British Columbia has lots of snow and vast mountains. The backcountry skiing, heli skiing and ski resorts are legendary. Kicking Horse, Revelstoke and Roger's Pass were some of the many famous places Dad and I had never visited. We planned a quick trip. Dad picked me up at the Spokane Airport. He and Mom had just returned from winter in El Chalten, Patagonia.
Our first stop was the ski resort Whitewater, near Nelson, British Columbia. We'd skied there years before, but now I could put it into perspective. It's small with old-school lifts, but the terrain, both in-bounds and out-of-bounds is wild and the spirit of skiing lives large.
We started the day with an amazing breakfast at Whitewater's Fresh Tracks Cafe. Their famous recipes are in the book Whitewater Cooks: Pure, Simple and Real Creations from the Fresh Tracks Cafe.
And we met friends Cameron Shute, a design engineer at G3; Chris Solomon, a freelance writer from Seattle; and Scott Schell, whom I've known since 1999 when we took the AMGA Ski Guide Course in the Ruby Mountains.
After skiing the morning with Dad, Scott and I followed local Cameron into the plentiful Whitewater out-of-bounds.
Scott follows Cameron into a little chute to access fields of Canadian duff.
Cam showing us the goods.
Then Dad and I drove to Revelstoke and met Mike Bromberg and his wife Sarah and daughter Mira. Mike and I spent months skiing and climbing together before AMGA courses and exams. Mike is the master of tech and witty humor.
Cece Mortenson (a longtime guide friend), Joe, Dave Stock and Mike Bromberg at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Revelstoke boasts the greatest vertical (5,620') of any north American ski resort.
After skiing the morning with Dad, Cece, Mike and I headed out-of-bounds. Free from work at Selkirk Tangiers heli ski, Cece and Mike were keen for an adventure. "How about skiing that coulie over there?"
"I just wanted to show my visiting buddy Joe a human factor kind of day." Mike rummaged around in the fog, unable to find the chute and then came back. In this photo he's crammed his skis under a shoulder strap, sans ski strap, like a super-euro skimoer.
Continuing the techy good times, Cece belays Mike as he pokes into another chute. Mike gave up and said...
"Let's go powder skiing!" Three thousand feet of untracked off-piste.
Skinning two hours back to Revelstoke.
Then Dad and I went to Kicking Horse in Golden. Famous for steep skiing and vast off-piste.
Our last ski stop was Roger's Pass, the roadside backcountry ski destination of the whole world. We toured up Asulkan Brook.
And skied powder in the Mouse Trap, a fitting name as shown by the small, avalanche-pummelled trees. Then we drove back to Albion.
Mom and Dad with their dog Chicky and horse Sage in Albion, Washington. I grew up in Albion, a town of 632 people. The town hasn't changed since I was a kid.
Thanks for an amazing trip Dad, Mom, Mike, Cece, Scott, Cam and Chris!