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Roger’s Pass 2.25.10

Frank — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:23:36 +0000

In 1995, Christian Begin released his award winning movie, “Locomotion”. A ski movie with an actual storyline, Locomotion told the tale of Roger’s Pass and the terrible toll it took on the men who built it. In 1871 Canadian Prime Minister John Macdonald promised the people of British Columbia that a transcontinental railway would be built within 10 years, as an incentive for the people of B.C to join the new Canadian Union. Without a railway linking B.C to the rest of Canada, there was strong talk of B.C joining the U.S.A. Unfortunately for Americans who wish they could live in B.C, Roger’s Pass was discovered and the railway was built, though not without the loss of many lives due to avalanches that plagued the route. 58 men were killed in one avalanche alone, on March 4, 1910. Begin’s movie tells the history of this pass, and features the skiing that is now world famous at Roger’s Pass.

Today, Roger’s Pass is a huge destination for ski touring. Several areas of the pass are permanently closed for highway crews to study snowpit data and for avalanche blasting. Other areas need a permit at the Roger’s Pass Centre, and may be closed due to avalanche control work. We arrived at Roger’s Pass with a few inches of new snow, fog, falling snow, and high avalanche danger due to several buried surface hoar layers. Meanwhile, just prior to our arrival, daytime highs had been hitting the low 50’s even at the tops of the highest peaks in the area. Reports of avalanches on these buried layers were everywhere, with some slides occurring even on low angled slopes.

With that in mind we discussed our options with the friendly rangers at the Centre, and they eventually steered us to Loop Creek and the Bonney trees, which were less crusty due to their northern aspects, and popular enough that some of the snowpack weaknesses would be less of a concern than other areas.

Our views looked like this for much of the day:

It was a pity not to be able to see these huge mountains and their tremendous relief (ski descents of 5-6,000′ are common), but we continued up through the fog and occasionally saw some enticing terrain:

Gap jump, anyone?

We also passed some of the old railroad towers, since replaced with a tunnel. 90 degree pillow lines, oh yeah!

We reached treeline and that was the end of the road for us, as the visibility was no where near good enough to continue onward. The snow quality had improved greatly as we headed up, and we were now set to ski well over a foot of fluffy fresh snow. Brittany:

Frank:

We stumbled into this clearing, which was steep and filled with pillow after pillow after pillow, all around 5′ high. While the photo does it no justice, this 1000′ of skiing was my favorite of the whole trip.

While we had planned on skiing Roger’s Pass for at least a couple of days, the avalanche and weather conditions kind of forced our hand a little, and this would be the only day we skied Roger’s. Still, Roger’s Pass remains as one of the epicenters of North American skiing, and we were grateful to experience it, if only for a day. Next stop, the 2 year old resort of Revelstoke…

Other Montana-Canada Road Trip Blog Posts
Road Trip Update
Itinerary
Bridger Bowl
Whitefish
Fernie
Kicking Horse

TR: Kicking Horse (2/24/2010)

Brittany — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:55:39 +0000

After a great day in the slackcountry of Fernie we packed up our things and hopped in the car for the 4 hour drive to Golden. The long day in the slackcountry definitely had made us weary and the drive was a bit harsh. But, we arrived in Golden safely, ready to check out Kicking Horse the next day.

Ethan was our local guide for the day, who had also shown us around Whitefish just a few days prior.

Kicking Horse ski area, as seen from town. This mountain has an interesting story. A little over 10 years ago kicking Horse was a tiny ski area where only locals skied. But, a Dutch company came in and expanded it, as part of a settlement for a contract to build a bridge in the Maritimes.

So, Kicking Horse lies as it is today, largely unvisited, with fantastic terrain.

Everywhere we looked there was more we wanted to ski- steep chutes, pillow lines, powdery steep trees- the terrain couldn’t be any better!

Most of the terrain is serviced by a gondola and a single chairlift.

But these two lifts bring you quickly to the goods!

I was the designated photographer for the day, so there aren’t any pictures of me. But, I did get a few of Frank!

The light wasn’t the best for skiing, but provided some beautiful colors.

But when the clouds did clear a little we had some great views.

The slackcountry options were superb! Pictures simply don’t do it justice.

We headed out for a little slackcountry tour in the afternoon. After a 15-20 minute ridge hike we found ourselves at the entrance of a great couloir. But, first we had to get past this!

Ethan.

Frank.

Just the previous day we were debating whether to skip Kicking Horse and stay another day in Fernie. But, after our day at Kicking Horse we were happy not to have missed this British Columbia jewel. Fantastic, challenging terrain, and no lines. I would love to spend more time here. Thanks to Ethan for taking the time to show us the goods. We loved your stomping grounds

Other Montana-Canada Road Trip Blog Posts
Road Trip Update
Itinerary
Bridger Bowl
Whitefish
Fernie

TR: Fernie (2/23/2010)

Brittany — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:49:29 +0000

After crossing the border into Canada, the mountains suddenly seemed more interesting.

The drive from Whitefish to Fernie took us less than 2 hours. We were there with plenty of time to grab some dinner and drinks.

The views of the ski area from town are stunning.

We began our day at the Fernie ski area.

We admired the ridge lines we would love to ski from afar.

But, we quickly headed out for a long slackcountry tour, guided by our Fernie friends, Rob and Adam.

Rob skinning, with the town of Fernie in the distant valley below.

Adam with his Aussie smile.

This looked enticing….

But, this looked even better. Our first line of the day!

The skin up to the chutes provided amazing views.

We were in love with the treasure of the bluebird sky!

Time for the skiing. Rob dropping in.

Me, as seen from above.

From below.

Photo by Robert Pugsley

Photo by Robert Pugsley

Frank.

Adam.

Photo by Robert Pugsley

Second skin up another bowl.

There we found some fantastic surface hoar snow that we played on for two laps. Frank enjoying the goods.

Me.

Adam putting in a little zing.

Four backcountry runs and 7 hours later we were back at the bottom of the ski area. Thanks to our super guides, Rob and Adam, we got a delicious taste of what Fernie has to offer. Someday we’d like to come back for dessert Thanks guys!

Other Montana-Canada Road Trip Blog Posts
Road Trip Update
Itinerary
Bridger Bowl
Whitefish

Scarp’s To Peeler 3.6.10

Frank — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:26:09 +0000

We’ll get back to our TR’s from our big road trip soon, but for today, here’s a TR from yesterday’s long local adventure. Things are really shaping up here, with a fairly deep and stable snowpack starting to allow some bigger descents. We headed up the Red Lady hike but instead of dropping in there, we headed out for a nice ridgewalk towards Irwin:

Pete had been in the area a few days ago and suggested we ski a face off of Scarp’s Ridge. I knew the face he was talking about from other trips to the area, and it had always looked like a good one so that’s what we were aiming for. It was pretty steep and it rolled over, so it was hard to tell if we were in the right spot or not, but we gave it a go regardless. I dropped in first:

Carol, a new friend of ours from Durango dropped in next:

Brittany ripped it up next:

Wishing she was skiing the hardpack at the resort:

Ben from Montrose didn’t mind being last:

This slope saved the best for last:
Frank:

Shin to Win (Look closely)

Brittany:

A look back at our tracks:

From there, it was off to summit Peeler via Star Pass:

This photo of Alaska somehow got in here

Allright, it’s just the backyard, not Alaska. But it had gotten cloudy and the light had gotten flat as we dropped off Peeler:

Brittany and Mambo the dog:

The lower pitches were long and amazing, some of the best terrain in the whole area. The light wasn’t great, though, so we didn’t get too many shots of it. Ben:

This tour covered a lot of miles over nine hours. For Brittany, it was a tune-up for the upcoming 14er season. For the rest of us, it was just fun.

Bonus shots, Ben Furimsky on Axtel the previous day:

TR: Whitefish, MT 2.21.10-2.22.10

Frank — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:51:36 +0000

After our excellent day at Bridger Bowl, we got in the car and went straight to Whitefish, a tiring five and a half hour drive after a day of skiing, but necessary to get another day of skiing in. Whitefish is known for being cloudy, but our two days there featured a complete lack of clouds, perfect for checking out the nearby peaks of Glacier National Park.

We had hoped to do a tour in the park, but our friends informed us that conditions were a little thin still. The other thing Whitefish is known for are the tree ghosts that form high on the mountain, and thankfully we were able to experience them.

Looking down the valley from the ski area:

Our guide for the day, Sean, took us on a short tour to the canyon off the back side which still had some powder despite the lack of recent snowfall. Brittany:

Whitefish is a nice little town and we had some nice views that afternoon looking back at the ski area.

On day 2, our friend Ethan joined us along with his RMF posse. We searched out the steep little stashes this mountain has to offer, which somehow had escaped the edges of local skiers. Features like these would get hit pretty quickly at a place like Crested Butte,
but Whitefish doesn’t seem to attract the same type of skiers.

One other thing I should add about Whitefish is the groomers. I’m usually more interested in steep, natural terrain, but whitefish offers up some of the best groomed runs I’ve ever seen. One run in particular was a narrow groomed path weaving through the trees of the Hellroaring basin area, basically a snowcat drivers’ version of boondocking. It’s no wonder Tommy Moe grew up here. We had a great time in Whitefish, but it was time for us to move on. Next up:

Other Montana-Canada Road Trip Blog Posts
Road Trip Update
Itinerary
Bridger Bowl
Whitefish

TR: Bridger Bowl (2/20/2010)

Brittany — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:50:01 +0000

Our road trip to Montana and Canada was amazing. But, like all good things, it had to come to and end. We are back in Crested Butte, and finally have some time to put up the TR’s from various segments of our trip.

Our first ski stop was Bridger Bowl. Bridger has a lot of steep terrain similar to what we have in Crested Butte. A good area for some playing

We had our friend Tony show us around and he showed us the goods!

A few ski shots of in-bounds skiing at Bridger.

Brittany

Photo by Tony Saracelli

Frank

Photo by Tony Saracelli

Photo by Tony Saracelli

Then we went for a little slackcountry hike.

Tony dropping in.

Frank.

Photo by Tony Saracelli

Photo by Tony Saracelli

Brittany.

Photo by Tony Saracelli

Tony.

It was a great taste of Bridger. I can’t wait to get back for some more! Thanks Tony for showing us around! After Bridger, we hopped in the car and headed out for a 5 hour drive to Whitefish.

Other Montana-Canada Road Trip Blog Posts
Road Trip Update
Itinerary
Bridger Bowl
Whitefish

Road trip update

Brittany — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:00:34 +0000

We’ve been busy skiing, traveling, and enjoying our experience on this road trip, so sorry we haven’t been posting much. But, tonight we had a bit of free time and I thought I’d post up a few pics of our trip so far.

Stop 1: Bridger Bowl, Montana. We enjoyed spectacular terrain and good snow.

Stop 2: Whitefish, Montana. Two days of skiing the resort and slackcountry allowed us to explore some good terrain.

But, we also enjoyed the lofty feeling (town of Whitefish and the lake below)

And we admired the peaks of Glacier National Park, with hopes of coming back some spring to check this area out further.

Stop 3: Fernie, British Columbia. The skies couldn’t be more blue, which is typical in Colorado, but not so much in BC.

Our friends took us out on a good backcountry tour, where we slayed these lines.

Stop 4: Kicking Horse. Only 10 years old and this resort has a lot to offer. I was impressed over and over by the terrain choices, both in and out of the ski area boundary.

Areas like these were plentiful.

And we hit up a nice backcountry couloir.

So far, it’s been an awesome trip

Our trip continues to Roger’s Pass, Revelstoke, and Red Mountain. We’ll do another update or two along the way. And stay tuned for full TR’s from each segment of our trip!

Other Montana-Canada Road Trip Blog Posts
Road Trip Update
Itinerary
Bridger Bowl
Whitefish

14erskiers Goes Roadtripping

Frank — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:39:05 +0000

That’s right, as good as it’s been here, Brittany and I will be hitting the road shortly and heading North to find some new terrain and meet some new friends. Here’s our general itinerary:

Thurs. Feb 18- Drive to SLC
Fri. Feb 19 – Drive to Bozeman
Sat. Feb 20 – Ski around Bozeman/Bridger?
Maybe drive to Whitefish
Sun. Feb 21 – ski Whitefish area (Big Mountain or Glacier N.P.)
Drive to Fernie
Mon. Feb 22 – Ski around Fernie
Tues. Feb 23 – Ski around Fernie
Wed Feb 24 – Drive to Golden
Thurs Feb 25 – Ski Kicking Horse
Fri Feb 26 – Head to Revelstoke, ski Rogers along the way
Sat Feb 27 – Ski Rogers/Revelstoke
Sun Feb 28 – Drive to Rossland
Mon Mar 1 – Ski Red Mountain

Of course, like any good roadtrip, we might change things up as we go to chase the powder or stay in it if it’s good. Of all those places, I’ve only been to Bridger Bowl and I spent a season at Red Mountain. Brittany hasn’t been to any of these places. We’re excited. If anyone has a can’t-miss restaurant or some beta on these areas, we’re all ears. Keep tuned, we’ll be posting as often as we can…

Other Montana-Canada Road Trip Blog Posts
Road Trip Update
Itinerary
Bridger Bowl
Whitefish

Sweet Valentine Pow 2.14.10

Frank — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:24:28 +0000

After our epic and incredibly deep day the day before, we headed back out to a slightly different zone on Sunday to find some more powder. While the snow had set up considerably overnight, it was still a great day. On the way up, I had a bit of a lead on the others, so I just had to hit this little pillow zone:

It was fun but short, and we went up to the top where things looked very good indeed:

Brittany:

Chris Webster:

Pam Rice:

Frank:

Another tough day in Paradise… Support 14erskiers by clicking here:

It’s been a year

Brittany — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:44:46 +0000

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of my season-ending crash which resulted in tearing my ACL. It’s been a long year of tears, fear, recovery, and strength. My knee still continues to heal- I would place it at about 90% healed. I can ski everything I want to be skiing, but taking air and skiing hard bumps definitely cause it to swell. My strength is still not where I want it to be, but it also still continues to improve.

They always say that “what doesn’t kill you just makes you stronger”. I’m not sure that I feel any more physically or even mentally stronger than prior to my injury. But, I do know that tearing my ACL opened up other opportunities in my life. I made new friends, a couple of whom shared the same injury and recovery with me. And I refocused my energy on my work- which is paying off even now. It’s good to see the good within the bad.

Here’s to a continued happy and healthy season for everyone!