TR: Big Lines and Good Times in the Canadian Rockies

Well, with the weather finally going inclement for a while and employment soon to be starting, it looks like spring skimo is just about over for me. I've gotten a lot done, my first real spines, first flutes, first glaciated faces and a whole ton of summits and big classic lines ticked. I fully intend to continue skiing over the summer as I did last, but bagging new and interesting lines on a daily basis is not something I'll be able to continue. Full TR's on each line can mostly be found in my blog- it's in my signature. Enjoy

Part 1: Early spring and Selkirk mtns
Mar 13- I started skiing big lines in March. Still pretty low intensity, but great lines when things did align. This is Ursus Minor peak- west face in Rogers Pass. Video included cuz it was perfect snow for shredding the fuck out of it.

Looking in on the ridge climb up

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...3&d=1400121597

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...4&d=1400121615

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ8mziWqlEs


Apr 1- STS couloir, Rogers Pass. Classic line in great snow. I was given first dibs and hauled ass down it, here's my buddy doing the same

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...5&d=1400121652


Apr 10- Mt Smart 2-day traverse, Rogers Pass. A little traverse I cooked up, taking me up and down through all unexplored and fresh terrain and culminating in going to the top (minus the summit block) of Mt Smart and shredding its glaciated north face (750m, 2500' to the glacier toe)

Mt Oliver at night, our ski line off Slick to the right

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...6&d=1400121668

Unfortunately vis dropped out for our drop in. Still can't hide that gnar

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...7&d=1400121682

At a lower bulge on the descent

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...8&d=1400121694


Apr 12- Now spring starts to come into full season and the ticks on my list fly by. Some sweet descents we saw from the Smart traverse on minor, boring sub-peaks and ridges.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...9&d=1400121705

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...0&d=1400121715


Apr 15- The freeride flavour continues on some nearby terrain in Rogers Pass. My first flutes, super scary. We only hit two of a multitude of lines on this one little face.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1400121756

Part 2: Mid-late spring in the Canadian Rockies

Apr 22- Sherbrooke Lake. Saw what looked to be a rad zone on Google Earth and went up to shred whatever looked skiable. Some things were arguably not skiable, depends on your definition.

Terrain with tacky snow like this in the Cdn Rockies. Who'd a thunk it.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...2&d=1400122213

Flutes on a rock slab, the mark of yours truly

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...3&d=1400122323

Some laps on a fun face

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...4&d=1400122370


Apr 24- A return to Sherbrooke area, but for a big ol' south face. In fresh pow. My first truly early start, up at 2am which became a bit of a theme in the coming weeks.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...7&d=1400122496


Apr 25- The first of a total of 5 attempts in a two week period on the Narao Peak couloirs. Finally bagged the left in inclement weather (good ski weather, bad pic weather) on May 6, but here's a good pic from my first attempt

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...8&d=1400122700


Apr 28- Bow Summit couloirs, a bunch of great couloirs in impeccable snow conditions.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...9&d=1400122858


May 11- Mt Stanley north face, such a great line. Big, glaciated, famous, powdery. Perfect.

Me demonstrating the latest in backcountry style on the boot up the face

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...0&d=1400123000

Eleven dudes gangbanged the face that day, but I found deep pow on the edges

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1400123141

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jUnoCmUAXI


May 12- Made an attempt on Haddo's NE face with very limited beta on it. The crux just 100m from the summit turned out to be too sketchy to be worth skiing, so I had to settle with just the rest of the face.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...2&d=1400123561

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwQYvtw8NqU


May 13- Skied off two summits, Aberdeen AND Haddo, but from the other side which is a rather boring flat skin. Aberdeen was great though, with enough cruxes along the way to feel like the mountaineering part of skimo really applies.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...3&d=1400123751

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IaVZ5dELKr...05755707_n.jpg

Well, that's it for now and with the weather and job closing in, it might be the last concentrated days of shredding big shit. It's been one hell of a good run though, stoked to see what a bit more skills will lead me onto next time round. Shameless promotion, more pictures words and video on the blog in my signature.

I dont' actually need this post just yet. Post away

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Originally Posted by angrysasquatch

dont post

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whaaaaaa?

nice! talk about that e-n face on haddo every yr and my buddy talks Aberdeen. one day. looks like you ski that nice chute below the e face that aims north towards surprise pass. cool looking chute if so. never seen turns in it. also didn't know you could contour around Aberdeen like that. I thought it was a climb frozen south face chute and ski the north glacier w a rappel off the glacier. where now? Abbot hut for lefroy and mt vic lines before moraine lk rd opens ?

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Originally Posted by angrysasquatch

Post away

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Solid work dude. Lookin forward to seeing your stuff next year.

Stanleys the only one of those big ones I've even considered but you keep giving me ideas. ahh well. maybe next season.

Not sure which chute, there's a ton of weaknesses in there, can't be sure which one. I just looked down and if it looked good then go. NE vic looks shitty, vic n peak and lefroy is super radgnar and I'm not ready for it. Maybe Collier but it seems like whatever plans I make are destined to fail so I'll just go loose for now. Start work on 20th and looks like at best mixed weather till then so whatever I can get done on my days off. Neil Colgan maybe. Or maybe I'll get the truck going and head up Bush Arm.

10-4. ya limited windows on vic. I think you'd dig lefroy though. only skied one of 3. lookers left. I don't think it got over 50. the other 2 maybe slightly and sheltered north with no cornices when we were there. anyway , great stuff. especially the ones I've looked at and may never get on

nice work dude, enjoyed you're reports.

now if you could just get your pic's full size you'd deff be winning the game of TGR's TR's ...

its been an epic year in these parts, and I too am thinking bush arm. so are the last of the hardcore sledders ...

just waiting to see wot the weather does this weekend ...

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Originally Posted by Shadam

just waiting to see wot the weather does this weekend ...

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its gonna rane up to... pretty high... i think... but I guess well see

Looks awfully fun. I'm surprised you don't hear about more people skiing Smart. Such a good looking peak.

Shit, that looks fun. First video started off slow then changed pace real quick. Enjoyed it thoroughly!

Angry, you have been flat out killing it lately (even more so than usual).

That was great!! What a tic list!

Whoa! Serious work indeed!

Really been enjoying your TR's the last couple seasons and seeing you progress into bigger terrain like this.

Excellent.

Loving this....fuck yeah!

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http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...3&d=1400122323

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just got kicked in the head by a bunch of stoke. holy shit. nice.

Interesting this got bumped today. After weeks of getting skunked by warm, I'm heading off to a line that probably just came into condition in the last little while. Oh, and fresh snow down pretty low today (1500m, WTF?) in the rockies!

snow-looks good....-freezing... level is a-ok above 2500m for the weekend... high pressure developing! winters last stand? I guess we will see.

Hell yeah! Killing it!

Damn, looks fun!

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Originally Posted by teamdirt

snow-looks good....-freezing... level is a-ok above 2500m for the weekend... high pressure developing! winters last stand? I guess we will see.

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Yup!

http://i58.tinypic.com/2numwpk.jpg

Moving shit tomorrow then hopefully again on sunday.