- Backcountry Skiing, British Columbia (and nearby), Hurley & Lillooet Valley, Sea to Sky, Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Pemberton Icecap Traverse: From Superstition to Irony
This trip was seemingly ruled by superstition. It started with Ben’s curse. Ben had been trying to reach the Harrison Hut for many years. Invariably, he failed, often due to natural disasters. Of note were the landslide that closed the Sea to Sky Highway for almost a week in July 2008, and the massive lahar off Mt. Meager in August 2010, perhaps the largest recorded slide in Canadian History. Aside from that, there were apparently some other attempts foiled by bad weather. I had been warned by others, before this trip, that if we tried to approach the Harrison Hut with Ben, all hell would break loose. And it did!…
Boundary Bay: Maya’s First Ride in Two Months
There is a neat gravel trail that follows a dyke in Delta, along Boundary Bay. We chose this trail as Maya’s first ride since her accident. Not being able to ride her bike, was one of the most annoying results of breaking her arm. She was super happy to be back on her bicycle! The trail is flat and scenic, and it follows the shoreline along the extensive mud flats that attract many birds year round.
Snow and Sun: Dad’s Visit to Snowlandia
After the weekend we spent in San Diego, my dad visited us for just over a week. We did lots of fun stuff around the city and also spent a weekend at a beautiful B&B near Pemberton. On the way up we made a few stops, including the viewpoint at Cypress, Shannon Falls, Brandywine Falls and more. Turns out there’s a beautiful beach in Squamish called Nexen Beach. You can park a few km’s away and walk along a nice trail, or drive right up to it. They even have some public slacklines set up there. We spent a while lounging in the sun in Whistler, enjoying the live outdoor…
- Backcountry Skiing, British Columbia (and nearby), Sea to Sky, Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Metal Dome: Testing Matt’s Mettle
This trip started on the left foot, at least for Matt. We parked by the dog sled tour operator’s hut, and one of the dogs peed on Matt’s backpack. It even wet his down jacket and gortex, yuck! After some vigorous rubbing with snow, it was deemed clean enough, and we set out. The description we had was confusing, but Matt had made a copy of the Google Earth Satellite image superimposed on top of the map, which was very helpful. The first 4km were along a jumble of logging roads, which we navigated while marveling at the blue sky and warm weather. We entered the forest and followed Matt’s…
Urban Exploration in Seattle
As outdoor activities like skiing and cycling are out of reach for me while I am recovering from the broken arm injury, we decided to head down to Seattle for the weekend, for some urban exploration. On Friday I had another x-ray and the fracture is still there but healing well, and the doctor said I can start using my arm more, wearing the sling less and start physiotherapy. I started to feel better and got tired of sitting at home, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to head to Seattle. Lately we heard from a few people of this magnificent chocolate factory in Seattle, where they produce delicious…
Thank You Letter to Mt. Baker Ski Patrol Team
Dear Mt. Baker Ski Patrol Team, Three weeks ago, on February 23rd I was injured in the Mt. Baker Ski Area while I was skiing. A snowboarder collided into me at high speed, while I stopped briefly on the side of one of the groomed runs that lead to the area where chairlifts 4, 5 and 6 are. I wasn’t able to get up and I felt extreme pain in my right shoulder. Members of the ski patrol team were by my side within two minutes, checking on me, stabilizing my spine and making sure I’d stay awake as I started to feel very sleepy. The assumption was that I…
How to Get Your Arm Broken on Mt. Baker
Last week Maya and I went to Mt. Baker ski area for a relaxed two day vacation, just the two of us. We enjoyed the skiing, relaxing in our log cabin, and the excellent food at the local Italian Restaurant (Milano’s). All was well until the afternoon of the second day. We were skiing down and had just stopped to discuss which run we would do next. I skied down to the lift first. It took less than a minute for me to realize that Maya should probably be there already, so I moved back a bit to get a better view of the slope above me. I could see…
Gin Peak: A Trip to the Land of Snowmobiles
The snowmobile zoomed right past Maya, passing literally a few meters behind her. I held my breath to avoid inhaling the black smoke, and almost put my fingers to my ears to protect them from the racket. In the distance I could see about a dozen other snowmobiles, milling around like bees in a flower bed. But they aren’t bees, and they weren’t in a flower bed. In fact, they were in a “non-motorized” zone and in addition in the Whistler watershed – the area that Whistler gets its water from. Understandably, the residents of Whistler aren’t interested in drinking water polluted by the inherent gas and oil leaks and…
- Backcountry Skiing, Birkenhead, British Columbia (and nearby), Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Phelix Hut: Spring Skiing and the Illusion of Summer
Last weekend we headed to the Phelix Hut. There is something nice about going back to a place that you’ve been to before, especially when there is so much to explore around it. Since the drive to the trail head is pretty long, and the way up is quite long as well I always prefer to go to Phelix for more than just a weekend. So we decided to stay till Monday, but to go down early enough so I could still make it to my Spanish class in Vancouver at 6:30pm. The first thing we noticed after we started skinning up was that it was unusually warm, and especially…
Red Heather: Avoiding the Ditch
I’ve been avoiding driving up the Diamond Head Road for a few years now, since it is often icy and very dangerous. Many people don’t realize this, and on a few occasions I’ve seen four or five cars in the ditch, and tow truck drivers are said to make thousands of dollars on a good weekend there. However, it’s a great day trip – it’s only an hour away, you can drive high, the access is quick, the views are spectacular and there’s reasonably good skiing, so I do like going there once or twice a year. After a not too early wake up, we drove up (with Mirella and…
