Day 14 - Kicking Horse

Today after another big sleep, and another bad coffee and bad brekky (Limoncello be warned, the morning after I return and do a 200km ride, you are being hit for free range eggs, mushies, avocado, and 3 delicious coffees) we headed to Kicking Horse.

Whoah.

The place, serviced by 1 gondola, 1 detach and 2 fixed quads (I think I have that right) is simply staggering. There are 2 or 3 main ridges that the lifts (Gondola Golden Eagle Express and Quad Stairway to Heaven) service. So, 2 lifts servicing an enormous amount of terrain.

The views from 2450m at the top of Stairway to Heaven were simply stunning; SW into the Rockies and Northwest down the Columbia Valley.

I have never seen such epic in bounds terrain before. Gnarly chutes that dared you to approach dominated our line of vision everywhere we looked. Cornices, steep chutes, steep tree lines, cliff faces. Just endless epicness. Unbelievable.

Avalanche warnings everywhere, out of bounds and backcountry warnings every which way.
But untouched lines lay just within reach. Hero lines lay untouched between tracked bowls, speaking of the evident avalanche danger, yet I was surprised how easily Josh and I both agreed we would maybe, just maybe, risk it, with a local present.

Had I a little more local knowledge, some hiking would be occuring, but with these bowls and faces all facing the sun and with weak sublayers present through the entire area due to poor base formation earlier on, avalanche potential is currently rated considerable, so common sense must prevail.

Plus Josh's mum has warned me to bring him home.

Here are some photos.











Hard to believe we're looking down into the resort. It's like Europe or something. The scale is staggering.



Some backcountry shots...looking North....(I think it's North)







Park time.
I nailed this the first two tries before Packy got the camera out. Then I got all mung. This is laughing in frustration.

Day 13 - Rocky Mountain High/Wolves

Today was a transit day to Kicking Horse.

We made the decision to bail from Revelstoke due to a paucity of fresh snow and overwhelming presence of ice.

After an average dinner (no decent food in my opinion since Nelson, and probably none until that awesome Greek restaurant in Banff) and good sleep, we awake to a very cold, clear day. The decision was correct.

We got a refund on the that night's accomodation and headed off, I got awesome coffee (Osso Negro from Nelson blend) and awesome sweets and we headed East on the Trans-Canada/#1.

John Denver was onto something.

The Rockies are unbelievable. The photos below barely do credit to the constant visual magic assaulting our eyes. Around each corner was another amazing peak or set of peaks.







Each one towering to the sky, either rocky with pockets of snow, or a towering, glittering and shimmering white peak.

As if competing with its neighbour for attention.

Ski and snowboard tracks were infrequently spotted at the most accessible spots.

We were constantly faced with avalanche signs, and we passed through several tunnels which marked avalanche paths. We could see many slides down some faces; some small, some very, VERY large.
























We got to Roger's pass, which marks the high point on the West-East traverse and is remarkable for the incredible amount of snow at the service station and Glacier National Park visitor's centre there. See the photos below. I've never seen so much snow before.




Most of these photos were taken from the car on the move so you can excuse the imperfection.

And now to the subject below. I. Love. Wolves. They are noble creatures. They are the keystone in the balance of nature. They are treated as a pest when in truth, it is us, the human being, that is the pest. I sometimes think we should be behind the fences, not them. These boys and girls act as ambassadors for their kind were born into activity so are not candidates for release into the wild. They are, except for Tuck (no photos, he was hiding) are all imprinted with humans. That is, they were handled by many humans in their first 6 weeks. These boys are taken on walks (unleashed) in the wild, with small groups, which allows them some modicum of freedom, and allows people to see them in their natural playground as well as take photos, which help spread the word.

If you want to see more, visit www.northernlightswildlife.com/ for more information. The people at this centre are doing good work.

Unfortunately, I did not get to hear the wolves howling in communication, which is probably for the best, as I would have shed a tear, for it is truly a moving, goosebump-raising sound.























Above is a picture of an Aspen (it's what part of Heresy's wood cores are made from) and the Bear Tree - black bear climbed this some time ago. These are the claw marks at the base and its prints extend up to the top...

The valley was closed.