April 6/07-A Good Friday on Seymour's 3 peaks
4/15/07
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Good Friday is a stat holiday in Canada; Lorne, Gabe(my son) and I took advantage of the day off to climb the three peaks of Mt. Seymour. For those of you who are not familiar with Seymour, it is the far right ski hill mountain that you see when you look north while crossing the Port Mann bridge on the way to Whistler. We had a leisurely start to the day, leaving the main parking lot (elevation 3,000") at 11:00 am. Since this is a Provincial Park and ski resorts generally do not appreciate non-paying customers on their runs, we made use of the back country trail that climbs parallel to the most westerly run.
Many B.C. communities broke their all-time highest temperature score for April 6th as we were playing in the deep snow pack. The trail had great coverage and the warmth of the day removed any icy patches around the trees. Less than an hour on the trail brought us to the upper boundary of the ski resort. The terrain here is rather undulating and we didn't bother removing skins for the little downhill sections. When we hit the steep face of 1st Peak, also known as Pump Peak. we chose to traverse across it rather than booting it. There is a little draw just below First Peak that makes a nicely sheltered spot to camp, which my wife and I had done several Mays ago. This peak is the destination for many snowshoers, snowboarders and skiers, but we continued on. After dropping a few hundred feet, we regained our elevation and a bit more when we reached Second Peak. The descent from this peak to the north is a considerably more difficult than the previous drop. I started down a 50 degree slope and then chickened out by traversing across to where the others had gone down. You should be able to see this slope on my pictures. One more climb up a gully and we were on Mt.Seymour's highest point (1455 m.)
We shared the peak with a Russian AT skier., enjoyed the spectacular views and eat a lunch that included about other things smoked oysters, Greek liquor and meatloaf sandwiches. With the wet snow, we decided to not put our skins on every uphill section and we were able to climb successfully without them. The steep face of Pump Peak was the highlight for me. The ski resort was certainly anticlimactic.
More photos can be found here: http://www.telemarktips.com/Photopost/showgallery.php?ppuser=61&cat=500
Many B.C. communities broke their all-time highest temperature score for April 6th as we were playing in the deep snow pack. The trail had great coverage and the warmth of the day removed any icy patches around the trees. Less than an hour on the trail brought us to the upper boundary of the ski resort. The terrain here is rather undulating and we didn't bother removing skins for the little downhill sections. When we hit the steep face of 1st Peak, also known as Pump Peak. we chose to traverse across it rather than booting it. There is a little draw just below First Peak that makes a nicely sheltered spot to camp, which my wife and I had done several Mays ago. This peak is the destination for many snowshoers, snowboarders and skiers, but we continued on. After dropping a few hundred feet, we regained our elevation and a bit more when we reached Second Peak. The descent from this peak to the north is a considerably more difficult than the previous drop. I started down a 50 degree slope and then chickened out by traversing across to where the others had gone down. You should be able to see this slope on my pictures. One more climb up a gully and we were on Mt.Seymour's highest point (1455 m.)
We shared the peak with a Russian AT skier., enjoyed the spectacular views and eat a lunch that included about other things smoked oysters, Greek liquor and meatloaf sandwiches. With the wet snow, we decided to not put our skins on every uphill section and we were able to climb successfully without them. The steep face of Pump Peak was the highlight for me. The ski resort was certainly anticlimactic.
More photos can be found here: http://www.telemarktips.com/Photopost/showgallery.php?ppuser=61&cat=500
Ya Bob! Looks like fun.
Seymour holds some short, but sweet slopes. I love heading there after work in Spring to get a quick corn fix. Some of the finest views of the city from up there too.
How are you liking those Havocs? Looks like your whole crew has a pair.
Seymour holds some short, but sweet slopes. I love heading there after work in Spring to get a quick corn fix. Some of the finest views of the city from up there too.
How are you liking those Havocs? Looks like your whole crew has a pair.
I made some of my first "downhill" turns on cross-country gear in the Mt.Seymour ski area many years ago. The short steep trails down to Goldi Lake and the surrounding back country were thrilling then. I haven't found the ski runs interesting on tele gear for a long time. While the terrain above the resort is quite accessible, it also has a real element of danger and adventure. And the views can be spectacular!
I have no real complaints with the Havocs. They cut through crud well, but are kind of heavy for my summer turns. Any problems that I have had skiing with them were probably the result of driver error, not equipment issues.
I have no real complaints with the Havocs. They cut through crud well, but are kind of heavy for my summer turns. Any problems that I have had skiing with them were probably the result of driver error, not equipment issues.
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