Days off...

With almost 4 meters of new snow in the last month, it was really nice to wake up to some cold and clear arctic high pressure up north in Canada. The snowpack has doubled in depth, tightened up, and the last storm finished off with a sweet icing of cold smoke. All of this has coincided with my first few 'days off' from life at Valhalla Mountain Touring. I know, tough life that I live, having to be up at a backcountry ski lodge full time. But its nice to ski some where different, drive a car, and watch TV in a hotel room!

With the good weather and free time Jasmin and I have decided to hit up Rogers Pass, and our timing is perfect! So day 1 we decided to try our hand at Mt Rogers, one of the bigger summits off the pass. The stats are simple. Put your skins on at the car and start climbing. Climb until its too steep to skin, and then throw your skis on your back. Boot it up to the unskiable summit with ice axe in hand. Look down the 3,000' rock walls off the summit, go back to your skis and slay cold smoke for a LONG ways back to the car. It's about 6,500' vertical feet in one climb up, with a 800' 45 degree headwall at the summit. I like those numbers.

But lets let the stellar photos from the day do the talking!

Enjoy...

After 4,000' of up, we are finally getting to the glacier, with good views of the Roger's Headwall


Looking back at some skiers in front of Mt Tupper


Jasmin, and her hot hot pink ski pants leads the way up the 48 degree headwall


Nothing like a knife edge ridge to the summit. Rogers Pass elevation: 1300m. Summit of Rogers: 3200m. It's a long ways down to those valleys


Skiing down the headwall, glad it had slid before we got there, giving us the confidence to travel safely up the old path.

Post headwall powder shladdelling in the alpen-glow. Life is good!