Monday, April 21, 2014

Mt. Taylor Traverse w/ Heartstrings finish

Had a great day on this classic trip with friends yesterday. It's in great shape, excellent travel throughout and the nice surprise of boot top preserved N facing powder on heartstrings.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Shudder Glacier and Mt. Duke

It has been some time since I posted, due to being firmly in recovery from a torn sartorius muscle. The results of an attempt at a delicate and yet somehow burly route at the climbing gym in Canmore. It sounded like a zipper when it tore and was quite audible throughout the gym, I thought myself lucky for only having a class 2 tear of this muscle that I had never even considered before..After hobbling around for a few weeks and religiously gardening, working, domestic blissing and physio'ing, I got the green light to go skiing. "Go for an hour or so and see how it feels' was the parting advice from my PT on Tuesday. I could hardly sleep.

 Shudder Glacier to Wedge Creek

 On Wednesday morning, Scotty and Ryan were kind enough to accompany 'the gimp' (me) on a little ski mission in the Spearheads, with no real set intentions we made quick time past Decker, Trorey and Tremor, arriving at a small unnamed summit with the rolling Shudder glacier below. It looked good all the way to the valley and the overnight freeze was great, making lower elevation travel just fine. We looked at each other, knowing that dropping to the bottom meant a 5 hour return trip to Blackcomb and the end to the proposed 'little day'...
The 'spine' bringing you over to Trorey.

Classic Spearhead bootpack, beyond this lies the niftiest parts of the range!

Nearing the small unnamed peak above Shudder Glacier, seen below.

Ryan and Scott.

We pulled the climbing skins and 'let the skis run', with the coverage lacking this year we brought harnesses and a small rope and used it for a few hundred meters as we poked around through an icefall. The snow surface was uniform and that made for consistency in the skiing, albeit a bit 'wind pressed' in sections but good.. It was great to finally ski the described longest run in the Spearheads, be in the company of good friends and feel the remoteness this area exudes.
After reaching lower wedge creek, you turn left for about 7or maybe 8 km, staying around the 1400-1700m level until you reach Phalanx peak and a nifty little bench that is one of the only things I have seen that is a good argument for divine creation. Later, around 8pm we skied perfect corn groomers by headlamp to a car beer and great mexican at Mexican Corner in Whistler


After a day of rest Ryan and I joined our friends Linda and John for a classic ascent of Vantage Peak, a jester in a court of kings, surrounded by the high country that is Joffre, Matier and Howard. Quite the ambiance for such an accessible peak. We enjoyed a very mellow pace this day, talking the whole way up and just enjoying good company in the 'pine'.
Linda, John and Ryan approach the summit of Vantage.

Great skiing down Vantages NE flanks.

All is well that ends well!



Mt. Duke
On our Vantage day it was hard not to look over and see this great ski descent on Mt. Duke, connected by a short ridge to Vantage although accessed from a different valley, that of Van Horlick. I do love aesthetic ski peaks, that in which you climb up, hopefully mostly on skis, gain a summit then get to ski a different aspect, creating a bit of a 'circuit', Mt. Duke is just that!
Great terrain all the way to Duke/Vantage col. There was about 7km of logging road to reach this spot..not super photogenic.

On the shoulder of Duke. Was nice to have the ski crampons.

Some 'non skis on' climbing, sometimes you can apparently ski right to the top of Duke, not so for us. We had fun negotiating the little steps.

Some great lines on Mt. Howard.

After reaching the summit, you get a view of the Mt. Duke descent, 550m to the lake at the bottom, sheltered and N facing.
Todd drops in for first tracks, we found lightly windpressed powder over a hard crust.

Ryan spraying the snow to the right, later he sprayed it left.



Mt. Duke from the Duffey lake road. Go do it!

What a great few days with friends and words fall short in describing the joy in being back on skis during these long and beauty spring days.

Cheers!
Ross