SpQxiE6TrMicdF3bLseBeKSVaXw-3OJUGke2vtjpvrCbn-glcEX8qtNcUKHqVpT7kDDDxDqGROqG1Q0AVW4oWh36vT7SXTPEVC_QR83Qedx-o-P81Z_GMmBGjxP6YFxpIHoah/s1600/Western_Harlot_Topo_v2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sendage.com/img/topos/Western_Harlot_Topo_v2.jpg" target="_blank"><i>(Photo Above: Route Topo, click on image for a larger view)</i></a></td></tr>
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Hope people new and well seasoned like the route!<br />
<a href="http://sendage.com/climb/western-harlot-the-outpost-cheakamus-canyon-squamish-canada" target="_blank">Sendage.com - Route Info </a>Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-85206544712557596202013-06-01T10:46:00.003-07:002013-06-01T10:47:08.112-07:00A Lesson In Pain - Burning OutThe mountains are brutally hard, beautifully brutal. They are merely as hard as we make them, as each one has an easier route, or we have the luxury of choosing one that is closer. The mountains reveal their true beauty as we step beyond the easy routes and ones that are closer to home. By traveling faster, farther, in harder, bigger terrain, they reveal more to us. And we experience them in a much deeper way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAadtzLV16wJw0-MijsRG8qFLXlqQUxu4T5QTrGfqID9muIK5ijCQTwetyeWvThCS6lLnA3_9mTpiV1dzvNdwGCRVGsePaSSLMBTCaPuBSH6fxsKadV3zmuWimY5C_Zi9mJp1l1wi/s1600/Mt+Matier,+North+Face,+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAadtzLV16wJw0-MijsRG8qFLXlqQUxu4T5QTrGfqID9muIK5ijCQTwetyeWvThCS6lLnA3_9mTpiV1dzvNdwGCRVGsePaSSLMBTCaPuBSH6fxsKadV3zmuWimY5C_Zi9mJp1l1wi/s1600/Mt+Matier,+North+Face,+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: James McSkimming, skiing the beautiful shoulder of Mt Matier's North Face)</i></td></tr>
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Recently, in an epiphany, I had realized how much harder they can be. I raced through mountains in Italy in a <a href="http://skitheory.blogspot.ca/2011/02/world-championships-teams-race-recap.html" target="_blank">Teams Race in the 2011 World Championships</a>, and gave everything I could give to moving through those mountains as fast as possible. I gave more than what I could give, and borrowed all the energy I could to accomplish what I felt was most important at the time, I told myself nothing is more important that catching the racers at the front. I drained everything, tasted blood for days after the race, sacrificed my body to that race, literally, and felt psychologically destroyed. I learned in an epiphany that I had burnt out, a mere 1.5 years later, as I couldn't bring myself to the depth of suffering that I once enjoyed so much. But now after that 1.5 years, ready to give my body back to the mountains, and not to a race course, I realized the importance and lessons of draining everything.<br />
<br />
Racing on the Ski Mountaineering Team was amazing, and I may think about doing it again. I trained hard, focusing all day on training, recovery, nutrition, hydration, each aspect every minute of every day. I focused on it, telling myself it would pay off to get back into the mountains, and complete the goals I had in mind. It did. But what I didn't think of is the fact that it may take away from that as well, especially if I went to intensely. My ego told me I could race and perform to maximum power in the mountains, I felt really strong, but with the mountains you are sometimes just waiting to get a real full dose of the truth. I simply couldn't recover from it, hitting rock bottom, for an athlete.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiHeVQrrmKMw45XvBNIPhyLwEBMcf61uJkkV83Rt7JVddB1GYYWXuQWPedERWOZYQn7lMHcIpUiT6ksnNbePCh9jaZA10ludC8wOyLJZp1iYXgvEseGT1jurtHRqIRPdM40q_C8vR/s1600/Suffering+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiHeVQrrmKMw45XvBNIPhyLwEBMcf61uJkkV83Rt7JVddB1GYYWXuQWPedERWOZYQn7lMHcIpUiT6ksnNbePCh9jaZA10ludC8wOyLJZp1iYXgvEseGT1jurtHRqIRPdM40q_C8vR/s1600/Suffering+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Slovenian Competitor living inside the 'Pain Cave'. 2011 Vertical Race, WC Italy)</i></td></tr>
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Recovering, after the burn out, was hard. I still trained, did some racing, got out in the mountains, but couldn't go to the depths as I once could. I wanted to, but both mind and body, held back. And now finally recovered, like a light switch got flipped, I'm ready. But have lost 1.5 years of growth to the recovery. Now getting out training, looking towards routes I've dreamt of for years, and feeling mentally and physically ready to take on again I have started looking forward to that uncomfortable comfort of the pain cave.<br />
<br />
What may hurt people to think, which I find has helped, is to tell yourself the truth (it hurts). You are not special, you are not insanely strong or fast, you have merely put in a bit of time to make yourself slightly better, but realize this; overall, you are slow, you can always train and recover better, you can always do more, you are not dedicated enough, you are frail, and one day you will die. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSeY-J4R0NjNgG-TQTTVcUdstHKN-ssutuBPh4gqMqw4TLCvqewfNRA8nD1bxM8gW7OgqGz7UkI0-OF6anoGjZwfH0lEZpVcK7bsDoXtP1qdmQpGpOz9IbBr3n_AAavRE-_nZ2CBq/s1600/Justin+After+A+Long+Day+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSeY-J4R0NjNgG-TQTTVcUdstHKN-ssutuBPh4gqMqw4TLCvqewfNRA8nD1bxM8gW7OgqGz7UkI0-OF6anoGjZwfH0lEZpVcK7bsDoXtP1qdmQpGpOz9IbBr3n_AAavRE-_nZ2CBq/s1600/Justin+After+A+Long+Day+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo Above: Justin after a long day of being on the move, Whistler, BC.)</td></tr>
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Now, ski-mountaineering with a friend, watching them be introduced to that at first seemingly horrible dark pain cave I can truly begin to start understanding the mentality behind the growing in the mountains. It's not the acceptance of pain and fear, but welcoming it in, and keeping it close for long periods at a time. The more time spent, in pain and fear, the deeper the experience. <br />
<br />
Living inside the pain cave becomes a warm comfortable recess of the mountains in time. Inside it our human frailty and softness are equally apparent and also easily left behind, the choice is ours in which way we choose to lead it. We can accept the fact that our pain overwhelms our senses, but understand it is merely a reaction to growth, as we grow stronger with each step and movement forward. Only when we've been inside the cave long enough, stripped away our ego, our thoughts of what or who we are, and spent the energy that is required to think of these distractions, that we can discover our true self and realize what needs to be done in order to continue on our path in the mountains.<br />
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"The greatest enemy will hide in the last place you would ever look." - Julius Caesar, 75 BC.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvTXasidX-AcuiyTVF8CygTI18SFeNXIgktAuiaHEXVZR314BfHvIg8cX8HZfXM4drzefmYePgskFGnagBpkqZivpcox9grv4Gie4sNhLUjFydmedCj016i9FJbxHJcqtjK5GVT6t/s1600/Xanadu+West+(CR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvTXasidX-AcuiyTVF8CygTI18SFeNXIgktAuiaHEXVZR314BfHvIg8cX8HZfXM4drzefmYePgskFGnagBpkqZivpcox9grv4Gie4sNhLUjFydmedCj016i9FJbxHJcqtjK5GVT6t/s1600/Xanadu+West+(CR).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: New lines to test out, requiring the mind to lead not the body.)</i></td></tr>
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<br />
<u><b>SkiMo Racing And Ski Mountaineering Training Tips</b></u><br />
<b>1. Identify Weaknesses</b><br />
What is your weakness? Do you get scared on mixed rock and ice terrain? Are you slow on boot packs? Do you bonk after long periods skinning? Whatever it is, identify your weakness, and seek out that weakness. If you are afraid on mixed terrain, go find objectives with more mixed terrain, study gear and climbing techniques more. Bonk on long skintracks? Learn about nutrition, timing, and record your results in a training journal (what helped, what didn't, how you felt at the end of the day hours later.)<br />
<b>2. Change the way you are training</b><br />
The only way to continue to grow is to not stagnate. Never do the same thing over and over again, change your long distance routes, interval inclines and technical courses, bootpack with different amounts of weight on your back, drag a tire, just do everything in your power to ensure your body does not get used to your training.<br />
<b>3. Learn from your mistakes. </b><br />
<br />
<u><b>Recovery</b></u><br />
<b>1. Sleep</b><br />
8 Hours a day minimum. Add 1 to 2 hours of sleep for added stress at work, life, or harder than usual effort. <br />
<b>2. Nutrition</b><br />
High quality proteins lean organic meat, chicken breast, eggs, cooked without fats or heavy sauces. Good fats such as avocado's, fish oil, extra virgin olive oil (not heated), and lots of vegetables.<br />
<b>3. Yoga</b><br />
Yeah, so I'm saying yoga. For a long time I've liked a bit of yoga, but have been reluctant to engage in it as many people refer to it as a true form of fitness, and the best way to be extremely strong. I disagree, but as this is not a rant post about yoga, here's why I like it now. Finding the right stretching classes have helped align my body better, keeping my body a bit better balanced, improving my recovery, and loosening up tight muscles that aren't so easy to stretch. Supporting muscles used in climbing, and skiing, sit in better positions afterwards and I become far less likely to get an overuse injury.<br />
<b>4. Mixing It Up</b><br />
Possible the most important thing out there. Skiing has been one of my most important focuses in life, but taking a step back, taking a break, and enjoying other activities have only helped it and my enjoyment of it. Go biking, climb, just do something that is fun, requires your athletic skill and energy, without your only goal being skiing. Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-20504881821321771402013-04-22T20:19:00.003-07:002013-04-22T20:21:07.206-07:00Closin' It Down On The Last Week At TLHI just got back from the last week of operations at TLH. Great group, actually fantastic, and probably some of the best conditions we've had all year. Dry deep snow, sunshine, and a single helicopter to use in an area bigger than Switzerland. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCW9XNUQmx8oOsv4PjYaGVp-LaWDCuZyCshQwzH7nzwrXTZ5B4VjZpP2brv103qkXfLD7d2QpGUxfklBiE1Qp9RlNKfZobIlq6nSCcaVJUNEcIz9ZguXrF0IiXpuWM8Xz68mQlZ9MY/s1600/592_20130416_A+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCW9XNUQmx8oOsv4PjYaGVp-LaWDCuZyCshQwzH7nzwrXTZ5B4VjZpP2brv103qkXfLD7d2QpGUxfklBiE1Qp9RlNKfZobIlq6nSCcaVJUNEcIz9ZguXrF0IiXpuWM8Xz68mQlZ9MY/s1600/592_20130416_A+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Alex Wigley (left) Ken Gray (right) flying laps in The Gun. Credit: <a href="http://andrewdoran.com/" target="_blank">Andrew Doran</a>)</i></td></tr>
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Guiding this week wasn't as simple as most spring weeks, as there was a hair trigger layer of 20mm Surface Hoar buried 30-75cm down on a hard Melt Freeze Crust. The snow on top of it was high quality dry snow, but continued to build a slab with multiple convective flurries dropping 10-25cm each day on top of it. Needless to say, anything above 2350m steeper than 30 degrees was avalanching when we walked or landed on ridges. It took careful planning to negotiate through and avoid run outs.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGs9KUT5C8XPdaoq3QeBlx6hidmQYR7hcUZ91-VEK4u-dFcAQUZhS4h0U77GOkXhxtZ-ryshLfEbAUUNFdYT8YRYtfMhyphenhyphenU5-ewQY7Yf6R_67F1cC9J9wRMpkTLkdiegK9JROWLh-f/s1600/SH+Avalanches+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGs9KUT5C8XPdaoq3QeBlx6hidmQYR7hcUZ91-VEK4u-dFcAQUZhS4h0U77GOkXhxtZ-ryshLfEbAUUNFdYT8YRYtfMhyphenhyphenU5-ewQY7Yf6R_67F1cC9J9wRMpkTLkdiegK9JROWLh-f/s1600/SH+Avalanches+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: One of many remote triggered avalanches on Surface Hoar)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupIfeMYn93xqpzTikJpTa9idZbxDqdvySYSv2KixLW0cSjBzbVYqCRWGReXVGxXq1eQleiwXBqTzxzcoJT5Ky_iJfw8nAvercMymXeE49XeM89_cFUNZk9S4iFUBvuZlgGkk_WdVz/s1600/Alex+Wigley+In+The+Gun+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupIfeMYn93xqpzTikJpTa9idZbxDqdvySYSv2KixLW0cSjBzbVYqCRWGReXVGxXq1eQleiwXBqTzxzcoJT5Ky_iJfw8nAvercMymXeE49XeM89_cFUNZk9S4iFUBvuZlgGkk_WdVz/s1600/Alex+Wigley+In+The+Gun+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Alex Wigley leading another line in The Gun. Credit: <a href="http://andrewdoran.com/" target="_blank">Andrew Doran</a>)</i></td></tr>
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As for our guests, one in particular spent the time to create an amazing video of his trip, and it turned out great. Check it out.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="335" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/64606838?portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="595"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/64606838">Heli Boarding BC, Canada, April 2013</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user17886061">Niki Luysterburg</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
Great season, stoked to be out exploring such amazing terrain with such great people.Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-79783225087532445992013-04-06T12:36:00.000-07:002013-04-06T12:36:30.214-07:00Lucky 13 - TLH Spring Work ShiftWeek 13, lucky 13, at TLH was on. And when it's on... it's on. 46,000m skied in a week, with some down time and hanging out at the Meager hot springs, 11 First Descents (1 more may be confirmed), major peaks and aggressive lines skied every day, teetering landings with the helicopter no wider than 140cm, bluebird skies, and making ice cream at lunches. I can say, wow, what a week.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EFp9pCXWHVGFGHbs35Pp3AauFrq5_3rhN6r_dCwaHXTHgkeX_WEuS0_ds_Fo4i1BfsjtNBZ4ABPCe8PvRfCpMnsOGx071Zz7XKTIyT4dN37DJi30o-0AuSX4xjgor5q0L1swv34t/s1600/Toba+Peak+CR+591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EFp9pCXWHVGFGHbs35Pp3AauFrq5_3rhN6r_dCwaHXTHgkeX_WEuS0_ds_Fo4i1BfsjtNBZ4ABPCe8PvRfCpMnsOGx071Zz7XKTIyT4dN37DJi30o-0AuSX4xjgor5q0L1swv34t/s1600/Toba+Peak+CR+591.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Jonny Simms standing on top of Toba Peak after a knife edge landing. 50 deg roll in!)</i></td></tr>
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When conditions are so good you can simply point to the line you wish to ski and be there moments later. Exploring massive ranges far from any signs of human life, and white expanses as far as the eye can see, the feeling of being "out there" can be hard to achieve with a helicopter; but for the time spent last week we felt... "out there." So out there we could even see Mt Waddington and the Tiedemann Range all week!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGM3CHmuoZ72eoH6NqUS3hdq7mVAVJx69R5l2MAOd2M1ILzi3aRQm-MO44d8lVN7lsUZP1PFDE4iVI6gRicsntqHWvWKC3YB9NnPp_r3yKpyDT0j_MgNqBWo6uJyXaK7mKuAXqEwlA/s1600/Johnny+-+Walhalla+Au+Cheval+Landing+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGM3CHmuoZ72eoH6NqUS3hdq7mVAVJx69R5l2MAOd2M1ILzi3aRQm-MO44d8lVN7lsUZP1PFDE4iVI6gRicsntqHWvWKC3YB9NnPp_r3yKpyDT0j_MgNqBWo6uJyXaK7mKuAXqEwlA/s1600/Johnny+-+Walhalla+Au+Cheval+Landing+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Tiny knife edge ridges after balancing the heli to land, Jonny fired up for the down climb.)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSjQ155FFuOJLR8zynrDMmQF9DUz33pHZxKexOq0ZluX-k2GxIDI_UMrw7SaAauqZ8N4umpkmnyRKSrp7HU1klyVsqa1u_WAbL-vXP3Fz6Z9_uaD2hQVr9tQbFy1a-zkj0R9ZFm3b/s1600/Alex+Wigley+For+Ski+Theory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSjQ155FFuOJLR8zynrDMmQF9DUz33pHZxKexOq0ZluX-k2GxIDI_UMrw7SaAauqZ8N4umpkmnyRKSrp7HU1klyVsqa1u_WAbL-vXP3Fz6Z9_uaD2hQVr9tQbFy1a-zkj0R9ZFm3b/s1600/Alex+Wigley+For+Ski+Theory.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Alex Wigley warming up on Bridge Peak North. Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.randylincks.com/" target="_blank">Randy Lincks</a>)</i></td></tr>
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Among some of the lines we skied, was Thor. Mt Athelstan's massive couloir dropping from high in the alpine down through a usually ice filled couloir, and large avalanche chutes to the valley below. The line hasn't been skied by a group in 11 years, but this week it was in condition.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntPC6jH3nlyMC6hSJrP7Its1MYyKI6oZLpEUg-4lZzNZ3ukM8OpKiZH3WvUtb6wqnoAv-aOcBf0ErTeMxfCnKrtyLqbFd7il_MXX4Jd4GheqosaEKzizy86meDn5TRiDswamS9tnS/s1600/Mt+Athelstan+Ski+Theory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntPC6jH3nlyMC6hSJrP7Its1MYyKI6oZLpEUg-4lZzNZ3ukM8OpKiZH3WvUtb6wqnoAv-aOcBf0ErTeMxfCnKrtyLqbFd7il_MXX4Jd4GheqosaEKzizy86meDn5TRiDswamS9tnS/s1600/Mt+Athelstan+Ski+Theory.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Mt Athelstan and "Thor" as seen in February this year, waiting for a descent.)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFtsdIeFOKGkY6_t_9XKaV_H1mqBRvh-UEO9vC1Qm0A5-BgnkvoCC1cs8xx_495nL1G5OBYj0y3H6iv4LG1QYdSBBLkcRx6eAAoBSye6Eb8yKH4ec7lZSTZ5PMYjl5bYb_UY6oE7N/s1600/Johnny+On+Thor+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFtsdIeFOKGkY6_t_9XKaV_H1mqBRvh-UEO9vC1Qm0A5-BgnkvoCC1cs8xx_495nL1G5OBYj0y3H6iv4LG1QYdSBBLkcRx6eAAoBSye6Eb8yKH4ec7lZSTZ5PMYjl5bYb_UY6oE7N/s1600/Johnny+On+Thor+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Jonny Simms dropping into the legendary Thor)</i></td></tr>
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One more week to go up at the lodge, hopefully it will be sunny so we can crush more lines!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Q7KA-j-iWU5w-_4Q36Q0NLWEfxLjvat2Z3lCp0k-bGfGmQtE8vL1PmXd-Zww2PpEJZbUqdS8oHPA-5S2YeR96wyiM1u0bfC-RDpUUt8c4eR6hCpwtnrsAmAAmbb7j5ptdeemZogG/s1600/Magaera+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Q7KA-j-iWU5w-_4Q36Q0NLWEfxLjvat2Z3lCp0k-bGfGmQtE8vL1PmXd-Zww2PpEJZbUqdS8oHPA-5S2YeR96wyiM1u0bfC-RDpUUt8c4eR6hCpwtnrsAmAAmbb7j5ptdeemZogG/s1600/Magaera+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Mt Magaera. Waiting for some skis to paint on it's white canvas.)</i></td></tr>
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<br />Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-59205150512807364902013-03-26T10:00:00.000-07:002013-03-26T15:13:56.005-07:00New Spearhead Traverse Record<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz11dNAS_oyZfxpk1sYA450XlK3sdpA7dvazJbmCNjJ2XbwNPS7r_p30ukWj1qoobm6FSaU4MgWvkvhLk_loeNikAl9TrJlkmDOJuf1GHa_AhA6JdR6UkACufkmjV812VCLeIX-B5R/s1600/Spearhead+Range+Extra+Wide+Text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz11dNAS_oyZfxpk1sYA450XlK3sdpA7dvazJbmCNjJ2XbwNPS7r_p30ukWj1qoobm6FSaU4MgWvkvhLk_loeNikAl9TrJlkmDOJuf1GHa_AhA6JdR6UkACufkmjV812VCLeIX-B5R/s1600/Spearhead+Range+Extra+Wide+Text.jpg" /></a></div>
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Well, it finally went down. The new record for the Spearhead Traverse is now 3 Hours 10 Minutes, completed yesterday (March 25th, 2013) by Eric Carter and Nick Elson. The previous record was held by Greg Hill at 4 Hours 1 Minute. Congrats boys!<br />
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Check out their <a href="http://coastmountainskiing.com/?p=793" target="_blank">Trip Report Here.</a>Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-54887141543406264152013-02-23T12:00:00.000-08:002013-02-23T12:00:10.348-08:00TLH Work Shift: Exploring<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A few years ago I remember starving, surviving on cans of soup, no money in my pockets, and weeks away from any decent sum of money that would help correct my starving belly. I skied in white-outs on huge broken glaciers that week, while stressing about the snowpack on the slopes ahead, and training for guiding and avalanche exams in the future. This week of guiding made me remember back to that week as I've given so much towards guiding, skiing, and especially the mountains; but know how they give back more than you could ever expect. This week filled my craving for exploring new areas, that feeling of being way out there, the need for feeling small in big places, and the feeling of the ground moving quickly beneath my feet. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixNjAkZHD0daHlBUX2muPI2WQjqLljV7fafluWIBJqkh9tj5UjfVwFkNmxfI25sYCbYsb8BbW_YcFFWEdzuyoPY72kfXhuRGaahxS3sYCXj0lU1tv3Sd7VTs6t0oes3gR3jLoM2n_/s1600/Trinity+Pillows+-+Mathieu+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixNjAkZHD0daHlBUX2muPI2WQjqLljV7fafluWIBJqkh9tj5UjfVwFkNmxfI25sYCbYsb8BbW_YcFFWEdzuyoPY72kfXhuRGaahxS3sYCXj0lU1tv3Sd7VTs6t0oes3gR3jLoM2n_/s1600/Trinity+Pillows+-+Mathieu+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Mathieu smashing pillows on Trinity, The Matrix)</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Starting out our week we began by taking our guests to ski pillow lines, 1000m tree shots with hundreds of diving boards to launch on the way down, and some big high speed alpine runs. The snow felt creamy, and had that fantastic feeling of never ending length to each run, even though we skied comfortably as fast as our skis would allow. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJ3WPbpA_JK-EtP1dTiDkT25S4BtHyOz3b_gANUaN5C4LHhRosOz387PuzP-Y629S1oVhQLQwt225pus4FN6hnNuHHe-2aTS-Bc8AnIMYxlOldOgwZLs3cuDH-g3biQwBzJJOqRkU/s1600/Oysters+At+Jervis+Inlet+Heli+Ski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJ3WPbpA_JK-EtP1dTiDkT25S4BtHyOz3b_gANUaN5C4LHhRosOz387PuzP-Y629S1oVhQLQwt225pus4FN6hnNuHHe-2aTS-Bc8AnIMYxlOldOgwZLs3cuDH-g3biQwBzJJOqRkU/s1600/Oysters+At+Jervis+Inlet+Heli+Ski.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photos Above: Conny shucking Oysters for Lunch, the view out Jervis Inlet from our lunch spot)</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taking a step beyond the norm of eating lunch below or on top of some massive mountain face, we stepped outside of the large glaciers, and flew to Jervis Inlet to land on the beach and pick Oysters. A completely different landscape than what we were skiing 20 minutes ago, complete with seagulls flying over calm salty waters with steep mountains fencing the inlet on all sides. It was too hard to believe we had skied a 1200m run on Mazerati Highway moments before, and now were standing with the ocean lapping up against our ski boots, while we picked Oysters straight out of the water at our feet. After eating our fill, we were out through the Clendenning Range and back through to the Manatee for more enormous runs and pillow lines.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKqHZBuT4qqCRM-ZsVhKLTrrvNyHEmShVqeonyqoZdV_n4DxJ2vPNWYcYgsyFr6neQHRIbod_ekLjop0tkyP1bqEPDYmtale-h8heLDgdM_EvSBt9jHPq87OEK2CV-aDIvsVoWQS2/s1600/Mazarati+Highway+-+Mathieu-CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKqHZBuT4qqCRM-ZsVhKLTrrvNyHEmShVqeonyqoZdV_n4DxJ2vPNWYcYgsyFr6neQHRIbod_ekLjop0tkyP1bqEPDYmtale-h8heLDgdM_EvSBt9jHPq87OEK2CV-aDIvsVoWQS2/s1600/Mazarati+Highway+-+Mathieu-CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Mathieu speeding through the side of Mazerati Highway, in the Manatee Range)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU5Uc521YP6keMjoUwJ3W2V5b0S0vyD_J3H7FuhjyIJG0S0ytCwlwypyTLSyHpPaG3aRgUW-prX6NxiS9t_mK5fNruEQIUHpBvYBPASR8bNaRYlE_xAhRoLt2CfxRmydyjXtH1-q2/s1600/Huge+Glacier+Snow+Bridge+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU5Uc521YP6keMjoUwJ3W2V5b0S0vyD_J3H7FuhjyIJG0S0ytCwlwypyTLSyHpPaG3aRgUW-prX6NxiS9t_mK5fNruEQIUHpBvYBPASR8bNaRYlE_xAhRoLt2CfxRmydyjXtH1-q2/s1600/Huge+Glacier+Snow+Bridge+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Conny Amelunxen cruising through an endless glacier of interesting snow bridges and remarkable features.)</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">On the morning of our first group of guests last day, we had been skiing big curling glaciers, with beautiful and stable snow. Conny spotted a line between two regular runs, that had never been skied, but with the conditions at hand looked like it went without too much fuss. Within 2 minutes we had flown by and dropped off the top. We threaded our way down between two patches of exposed ice, and to the helicopter, naming the line "Treaty of Ghent". Another first descent on the list, and weirdly done without punishing ourselves climbing it first, a first for me (so I guess to the true pure FD is still up for grabs!).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Y2QIyWiU3aET6HQd2rAwkafUpAY401x9GwH46NsG5AfKlZfXEQkNz6uWyFDn9b08gRQHTTCX57gAsa3M18x6Kbg6qYWx-cw2it2AzFe15A845qKanR2wevIPs-fwzwtxG4Y7w0GS/s1600/Treaty+Of+Ghent+-+Alan+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Y2QIyWiU3aET6HQd2rAwkafUpAY401x9GwH46NsG5AfKlZfXEQkNz6uWyFDn9b08gRQHTTCX57gAsa3M18x6Kbg6qYWx-cw2it2AzFe15A845qKanR2wevIPs-fwzwtxG4Y7w0GS/s1600/Treaty+Of+Ghent+-+Alan+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Alan dropping in through the ice on the First Descent of "Treaty of Ghent")</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ECvdNGHnEKDJ0gZoQluCZYaMwlYXSyobQWgB-SFLnC3DhtNwfUy0JRdFNymAgAN77F1uiJhnEzIAk7M2xuryktPwmDF7xS8Qxwc_B_h6E8cfBJvgR4JDv_Hx0Y59MkuRcLA2ue9h/s1600/Conny+On+The+Fasp+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ECvdNGHnEKDJ0gZoQluCZYaMwlYXSyobQWgB-SFLnC3DhtNwfUy0JRdFNymAgAN77F1uiJhnEzIAk7M2xuryktPwmDF7xS8Qxwc_B_h6E8cfBJvgR4JDv_Hx0Y59MkuRcLA2ue9h/s1600/Conny+On+The+Fasp+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Conny Amelunxen leading the charge down The Fasp)</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Skiing with another group of guests, on a bluebird powder day, we lucked out and ended up spending a day in "The Gods". The Gods are a massive array of broken glaciers, summit to valley ski descents, spines, and everything a real skier could ever ask for.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtx3izvWCOLMsyi5Z7rTEgKX_oWmWtsjtO44zGuM8boimB5nsto98ZuBE_upqOa16PBP2d1j5ki40Vo6XJ2Yr-zgArwTBm31d7MvfLFIfdHafwRe90U6QnyyWFVE0Frqk1OmeV8gN/s1600/Alex+-+Dickson+Range+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtx3izvWCOLMsyi5Z7rTEgKX_oWmWtsjtO44zGuM8boimB5nsto98ZuBE_upqOa16PBP2d1j5ki40Vo6XJ2Yr-zgArwTBm31d7MvfLFIfdHafwRe90U6QnyyWFVE0Frqk1OmeV8gN/s1600/Alex+-+Dickson+Range+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Alex Wigley warming up on Nectar, before heading to the Gods. Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.randylincks.com/" target="_blank">Randy Lincks</a>)</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Spending time in the mountains away from home helps keep my demons away, and keeps others close, as perfect conditions allow us to step into terrain that force us to realize how small we truly are. I'll always give everything I could ever give to the mountains, because they give back more it so many ways, and sometimes in ways you would never expect. This past shift made me remember that.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlf8c1ZUufgsIYoNQXge6y7T1CL67fdUoI42oOxESHekPmddKso685mtcolBRyZLQqyt1m7JZlC1b7pTQDpSZJ8YVTutuyt3uWkHJ6RWg85mWS5A7o-qlGMmDqz_ZaioEMOKGumci/s1600/Athelstan+Backside+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlf8c1ZUufgsIYoNQXge6y7T1CL67fdUoI42oOxESHekPmddKso685mtcolBRyZLQqyt1m7JZlC1b7pTQDpSZJ8YVTutuyt3uWkHJ6RWg85mWS5A7o-qlGMmDqz_ZaioEMOKGumci/s1600/Athelstan+Backside+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Mount Athelstan, The Gods)</i></td></tr>
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Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-12120350740990657432013-02-02T15:51:00.001-08:002013-02-04T16:38:01.629-08:00Work Block At TLHI just finished up a two week work block at TLH Heli-Skiing. For our first group, I was surprised when I greeted the guys from Mountain Life whom I know from Squamish, and some people from Europe at the helicopter. I could tell it was going to be a great week with our crew. In true Canadian style after doing the beacon training, we played hockey out on the lake with the sun setting in the mountains, and beers in the cold. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcrTYZ3-JqdCR9RcCo7AfVz48_M8cUrxZWumbLTbgqKK_KZjnRj9vucET-KuFjOkckeeTmgeEOq291scG6k2g3Wa-RYLSGZGp3NCXw_RBq5glMqyE0gjsMLPxNJa4Fp3mTEiQFKBe/s1600/TLH+Hockey+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcrTYZ3-JqdCR9RcCo7AfVz48_M8cUrxZWumbLTbgqKK_KZjnRj9vucET-KuFjOkckeeTmgeEOq291scG6k2g3Wa-RYLSGZGp3NCXw_RBq5glMqyE0gjsMLPxNJa4Fp3mTEiQFKBe/s1600/TLH+Hockey+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Mountain Life Magazine Crew and TLH Guides and Staff Hockey Tournament)</i></td></tr>
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We had tricky conditions to find snow, but we made it work, skiing some of our biggest tree lines and some really cool big features. We managed to find pillow lines, cliff hucks, half pipes, and fall away rollers immediately. Even more amazing is the area's we made it into that don't get skied on a regular basis such as The Matrix, and some steep runs called African Tribesman. Check out the great online feature on Mountain Life from <a href="http://cm.mountainlifemag.ca/2013/01/a-toast-to-tlh/" target="_blank">their trip here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDswlquvK01F8oiTZEgEfKd0b7xgIJE4XYPeK5CjnGU9E-DyK0_xpXkASdZVSqjthCkBLlLtzJVhdGVLaS96O-PHFp6HJfCXwOKUq5YML-peRFRRgiqy4ZO_3Sw3Mz2_gmQgJjCLl/s1600/TLH_Jan2013_%C2%A9ToddLawson_MountainLife.20-595px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDswlquvK01F8oiTZEgEfKd0b7xgIJE4XYPeK5CjnGU9E-DyK0_xpXkASdZVSqjthCkBLlLtzJVhdGVLaS96O-PHFp6HJfCXwOKUq5YML-peRFRRgiqy4ZO_3Sw3Mz2_gmQgJjCLl/s1600/TLH_Jan2013_%C2%A9ToddLawson_MountainLife.20-595px.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Your's truly around the White Cross area. Credit: <a href="http://mountainlifemag.ca/" target="_blank">Todd Lawson</a>)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9FdyEbO1CnSLyVQh6aK3HoouzILlE2_I8EB8QTHtGKHunrUx8vudRchE8_s80_ebOynDw9mbERUiyEbXrg3dh47AmQSgGgtpnHz5eGkdHc8mQeDYxUgPMT9sCTNMDtFlZCg_v73t/s1600/TLH_Jan2013_%C2%A9ToddLawson_MountainLife.22-595PX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9FdyEbO1CnSLyVQh6aK3HoouzILlE2_I8EB8QTHtGKHunrUx8vudRchE8_s80_ebOynDw9mbERUiyEbXrg3dh47AmQSgGgtpnHz5eGkdHc8mQeDYxUgPMT9sCTNMDtFlZCg_v73t/s1600/TLH_Jan2013_%C2%A9ToddLawson_MountainLife.22-595PX.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Heli Landing underneath some of TLH's "smaller" alpine features. Credit: <a href="http://mountainlifemag.ca/" target="_blank">Todd Lawson</a>)</i></td></tr>
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Fast forward through the next group cruising big alpine bowls, blasting steep trees and skiing fast open runs to the third group. With new snow falling and the storm still going we went searching for long tree runs. Those snow geeks out there will note that the storm came in covering the January 23rd Surface Hoar and Facet layer, and within our tenure we didn't see a large amount of natural activity, although one avalanche failed on the January 04 Surface Hoar layer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a8mNxPVyWSnMd4b9eHLT6e5uNLE88gWA_om9S5G_8bUwjs9gYUjllgVgkOuQI00b-mj-t0lL-9phd3GvyBeFQx_9DVMEGJFe1aJdIIxnpIjrchm0JpTFD4n4gCjRiVHceFDmi2hyphenhyphen/s1600/TLH+Snowboarder+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a8mNxPVyWSnMd4b9eHLT6e5uNLE88gWA_om9S5G_8bUwjs9gYUjllgVgkOuQI00b-mj-t0lL-9phd3GvyBeFQx_9DVMEGJFe1aJdIIxnpIjrchm0JpTFD4n4gCjRiVHceFDmi2hyphenhyphen/s1600/TLH+Snowboarder+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Snowboarder shredding 'Puerto Rico' in the Taylor area)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5m42TUfV-lqNkQNt4WhW_Pyda0Tf9IV1ScBZTXdbD3bKRCK5kJMNbk97MwjisUmj0BNLU7JuH1WlImHIKkuSmNzzDG20JDUjWdeHwSwSEtmFC4giA0PIvIjXYDOio_SLiBfAhAt2/s1600/Heli+Cam+2+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5m42TUfV-lqNkQNt4WhW_Pyda0Tf9IV1ScBZTXdbD3bKRCK5kJMNbk97MwjisUmj0BNLU7JuH1WlImHIKkuSmNzzDG20JDUjWdeHwSwSEtmFC4giA0PIvIjXYDOio_SLiBfAhAt2/s1600/Heli+Cam+2+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: GoPro's, mountains, and really big toys Run: Tahiti Bite. Thanks Lorenz Muggli!)</i></td></tr>
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When the sun broke again we were lucky enough to have amazing views, and good stability, which translated into shredding really cool runs! It's important to know that every week at TLH is steep week, if conditions permit, and we got on stuff that was steep and aesthetic. Chutes, big faces, massive alpine features and bowls, stoked to be out so far in the coast and have the chance to ski all this amazing terrain. Especially happy when the conditions lined up to drop into a line that was 45 degrees, full of pillows and great cliff hucks, in perfect thigh deep powder.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-ZUv1kyyE0lx-_Q5AAUsf2d37OjGW7jYPC5W5D5_KyeHo0fJXskHVeb6Bnbb8RLQa3vGYnnnnR2ASOuoV3AsvWtTm53C3qYfBdiAtqc7ehwvaA6Z_v2-_5RUEJbp4U4HVOs3_o3i/s1600/photo+1+R+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-ZUv1kyyE0lx-_Q5AAUsf2d37OjGW7jYPC5W5D5_KyeHo0fJXskHVeb6Bnbb8RLQa3vGYnnnnR2ASOuoV3AsvWtTm53C3qYfBdiAtqc7ehwvaA6Z_v2-_5RUEJbp4U4HVOs3_o3i/s1600/photo+1+R+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: One of our guys squeezing in the last of our light for the day)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v8Tcjb2yf7c6RoI_39u6Fq5-BuYPBdSAy5wntiInoHbwI1IfvV30fiu5r6cTEGcfTooTLcAq4uC-g0xLYG3VVHAb3hOwuVQV_-PxiGu18H-KleJC0Uf6a6OajR2Isd9JWcKQs4oA/s1600/Big+Glaciers+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v8Tcjb2yf7c6RoI_39u6Fq5-BuYPBdSAy5wntiInoHbwI1IfvV30fiu5r6cTEGcfTooTLcAq4uC-g0xLYG3VVHAb3hOwuVQV_-PxiGu18H-KleJC0Uf6a6OajR2Isd9JWcKQs4oA/s1600/Big+Glaciers+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo Above: Heli-Ski Sightseeing while skiing between Ethelweard and Icemaker Mountains)</td></tr>
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Now, I got a week off for some rest and relaxation, along with some Ski Touring! Stoked on shredding at work and at home!<br />
<b>Vertical Skied on Shift:</b> 62,025m (203,494 ft)Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-21256189599806041552013-01-16T09:26:00.001-08:002013-01-16T09:26:16.849-08:00Guiding At Whitecap AlpineThere are a few places where everything lines up; terrain, location, snow quality, storm and good stability skiing, good food, etc. I had the chance to get up to <a href="http://www.whitecapalpine.ca/" target="_blank">Whitecap Alpine</a> to guide last week and spent an amazing week skiing blower snow in a deep cold Coastal storm, and also under the blue skies of an Arctic Outflow cruising around the high alpine. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKcIlnycdrc3OGnpS_UwmNk7r8-AEQf5s-eVB-3G8-wTCQuAISEIiG1qUBCgTkIGwiZ7Zd8AzRn-SNBYBqLf0e-g1v_GdJY8IfIwISVvWit3nuTQgj3-x_FBAPRUzzFgZ5wf5sFCa/s1600/WHITEcap+CR+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKcIlnycdrc3OGnpS_UwmNk7r8-AEQf5s-eVB-3G8-wTCQuAISEIiG1qUBCgTkIGwiZ7Zd8AzRn-SNBYBqLf0e-g1v_GdJY8IfIwISVvWit3nuTQgj3-x_FBAPRUzzFgZ5wf5sFCa/s1600/WHITEcap+CR+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: One of our guests taking his skiing to new heights, Melissa's Run Area, Whitecap Alpine)</i></td></tr>
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The first group of guests were lucky enough to see a solid amount of snow fall under perfect conditions, with little to no wind, on top of a well settled snowpack. It was exactly what every guide hopes to see from a storm, with little issues in stability and thus able to get high reward skiing in on the steeps. <br />
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Among our guests were two professional photographers who took every chance they could to capture amazing images, and also got some amazing lines into their photo spots. Jonathan Hayward from the Canadian Press had his shots published in the Vancouver Sun (<a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Photos+backcountry+best/7808020/story.html" target="_blank">see them here</a>), and Paul 'Harv' Wright was nice enough to toss me a great photo; seen below. Check out his website at <a href="http://www.wrightmoment.com/" target="_blank">wrightmoment.com</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8SDVF9fLn8pC-p5OJPR4m2vY2qhfzVzCP6gnNLKqYKHcSF9UHsXHse-GTC0pqNfPhyXK0eG_LXgrXvh1jCJ7MJccZNz5UQLJ0WpEQ3nfDkJne24d-onNfLdaVHdDy8EOghx5fm9K/s1600/Whitecap+Ski+Theory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8SDVF9fLn8pC-p5OJPR4m2vY2qhfzVzCP6gnNLKqYKHcSF9UHsXHse-GTC0pqNfPhyXK0eG_LXgrXvh1jCJ7MJccZNz5UQLJ0WpEQ3nfDkJne24d-onNfLdaVHdDy8EOghx5fm9K/s1600/Whitecap+Ski+Theory.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Owner Lars Andrews hard at work, photo <a href="http://www.wrightmoment.com/" target="_blank">Paul Wright</a>)</i></td></tr>
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Our first group of guests were lucky enough to be snowed in at the lodge for an extra day, so while we waited for the helicopter we snuck in some of Chef (and amazing rock climber) Kinley Aitken's amazing food and sampled more deep deep powder. Each run more amazing than the last.<br />
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When the storm finally lifted, and we managed to transfer our new group in, the weather really improved. <a href="http://www.genuineguidegear.com/life/people/lars" target="_blank">Lars Andrews</a>, <a href="http://www.genuineguidegear.com/life/people/joeyv" target="_blank">Joey Vosburgh</a>, and myself ended up taking the crew on a huge loop up one side of the range, around, down, and back up the other side for a mega tour to really visit as much of the tenure as possible. Conditions were stellar with cold powder, blue skies, and still yet deep trail breaking. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05HBU-88vNg5nKSWO5qBhDtn4IHcYbVAHO0g33BAKZJ8BCPY-baxbW6nY9OjYzRAq-bbqaabJ2yAdouGtKlmQ2T4QBdiKBytKcNZYFiWwv1xM79KK8t1LYVaSB5p_vuMOJiPzPr6y/s1600/Group+Whitecap+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05HBU-88vNg5nKSWO5qBhDtn4IHcYbVAHO0g33BAKZJ8BCPY-baxbW6nY9OjYzRAq-bbqaabJ2yAdouGtKlmQ2T4QBdiKBytKcNZYFiWwv1xM79KK8t1LYVaSB5p_vuMOJiPzPr6y/s1600/Group+Whitecap+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Group skinning up for another summit bootpack)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVELsvssEltZj73_cUx_bS4h7Ny8tp8pKIz7t__SeiR4KsqUZQdu4e0Rxo2URnNfP7djYykldGly1yMrCU3czNtEt6w5AOpEySMUgpOALrhwQzm2YvLdM0DbWTBVJr4wVpCb7miPNz/s1600/Adam+Whitecap+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVELsvssEltZj73_cUx_bS4h7Ny8tp8pKIz7t__SeiR4KsqUZQdu4e0Rxo2URnNfP7djYykldGly1yMrCU3czNtEt6w5AOpEySMUgpOALrhwQzm2YvLdM0DbWTBVJr4wVpCb7miPNz/s1600/Adam+Whitecap+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Group arriving up high in the alpine on the first day, amazing views in every direction)</i></td></tr>
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Each day we skied thousands of feet of vertical, in an area that could be described as a ski and snowboard touring playground. If there is one place I am stoked to work and ski, this is it, the possibilities are endless. Guests were stoked, guides were having a blast, it was the way it should be. Now after a few days off it's off to TLH for some Heli Skiing! I'll miss ski touring, Whitecap was amazing.Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-92158693868471297252012-12-31T15:12:00.000-08:002012-12-31T15:12:21.396-08:00TLH SetupJust got back from an incredible few days up at work. The goal of the week wasn't to guide but to get everything ready for when guests arrive. We ended up flagging helicopter landings throughout the entire tenure, dug snow profiles everywhere possible, and "tested" the snow with our skis as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n1PFcqcDGwgKyN2HoiRTe5_cB6rvJiNRHeTzRNsWZ9lz1rs0MHrMTh6jRBYZ5MZvxDJG3FYrie2EGP0QbxnQSHfWLOV7fq5VZsUmwrx3JbNO9e5YK2U3yyD65LTLCmcBft6XHUCj/s1600/Profiles+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n1PFcqcDGwgKyN2HoiRTe5_cB6rvJiNRHeTzRNsWZ9lz1rs0MHrMTh6jRBYZ5MZvxDJG3FYrie2EGP0QbxnQSHfWLOV7fq5VZsUmwrx3JbNO9e5YK2U3yyD65LTLCmcBft6XHUCj/s1600/Profiles+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Snow info exchange, then.... skiing)</i></td></tr>
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The goal of digging lots of snow profiles is important, and I like to do this myself throughout the beginning and rest of the year so that I can make better plans in regards to avalanche hazard, weather, and terrain. Areas such as the Whistler Blackcomb area are very different than say for example the Steep Creek Area, Brandywine, or Coquihalla even though they are all in the Coast. They are all subject to different weather, see different temperatures, snowfall amounts and weights, along with wind and sun. So flying around the massive tenure is important, just the same as travelling throughout all your regular mountain ranges to gain relevant snowpack information is.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlAGFUTzUUCi1I-5oPf_L3LiLofmu1EdoZylTX3bcnkxND_iUeoRVt3WbyaVaCTtWjorFCK2f5jCyi7k7hVEJfwWRKYqREvADm1fYu1eN4XZy38mcnn6_d9cTQ295xmkMPyNx-RPc/s1600/In+Flight2+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlAGFUTzUUCi1I-5oPf_L3LiLofmu1EdoZylTX3bcnkxND_iUeoRVt3WbyaVaCTtWjorFCK2f5jCyi7k7hVEJfwWRKYqREvADm1fYu1eN4XZy38mcnn6_d9cTQ295xmkMPyNx-RPc/s1600/In+Flight2+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Yes this is work, what line to ski?)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSvgeZEvW8qhVnA_cux40aJ5yHJ7Uj6kprOWgtdaQHJpPDZfnJxdW4JSSzriuz0TqgYzW_-Wb0o8kjFhOvUZL5f9PxRPksxDuGQfw5iSZmSfmYAlAwrAwZyRDHjBSCU8G7uaeqd31/s1600/Morning+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSvgeZEvW8qhVnA_cux40aJ5yHJ7Uj6kprOWgtdaQHJpPDZfnJxdW4JSSzriuz0TqgYzW_-Wb0o8kjFhOvUZL5f9PxRPksxDuGQfw5iSZmSfmYAlAwrAwZyRDHjBSCU8G7uaeqd31/s1600/Morning+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Ski Tech and Aspirant Guide Ben in the early morning light, already way out in the Ochre Range)</i></td></tr>
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Day 1, we saw a bit of snow around 2cm, and the rest of the day was mostly broken sky. But we still got lots of stuff done, skied some runs, and dug a bunch of profiles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsZrhn9OgHMr_fv4-r_IQ_55JZI14_rh4zZnXsHbO9NRaSWn1iwwSUyoVNCCNBgchyphenhyphenwHLRqSggjNB8NKzdl6MNOiB_ExdG0GAvZt-0zpJavW0WvNvPyZtG3gJIhh4Brubs_UUqpwi/s1600/Gavin+Skiing+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsZrhn9OgHMr_fv4-r_IQ_55JZI14_rh4zZnXsHbO9NRaSWn1iwwSUyoVNCCNBgchyphenhyphenwHLRqSggjNB8NKzdl6MNOiB_ExdG0GAvZt-0zpJavW0WvNvPyZtG3gJIhh4Brubs_UUqpwi/s1600/Gavin+Skiing+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Our Operation Manager cruising off after we finished our test profile, North of the Dickson Range.)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAknTawLyiVlKKtZRlZOC8fB3JcKecDDjmX03RZ9L8m6MdwTXuomH8t0NftqNM8DvLPy_grWkRFhbQj0VZDVTOmTMnMZYQ8oFLc0zRxF92Y5OW0jXQZLmm8kGdjSeI7Aja60-rFWvi/s1600/Fasp+Couloir+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAknTawLyiVlKKtZRlZOC8fB3JcKecDDjmX03RZ9L8m6MdwTXuomH8t0NftqNM8DvLPy_grWkRFhbQj0VZDVTOmTMnMZYQ8oFLc0zRxF92Y5OW0jXQZLmm8kGdjSeI7Aja60-rFWvi/s1600/Fasp+Couloir+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Fasp Peak Couloir, Salal Creek Area)</i></td></tr>
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Day 2, was stellar. Unbelievably beautiful weather, high quality hero snow, no wind, cold temps, and fuel to burn. We skied runs in nearly every sub range, dug 10 profiles, ski cut, ate amazing food, checked out some great terrain for potential ski descents, and flagged a large part of the tenure. <br />
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This year is looking up to be a great one! Happy New Year everyone!Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-75455696055921958492012-12-28T09:38:00.000-08:002012-12-28T09:38:56.442-08:00Mt Howard CouloirAs some may have read in a <a href="http://www.skitheory.blogspot.ca/2012/12/early-season-pow-skiing.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, I have thought of one of the top ways to have a great season is to ski somewhere new every week, which is exactly what we did yesterday. Christina Lusti, Jason Kruk, Paul Cordy, Jeff Van Driel, and I all headed out, expecting a bit of sun, to Mt Howard to check out it's impressive face and couloir just beyond the Vantage Matier Col.<div>
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And rather than the typical trip report, I thought I'd try something new, with primarily just photographs from the day (many of which didn't come out since we were whited out after climbing to the top). Enjoy!<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcsziOGFPGhGSilOzsowlP-JE4fZpf5JKqUk4fTxpNc3sSmlV1T9a6kvRGIRbZWRXvw248nSGLhnBzFE2jgYMUDLTkmo4I68zbvmZWP2qOwYLTtWUStpsf-n2ILpeSNFqGtLFNRNE/s1600/Mt+Howard+Vantage+Matier+Col+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcsziOGFPGhGSilOzsowlP-JE4fZpf5JKqUk4fTxpNc3sSmlV1T9a6kvRGIRbZWRXvw248nSGLhnBzFE2jgYMUDLTkmo4I68zbvmZWP2qOwYLTtWUStpsf-n2ILpeSNFqGtLFNRNE/s1600/Mt+Howard+Vantage+Matier+Col+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Skinning over the Vantage Matier Col with a very broken Twin One Glacier ahead of us)</i></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoWF69Q87pwbR9MQbAXZtvwppg1fxnKwYPxjZkTeBPDGCrXogMAXbRzqjx45s9Kq8ynPv-p_RqvfpRXaDSQGHAQXjUVAuVD01qnLC-2uMcIo1qtklvTF_A9tix124-zkWY4KJtgkY/s1600/Mt+Howard+Jason+Transition+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoWF69Q87pwbR9MQbAXZtvwppg1fxnKwYPxjZkTeBPDGCrXogMAXbRzqjx45s9Kq8ynPv-p_RqvfpRXaDSQGHAQXjUVAuVD01qnLC-2uMcIo1qtklvTF_A9tix124-zkWY4KJtgkY/s1600/Mt+Howard+Jason+Transition+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Jason Kruk transitioning beneath the looming Mt Howard)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupGd_QtNrQdzjO96V-eBGGl3lJznGNyagqBcZ-TkqD5zr-w9cNkttzLFYu6gqeZgbw79Z7K7by-XH_vqVemJC1D8pdCWq359g-LU-q6rgrKiJxURk8fpkFfhUU4k6ETTzBgIwNVYg/s1600/Mt+Howard+Skintrack+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupGd_QtNrQdzjO96V-eBGGl3lJznGNyagqBcZ-TkqD5zr-w9cNkttzLFYu6gqeZgbw79Z7K7by-XH_vqVemJC1D8pdCWq359g-LU-q6rgrKiJxURk8fpkFfhUU4k6ETTzBgIwNVYg/s1600/Mt+Howard+Skintrack+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: The crew finding the way through a small wind curl to gain the Pocket Glacier guarding the summit)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FEB7GvZdH2lU0_PBuAMiHtSfcwKPwKEnpckKm69itZxS0AcKvrq4Qbo6e4COwtyVUg26JBNlJRFTwUYqENs5gcLA0-b_MKbi5zpSw3ozmUSbYLG-iRrfPtdxC8YRTN2wniFBvA83/s1600/Mt+Howard+Face+CR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: The Upper Face of Mt Howard, as seen from the Pocket Glacier halfway up)</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FEB7GvZdH2lU0_PBuAMiHtSfcwKPwKEnpckKm69itZxS0AcKvrq4Qbo6e4COwtyVUg26JBNlJRFTwUYqENs5gcLA0-b_MKbi5zpSw3ozmUSbYLG-iRrfPtdxC8YRTN2wniFBvA83/s1600/Mt+Howard+Face+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i></i></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWR8oP_KUIaASJ2_mqie-IxCmtZ2TYqQlFIuFqss4I-DMqt0839x8kmBLrD0BNz3KcspJKjyBDb0BOQZUnHjQGTl0t__ZXRVoBmIRRt4gliEDR0mKH09ql-XRnTolgMWIsDoh44hgW/s1600/Mt+Howard+Pocket+Glacier+CR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: The crew on the skintrack making our way on a shelf 3/4 of the way up the face)</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://distilleryimage2.instagram.com/c4ae026e508311e297b922000a1fa527_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://distilleryimage2.instagram.com/c4ae026e508311e297b922000a1fa527_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Skinning up the upper shelf to the base of the couloir, stoked to be somewhere new. Photo By: Christina Lusti)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://distilleryimage5.instagram.com/897e1638508411e29d7a22000a1f9d9b_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://distilleryimage5.instagram.com/897e1638508411e29d7a22000a1f9d9b_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Transitioning from skins to bootpacking at the mouth of the couloir. Photo By: Christina Lusti)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/6bafc556508511e2926822000a1f9c9b_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/6bafc556508511e2926822000a1f9c9b_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Jason Kruk crushing the bootpack up the Couloir. Photo By: Christina Lusti)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHdLYK8eu2FdVuLJ2viiJMoDtFS5WZx7eRUFTTebZkndVHPROPjf-FmR26A0NyrErNTWC0peZW59quYe7F5i1NFEsWmG2NYOIkg-2Kpv_fZmRgFB4pcVMP8HFLX_zgxoANwymNVu5/s1600/Bootpack+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHdLYK8eu2FdVuLJ2viiJMoDtFS5WZx7eRUFTTebZkndVHPROPjf-FmR26A0NyrErNTWC0peZW59quYe7F5i1NFEsWmG2NYOIkg-2Kpv_fZmRgFB4pcVMP8HFLX_zgxoANwymNVu5/s1600/Bootpack+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Finishing up the climb and topping out on an incredibly windy ridge)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cOFDU544nZmzBv6vCYjvyF5wEHCaVFZacxOA7l-f2pt1QIfWP-Ttm1Nsk5g4vIB3_5BKWXj5O9qKzsSz4bZFWKWQ2whH6ckkkzcg2UyDXtdexVTWNYQvS_VYkpyZ2tbINXOm4qaN/s1600/Mt+Howard+Christina+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cOFDU544nZmzBv6vCYjvyF5wEHCaVFZacxOA7l-f2pt1QIfWP-Ttm1Nsk5g4vIB3_5BKWXj5O9qKzsSz4bZFWKWQ2whH6ckkkzcg2UyDXtdexVTWNYQvS_VYkpyZ2tbINXOm4qaN/s1600/Mt+Howard+Christina+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Christina Lusti showing how it's done, even in a white out)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://distilleryimage1.instagram.com/7495b708510111e2bb3522000a1fb076_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://distilleryimage1.instagram.com/7495b708510111e2bb3522000a1fb076_7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Alex Wigley finishing up the Couloir. Photo By: Christina Lusti)</i></td></tr>
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Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-16237646677736110702012-12-26T11:40:00.004-08:002012-12-26T11:40:41.503-08:00December Skiing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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December. TLH Guides Training, teaching avalanche courses, ski touring, some Heli time, and a few days of guiding make for little time to blog. Getting out as much as possible in the mountains for work or play is soul soothing. The challenges behind access, navigation, avalanche hazard, decision making, etc, is what drives the motivation and is kept by experiencing something new each day. Here are some photos to show you what's been going on...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-F0aho1s5MX4GpmhFA8SUhRWiMY7kodk_aQGUDvTRAza5Mh0PiSKMIS8GshgxTaIdI4EEbyFJEp8wsK9XwW7DnMMtm4NN3-QPUI7kXiMqlm5KZ_hq71WUCQY4uhi9SCJhz_YVFKOz/s1600/Heli+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-F0aho1s5MX4GpmhFA8SUhRWiMY7kodk_aQGUDvTRAza5Mh0PiSKMIS8GshgxTaIdI4EEbyFJEp8wsK9XwW7DnMMtm4NN3-QPUI7kXiMqlm5KZ_hq71WUCQY4uhi9SCJhz_YVFKOz/s1600/Heli+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Re-Fueling the Heli for the first day of Heli-Skiing)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0cEPdJ6GegmOiramgq3VuNrJlBVw5_tdqr8C0TprQWbgGBV2yXPg7kymkqYl7zWXbshUtloeQSAG4uGn2qf8PNJps74ENGBGubMOnlHa4AzrOz5G1nehJ9TwtJ_pnzdKE1uw-m5l/s1600/Cat+Drop+Guides+Training+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0cEPdJ6GegmOiramgq3VuNrJlBVw5_tdqr8C0TprQWbgGBV2yXPg7kymkqYl7zWXbshUtloeQSAG4uGn2qf8PNJps74ENGBGubMOnlHa4AzrOz5G1nehJ9TwtJ_pnzdKE1uw-m5l/s1600/Cat+Drop+Guides+Training+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Just a bunch of Guides hanging out on the Hurley area near Tenquille Mountain)</i></td></tr>
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Lucky enough to get a break in work and getting out in the mountains for myself has been just as good. Christina Lusti, Jason Kruk, and I got out for a pow slashing day on Mt Cayoosh to go ski the Million Dollar Couloir in the increasingly high quality snow December had brought us. We were fortunate enough to break trail the whole day, not seeing another soul, and even found the snow on the glacier to be filling in nicely. It was good to be among friends harvesting DEEP powder.<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4GpKMVqkHYsLRlSrTP5hXQoEnI48aZFQzYeS3XeV6iyC6KW-3jV0UhNhll7XIooO5KqYWYPgve1SrtfdG4WUAb2nKW0AfA82bCkmz4HdhEhOZ3IOzCMx6S2GD5t_jg5LV4X8FXki/s1600/Christina+Ridge+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4GpKMVqkHYsLRlSrTP5hXQoEnI48aZFQzYeS3XeV6iyC6KW-3jV0UhNhll7XIooO5KqYWYPgve1SrtfdG4WUAb2nKW0AfA82bCkmz4HdhEhOZ3IOzCMx6S2GD5t_jg5LV4X8FXki/s1600/Christina+Ridge+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: <a href="http://christinalusti.com/" target="_blank">Christina Lusti</a> cruising over to Million Dollar Couloir)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmSaVB4NNfzQdSaF2aHbrfS9CpvGbvuILI7LOaniHguLqtXpgUG9cuRzxRh9zBn7DvRUepFJa5eHESKoAyBVHoDnqOyoe4PwpznleANVuNiLMrejEEow7WHZoBez_dxZP1bkwn5cK/s1600/DEEP+Storm+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmSaVB4NNfzQdSaF2aHbrfS9CpvGbvuILI7LOaniHguLqtXpgUG9cuRzxRh9zBn7DvRUepFJa5eHESKoAyBVHoDnqOyoe4PwpznleANVuNiLMrejEEow7WHZoBez_dxZP1bkwn5cK/s1600/DEEP+Storm+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: <a href="http://www.alpineartist.ca/" target="_blank">Jason Kruk</a> harvesting some DEEP snow before dropping into the Million Dollar Couloir)</i></td></tr>
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There have been more people heading to the mountains this year, again. Days, weeks, and months of time spent in the mountains make them home, introducing people to them and seeing their respect grow is amazing. It's good to see people's interest grow in them, so there are more people out there to protect them, and ensure they stay wild.<br />
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<i>"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity..." - John Muir</i><br />
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Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-11360248712900320002012-12-07T10:14:00.001-08:002012-12-07T10:14:48.094-08:00Early Season Pow Skiing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Early season skiing; good for getting to know the snowpack, and shredding as much as possible for yourself. Lots of good days so far, Rogers Pass, Duffey Lake Road Area, Whistler, Squamish to name a few. I've gotten out training for some real objectives, and hope the weather this year will come through so they go. Here are just a few shots for a mellow early season blog post, and how to make this season one of the best.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hrjttmK1DH65LJHAYj3A0wIGuOSK4aqSjFikGlox6imbKYGGwTaKYAVpE8bD-Vllxyy8ZZh7FtaPV8IUj127TkTsUrBhVNDHLFCmZoZKFVNTPkjuicriOEMLs7r1HXsMKWaqMj3H/s1600/Alex+-+Paul+Ridge+Pow+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hrjttmK1DH65LJHAYj3A0wIGuOSK4aqSjFikGlox6imbKYGGwTaKYAVpE8bD-Vllxyy8ZZh7FtaPV8IUj127TkTsUrBhVNDHLFCmZoZKFVNTPkjuicriOEMLs7r1HXsMKWaqMj3H/s1600/Alex+-+Paul+Ridge+Pow+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Out Shredding With The Boys. Photo Credit: <a href="http://howesoundsales.blogspot.ca/2012/12/getting-out-of-house.html" target="_blank">Julian Stoddart @ Howe Sound Sales & Marketing</a> Skier: Alex Wigley)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0noghRLd8zS-xU5Ov-WHcJyc27FvJd6oZwblJZXawWS57oA7FfznYTh4wNssaV706N6Fle1EYKFHRBbEjI4pECE8QUwXiA4Rrglo1LmiyAFZ8m_KLhxXsBH8XYlY5MAzG-72v35bG/s1600/Flute+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0noghRLd8zS-xU5Ov-WHcJyc27FvJd6oZwblJZXawWS57oA7FfznYTh4wNssaV706N6Fle1EYKFHRBbEjI4pECE8QUwXiA4Rrglo1LmiyAFZ8m_KLhxXsBH8XYlY5MAzG-72v35bG/s1600/Flute+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Turns off Flute, Whistler, BC)</i></td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><u>5 Things To Have Your Best Season Yet:</u></span></b></div>
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5. Ski at least one full moon night this year.</div>
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4. Head on a hut trip every month, don't skimp on real, good, food.</div>
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3. Find the longest fall line ski runs in all your favourite areas.</div>
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2. Ski a new area every week.</div>
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1. Plan and execute that big ski trip that you've thought about for years.</div>
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<i>If you have any more let's hear them!</i></div>
Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-63641821624092720872012-10-24T13:54:00.001-07:002012-10-24T19:44:23.878-07:00Whistler Debates, Backcountry Access<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpeT6tQCiSA2cZimEdmnBMXsZMuPMmShWu1z_Q1Pu6M5hGNYFkHXD1a6TUFFqNAT1JPlKV3DIv-Y5D0oG35W4whwUuMzHt6xsJoLNfwoPQmX2FuUrB4RT2n7aDAnPKMNJpXYzEqL-/s1600/POSTER+-+Backcountry+Debate+Shrunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpeT6tQCiSA2cZimEdmnBMXsZMuPMmShWu1z_Q1Pu6M5hGNYFkHXD1a6TUFFqNAT1JPlKV3DIv-Y5D0oG35W4whwUuMzHt6xsJoLNfwoPQmX2FuUrB4RT2n7aDAnPKMNJpXYzEqL-/s1600/POSTER+-+Backcountry+Debate+Shrunk.jpg" /></a><br />
Think the Spearhead Huts are the greatest idea since fat skis? Does the ongoing rush to the backcountry, risks spoiling the solitude (and fresh pow) that draws us out there in the first place? How do we best maintain a relationship with wilderness in our increasingly urban, online world? If you have ever pondered such matters, this night is for you. Come watch prominent members of the backcountry community debate the merits of improved access to that rugged and remote paradise, the backcountry.<br />
<br />
This should be an entertaining night of heated debates and talking about spending time in the mountains just in time to get stoked to the start of the season. Hope to see you there!<br />
<br />
<b>Debaters: </b> Alex Wigley, Frank Salter, Michel Beaudry, and Wayne Flann<br />
<b>Where:</b> Millennium Place<br />
<b>When:</b> Monday, October 29th, 8pm (doors @ 7:30)<br />
<b>Tickets:</b> $10 advance/$12 day of event, available at Millennium Place and Whistler Museum.<br />
<b>More Info: </b> <a href="http://blog.whistlermuseum.org/upcoming-events/">http://blog.whistlermuseum.org/upcoming-events/</a>Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-3192398189745963942012-10-09T18:57:00.000-07:002012-10-09T18:58:40.091-07:00The Truth's About Backcountry Skiing 2The sequel to "<a href="http://skitheory.blogspot.ca/2011/08/truths-about-backcountry-skiing.html" target="_blank">The Truth's About Backcountry Skiing</a>" post from the beginning of the last years season.<br />
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Got any of your own?Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-63334254875823101812012-10-03T15:32:00.000-07:002012-10-03T18:07:55.991-07:00What's In My Pack And WhyIt's nearly the start of a new season, and a great time to start planning trips, and organizing gear. Going through avalanche case studies, friends accounts of avalanches, and reading more avalanche articles I keep remembering one key piece of every incident that doesn't always get discussed. Gear. If you don't have the right gear your chances of survival, and dealing with an accident, dramatically decrease. Skiing in the backcountry, you should have everything you need in order to rescue, stabilize, and evacuate someone;
spend the night, melt water, create heat, and get out of the snow when
necessary. An emergency is an emergency regardless of whether you are in deep the
backcountry or even just outside the ski area boundary, and requires just as much
care. Otherwise, things may not turn out
as you may hope, with too little equipment to deal with the situation. So here's what I carry in my pack as a reference.<br />
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<b><u>Inside The Pack</u></b></div>
<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u>0. Pieps Myotis 30
Pack</u></b></div>
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- I like this pack,
it works, but it's hard to like any one pack as nothing is perfect and I tend
to sway back and forth between my favourite Pieps, Black Diamond, Deuter,
Dynafit, and Arcteryx packs, Pieps was just what I used last, but it ranks high
because of it's separate snow tools pocket, carrying ability, and ski carrying
system. The quest for the perfect pack
continues...</div>
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<b><u>1. Mammut Pulse
Beacon, AviTech Shovel, Speed Probe</u></b></div>
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- The Pulse
transceiver is easily the best transceiver I've ever used, and have watch
hundreds of students and peers recover beacons during training in a fraction of
the time that they would have using other beacons, especially when dealing with
multiple burials. It's easily
customizable, and is designed for simplicity, and speed. The Speed Probe is good, but like the pack,
all my probes have worked well but I have yet to find one that really stands
out. My AviTech on the other hand is a
shovel I've come to love. It makes
digging a beautifully crafted snow profile easy, and hauls snow when it needs
to. What is important and makes life
easier in an overnight, is that it also doubles as a great shelter as it will
help build your snow shelter. Example: quincy, trench, snowcave.</div>
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<b><u>2. Snow Study Kit and
G3 Bonesaw</u></b></div>
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- I don't like the
basic snow study saws as I can't cut trees with them, the G3's Bonesaw does
both. Metal and black screen for snow crystals is great because the white snow crystals show up great against the black background, seems obvious but there are lots of white crystal screens out there.</div>
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<b><u>3. Rab Down Jacket </u></b></div>
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- This serves as my
warm-up jacket, and doubles as my sleeping bag if I'm forced to stay overnight,
paired with a tarp and foam pullout stored in the back panel of my pack it's
actually pretty comfortable night in a snowcave.</div>
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<b><u>4. Modified Rescue
Bubble (Rescue Toboggan)</u></b></div>
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- This one is key,
most people practice avalanche scenarios, where they find a person buried
underneath the snow, probe the target and dig it up. Now instead of finishing there, continue the
scenario and move that person a mere 300m away off to a safe spot without their
help. Still think you can carry them
out? The Rescue Bubble is bomber, fits
skis and splitboards, but does not have a large enough area to fit multiple
people underneath during a storm. Which
is why I have a sill tarp sewn onto mine to fit a large group of people
underneath without carrying the toboggan and another heavier tarp. Another great model (and my favourite) is the <a href="http://www.alpinethreadworks.com/products/sledkit.html" target="_blank">Alpine Threadworks Guide Tarp</a>. This toboggan can be your
best friend, serving as a tent, bivy, ceiling, and transportation device for
the injured. </div>
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<b><u>5. Map, Compass, GPS,
Altimeter</u></b></div>
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- Don't know where
you're going, what about where you are?
What happens if you need to let people know where you are for them to
come get you if you're in trouble, not to mention white-out navigation, finding
better ski lines, and making your way back home in a new area? Every map I have is organized at home to
specific map datums, the magnetic declination is written in my field book every
year, and I've drawn lines and routes all over the map to ensure I get amazing
skiing opposed to just okay skiing.</div>
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<b><u>6. Rope Rescue Kit</u></b></div>
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- I have about 5
different rope kits for different days, but the one that is used almost always
is my trusty Beal Rando 30m 8mm rope with BD Couloir harness. I carry Camp Nano 23 ultralight biners with
Vapourlock locking Biners, accessory cord, and extra triple length Dyneema sewn
slings. This kit isn't my lightest, but
it still is very light, and will rescue really well or get me into big terrain
well too. Complete contents for crevasse
rescue below:</div>
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- 1x 30m 8mm Rope</div>
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- 1x Harness</div>
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- 2x 240cm Dyneema Slings</div>
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- 3x 5m pieces of Cordellete to match the rope</div>
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- 3x Locking Biners</div>
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- 3x Non Locking Biners</div>
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- 1x 20cm Ice Screw</div>
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<b><u>7. First Aid Kit</u></b></div>
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- Enough gear to stop
a deadly bleed, set a broken bone, deal with cuts and abrasions, CPR (pocket
mask), hypothermia (heat packs), and tons of other life threatening issues or
just to make a hilarious fall not ruin brand new gore-tex with a few drops of
blood. I've found a lot of pre-built
kits on the market are heavy, as well fall short of what you want and need, so
building your own custom kit is the way to go.</div>
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<b><u>8. Repair Kit +
Multi-tool + 'Real' Posi Drive
#3 Screwdriver</u></b></div>
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- Zapstraps fix so
much, but also skin parts, heli-coils, Quiverkiller inserts, tele-screws, odd
parts, epoxy, and even an extra toe piece go a really long way. If someone breaks something in the
backcountry first I want to ensure they can get home okay, but secondly
hopefully I can salvage the day and continue harvesting deep powder like
nothing even happened. The full on Posi Drive #3 screw
driver is a luxury. With this
screwdriver, you can take bindings on and off, adjust, and fix tons of stuff
without stripping screws for later and making life easy. Combined with the multi-tool and the rest of
the repair kit you are a mobile ski tech.</div>
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<b><u>9. BD Storm Headlamp
and Firestarter</u></b></div>
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- If the sun goes
down and you can't see, guess what you're spending the night! But if you have a headlamp, you created your
own light, and continue on your merry way.
The Storm headlamp is powerful, but small, light, and conserves
batteries really well. This lives in my
pack year round, and sees lots of action.
Everytime I find myself reaching for it, I'm glad I have it. Fire starter, just a small piece of bicycle
inner-tube and a lighter in a ziplock bag, is enough to burn and start a fire
if an emergency calls for it.
Weight: 15g, worth it.</div>
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<b><u>10. Metal Pot + Nalgene</u></b></div>
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- What? Who the hell carries that? It lives in the bottom of my pack, with my
repair kit and some cord stuffed in it.
Doesn't take up room, but allows me to boil water and make water long
after I've run out. It actually weighs nothing and my repair kit lives inside it, so it doesn't really take up any more space if I didn't carry it. For long term
rescues, it can also act as a source of warmth, by boiling water to add to a Nalgene, and stuffing the Nalgene inside your jacket to act as a hot water
bottle, as well as warming the core of avalanche victims in a rescue scenario back up with hot water to drink. </div>
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<b><u>11. Wax</u></b></div>
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- After one day last
year in February, all of our skins gobbed up with moist snow, making skinning
very unpleasant. I normally have wax
with me at all times in the spring, but because it was February I didn't. We suffered due to the cost of sacrificing 10g's. Never again.</div>
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<b><u>12. Radio + Cellphone</u></b></div>
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- Communication is
vital for a rescue, if you can't get a hold of anyone back in civilization you
might as well be on a desert island in the middle of the pacific. Nobody knows there's an emergency, that you
need help, and will only call in the cavalry when you don't show up for your
check in time. Then Search And Rescue
will have to look for you, only in the daylight hours, and over a wider expanse
of terrain at which point you will either be dead of near dead. Two way communication is vital. Spot devices are great, so are certain
Satellite phones, devices like InReach, etc. Two
forms are better than one. The point of
two way communication is that you can let the other party know what's wrong,
what you need, where you are, and your urgency, while they can assist as best
they can over the radio. </div>
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<b><u>13. Extra Gloves And
Toque</u></b></div>
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- This is an easy one
for most of us to understand but the toque is the key. If you ever need to dig someone out of an
avalanche you will notice right away its rare that they are left with all of
their gear. Avalanche's are quite
violent and powerful, your brand new warm toque is probably going to be the
first to go. Having a rescuer present
you with a nice warm new toque after you've gone hypothermic is always a nice
welcome back to the world of the living.</div>
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<b><u>14. Sunscreen,
Sunglasses, Goggles</u></b></div>
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- The sun sometimes
doesn't seem that bad, but it packs a punch, especially when you are out in the
mountains 100+ days a year. A number of
years ago, a ski touring partner of mine got so badly burned up his nose (from
the sun reflecting off the glacier), in his mouth and on his face, we were
forced to take a rest day in our tents to avoid making it worse. Enough said, sunburns and snow-blindness is
for those who don't want to ski.</div>
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<br />
<b><u>Here's what I split among the group.</u></b><br />
1. Rescue Tarp/Toboggan<br />
2. Rope (partner still needs their harness and rescue gear)<br />
3. Repair Kit<br />
4. First Aid (sometimes we still do have a few first aid kits around in case one gets lost in an incident)</div>
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<b><u>Avalanche Incident</u></b></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="332" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/50417601?portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="590"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Even if an avalanche occurs, and all people are accounted for, this equipment is still necessary. A friend of mine, Lee Lau, was caught up in an avalanche in April of 2010. They were prepared, skied well as a group, and something happened. However, because of their strengths skiing the line watching out for each other, having the right equipment, and carrying the proper communication equipment their avalanche accident turned out much better than it could of. Here's the <a href="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/190907-TR-When-everything-goest-to-shit?highlight=fissile+avalanche" target="_blank">Account Of What Happened</a>, and <a href="http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=68218" target="_blank">a step by step version of the accident</a>.<br />
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<b>Be prepared this season, because it's better to carry the gear and not use it, than to not carry it and need it!</b></div>
Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-11967619925670704782012-05-29T13:30:00.001-07:002012-05-29T13:30:58.065-07:00The Backcountry Web And Technology RaceInformation, technology, and the use of mobile phones are the name of the game out in the backcountry, and will be for the foreseeable future. Information, both a plentiful and relevant helping of it, is what we base our decisions on. While ski touring our goal is to gain as much information as possible, but we are limited to our strengths and speed in the mountains, as we are mostly unable to move through vast sums of terrain on our skins unlike a helicopter. However, technology such as mobile phones like Androids, Iphones, and the like connect us to a global community of ski tourers instantly giving us access to more information all around us. But it's still not clear exactly. Mobile technology in the avalanche field is still evolving. This article may even be outdated the second it's put up on the web, but the fact remains that we need to get with the times and learn how to move through the internet quickly, efficiently, so we can gain more information to reflect on while making decisions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIZHDCTA7pFt6kPNcxU47tHI4oUXNyBdAlL60qyee0cfHiR18A2ALFmjoKuMaqcwrisgDxDcyQ9I0QNXEOzRkUFV0SiZaWzf8vv5tMosqTRMx0jU1r2JztcqCtVG0yNmWqEqxcb5K/s1600/Avalanche+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIZHDCTA7pFt6kPNcxU47tHI4oUXNyBdAlL60qyee0cfHiR18A2ALFmjoKuMaqcwrisgDxDcyQ9I0QNXEOzRkUFV0SiZaWzf8vv5tMosqTRMx0jU1r2JztcqCtVG0yNmWqEqxcb5K/s1600/Avalanche+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: A loose snow avalanche running through the Loop Brook approach, which we had skinned through earlier in the morning when the snowpack was much more stable, I posted this on Twitter and Facebook getting quite a few hits and comments. Information Shared)</i></td></tr>
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Webpages are the simplest and most basic way to look at the expansion of the digital age and it's relationship to the mountains. The Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) has dialed in a new wave of forecasting diagrams, using a more visual forecasting system, which is specifically designed to give recreational users a simple but informative view on current conditions and avalanche hazard (<a href="http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/bulletins/latest/south-coast" target="_blank">South-Coast seen here</a>). Taking a step further, advanced users have a forecast details section to read up on, detailing the avalanche report, all of which have been there for years. However, with today's blogosphere and social media networking a new <a href="http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/bulletins/forecaster-blog" target="_blank">Forecaster's Blog</a> has been put in place to further educate anyone who has an extra minute or two, specifically on understanding the current conditions in the field, and gaining even more insight to the world of snow science. The information based solely off the CAC is gold for anyone looking to head out into the mountains, and avoid avalanche's. And last but not least it's all been packaged into one easy app to download onto your mobile phone.<br />
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However, approximately 40% of avalanche incidents go unreported on websites such as the Canadian and/or American Avalanche Association's Incident Database, but do show up on the likes of webpages and social media sites such as Facebook. As a matter of fact, more useful information on rescue from these non-reported incidents found on Facebook have even been utilized by National Avalanche Organizations in order to build better teaching tools and techniques. But for the main point that needs to be made is that these are tools which have not fully reached their potential. Due to the sharing capability, ease of access, and real-time updates, not to mention field accessible on any mobile phone these days, Facebook and other real-time microblogging web products such as Twitter are new possible ways of passing on information.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsmANixdZqxKEAJF3biRIj8Kp6QR1HQEn0i1c1dEQVmsG8ApndyO6PJXwgjSYlpdvVBtiLjv0ZkLt3lwNIxEgDWqjC-tQNRQCAQkdWxkezmNOIDU2fQM7tpEGx3fxw6PRpQDDV5rn/s1600/Avalanche+Investigation+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsmANixdZqxKEAJF3biRIj8Kp6QR1HQEn0i1c1dEQVmsG8ApndyO6PJXwgjSYlpdvVBtiLjv0ZkLt3lwNIxEgDWqjC-tQNRQCAQkdWxkezmNOIDU2fQM7tpEGx3fxw6PRpQDDV5rn/s1600/Avalanche+Investigation+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Avalanche investigation in the Baja area, discovering what lead up to a widespread avalanche cycle, in order to gain a better idea of what''s going on in the snowpack, and how to avoid getting caught for the rest of the week)</i></td></tr>
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The main problem with Facebook and Twitter is the non-sensical jabbering of most people either posting photos of their Friday night or last hut trip which takes up 40% of most posts. However, by using "Pages" for Facebook and "Lists" for Twitter many people can subscribe to the web services without the annoying outside banter focusing on the issues at hand. The final crux being a filter of what gets put on the pages or lists when issued to the subscribers. Both social media sites have mobile apps, with Twitter being a potential for better utilization of quick information by focusing on Lists of selected users who provide relevant information. Sadly, not enough info goes out on Twitter, so Facebook has become the better choice for snippets of info and observations.<br />
<br />
But what's Facebook and Twitter without something to look at, other than posted photos of avalanche observations which may be relevant? Snow profiles can very easily be shared with <a href="http://www.avalanchelab.com/" target="_blank">Avalanche Lab</a>. Avalanche Lab is an app built for the Iphone, that allows users to record all your observations, record your snow profile and then email it in either jpg or pdf to anyone of your choice, even post it on Social Media sites. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrXW79rW65tOWfLv0T0MLtMCl5cncO4fmtoWuUKLqKZYaFHRqdMPoCGWgPDIgsc_bFWWyBI7FmxqEon1Qi7RPYmpBb1PQbGGF9PDeE9qOet3kAx_xWL0XNk9krLbmx6ao0KTw-SQZ/s1600/Backside+Flute+111209+For+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrXW79rW65tOWfLv0T0MLtMCl5cncO4fmtoWuUKLqKZYaFHRqdMPoCGWgPDIgsc_bFWWyBI7FmxqEon1Qi7RPYmpBb1PQbGGF9PDeE9qOet3kAx_xWL0XNk9krLbmx6ao0KTw-SQZ/s1600/Backside+Flute+111209+For+Blog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: A quick snow profile a friend and I dug using the Avalanche Lab App, which has since seen even more updates with the new snow symbols and much more.)</i></td></tr>
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Basic good old fashioned webpages or blogs may be the solution to this filter that Social Media websites lack when it comes to purely avalanche information. Blogs and Webpages require a writer/blogger/technician/user (call it what you will) to go through each piece of information to decide whether it's worthy or not to be put up for people to read. Another crux is the fact that the person putting it up, needs to really understand what is relevant and what isn't, otherwise it's easy for people to be mislead. A perfect example of this is <a href="http://www.wayneflannavalancheblog.com/">www.wayneflannavalancheblog.com</a>, a website for the Sea To Sky Corridor and all it's avalanche and weather observations, as well as relevant tidbits of educational info, all updated every day with constant revisions and additions. The blog is run by Wayne Flann a previous avalanche forecaster, and long time Ski Patrol and SAR member, who has the ability and commitment to share as much info as possible.<br />
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Web forums have definitely had a heavy presence in today's ski scene, to note two of the largest is TetonGravityResearch.com and Biglines.com. Both hold ski and snowboard reports, avalanche info posts, and more, all with potentially viable useful information that can be scanned on a smartphone and during the downtime in the coffee shop heading to the mountains in the morning. They do lack a "professional filter" but have useful information when users properly note occurrences.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStAYKiYT73bsJg7nQJAkUhyphenhyphenBjb9c2eegG9svqDSqHHU6sKorqs87Q8sZanhZj5qKhEjJFeo418VUZiuyJ0mJNRIhhwVjzljrVT2h0m3f9edbYxAzWxWJAQK4nB-LwTHwmTulEbKll/s1600/Avalanche+Cancun+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStAYKiYT73bsJg7nQJAkUhyphenhyphenBjb9c2eegG9svqDSqHHU6sKorqs87Q8sZanhZj5qKhEjJFeo418VUZiuyJ0mJNRIhhwVjzljrVT2h0m3f9edbYxAzWxWJAQK4nB-LwTHwmTulEbKll/s1600/Avalanche+Cancun+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Size 2 avalanche with a 90cm crown at the deepest (right) which is also only a 25 degree slope, the culprit was most likely spotty patches of well preserved Surface Hoar along with Decomposing Facets overloaded with new snow load from a recent storm.)</i></td></tr>
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However, there is a catch. With all this great information sharing technology and websites out there, especially on the recreational level, how do we know the information has been properly recorded by a trained professional or recreational skier who has followed the industry standard observation protocols. Trained avalanche technicians, guides, forecasters, will but what about recreational skiers. This is a vital crux that remains an issue on the public portion of these observations. Someone who doesn't understand the difference between a Sudden Collapse and a Progressive Compression, or even Non-Planar Break could be giving the wrong information to those who are actually basing their decisions on these findings. And although we should always only use other observations to get a better picture of the entire area, rather than base our decisions on one single snow profile, the importance of the accuracy of information is still a large component of that. The only way to combat this is to post credentials with each observation, for others to gauge the accuracy of an individuals observations, and to help that person make a decision on how much weight can be allotted on such a snow profile. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpD5kDHU4fFSK54RaR2G-XRaTcuItLGmrsfhyphenhyphenpjE-2NjaKVaWjL2WZxb5_SknUsJncp1jEqy79rddnvTlaQzjW6pX3LpfeJJ32OPstJMXVj7YpS7XuF7mzhTGyq64FL52tRH_I0OH8/s1600/Bridger+Teton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpD5kDHU4fFSK54RaR2G-XRaTcuItLGmrsfhyphenhyphenpjE-2NjaKVaWjL2WZxb5_SknUsJncp1jEqy79rddnvTlaQzjW6pX3LpfeJJ32OPstJMXVj7YpS7XuF7mzhTGyq64FL52tRH_I0OH8/s1600/Bridger+Teton.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: The Bridger-Teton Avalanche mapping system, a notable event with info and photos)</i></td></tr>
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The <a href="http://www.jhavalanche.org/index.php" target="_blank">Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center</a> has combined a few of these things together along with some other very useful info. Along with collecting field observations from <i>trained</i> backcountry skiers and posting them on their up to date observations section, they have also incorporated everything into a <a href="http://www.jhavalanche.org/eventmap/index.php" target="_blank">Google Maps event map</a> (seen above). The map displays all notable avalanche events, snow profiles (with graph), and all weather plots for a very easy visual idea of what's going on in the field. Users are even able to change the date ranges in order to bring up past information, and get a strong handle on the history of the snowpack and area, before heading out in the field. They even have links to maps which are downloadable for field reference on your Smartphone in PDF format that have avalanche hazard area marked on well used trails (<a href="http://www.jhavalanche.org/statetrailmaps/wyoming.php" target="_blank">seen here</a>).<br />
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Canada is also on top of this Google Maps technology, many guiding and heli-ski operations are utilizing Google Maps for run mapping. But one interesting useful mapping technology is the <a href="http://webapps2.ucalgary.ca/%7Easarc/arfi/#" target="_blank">ArFi</a> mapping software currently in development and research (so take note, errors may exist). The system takes info from every weather product available, snow pillow, webcam, etc, in order to help Forecasters get a better idea of what meteorological effects throughout the day will effect the snowpack and where along with the use of GEM maps (Geographic Earth Mapping). Not so much a public tool, but very useful in the trip planning portion of the day, and for deciding where the best snow quality will be found. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwMs9OmSieon6dY-vNWor9tURS_ORYxZuJQSS7luvmJekNAXIODUKjsg_eo8uGHRj3zTWqnSf83QI-72EbbHtLGlM0HDjR3orYoDmWE3MqTdvmoJTuL3ZN-GqBBEp1xkWMEA1uapQ/s1600/ArFi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwMs9OmSieon6dY-vNWor9tURS_ORYxZuJQSS7luvmJekNAXIODUKjsg_eo8uGHRj3zTWqnSf83QI-72EbbHtLGlM0HDjR3orYoDmWE3MqTdvmoJTuL3ZN-GqBBEp1xkWMEA1uapQ/s1600/ArFi.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Using the ArFi mapping program looking at precipitation moving into the Sea To Sky Corridor. The Green being 0-10mm of precip, Yellow being 10-20mm, and Orange 20-40mm)</i></td></tr>
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And if that amount of snow science products wasn't enough, there's even more, including an Excel spreadsheet called SWarm. SWarm is spreadsheet designed to help calculate and estimate the affect that solar radiation will have on the snowpack on any given day, in relationship to location in the world, cloud cover, elevation, slope angle, and days since the last snowfall. <a href="http://www.ucalgary.ca/asarc/system/files/SWarm-ISSW08.xls" target="_blank">Download it here. </a><br />
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There is far more to the mountains other than snow science and weather. Iphone technology is even beautiful rigged for backcountry skiers to purchase a $7.99 app which gives them complete access to maps of any area, and allows them to plot reference points, in order to navigate through any kind of terrain. A GPS at any gear supplier will cost $80 and up, and usually require you to purchase most of your maps for use on the GPS. The only argument that I've heard is on multi-day trips most people can't recharge an Iphone, that is if they don't have a Goal Zero or any other solar charger. However, it should be used in addition to maps and compass as you can never beat the old schools methods for reliability in storms and for if you run out of juice and need to navigate immediately.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_W42AiOmd36J5gXBa9Qb1VAXghlGDN0Cuv74HSXvN5Yw9wQQF_lAdbd_Jy2bp-Sp6pc6JSntDY-uNvOeMfL99J3DyjffaH6Oq-Wxjn2oPPWvbacA6uRZLLJENJT6OVIh6V88cemc/s1600/DSC05214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_W42AiOmd36J5gXBa9Qb1VAXghlGDN0Cuv74HSXvN5Yw9wQQF_lAdbd_Jy2bp-Sp6pc6JSntDY-uNvOeMfL99J3DyjffaH6Oq-Wxjn2oPPWvbacA6uRZLLJENJT6OVIh6V88cemc/s320/DSC05214.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Iphones, Androids, compatible with In-Reach (<a href="http://backcountryskiingcanada.com/index.php?p=page&page_id=Delorme+inReach+two-way+satellite+communicator" target="_blank">with review and info</a>) and Spot Connect devices are the ultimate to have along with their snow science apps. GPS and map information is readily available for those who want it, and allow you to find your way home while of course recording your ascent and descent for your Facebook profile update at the end of the day. This alone, if many people who became lost in areas had had this technology, may not have spent uncomfortable nights cold in the mountains. Even if they had, they would have been able to Google or text someone to find out how to dig a snowcave, and been far more comfortable while waiting for Search And Rescue.<br />
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There has even been the question of the possibility of putting <a href="http://www.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/zv/en/documents/rn12_FERTIG_tcm63-37220.pdf" target="_blank">beacon technology to use finding cell phones</a>, which is a long ways a way. But the idea has sparked research on Search And Rescue Technology using a Geolocation Satellite System called Galileo, to begin working on it in Europe. The idea is to use a specialized software and cellphone location function, to create an accuracy that Search And Rescue can use when called into a scene. That being said, the beacon is still here for a long long time, as once analog beacons are finally taken off market, the digital beacon will rise further in their capabilities and range but is still the most important thing for backcountry skiers to carry in the mountains.<br />
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The point that gets across is that there is a large potential for information sharing throughout the entire backcountry community. Mobile technology in the backcountry world needs a push, as the ability to share and communicate is there with technology that exists, it only needs to be better adapted to our needs as backcountry users. And even if you don't embrace social media, you can at least pull out your cell phone for a whole bunch of other useful pieces of information, or at even the most basic look up a plentiful amount of information on the internet before heading out.Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-90168278715668154592012-04-26T14:45:00.000-07:002012-04-26T14:49:40.236-07:00Becoming An ACMG Guide<div id="yiv1036299161yui_3_2_0_29_133450927860940">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">There's always a lot of smoke and cloud around the rumours, legends, and stories from candidates going through the <a href="http://www.acmg.ca/03public/courses/courseoverview.asp" target="_blank">ACMG programs</a> on their way to become Ski, Rock, Alpine, and Full Mountain Guides. Some are true, some are embellished, some are just a product of a previous generation. There is no question that it is a hard process run by hard people, but the goal of every examiner and instructor is to produce the best of the best guides the industry could ask for. At last with the final words saying "pass," and a few emails on inquiring to how the process has gone, as well as what potential aspirants should expect, I thought I'd put down the entire process I went through on digital ink. <i>(Photo Below: Early morning heli-prep on the 212, before flying into the final exam venue.)</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecjBHBhwf8E8aRJBQCjjC1_0ExL5pNaH1Y26wn0uv7N5pCWTbEl0w7yjjLUOqwN6ConC9USGxnQ3HiWhOU-jbBUioY7UN-X2FkaDS_AA0Gxn8eqZRfGNgwpVLoRXHqGSCIES9yp8a/s1600/Heli-Gear+Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecjBHBhwf8E8aRJBQCjjC1_0ExL5pNaH1Y26wn0uv7N5pCWTbEl0w7yjjLUOqwN6ConC9USGxnQ3HiWhOU-jbBUioY7UN-X2FkaDS_AA0Gxn8eqZRfGNgwpVLoRXHqGSCIES9yp8a/s1600/Heli-Gear+Web.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Many people who are thinking about going through the process don't know what to expect. Expect everything, and expect the unexpected, but go in confident in your abilities. The high's and low's, uncertainty, self doubt, and personal conflict is exactly what you should expect when trying to become an ACMG Ski Guide. Throughout the process you are skiing the best terrain and snow possible for the conditions at hand, while being closely scrutinized by mountain guru's who somehow see through mountainsides and around corners. It is your goal to become the elite all-knowing guide, who even if he or she makes a mistake, it is so quickly corrected it might as well have never even happened. And after years of training, avalanche courses, work experience, thousands spent traveling to distant remote mountain ranges, and somehow make it through your exam, you earn the right of being named an apprentice on your way to working and completing another exam to obtain the title Full Ski Guide. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnMSg0AXbT7KiDOddbGYy1LNTHS60gA31TwOB2Xn4PXr3eeMcIaMRxngmlLRzvXGN7KS4Umxd-Mx_Ldo2F2QJGkkW8GZgyv6OldvJjLubela53-BuROBijTaBz_cLzSl-ZkhvwJao/s1600/Trip+Planning+3+Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnMSg0AXbT7KiDOddbGYy1LNTHS60gA31TwOB2Xn4PXr3eeMcIaMRxngmlLRzvXGN7KS4Umxd-Mx_Ldo2F2QJGkkW8GZgyv6OldvJjLubela53-BuROBijTaBz_cLzSl-ZkhvwJao/s1600/Trip+Planning+3+Web.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">(Photo Above: Massive amounts of trip planning pre-exam, from custom maps, satellite photos, historical photos, trip reports, etc)</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The process started for me years ago heading out on trips into the mountains for days on end, completing large traverses, ski mountaineering descents, ascending peaks, and repeating throughout the rest of North America and internationally. I started with friends who have gone through the same process, shared tents and snow caves beside people who I trust with my life, and learned how to learn and enhance my mountain craft alongside them. Skiing and completing a ski resume has taken me all over the world. From Canada's epic Waddington Range, freezing in the Rockies, sipping wine and skiing through the Alps in France & Italy, among countless other places. A trip that stands out was in May 2008. Ty Petrusic, Jeff Van Driel and I made our way across the Garibaldi Park Traverse, doing the entire traverse primarily in white-out, little food, had a wolverine break into our food cache only then come back to smell our heads as we slept that night, and watched size 3 avalanches rip out all around us as we made our way safely through the depths of the far reaching ranges. As a result and byproduct, I now have partners (now also guides) I can rely on, and true friends who I haven't just had a beer with but worked and sweated beside in order to stay alive.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout the years professional avalanche courses, forecasting, first aid, and tons of different courses and skill sets became more tools in the toolbox of tricks for mountain travel. How to sleep outside with no sleeping bag in minus 25, how to build anchors with a stuff-sack, how to look at the mountains and immediately tell where the best quality and most stable snow conditions exist, how to dry your sopping wet gloves overnight inside a tent, the ability to gain vertical and cover vast distances in a short amount of time with the least amount of energy spent in a whiteout through complex glaciated terrain that you've never seen, and trillions of other hard skills to learn. On the journey to learn these skills many horrible cold nights were endured, desperate days spent in the mountains trying to get home quickly long after running out of food and water, and poor snow conditions were skied in search of powder. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievAUEsoC0naEkLdva8AaJu-zmE65pYoMl9Oub52bfkNXWVJr1KeJWIkrTAfaQj6jTdgV8PSN_EgMflEKrC_tjOkLvnejjuBk9Oi8xH4RGMm7tzozwv86E6DzVaSq3v253vGt_PBaO/s1600/Skinning+Off+Tijuana+Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievAUEsoC0naEkLdva8AaJu-zmE65pYoMl9Oub52bfkNXWVJr1KeJWIkrTAfaQj6jTdgV8PSN_EgMflEKrC_tjOkLvnejjuBk9Oi8xH4RGMm7tzozwv86E6DzVaSq3v253vGt_PBaO/s1600/Skinning+Off+Tijuana+Web.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">(Photo Above: ASG Candidate and Examiner skinning up from the Tijuana Glacier, Frost Fiend Area)</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The ACMG Ski Guide Program starts with a competitive application, which requires multiple day tours, overnight's, multi-day tours, traverses, technical descents, summer mountaineering objectives, work experience, first aid, avalanche courses, and all must be in varying locations in the high alpine on glaciated terrain in different snowpacks through the Coast, Interior, Rockies, and other areas. If you can manage muster together a resume built by a full-time ski bum, it still better be impressive, as the bare minimum is hard to get away with and the program typically involves a competitive edge to be accepted into. Every time I skied deep blower snow in the Selkirks, Purcells, or really anywhere, I always asked myself is this worthy of mention on my resume; every ski mountaineering peak was an easy decision. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">After getting accepted on to the program, candidates complete an alpine skills course in the fall, covering technical rope work, crevasse rescue, and being walked up a glacier in poor vis while roped with a foot of wind transported new snow covering bottomless crevasses to negotiate the hazards in poor conditions. After that, a mechanized skiing course involving more crevasse rescue, avalanche rescue, victim extrication, avalanche forecasting and stability analysis, downhill ski guiding, dangerous terrain management, treewell management, and a slew of other operational concerns regarding helicopters, snow cats, and lodge work. Then while your head is trying to recover from it's gluttonous overindulgence of mountain know-how, it gets packed with even more knowledge, as you continue onto the ski touring course. The ski touring training involves more stability and avalanche forecasting, field weather forecasting, trip and route plans, glaciated travel, uphill track setting, hazard management, client management and care, navigation, cornice hazard, lightweight rescue systems, unplanned overnight stays, and tons of other touring concerns. All this, and "<i>if</i>" you do well, you will be recommended to the Apprentice Ski Guide Exam. Oh and one other thing, ski like a rockstar, because if you don't you may not make it through the process and may be held back.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">(Photo Above: ASG Candidate evaluating the lead below Mt Sifton, Rogers Pass)</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The exam itself is stressful. You are being evaluated 24 hours a day for 9 days, on professionalism, hazard management, mountain sense, client care, etc. Each day has daily feedback that will either put you at ease, or fully throw you, but will help you no matter what. After flying back to civilization from your 1 of 4 various remote mountain range locations where the exam is being held, you get an interview, and are sent on your way to over-think, stress-out, re-live, and pray that you've passed for the next two weeks. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9GI1MDgnYg-F3_KWVEy607sUr6yAajGAzNR8SSXKexyCRaYZpZ3ac0aP_SJ27gL7eMnO4vO2j72oo6FLxStjjUh1KcVzEVgoQs_3uJ3w-p0HAUI15VOwgomSqUbG4SPHA-TvD2IP/s1600/Oyster+Shucking+Web590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9GI1MDgnYg-F3_KWVEy607sUr6yAajGAzNR8SSXKexyCRaYZpZ3ac0aP_SJ27gL7eMnO4vO2j72oo6FLxStjjUh1KcVzEVgoQs_3uJ3w-p0HAUI15VOwgomSqUbG4SPHA-TvD2IP/s1600/Oyster+Shucking+Web590.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Photo Above: ASG Candidate hard at work Oyster shucking, Coast Range)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">That being said, there is still a large component of fun, despite what you may be thinking so far. Every course and the exam is all about skiing, and not just skiing, but skiing the best quality and coolest terrain you can find. On the mechanized course, I was told by an instructor, "I am your client today, I ski well, I am here to ski. So ski fast and don't stop, I want to go fast." We skied a 550m tree run through perfectly spaced trees, complete with fallen trees perfectly perpendicular to the slope to launch off, while doing Super G turns and going only as fast as our skis would carry us. On the exam we skied numerous first descents including the first descent of Dom Perignon to 50deg, and climbed massive alpine ridges through vast sums of terrain, while guiding our cook for the week around. Let's not forget the mid-week fresh Oyster Heli Drop, straight from Princess Louisa Inlet, into the depths of the Vayu/Frost Fiend area. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fY0dBCnrpSLdSXXT7bnL1ylS_nCzn_gcU8Raa7F18vqa6UL91jTmaID_DMczb4ImElDCoSzBZ3QOO_QBpWTfUe-EdFcGhjdOvqZ1NQ_Dt0R3fDwVejKjtyBOZdjgT1k_y_x7S-xG/s1600/Dom+BW+Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fY0dBCnrpSLdSXXT7bnL1ylS_nCzn_gcU8Raa7F18vqa6UL91jTmaID_DMczb4ImElDCoSzBZ3QOO_QBpWTfUe-EdFcGhjdOvqZ1NQ_Dt0R3fDwVejKjtyBOZdjgT1k_y_x7S-xG/s1600/Dom+BW+Web.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: FD: Dom Perignon To 50deg (top) average 45deg, 360m, credit: Deanna Andersen)</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Yes a hard process, but an amazing and gratifying experience in itself. It is the true step away from being the expert recreational backcountry skier to the professional. Overall, the process is very similar to a University degree (Master's at Full (any) Guide Level, PHD at Mountain Guide). Schooling is just as intense, may take longer, and really in the long run never ends with continuous updating courses. However, after passing and gaining work, you rock a gore-tex suit instead of pin-stripe, commute by helicopter instead of bus, water-cooler talk is over the radio, risk mitigation involves explosives and ski cutting rather than a high rise boardroom, and you probably will never own a briefcase. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Office - Beautiful Selkirks</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Courses completed this season for a full on year of studying:</u></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CAA ITP (Operations) Level 2</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ACMG ASG</span></div>Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874541367337995440.post-19477230263551126252012-03-26T01:25:00.001-07:002012-03-26T19:04:01.053-07:00Mount Currie - Pencil Chute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">The importance of a strong group of partners cannot be overemphasized enough. As the years go by, the groups and people I ski with is always refined, which leads to better skiing and bigger epic days. There is less to no waiting, well broken skin tracks, decision making is smooth and fluid, and each person in the group can be trusted, all creating a stronger group overall. The past two days, skiing <a href="http://skitheory.blogspot.ca/2012/03/million-dollar-couloir-rock-and-roll.html" target="_blank">Million Dollar Couloir, Rock And Roll</a>, <a href="http://skitheory.blogspot.ca/2012/03/matier-north-face-and-slalok-stonecrop.html" target="_blank">Matier N Face, and Slalok's Stonecrop Face</a> in ridiculously deep snow emphasized that point yet again. A strong group of skiers and all stoked to get out after it, was a pleasure to rip around with, and made me realize the luck that I've had with partners both new and old. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"> <i>(Photo Below: Veronika Vackova checking out Mt Curries North Face on the heli lift up)</i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYe8iYCzqIVVWAgh8_PV1mBRFOZajctOqfwtqP-3HlStjisnvHiHKROj51EivXH4z69v41sNYkFvmQUM2UileErj2jfKvCKLPCL83OyXzK06-NrK_IkJlJGDUp8OQ_dQMBvNDasrm/s1600/Veronica+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYe8iYCzqIVVWAgh8_PV1mBRFOZajctOqfwtqP-3HlStjisnvHiHKROj51EivXH4z69v41sNYkFvmQUM2UileErj2jfKvCKLPCL83OyXzK06-NrK_IkJlJGDUp8OQ_dQMBvNDasrm/s1600/Veronica+CR.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">Today, yet another leisurely day out, Ross Berg and I carpooled up from Squamish to Pemberton, and were in a helicopter in no more than 2 minutes after stepping out of the car with Lars Andrews, Christina Lusti, and Veronika Vackova again. The goal for the day, ski the ultra classic Mt Currie North Face via the Pencil Couloir, continuing in our search for faceshots and epic snow. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"> </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JDN0aa9bPACMglfz4EMn_xW2jmR3MaHwDumLE0lFRyxRyW8ORKluCCnx5xB8s0OND88XOE31IHq9eQr2dC_9dkf7s5ELrlz04OTefd3yUo-ppEUskh8kPZUBtznb7Kz9ljESBDZr/s1600/Veronica+Bootpack+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JDN0aa9bPACMglfz4EMn_xW2jmR3MaHwDumLE0lFRyxRyW8ORKluCCnx5xB8s0OND88XOE31IHq9eQr2dC_9dkf7s5ELrlz04OTefd3yUo-ppEUskh8kPZUBtznb7Kz9ljESBDZr/s1600/Veronica+Bootpack+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Veronika Vackova cruising the bootpack after a heli-schnoodle)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">We bailed out of the helicopter and skied a quick powder run to the backside of Currie. Heading straight up, we bootpacked up a steep gully right before the sun hit it hard and transitioned to skins to choose the best option for ski quality, with our summits and lines from the previous days on the horizon reminding us of the treasures below.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2R0VNQwVhb9uirdBfiE1bSzhflpSO46eH4uBZLxlhTAz8lPJuWcCHNP9KBaPp2-FHcQwjWhJXgXcWwSqabdcos2g1KpbavYpBG5o801mFnYbZT7DBMLpcbMFF4it5YywbJNa02zxR/s1600/Entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2R0VNQwVhb9uirdBfiE1bSzhflpSO46eH4uBZLxlhTAz8lPJuWcCHNP9KBaPp2-FHcQwjWhJXgXcWwSqabdcos2g1KpbavYpBG5o801mFnYbZT7DBMLpcbMFF4it5YywbJNa02zxR/s1600/Entrance.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Lars Andrews and Christina Lusti at the entrance to the Pencil)</i></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">Mt Currie hosts a number of classic descents, and is featured in Chris Davenports "<a href="http://www.wolverinepublishing.com/fifty-classic-ski-descents-of-north-america" target="_blank">50 Classic Ski Descents of North America</a>" coffee table book (check out the book for a quick blurb and photos from yours truly). The lines on the North Face are The Pencil Couloir, Diagonal Couloir, The Y Couloir, Zorro's, Pterodactyl Spine, and a number of different variations to each, all diving into the massive avalanche paths below them and continuing into the valley for a massive 2000m+ ski descent.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxb0hIp9FWwtq94kN_iFaNkFfZVQ7g8UpYBkanASe0dx4NaTHQ_TD9Angw6CXkgnyhSSburXXcciBI6sPBjonE2HTLJ3EkbxT31DveENv2-WcBaRT1NEseFe9aQuTlJQajdTfG0d1F/s1600/Lars+Dropping+In+On+Pencil+Couloir+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxb0hIp9FWwtq94kN_iFaNkFfZVQ7g8UpYBkanASe0dx4NaTHQ_TD9Angw6CXkgnyhSSburXXcciBI6sPBjonE2HTLJ3EkbxT31DveENv2-WcBaRT1NEseFe9aQuTlJQajdTfG0d1F/s1600/Lars+Dropping+In+On+Pencil+Couloir+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Lars Andrews dropping into the Pencil Chute in the best quality snow you could ask for)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">Mt Currie hosts a number of classic descents, and is featured in Chris Davenports "<a href="http://www.wolverinepublishing.com/fifty-classic-ski-descents-of-north-america" target="_blank">50 Classic Ski Descents of North America</a>" coffee table book (check out the book for a quick blurb and photos from yours truly). The lines on the North Face are The Pencil Couloir, Diagonal Couloir, The Y Couloir, Zorro's, Pterodactyl Spine, and a number of different variations to each, all diving into the massive avalanche paths below them and continuing into the valley for a massive 2000m+ ski descent.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOOwriuD2OWD_x8196Kyph9IGGYXbcrtzlo1EVyxBvONvG-Fyms_3tMRwt5DsGwwUEmCv8VPHmq_3sLfQ1pQG-mSkyM6JM0eneAz049gFC39PHXKbYSG05VIyeGjXvz557McLb8MA/s1600/Lars+Midway+In+On+Pencil+Couloir+CR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOOwriuD2OWD_x8196Kyph9IGGYXbcrtzlo1EVyxBvONvG-Fyms_3tMRwt5DsGwwUEmCv8VPHmq_3sLfQ1pQG-mSkyM6JM0eneAz049gFC39PHXKbYSG05VIyeGjXvz557McLb8MA/s1600/Lars+Midway+In+On+Pencil+Couloir+CR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(Photo Above: Midway through the Pencil Chute)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">Our choice for the day? The Pencil Couloir, and yet again, blower pow, faceshots at every turn, and amazing conditions to around 200m above the valley. The Couloir itself isn't extreme or crazy steep as the reputation it sometimes gets, but it is aesthetic, and extremely high value when dropping into it looking down at the Pemberton Valley below while skiing through it's ominous avalanche paths. It allows skiers to really open up, through high speed GS/SuperG turns, and really enjoy the descent. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"> </span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-JqFn-ZrU_l-YSlB4navgI6lYOz4ZxMPAIOWjopzKG5ff_yweQBRa5WtVO_0EsJV5tAaff7HXLmmPBYw6ORNv-VPYKgfCnJoyJaxS7KcymwTETjEFtRcsXlICIhCvFZ0NljhNdC3/s1600/Currie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-JqFn-ZrU_l-YSlB4navgI6lYOz4ZxMPAIOWjopzKG5ff_yweQBRa5WtVO_0EsJV5tAaff7HXLmmPBYw6ORNv-VPYKgfCnJoyJaxS7KcymwTETjEFtRcsXlICIhCvFZ0NljhNdC3/s320/Currie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo Above: Mt Currie North Face from the valley bottom)</i></td></tr>
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</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">We finished our day by noon, and were off to drink coffee and recover for working in the mountains for the next while. A true classic, and so civilized to finish one of the Continents Classics before lunch after only 3 hours! Great group, strong skiers, awesome times, what else could you ask for? </span>Alex Wigleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246494774748523303noreply@blogger.com12