Camp West

A magical day in the mountains. One of the best all around days of skiing that we've ever had in Rogers Pass. At times our faces hurt from smiling so much. But also a candidate for one of the most trying exits from a ski that we've ever dealt with.

The forecast was for light flurries which could mean anything so we headed to McGill Shoulder where there were plenty of options. Stability had been excellent all week and we were gaining confidence with some of the steeper terrain. As we climbed the weather just got better and better until it almost defied belief.



Camp West is on the opposite side of the ridge to the more familiar slide paths on the Bostock Creek side. None of us had been to Camp West before and the descent would drop us a good distance up the highway from where we'd parked. I think our little group has a low risk tolerance in general. We're not the most hardcore forty-somethings around. But our excuses not to push it a bit justifiably fell away one by one. If not today, with perfect stability, great weather, and several days of recent skiing in the area, then when? So on we went.



To here.



Where we did this...



And this...



And it was good. It was very, very good. A thousand metres of big long sweeping effortless high speed drifting turns. More like surfing than skiing. The next day Nick got a photo from Mount Afton where you can just see our tracks dead center.



That run will remain fresh in our minds for many weeks to come. Just...wow.

Sadly however this does bring us to the second part of our little story. The part where we pay the piper for our all too brief excursion into the extraordinary. Our exit to the highway was through a gnarly gully. Not yet filled in at this time of the year it was choked with alder. Sketchy cliff bands were plastered with hard ice with real consequences for a fall. The occasional dead end. Did I mention the open water?







It was a little on the rough side. Nick had a nasty tumble. Brenda got cliffed out and had to re-ascend a tenuous little cliff. But you know what? It was all good. We were all in this great "zone" just kind of enjoying the silliness of the situation. Perhaps still buzzing a bit from earlier in the day. Things were sketchy, dusk was approaching, but I think we all, for no real reason, just knew it was going to be fine and soon we'd be looking back on this day with nothing but great memories.