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This thread is a catch all for big (or small) trips outside. Be it hiking, camping, skiing, fishing, biking, kayaking, etc. If you did something cool and outdoors we want to see it. This is also a place to ask about where you should go outdoors. Our hope is that you get inspired with different activities and places without getting into the weeds of the various megathreads (those are a great place to get more info on a topic though). To start this off I am going to share my last big ski trip. I want to note that snowy mountains are dangerous, it is important to get the knowledge and the gear to safely recreate in avalanche terrain. Location: Kaslo, BC, Canada Dates: February 10th - 19th 2020 Day 1 - February 10th Not much for outdoor stuff. Hop a flight from Denver to Spokane Washington. Get my ABS backpack air can filled and have lunch with my brother. Then drive the 4.5 hours up to Kaslo. I thought I had some photos of my bags but must have deleted them (whenever I fly with skis, camping, climbing, or bike gear I document everything in the bags) Day 2 - February 11th On day two we started out back country ski marathon by tackling an area that is called True Blue just outside of Kaslo. For this area we start by sledding (snowmobiling) in about 5 miles and then start skinning up from there. We have a pretty big day doing three "runs" on great snow with limited visibility. Me Skinning up  My Buddy Dropping in  Really good turns on the snowboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBJqu6p2ej0 Quick little drop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNZ8vjT1Mi0 The days stats on human power: 6.58 Miles 5,220' Elevation Gain 5 hours 42 min The day ends with a big dinner back at my buddies place, a beer, and a soak in the hot tub. Day 3 - February 12th We get up and roll out to the South Whitewater Peak trail head. Sled in about 6 miles and hop on the skis (sorry to say this might get a bit repetitive...hopefully the pics are worth it). Just beautiful mountains with amazing views and snow. Snowy Mountains  Views  More uphill  The days stats on human power: 7.69 Miles 4,921' Elevation Gain 6 hours 2 min Day 4 - February 13th We head to the area of Jardin. Sled in about 8 miles and yet again hop on the skis. The day had all kids of weather but the wind and clouds above tree line made things difficult to say the least! White out!  Trees are cool.  Probably a top 20 run of my life right here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skumC1a_j8Q The days stats on human power: 5.64 Miles 5,031' Elevation Gain 6 hours 2 min Day 5 - February 14th Today this got exciting. We decided to do a big ole traverse south of town. It was looking to be a long day and it was. 3 big peaks to get over (and 1 little one) and a sketchy as hell situation getting out on the slightly open water drainage. To do this we dropped a truck at the exit and tandem rode one sled up to the start as we have to leave it over night. A mountain lake!  Up we go on climb number 2  I don't know this is the best way up the mountain...  Looking back at peak 2, we skied basically right down the middle of that peak  Top of peak 3 and the clouds part, first blue ski we have seen in a few days. That is pretty normal in this area of Canada.    Waterfalls are better in the summer unless they are completely covered in snow  Great turns (I both ski and snowboard) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsCRyqMrixA Me trying to not fall into the above mentioned water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuN-4u4qVWE The days stats on human power: 9.02 Miles 5,561' Elevation Gain (The down hill was another 3000' of vert based on the traversing) 8 hours 3 min (There is barely any more light in the day this time of year here) Hot tub was pretty key tonight. Day 6 - February 15th Today we had to pick up the sled we left at our start point the day before. We decided this should be an easy day as we have been going big for 5 days in a row. Thankfully we had already put the skin track in the day before and only a bit of new snow covered it. The snow was really good again. You can see the obvious clear cutting that was done in this area. Most of the roads we sled up are for logging in the summer.  A video of me falling down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33dcjaVP02A The days stats on human power: 5.14 Miles 3,738' Elevation Gain 4 hours 2 min Day 7 - February 16th Off we go to Heely Creek. This is a day of adventure and unknown as we have never been up this drainage. This is probably one of the harder backcountry days in my life. I am an OK snowmobiler but this tested me in spots in avalanche debris above the open creek. The skinning was insanely difficult and in the end it was a slog of a day. Bigger crew all rolled up at the crack of dawn  Get out your shovels and pick axe, time to bust throw icy avalanche debris  So this is why we have chainsaws.... https://youtu.be/MBztGuvvNTM We did a lot of digging to get through  So we spend about an hour to get the track ok and the 5 sleds through and we run into another big slide a half mile later. Some want to keep chopping and motor higher but other don't so we set of on foot. Kind of technical skinning here  Hard to complain about the views  The last bit of uphill  The ski down was pretty fun but it was all in all a brutal day. I got the sled stuck, was just dead toward the end. The days stats on human power: 7.17 Miles 4,054' Elevation Gain 6 hours 11 min Day 8 - February 17th Today we headed to one of my absolute favorite spots to ski in the world. You ride in this old forest with huge trees. You ski between the trees and can't see the sky. We also did a bit of sled necking for some laughs. I can't wait for good electric snowmobiles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCEaJ272WSY A bit of a swing and a miss here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po_sHQricac Like I mentioned, very large trees  The skiing was beyond excellent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONJSI59GTdg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXzx52iyBVQ And my buddy getting stuck in a ditch for good measure on the way out  Sunsetting on the lake  The days stats on human power: 6.35 Miles 5,647' Elevation Gain 5 hours 53 min Day 9 - February 18th Last day and we go back to true blue for an easy morning. After skiing I pack up and head back to Spokane. I catch a flight the next morning back to Denver. Lots of snow on that tree  Lots of lines to pick from  And that is a wrap!  The days stats on human power: 4.49 Miles 3,251' Elevation Gain 3 hours 9 min So it was a great trip with amazing snow, great friendship, long days, lots of uphill, and smiles all around. I hope you enjoyed this and it makes you want to get out in the snow this winter whether on skis, snowboards, fat bikes, snowshoes, or whatever. Looking forward to others trips!
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Aug 7, 2020 20:01
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 14:49 |
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The other stuff is very cool and neat, but there is just something about those mountain lakes that is just so gorgeous and I'd happily spend a week just hanging out on it and doing various lake activities.  Sometimes I really curse living in this flat hellscape. Highest point in the state is 275ft above sea level. 
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Aug 7, 2020 21:30
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Hell yeah man. I love hanging out on any lakes, especially mountain lakes though. The big lake is huge up there. My buddies house is right on the water. We talk about trying to boat the sleds over to the other side. The terrain is endless just not really any access in the winter unless you have a helicopter. Hopefully other people will post up though. I might dig through the archives and do another one from a different trip to try to keep this rolling.
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Aug 7, 2020 21:49
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