Northern BC 2013/2014 Stoke, Conditions

**XXX-er** · 05-22-2015, 11:05 AM

guido the skiing is just different and like sex and pizza ... its all good man

**swissiphic** · 05-22-2015, 11:20 AM

now that summer's upon us, how about some Sweeney stoke!

I think it was a big snow year; pics from June 29, 2008.

Pics:

I think it was Jim and Captain Bastard (?) hucking rocks at the detached cornice atop 'the goat' in a futile effort trying to get the boxcar feature to release and avy control the pitch. It did not release, don't think the run was skied.

Various pics of the the run "mr. sluffaluffagus" skier's left of the 'the goat' skiing it with Pineapple Pete.

mom moose and little guys swimming in the lake after scaring the shit out of us at the campground (?).

sweeny beach...so awesome if someone had killed all the mosquitos ruining the fun.

**swissiphic** · 05-22-2015, 11:35 AM

Summertime Mt. Hays stoke in Prince Rupert. Lifetime record late snowpack on the diminutive little bump on Kaien Island...skied top to bottom runs on the old ski hill till summer solstice! (700m-550m asl) June, 2008.

**XXX-er** · 05-22-2015, 11:47 AM

I think we pretty much have to wait till july to get in, AP & I will wait for some blue bird & head to sweeny, as opposed to the lake we kind of like staying high

maybe you should come

**Angle Parking** · 05-22-2015, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by swissiphic

So, serious question...can a guy in a real 4x4 truck drive up the green tee/prairie and bull low gear it up the ridge towards hbm summit area? Is it a protected non motorized zone or good to go with old mining roads, quad trails etc? google earthing the kathlyn zone and perusing summer pics on internet...looks like some lines (kathlyn couloir) remain skiable well through the summer. driving a ways up the prairie would sure beat hiking up the twin gulch/glacier, etc...

On a related note, how did the banning of sleds and atv's go over at Shames. Did people choose to respect it or was there conflict?

**swissiphic** · 05-22-2015, 05:37 PM

a.p.: after an initial flurry of protest by a few folks on the mmc facebook page, talk died down and from what I saw there was no issue whatsoever of sledders/atv'ers going anarchy at the hill. I toured up there pretty consistently from april 14-may 9th and not one sign of fresh non skier tracks.

To be honest, this season notwithstanding; in normal seasons after the hill closes it rarely snows down to the base consistently for refreshing the snow surface. Therefore, the melting top layer usually accumulates a lot of gunk and goo below treeline and the constant churning up of the snow surface by sledders along with the track compaction, resulted in better ski quality of good glide to the bottom. This year, it wasn't needed as the regular snowfalls to the base kept the snow clean and as slick as spring schmoo could be. Yellow pisswax snow.

Didn't miss the stink of exhaust and noise pollution that the sledders brought in the past but it didn't usually bother me that much.

Didn't miss the lack of other skier traffic either...I pretty well had the hill and sidecountry to myself about 90 percent of my days up there apres hill closure...awesome Shames Schnaipril for sure.

**carpathian** · 05-23-2015, 12:45 AM

Summer stoke??!! I have been in Hawaii all winter and am ready for some winter stokage…

Way early season in Mañana

Notice the no backpack, these lines are short and sweet and we would just leave pack in base camp to shred more effectively

Inching through crux

Got tech out the bottom

**carpathian** · 05-23-2015, 01:47 AM

It is funny hearing the Shames vs Smithers debate continues. I remember our first season in Smithers (2004-05) we only heard bad things about Smithers and would drive to Shames every weekend and camp out in the parking lot. It was alright, miniature runs inbounds surrounded by some pretty large backcountry. I got tired of always worrying about the warm line and even though you'd get 3 feet of snow it would turn to shmoo the next day.

I never even skied Smithers until Schnai day and was kind of weirded out by the light, dry cold air and snow. There was never a lot of it (5cm on the snow report is hard to get excited about.) BUt it was learning the way the snow was moved by the wind and the way Hudson Bay mountain is really like 10 mountains in one. All different elevations, climates and exposure and you can ski to and from town…

Another technical entrance in jeans, Megatron this time

Bill taking a look into Skeletor, as of yet unskiied…?

After a day of shredding, a little rock band action

The next day, technical mini golf

Bill getting into the meat of it.
You can see my tracks in Mañana on the right

For future reference

**swissiphic** · 05-23-2015, 10:40 AM

Hey Jake; in my opinion the old school 'true' shames vs. smithers debate is dead...an anachronism of a bygone era. Since I'm an old dude stuck in the 90's, my emotional stance hasn't changed at a base level but the rational, logical part of the brain does its part to over ride the reptilian mind.

Like xxx said, skiing's like sex and pizza...all good in da 'hood.

As for the 'warm line' issue at shames...frankly speaking, the advent of fat and uber fat skis has rendered that issue less of a factor...the old skinnies would tank in the slop, the new fatties pretty much make it all feel like a smithers groomer.

After growing up in rupert and not even being aware that winter snow exists (it was all below the 'warm line' at mt. hays and our local ski touring haunts) it was a revelation that deep dry pow even existed...shames was a good launching pad for a powder skiing anti gravitron and magnetic pull north to the pow utopia of bell 2 and stewart skiing...

and, damn, wasn't 2004-5 a really terrible season anyways? was that the season of 'passion of the crust'? awesome video of that by the way, archiving the yang of the yin of the shames reality of a double edged sword resort.

I characterize shames from a long term perspective as a hill that has lots of average seasons peppered with rain/warm line events with windows of mind blowing skiing....and has the odd awesome colder consistent seasons that gets folks hooked and hanging on for the next good one. Being a ski bum really helps get the goods if one is ready to launch at every possible available good snow opportunity...being a weekend warrior invites a stacking of the odds in the wrong direction and sets the stage for the disappointment of "you should have been here yesterday" of just a few too many 'todays'.

Thankfully, Terrace skiing isn't all shames and side/backcountry...great go to, but, the ski touring world has progressed waaaaay past the limits and achillies heels of that zone. A paradigm shift has occurred in the past I'd say half dozen years. Relatively close new sled access and logging road access cold zones have provided pretty solid options for those with a creative mind and an willingness to giv'er. It still ain't stewart/bell 2, but it feeds the habit.

I love to blabber on and on about this stuff, someone tell me to stfu if i'm overstaying my welcome pontificating at the powder pulpit.

**garyfromterrace** · 05-23-2015, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by swissiphic

Hey Jake; in my opinion the old school 'true' shames vs. smithers debate is dead...an anachronism of a bygone era. Since I'm an old dude stuck in the 90's, my emotional stance hasn't changed at a base level but the rational, logical part of the brain does its part to over ride the reptilian mind.

Like xxx said, skiing's like sex and pizza...all good in da 'hood.

As for the 'warm line' issue at shames...frankly speaking, the advent of fat and uber fat skis has rendered that issue less of a factor...the old skinnies would tank in the slop, the new fatties pretty much make it all feel like a smithers groomer.

After growing up in rupert and not even being aware that winter snow exists (it was all below the 'warm line' at mt. hays and our local ski touring haunts) it was a revelation that deep dry pow even existed...shames was a good launching pad for a powder skiing anti gravitron and magnetic pull north to the pow utopia of bell 2 and stewart skiing...

and, damn, wasn't 2004-5 a really terrible season anyways? was that the season of 'passion of the crust'? awesome video of that by the way, archiving the yang of the yin of the shames reality of a double edged sword resort.

I characterize shames from a long term perspective as a hill that has lots of average seasons peppered with rain/warm line events with windows of mind blowing skiing....and has the odd awesome colder consistent seasons that gets folks hooked and hanging on for the next good one. Being a ski bum really helps get the goods if one is ready to launch at every possible available good snow opportunity...being a weekend warrior invites a stacking of the odds in the wrong direction and sets the stage for the disappointment of "you should have been here yesterday" of just a few too many 'todays'.

Thankfully, Terrace skiing isn't all shames and side/backcountry...great go to, but, the ski touring world has progressed waaaaay past the limits and achillies heels of that zone. A paradigm shift has occurred in the past I'd say half dozen years. Relatively close new sled access and logging road access cold zones have provided pretty solid options for those with a creative mind and an willingness to giv'er. It still ain't stewart/bell 2, but it feeds the habit.

I love to blabber on and on about this stuff, someone tell me to stfu if i'm overstaying my welcome pontificating at the powder pulpit.

Sweet blog dude

**Angle Parking** · 05-24-2015, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by carpathian

Closer look at the Hudson Bay Proper line. Does not look so bad, eh?

If you were to get a helicopter drop as far up the South Peak ridge as possible and then ski Hudson Bay Proper, Kathlyn Couloir, and Tobaggan Glacier, that would be a fairly direct approach to the triple header. 3 big lines. Wouldn't really even need the heli drop I guyess. Although the 2.5 hours + driving time saved would allow you to get a head start on the project.

**carpathian** · 05-26-2015, 11:05 AM

The Hudson Bay Massif is awesome!

We ventured to the other end of the mini mountain range into Tobaggan Creek

High performance machines

Pure horsepower

Climbed up 3000 feet on sleds and then climbed that mountain over there.

Up we go

Geologically speaking

Pow

Down to Silvern lake

Satin tracks

Another trip I want to do is circumnavigate the Hudson Bay mountains on foot...

**carpathian** · 05-26-2015, 11:32 AM

Skiied 9-0 into Little Simpson

Steep tight trees

Climbed Treed Ridge, looking back at 9-0

Hey we should go climb up into that chute over there!

Ski on over

Bill shredding on the Carpathians

And Greg

Up again

Getting steeper

And steeper

Prepare to shred

**swissiphic** · 05-26-2015, 12:16 PM

The stoke just keeps rolling Jake; keep it comin'!

Question for smithers locals, xxx'er, a.p. etc... Have you guys been out or looking at the mountains? just wondering if the deep slab releases are still occurring in your neck of the woods. We went skiing in the nass range up wesach yesterday and saw evidence of similar avalanches on basal facets...recent but not new. North quadrant alpine terrain and they varied from size 2 - 3 and most were cornice triggered with a few triggered by smaller loose snow avies. A HUGE cornice fall yesterday on a bit of a lower angle alpine feature rolling over convex did not trigger a deep slab...just surface loose snow entrainment. Skied a long, steep 40 degree + couloir on hero summer schmoocorn and ski quality was great on the steeps. soft surface snow on a progressive consolidated base...exciting sluffing... ski quality sucked on lower angle stuff...too sticky and wet from heat induced daytime melting.

**LeeLau** · 05-26-2015, 12:21 PM

Good stuff Jake

**carpathian** · 05-26-2015, 03:42 PM

I might as well plow through the rest of these Smithers stoke archives, eh

AM beer eases the nerves for the blind entrances…

Like this

Route finding

Next run, into Optimus Prime

Getting some speed

**Angle Parking** · 05-26-2015, 08:19 PM

Not sure when you were last in Smithers Carpathian, but I am happy to tell you that xxx-er, myself and several others have taken it upon ourselves to expand the skiing options in the o-zone. There's loads of new skiing out there. 9-0 has been swallowed up by a huge gladed area for example. More new runs to come this summer as well.

**XXX-er** · 05-26-2015, 08:44 PM

yeah a local pillar of the community expanded 9-0 , and called it "the everglades" AP & yerstruly had just got our saws so we helped a bit

AP single handley cut and signed "angle parking" which is an impressive undertaking and a pretty good run ... kind of an 8-0

no tree is safe on HBM

edit: all you ski out fit whores should note that brother Bill is rocking some cheesy out fit he got to shovel snow in the terrain park which sez "park ranger" on the back, bro doesn't care and he's killing it

**garyfromterrace** · 05-27-2015, 02:28 PM

Bill does burly first decents in jeans.

And kills them. Also, can butcher a pig, play a mean guitar, write a wicked song, and make beer, all before fucking breakfast. I like Bill

**garyfromterrace** · 05-27-2015, 04:14 PM

No, it's Laurie. But she is tasty hahaha. (sorry brother bill, sorry).

**swissiphic** · 05-27-2015, 09:57 PM

Billy Goat stoke at max in May around Terrace.

**Angle Parking** · 05-28-2015, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by swissiphic

Billy Goat stoke at max in May around Terrace.

Sun cups; under rated in the in the pantheon of snow conditions. Way to get after it Swiss!

**swissiphic** · 06-10-2015, 02:05 PM

The stoke is back! Hit a little big line yesterday at Wesach; 2000 feet of Vitamin Ski helped assuage the onset of post seasonal skiing withdrawels...