Dec 31-Jan 3, 2004, On the Road: Esplanade Range
12/31/04
2710
2
"What's in this bag."
"That's the underwear I was wearing for the last four days while I was skiing" I responded.
The border guy eyed me closely and cracked open the bag. The smell jolted his head back and he tossed the bag to me.
It is 2 am on the 30th. The customs guy took one look at the wired on coffee eyes and the hair and handed me the dreaded orange card. For an hour two of them give my car the works while I sit inside with my legs crossed and picnhed wishing they would let me pee. After I went out to show them how to close the hood the above exchange took place.
After the search of the car the fun didn't end. The Kafkesque questions start:
"Why did you cross the border four times in the last two weeks?" "Skiing"
"What were you doing in Pakistan?" "It says on the stamp-climbing expedition."
"Who was Jim Whittaker" "First American up Everest in "63.
"What's his kids names." "Got me there".
"How long have you been telemarking" "I don't, I use AT gear. Most the telemarkers parallel anyway."
"What do you mean AT?" (Oh God....Let me out of here)
Many hours previously I had completed my last tour at the pass and was on my back to Bellingham to pick up the wife and kid. After a two hour search and long game of fool the tired driver, the customs guys let me go home and sleep. The next afternoon we made the long drive to Revelstoke for a short sleep. The morning of the 31ar we met the gang at the Alpine Helicopter hanger in Golden. Four couples and four kids aged 10 months, two years, five and seven. Plus Brian's wife Helen is six months pregnant.
Alison, the owner of GAC (Golden Alpine Holidays), is letting us take over the Vista Hut for four days over the New Years. There is no booking and we will set the place up for the first group of the year. It is a great deal and generous of Alison. (Brian, Helen, and Todd are ACMG guides, good friends with Alison and have worked with GAC many times over the years.) The plan is to fly into the hut with the family and spend some time skiing, hang out with the kids and get out with your significant other.
The four days fly by and everyone has a great time. We all get to sample the untracked Selkirk powder, ski with our partners and enjoy time with the kids. Todd and Brian actually make runs with the little ones in back packs. Jaden, Brian's two year old, shouted "faster Daddy, faster" as he carved turns down from the ridge.
Evenings are filled with great dinners, baby and kid noises and adult conversation. We all sleep through New Years.
The snow pack is a kind one. Normal facet layers(four) and depth hoar near the ground. The first layer gives the easiest results but nothing to worry about. The shovel test has the remaining column release at the depth hoar layer above the Oct. rain crust. No way skier load would get that snow pack to release there! Temps were in the -13 to -20 C. range except the last morning.
The last morning at the Hut I make a solo dawn patrol up to the ridge to catch the sunrise. On top, the skins rip easily in the -30 temps. The morning light washes over Columbia and Bryce at the Icefields. A few minutes later the entire Rockies display a beautiful glow in the cold air. My thouths travel back to when I was a teenager first front pointing up Athabasca and later working and living in these great mountains. I give thanks that I get to see this view, have good friends and family to share it and many other experiences with and, ultimately, I am happy that wild places like these exist. With a wish that I have many more years to travel in these mountains, I start down to the hut.
Road Trip:
Miles traveled;
By car, 3,000 miles
snowmobile, 33 miles
Helicopter, 62 miles
Ski Partners: 27, including one dog and two little ones in backpacks. Most were friends, some were casual meetings at the Wheeler Hut and one was my sweetie ( a rare event that).
Have fun out there and be safe. In this new year, give thanks that you have your health and whatever circumstances allow you to travel in the backcountry, whether your AT or tele or even a knuckle dragger.
Gregg
"That's the underwear I was wearing for the last four days while I was skiing" I responded.
The border guy eyed me closely and cracked open the bag. The smell jolted his head back and he tossed the bag to me.
It is 2 am on the 30th. The customs guy took one look at the wired on coffee eyes and the hair and handed me the dreaded orange card. For an hour two of them give my car the works while I sit inside with my legs crossed and picnhed wishing they would let me pee. After I went out to show them how to close the hood the above exchange took place.
After the search of the car the fun didn't end. The Kafkesque questions start:
"Why did you cross the border four times in the last two weeks?" "Skiing"
"What were you doing in Pakistan?" "It says on the stamp-climbing expedition."
"Who was Jim Whittaker" "First American up Everest in "63.
"What's his kids names." "Got me there".
"How long have you been telemarking" "I don't, I use AT gear. Most the telemarkers parallel anyway."
"What do you mean AT?" (Oh God....Let me out of here)
Many hours previously I had completed my last tour at the pass and was on my back to Bellingham to pick up the wife and kid. After a two hour search and long game of fool the tired driver, the customs guys let me go home and sleep. The next afternoon we made the long drive to Revelstoke for a short sleep. The morning of the 31ar we met the gang at the Alpine Helicopter hanger in Golden. Four couples and four kids aged 10 months, two years, five and seven. Plus Brian's wife Helen is six months pregnant.
Alison, the owner of GAC (Golden Alpine Holidays), is letting us take over the Vista Hut for four days over the New Years. There is no booking and we will set the place up for the first group of the year. It is a great deal and generous of Alison. (Brian, Helen, and Todd are ACMG guides, good friends with Alison and have worked with GAC many times over the years.) The plan is to fly into the hut with the family and spend some time skiing, hang out with the kids and get out with your significant other.
The four days fly by and everyone has a great time. We all get to sample the untracked Selkirk powder, ski with our partners and enjoy time with the kids. Todd and Brian actually make runs with the little ones in back packs. Jaden, Brian's two year old, shouted "faster Daddy, faster" as he carved turns down from the ridge.
Evenings are filled with great dinners, baby and kid noises and adult conversation. We all sleep through New Years.
The snow pack is a kind one. Normal facet layers(four) and depth hoar near the ground. The first layer gives the easiest results but nothing to worry about. The shovel test has the remaining column release at the depth hoar layer above the Oct. rain crust. No way skier load would get that snow pack to release there! Temps were in the -13 to -20 C. range except the last morning.
The last morning at the Hut I make a solo dawn patrol up to the ridge to catch the sunrise. On top, the skins rip easily in the -30 temps. The morning light washes over Columbia and Bryce at the Icefields. A few minutes later the entire Rockies display a beautiful glow in the cold air. My thouths travel back to when I was a teenager first front pointing up Athabasca and later working and living in these great mountains. I give thanks that I get to see this view, have good friends and family to share it and many other experiences with and, ultimately, I am happy that wild places like these exist. With a wish that I have many more years to travel in these mountains, I start down to the hut.
Road Trip:
Miles traveled;
By car, 3,000 miles
snowmobile, 33 miles
Helicopter, 62 miles
Ski Partners: 27, including one dog and two little ones in backpacks. Most were friends, some were casual meetings at the Wheeler Hut and one was my sweetie ( a rare event that).
Have fun out there and be safe. In this new year, give thanks that you have your health and whatever circumstances allow you to travel in the backcountry, whether your AT or tele or even a knuckle dragger.
Gregg
Great read, Greg. Thanks.
Thanks Ron. Glad that you enjoyed it. Had not planned on hitting the road but on the 19th the conditions locally were horrible. Remember high 50 F. temps? Mazama and the Pass ended up being great given the west side conditions. The hut trip had been in the works for a few months.
Forgot one other stat from this road trip:
Total Feet of Descent:
35,300 ft. over ten days. (60 k for the year so far)
Forgot one other stat from this road trip:
Total Feet of Descent:
35,300 ft. over ten days. (60 k for the year so far)
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