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http://kootenayskier.wordpress.com/
Wildhorse
My winter at Wildhorse
cat-skiing has begun. With the owner/lead guide
Trevor recovering from a broken leg sustained in the
Fall, I’m taking on all guiding duties for a little
bit. The snow-pack is thinner than usual, and we
haven’t had much new snow of late, but with perfect
boot-deep powder skiing on all aspects, our clients
are invariably stoked at the end of the day. I have
mixed feelings about guiding. Of course I course I
love skiing fresh powder, but the experience can’t
compare to the freedom, challenge, and camaraderie
of adventuring with close friends. What does make it
worthwhile is the the satisfaction of providing
people with what is often a peak life experience.
It’s uplifting to be associated with such joy.
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GUIDEBOOK
Ski Touring India's Kullu Valley
Welcome to
alpinetouring.com, a site dedicated to
touring the world's greatest mountain ranges.
It is also the
best
and probably only
place to purchase the Kullu Valley ski tourer's guidebook.
SKI TOURING
INDIA'S
KULLU VALLEY
The
world's first and only skiing guidebook to the Himalaya, targets the
Kullu Valley in northern India, in the mountains around Manali. It
arrived at the end of 2003 after six years behind a keyboard and
contains indispensable route information on a variety of brief day
tours to complex multi-day expeditions on some of the most spectacular
terrain imaginable.
◦
An intriguing and comprehensive guide to
a
beautiful part of the world.
- 'The Ski Mag' (winter
2003)
Campbell
 Spooner
at alpinetouring.com
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The Winter So Far...
The
vagaries of another ski season are well illustrated here in the
Kootenays of British Columbia. It is strange to think that back to November,
when there were snowfalls each day and the gleeful optimism of
perhaps an epic winter ahead was on skiers minds. My yard had even 3
feet of snow in it before the month had ended. How quickly do events change.
Winter is officially here, next week the New Year arrives and so far
December has been bleak, one of the driest I can remember. The
snowpack in the local mountains hovers between 40 and
80cms, a little more in the Nelson Range, but pathetically shallow
in most respects. My local resort has only a few runs open
and most of the touring stashes are wind-buffeted hardpack. At least
the Kootenays are not alone, with the most of Canada and the US
under
similar conditions. In fact, it appears that only northern BC and
Alaska are bucking the trend. The snowpack can change rapidly, as we
all know, and all will be forgotten if January starts puking, but
for now we have a rough start after such high expectations.
Gear wise,
I've made a few changes to my fleet. After 3 years on the Head
Monster OB 95, I've switched to a used pair of K2 Coomba's and
gained 7mm of girth. Although the Coomba's are 3 years old
themselves, they feel damp, foolproof and very secure, especially in
the wind crust we've seen so much of. My Heads will be set aside for
long traverses or expeditions where weight is so critical. I'm also
sporting a new touring pant - a Patagonia Backcountry Guide, in a
spiffy Forge Grey color. My brother has worn the same pants, in
black, for the past seasons and as I was reluctant to buy the same
as the fit appeared too slim and at over 800gms, the weight was too
great. However, after strutting throughout the house, the fit
appears to fine, the pockets adequate, and the weight will be
something to get used to, but the price and quality of construction
couldn't be beat in the end, edging out my preferred option of the
Arcteryx Fury Pant.
Cam Dec 24 |
