Driving away from KH this afternoon with its huge face in the rearview mirror was bitter sweet. It is the best mountain I've ever skied but after about 75,000' in 2 days my quads are aching...my back is sore...my lips are chapped. I can't wait to get back. Highlight of the day, after our short hike to the chutes feeding feuz bowl was being stopped by patrol. They were about to blast a twenty foot cornice and we dropped in just in time to have a front row seat.

Happy hour was spent on the road to banff with nearly a full moon elevating the sunset.

Three days into our Labatts adventure and it appears that the snowiest winter in recent canadian history has turned sunny and warm....Day 1 was a 40,000 + foot day at Kicking Horse above the town of Golden. You ski the gondola, top to bottom every run. Off the top, steep chutes with varying pucker factors followed by ripping nonstop groomers. How fast do you want to go???

We could have snuck in 2 more runs but thought the trip west to Revelstoke should be driven in daylight.. Apres ski happy hour on Can. Highway 1 would take us thru Glacier National Park. Stunning.

Days 2 and 3 were spent above the little ski area of Powder Springs, soon to be Revelstoke Mtn Resort, boasting a 6,000' vert. Snow cats would transport us to the top and it would be endless face shots, unlimited fresh tracks. The website's last "report" on snow conditions suggested bringing a snorkle. Unfortunetly, the sun came out and even at this latitude things warmed up. Southern exposures were completely unskiable with a frozen sun crust and as you worked around the mtn to the north, things only improved slightly. Old tracks were semi rigid walls of trouble.. Cats broke down, our group featured a few nimrods and the fabled ski out run was done on the cattrack to the top. Subtract that 5000 feet from our daily tally and we averaged about 6000' of so so skiing each day. Sure, there were a few turns on the steeps with the right exposure when it got pretty good but we didn't get lucky. Our guide did the best he could but his highlight was trying to set a dead fir tree on fire. Unfortunetly the tree he chose didn't cooperate.

Peterson Lumber
KickingHorse
A quick flight in the piper cherokee from BBL to Van Nuys airport and before i knew it was watching the sunset over Peterson lumber. From there, a couple of margarita's and a short nights sleep. To find deep snow and massive mountains a short 2 1/2 hour flight to Calgary Alberta is all it takes. The drive thru Banff National park was incredible on a bluebird day...but its all about Kicking Horse. 4000' + feet of vertical and 200 centimeters of snow. Time to go drink canadian beer, watch some hockey heh, and eat elk burgers.

The holiday season has come and gone but I did squeeze in one day off last month. A lack of any early precipitation and a twenty year yearning to go where we were not supposed to be... It would be too easy, poaching, if we didn't roll from home. Under the glory of a December full moon and a 4:30 ride time Derek and I launched our epic adventure.
Sunrise, just after our hour of brutal hike a bike. Derek, who has "ridden these trail's a million times", knew a short cut.
From the back side of Sugarloaf as the soft pink glow of sunrise shines on our goal. It has only just begun..
Thinking that it is December, midweek, no one would see this. There is one car parked at the trailhead and I am following fresh tracks. Shit. We do see 2 sets of hikers and have no issues.
11,502'. Big Bear is behind the second ridge. With our climb over Sugarloaf, vertical gain was 9000'+, ride time around 11 hours. When I snowboard this so cal wonder, I think its safe to say I can be the only one to complete the trifecta. Ski, peddle, and board.