Just got back from the first respectable hike of the season – a quick jont up to First Peak followed by a very cold swim by the bravest member of our group in Mystery Lake.

After a much delayed start – had to go pick up another wine making kit seeing as we have nearly polished off the 23 litres from the last one… well that and a BC Parks parking pass for the year – we rolled into the main parking lot of Seymour just before four in the afternoon. It took some convincing but we ended up following the main trail from the bottom rather than the ski runs. The ski runs are definitely the faster way to get up into the alpine but the trail offers a more natural feel.

We ended up hitting snow much sooner than I anticipated but besides a few postholes, including me going through up to my waist, the snow didn’t really cause any issues.

Once we were past Brockton we followed the old trail to the base of the peak. Lots of snow but it made for an easier climb. The scramble up the face was fun as always but over way too soon. Surprisingly there were very few people on the summit. We enjoyed a few minutes of bug free time thanks to the breeze before heading back down.

The trip back down was more eventful than the hike up. Bryan and I unilaterally decided that we were going to take the more adventurous route down. We headed off towards the Western face and all of the fun snow and exposure that it offers. North Shore Rescue would frown upon my line choice but what is the point in living if you don’t have a healthy amount of epinephrine in your blood. After some sketcher down climbing and boot skiing we were back in the ski area. Time to check out Mystery Lake.

I was really surprised at how much snow had melted at Mystery Lake in the two weeks since I had last visited. What was a few pools of water on top of snow and ice was now a nearly defrosted lake. Bryan was the only member of the group brave enough to jump into the nearly thawed lake but according to him, it was worth it (video to come shortly).

We skipped out on descending the Mystery Lake trail and elected to head down the ski runs. Boring but fast.

The entire hike plus swim ended up taking us about two hours and forty minutes, not bad for a leisurely stroll.

I am currently working with NonLinear Educating Inc. as their Chief Video Specialist / Video Editor and also moonlight as an iPhone / iPad App developer on the side. The work has been interesting but it has also take up much of my time and energy over the last six months.

This is not a valid excuse for not getting out into the mountains! Over the coming months I will be posting info and images from the adventures and missions I get caught up in. Check back soon!

Got home – ran in – got changed – geared up and I was off.

I ended up pulling into the car-park a little after seven so with it still being early spring (sun still sets early) I decided to cheat and take the chair. In typical Seymour fashion I skied right onto the chair with not even so much of a glance from the liftie for a pass (yes, I do have one). About 15 minutes later I was skiing up Brockton towards the backcountry.

The tour up was uneventful and went by quickly when I wasn’t stopped to shoot a photo. The snow was grippy and made for an easy climb. I ended up swinging around to the west ridge of first peak and had the pleasure of climbing up in the golden glow of the setting sun. The ski down was good (much too short in my opinion) with many nice wide turns to be had.

I arrived back at may car a little after eight and besides getting a “where did you come from” look from a patroller there is not much to say. In-bounds snow was a mixed bag but made for some fun super-g powered ski turns.

Mission accomplished.

The roads and highways were nearly empty and except for a mix up of exits off of route one the drive was uneventful. Well except for the final stage of the drive up to the ski area its self.

The Hemlock Valley road is not for those who are afraid of heights – it’s narrow and twisty with a bit of exposure thrown into the for good measure. I personally find it to be a tonne of fun and I had the pleasure of throwing my car around a few of the corners.

This was only my second time to Hemlock (my first being last year for the same race) and from what I have been told it has not changed much over the past few decades. The resort has a quaint feel – what I would imagine the 70’s to be like. It is also an incredibly laid back place. The staff is welcoming and the resort is extremely accommodating to the racer crowd.

From what I have seen of the terrain it would definitely be somewhere I would love to be on a powder day. Wide open terrain with the odd tree (the area was logged sometime in the distant past) and nice consistent fall lines. Unfortunately I have not had the privilege of being there on a good powder day yet.

The race went off with out a hitch and started the customary 15-45 minutes later than scheduled. The courses ran well except for a few ruts that started developing in the soft snow. All and all a good day of ski racing.

As I was not there in an official capacity as a coach I had the freedom to go ripping around with the kids in-between their race runs (rather than being stuck in the start area). I have always enjoyed skiing with kids – rather than debating which run to do next or complain about cold feet or sore knees all they want to do is ski – very much like myself! Sometimes it is fun to escape the stresses and worries of the adult world even if only for a run or two.

I was given the tour of all of the best runs and at the end of the day we even snuck in two great runs right under the lift line before awards. Cliffs, trees and jumps were all thrown into the mix for these two runs resulting in a few funny situations (picture a 12 year old pulling an inadvertent front flip to face plant – no injuries of course).

It was a long day when you include the drive to and from the mountain but I look forward to returning to Hemlock, hopefully on a powder day!

We were a little nervous as we drove up the access road to the base area. At an elevation where there was a considerable amount of snow on Seymour there was little to none on the side of the road or in the forest. Our concerns were put to rest as we pulled into the car park were their was a healthy 30 cm on the ground.

The base area was a gong show. Construction workers were busily getting everything ready for February, the mountain was moving snow off of the car park onto the bunny hill and we were almost certain that we would be kicked off of the hill before we even started climbing. Almost immediately upon getting onto the snow we were approached by one of the operations people but all he had to say was to watch out for the winch cats. We were off!

This was Graham’s first big assent (well 500+ vertical metres) so we decided to tour up Collins to the base of the Sky Chair and then continue up T-33 to the top of Mount Strachan – both of these runs offered the gentlest incline. The tour up was quite nice with pleasant views when we weren’t fogged in. The snow was quite shallow for the first little while and did not improve until we turned the corner above the Easy Rider Chair. From here up the snow became lighter – for November – and the visibility even improved! After a quick water stop at the base of the Sky Chair we pushed on for the final 200 vertical metres of climbing.

Once at the top we had a quick lunch, de-skined the skis shot a couple of photos and then got down to business.

The decent was great – how could it not be for November 11th! We started off with fresh tracks down the side of T-33 and then ducked into the trees near Horsefly. The snow on the sky chair was fairly good – about 10 to 15 cm of fluff on top of a hard crust. We continued past the bottom of the sky chair and boot packed it to the top of the Lion’s Express. After a quick discussion we ended up skiing directly under the lift top to bottom on Bowen. As we descended the snow became heavier and heavier but we really did not care! We ended up passing a number of snowboarders and other ski tourers on Lower Bowen who were not having very much luck in the heavier snow – nothing like being shown up by a 12 year old!

With smiles on our faces we skated back to the car park, packed up and went home. All in all, a great day of early season skiing!

Welcome to the new site. I am trying to go for a fairly simple layout that does not take any attention away from the content. I will be adding new content over the next week or two and I will also be keeping my trip log up to date with my latest and greatest adventures. Please check back often and I hope you enjoy the new look!

The weather was overcast and a bit cool when I rolled into the main car park around 11 AM – perfect hiking weather! My goal for the day was DePencier Peak via Goldie Lake.

Kyia and I descended to Goldie Lake within 15 minuets. Not record time but not bad when you include photo stops. From the lake I had originally intended to bushwhack up the drainage that runs out from the base of the Brockton area but I decided to head off to the north-east.

The forest was surpassingly dry. I am use to getting very wet very quickly from dew on the underbrush but besides a few wet and peaty spots it was fairly dry.

As bushwhacking goes it was very pleasant. The blue berry bushes are nearing the tail end of their fall colours with many of them starting to look a little bald. We followed one of the old nordic tracks for ten minuets before plunging back into the forest. It was after climbing up the first steep slope that we came across the Upper Perimeter Trail.

I have know of the trails existence for a number of years, I just haven’t ever bothered looking for it. The trail runs from the “Dead End” sign on the more traveled Perimeter Trail and continues up to Brockton. Overall it was an enjoyable hike with a number of steep sections but I would not recommend it to anyone not familiar with the area as it become hard to follow in places.

In no time at all we had reached the edge of the tree line and the final summit pitch. The summit its self is non remarkable but the bluffs at the north end make the trip worth while. From the bluffs you can see into Garibaldi Park, Indian Arm about 1300 vertical metres below, First Peak and De Pencier Lake which is 350 metres jump directly below the bluffs.

After a quick snack we continued on our way lopping around the unnamed summit into the Brockton area and from their, down the ski runs to the car park.