I just returned from a 17 day road trip through the southern interior of British Columbia.
It was probably the best ski trip I have ever been on.
With this being my first time to the region, I was completely humbled by the mountains.
The amount of easily accessed backcountry skiing is just mind boggling.
Unfortunately, we had to deal with fluctuating temperatures and a very active surface hoar layer in the snowpack.
Avalanches were easily triggered the entire time we were there.
“giver till ya quiver”^Retallack offers up the goods.
The food, the lodging, and the staff are all top notch.
The vibe is always so positive and relaxed, just the way a ski vacation should be.
And we can’t forget about the terrain.
Its steep, deep and covered with pillows.
Great for charging.After a week of shooting pictures with Chris O’connell, our photo trip was over.
I wasn’t ready to leave.
The conditions were improving and I was itching to get into the backcountry on my own accord.
I phoned up Neil who was down in utah waiting patiently for the pow.
Two days later he was on a 2.5 hour flight from SLC to Cranbrook, BC.
For the next week, we based out of Nelson, BC.
With the help of Google Earth, we scoped some areas that looked ideal for ski touring.
No messing around in these parts.
Fortunately, the snowpack was beginning to stabalize more and more each day.^Damn surface hoar’s!
The sun popped out for our last run of the afternoon.
We were beyond stoked!
On top of that, the skies opened up for the first time on our trip.
sweet.^Tea, sausages, and smokes by the fire.
we were living nicely.^The next morning we woke up to beautiful alpenglow skies.
Neil finds a patch of sun on this pillow popper^then it was time for the icicle spine wall.
It really was an ice wall draped with fingers of light powder.
I made it to the top of a steep hill only to start uncontrollably sliding backwards downhill.
I thought for sure I was going to slide off the road into the forest.
We were absolutely gripped, and decided it was best not to try and attempt the hill again.
Our bodies were beaten, our funds were running dry, and an epic storm was pounding utah.
All good reasons to say good bye to British Columbia and head home.
Check back to catch the action in HD.
