backcountry journal
Canada. CAA Level 1 Certificate
Early Feb 07
I was in Canada for my Canadian Avalanche Association Level 1 - ski operations course. What a mouthful. I passed. It was a very good quality professional course tought by extremely well balanced and experienced people who were natural and skilled teachers.
The course focus was on coming to understand the factors that lead to changing stability in the snowpack. The primary skill they were teaching was how to make industry standard observations of weather, snow layering and snow stability along with the importance of terrain on stability. There were elements of avalanche hazard assessment and forecasting, however that was not the focus of the course. Including the helicopter and admin days we spent Sunday to Sunday on the course deep in the Purcell Ranges back country. Although we hardly did any skiing (basically we did none), the environment was fantastic - way better than taking the course in a ski resort setting.
The course focus was on coming to understand the factors that lead to changing stability in the snowpack. The primary skill they were teaching was how to make industry standard observations of weather, snow layering and snow stability along with the importance of terrain on stability. There were elements of avalanche hazard assessment and forecasting, however that was not the focus of the course. Including the helicopter and admin days we spent Sunday to Sunday on the course deep in the Purcell Ranges back country. Although we hardly did any skiing (basically we did none), the environment was fantastic - way better than taking the course in a ski resort setting.
The hut were we stayed
Our helicopter blade close to the snow bank
The outhouse toilet. Pinned on the inside wall was the following quote: "People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive"
Some of our group on a lightly corniced ridge
I had two spare days after the course and was lucky enough to get a small trip to the town of Golden. One of the guys on the course was driving and we were staying at the cool little home of another of our new friends from the course. I made some friends over the week.
On the first day we toured from the valley up to the white ridge in the middleground of the below picture, pulling short just before the top due to dropping visibility and a pretty slippery crust under the snow that was quite tricky to move up on with any speed. It was a good satisfying tour of about 1300m vertical taking approx 4 hours to ascend.
The snow quality was variable. A bit tracked out in places, cursed by the shallow crust in others and due to the barley freezing temps, quite heavy. I really didn't care. I love touring and it was my first trip out after a week long course of no action. Plus it was way better than any thing the European Alps has offered this season. I toured on my new Burton S-Series split board. It is junk and now I am stuck with the hassle of selling it and buying a better model (I'm going for a Never Summer, something I should have done from the beginning).
During the descent we enjoyed a few good lines in some lightly treed areas. Canada reminds me of Austria in terms of terrain and the amount of skiing in and at the tree line. Unlike in Chamonix and much of Switzerland where you only see trees at the very start or the very end of the day, unless it is in the end of a storm when the trees offer the best and safest riding.
On the first day we toured from the valley up to the white ridge in the middleground of the below picture, pulling short just before the top due to dropping visibility and a pretty slippery crust under the snow that was quite tricky to move up on with any speed. It was a good satisfying tour of about 1300m vertical taking approx 4 hours to ascend.
The snow quality was variable. A bit tracked out in places, cursed by the shallow crust in others and due to the barley freezing temps, quite heavy. I really didn't care. I love touring and it was my first trip out after a week long course of no action. Plus it was way better than any thing the European Alps has offered this season. I toured on my new Burton S-Series split board. It is junk and now I am stuck with the hassle of selling it and buying a better model (I'm going for a Never Summer, something I should have done from the beginning).
During the descent we enjoyed a few good lines in some lightly treed areas. Canada reminds me of Austria in terms of terrain and the amount of skiing in and at the tree line. Unlike in Chamonix and much of Switzerland where you only see trees at the very start or the very end of the day, unless it is in the end of a storm when the trees offer the best and safest riding.
For our second day we had planned to tour from the famous Rogers Pass area, but uncertain weather stopped us. We ended up using the Kicking Horse resort lifts and hitting some side country over the back of Terminator Peak. I think it was called super bowl. Kicking Horse deserves recognition for offering good quality steep terrain both in resort boundaries and especially just outside their ropes. I don't care much for resorts, but if I had to recommend a good freeride base then I would consider Kicking Horse. I saw lines that were marked on the resort trail map that most skiers simply would not be able to ski due to fear. Unlike in so many countries where a 'double black diamond' run is simply the steepest run they have and nothing more. Steep at Kicking Horse means steep. We didn't hit any of the really good steeps, just looked around and rode some easy to moderate stuff.
Unfortunately I only had my Burton Split board in Canada and so my day was a lame affair of making do on a board that just was not up to the job. During the day the clouds thinned and at the summit were were above the inversion cloud layer below. We met up with our new friend from Iceland (he was on the Level 1 course as well) and his buddy from Denmark. Both had spent the last two seasons in Chamonix so we had a bit in common, especially when it came to casually walking up things and riding down them. These guys smelt like Chamonix, it was great! I would have loved to hung out in Golden a bit longer and ridden with them more.
Unfortunately I only had my Burton Split board in Canada and so my day was a lame affair of making do on a board that just was not up to the job. During the day the clouds thinned and at the summit were were above the inversion cloud layer below. We met up with our new friend from Iceland (he was on the Level 1 course as well) and his buddy from Denmark. Both had spent the last two seasons in Chamonix so we had a bit in common, especially when it came to casually walking up things and riding down them. These guys smelt like Chamonix, it was great! I would have loved to hung out in Golden a bit longer and ridden with them more.
We took a quick walk along the ridge and up over the back of the peak, dropping into an ok bowl and riding out through some pretty tight trees back to the resort car park.
Looking across the Kicking Horse ridge lines, each one has a good set of couloirs and a nice bowl on either side. Plenty of proper terrain to challenge yourself with.
And so ended my first trip to Canada. My biggest impression was the huge wilderness and the love people have for it. It is a relatively untouched and uncrowded adventure play ground. The other big impression was the people. Nearly everyone is friendly and helpful. Thanks to Chad for the room and Cory for driving and generally being a buddy. Thanks also to Simon, who by pure chance, three days after the course I bumped into in an outdoors shop in Calgary. He took me to lunch with his friend and drove me to the airport in Calgary.
The biggest downside of Canada (or at least British Columbia) was the militant alcohol situation. For 6 years I have lived in countries where you can buy beer from vending machines on the street or petrol stations on the highway or at the corner store where it is sold along side the milk (Japan, UK, Italy, France, Germany). I don't want easy access to alcohol for the sake of getting drunk. I want it because I am an adult and enjoy beer and wine with my food or in my spare moments. I fail to see the difference in having a small bottle of beer and having a can of Coke (besides the fact that Coca Cola is revolting artificial poison). Canada has some good micro brews as well, so it was shame. To buy a drink you had to be in a licensed establishment, and that doesn't include the sandwich bar at the airport waiting lounge. Alternatively you had to visit a special liquor store. What a strange place, I thought. Then remembered that it is exactly the same in Australia, something I never questioned, I thought it was normal. Not any longer.
On the last night of our avalanche course, after a day of exams... they ran out of beer. I almost cried. After experiencing the booze control in British Columbia, I don't think I could live in Australia again.
Back in Europe now, still no good snow. Mio is in Japan with a very busy job interview schedule and I am heading to Austria next weekend.
The biggest downside of Canada (or at least British Columbia) was the militant alcohol situation. For 6 years I have lived in countries where you can buy beer from vending machines on the street or petrol stations on the highway or at the corner store where it is sold along side the milk (Japan, UK, Italy, France, Germany). I don't want easy access to alcohol for the sake of getting drunk. I want it because I am an adult and enjoy beer and wine with my food or in my spare moments. I fail to see the difference in having a small bottle of beer and having a can of Coke (besides the fact that Coca Cola is revolting artificial poison). Canada has some good micro brews as well, so it was shame. To buy a drink you had to be in a licensed establishment, and that doesn't include the sandwich bar at the airport waiting lounge. Alternatively you had to visit a special liquor store. What a strange place, I thought. Then remembered that it is exactly the same in Australia, something I never questioned, I thought it was normal. Not any longer.
On the last night of our avalanche course, after a day of exams... they ran out of beer. I almost cried. After experiencing the booze control in British Columbia, I don't think I could live in Australia again.
Back in Europe now, still no good snow. Mio is in Japan with a very busy job interview schedule and I am heading to Austria next weekend.