COMP - The perfect New Years gift
This newyears, a bunch of us Alberta boys decided it would be a good idea to head out to the Kootenays for some break time right after Christmas. It turned out to be some of the sketchiest avalanche conditions I or anyone else in our party had ever skied in. With a big surface hoar layer and a bunch of fresh snow, we got caught in the middle of a very exciting avalanche cycle.
That didn't stop us from making some good turns though; if anything it made us appreciate just how important it is to make the right decisions that keep you and your friends safe.
As it happened, we were subject to a rather rude car theft at the Bombi Summit parking lot, and as we came out from the backcountry after four days of adventure, we couldn’t help being a bit disappointed to be back in civilization. We needed some consolation. The next day was New Year’s Eve, so we headed to Nelson and got ready for another excursion, this time to the Whitewater backcountry.
I remember the start of that day very clearly… Hearing massive whoomphing sounds as we toured up the gentle slope towards evening ridge, John and I were both slightly put off. But there is always something to ski, even in these conditions, and as it usually does, an objective appeared through the clouds.
It was a long traverse to the end of the ridge that would take us down a somewhat mellow tree run all the way down to the access road, and it looked oh-so-inviting with the picturesque glow on the horizon. Of course, after a couple of short runs, it began to look like a pretty good idea.
Although we were completely safe the whole time, it felt as thought the mountain was revolting our presence… A feeling that became ever clearer as we continued along the ridge into more untraveled terrain. Even as we passed the tea around, the deep, booming sounds of a really grumpy snowpack caught our ears. I imagined countless cornices falling onto unseen open slopes as we stood perfectly still, setting off the world around us.
What would have been a mellow ridgeline tour any other day became a constant game of safe route-finding and questioning, always imagining that perfectly preserved layer of surface hoar that was buried just far enough to cause some real damage. When it came time to ski, we were overcome with relief as we eyed the gentle slope that we had spotted earlier.
Maybe it was the aspect, or the wind action, or the support under the slope, but the line was perfect. It was amazing snow with a great gradient and no signs of instability other than some light sloughing from our tracks; the perfect New Years gift.
All that was left was a long walk back to the car where we pondered the events of the last few days. I thought of my friends that had gone back to Rossland, and wondered if they found any adventures that day. It was the perfect way to end 2011. We headed into town to celebrate the occasion a little more traditionally...
