COMP-A Perfect Day
A Perfect Day
When I reflect back on my many seasons of backcountry skiing, there are days that remain fresh, years later. January 11, 2013 will be one of those enduring memories. It started like this:
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. We had flown into Campbell Icefield Chalet a week earlier, just my wife Jo and I looking after the lodge, along with two friends for company, as it was vacant that week.
Four Skiers, seven days and 20 square km!
Add in plenty of new snow, and you have the recipe for powder nirvana.
The snow started falling on the first evening, and day by day it kept on getting deeper.
A teaser day between storms let us get up higher for some views.
Then the bottom fell out of the clouds! Talk about too much of a good thing- with over 50 cm in 24 hours, just skiing downhill was a bit of a chore at times, and you can imagine the trailbreaking.
Evening clearing on the penultimate day hinted at good things to come.
Anticipation built as the alpenglow faded over the distant Selkirks.
Our final day dawned bluebird.
In the crisp morning air, we headed out to Paradise Bowl, situated just above the lodge. What had been an excess of new snow had settled overnight into skiing conditions that were as good as it gets.
Clear skies, calm winds and picnic time with good friends made it a special day.
After lunch- more great turns.
Powder dreams are made of this.
As the sun arced it's way westward, we knew that our day in paradise was drawing to a close.
Dropping packs, we hustled up for one last run at sunset.
It was tempting just to sit and watch the sun go down, but the twilight fades fast in early January.
Cold beer in a warm lodge were calling, just a short commute away.
The next morning, a quick heli ride took us back to the reality of big city living, where the memories of our perfect day in powder paradise will sustain until the next time, until forever.
