Jan 30, 31, 2010 Big Sky

1) Lone Peak, elevation 11,199'
2) Larabees, elevation 11,199'
3) Matt and Cheryl in Tram Line
4) Lone Peak Tram, 15 people/load
5) Just leaving Tram Terminal
6) Looking down from Top Tram Terminal
7) Easiest way down in a black
8) Matt contemplating which side of chute to take
9) Once through the rocks it's no problem
10) All smiles

Brett departed for Montana State in the afternoon. 
Matt & Cheryl leave for Boise early Monday.
Bruce begins pilgrimage to Summit County, Colorado, Via Grand Targhee, Jackson, Casper, WY, Ft. Collins and Denver.

Jan 28, 2010 Bozeman & Bridger Bowl

Minor repair required on The Powder Wagon as the fan clutch went out about 10 miles west of Bozeman.  Coasted into town at 50 mph.  Repaired by 11:00 a.m., on the slopes by 1:00 p.m.

1)  Brett's life for the past 3.5 years.  He will graduate from Montana State in May 2010 with a BS Degree in Civil Engineering,  Go figure!

2)  Bridger Bowl in background.  Skied 4 runs on the new Schlashman's Lift which goes to the top of the Bridger Range.  You literally look down the western side when you boot back 100 steps up after getting off the lift. No easy way down!  Avalanche beacon, probe & shovel required for all skiers on this lift.
Finished the day skiing the old side of the mountain.

3) Day ended with a pizza dinner with six college friends. Conversation: The Fall of the US Empire; Extreme Sports; Deep Survival - Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why; Skiing Powder; and Beer.  Good stuff.

Jan 27, 2010 Missoula-Butte-Bozeman Road Trip

A Day Only a Mining Engineer Would Enjoy. 

Drove from Missoula to Butte.  Stopped to see the the World Museum of Mining, but it was closed for the winter.  Settled for the Minerals Museum at Montana Tech.

My interest comes from my underground construction work.  I started my engineering career with 3 years underground driving the 9.6 mile long Henderson Tunnel under the Continental Divide west of Empire, CO; another three underground at the Climax Molybdenum Mine hear Leadville, CO; another 5 years designing mines in Alaska, Montana, Washington, Colorado, and Chile; another 2 years underground at the WIPP nuclear waste repository near Carlsbad, NM, and 2 years designing a proposed high level nuclear waste repository near Amarillo, TX. 

Jan 26, 2010 Whitefish, Montana

1)  Home turf always feel good! Drove across border mid-day Jan 25th.
2)  Glacier National Park in distance from top of Whitefish Mountain.
3)  Bowl skiing, Whitefish.
4)  Looks like a ski town.  Ski area 3-5 miles from downtown.

Started out with sunshine and groomer on my carving skis.  Made a full tour of all 4 sides of the mountain, about 2350' vertical drop. 
Changed back to the old standby Salomon Extremes at lunch time for steeps and moguls in the afternoon.  Made the right choice as I met up young local magazine publisher who has been skiing Whitefish for the past 8 years.  We were off and running catching his favorite blacks and double blacks for the remainder of the afternoon.  Ended the day with 40,660' vertical.  That happened fast!

Drove on to Missoula for dinner with Brett's buddy, Pat Colleran.  See Pat & Brett relaxing in The Powder Wagon at Revelstoke (blog Jan 5). Great to hear of his Mt. Baker skiing after he and Nick left Brett & I on Jan 7th. 

Jan 25, 2010 Reflections on Three Weeks of Skiing

Reflections on Skiing Three Weeks in British Columbia and Alberta

1) You can’t chase Powder. Pick your ski area, stay put; you’ll get your share of powder days. If you are willing to hike, you’ll get more than your fair share.

2) When you take a ski vacation, hope for good snow conditions and consider yourself lucky if you get to ski some few snow.

3) The snow in Canada isn’t always like it looks in the ski movies.

4) The snow isn’t always deeper on the other side of the border.

5) Don’t be surprised if you encounter rain.

6) Low clouds and overcast dominate the days. Some days are partially sunny, but blue skies in January do not exist.

7) With the exception of Jackson Hole, Alta, Snowbird and possibly Big Sky, you seldom get a chance to ski steep runs like the ones prevalent in the BC and Alberta ski areas.

8) The Canadians situate their ski areas in much steeper terrain than those in the U.S.

9) Due to their size, an abundance of intermediate terrain exists and is maintained with immaculate grooming.

10) The surrounding mountains (when visible) are the most scenic I’ve ever seen.

11) Digital photos just don’t do this place justice.

12) You meet some very unique people if you make conversation on the lift ride.

13) To find the best runs, ask the locals. If you ask enough questions, they might guide you. Hope they ski at the same level as you.

14) You must challenge yourself to get off the groomers and ski the black and double-black runs or you will miss some of the best skiing and about half the terrain.

15) Give locals a ride if they are hitching or walking between the ski area and town. You can learn the points of interest that exist off the mountain.

16) Enjoy the local surroundings after every 2-3 days of skiing.

17) If you are traveling alone, take your dog with you on your ski vacation .

18) A man needs a shower about every 7-10 days when traveling with a dog.

19) A dog needs a bath every 3-4 weeks when traveling with a man.

Jan 23 & 24, 2010 Fernie

1)  A real ski town.  Every view from town takes in the ski area.  About the size of Ketchum.  Ski shops dominate the retailers on Main Street.  Took a rest day on Saturday to avoid crowds.

2) This is not an aerial view, but rather the top of the chute looking down at the lift and intermediate runs.  Short boot pack to this point.  It was as steep as it looks.

Met a Brian McCue and his son, Clark on the lift.  Brian, a geophysicist from Calgary was on the Fernie ski patrol for 10 years back in the 80s.  They led me on a high speed tour of the some of the best Fernie has to offer.  30,270 vertical feet later we had covered the steepest groomed run on the mountain and sampled the powder that still remains after a 10 day dry spell just outside the area boundary.  Another in a long list of impressive BC ski areas.    

Jan 22, 2010 Olympic Torch & Kimberley

1)  Morning Olympic Torch run through Radium Hot Springs

2)  On morning ride Pele & I ran into a herd of 31 bighorn sheep.  When we returned with the camera, only one remained.  This valley is the wintering grounds for the big horn herds.

3) A mellow Kimberley Ski Area run.  Entire mountain consists of greens & blue runs.  Over 5 times the size of Brundage.  Skied a half day then drove on to Fernie, BC

Jan 20 & 21, 2010 Panorama Ski Area

1)   Closest mountain view north of Panorama.

2)   Panorama Mountain, a real surprise for the trip, 4,000' vertical drop, great variety of runs from gentle to very steep groomers, steep trees, long steep chutes.

3)   Highest Peak in Canadian Rockies, Mount Robson 12,970 ft,  on the horizon east of Invemere, BC.

4)  Back country avalanche forecast,  we stayed in-bounds!

5)  Top of double black run B 2nd,  created by avalanche before area was developed.  Avalanche control currently performed by ski patrol.

6)  Hans & Bill

This mountain must be one of the best kept secrets on the Powder Highway.  With the help from locals Hans Fuhrer and Bill Gorecki, I was treated to my best day of skiing on the trip thus far.  Hans, a former Swiss Mountaineer and retired Search & Rescue Guide for Parks Canada, led Bill and I on an experts-only tour of the steeps of Panorama.  At 74 and 72, you won't find better skiers anywhere, Canada or US.

Jan 19, 2010 Rogers Pass -- Revelstoke to Invemere, BC

1)  Oh Canada

2)  Avalanche awareness, management, and occurances are taken serious up here.

3)  Yes, it snows a bunch, even in a mild year.

4)  Avalanche Protection-Snow Shed, one of 13 I counted on Rogers Pass.

Arrived safely in Invemere that evening.

Jan 18, Last Day of Skiing at Revelstoke

No pictures as I again met up with a Colorado stock broker who had hired a guide for the day.  Seems that he had lost his confidence since his ski buddy had fallen in an egg-beater fashion the day before.  The buddy was intransit to a hospital 120 miles away for surgery of a compond fracture to the tibia & fibula.  Bones protruding and all. (Just say ouch).  No open surgery slots on the day of the occurance, (go figure) so they dopped him up for the night and transported him the following morning.  I learned this from the guide at the end of the day, as we started to discuss the fall mid day, the stock broker stopped us saying, "let's wait till we get to the bar for that!"

So what is the healthy ski buddy to do?  Hire someone to ski with so he doesn't waste the day.  We have a saying in the Larabee family that applies here, "You have NO friends on powder days!"

Guide was a New Zealander named "Fly" (think of pest) that provided a fantastic tour of the mountain.  He showed us runs that I had not skied the other four days on the mountain. 

The Coloradan invited me to ski with him in Breckenridge next month.  I may take a rain check on that offer.

JAn 17, Revelstoke: The Mountain

So far I'm living like my obituary will read: "He loved skiing and the outdoors......." I'm determined to refocus now that I've set my final "vertical descent record for one day" here at Revelstoke: 52,190'. That's like skiing 32 times top-to-bottom at Brundage.

1)  Still standing at the end!
2)  Altimeter/Ski Watch used to record vertical descent.  Only an engineer would buy something like this.

Jan 16, 2010 Revelstoke: The Town

Rest day.

1)  Visited local railroad museum.  Canada's equivalent to the Golden Spike was driven on Nov 7, 1885 just 28 miles west of Revelstoke.  The famous spike was appropriately named "The Last Spike".   Revelstoke became the major RR maintenance yard in the mountains with a 17 bay roundhouse and huge yard. 

2) Steam locomotives, one on display in museum.

3) First alignment over Rogers pass was an incredibly steep 4.5%.  The spiral tunnels lowered this to 2.2% in 1909.  A 5-mile long in 1916 and the longest tunnel in North America (10.5) in 1988 futher reduced the grade and reduced the number of snow sheds from over 30 down to 3 existing.

4)  Rival hockey game between Revelstoke & Fernie 18-20 year olds. 

Jan 15, 2010 Revelstoke Mountain

Rain on lower 2,000'.  White-out conditions and 40-50 km/hr winds on upper 3,000', just dumping.
Met local skier and was introduced to the Cat Skiing area just outside the south ski area boundary.  Long traverse, big boot pack to gain vertical, gnarly return traverse through trees to lift. Result: knee-deep untracked powder run, the reason for skiing BC.  Best 2 runs of the trip.  Locals don't stop for pictures.

Skied 15,400 vertical.
First time I've ever down-loaded in a gondola or any other lift.

Locals say the valley was always covered by 2-4 feet of snow before Micah and Revelstoke Dams were built in the 70s & 80s.  Now rain is common in the valley with some snow on the ground in Revelstoke during cold snaps.

1/16/2010 E-mail notice from Revelstoke:
Epic conditions at Revelstoke Mountain Resort



The conditions at Revelstoke Mountain Resort couldn't be better! How do you like the sound of knee- deep in-bounds powder, deep & delicious tree skiing, buttery soft landings, and big, fat, fluffy snowflakes? The Resort has received 34 cms of new snow in the last 48 hours, with 77 cm in the past week. The snow base at the top of the Revelation Gondola is already at 217 cm, the same depth as of March 17, 2009!

Jan 14, 2010 Kicking Horse

Early morning drive from Lake Louise, Alberta to Golden, BC, home of Kicking Horse Resort.

Mixed snow conditions, packed powder at top, icy (un-skiable) lower mountain due to 3 days of mild temperatures.  Skied 25,050 VF.

1) Sign reminded me of the boastfulness of a recent resort in Idaho.

2) Lower 2,000 vertical feet of resort is clearly seen.  Upper 2,000' are along the two ridge lines in center of photo.  Lift extend to top rear of knife edge ridges.  Double Blacks off each side of ridges.  Tree runs on the sides shown, cliffs and treeless bowls on opposite sides.  Either side will make you pucker-up.

3) Base area, old lodge at left, the new to the right.  Homes and condos galor out of site to left

After skiing, drove over avalanche prone Rogers Pass to Revelstoke.  Big snow anticipate that evening.

Jan 13, 2010 Banff & Lake Louise

1) Mountain sentinel over Banff, Alberta

2) Bike tour of Banff reveals: URS acquires Indian Trading Post in Banff Territory

3) Snow plow for Canadian Pacific RR at Banff Station

4) Chateau Lake Louise on return from X-C ski tour across Lake Louise.

5) Ice Castle of Chateau