A New Direction: Up

Anybody that’s been paying attention to the evolution of skiing the last couple decades couldn’t help but notice the steady growth in popularity of uphill skiing.

uphill skiing

I’ve thinking about jumping in too. I have this vague idea that my mid-life crisis will involve the backcountry and I’m trying to prepare. A few years ago, with an EMS gift card burning a hole in my pocket, I picked up a pair of Petzl Alpine Trekkers.

These are hinged devices that click into regular alpine bindings that allow you to get into the game at a relatively low cost. I grabbed a pair of factory blemished climbing skins from Sierra Trading Post and I was off.

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Stepping into Winter

I always look forward to the moment when I first step into the snow. It gives me a line on what to expect from the ski days ahead.

storm-skiing-at-gore
Storm Skiing

On Tuesday, I was surprised by what I found. That first step into the snow step was soft-ish, with just a hint of crunch. Ten inches of compressed snow remained from the last liquid event and it didn’t feel super saturated. Of course it was just above freezing.

Now, I know the Almaguin Highlands guys don’t ski the pipeline before it sets, but that’s not how we roll down here on Christian Hill. If it’s skiable we’ll hit it, consequences be damned.

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Last Gaspé: Return to the Chic Chocs

I pointed my car east to save the season. To be fair, we booked the cabin in the National Parc of the Gaspé more than a year ago, but I started really looking forward to it only a couple of weeks ago when I finally gave up on the “Big One.”

chic-chocs-couloir

I wasn’t travelling with the crazed giddiness of a Weather Channel stormchaser out to find a town-swallowing tornado. Instead my car ate the clicks of the empty roads like an albatross on the thermals just ahead of the summer temps that were working their way up from the US.

Arriving to some semblance of winter, it was clear that the skiing would probably be very good, if thinner than on my previous trip four years ago. However, under the circumstances of the season this one had the opportunity to be even more memorable.

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