Northern BC 2013/2014 Stoke, Conditions

[Angle Parking]

I posted a couple of pics of this feature last week. Went back this weekend and managed to ski the whole line. No clue wtf is going on with the upside down pic below.

[Angle Parking]

Schnai Day today at HBM. Always a good time. Super fun family event. Bittersweet for sure.

xxx-er made it across the pond with zero difficulty, even though he got pelted by some snowballs on the way in. They have to do something about that.

Even with the low tide tide winter, the place could stay open for another month. If only we had the population. Overall another great season at Hudson Bay Mountain. Respect and thanks to Gary and Michael and everyone else who makes it happen up there. We are lucky to have a cool little hill to call our own.

[XXX-er]

yeah i walked back up the hill and yelled which one of you fuckers hit me in the mouth ! and the kid that ran the fastest and furthest was the one, i scared the shit out of him and I think that throwing snowballs at the slush pit skiers is over

[Angle Parking]

Right on. Bunch of little sh*ts are kinda ruining the while thing imo.

[XXX-er]

A higher take off this year made for an easy ride with enough speed to do a 180 coming out the back end

As always the lotus 120 is the slush pond tool of choice

[swissiphic]

Awesome April just keeps producing. Shames Mountain yesterday; midwinter dry pow on settled base.

[swissiphic]

Gravel skiing back on the menu. Figured out an optimum ski + shovel drag system for the boot packs ascents. Can't wait to try it on snow...could be another game changer.

[swissiphic]

Tight little 100 vert foot car lap sand/gravel pitch just west of Endako off of Savory Road, followed by some great grass ski Rollka turns on the highway interchange in Quesnel. Non snow summer skiing is just so damn convenient!

[garyfromterrace]

^^
Winning Guido!!

[swissiphic]

Skiin' the sand's been a game changer Gary! No more heat induced summer skiing thermonuclear meltdown sufferfests at Wesach to ski suncups or blue ice; savor the sand, grate the gravel!

One more: Homage lap for the iconic gone but not forgotten Sandblast sand skiing race in P.G. Hikers postholed the run, but what can u do...skiers are second class citizens now that it's a hardman/woman uphill sprint/interval training route. That's okay...hikers are people too.

[XXX-er]

Did you film that on a cutbank in PG ?

[swissiphic]

Did you film that on a cutbank in PG ?

No, it was actually Aschcroft, but didn't wanna blow out the zone. Red herrings. Obfuscation.

[XXX-er]

yeah that didnt look like sandblast, Sandblast was I believe steeper, more gravel than sand, had some big fucking rocks and there was a 3 ft deep ditch at the bottom which never had enough hay in it, as a sand blast winner once told me "you have to let the ditch catch you "

[swissiphic]

Not ashcroft, it was the o.g. P.G. sandblast slope. I'm guessing years of folks hiking it kinda kicked a lot of the bigger rocks down and filled the ditch or something. There's still a good amount of gravel but pretty well mixed with sand. The bottom of the run tongue reaches onto the road but there's still ditch on both sides of it. There's actually a blue steel change room at the bottom right of the run with little cubbyholes for shoes and seating bench. First class. Slope def not that steep but is steep enough and the gopro de-gnars slope angle so there's that too. The hikers installed a rope that runs about half the length of it. Watched em hand over hand the top pitch; hard core p.g.'ers...no gloves on a frayed u.v. hardened old can tire special.



Ashcroft has some great looking terrain though.

[Angle Parking]

Not sure what thread it was on but I recall Swiss posting a pic of skiing on Haida Gwaii not long ago. Just got back from a great trip there with the fam. I would like to know more about skiing there. Where, when, how etc., Thanks in advance swissiphic and anyone else who has beta to share.

[swissiphic]

Not sure what thread it was on but I recall Swiss posting a pic of skiing on Haida Gwaii not long ago. Just got back from a great trip there with the fam. I would like to know more about skiing there. Where, when, how etc., Thanks in advance swissiphic and anyone else who has beta to share.

Hi A.P., happy to share intel...can we trade? I'm lookin' for beta on #smitherslife. Potential move for next summer and Smithers is on the menu. Terrace summer's are just too hot. (see avatar)

I'll be back on later for the H.G. data dump.

[Angle Parking]

Hi A.P., happy to share intel...can we trade? I'm lookin' for beta on #smitherslife. Potential move for next summer and Smithers is on the menu. Terrace summer's are just too hot. (see avatar)

I'll be back on later for the H.G. data dump.

Not sure moving to Smithers is going to provide any sort of solution if you are looking to escape the heat. It can get stinking hot here.

As for Smithers life, well, I'll say is that the town is experiencing a bit of a boom right now. Lot's of new folks choosing to live here. And not a flash in the pan resource type boom either. Young, active people choosing to live here. I go to ski functions and I look around the room and I don't know half the people. And the bulk of the new implants are very active and very motivated. Lot's of folks getting out which is great.

Super livable place, 2 new breweries and a downtown scene developing rapidly. A surplus of doctors etc. But basically, outdoor wise, Smithers is no Terrace. There's no climbing which is tragic. Overall however, great place to live but come quick because it appears as though we have finally and officially made it onto the mountain town list and people are cashing out and coming here.

But really Swiss, you're not going to move here, you're Terrace through and through.

[LHutz Esq]

It is too bad that smither’s town (and elevation) couldn’t be plopped down at Terrace’s location.

Has terrace ever thought of bulldozing itself and trying again?


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[swissiphic]

Has terrace ever thought of bulldozing itself and trying again?


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Agreed. With extreme prejudice.

Have I ever posted my "If the city of terrace ever found a benevolent benefactor to fund razing and rebuilding itself" plan?

Having said that, Smithers and Kitimat could use the same reset...Prince Rupert (lost a bit of lustre but still the crown jewel of aesthetically pleasing n.w.b.c towns), stewart, meziadin junction, kitwanga and hazelton are all good. Just need a bit of growth.

I'll get to that post after the A.P./Haida Gwaii data dump. lol.

[LHutz Esq]

We need to do a cultural exchange this winter Mr. Iphic! I have much to say on the topic.

[swissiphic]

Not sure moving to Smithers is going to provide any sort of solution if you are looking to escape the heat. It can get stinking hot here.

---Damnit...off the option block then... Based on previous experience attending midsummer fests for a good decade through the 90's, I recall the heat...but also seem to recall a very reasonable, consistent evening/overnight cooling. Never really spent any time in Smiths in the rest of the summer months.

As for Smithers life, well, I'll say is that the town is experiencing a bit of a boom right now. Lot's of new folks choosing to live here. And not a flash in the pan resource type boom either. Young, active people choosing to live here. I go to ski functions and I look around the room and I don't know half the people. And the bulk of the new implants are very active and very motivated. Lot's of folks getting out which is great.

Super livable place, 2 new breweries and a downtown scene developing rapidly. A surplus of doctors etc. But basically, outdoor wise, Smithers is no Terrace. There's no climbing which is tragic. Overall however, great place to live but come quick because it appears as though we have finally and officially made it onto the mountain town list and people are cashing out and coming here.

---Well, I think to some similar degree, Terrace is experiencing the same malady. It's part of what's prompting the desire to move...not a big fan of micro, mini or macro 'booms' and summer's here are getting to be crazy busy. I'm tired of change, I want something different.


But really Swiss, you're not going to move here, you're Terrace through and through.
--- I guess I wasn't really clear on intent...with the heat intolerance issue gaining more traction every year, just wanna find a cooler place to live for the months of june, july and august. Ain't pullin' up stakes full time just yet. And, achem...despite the mullet, I'm still way more Rupert than Terrace. To wit; shorts and flip flops through the winters...just like I always did.

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[Angle Parking]

I don’t really see what’s happening in Smithers right now (growth, transformation, boom ... whatever you want to call it) as a malady or negative thing at all. I quite like it actually. Nobody is coming here to cash in on resource projects or any other ‘gold rush’ type scenario. From what I see, people are coming here because they want to live here and contribute to the community which is super cool. I for one would love it if Smithers added a few thousand cool folks in the next few years. This is all wild speculation rooted in my daily experience and how i see things of course, but it seems to me Smithers is on course to becoming a really cool little mountain town.

Hutz, xxx-er, what do you guys think about what is happening in Smithers? Am I even correct in my observation that something is happening? Is it good, bad or whatever?

[XXX-er]

Many a thesis has been written on the " Amenity Migrant " in a nutshell they find a cool place which they move to and in doing so change everything so it isnt cool anymore, I have never had a real job since I moved here to ski/paddle/bike/drink beer/smoke dope/chase women, SO I am the quintessential " Amenity Migrant " I have seen the problem ... and I am it



I think high cost of living down south has prompted people to come narth for the lifestlye and the ability to own a home,
In Smithers the saving grace has been the 13 hrs distance from any major center/crazy expensive plane tickets it keeps the riff-raff out so people don't tend to just buy a vaca home, they have to move here and make a go of it, yes the RE is pretty cheap compared to down south but then the people who move here still need to make enough money to live here

It all puts pressure on job prospects, rents and RE prices so my sense is that it has got tougher for some locals who have not kept up

and the amenity migrant is still wearing the teflon ski jacket

[LHutz Esq]

I have noticed a bunch of the new folks I meet are govt or govt related (consultants and what not). So I worry somewhat that some of the influx will depend on which perspective prevails in Victoria.

[XXX-er]

yeah and just about everybody i talk to who was already here is now working for gov,

when gordo and the liberals cut governement spending and canned all the scientists in 2000 it really hurt a lot of people

and the BVRC grew out of it