West Coast skiing
Seems I’m falling behind in my blog posts so I’ll have to make a couple of quick posts to catch up. After the World Cup ski races out west I had a few days to get in some skiing. Would I like to do some downhill?, backcountry?, groomed XC?… yes, yes, yes! Was there any chance I could haul all the necessary gear with me for a short week of skiing… No. As a result I opted to take ski gear for just groomed XC and decided to do a little tour of some of the cross country areas I’d heard lots about. Brief setback when the airlines promptly lost my ski bag but they soon found it and delivered it to me while the racing was going on. I spent a day and a half at Whistler Olympic Park skiing the competitive trails as well as the public trails. The competitive trails actually only took a short time to explore as previously posted (there isn’t much to them). The public trails on the other hand were really nicely laid out and had a nice rhythm to them. They snake through a creek valley rolling through old growth Douglas Fir and cedar forests. I can surely say that they truly know how to grow trees on the west coast as everything I skied through dwarfed me. In talking with a friend who lives in Van they also know how to grow tree out there… but I’m not sure what he was referring to as I saw many, many trees. Must be a local thing.

Morning in the "Norwegian Woods" and the groomed corduroy is all mine
After a visit with my brother’s family (got to help out with math homework and enjoy French horn practice) I headed east to Kelowna and took a couple of days skiing at Silver Star and Telemark. Some really nice trails here. Silver Star (well nearby Sovereign Lake actually) hosted a World Cup ski race a few years back and they continue to maintain a great set of trails. The trails are cut through a beautiful lodgepole pine forest and again… are pretty huge compared to the woods back east. While the Okanagan valley was filled with low level clouds the ski areas are high up so there was significant sunshine to enjoy with the undercast in the valley below. Of course high up makes it an 02 challenge to the lowland skier that I am but setting the pace back a little meant the thin air wasn’t a big issue… where did I have to be in a hurry anyway?

Cloudy in the valley... but sunny up high
Telemark is a smaller community based ski area that has some excellent trails. I skied one evening there and another day but they weren’t quite high enough to be out of the clouds (rather they were IN the cloud) so most of my time there was not conducive to picture taking. That said they have a fun set of trails that are well worth the visit. Finally, prior to catching my plane home I skied at Cyprus. Not much to say about this. It’s conveniently located to downtown Van and had excellently groomed trails but it’s pretty two dimensional. Climb up or ski down… almost a downhill venue in the woods. Still and all, a good time trying out some of BC’s groomed trail networks. The weather was stupendous with most days hovering around +3C and not a cloud in the sky. Time well spent and I’ll look forward my next chance to ski out west as there are a few more places I’d like to explore. A random collection of photos can be found here.

Whistler Olympic Park

After the WC racing finished on Sunday I took the chance to ski the race trails as well as some of the public trails (fully separated from the race trails). The race trails took a little flak from the racers after the racing took place – “too easy” and “shameful” were words bandied about by a few of the elite racers. Not the words Olympic organizers were hoping to hear I’m sure. Thought I would add my 2 cents to the debate. My thoughts are of course worth about 2 cents as I am not nor have I ever been a world cup racer. My thoughts are also based on the snow conditions which I had for the few days I was there. The snow was lightening fast hard pack (perfectly groomed!). Mostly transformed icy snow with repeated freeze-thaw cycles over the few days leading up to the events. The area could easily be buried in lots (and lots) of wet, soft snow as the coastal mountains often get and the conditions – and therefore trails feel could change dramatically. Maps of the courses can be seen here (beware they are big files that take a while to download).

In essence the courses are two interwoven 5k trails that start out of a stadium area. One course is designed for classic races and one is designed for skating. Each loop can be subdivided into varying lengths to make up the appropriate distance required for a race and – as is typical with World Cup racing - multiple laps of the same loop are required to get the full distance. For example the 30k pursuit for the Men did 4 laps of the classic course (3.75k) and then 4 laps of the skate course (3.75k). Spectators get to see the racers 9 times through the stadium over the course of the race. The individual loops don’t really go anywhere either. Rather they switch back and forth on the hillside above the stadium so in fact much of the race plays out in front of the spectators who only occasionally visually lose track of the racers

Of the two loops, the classic course is probably harder. It has some significantly steep climbs followed immediately by some steep drops with fast technical turns at the bottom, then right back into a steep climb. The only really flat part of the classic loop is the stadium area… once out on the course it’s either climbing or descending with not much else in between. From a pure climbers viewpoint none of the climbs are overly long – the longest being maybe 400m. The pure climber (Piller- Cotter? Babikov?) would bemoan that this isn’t long enough to make a significant gap on the competition… and if he isn’t good technically on the descent any gap will be eaten up on the next downhill thus nullifying the attack.

The skate course has significantly less climbing. The climbs that it does have are sharp and steep but mostly less than 100m in length. The skating course does have much more rhythm to it with constantly changing ups and downs. A skier with good transitional technique will find this an easier trail, but how much of a gap can be created on transitional technique alone? This stretch could be much more conducive to some very fast tempo skiing, stringing out a field and dropping off the pretenders. Like the skate course, the Biathalon has a separate trail for its events and I found it to be a trail with the most rhythm to it. Fast descents, tough climbs(but not overly long) and a nice transitional feel between the two. Overall a fun challenge.

Is this the most challenging set of race trails ever made? Who knows. Perhaps they lend themselves more to the team tactics we saw in the World Cup pursuit. Of course not every Olympic race is a mass start. The individual start courses will have a different feel to them altogether. As for the sprint courses they were all deemed challenging if only because they were long (for a sprint) but they did have some tricky corners which could lead to some action as they fight for the medals. Will this course determine Olympic Champions…well of course. A race will be run and someone will win. I for one will be watching and expect a good show.

Whistler World Cup Ski Races

Took some time off to head out to the West Coast (or should I say the warm coast) to see the World Cup ski races at the Whistler Olympic Park. This was a test event for next years Olympics so I thought it would be a great chance to see some racing on the trails. I had been looking to head out west anyway as my brother and family are out in Vancouver for a year’s sabbatical. Timing a visit with them, and a World Cup ski race, and maybe get a little skiing in myself… seemed too good a combination to miss out on. I had debated flying out west when the World Cup schedule came to SilverStar three years ago. I waffled over the decision, in the end didn’t go and regretted it as I watched the racing at home on TV. Following big league ski racing is a challenge here in Canada. For years all we got was perhaps some box scores in the local paper and eventually (usually in the spring) a magazine covering the seasons racing might hit the racks. Of late things have improved a lot with the internet providing streaming coverage of most races and more commentary and blogs than you can shake a stick at… but watching a ski race on a 2 inch You Tube screen just isn’t the same as being there. Time for me to right that omission in my sports viewing history.

Flying out on Friday to Vancouver I left Ottawa behind with -30C weather (-39C windchill) and stepped off the plane to +8C and fog… this was turning out to be great all round! After the drive up the Sea to Sky and a short night’s sleep (still on east coast time) I was up and at Whistler Olympic Park early under beautiful blue skies. The parking attendant couldn’t believe a spectator had already arrived. “No racing for hours yet”, she said. True, but I wanted to take it all in. Crews setting the stadium, wax techs furiously testing skis, athletes arriving and warming up… all building to race time which came far too fast. I was somewhat disappointed that a good number of the top skiers opted to stay at home. Understandable that they have a busy schedule of races in Europe and one weekend on the other side of the planet would only serve to stress their systems and risk illness or injury which could jeopordize their year… I guess I’ll have to go to a race in Europe to see them all race on the same day. That said there was enough of an elite field here and the Canadian and US skiers are making inroads on the top flite of skiers so the racing was good none the less. First up was the Men’s Pursuit (15+15k) where the Italian squad made a strong team statement controlling the pace until team leader Pietro Piller-Cotter dropped the hammer with a few laps remaining and left everyone in his wake. After a brief break in the action (time to take in some Nordic Combined at the ski Jumps next door) the Womens Pursuit was off. No team tactics here. The women took off from the opening gun stringing out the field. Justyna Kowalczyk pulled away from her only competition in the end for a good victory. And then the Nordic combined guys took the trails and put on a good show as an added bonus. Sunday – early again (still on east coast time) - I was back at the stadium ready for the Team Sprints which proved another good day of racing capped by Alex Harvey and George Gray pulling out a 3rd place in the final race of the day. Lots of photos of all the racing here

Sprinters rounding the last turn in the dash for home

The venue at Whistler Olympic Park in the Callaghan valley is quite a good one with the Jumps, Cross Country and Biathalon all just a short walk from each other and the mountains making for a stunning backdrop. Talking to some of the volunteers it should be interesting to see it next year with temporary grandstands built for 12,000 spectators at each venue. Glad I came this year as I was able to walk around quite freely to various points on the course while the races took place. That surely won’t be possible next year. More interesting still will be the transportation of these spectators as there will be no one allowed to drive into the valley and park during the events. The venue is quite a ways from anything - even Whistler is 20 minutes drive - so there will have to be a significant number of shuttles set up. Vanoc has yet to clarify how exactly that will work (even to the volunteers) but I’m sure they will come up with something. After the races on Sunday I went off to ski some of the trails… but more on that in my next blog.

Tour Du Cabane
Monday was supposed to be a great day weather wise warming to -5C and clear blue skies. Later this week the temperature is supposed to plummet so Bryan and I decided to take the opportunity and head out for a weekday ski – get in some trails while the snow is great and the weather matched it. As I was driving up to the park to meet Bryan – trying to pick a trailhead to start – it occurred to me that with two cars (Bryan’s and mine) we could do a traverse of sorts. Park one car here…. drive over there and then ski back to the first car. Bryan seemed game to try so we left his car at the visitor center and drove off to P12. Between these two points would be lots of options and access to a number of huts along the way. Up we went from P12 meeting the groomer as we climbed and found fresh trails throughout the day – nice! After the climb up to the ridge we popped in to Western Shelter for a quick pit stop. Sadly we found no fire roaring in the woodstove so we got one going and then headed on to Huron shelter in hopes of a warmer reception. Indeed we got just that as we arrived at Huron shelter which was jammed with people. Yes the stove was going but there was barely a spot to sit down. That said, hunger overtook us and we grabbed the last bench farthest from the woodstove and enjoyed our lunch amid the din in the shelter.
The groomers working the trails - courtesy Bryan

Everyones clambering for a little lunch
After lunch we cruised down to Shilly Shally… hardly a long effort. We were just going to get a quick photo but the hut was empty and the fire was roaring so we popped in for a short while. This small hut is rarely unoccupied so we took the moment to enjoy its atmosphere. Clearly the Tour du Cabane was coming together. Next stop Keogan which was also only a short distance along so we took only a quick photo and then headed off. I thought we might take this good opportunity to try some backcountry trails. Sadly today was also the day that the grooming contractor was working a base into them with some skidoos. While this will bode well after future snowfalls it meant a somewhat choppy rutted track left behind by the skidoos so we opted to stay on the main trails for the rest of the day. Soon enough all that was left was the drop down Penguin and over to Bryans car. Bryan had never been down Penguin before (how did that happen?) and he enjoyed most of the experience. On perfect snow it was a fun descent to the picnic field. Once across the Parkway however and on to the final steep drop off he cracked up in a supernova cloud of white “smoke”. Fortunately no injury greater than perhaps a slight bruising. He’ll perhaps have a little limp today – which should earn him major “coolness points” at the water cooler as he tells the tale (which will of course grow in statue the more times he tells it ;-). Today’s ski was a great one with lots of possibilities for trails to ski. The traverse idea worked exceptionally well although come to think of it, why wouldn’t it? It certainly had a different feel from the standard loop skis I do in the park. I’ll have to sit down and study the map to see what other possibilities present themselves for traverses for the next time we have two cars up in the park. Perhaps we could link six or seven of the cabins together... what about all the cabins on a Grand Tour du Parc! Hmmm,....

XC Ottawa Duathalon
Sunday was another day at the races. The XCOttawa duathalon was held at the Nakkertok ski center. I’d helped out last year and it was a good time so I signed on again for another day of marshalling. The weather looked pretty grim as the day approached with bitter cold forecast. As I drove to the trails – with the moon sinking on one side and the sun slowly rising on the other I was a little worried but it actually turned out not too bad with just biting (instead of bitter) cold in the morning. In fact, once the sun came up it was almost pleasant. Of course skiing in this weather and standing at a trail intersection are two different things but I had worked my layers quite well – i.e. wear lots - and even tested out some chemical hand warmers in my gloves which worked pretty well. I took the opportunity to take a few shots of the races which would serve to remind me of some of the technical aspects of shooting in the cold. Should serve me well next weekend when I’m out at the Pursuit races (which is just another name for a duathalon… unless the rules have changed since I last looked). Next weekend shouldn’t be near as bad with temperatures forecast around zero for the races so some of the issues I had today - like battery performance plummeting and fingers going numb while adjusting settings on the camera – shouldn’t be an issue. More pictures from the races here.

For the initial open races I was somewhat free to walk around near the stadium area while staying near a particular corner (skating right, classic straight) but once the younger age groups got going I relocated to a corner a little further out in the woods. When the time came I walked down there but found no V-boards to demark my turn. No worries, I’ll just walk back a few hundred yards where I saw a huge pile of them… but just as I arrived at the V-boards, the starting horn went off! Mad panicked sprint ensued back to my corner with a couple of v-boards under my arm arriving just as the first racers did. Skiers (even young ones) move much faster on snow than I can run but fortunately no one went off course – crisis averted. All in all a fun day at the races. I went home and had lunch and an unanticipated nap before heading out to get my own ski in. As I looped around Pink Lake I had the moon starting to rise up in front of me thus – having seen it go down in the morning - made for a long day out in the fresh air… but a good one.

Mid-winter arrives with some perfect snow

skiers rounding the turn
Originally uploaded by kenmores

The last few days have been some of the best skiing of the season. Fresh powder on a nice base has made the trails just about perfect – be they groomers or backcountry trails. I’ve spent a couple of nights skiing the woods under an almost full moon and today I tried to ski exclusively on the backcountry trails. Brilliant sunshine on an otherwise cold day. Not as cold as I expected mind you with nary a breath of wind so I found myself somewhat overdressed. Gonna have to work on my moisture management a little better. I started at P12 and climbed up the big hills to get warmed up. With such a beautiful day the parking lots were jammed but, now that most of the trail network is in prime shape, the crowds get swallowed up by the woods only a few km’s from the parking lots as everyone heads off to their own agendas for the day. Once on top of the ridgeline I skied from one trail to the next redlining what I could and enjoying the afternoon mostly alone in the woods. Lots of soft snow at every turn and the few people I did run across were all beaming – nuff said.

I debated stopping in to one of the huts but it was so nice out and I expected the huts to be crowded so instead I kept skiing along, taking whatever trail presented itself. Sadly I had to eventually head home so I pointed the skis back down trail 40 to my car. Climbing trail 40 is perfect on a cold day for warming up…. but when it’s time to head down, the trail is equally perfect for cooling you off. Two to three km of mostly fast downhill tends to scrub off any built up warmth you may have had and sadly – being overdressed - I had built up a little moisture in my layers as well. Suffice to say while I might not get into what happens when the Dew point relocates to a point within your polypro and fleece layers (save that for someone else’s blog) it’s not pretty. No fear though, once down the hill my car and dry layers were just steps away so I stripped off the icy layers and quickly put on some dry clothes for the drive home.

Clearly I'm not alone in loving the new snow...

Tomorrow is the XCOttawa duathalon and I’m once again headed out to marshal a corner or two. I’ll be sure to manage my layering system a little better so as not to freeze up at my post.

Last ski of the Christmas break

New location for Taylor Lake Yurt
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Today I took the opportunity to ski around the Lac Phillippe sector on the last day before heading back to work. The conditions were beautiful today as yesterday's frosty winds had subsided making for comfortable skiing. As it turns out I picked the wrong end of the park to ski if I was looking for fresh grooming as not much had been recently groomed. Apparently they worked the lower reaches of the park pretty hard. For the most part however the conditions were okay. Still lots of debris on the tracks from last weeks wind storm including a monster tree which had been cleaned up/off the trail with some serious chainsaw work. After looping up to Lusk Lake I skied out to Taylor lake and discovered they had relocated the Taylor Lake Yurt this year. Its now sitting a little further along the lake on a nice point under some big pines. Nice spot and perhaps a little more sheltered than its previous location. Took a quick look inside and it looks like it would make a nice spot for an evenings stay. Back to work tomorrow which means evening skis... although I suppose I could start some morning skis as the days are getting longer now. With the buses on strike though I expect I'm just putting myself into a traffic ordeal with morning skis. I'll stick to night skis for a while until the City settles the strike and gets the buses rolling again.

Holiday Skiing

Huron Lookout

I've been remiss in my ski posts over the Christmas season but rest assured, I've been out there in spite of some less than ideal conditions. Seems we're caught up in a "thermometric" roller coaster ride with rainy, spring days followed by cold, windy weather... and then back to warm rain... repeat, repeat, repeat. Fortunately we were blessed with plenty of early (Christmas?) snow so the base is holding up nicely. The sun even came out on Christmas day which was a nice treat although it was pretty cool out. As I enjoyed my Christmas ski I think I saw Santa (white beard, red cap and some nice Fischers) skiing on the parkway - perhaps a cool down session after his big night? I didn't get any pictures as I was speeding down Black Lake hill and he was climbing up it. I did think maybe I should stop and chase after him for a photo op but I figured if he can circumnavigate the globe in one night... what chance do I have chasing him UP Black Lake hill.

Today I started on the Parkway and then headed up to Ridge road to do some trail skiing but Demsis hadn't been in the woods with the groomers as yet and the trails are littered with branch debris from yesterdays big wind storm. I didn't ski long in the woods before heading back to the Parkways which were nicely prepped for some fast skiing. Some more snow tonight and a pass with the groomers should get things in good shape for New Years Day skiing. … Unless we get more rain :( Fingers crossed!

Best to all for Holiday season and happy trails in the New Year.

Snowmagedon?

Champlain lookout at sunset
Originally uploaded by kenmores

The weather forecasters called for snowmagedon yesterday. Its winter and its snowing - alert the media? I suppose - being caught between two back to back snow storms puts us in the eye of the snowicane? Actually, snowmagedon went a little south of us so we only ended up with a snowaster (or was it a snowgedy). With all this drama, I went skiing...

I chose the nice tree covered confines of P12 to ski up to the ridge. It gave me a nice sheltered trail and a good big climb at the start to warm up on a cold day. I was also well protected from the snowhawks that might have been circling above me. The trails were in beautiful shape and the skiing was surprisingly fast considering how cold it was. I circled out to Champlain lookout and down around the T before looping back and rolling a little ways up to the Wolf trail before finally dropping back to the car. With all this snow I'm pretty sure that Christmas should be a white one with lots of skiing opportunities. I just hope I have enough food and supplies stocked up to survive "Son of Snowmagedon" (or is it Snowmagedon II) which rolls into town tomorrow.

A perfect day for a ski

Friday night the temperature went down to a blustery -22C (-29C with the windchill). Yesterday the temperature gently rose and I finally braved the cold at 9pm (-15C) for a good ski on the Parkway. Today - temperature still climbing to about -7C - I joined Mike, Bryan and fam. and headed into Healey cabin on a beautiful winter day. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be raining and +9C. As someone who studies building materials these rapid changes in temperature (30 degrees in a few days!) are an excellent chance to see durability of materials in action. As a skier - bleah! Why can’t it be -5C all winter long?


Bryan had organized a family ski outing on his birthday and invited Mike and I to come along. It’s becoming an annual event and this year, along with his Dad, his two daughters joined us. Mike, claiming to be pretty sore from his previous days skiing was tentative but sure enough there he was in the lot as I pulled in. Granted it took him a few painful strides to get into his rhythm but once on the move he was all smiles. And why not - warm temperatures, perfect snow, nicely set track - all the ingredients for a great day of skiing. Mike and I caught up to all three generations of Bryan's family part way along the trail and we joined them for the ski into Healey cabin. Bryan thought the pace might be slow but his daughters are already displaying good Beckie Scott/Sara Renner technique. Bryan better work on his fitness or in a season or two he won’t have a chance to keep up to these two (it’s okay man, Mike ain’t getting any faster ;-) Once at the cabin we had a lunch of chocolate, toasted sandwiches and a variety of fruit... and chocolate, all with a good “floor show” at the busy bird feeder.


After lunch the crew headed back to the car but I continued on along the Pine road out to Lac Phillippe. The snow was beautiful and some more started to fall as I skied along. Shame that wet weather is coming tomorrow to mess all these trails up. Ah well, such is winter. More snow will come again but I’ll enjoy these days while I’ve got them.

Winter Arrives

Framed winter
Originally uploaded by kenmores

kay, it’s an old picture... but I'm sure it's what it looked like yesterday afternoon. I went skiing last night amidst the big storm that dropped 30+ cm of snow on us. I waited until quite late to allow the evening commuters to stumble home and barricade themselves inside their homes. At around 10pm I drove into the night - just me and the army of snow plow contractors out on the roads. I headed up to P7 to ski a few drops of Penguin. I had hoped I'd have first tracks, or at least the previous skiers tracks would be well snowed in but no luck. There was someone else there making some turns as well. We politely waved at each other as we alternated cruising down while the other headed up. Cursing each other for chewing up our snow? Perhaps, but there was still lots of chances to figure eight each others loops. After a few laps of Penguin I headed over to trail 8 and took another couple of laps. Dropping into these steeps with some fresh, dry powder on them is a surreal experience - totally different from skiing them on groomed tracks. The skis float, the turns come around lazily and nothing seems to be in a rush. Always good fun and worth the drive to be sure. Just last weekend I was looking at the wall of skis in my front hall - patiently waiting for their turn on the snow - and wondered why on earth I own so many pairs of skis. I can only wear one pair at a time after all. Last night I plucked the wide boards from the wall and they were just the right thing - glad I still have a pair of them around for nights like this.

Ski season truly underway now

Ahhhh, that feels better. We got a good quantity of snow this week. In fact it snowed a little almost every day and now the ski season has begun in earnest. I got out each evening this week to do a little skiing under the stars with the orange glow of the city in the background). The conditions have been really good from the start. In fact I’ve already retired my rock skis to the closet, not to be seen until April (with luck) – nice! The snow we got has been really wet and sticky and was easily compacted by the groomers to form up a nice firm base. Daytime temps in the +1, +2 range and evenings below zero have made for a nice track. In town the snow has sometimes been rain resulting in a lot of slush but just up in the hills it was almost always snow, slowly building the base. With the wet snow falling and little wind, the trees are taking the brunt of this with a lot of downed branches and even a few fallen trees under the load. To that end the groomers have had to lay the tracks somewhat narrow so as not to exacerbate the problem by bringing down branches on the snowcats as they plow by the overhanging trees.

Tuesday night – the first snowfall – was unbelievably busy on the trails but later in the week the crowds diminished. Perhaps the skiers had to rest their sore bodies after the first ski of the season. Saturday I headed up to the Lac Phillipe gate as I expected lower in the park would be busy again. The skies were sunny when I drove up but the clouds rolled in before I had my skis strapped on. To my surprise there were only 6 – 10 cars in the lot and a bunch of those people were snowshoeing so I had some fresh trails to ski on. The Pine road was beautifully tracked but the trail out to Lacs Renaud and Taylor was groomed so narrow I kept cutting into the classic tracks on either side. Decided to turn back at Lac Renaud rather than cut up the trail for the classic skiers. There will be other days to head out there and I expect this is a temporary situation with the trees bent pretty far over the trails. Of equal surprise was that the lake was still unfrozen. I had seen people skating on the lakes lower down in the park last weekend… wonder how thick the ice was? Skiing along the open water was a little strange – I guess you get used to seeing the open expanse of white, snowcovered ice while skiing along here and the dark, cold depths looked somewhat forbidding.

Renaud Shelter next to the tall pines

The shoulder season continues...

Ampersand summit
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Still no significant snow in Ottawa. I was originally scheduled to work on a field project on Saturday but with the extremely cold overnight temperatures we decided to scrub it for a warmer weekend. During the week I had been invited to hike Algonquin on Saturday (declined because of work) but the late change in plans left me unable to get my act in gear fast enough to tag on. Ahh well, I'm sure there will be a next time. Friday night, as I tried to work out how I could use my newly acquired free time I was strongly (I mean strongly) tempted to head to Barrie where fresh lake effect snow off of Georgian Bay has fallen and the ski centers are open for business. It’s a long drive though and I think some snow will start to fall in Ottawa this week. With luck I should be on skis again before next weekend (fingers crossed).

Instead I opted for the much shorter drive to Saranac Lake where I continued to enjoy the ‘tween season. With a relaxed start in the morning I got my gear and headed off. Got down around lunch time so I popped into my favourite deli for lunch (smoked turkey, honey bacon with a chipolte mayo on a toasted Kaiser....) and then headed over to Ampersand mountain. There was a little snow on the ground and some more gently falling as I hiked up this nice little peak. This is one I’ve heard has a great view but today’s snowy clouds were going to preclude much in the way of views. I suppose they can’t all be bluebird days and how would you appreciate them if they were? The first half of the trail was easy going but as it turned steeper I was forced to strap on some traction to clamber up the now icy rocks. The steep trail had become a static waterfall and the beautiful rockwork staircases now coated in crystal. A few people I met were using crampons but mine never came out of my pack - instead opting for the lighter Yak Trax. I even met some guys who were bare booting ... but they were clearly out of their "happy place" with grim looks of focus (fear?) on their faces and slow methodical foot placement on each step. Once onto the open summit the wind buffeted me around. I took a few shots but as you can see the view was somewhat sub par. Ducked back into a hollow and changed into some dry clothes and had a brief snack before starting down. Got out before darkness fell (which falls ridiculously early these days) and then rolled home. Nice day out on the trails… but I’m still looking for an Alberta Clipper or a Colorado Low… I’ll even take a Nor-easter if it comes far enough inland…. David Philips, where are you man?! Give me something I can work with…

Waiting

The last couple of weekends have been pretty bleak. Mostly rainy, occasional snow showers but no accumulation, steel grey skies, and the sun looks to be setting around 2pm (okay, maybe not quite 2)... tough to get motivated to do much. The skis have been pulled out of storage thanks to the October snowfall (all long gone now). The November joys like discovering that klister tubes cannot survive summers in the wax box without splitting open and leaving a layer of gooey goodness all over everything have been... ummm, enjoyed. Summer packing wax has been scraped and the skis have been preped and are waiting for snow. It's starting to get old reading about happy skiers in Alaska or the Rockies who have been skiing for weeks. World cup ski races start soon and qualifiers have already begun... and still we wait.

Today I went for a ride in the Park. It poured rain most of yesterday so I didn't get out to do much. Today the precip was to be light flurries but as I drove up there was nothing but a light drizzle. As I rode higher into the Park the flakes were falling but only when I reached Fortune lake did it look like it was sticking... then the grassy shoulders disappeared under a thin coating of snow. Finally as I got up to Huron Lodge the snow was starting to form a blanket (except the road surface of the Parkway). Still, it's a start. The skiers who shuffle in the grassy sludge on the sides of the Parkway may declare a victory but I will continue to wait. I love the bases of my skis too much - even my rock skis. Snowy days are firmly in the long range forecast with consistently cold temperatures. Won't be long now... but in the meantime I'll continue to hang by the fireside.

Sunny Sunday

ski hut
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Okay, so the snow didn't last. I still got 2 skis in before it faded from sight. Some skied a little more but - unlike spring time - I felt no strong urge to hunt for pockets of good snow while walking miles through slush and ice. The "serious" snow will be here soon (like Nov 18;-) so in the meantime its back to preseason activities. The weekend was actually quite nice with sunny skies and cool temperatures (but not cool enough to keep the snow). I went for a long walk on Sunday in the park - starting with a little hill work at Camp Fortune before heading off onto the trails to explore the woods. The main trails were crazy busy with hikers of all sorts out enjoying the fall weather but stepping onto the side trails I soon had the woods to myself. Today it is rainy and gray so I think I'll relax but the rest of the week looks warm and sunny so I should be able to get back on the roller skis. The snow will soon come, ready or not , so I'm opting for the former and getting some miles in now in preparation.

The ski season commences

Sunrise on happy skiers
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Got up this morning to a good dusting (dumping?) of snow. The weatherman had warned us well in advance so Ihad my gear ready and waiting. Sadly I couldn't convince my work collegues to rescheulde a 9:30 meeting (cause surely the traffic was bound to be bad guys!?). Instead I was forced to have my car loaded and hit the road to the park at 6am to get my first ski in. The roads weren't actually too bad until I got to the bottom of the short hill up to P10 - where I found no plow or vehicle had passed since the snow started. I decided not to chance getting stuck and instead headed back to P8 where I found signs that the groomer had been out.... no way? Way! With that good news I grabbed some good skis out of the car(I'd brought a couple of pairs just in case), strapped in and headed off for my first ski. It was actually quite good. I met the groomer coming back along the parkway having only groomed the P8-P9 stretch but whose complaining. As I drove up I expected a slow slog through wet heavy snow, break your own trail, ski a bit (to say I skied in October) and then head home. Instead I had a couple of laps of the Doldrums on pretty reasonable tracks. It was sometimes spongy and occasionally wet but it was tracked. The sun was starting to rise as I got back to the car and my first fellow skier was just getting going. Until then all I had seen was a few deer and heard the distant quacking of some confused (and possibly angry) ducks. Left a couple of smiley faces (as seen here) for the skiers that followed and then headed home to get to that early meeting. Snow might even be there tonight so I may go back for one more ski before it melts away, but a nice start to the season never the less.

This feels more like Fall

This feels more like Fall

This past weekend was exactly what one expects from fall – cool nights that gently warm up during the day – just a reminder that winter is on the way but still time to get your fall tasks done. Unfortunately the weekend for me was bottled up with some race organization duties. First Saturday had the TransCanada 10k championships and then Sunday was the Jim Howe cross country. Both races had about 300 runners entered so not a big deal logistically but the feel of the two days was completely different. Saturdays National Championships was a formal road race while Sundays cross country was much more of a local community event – both fun, just different. With Sunday’s race over (and all the gear packed away) by noon I loaded up the car and headed south to Lake Placid to get in some great fall hiking. By 4:30 I was parked at South Meadow and hiking up the trail to Mount Van Hovenburg to catch the sunset from the upper ledges. Just a short walk and mostly flat with just a little climbing at the end. In short order I was enjoying the evening sunset over the high peaks with the alpenglow that lingers once the sun dips below the western ridges. Made it back to the car by headlamp and decided to scope out a spot to camp…. And found I had my choice! There was no one there on a Sunday night late in the season so I took one of the prime spots and curled up in my sleeping bag with this month’s Powder magazine (I read it for the pictures) and soon enough had drifted off to sleep.

The bobsled track on Van Hovenburg - lighting up the sky
In the morning I awoke to -5C weather but the sun was shining. Unfortunately to the west I could see a heavy band of clouds coming my way. With that in mind I drove over to the Owl’s Head trail just off the Cascade pass and sprinted up the trail to its upper reaches ( a short distance) to get a few nice sunny photos before the gray clouds rolled over. That out of the way I continued on down the Keene valley to the AMR lot and booted up to hike Noonmark and Round. These are two peaks that have been on my “to do” list for some time – time to check them off. The peaks are 3500 and 3000ft respectively and there is some steep climbing to the summits but the trail is short and soon enough the views open up. By the time I crested Noonmark the clouds had rolled over my head and the sky was a steel gray colour. Not much of a breeze though so I sat and snacked at the summit while drinking in the views of the Ausable and Keene valleys and the Dix wilderness. This is definitely a hike I will do again (and again and again…). Too soon I started to cool off so I headed down the north side of the peak and then up neighbouring Round Mountain. On the summit I met the first and only hikers I saw all day – a family just packing up on the summit. Round is an equally nice peak with a much broader summit ridge and lots of open rock. I took some time here as well but the skies were getting darker so I decided to head down and sure enough, just after I made the tree line, it began to lightly rain – a cold rain – a “precursor to snow” type of rain… Signs of things to come.

The hike down Round is “knee explodingly” steep. It drops 1800ft in a couple of miles, the first part all down steep rocky slabs. By the time I was back at the car the fluid in my knees was bubbling away so I was glad I didn’t have a long hike out after the descent. Certainly glad to get these two peaks in while there was still some fall colour and equally pleased to principally have them both to myself. On the way home I checked out a few other trailheads I want to explore in the future. Lots of options down there, just need to find the time to get them all in. On the way home I picked up a sandwich at my favourite deli in Saranac Lake and then drove up to Osgood pond to have a late lunch. Thought maybe I could get in to see White Pine Camp but turns out they only run tours on weekends and even then (the tours) have closed for the season so I had to make do with enjoying my lunch at the local boat launch (still a nice spot). Snow fell that night on the high peaks and again the next day. Time for traction control when hiking? Or will the fall suns melt the snow again? Who knows. Either way it was a nice day to get out.Osgood Pond - a tranquil lunch spot

Back Again So Soon?
Fresh from my climb of Dix Mountain for my 46, I got a text from Bryan looking for a hike on Tuesday to Big Slide. If there were any other way I would have stayed down in the peaks on Monday but alas I had meetings to go to so I had to race home to work – lots of extra driving but it would prove enjoyable. The plan had been for 4 of us to head down Tuesday for the hike but Mike’s sinus cold was getting worse not better so he chose to bail out. Equally, Bryan’s friend from TO decided it was a bit of a long haul to come down mid week for a hike so it was just Bryan and I who jumped in the truck at 5am on Tuesday morning – bad luck for the other two as it was shaping up to be a stellar day. The drive down wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be – I guess the truck knows the way by now - and soon enough we were treated to a stunning sunrise over Tupper Lake which was a must stop for photos. A little further on we again pulled over to shoot some pictures of the morning sun on the MacIntyres from the Loj road. That, coupled with a morning break for some food meant we started from the Garden at the reasonable hour of 9am – how very civilized.

Climbing Big Slide across the Brothers Mountains starts out very steeply, very quickly. This is a rarity in the high peaks that usually have a few miles of relatively flat walking before you start to climb but going up fast means a shorter time to the views. Sure enough we were soon on the ledges of the First Brother and looking up the John’s Brook valley in all her finest fall glory. Didn’t seem to matter which way we looked, burning colours abound in all directions. Many more photos were taken along the first two Brothers, as there are many opportunities to take in the views. Sadly I had loaded my camera with the “small” memory card and would have to ration myself to no more than 200 pictures… time for some more memory cards I think ;-) .

After loading up our cameras with shots of the fall splendour we made our way up over the 3rd Brother and on to Big Slide itself. As you ascend the final summit there is an excellent ledge to sit by the Slide and take in the views. It’s a precarious spot and not one for those without a head for heights as the drop off is dramatic but it’s a nice spot to rest before the final push to the summit. Once up top we found the summit unoccupied! We took it in stride though and expected big crowds to arrive at any minute – especially after our experience on Phelps – but no one came for some time. The sun had gained strength and we sat and baked for a bit while enjoying lunch and taking some pics. Bryan kept asking if we were falling behind schedule… but I have no more schedules (I’m done!) so I was quite content to sit in the sun.

Eventually two guys came up to the summit block. A curious pair they asked if this trail went to Marcy? And if so was the waterfall nearby? Clearly they had taken the wrong route and I found it amusing that they would climb without a map and no real sense of where they were. I took some time to show them the error of their hike and that they had climbed the wrong mountain. I also gave them some direction on the best way back to their car… for they clearly were not equipped or ready to hike another 10 miles to Marcy AND get back before nightfall. After that we left them on the summit and headed along the ridge to Yard Mountain (just shy of a 4000 footer). The walk was quite pleasant but the views were not quite as spectacular so we headed down into the Klondike Notch and along the trail to the Johns’ Brook Lodge. After a break on the deck of the Lodge we took the Phelps trail down the valley to the car to end a great day in the high peaks. As we were packing up, our friends from the summit of Big Slide stumbled out of the woods. They had taken the wrong trail again taking a longer more arduous route out... but at least they were now out of the woods.

After cleaning up a bit (and quaffing the post hike beer) we rolled down to Keene Valley and got a table at the Ausable Inn for a bite of food and a chance to relax a bit before the long drive home. Inside the restaurant the innkeeper was just starting a fire in the fireplace and the evenings guests were starting to arrive. We got our order in and then had a chance to chat to Robert Selkowitz who sat down beside us. He's a New York artist who had been capturing the fall colours with his pastels up on Whiteface. While living in the Catskills, it turns out he summers in Cape Breton – just up the road from Elizabeth May no less – so we caught him up on the fall election campaign and how Elizabeth had done in the debates. We also compared artistic notes (although we use a different media) before our respective food orders were delivered. To be honest, after dinner was consumed it was pretty tempting to order up a room at the Inn and hit the sack but with work once again calling we fired up the truck and made the drive home. Another great opportunity to hike in the peaks… and when the colours bloom there is no putting it off until tomorrow.

John's Brook Valley and the Great Range