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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    [a] Van [down by the river]
    Posts
    1,511

    TR: The Migration (my entire 2014/2015 season... well almost)

    *queue music here*



    I guess one could describe my winter as a migration... Every year, for three months of winter, I’m lucky enough to head back to Vancouver to try to pack in as much skiing/visiting/party as I can; and well, some work too. Usually that means a bunch of great photos, and a few TRs.

    Ultimately, I probably would have been better off staying in Europe, but granted, it’s never really about the snow is it? So instead, you get one photo filled TR of the WHOLE season (sort of).

    Sure, when I arrived the skiing wasn’t bad...


    A promising start in the duffy meant some good late December skiing.


    ... but then the sun came out, and sort of never went away.




    A little more work than we were used to for turns; but a ton of good times on snow with some good people, so I really couldn’t complain.


    Well, then summer hit (well sort of).

    First it got real cold and we celebrated new years...


    People bitching on TGR, people bitching in real life. No snow this... no snow that...

    Know what? Go make the fucking best of it, and shut-up.

    So we did... and yes, this was taken at the end of JANUARY.


    February rolled around... 2 days of skiing under my belt... the lowest since I was probably 4 years old. It was once of those seasons. They happen, you deal, and you move on. Climbing went down (or up), biking went down, and groomers in the sun at Whistler. It’s pretty damn hard to complain.

    March was soon here and the ‘week’ off was coming soon. The ‘week’ is really a random week that a bunch of us take off at the same time in hopes to doing something rad.

    Did we?

    FKNA.

    2 days before we left, we decided we were going to the rockies. No time for maps, no time for guidebooks... Lets kick it old school, show up, talk to some people, and see what happens.

    So we did.

    We rolled into the rockies with some good consistent weather, low avi forecast across the board, and a car packed full of WAY too much gear for two people.

    Day 1 was really just a bunch of wandering around, checking snow, checking lines, nothing overly productive.

    Day 2 is where the fun began...

    Carl eyeing Chephren Couloir

    After a long trek up, it was finally time to go down. Finally... a real line, more or less first of the year. Turns were good, but considering the circumstances, turns were fucking great.



    Day 3 was more of the same. Found another fun, but much smaller couloir, and headed up for some fun.


    Carl dropping into flower couloir.


    Two day, two pretty fun lines (though one was short). After three days of skiing (considering the TWO I had before that so far this season), it was time for a rest day. Into town we went to stock up on food and rest... not without some scenics along the way.


    The discussion basically came down to.

    Person A: I want to ski Grand Daddy couloir
    Person B: I want to summit something

    Ultimately, we figured, why not summit Bow Peak, then ski rappel into Grand Daddy couloir and ski that out? Seemed like a good compromise and considering the bootpacking we had been doing so far, it sounded like a nice chance of pace.

    What happened? Definitely didn’t summit Bow Peak. Weren’t even close. Had never been to the area, we basically were just making it up as we went, and probably could have taken a more efficient route.

    Did we ski rap into Grand Daddy? Hell yes we did.

    There was some concern about a cornice at the top, but we figured we could sneak around it down the rocks, and after the last warming period, then consistent cooling, we figured everything would be relatively stable. The cornice ended up being pretty small, and we had no problem getting around it.


    That said, as I started rappelling in, I realized someone had climbed the couloir, then side-slipped the first 1/4 of it... exposing rocks and all. So after some less than ideal side stepping, we finally got to open it up and cruise out.




    Got back to the car, and well... the glorious line.


    That was it, couldn't really top that. So we cut the trip a day short and figured we could get one good day of climbing in before the week was up. So back to Squamish we went to do an easy multi-pitch route.


    ... and well?

    That was it. 7 days of skiing. The least I've had since probably... grade 8? Did we make the best of it? Damn right we did, got to fit a bunch of climbing and skiing in there too, so all in all... a pretty damn good season.

    To all of those who said your season sucked... you're doing it ALL wrong.

    -jp

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    SLC
    Posts
    5,846
    Quote Originally Posted by kalisto View Post
    Awesome shot. Great TR overall as well. Cheers.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Couloirfornia
    Posts
    8,871
    Nice work.
    Quote Originally Posted by Ernest_Hemingway View Post
    I realize there is not much hope for a bullfighting forum. I understand that most of you would prefer to discuss the ingredients of jacket fabrics than the ingredients of a brave man. I know nothing of the former. But the latter is made of courage, and skill, and grace in the presence of the possibility of death. If someone could make a jacket of those three things it would no doubt be the most popular and prized item in all of your closets.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Between a rock and a soft place. Aberdare and The Brecon Beacons, Wales
    Posts
    3,207
    well played

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    base of the Bush
    Posts
    14,870
    Refreshing Lemonade! Yum
    www.apriliaforum.com

    "If the road You followed brought you to this,of what use was the road"?

    "I have no idea what I am talking about but would be happy to share my biased opinions as fact on the matter. "
    Ottime

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    the big dirty
    Posts
    725
    awesome TR. cool to see some classic rockies couloir shredding.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    en route
    Posts
    598
    Great photos thanks for posting

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Driving2VT
    Posts
    4,582
    Very very nice. Thanks.
    Uno mas

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    crown of the continent
    Posts
    13,947
    i'd say you're doing it right.
    Something about the wrinkle in your forehead tells me there's a fit about to get thrown
    And I never hear a single word you say when you tell me not to have my fun
    It's the same old shit that I ain't gonna take off anyone.
    and I never had a shortage of people tryin' to warn me about the dangers I pose to myself.

    Patterson Hood of the DBT's

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    1,489
    Love it

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    X=Z-BO
    Posts
    3,455
    great photos, and stoke. i am curious as to why you would spend winters here when you could be skiing in europe?
    god created man. winchester and baseball bats made them equal - evel kenievel

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    [a] Van [down by the river]
    Posts
    1,511
    Quote Originally Posted by Zeedashbo View Post
    great photos, and stoke. i am curious as to why you would spend winters here when you could be skiing in europe?
    All my buddies are still in Van, and my heterosexual (ski/climbing) partner is still there as well.

    That's said, heading down to Austria in a week for some spring skiing, so trying to work the best of both worlds.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Paper St. Soap Co.
    Posts
    3,303
    Nice!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    New States
    Posts
    837
    Well played!
    "I just want to thank everyone who made this day necessary." -Yogi Berra

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    la la land
    Posts
    5,801
    Fantastic!
    `•.¸¸.•´><((((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸.•´¯`•...¸><((((º>

    "Having been Baptized by uller his frosty air now burns my soul with confirmation. I am once again pure." - frozenwater

    "once i let go of my material desires many opportunities for playing with the planet emerge. emerge - to come into being through evolution. ok back to work - i gotta pack." - Slaag Master

    "As for Flock of Seagulls, everytime that song comes up on my ipod, I turn it up- way up." - goldenboy

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    395
    Hey man - awesome fucking TR! A different season than what we're spoiled with, here on the coast - glad you're exploiting the goods! You're back to Euroland in a week until next winter?

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Vancouver BC
    Posts
    3,267
    Awesome photos, way to make the most of the season out here.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    [a] Van [down by the river]
    Posts
    1,511
    Quote Originally Posted by Graham View Post
    Hey man - awesome fucking TR! A different season than what we're spoiled with, here on the coast - glad you're exploiting the goods! You're back to Euroland in a week until next winter?
    Already back to the land of waffles. Maybe we'll actually get some snow and i'll see you on the hill next season.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    A LSD Steakhouse somewhere in the Wasatch
    Posts
    13,234
    Quote Originally Posted by kalisto View Post
    *queue music here*

    To all of those who said your season sucked... you're doing it ALL wrong.

    -jp
    queued

    thnx 4 sharin
    "When the child was a child it waited patiently for the first snow and it still does"- Van "The Man" Morrison
    "I find I have already had my reward, in the doing of the thing" - Buzz Holmstrom
    "THIS IS WHAT WE DO"-AML -ski on in eternal peace
    "I have posted in here but haven't read it carefully with my trusty PoliAsshat antenna on."-DipshitDanno

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    the Dog Patch
    Posts
    334
    those couloirs look rad! great photos and excellent TR man

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    JH/AK/Los Andes
    Posts
    2,678
    Stoke to the top!
    "The idea wasnt for me, that I would be the only one that would ever do this. My idea was that everybody should be doing this. At the time nobody was, but this was something thats too much fun to pass up." -Briggs
    Quote Originally Posted by LeeLau View Post
    Wear your climbing harness. Attach a big anodized locker to your belay loop so its in prime position to hit your nuts. Double russian Ti icescrews on your side loops positioned for maximal anal rape when you sit down. Then everyone will know your radness
    More stoke, less shit.

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