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…
- Backcountry Skiing, British Columbia (and nearby), Sea to Sky, Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Mt. Sproatt: Sprouting Wings
Yellow icicle? I never thought of this, but most icicles are clear. This icicle was more of a frozen waterfall, and although I’m not an ice climber, the thought of climbing it got me a bit excited. What were the chances that we would find an icicle, let alone the correct yellow icicle? We had been looking out for this…
Rolled Up Red Pepper Bread
The smell of roasting peppers is irresistible. I have observed this fact over the past few years, and yet still manage to be amazed by it every time. A person walking into your kitchen while you are busy roasting peppers, is sure to be dumbfounded by the exquisite aroma emanating from your oven. I made this bread twice. The first…
Phelix Hut: J. R. R. Tolkien Lives On
The well known author of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy supposedly died in 1973. However, in a small almost unknown corner of southwestern British Columbia, J. R. R. Tolkien lives on. I know this since I visited his snowy throne. Yes, with my comrades I scaled the steep ice walls of his castle, to stare face…
Cuba: Cycling Journey to the Land of Socialism and Endless Coconuts
When you think of Cuba, what do you think of? Perhaps Fidel Castro, Cuban cigars, cheap rum, old American cars, communism and the US embargo come to mind. But the experiences we had, such as riding alongside more horse carts than cars, gulping coconut after coconut given to us for free and watching kids ride to school on a tractor,…
- Backcountry Skiing, British Columbia (and nearby), Sea to Sky, Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Telemagique Ridge: Blue Skies + Powder = Magic?
This weekend I organized an “intermediate friendly” trip to Telemagique Ridge. I chose this destination since I was hoping that the high access road would cut down our elevation gain to get to the good snow, especially important for a day trip in mid winter, when the days are short. We woke up “dark and early” and drove up the…
Bagley Lake: Soft Start to the Ski Season?
On the Remembrance Day Long Weekend we set out to get some early season turns with Anne and Marcin. The Mt. Baker area is supposed to be a good place for this, so we booked a cheap cabin and planned to do day trips from there. On the first day, as we were driving up to the ski area, I…
Saint Marks Peak: Definitely Not Unnecessary
St. Marks Peak is a small peak, more of a bump actually. However, it is quite a spectacular bump, due to the steep topography to the west and to the east, dropping down 1400m steeply to the ocean. The access is easiest from the Cypress ski area, where we began our trip. The ski area was still closed, but quite…
Crown Mtn: The Crown of the North Shore
I have often looked at Crown Mtn. while enjoying a BBQ with friends down at Jericho or Locarno beaches, near UBC. I knew I would make my way to the summit, it was just a question of when. We drove to the Grouse parking lot, and were surprised to see it so crowded: what were all those people doing there?…
Saxifrage Mtn: In the Footsteps of Rachael and Jonathan
I only met Rachael once before she disappeared. It was Canada Day 2010, and we were both on a large VOC trip to Skypilot. The weather was crappy, there were no views, but we still had a good time and some people got to the summit. I had a short chat with Rachael, she seemed nice. I remember she mentioned…
