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Thread: The Highly Selective Skiography of gincognito

  1. #76
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Montreal
    Posts
    2,373
    Chic Chocs

    From Tuckerman Ravine to the Chic-Choc Mountains in the Gaspe Penisula. Same principle, different worlds.

    T. and I headed out for the eight hour drive east along the southern shore of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Ice floes and wind turbines dominated the coastal scenery before we headed inland at Ste-Anne-des-Monts.

    I’d never been here before so I did not know what to expect. Terrain, access, recommended equipment – the little information we had was gleaned from various websites, tourist maps, and sketchy trip reports. No worries. We’d booked a hut at the base, not far from the luxurious Gite de Mont Albert, and were committed to three days of whatever would come our way.

    Soon enough the mountains came into view. Flat-topped whales with low tree-lines and alpine tundra summits sucked us into their valley. This wasn’t the Rockies, but it sure didn’t feel like Quebec either.

    http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...ogs%20Back.jpg
    Hog's Back

    After a brief recon mission and sorting out of affairs, we headed towards Hog’s Back for our first conquest of the trip. The lot was empty and snow was high. Good signs all around. We donned our rented skins and headed up on skinny skis and leather boots.

    Not much more than an hour later, we reached the Summit. Blue skies made for powerful views and we spent our lunch break taking it in and contrasting it to our only other earn-your-turns experience. Skins and solitude made for a much more real backcountry experience.

    http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...ChocViewII.jpg
    The View from the Summit

    We poked around the flat top for a bit, staring down gullies and steering clear of cornices. Not confident in our skills – skiing or snow assessment – we stuck to some low angle fields on the backside of the upper portion of the mountain. We dubbed these runs Back Bacon. About a foot of fresh stood over a thin base and we mined it hard. Wobbly equipment led to humbling first turns, but once the groove was found we floated through the snow and dropped low for a wasit-deep feeling.

    http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...ChicChocT2.jpg
    Mit Making Some Turns

    Four or five laps were done before taking it all the way down and following the Hydro wires back to the car. Bear tracks were spotted and, sub-consciencely or not, we upped the pace to get to our home for the next three nights.

    The cabin was luxurious by roughing-it standards. Four bunk-beds tucked into four alcoves in a modern log cabin. A wood stove in the center kept things warm throughout the night – fueled in part by the $30 one of the mates managed to throw in during a temporary brain shut-down. A walk back to the car for supplies revealed a sky exploding with winter-clear stars and a pair of moose curious as to our place in their scene.

    The next day we headed back to Hog’s Back and mimicked our turns of the day before. Nothing had changed and, sometimes, that is a good thing. Blue skies and no tracks but our own. Cool, clear, and quiet.

    http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...hocView2II.jpg
    View From Back Bacon

    Our final day took us down the slopes of Champ-de-Mars. The slog up was longer and us weekend-warrior lift-riders were starting to feel the pain of the previous days. Tired legs and heavy snow led to a very ungraceful decent that required determination to enjoy. Compounding the (slight) misery was confusion on the exit point. A couple false starts and pointless climbs were made before finally getting across the creek and onto the proper trail.

    Oh, and T. lost his favourite toque.

    So we called it a day after just the one run and chilled in the parking lot for a bit. Made a hot lunch and watched some people rip up the main chute on Hog’s Back. Their hoots and hollers echoed down to our years and we vowed that one year it would be us.

    Yes, this was not Tuckerman Ravine. As stated, the principle of getting up under your own power to reap the turns is the same, but the worlds could not be more different. And this is by no means a bad thing, nor is it meant as a knock against the Tuckerman institution. It just serves to drive home the point that many layers exist to this thing we call skiing. And each one is as valid as the next.

    Except for snowblading. That’s just stupid.

    Sick and ashamed and happy (and making turns this weekend!),
    d.

  2. #77
    Mit is offline Con-Coccyxial Concussed
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Montréal
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    310
    Quote Originally Posted by basom
    is mit t. ?

    if so... 'sup jong!
    Yup. One and the same. Been meaning to join for awhile but since gin posted the movie the other day I figured I'd better keep an eye on him and make sure I can tell my side of the story...It's interesting how he managed to edit the videoclip to make him look like a superstar the others as "Losers".

  3. #78
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Montreal
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    2,373
    Hey, the camera don't lie.

    And bump for fixed photos.

    SaAaH (and surely you're not implying that I'm not a superstar?),
    d.

  4. #79
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Emulating the ocean's sound
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    7,008
    Gin is a superstar.

    it's all in his lack of 'tude, and ability to rip the fall line with no hesitation. gin=smoove.


    plus he always wears that "What Trail?" tee shirt every day he skis. if that doesn't scream "SUPERSTAR!" i don't know what does.

  5. #80
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Montreal
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    2,373
    Basom = my bodyguard and number one fan. Hugs and kisses.

    Sick and ashamed and happy (and the sleeves are just about falling off that shirt, but I'll still be rockin' it most of the season (if that's what it takes to be a star)),
    d.

  6. #81
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    Emulating the ocean's sound
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    you should just cut the front off and pin it to anther tee with like 1000 saftey pins. that would be more punk rock.

  7. #82
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Montreal
    Posts
    2,373
    Quote Originally Posted by basom
    you should just cut the front off and pin it to anther tee with like 1000 saftey pins. that would be more punk rock.
    Brilliant! And that way, when half those "saftey" pins inevitably open and prick me throughout the day, the resulting blood will make me even more punk rock.

    I have the opportunity to go stratospheric here.

    Sick and ashamed and happy (and y'all better touch me now while I'm still low enough to allow it),
    d.

  8. #83
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Bada Bing
    Posts
    901
    I love Gaspesie... the towns have an odd, creepy vibe, if I recall correctly.
    You can cut me off from the civilized world. You can incarcerate me with two moronic cellmates. You can torture me with your thrice daily swill, but you cannot break the spirit of a Winchester. My voice shall be heard from this wilderness, and I shall be delivered from this fetid and festering sewer.

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