ACMG Alpine Guide Training

The guide training course for the alpine program was in the Rockies in early July this year. Of course, I didn't turn down work until the day before the start of the course. My last day on the coast consisted of a day of work with Will, dropping my new friend Sandra off at the airport, then back to work - this time to de-rig an enormous show at GM Place. I was up early the next day to pack, then I swung by my buddy Sonnie's new home. He needed a ride to Canmore to teach a youth climbing camp. Off we went in a straight-shot to the Rockies.

The course was based out of a campsite near Banff. I lucked out and got two of the best instructors in the business - Colin Zacharias and Marc Piche. For most of the week I was paired up with Kris Irwin, a rock-solid dude and fellow hooligan, so spirits were always high.

Kris lowering Colin off Castle Tower

Crossing a river at 6am on our way up the mighty Mt. Lorette in K-country

Kris on some righteous rockstone partway up Lorette

Lowering Kris and Colin down some glacier ice on the Icefields Parkway

Kris posing between glacier slogging on Mt. Huber

Kris and Olivier doing what I tell them on Mt. Victoria

The rock is soo good here I hardly miss the granite...

Icefall navigation

More icefall nav

An unnamed instructor being placed supine during a rescue exercise on the last day

Twin One Couloir

Work had sidelined me from skiing for a few weeks, but I had a few fine days of climbing on Squamish's sacred rockstone.

A contract finally ended, meaning I could get after some spring coulior skiing! I met Craig and Alex in Whistler for a day mission to the Duffy. Our original plan was to ski Mt. Howard, but our view from the Vantage col gave a spectacular perspective of the Twin One Coulior on Mt. Matier.

Craig and Alex break for lunch after the descent, visible behind.

Time for Traverses

It is amazing how much winter terrain can be covered by a skier in one day. This winter I have been training for skiing loong endurance days in the mountains. I am really motivated to push my limits to see how far and how fast I can possibly go. As a teenager I was really into ultra-distance running. In-a-push ski traverses give me as much satisfaction as running did, except now the downhills are way more fun!

Here are a few photos for you to get psyched on spring ski traverses:

Yaar...

Valhalla Powder

I think the Selkirk mountains were created with skiers in mind...

I just spent the end of February skiing in the Kootneys and working at Valhalla Mountain Touring.

Simon ripping 'em for the descent

Paul and Benny breaking trail across Shannon Lake

In the 'pine above Shannon Lake

Hueco in February?

I can't go... I'll be neck deep in BC interior powder, but this looks FUN:

I am heading to Nelson, BC for the Coldsmoke Festival and have been training on the humble north shore mountains for the ski mountaineering race held there. Wish me luck, hopefully I don't suck. After that I am doing a ski guide practicum with my good friend Evan Stevens at Vahalla Mountain Touring.

Dreaming of Granite...

Cannabis Wall (5.13- R) FFA - August 2008 - Rich Wheater photos

sigh.....

Where's the Snow?

Out for a day mission to the Duffy with Ross Berg on Saturday. The snowpack had been getting nuked by a weeks worth of inversion, but we were committed to finding something, anything, to ski...

It was my first time driving by Whistler since I have been on the coast and I really couldn't help but laugh. Where was all the snow? The hill was looking very bare and I wasn't sure what was in store for us further north. I hadn't heard of anyone really skiing anything in the alpine recently. We pulled in to the Cerise Creek lot to clear skies and decided if the snow sucked, we should try and at least get on top of something. I had to be back in Vancouver that evening, working, for the Lil' Wayne concert. The north aspect of Mt. Vantage looked appealing due to its proximity and the fact that maybe we could find some sheltered snow that hadn't been affected by the sun.

Ross trying to decide what mountain to ski off

Skiing through the biggest surface hoar crystals I have ever seen, some were 10cm big!

Ross and a single crystal

Snow-wise, surface hoar has an unusual, albeit, delightful taste and texture

Cumbre! Ross trying to decide if we should ski the big line off the top.

We ended up picking a conservative line, found good snow, and had a great run back to our car. I dropped Ross off in Whistler and made it back to the big city in time for a 45 minute nap before the concert. What we need now is some snow!

White Winter Hymnal

I found myself back in Canmore at the start of January for the ACMG ice training for the alpine guide program. Historically, I haven't done a ton of ice climbing, coastal winters are usually more conducive to skiing than climbing. This year I got VERY EXCITED to climb ice and haven't touched the sticks save for one furious morning of vertical with ski fiends Ross Berg and Andrew Wexler.

Rogan's Gully during the ice training

Olivier playing the 'client'...

Examiner Todd Craig showing us how it's done

The mandatory days on ice really got me motivated to get out and swing my tools on some hard Rockies classics. Luckily ice crushers Jesse Huey and Ian Welsted are perpetually stoked on this crazy sport and were game to indulge me. The silver smear of the Sea of Vapours suddenly appeared on the Trophy Wall high above Banff, calling out to be climbed. No one had ventured up there yet to climb it this season, it's always fun to try for the first ascent of the year.

Weaving around avalanche terrain on the approach to the Trophy Wall

Me starting up the first pitch

Ian following pitch one

You gain a couple thousand of vertical in the approach so when you step onto the ice it feels like you are on El Capitan - the exposure is intense. Here is Ian starting the second pitch.

The second pitch proved to be HARD, with Ian soul searching on the sharp end for two and a half hours (!) Here's Jesse not psyched on our freezing hanging belay...

The 'Sted doing battle on the most engaging ice I have ever followed... Rime ice, drytooling, and hooking on weird, pasted-on ice blobs...

On the crux pitch. After this pitch we could see that maybe 80 feet of hard mixed climbing would lead to cruiser WI5 to the top. Unfortunately, a late start, careful management of avalanche terrain, and the route's difficulties all contributed to slow progress. It was getting dark.

A bruised, but safe, team already psyched on round two!

I kept postponing my return to the coast, keen to give the route another go. It wasn't in the cards for me unfortunately, but I hope Ian and Jesse get up the thing! Before I left Jesse and I had some great days out together, and I am already itching to get back to the Rockies. I am glad not to have to drive anywhere for the time being, however...

M-ing at Bearspirit