For the second time in a month I made the monster drive from Vancouver to Revelstoke. There is something magical about this little town and I think that the secret is out. Tourists from around the world seem to have found this sleepy little town. When you put a ski resort with the west's longest vertical, the highest concentration of Cat and heli ski ops and world class highway accessed ski touring it will draw a crowd. Sledders a side this is a skiing mecca put them into the mix you have one of the best all around winter areas.
A province wide avalanche advisory, coupled with a major snowfall in Revy sent us to the hill for the first two days of the trip. It was made more palatable due to the cheap tickets from Costco and a serious pow day. Thinking that we were being smart we arrived at the hill 1.5 hrs before it opened only to find a line up so big we didn't get on the lift till well after 930. Skiing lifts makes appreciate the quality and serenity of backcountry skiing. The feeding frenzy that ensues due to powder starved tourists is a far cry from what I am used to.
After two good days at RMR we were off to Rogers Pass. The slow solitary march with friends is more my style then the hustle and bustle of the lift line shuffle. With limited openings in the Pass we headed to McGill permit area an area that I have never explored. The sun and the views were a welcome sight. Silky pow turns for all.
Breaking Dave's powder cherry
Our day in McGill ended and with the information collected during out snow assessment we knew that we would be playing it on the safer side for our last day. The two layers responsible for the avalanche advisory were clearly visible but proved very difficult to trigger. We were spooked however on the consequences of 100cm thick slab breaking loose.
Waking up early we headed to back to the pass for a second day to an area we new we could score some great turns and take advantage of the sun.
As the day wore on and the elevation ticked by the sun was clearly affecting the snow. We knew that making a quick dash for turns would be the only way to score what pow remained.
I am amazed at the scale of the mountains in Rogers Pass so many options for skiing. Skiing here for a lifetime you could only scratch the surface of whats possible. It is this adventure and potential that keeps me engaged.
It has been a great year thus far and the pow keeps coming. I always look at March as the second half of the ski season. Stability improves and the bigger alpine objectives come into play. The excitement is building with the promise of sun. My spring bucket list is growing and the anticipation to get after it is hard to handle.
