Lucky 13 - TLH Spring Work Shift

Week 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.

(Photo Above:  Jonny Simms standing on top of Toba Peak after a knife edge landing. 50 deg roll in!)

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!

(Photo Above:  Tiny knife edge ridges after balancing the heli to land, Jonny fired up for the down climb.)

(Photo Above:  Alex Wigley warming up on Bridge Peak North. Photo Credit:  Randy Lincks)

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.

(Photo Above:  Mt Athelstan and "Thor" as seen in February this year, waiting for a descent.)

(Photo Above:  Jonny Simms dropping into the legendary Thor)

One more week to go up at the lodge, hopefully it will be sunny so we can crush more lines!

(Photo Above:  Mt Magaera.  Waiting for some skis to paint on it's white canvas.)

New Spearhead Traverse Record

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!

Check out their Trip Report Here.

TLH Work Shift: Exploring

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.  

(Photo Above:  Mathieu smashing pillows on Trinity, The Matrix)

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.  

(Photos Above:  Conny shucking Oysters for Lunch, the view out Jervis Inlet from our lunch spot)

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.

(Photo Above:  Mathieu speeding through the side of Mazerati Highway, in the Manatee Range)

(Photo Above:  Conny Amelunxen cruising through an endless glacier of interesting snow bridges and remarkable features.)

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!).

(Photo Above:  Alan dropping in through the ice on the First Descent of "Treaty of Ghent")

(Photo Above:  Conny Amelunxen leading the charge down The Fasp)

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.

(Photo Above:  Alex Wigley warming up on Nectar, before heading to the Gods.  Photo Credit:  Randy Lincks)

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.

(Photo Above:  Mount Athelstan, The Gods)

Work Block At TLH

I 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.

(Photo Above:  Mountain Life Magazine Crew and TLH Guides and Staff Hockey Tournament)

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 their trip here.

(Photo Above:  Your's truly around the White Cross area.  Credit:  Todd Lawson)

(Photo Above:  Heli Landing underneath some of TLH's "smaller" alpine features.  Credit:  Todd Lawson)

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.

(Photo Above:  Snowboarder shredding 'Puerto Rico' in the Taylor area)

(Photo Above:  GoPro's, mountains, and really big toys  Run:  Tahiti Bite.  Thanks Lorenz Muggli!)

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.

(Photo Above:  One of our guys squeezing in the last of our light for the day)

(Photo Above:  Heli-Ski Sightseeing while skiing between Ethelweard and Icemaker Mountains)

Now, I got a week off for some rest and relaxation, along with some Ski Touring!  Stoked on shredding at work and at home!
Vertical Skied on Shift:  62,025m (203,494 ft)

Guiding At Whitecap Alpine

There 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 Whitecap Alpine 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.

(Photo Above:  One of our guests taking his skiing to new heights, Melissa's Run Area, Whitecap Alpine)

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.

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 (see them here), and Paul 'Harv' Wright was nice enough to toss me a great photo; seen below.  Check out his website at wrightmoment.com.

(Photo Above:  Owner Lars Andrews hard at work, photo Paul Wright)

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.

When the storm finally lifted, and we managed to transfer our new group in, the weather really improved.  Lars Andrews, Joey Vosburgh, 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.

(Photo Above:  Group skinning up for another summit bootpack)

(Photo Above:  Group arriving up high in the alpine on the first day, amazing views in every direction)

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.

TLH Setup

Just 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.

(Photo Above:  Snow info exchange, then.... skiing)

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.

(Photo Above:  Yes this is work, what line to ski?)

(Photo Above:  Ski Tech and Aspirant Guide Ben in the early morning light, already way out in the Ochre Range)

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.

(Photo Above:  Our Operation Manager cruising off after we finished our test profile, North of the Dickson Range.)

(Photo Above:  Fasp Peak Couloir, Salal Creek Area)

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.

This year is looking up to be a great one!  Happy New Year everyone!

Mt Howard Couloir

As some may have read in a previous post, 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.

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!

(Photo Above:  Skinning over the Vantage Matier Col with a very broken Twin One Glacier ahead of us)

(Photo Above:  Jason Kruk transitioning beneath the looming Mt Howard)

(Photo Above:  The crew finding the way through a small wind curl to gain the Pocket Glacier guarding the summit)

(Photo Above:  The Upper Face of Mt Howard, as seen from the Pocket Glacier halfway up)

(Photo Above:  The crew on the skintrack making our way on a shelf 3/4 of the way up the face)

(Photo Above:  Skinning up the upper shelf to the base of the couloir, stoked to be somewhere new.  Photo By:  Christina Lusti)

(Photo Above:  Transitioning from skins to bootpacking at the mouth of the couloir.  Photo By:  Christina Lusti)

(Photo Above:  Jason Kruk crushing the bootpack up the Couloir.  Photo By:  Christina Lusti)

(Photo Above:  Finishing up the climb and topping out on an incredibly windy ridge)

(Photo Above:  Christina Lusti showing how it's done, even in a white out)

(Photo Above:  Alex Wigley finishing up the Couloir.  Photo By:  Christina Lusti)

December Skiing

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...

(Photo Above:  Re-Fueling the Heli for the first day of Heli-Skiing)

(Photo Above:  Just a bunch of Guides hanging out on the Hurley area near Tenquille Mountain)

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.

(Photo Above:  Christina Lusti cruising over to Million Dollar Couloir)

(Photo Above:  Jason Kruk harvesting some DEEP snow before dropping into the Million Dollar Couloir)

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.

"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

Early Season Pow Skiing

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.

(Out Shredding With The Boys.  Photo Credit: Julian Stoddart @ Howe Sound Sales & Marketing Skier:  Alex Wigley)

(Turns off Flute, Whistler, BC)

5 Things To Have Your Best Season Yet:

5.  Ski at least one full moon night this year.

4.  Head on a hut trip every month, don't skimp on real, good, food.

3.  Find the longest fall line ski runs in all your favourite areas.

2.  Ski a new area every week.

1.  Plan and execute that big ski trip that you've thought about for years.

If you have any more let's hear them!

Whistler Debates, Backcountry Access

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.

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!

Debaters:  Alex Wigley, Frank Salter, Michel Beaudry, and Wayne Flann
Where:  Millennium Place
When:  Monday, October 29th, 8pm (doors @ 7:30)
Tickets:  $10 advance/$12 day of event, available at Millennium Place and Whistler Museum.
More Info:  http://blog.whistlermuseum.org/upcoming-events/