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Snow in the Whistler Blackcomb Forecast

J Dogg — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:35:43 -0400

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If it's going to be cold and rainy, it might as well start snowing! And if Whistler Blackcomb's forecast has anything to say about it, we may be in luck. Click the images below. Only one spider was killed in the making of this blog post.

SPOC

Bougie — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:50:42 -0400

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WHISTLER SPOC TO VANCOUVER

The final days of summer of 2008 would see the finest of trip under the finest of means go down in the personal chronicles of two Whistler spocers. S.P.O.C stands for self-propelled outdoor club. The group founded its self after being disenchanted with the incongruencies between the use of fossil fuel combusting transportation and the pristine wilderness they sought. To take action the group has made a web site as a forum to inspire others to demonstrate actually self-propelled trips.

On September 18 Marcus Waring and myself departed Creekside by bicycle bound for our respective homes of childhood thus forever linking our past with the present. Our means of travel would include a bike, hike and packraft. Along the way of our 4-day journey we would encounter wolves, bears, glaciers, eagles, osprey, seals, salmon, hot springs and hill billies. How does one encounter all of this along the sea to sky highway you may ask? Well one simply has to not take the sea to sky to see all of these wonders. Our route instead, took us through the bowels of Garibaldi Park traversing the McBride mountain range and exiting through the legendary Pitt River Drainage.

We dismounted our bicycles at Garibaldi Lake Trailhead and quickly ran up the trail to launch into our Packrafts bound for the Varsity Outdoor Club shelter at Sphinx Bay. Fires in the area provided a truly magical sunset and nearly full moon rise. Wake up call on Friday came early as we now had a mountain range to get across. Heading straight out of the hut and up the Sphinx glacier led us to a group Nunataks collectively known as the Bookworms. From here we got a good look at the crux of our mountainous route just below the mountain known as Luxor. By lunch time we found ourselves on top of this mountain for which it’s namesake holds great meaning for me on a personal level. We could now see clearly into our future and what lay ahead into the Pitt. Thanks in large part to Google Earth we found a ramp that would deliver us from the alpine to our river. Bypassing Hour peak we negotiated this ramp with little difficulty passing through the thickest stand of blueberries either of us had ever come across. A.Y.C.E stands for all you can eat, and so we did on the plumpness that surrounded us. We made our second camp at the confluence of the Pitt River and the drainage coming from Drop Pass. Upon waking up we noticed that we had slept out beside quite a large pile of scat. This was only a foreshadowing for what lay ahead for this is wolf country. Launching back into our Packrafts we descended the upper headwaters of the Pitt floating directly under and around the Mamquam massif. A few class 4 and 5 portages were in order, bypassing what is know as the 3rd canyon on the eastern side of the valley. By lunchtime we found ourselves floating through the 2nd canyon and directly into one of Southern B.C’s most seldom visited hot springs. Warming our bodies and rejuvenating our spirits we happened to meet some of the Pitt locals who also came by for a soak. After asking the usual questions they decided we were novel enough to invite over for Taco Night. We graciously accepted their kind offer. We departed the springs immediately in order to be in time for our dinner date. The once bussilying town of Alvin B.C lies roughly 10 km up from the head of Pitt Lake. Now the area is home to but 4 permanent couples and a smattering of transient loggers and fisherman. Great company was shared over many beers and an endless supply of Taco’s. A late night to early morning saw us off on our final day with several cups of coffee under our drysuits. Something we couldn’t have planned for was the fact that this was to be the hardest mental and physical day of the trip. We had around a dozen power boaters stop by us on the lake to ask if we needed a ride whilst we fought at times a moderate head wind. “No thank you was our response” with a “please don’t be offended by us turning down your act of generosity” at the end of the response. Fact is, I simply can’t bring myself to preach the reasons why I spoc even in this self derived writing. Explaining to people over the buzz of there engines was even more futile so we accepted our fate of being viewed as a couple of crazy’s in “Canadian tire rafts” and continued our voyage. The world’s largest tidal Lake Pitt, really did feel like it by the time we reached the end of it by dusk. The original plan of floating down the lower river to the confluence with the Fraser was scrapped for compounding factors so here is where the rafts were deflated and our final march overland was to commence. We arrived at my parents Port Coquitlam home on a light jog, riding high on the rush of seeing a dream woven into reality. Early the next morning on the first day of fall I saw Marcus off on my childhood bike as he had a short ride back to North Vancouver, and the site of his upbringing. Having just squeaked this last trip into a summer that will forever be remembered I have an overwhelming sense of elation as I tune into the news only to find out that there has been yet another rockslide on the 99 cutting off Whistler once again.

http://www.selfpropelledoutdoorclub.com/

Snow on Whistler

J Dogg — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:23:01 -0400

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It's the first day of fall, and suddenly photos are surfacing of a September dusting that Whistler Blackcomb just got. Coincidence? I think not. Signs of a good winter to come, and now that it's officially fall and most mags have sent out 2 issues, I think we're allowed to get stoked now...

Yes the video is kinda random, but the point is, it snowed!

Who Needs Ropes on Mt. Baker?

AndreCharland — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:17:16 -0400

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A couple months back Jordan Manley, Tobin Segal and I decided to go for a quick spring tour on Mt. Baker and shred the Roman Headwall.

We were all fresh off big missions so you figured we should have had it dialed. At least I figured out which mountain I'd been on before I guzzled 3 beers in 30 seconds.

Too many choices for freeride skis!!!

Condog — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:50:43 -0400

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OK, How does one without the benefit of sponsors pick from this year's crop of fat freeride boards? To rocker or not to rocker? Uber fat, or traditional width? Multiple sidecut dimensions or reverse camber?

Who's got a strong opinion either way? What's your favorite ski for all round mountain shredding?

Portillo: last stop on the line

JordanManley — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:56:28 -0400

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I have spent the last week of my journey in Portillo, Chile, amongst unique company. 5 photographers, myself included, have been shooting in friendly competition for the South American Photo Challenge. It has been an honour and a pleasure to shoot alongside the talented Steve Lloyd, Adam Clark, Gene Dwarkin, and Grant Gunderson, as well as their athlete partners. From ping-pong and reggaeton sessions with Herman Maier and the Austrian team to our clown servers at breakfast lunch and dinner, its an experience none of us will soon forget. Yesterday we received our first pure blue pow day, and I'm sure we all gathered some timeless images of what skiing here in Portillo can be like.

Check out www.skinet.com for daily disspaches from the trenches.

Chad Sayers in Portillo, Chile

It has been a great month, a unique and special premier experience for me in the Andes. I have seen a huge amount of terrain, met many great people, and of course made a lot of great turns. From the Valle Nevado, to Ski Arpa, to gong-show Cajon Grande, then on to Las Lenas, and finally here in Portillo, SA has not dissapointed. A special thanks to Mark Lasseter of southamericaski.com who played a huge part in making my time here killer. See you all back in Whistler.

Billabong Buys Dakine

J Dogg — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:03:50 -0400

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Looks like another buy out in action. Damn could I ever use an entire factory full of Dakine gear. And we're not just talkin' ski gear here. Anywho, Billabong recently sent out a press release about the approx. $100 million dollar acquistion in the works for Dakine. Here's the release...

GOLD COAST, Australia (August 22, 2008)—Billabong International Limited today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the business of DaKine Hawaii, Inc., a leader in the premium accessories category within the surf, skate, snow and windsurf markets.

DaKine was founded in 1979 in Hawaii by Rob Kaplan and is currently based in Hood River, Oregon, one of the premier action sports venues in North America. The brand has developed a strong reputation as the global action sports industry's leading provider of specialized backpacks and technical accessories with an excellent historical growth profile.

Billabong International Limited chief executive officer Derek O'Neill said the inclusion of a complementary, authentic and internationally proven boardsports brand added further depth to the Group.

"DaKine is well established within the boardsports sector and it is a brand that has built its reputation on the quality and reliability of its technical range," said Mr. O'Neill.

"It has built a strong sales base in North America and a growing sales base in several international territories, making it a powerful addition to the Group."

Billabong North America President Paul Naude' said DaKine had particular strength in the ocean boardsports sector and had a 20-year history in the snow category with a strong offering in backpacks, bags, gloves and accessories.

"DaKine is a brand that leads the boardsports backpack category, excels in the surf accessories market in the ultimate testing ground of Hawaii and has excellent penetration in winter product categories including snow gloves," said Mr. Naude'.

"It is a brand that is focused on function over fashion and this, together with a strong team of athletes and compelling marketing campaigns, has endeared it to active boardsports participants."

DaKine founder Rob Kaplan said the sale presented synergies for both businesses and he welcomed the additional infrastructure Billabong offered to support future growth.

"Billabong and DaKine have both determined that each of us has complementary skills and strengths and together we have a compelling authentic offer," said Mr. Kaplan.

Rob Kaplan will remain integrally involved as a key member of the DaKine management team and will be based in the brand's regional office in Maui, Hawaii. All employees, along with the current management team, are being retained and will remain in the brand's head office in Oregon.

DaKine is expected to contribute approximately 4% of Billabong International Limited's Group sales in the 2008-09 financial year and is expected to be earnings per share positive in year one.

Early Snow in Whistler

J Dogg — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:46:06 -0400

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Boooyaaaa. It's only August, and while it was raining on everyone the last couple of days and nights, it was dumping snow on Whistler Blackcomb. Bit early you might think? Indeed. But perhaps it's just a tease to the epic winter to come.

Check out the Whistler webcams for more eye candy. Maybe some Doglotioners will go nail some turns this weekend and report back. Hmmmm. Glacier anyone?

Crossing Lake Tahoe

Tyson Bolduc — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:07:30 -0400

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In most circumstances 22-miles is not that arduous a distance to fathom. However, when you speak nautically the feat becomes a little more real. When you add another variable like standing up on a paddleboard it becomes indisputably difficult.

Last week I took part in an event that had 27 international athletes from six different sports, many of whom had never been on a paddleboard before, crossing Lake Tahoe south to north. The 22-mile journey took us around five and a half hours, and with around ten minutes total experience on a paddleboard before the event started I was a little wary of my decision to participate. However, at 6:20am we left the beach and the water was calm and the lake was completely tranquil. There was not a boat on the water aside from our support groups, and the wind was only moving just enough to assure us that our efforts were not feeble.

As the miles clicked off and we fell into a rhythm and got our stroke on, I found myself alone for a long period of time in the middle of the lake. I continued to paddle, but it gave a me a lot of time to reflect of the true nature of our endeavor. The event had been organized to bring some attention and support to the Bob Woodruff Family Foundation; which is an organization making waves in the world of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as well as post traumatic stress. Many have asked, “How does crossing a lake help such a foundation?” This is a valid concern, but when organizers Hinter Claxton and Rob Howard set out to start the event their idea was to get a unique group of individuals together and raise awareness as well as a little funding for a unique and commonly overlooked cause. The idea was to gather a unique, but top-tear group of people together, and in the process undertake, and hopefully concur, a formidable endeavor.

This is exactly what they did, and the event was a spectacular experience for everyone involved. The athlete and participant roster included some of the biggest names in Snow and Surf, as well as some unique individuals from different aspects of life. Daron Rhalves, one of the most decorated American alpine skiers of all time; Jeremy Jones, who some say is the greatest big mountains snowboard pioneer of all time; Dave Kalama, big wave surfer and professional paddle-boarder; Julian Carr; world record holding big mountain skier; Chuck Patterson, skier as well as big wave surfer; Mark Wellman, the first and only paraplegic to climb Half Dome and El Capitan; Craig Sorensen, US “Top Gun” Navy Pilot who has logged the most combat and training flight hours in history; Ken “SkinDog” Collins , member of the Mavericks Crew big wave surf group; Dana Point Life Guards; JT Holmes, Skier and Professional BASE jumper; and the list goes on. For many it was just an honor to be in the presence of such mythological creatures and heroes in their respective discipline.

This was the first of what hope to be an annual event, but next year organizers are already pondering ideas to make things a little more interesting. “Maybe we do it at night under a full moon…?” Said Rob Howard. Either way, whatever transpires I am sure the event will gather a select group of people and raise awareness for the foundations for which it is aligned.

The time we spent on the water offered the perfect setting to remember those who we were helping in the process as well as an opportune time to reminisce about experiences with friends who had suffered from brain injuries. In the sport of skiing alone there has been miraculous recoveries from people like Charlie Gaylord, CR Johnson, and others whom have suffered from TBI in the last few years. With support from organizations like The Bob Woodruff Family Foundation, people like Charlie and CR have been able to make solid recoveries, but there are those in the world that have been less fortunate and have not received the care and support needed to over come such tragedies.

Tragic stories keep rolling I from the Middle East, but there are few organizations like the BWFF that are making and effort to help these forgotten heroes. Crossing lake Tahoe was only the start in a long line of support necessary to make such organizations a success and thanks to Hunter Claxton and Rob Howard for putting this together. Sore, but proud, everyone finished the event humbled, but honored to take part.

As we prepare for another season and wait for the snow to fall it is important to be aware of the greater story unfolding around us and be thankful for those making our experiences possible. For more information please visit The Bob Woodruff Family Fund at www.bobwoodrufffamilyfund.org.

To learn more about the Tahoe Stand-Up Paddle Board Crossing 2008 and how you or your firm can support for this worthy cause, please contact Dr. Robb Gaffney, 530-412-1325, robbgaffney@hotmail.com, or Rob Howard, 510-773-4701, rhoward@bikeskills.com.

~Tyson Bolduc

Cumbres Blancos

Les Manley — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:21:02 -0400

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Villa Angostura, Arg - Rocking up to white peaks in Villa was a sight for sore eyes. A skyline that is whistleresque puts me at ease and the sleepy town with its minature houses is Swiss enough to feel like home. Tommorrow will bring riding here in alpine bowls and forests. Villa is like something out of a C.S Lewis novel or dare I say J.R.R Tolken feature film. Gnomes and pixies dwell amoungst the old wood and snow capped mountains, and if you don´t believe it just ask the locals...hay magico aca

Big Storms

Les Manley — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:40:12 -0400

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Mendoza, Arg - It pissed rain for the last two nights in Mendoza one of which I was in Las Lenas for, there it has snow nearly a meter now Im sure. Friends in Farellones report 160 cm in the HST there. Im head South tonight to Patagonia again, Bariloche, Villa, and Esquel in 11 days. Should be quite the trip. Seeing the snow here on the foothills beneath Vallecitos its hard to leave.

Bariloche

JordanManley — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:29:36 -0400

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I have made it down to Bariloche, Argentina, my latest stop on a whirl-wind trip of South America ski destinations, accompanied by my Norwegian travel contingent. We have seen blue bird pow conditions in El Colorado, above the smog of Santiago, more of the same at South America's only cat skiing operation, Ski Arpa Snowcats. I happened upon my brother Les there, high in the Andes, an odd circumstance.

After the border re-opened between Chile and Argentina, we ventured near Las Lenas, to a horse assisted hut. Except the horses never showed, or our guide. Long story short, we spent 24hrs on 1 granolar bar each, forcefully entered a vacant ranch stone hut and slept there for the evening, and reaching the real hut the following day on empty stomachs. Skied some very interesting terrain stratling the border between Argentina and Chile, on marginal snow.

I will spend a few more days in Bariloche, before parting ways with my Norwegian friends, and experiencing what Las Lenas has to offer. Below, a Even Ofstad is pictured during today's brief ski session before the lifts closed due to high winds.

K2 Avalanche Tragedy & Survivors

J Dogg — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 01:02:45 -0400

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Wow, this is really sad news on K2. No fun. Sounds like the weather finally broke and there were plenty of keeners on K2 this weekend. An avalanche broke below the 'Bottleneck' as 25 people were descending from the summit. Some were swept away in the avalanche, others died of frostbite, stranded on the mountain. 11 people died, and one is still awaiting rescue.

The BBC described it as the 'deadliest day in K2's history'.

Read the full BBC story & videos about the K2 avalanche. And here's an article about a Dutch survivor.

The high andes....himalayan argentina and living in the pass

Les Manley — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:30:25 -0400

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Uspallata, Argentina - Gathering food and money to weather a few more days out in some more remote spots in the pass between Santiago and Mendoza the next stop is a refugio located at 3200m in Villa de las cuevas with tours into Chile from 4000m ridge tops, a little ways back 5500m Cerro Tres Gemelos looms over the tiny alpine village.

After following the 40 north along the Andes to Vallectios I wandered up amoungst summits from 3500 to 6000 m, awestruck I camped in a sheltered valley and enjoyed the distant hill tops of mendoza. after a few days of touring it was time to move on to los penitentes, where bou bou and I are the only people skiing from 4000m meters in perfect powder down 1100m descents. Living in one of the only places with snow in the andes, and having had a run that will be hard to beat this season I feel that this month long hedonistic pilgramidge to ski the little spots in a big way on a thin budget has finally paid off.

Next week Chile.

In Fear

Bougie — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:44:00 -0400

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In-Fear:

It is someone we all know. It is that inner voice that guides our thoughts, decisions, ambitions and relationships. Fear is someone I speak of, for that someone is different among us as individuals. Some say you can smell it, others know it as a taste and yet we all agree that it is just a feeling. I use the term someone because we all create this being we call ourselves. Taking in outside influences and deciding what we should hold dear to our own we create our reality based on and around our fears. I believe fear is the driving force of humanity, a remnant from our evolutionary track of survival. Weather you shun fear or thrive on it we all feel it deep within us. My subsets of people, "the thrill seekers" have learned to harness this our deepest emotion. In our daily lives of complacency we go beyond to create challenges or obstacles that will in-fear us, harnessing this force for the derivative of joy and happiness. In the act of overcoming a great sense of accomplishment is felt, until of course the next hurdle is seen in the distance, this is when the cycle begin anew.

WB Summer Podcast

Whistler Blackcomb — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:52:40 -0400

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The summer podcast coming at ya, a teaser for Kokanee Crankworx coming next week!

Night Time Ski Touring in Tromso, Norway

AndreCharland — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:20:18 -0400

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From Riksgransen Christian Bjork and I headed further north and west to the coast of Norway to town called Tromso. The sun never sets there so we took a drive around a couple of small islands and found a nice line for an evening shred above the North Atlantic Ocean.

Tromso is on the edge of Norway and just West of the Lyngen Alps. I highly recommend a trip out there if you like ski touring. The runs, views and access are some of the best I've seen anywhere in the world. Tromso is actually the most Northern city in the world with a population of more than 50,000 and has more skiing than you can do in a life time with an hour or two drive.

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If you're looking to plan a trip just get in with Jimmy, he's a great guide. Just wait for the video of our day in the Lyngen Alps.

North on Ruta 40

Les Manley — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:18:08 -0400

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Chos Malal, Argentina - Cerro Walye is flat, thats my story and I'm sticking to it. It has a base elevation of roughly 2200m and peaks rising to over 3000m all around, it is a flat flat place.

Three small surface lifts drag a handful of skiers to an alpine ridge top which spills into ¨la hoyas¨ deep valleys carved into the mountain side. Across a barren landscape lies a large lake dotted with bright yellow grasses. Behind towers 4113m Volcan Tromen, offering 2000m ski runs through a maze of long frozen lava tubes.

But don't bother coming this far up Ruta 40 in search of steep skiing, from what I've heard its flat, here northren patagonia reaches its limit, and it really is a long way from nowhere.

Last Days La Grave and Chamonix

AndreCharland — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:36:37 -0400

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My last days in the French Alps in 08. Epic conditions skiing with good friends!

I know it's been a few months since I shot this, but figured with all this summer sun we could use some winter stoke! Thanks to Lars, Christian and Mickael aka Boubou! Who's heading south? Send us some updates:)

Stay tuned for some video from touring in the fjords of Norway.

Heli Drop in Riksgransen

AndreCharland — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:12:55 -0400

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So just before the end of May I made to northern Sweden to see what the Riksgransen had to offer.

My good friend Christian Bjork picked me up at the Airport in Kiruna about 24 hours after leaving Vancouver. I found myself in a helicopter 300kms north of the arctic circle and it certainly looked like tundra up there! His buddy Jimmy Halvardsson a local guide had arranged the heli to take us to the triangle run and was prepared with a rope and anchor to get passed the cornice. (yes I know it looks like you should just huck but the crust on top of the snow made that a terrible idea;-))

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Riksgransen is so far north it never gets dark at that time of year, literally the sun doesn't set.