Thanks

Forgot to say thanks to everyone. Sara for looking after the fort whilst I was away. Gloria Fliorello at Patagonia down in Ventura for sending up a few sample items including an awesome lightweight jacket which weighed nothing and was perfect when it was sunny as it did not weigh anything and when it was a little inclement it kept the wind, rain ( yes there was some of that ) and snow off my poor beaten body. Also, thanks to the team at Voile mail order for getting me a pair of ski crampons to my local post office just minutes prior to my departure.

Fly the Google Earth Rogers Pass - Mica Creek Tour KMZ file

Skiing Centurion Mtn

We could hear the 212 helicopters from Adamant Lodge pounding the sky above us as we approached the Centurion Col. Instead of climbing up Bachelor Pass as indicated in Chic famous book "Summits and Icefields" we ascended the drainage further east and gained the pass directly. Nice route. Traverses are not famous for great skiing but we managed to get a good powder smile going on this one. We were a little surprised to see a skin track coming up from Moberly Pass gaining the peak. 100km from the nearest road and the run is still skied. Lots of room though for Dan to spread out and lay down the snowboard.

Winter Camping and Traverses

Stewart has done one of these big traverses every winter for the last couple of years. Andrew joined him on the Rogers Pass to Bugaboos last winter for a slog fest. The lesson learned is go light and fast as possible. A megamid is as basic a tent as possible. Two ski poles strapped together over a light nylon fly create a roof and then shovels dig into the snow to provide a cooking and eating platform. Lots of space for cooking and easy to set up but a little cooler and you are sleeping on snow. Dried foods in a boil bag from backcountry pantry were awesome and then a couple of quick snacks like cliff bars and guu shots completed the meals. We managed to camp beside water most every night so minimal fuel required. Keep the backpack as light as possible makes those 5,000 ft days possible. I managed to fly out a bunch of stuff with a crew at Fairy Meadows - Yeah!

Great Cairn Hut

An incredible mountain cabin in a completely remote location with just a few visitors every year. We skied over from Moberly Pass in the afternoon after traversing Pyrite Ridge in the morning and descended down the glacier in the twilight for another monster day but with perfect weather and incredible scenery. Dan and I took the following day as a rest day as the plan to ski Sir Sandford fell apart due to extensive exposed ice on the route. Andrew and Stewart skied the Guardsman Glacier on the left of Sir Sandford. As we were admiring the view at around 3pm a slab pulled out from below the hourglass on our proposed route down Sir Sandford and filled the valley below with debris. Nice.

Fairy Meadows

From the Great Cairn Hut at Sir Sandford we ascended the Silvertip Glacier and traversed right on a nice bench towards Azimuth Notch. When the traverse starting to look really hairy we climbed directly up about 100m on steep snow slopes to gain the ridge about 150m before the Azimuth Notch. This put us in a great position to ski down to the Adamant Glacier and start our ascent up Thor Pass to the Gothics Glacier. The Pass was more like a couloir which we boot packed up and were thankfull we were over early in the morning. We climbed most of Pioneer Peak and then Dan and I skiied the easterly portion of Pioneer Pass whch is steep with a roll over at the top that just keeps going. We were stoked.

Stewart Spooner

Stewart is always keen to take the sharp end of the lead. Nice to have that on a team: kicking steps up couloirs, releasing slabs, ascending cornice filled passes, testing snow bridges on crevasses and endlessly breaking trail. This photo is taken near the 9,200 ft pass on N.E. Mountain after about 6,000 ft of climbing from the valley bottom. We have another 10 km of skiing to go for the day - fortunately most of it is a pleasant descent down a glacier.

Andrew Gross

This man is a trail breaking machine. Andrew has a reputation for steep skin tracks and the deeper the powder the better. We climbed up from the valley bottom from 8am-11am and still have 3,000 ft to go of climbing before we get to go down. The Adamants are far off in the distance on the left side. Just mention something about training and not slip streaming and Andrew busts out in front for another marathon session. Seemed to work quite well. Andrew - I couldn't have done it without you.

Dan Morton

Probably the first splitboard traverse of the Northern Selkirks was completed by Dan Morton. Last winter Dan completed the Rogers Pass to Bugaboos traverse and the Jumbo Pass to Bugaboos traverses on his Prior Splitboard. You can also see Dan in the spring 2007 Canadian Avalanche Association Newsletter accepting the Craig Kelly Scholarship. Dan completed his level 2 avalanche training and worked last winter at Retallack. Skiers over the last few years at Wildhorse Catskiing will remember Dan as our trusty tailguide and mechanic. It was a pleasure to tour again with Mr. Morton.

Back from Northern Selkirks Traverse

We cruised through the traverse in 10 days. Lots of very wild country and some pretty remote valleys. I must admit now to have only done two half days of ski touring this winter.... We put in some good solid 12 hours of touring and covered 15-20 km per day with some days having 5-7,000 ft of vertical. Beautiful touring weather with lots of cool temperatures and sunny days. Cruised through big mountain valleys and over high peaks and had a few helicopter from CMH buzz us. Dropped into the ACMG Assistant Ski Guides course at Moberly Pass where they looked like they were having some fun. Spent a night at the Fairy Meadows Lodge and two nights at the Great Cairn Cabin. Then it was up and over two big mountain passes and out to Mica Creek.