I’m willing to bet you have absolutely no idea where Ymir is. Neither did I, until I rolled into town in the Surface truck, looking for the house of a friend of a friend who had offered up their floor for us to crash on for a couple nights. Amazing how that works in the shred world; share a lift, ride, lap or beer and a complete stranger becomes a good friend.
Cruising back up to Whitewater from Ymir, it was pretty obvious that we made the right choice sticking around for an extra day: the storm had let up overnight, and by the time we got to the parking lot there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. For the first time, we were able to take in the incredible setting surrounding Ymir peak that makes Whitewater a no-brainer destination for anyone willing to get a little sweaty accessing a line: trees, pillows, bowls, chutes, spines, cliffs… the Whitewater slackcountry has it all and then some. I was giddy with excitement, both to shred and shoot – when was the last time you saw a photo from a bluebird day on my blog?
After spending the morning in the same zone as my all-time lap the previous day, Eliel and I rallied at the truck, kitted up with our touring gear, and headed off into the alpine in search of cliffs basking in the late afternoon light. Mission accomplished – although I know El wishes he found some stupid big triple stager to send off of. Watch him go for the glory in the Whistler backcountry in the Dendrite Studios video, dropping this fall.
We spent 2 days at Whitewater, but it only took one lap for me to be sold on this undeveloped powder gem. It isn’t for everyone – you can count the park features on one hand, and many of the good lines lie beyond the resort boundary. Don’t show up unprepared for backcountry travel.
For my friends: picture shredding with me on a whis pow day. Take away everything that sucks about where we’re riding, and you have Whitewater. Yeah, I figured you’d be stoked.
Partying the night away in Fernie presented us with an interesting problem: Shayne and I had done some serious damage to our bar tab (and livers) and while driver Eliel stuck to water, we still had to be at Whitewater the next day to run another demo. We were still drunk when El managed to wake Shayne and I at 5am, setting us up for my favourite past time – being drunk in a car travelling through the dark, windy mountain roads of southern BC. Fortunately Eliel was still paranoid of black ice and had mercy on his half inebriated, half hungover passengers, taking it easy on the potentially treacherous road. His suspicions proved accurate when we tried to get gas in Cranbrook: a right off the highway turned into a straight slide. We powered through to daylight and filled up in Creston.
A quick check of the road report in Creston showed that the Kootenay Pass was closed for avalanche control (a promising sign for the conditions at Whitewater) so we made the snap decision to take the sneak attack route on the ferry across Kootenay Lake and through Nelson. El took advantage of the downtime to catch up on his sleep – I took advantage of Nelson to buy more PBR and hot dogs.
As soon as we rolled into the Whitewater parking lot, we could instantly tell we were going to like this hill. One day lodge, no accommodation, 2 double lifts, total whiteout conditions, the muffled THUD of avy bombs… right up my alley. My first thought was, this is just like Baker, but more low-key. Theres something magic about these small, relatively unknown powder enclaves. Everyone is there for the same reason – theres no park scene, no big egos, no multi million dollar slopeside condos – just straight up, no frills no bullshit pow shred.
If you’re in the business of demoing fat, rockered skis, a hill that gets 40 feet of snowfall a season is a damn good spot to set up shop. Even without our fancy Surface tent – theres no way we could set it up in the howling wind – we were down to just park skis in mere minutes, which meant it was time to spin a lap. Local guidance took us to a spot that I’m not likely to forget any time soon. Easily the best run I’ve had all season, it was a good 400m of sustained drop through a zone of perfectly spaced trees, with endless pillows, chest deep pow, and no tracks in sight. I quickly lost everyone and tragically had to shred the line in one straight shot without stopping for photos.
The line popped us out onto the access road, a couple kms away from the resort. Board off, thumb out… within minutes we had a ride back up in the box of a pickup – a ride of doom that was significantly more thrilling than the shred down. I’m not sure how we made it up alive (or without taking out other cars), but our ear-to-ear grins of satisfaction were a clear sign that the risk was worth it. We kept lapping through the day, rotating off one guy to keep tabs on the demos.
Eliel was so amped on Whitewater that he never wanted to leave – even going to extremes like sinking the truck into a ditch full of quicksand snow. Strike 2 – the Kootenays really wanted that truck to stick around. We didn’t really want to leave, either, so we set up camp in the metropolis of Ymir for the night and postponed our Red Mtn demo a day. Little did we know, Ymir was about to become our home away from home… more on that next post.
For those of you still scratching your head over my post title, peep this extraordinary piece of Canadiana. The log drivers waltz pleases girls completely…
We limped into Fernie in the wee hours of the morning following our ditch detour on the crowsnest pass, and woke around noon to a light drizzle at the base – not exactly a warm welcome for our return to BC. But, the hill at Fernie has a Grouse Grind worth of vert and the view across the valley suggested that it was snowing up top, so Eliel, Rob and 
I saddled up and rode through the rain towards the snow line. Conditions were mostly mashed pow-tatoes, but a short boot pack to the top of Knot Chutes rewarded us with fresh tracks and fun lines above the mank.
After a couple laps of sloppy pow we relocated over to the rail park – no jumps at Fernie – where El and I spent more time oogling lines beyond the ropes , wishing the weather was better, than actually riding. Our second day was more of the same – shot a couple photos, but the light was blah and the pow was sloppy. There be lines in them thar hills, though… a return trip when the snow is better is definitely on my to-do list.
Joel threw together another edit, starring Rob Heule killing the rail park and yours truly killing a bag of hot dogs:
Quick Cut – Surface Demo Tour Does Fernie from Jah Raven Creation on Vimeo.
The ski scene in Fernie was stoked on the demo tour – Grand Central, a local bar, even threw us a mustache party, complete with a schwag giveaway for the hombre rockin’ the best ’stache. A pair of fancy, limited edition 10/11 Surface poles went to the gnarliest trucker ’stache I’ve ever laid eyes on. Mad props. Apologies if my details on the night are sparse – Grand Central also hooked us up with a bar tab. Big thanks to Paul for a fun (and hazy) night.
The Kootenays are a special place. The forested slopes of southeastern British Columbia offer a quiet seclusion from the outside world, a quality that has led to an influx of exiles over the years. Whether fleeing religious or political persecution, or being forcefully segregated from the general population, many people found their way to the Kootenays in search of refuge from another life.
The qualities that attract people to the Kootenays in the first place hold considerable influence over the decision to leave. It wasn’t just the vibe or atmosphere of Kootenay culture that drew us in – southeast BC is a snowsport paradise. Pillow fields, big, steep mountains, deep snow, great sledding and touring and an abundance of access options from logging roads to helicopters put winter activities front and centre almost everywhere you look. If we didn’t have an obligation to return to Whistler, we probably never would have left – hell, Shayne stayed behind on the promise that we would pick him up on our way to SIA in Denver.
It took mere minutes for the powerful pull of the Kootenays to exert its force on the Surface crew: not 5 km across the Alberta border our truck fell victim to a black ice sneak attack and plowed straight through a large yellow corner sign into the ditch. If you can’t Dodge it, Ram it… right? Thankfully, our low speed and some slick (haaaa!) driving by Eliel kept all 4 tires on the ground and limited the damage to a bent license plate. After extricating the Surfacemobile from a snowdrift, we attempted to get ourselves back on the road – despite being able to drive around just fine in the wide, flat ditch, the steep embankment proved too much for the truck to handle and we were forced to call a tow. Big props to the Sparwood RCMP detachment for hooking us up with some flares to prevent a loaded logging truck from landing itself ontop of us. Standing on the side of a road as a semi trailer barrels straight downhill toward you, knowing that all that stands between you and fifty tonnes of of truck and timber is a corner that has more in common with a curling rink than a highway… it’s terrifying, to say the least, especially when you’re sharing a ditch with a collection of crosses – a chilling reminder that our situation could be a lot worse.
In the end, we got the truck out without further incident and continued – slowly – onward to Fernie. Nothing says “photo op” like the bright flashing lights of a police cruiser, so once the flares were lit I pulled out the camera bag and documented our near disaster. This would prove to be only the first of several incidents while in the Kootenays that seemed to serve as an omen that we weren’t meant to leave. That, or Eliel needs new tires for his truck.
After 2 solid days riding in Revlestoke, we decided that the best way to tackle Rogers Pass was during daylight hours the next morning. I’m a big fan of drawing imaginary lines down every peak as I travel through the mountain passes of British Columbia, drooling over the innumerable pillow fields, couloirs and cliffs that provide eye candy and inspiration for the road weary shred; whether I’m behind the wheel looking at the road ahead or riding shotgun with wandering eyes, I much prefer making the trek between hills during the day.
This time, our decision to forgo travelling under the cover of darkness proved to be a poor one – we woke on Monday am to nearly half a foot of new snow blanketing the streets of Revelstoke with no indication that the storm would let up anytime soon. Great conditions for another day of riding at RMR… brutal conditions to tackle the notorious Rogers Pass. But, we were supposed to run a demo at Kicking Horse that day so we took our chances that the pass would be open when we got there. It was, but barely – the highway closed less than half an hour after we made it through.
When we finally arrived in Golden, we learned that we wouldn’t be able to run a demo due to an insurance issue, and that we’d be on the hook for lift tickets if we wanted to ski. As a bunch of broke kids with a limited budget for travel expenses, we opted out of on-hill riding and found a little cabin to jib around on for a couple hours. A quick stop in town at 180 Mountain Sports – one of the first Canadian shops to stock Surface – to tune the demo fleet and it was back on the road again. Facing technical difficulties once again with the Banff area resorts, we powered through to Calgary for a session at Canada Olympic Park.
I’m not a park shred and I don’t really enjoy shooting park photos, so I only spun a few laps with the D200 then took a turn at filming a little follow footy with a GoPro helmet cam. My back wasn’t feeling too hot or I would’ve thrown down myself. You might not know it but I actually kill it on handrails and pipe – and by it I mean myself. Yea, I have no freestyle skills to speak of… but I throw a mean slash on groomers.
Calgary’s resident Surface skier Rob Heule put together a little edit from our session. Check it:
Surface COP Slayer from rob heule on Vimeo.
As for my present whereabouts, I’m currently in Utah enjoying bluebird skies and blower pow… making the trek back to Canada tomorrow. Miss me yet? I didn’t think so. Next up, ditching the truck and going off road in the Kootenays. No, literally. You’ll see…
Having been in Whistler for the storm that hit the Okanagan in early January, there wasn’t much to do on the first leg of the Surface Skis tour aside from rip groomers and explore the park. As fun as that is, I need a little variety on the hill so the crew got me on skis for the first time in 12 or so years at Apex; not a pretty sight – all but one ski in the Surface lineup is less than 100mm underfoot. It takes a good pow day to really appreciate the fat, wide, rockered goodness that is Surface Skis (thats what the boys tell me, at least. WTF do I know, I can barely get down the hill on those things).
The last time I rode at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, conditions were similar to our jaunt through the Okanagan: great groomers but no new snow. I’ve been daydreaming about hitting revy on a pow day since they announced the new development plan a few years ago, and this time around I wouldn’t be disapointed: just in time for the Canadian Freeski Championships, RMR got a healthy dose of vitamin gnar and our crew took full advantage. It was typical weather for a Strain photoshoot – grey skies and deep snow. To the trees! I wouldn’t have it any other way…
A quick video edit of the RMR/KHMR stops from Surface rider and cinematographer Joel Whalen:
Quick Cut – Surface Demo does Revy and Golden. from Joel Whalen on Vimeo.
Up next: Shredding gnar with the car thru Rogers Pass, an urban session at Kicking Horse, and park laps in Calgary.
All of my recent travel has meant I haven’t had the opportunity to print any of my latest work – I think I’ve printed 3 photos that were taken since May 1, 2009. A couple months ago I ‘outsourced’ some print work to a friend, and I finally took them off his wall to take photos of my photos (it never gets old) last week.
I don’t have an integrated print ordering service (yet) but I’d be happy to provide prints of anything you fancy out of the photos from my blog or flickr. An 18×12 will run you $30, or $50 for two. Custom orders like this guy cost more based on the size – but nothing looks better than a fat canvas print hanging from your wall. To order just drop me a line.
I’m currently in Salt Lake City, Utah, taking a down day and working on some more bloggage from my Surface Demo tour. RMR / KHMR content dropping later this afternoon… Brighton shred tomorrow. We drove in from Denver/SIA early this morning – I’ll have some more stuff to say about SIA later, but for now I’d like to give a round of major props to the guys at GoPro. Someone stole the HD Hero camera that I won at the show, and the GoPro crew was good enough to replace it for me. Needless to say, I’m extremely grateful and can’t express enough how awesome it is to see a company go out of their way to help someone out. Thanks guys… can’t wait to start filming!
I’ve been living a fantastic ski-bum nomad lifestyle since I left my “traditional” job – a temp position as a carpenters helper – in early November. Luckily, as soon as I entered the world of unemployment, Whistler got hit with the snowiest month in their history, and I found myself caught up in a whirlwind of travel, shooting, and shredding that hasn’t shown any sign of letting up any time soon. Since the first week of November, I’ve been living out of 4 bags – camera, laptop, board and duffel, have slept in no less than 20 different beds/floors/couches/cars, and have traveled over 10000km – all by car – to ride 12 different resorts.
The majority of that travel can be accounted for in two trips – my journey to Vail with the Katal Innovations crew to help set up The Landing Pad (which I still need to write about… ), and my most recent gongshow loop through interior BC with Eliel Hindert and Shayne Metos of Surface Skis, demoing their sticks and shooting photos/filming with their team. Over the course of 14 days we hit Grouse, Apex, Big White, Silver Star, Revlestoke, Kicking Horse (sort of), COP, Fernie, Whitewater, Red and ended back ‘home’ in Whistler.
The first leg of the trip pushed through the Okanagan – Apex, Big White, and Silver Star. Eliel seems to be keen on writing in depth on each tour stop, so instead of repeating his stories – we were within an arms reach of eachother for most of the trip – I’ll direct you to his blog for his take on things. I’ll warn you though: he mumbles when he talks…
Some photos from the ski hills of the Okanagan:
The next segment of our tour was supposed to be Revelstoke, Kicking Horse, and Louise… but technical difficulties turned that into 2 great days at RMR, an urban session in Golden, and a park slayer at COP in Calgary. I’ll explain in the next post… I’m taking off to Colorado again in the morning, but with some website issues sorted (read: I suck at wordpress), updates should come more frequently. I think.
The first week of the new year is probably my favorite time to be around Whistler. The Christmas vacationers and New Years partiers have returned to the cities, leaving the mountains relatively quiet during a time of year noted for the intense winter storms that pummel the coast day after day. It isn’t unusual for the alpine to shut down for several days at a time as the snow piles up, forcing powder hunters into their secret forest stashes until the weather breaks and the upper mountain opens with several feet of fresh.
For 4 years now, Whistler has played host to the Deep Winter Photo Challenge, a 3 day contest that pits 5 photographers against each other for a hefty prize purse in stormy conditions that tend to be the exact opposite of ideal for photography. Sadly, I wasn’t able to attend the event itself this year, but I was shooting with some of the participating athletes in the days leading up to the contest, working through the storm on our own little Deep Winter side challenge. I’d be stoked to be one of the competitors someday… but I think I’ll wait until Jordan Manley gets sick of winning every year.
A pair of photos of skier Jake Cohn on Blackcomb Mountain in the early days of the new year. Deep.
I missed the slideshow presentation because I’m on the road, touring through interior BC with the Surface Skis crew. More about that in the next day or two – but you can keep up to date on our whereabouts and shenanigans by following my twitter. We’ll be back in Whistler on the 18th… fingers crossed we’re coming home into another storm…
Voleurz rider Braden Dean pops off the injured reserve and into record breaking snow on Whistler Mountain:
As I mentioned in my Whistler Opening Weekend post, I’ve been lucky enough to be a passholder at Whistler during a time when early openings are the rule and record snowfall seems to happen on a regular basis. As a result, last season was a huge let down – although the march ‘redeption’ certainly faded memories of the slow start very quickly.
This season, however, I’ve decided (for a number of reasons) to change things up a little and spend time riding and shooting in the interior. I can’t help question now if I’m making a huge mistake; November is barely half over and Whistler has already received nearly half its average yearly snowfall, smashing the recently-set November snowfall record of 416cm. By the time December rolls around, it looks like November 2009 will be the snowiest month on record @ Whistler Blackcomb (51 more cm to go… the record should fall this weekend). Why am I leaving again?
A couple more of Braden – a little rusty on the first day of his season, but loving every minute of it:
I left Whistler last night in the middle of one of the most intense storms I’ve experienced – thick, heavy snow north of Squamish and torrential rain being driven by devastating winds to the south. We made it home just fine but it really put some perspective on just how hard this area is being hammered by storms right now. Truly incredible.
I know they say theres “no friends on a powder day” but if you ride alone, who’s going to help you break trail on a chest-deep bootpack? With a little effort we grabbed some bottomless turns for the last run of the day – you can see the stoke on everyone’s face. I was too busy snorkeling after this frame to shoot much more.
