Wetcoast Week without the ‘Wet’

Awesome week with lots of sunshine and record breaking temperatures. We got into the air in Pemberton where the temps climbed into the high twenties. Although conditions were rough with strong NE and NW winds I managed to do a +20 km out and return flight to Owl peak and then across to Miller Ridge. I arrived high enough for a great view of the snow covered peaks and ice fields behind the front ridge. During the week I enjoyed various evening activities: skiing up Mt Strachan (with après-ski de-gooping of the bases), hiking to an outlook over Indian Arm and a bike ride through the green forest on Sumas Mt.

Last but not least we got our sea kayaks wet again and explored Widgeon Slough. It was pretty cool paddling along the channels of cold and clear Widgeon Creek through marshlands with steep mountains in the backdrop.

So there was paragliding, skiing, mountain biking, hiking and paddling in one gorgeous week! Hard to beat life on the wetcoast...

Bridal Awesomeness

Awesome flight at Bridal in light NE outflow wind. My favored flight of the year so far! We went to Woodside first but after a launch-able window it started blowing over the back for the next hour. We did our duty with some patient parawaiting and sunbathing before deciding that moving over to Bridal would be a better bet. Peter had gone directly to Bridal but waited there for almost an hour for conditions to improve. Just as we arrived he was working hard to stay up in a flush cycle. Luckily he found a thermal out front and east of launch. Just as Bridal guru Alan says… on NE days look for lift to the east of launch.

By the time I got in the air things were working much better. I found the thermal elevator immediately and got up to 1700 meter right from launch. Found a second nice climb and flew over to the west ridge of Mt Cheam and then along the snow covered north face. Following Nicole I made it over the first spur coming of the main peak to the northwest and passed around the outside of the rock pyramid on the second spur. Thermals went even higher over the Lakes and Butterfly where I got to 2300 meter, higher than Mt Cheam by good 200 meters.

First time for me to get so high in the Fraser Valley. Views of Tomihoy and Baker through the Cheam/Lady gap were stunning and I had to take some pictures, but lost over 100 meters getting the camera out with my gloved hands and frozen fingers. What a very different perspective looking over to the other side of the valley (and down to the tops of Bear, Agassiz and Harrison Lake). On the way back from Ludwig thermals were often further out and not too close to the mountain.

For a while I thermalled with a curious juvenile Bald Eagle. S/he flew with me for a few minutes, cocking her head one way and then the other maybe to figure what this weird contraption of fabric and strings was. Later she came straight at me until I yelled and she turned away (maybe playing chicken the eagle-way).

Coming down to land was like being in a time lapse video from winter at 2000 meters to spring in a field yellow with dandelion flowers.


 

Easter 2013

What a difference compared to the same weekend last year which was our best powder weekend of the season (http://bcwetcoast.blogspot.ca/2012/04/april-powder-april-1st.html). Same location as last year, Duffey Lake Road, but the weather was almost summer-like. Temperatures were in the high teens in Pemberton. We still decided on a ski trip and toured up Anniversary Glacier. Gorgeous weather, fantastic views of the high peaks and glaciers around us and on the way down corn snow. Not sure I’m into this kind of snow too much; powder is still my preferred skiing ‘substrate’. But the scenery was definitely worth the effort!

Enjoying the view on top of Anniversary Glacier while our friend Alex bags Matier

Mt Spetch and Slalok Mt

After skiing down Anniversary Glacier (we were up in the snowy col between Matier and Joffre) AR photo.

Happy Easter

Hemlock Lady's Day

I lucked out on my latest visit to Hemlock, a small ski resort near Harrison Hot Springs. The North Shore Mountains got rained on, but Hemlock had +30 cm fresh snow. I took my sweet time to contemplate if the conditions warranted the longish drive. But when I drove up the last bit of steep and windy road to increasing amounts of fresh snow I regretted not coming earlier. To my relief the lifts were not moving. And one of them didn’t run all day. So with a little walk over to the side of the closed lift I enjoyed powder turns and face shots all day. On my last two runs just before 6pm I only crossed a couple of other tracks. Almost too good to be true!

A shame to leave all this untracked pow behind, but it was 6pm! My tracks are the two wiggly lines ;-)