Christmas in the Valhalla Mountains, December 21 - 28

After four years of sampling other back country ski places we are back at Valhalla Mountain Touring as a special Christmas present to ourselves. A group of Calgary skiers allowed us to join them for a ski week and their excellent Christmas dinner.




VMT Lodge


Pete's catching up with the grey in the beard


Pete receiving B-day wishes from the Wise Guy ( much better than last year - avoid Mexican B-day traditions that involve eating cake with your hands behind you back)

Snow took its time to show up this year and the pack was still below average. But the Valhalla Mountains provided plenty of Pow. When we arrived there was over a meter at the lodge – enough for fun skiing. Good thing tree skiing at VMT is fine and plentiful as the alpine slopes were somewhat wind affected.


My line


Pete sampling the steeps of Emerald Trees


Keith in the Little Sister trees


Dave


Lars - Ruby Trees


Pete looks concerned - where is the second ski?


Must have missed that line!




The 'A'


More trees over there!


Ruby and Emerald Trees and the VMT Lodge (in the notch between the trees just left of midline)


Looking NE from the ridge to Little Sister



The promised snow arrived on the last day of our week – about 30 cm fresh and continued falling all day. More tree skiing!

The ski-out was good fun, thanks to tracks of a couple of snowmobiles and some skiers that compacted the 50 cm of fresh that had accumulated (and thanks to hooking up with the cat in the flat sections).




I’m sure we parked the cars somewhere around here!?

Finally! SNOW! Mt Baker, December 14

Snow levels were dismally low this year, but finally a good dump at Baker gets the base to around 50 inch and the ski season begins. We don’t take part in the official opening. Instead we explore the Baker BC. Excellent weather, temps a bit on the cool side (especially after just being back from Mexico) and great knee-deep pow! Definitely ‘Best First Day of the Season’, possibly even ‘Best Baker Day, Ever’. Big grins and the occasional face-shots.

Huasteca - Mexico Map

Huasteca Map in Google Maps


View Larger Map

Go to "View Larger Map" and from there to "View in Google Earth" (if you have it installed) for more detail.

Huasteca, Mexico - Paddling in Waterfall Disneyland, December 1 - 6

Your truly on the Micos (D. Elliot photo)
If you are looking for care-free waterfalls without scrambling slimy cliffs for portages or difficult approach and departure moves – Huasteca is the ticket. Hardcore BC boaters may find the water too warm, the weather too nice and the runs without carnage a bit boring.

The playland is in NE Mexico, near to Ciudad de Valles. Its easy: fly into Tampico, get picked up by the resort staff, drive to the put-in, get in the kayaks provided by Leland and Andrea from Brushy Mountain/River Gypsies, do your run, drop a few falls, stop at the bar at the take-out, celebrate with a cerveza (or a paloma, margarita, etc). Oh yeah, don’t eat too much at the bar – the multi-course dinner at the Huasteca Secreta Resort is coming soon.

The runs are pool-drop to the extreme. Travertine deposits form ledges and falls between clear turquoise calm pools. We did the Ojo Frio with tons of ledges and boofs and a couple of bigger drops (10-15 ft), the classic Micos with seven falls from 10 to 20 ft (most an easy walk-up for more runs) and El Salto with Leland’s all time favored, La Luminosa.

We liked Huasteca paddling so much last year, we had to do it again - this time with a bit more water.

(Unfortunately the trip wasn’t quite so relaxing for one paddler when his kayak decided to disappear behind a waterfall for a couple of days…)

Paddlespots in Google Maps


That's how its done!


Canadian's eh~!



Typical ledges on the Ojo Frio

More Ojo Frio (D. Elliot photo)

Ojo Frio, too



Dave dropping the first of the Micos falls


Group below the big one on the Micos (D. Elliot photo)

Pete - La Luminosa

Kansas Dave - El Salto


Tony - El Trampolin (P. Spear photo)


Michelle - El Trampolin (P. Spear photo)

More Scenic Views


El Tamul Falls


Natural swimming pool on top of the falls - don't swimm out too far. 100 meter drop just beyond the grass in the back, just on top of the falls in the previous picture (P. Spear photo)


Man-made swimming pool at Huasteca Secreta resort (D. Elliot photo)


Shuttle


Yoga with Andria


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Huasteca Secreta Resort at El Meco


Andria, Leland, Scott, Tony, Michelle, Dave, Pete, Claudia, Kansas Dave (D. Elliot photo)