runningclouds

Trip: Garibaldi Lake circumnavigation - Panorama Ridge - Gentian Pass - Sphinx Glacier Date: 2/20/2015 Trip Report: We took an advantage of the nice forecast to ski around the Garibaldi Lake just south of Whistler. In my view this is a nicer and simpler trip than Garibaldi Neve, similar terrain but there is no need for the car shuttle. The road is dry and open all the way to the trailhead. But upon arrival we were a bit surprised to see so much glass in the parking lot. There seemed to be remnants of car break-ins in all the parking spots. Quite disgusting. The Rubble Creek trail is mostly snow free all the way to the 6km junction, some patches of dirty snow and ice start around 1400m. We stashed our hiking shoes at the junction and skinned to the W shoulder of Panorama Ridge where we set up a nice camp. Everything was idyllic until about 1 AM when it started blowing hard. I worried about our 3 season tent poles breaking. Saturday morning we barely managed to take the tent down and set out toward the summit of Castle Towers Mountain. Travel was difficult, most of the snow was hard crust with isolated windslab patches. Lots of stomping the edges in, specially on the step parts. By the time we reached the top of Helm Glacier we were somewhat behind but still hopeful we could make the summit. Skiing down to Gentian Pass was great dust on crust, easy turns just like on the groomers, maybe even easier. Skinning up Castle Towers was however hard again and by the time we down climbed the short couloir at the top of Polemonium Ridge it was clear we had neither time nor energy to ski the summit. A bit of disappointment but at least the wind finally died down and the views were spectacular. We crossed over to the Sphinx and enjoyed another easy ski run, almost effortless compared with going up. A late afternoon climb to Sphinx Pass was rewarded by another ski run from the pass. Skiing Sentinel Glacier sucked because of rain runnels between 1800 and 1600m. The UBC Glaciology Hut was in good shape and empty and we took advantage of that. Sunday morning we climbed toward the Table Mountain, skied down toward Mt. Price, had a bit of difficulty crossing the deep ravine, steep slopes with not a lot snow made for difficult route finding. The following climb toward Mt. Price was a scorcher: full sun, no wind. From the col between Clinker Peak and Mt. Price we followed someone's tracks along the summer route which they (and consequently we) promptly lost resulting in a bit of bushwhack. In hindsight the winter route via Price Bay over the lake would be much better choice. We skied and walked between Battleship Islands back to the junction, hiked out and were grateful for the adventure, the views and the fact that nobody broke into the truck overnight. Photos and Google Earth screenshot: Gear Notes: skis, skins, boot and ski crampons , ice axe, rope and glacier kit (not used) Approach Notes: Continuous snowline is around 1500m, that is just around Garibaldi Lake elevation. The lake is frozen and was skated over between Battleship Island (the outlet) and Sphinx Bay (where the VOC Burton Hut is). The ice thickness is reported to be 15 cm (unverified).

Nice TR, you took some cool pictures.

Thanks! The photos were taken with Canon G16; RAW format processed in Lightroom.

Trip: Mt. Baker - Easton Glacier Date: 9/4/2014 Trip Report: Perfect spring corn skiing from the summit all the way down. Recent snowfall covered the suncups and the summer dirt and the sun made perfectly smooth surface. We went for the views but were very pleasantly surprised by the skiing. The Easton is quite broken up by now, there is only one or two passages that are relatively easy (by that I mean no belaying needed over the crevasses). We got onto the glacier about 200 yards from the toe (5950 ft / 1814m) and hiked the bare glacier ice for a while. There was no track until we hit mountaineers track around 7172 ft (2186 m). We followed them until they started making what looked like a too far right swing toward Deming (9130 ft / 2783 m). At that point we just went up straight aiming for the crater's col hoping for a passage and we found it. This saved us at least an hour, maybe more. Roman Wall is broken up but few S curved switchbacks between the crevasses allowed for a relatively straightforward ascent. We skinned up roped, switched to crampons halfway up the Roman wall (but this was unnecessary, we could have skinned up all the way, there was no ice at the top). Skied of the summit around 3:30 under perfect sky. Hollering all the way down to the blueberries! Skied down unroped but with more caution than usual. Skiing Easton Glacier: Gear Notes: skis, skins, ski crampons, boot crampons, ice axe, rope, ice screw Approach Notes: Trail and Railroad Grade to High Camp is dry and snow free.

THe trailer for North American Tour has just been released: One money shot after another: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=IAMbREbCz5E For tickets to Vancouver, BC shows http://accvancouver.ca/best-of-banff/bestofbanff.htm

No problemo! Scenes from Unbearable Lightness of Skiing. Looks like they could use crampons in some of those spots.

THe dates are DEc 4-5-6

Committed 2: Grit Kids The teenage brother-and-sister team of Pete and Katy Whittaker burst onto the climbing scene with a series of spectacular ascents on grit. One evening after school, with his whole family assembled to watch, Pete makes the extraordinary first ascent of a truly iconic line. If You're Not Falling Canadian rock legend Sonnie Trotter heads to Scotland to do battle on another "hardest rock climb in the world." As each day passes, he collects more and more air time: 50-foot falls from the steep rock buttress that plunges down beneath a historic castle. "Well, if you're not falling, you're not trying," observes Trotter. The Sharp End: Eastern Europe A talented group of climbers explores the unique history, culture and danger of one of the world's most remarkable climbing destinations. These are just three movies featured at the Best of Banff in Vancouver. Plus the usual BASE jumping, skiing, biking flicks with a few "mountain culture" movies thrown in to slow down your breathing. The Grit Kids has a lot of buzz right now. The screening is organized by the Vancouver Section of Alpine Club of Canada. More info and online tickets at their webpage: http://accvancouver.ca/

Sweet traverse! Some very cool shots. Thanks