Mark Renson
New member
Last year, three of us took on a big challenge http://tinyurl.com/s3af9 and were rewarded with adventure and "goals" accomplishment.
This year, things got much easier. We were able to drive all the way down the 90km of logging roads to the trailhead for the 2800 foot hoof up and rather than Winter Camping, we were able to pile into the new hut that was constructed last Fall - wow, such luxury! The hike went easy as I had many flashbacks to last year's adventure.
So, for 6 days or so, it was no phones, no electricity (didn't need any as the sun didn't set 'til 10:30PM), no sex 'n drugs 'n rock & roll, no obsessing over my yuppie puke financial portfolios, no shopping for plastic crap, no Internet, no beer (oh sh*t), no junk food, no pollution, no staying up late. This clean Spartan livin'
enabled us to wake up very early and concentrate on crevasse rescue/ropework clinicing and skinning, bootpacking and breaking out the ice axe and crampons on the steeper dicier climbs.
Of course, the rewards were that much stress inside of me was drained (I was astounded at how relaxed I had become) and TURNS. All sorts of corn turns were had. Just like Matt Duphphy has been preaching to us for the past few years, there are plenty of outstanding turns to be had well into Spring/Summer. We were able to take on 35-45 degree lines and thread our way around crevasses and seracs on the many glaciers we skied. Skiing on a glacier truly is a thrill! We also accomplished some more "goals" - heh, heh, heh.
We did have to negotiate some postholes left in the snow .....not made by another skier (there has not been a whole heckuva lotta' those in that area - heh, heh, heh), but rather by a Grizzly that had wandered up the glacier. 'da Guide explained to me that they like to come out in the Spring and forage in the avalanche paths for critters and varmints that got crushed during the Winter by White Death.
The last day, we ventured high up onto an isolated glacier for some clinicing and then rewarded ourselves with a 45 degree shot through the crevasses; I was astounded at how quick my 79mm wide boards (Miras) could turn (I have gotten used to the wider boards, nowadays though I don't think I wanna' go wider) on the steeps - light weight means I could make 'em turn real fast and with fluidity. Later, we ended the day on perfect corn on a glacier and then sideslipping through a keyhole in a cliffband, traversing under the rock wall to a huge line where we let 'em rip in the corn knowing that it would be our last run of the season and continuing well after my legs screamed for mercy, but were ignored by my heart which had gone into overdrive with ecstacy.
Nothing too much else to say as words just don't work!
Hmmm, that makes 9 months in a row of skiing for me.
This year, things got much easier. We were able to drive all the way down the 90km of logging roads to the trailhead for the 2800 foot hoof up and rather than Winter Camping, we were able to pile into the new hut that was constructed last Fall - wow, such luxury! The hike went easy as I had many flashbacks to last year's adventure.
So, for 6 days or so, it was no phones, no electricity (didn't need any as the sun didn't set 'til 10:30PM), no sex 'n drugs 'n rock & roll, no obsessing over my yuppie puke financial portfolios, no shopping for plastic crap, no Internet, no beer (oh sh*t), no junk food, no pollution, no staying up late. This clean Spartan livin'
enabled us to wake up very early and concentrate on crevasse rescue/ropework clinicing and skinning, bootpacking and breaking out the ice axe and crampons on the steeper dicier climbs. Of course, the rewards were that much stress inside of me was drained (I was astounded at how relaxed I had become) and TURNS. All sorts of corn turns were had. Just like Matt Duphphy has been preaching to us for the past few years, there are plenty of outstanding turns to be had well into Spring/Summer. We were able to take on 35-45 degree lines and thread our way around crevasses and seracs on the many glaciers we skied. Skiing on a glacier truly is a thrill! We also accomplished some more "goals" - heh, heh, heh.
We did have to negotiate some postholes left in the snow .....not made by another skier (there has not been a whole heckuva lotta' those in that area - heh, heh, heh), but rather by a Grizzly that had wandered up the glacier. 'da Guide explained to me that they like to come out in the Spring and forage in the avalanche paths for critters and varmints that got crushed during the Winter by White Death.
The last day, we ventured high up onto an isolated glacier for some clinicing and then rewarded ourselves with a 45 degree shot through the crevasses; I was astounded at how quick my 79mm wide boards (Miras) could turn (I have gotten used to the wider boards, nowadays though I don't think I wanna' go wider) on the steeps - light weight means I could make 'em turn real fast and with fluidity. Later, we ended the day on perfect corn on a glacier and then sideslipping through a keyhole in a cliffband, traversing under the rock wall to a huge line where we let 'em rip in the corn knowing that it would be our last run of the season and continuing well after my legs screamed for mercy, but were ignored by my heart which had gone into overdrive with ecstacy.
Nothing too much else to say as words just don't work!
Hmmm, that makes 9 months in a row of skiing for me.
