Day 21 - Whitewater powder

Well. The end of the trip is looking better and better. WH20's snow report claimed 6cm overnights, however it felt like more - perhaps 10cm.

After Phil tipped Bacardi into my mouth again all night, I slept in a little. Pancake brekky and Oso-good Oso Negro coffee and we were on the way.

It was the perfect day, snowing all the way up the mountain, but no wind and not cold. It is nice to back in Canadian weather, as opposed to very windy, blizzardy snow storms that Australia predominantly gets.

We did a few runs and the snow was very, very light and dry but there was not enough snow to cover in the old icey tracks as well as bind to that layer to mask it.

We eventually ended up in the backcountry.

This is the thin yellow line separating inbounds and out of bounds.


Packy went on ahead and I took lots of photos. It was so quiet and peaceful. I stood there marvelling at each sight. It was amazing.





I soon came upon this...






And was greeted by this...Packy already hiking a jump he'd built. Keen people rule.

I let Packy run off down the run so I could just sit and be. It was amazing. The only sound was the light crackling of snow on my jacket. I couldn't get enough of the views in the shots below. I could've sat there all day just soaking in the sights. It was life-affirming. Incredible. Again, soulful. The mountains have that effect on me. As does the ocean. Not one worldly thought in my mind in this otherworldly place. Brain switched off.
The light was heavenly, ethereal. The sun was almost coming through the snow, casting a golden hue into the grey. If I breathed deeply enough, I would get a lungful of cold snow, little cold hand grenades exploding in my lungs. Heaven. I looked at every thing, photographing it for my memory. I can't ascribe words to the elation at being there by myself. Like surfing in a summer storm with dark, dark grey sky, warm, azure ocean as lightning and thunder roil in the sky. I did not want to leave my perch in the mountains. Whitewater is an amazingly balancing place. Especially when you have a tofu Ymir bowl for lunch.





I had to crank the contrast up on this shot of Packy as the light was super flat.

C'est moi.

Packy sick method. He slapped the grab hard - WHACK.