Sea to Summit

Horseshoe Bay

April marked the end of the real ski season. Road bikes were tuned and training for riding the Seattle to Portland Classic began. I had mentally committed to try and ski every month this year and it was getting really late in the month of May and I still hadn't made any turns. I can remember my first turns of the year the  last day of October it seems like a long time ago.  It was time to get my May turns but with a twist.

In Vancouver we are fortunate that our local mountains get an enormous amount of snow which tends to stay around well into June. This made grabbing some quick turns for May wasn't going to be a problem but I needed to put in some road miles after working all week. The fear of a 200 mile day looming scares me into training even after a long week. A plan was hatched to combine a road ride with a ski. Not just any road ride but a ride from the ocean all the way to the top of Cypress ski area.

The ride up Cypress is by no means that hardest climb on the North shore but it is a worthy climb and for those who follow cycling it would be a category 1/2 climb in the Tour de France. With short pitches over 9% it causes your legs to scream for mercy.

Weapons of Choice

Even with the last minute planning I was able to rope a partner into joining me. Bright and early Mike and I dropped a car at the top and with temperatures just barely above freezing we set off to rip down to horseshoe bay. 35 minutes later and over 1000m of descending we turned around to make the 24km trek back up to the summit. Being the first time I had ridden this climb this year I was interested to test my legs to see where my cycling form was compared to last season. Feeling surprisingly good considering the difficulties I managed to only be just over 2 minutes slower than my best time ever.

On a side note it is very interesting to see that sometimes reducing your training load has great effects on your performance. This year I am riding about 50% of the mileage as I have in years past but in most comparisons I am not that much slower on the bike than last year. This reinforces the importance that quality training is better than quantity.

A little over 2 hours from the time we left the car we were back putting our ski gear on. We weren't the only ones skiing either.  As we skinnied up Mike realized that he forgot his skins! Rookie move but he soldiered on and bootpacked the whole way.

Long boot pack

 With great views of the lions and Howe Sound  we clicked in and capped off my most unique ski day ever! Sometimes you have to get creative with your activities to keep everything exciting. A pretty cool way to have a 5000ft day!

Spring snow!

Equinox Colouir

Easter usually signifies the end of my ski season. In years past I was already pulling out the bike for some long rides and the trad gear was found clanging around my pack. This year is different after putting 2 years of 8000km plus on the bike training for various races I made a goal to ski 12 months straight. Mostly out of boredom but more for the challenge to see what neat adventures I could come up with.

Loving the Easter pow

I almost didn't make any human powered turns in March because of a hectic work schedule saving the streak with a last ditch weekend effort. April I was determined to leave little to chance. After power driving all the way back from Spokane to Vancouver Wednesday night and a quick stop at the office it was off to the Duffey. 

Guinea Pig Wilson

 Joined by the normal crew we headed to Chief Pascal in hopes of maybe finding some powder that was left over from the weeks storms. With a big day planned the next day we aimed to keep it mellow but ended up skiing 5000ft and hitting of the gems of the Duffey but with a twist.

Sun soothing the soul

Well deserved beverages were had and we met more of the crew in Pembie to join us for an assault on Cayoosh the following day. I had tried to hit Cayoosh last Easter but was turned away by wet slides guarding the summit. It was time to try again. 

Highway lines are always the best!

Travel was challenging with the softening snow and tired legs from a week of eating bad road food and drinking way to many beers made the ascent challenging. A member of our party was feeling the affects of a  sore stomach and was force to bail sent us to the valley while the rest of our crew headed for the summit. 

Still my nemesis

7 months down, it has been quite easy thus far I know there will be some challenges along the way but hopefully some really excitement as well. Goggle tan here I come!

The full coastal exploration experience

La nina, la nina, la nina. That was the name of the game for most of March. The satellite photos showed beautiful arcing storm tracks week after week. This however meant extreme avalanche conditions for most of the month which kept me home, brewing batch after batch of beer just to bid my time. Stoking my beer gut along the way.

Then one day the forecast changed and the sun came out, it was time to ski again. Knowing that it was going to be busy any where we went a chance was taken on a new area. Armed with 50 pounds of gear each we set out to the Duffey Lake road ready for an adventure. We had tried to venture into Channel Creek on our first trip of the year (link here). So we were keen to see if we could add another area to our list. Passing each trail head and counting cars some areas (Cerise, Cayoosh,etc) had upwards of 40 people. Far too many for my liking. 

After 4 hours of bushwacking probably 4 wrong turns we made camp with no turns made we pitched our tents and settled down. Nothing beats hauling around a 6 pack all day. But I have discovered the most glorious backcountry apres ski beverage, hot chocolate and rum! Lightweight, potent, and coma inducing to help you sleep through a cold night!

Our second day provided a beautiful sunny day and we were able to ski some silky north facing snow. The snow was sun affected on most aspects and we milked every turn.

The funny part about exploration is that when you are thrashing through slide alder for an hour you wish you had slept in and stayed home. Yet the moment you are back at the car regardless of the success of the mission there is a sense of wishing you were still out in the mountains.  A day in the mountains is always better then a day on the couch. Type 2 fun...Bring it on..

Stiff armed.....

Beautiful sunset in Vancouver

I would say March thus far has been a bit of a hit-and-miss for skiing. After having a bit of freedom and enjoying the snow stashes of January and February, reality struck and work had beckoned once again. After attending the Seattle Bicycle Expo I was travelled all over the great state of Washington. With a schedule ram packed, there would be little time to ski. I optimistically brought my touring gear hoping to catch an early hike up Hyak in the Snoqualmie Pass area but a crazy storm and backups due to chain control meant a 4:30 wake up was in vain. I watched the lucky souls cruising up the run preparing to slay 8" of blower while zooming by hoping not to be late for my meeting.

After concluding a day of business in sunny Wenatchee, I was over Stevens Pass but with no time to sneak in a run or two. On Thursday I met a friend at Mt Baker hoping that the freezing levels wouldn't spike as forecasted so we could slay some DEEEP snow. After sitting in the lodge for an hour, Ski Patrol announced a big slide had hit Chair 8 and just like the entire week; had to bail yet again.

The next day we made plans to hit Whistler and for my third lift accessed day of the year, it was pretty good! Deep snow along with the crowds of March break was out in full force. I have to admit I have a hard time getting excited for skiing inbounds but this day was good and the company even better.

What is left for the rest of the month? Well, I need to strap my skins on at least one day this month to keep the streak alive and the forecast is looking promising with sun and a stabilizing trend. With all this snow it looks like another long season is in the cards. Best not to get discouraged with life getting in the way.

Lovin' the bright city lights