T-Bar Cramps (Spring Break - 2014)

Spring Break has finally arrived, and I'm off for a week of back-country skiing in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia.  My comrades include four very good friends: Will, my boyfriend; Jerry, my Avy I instructor back in 2005, a fellow Marmot Mountain Works employee, and my most consistent gym climbing partner since 2011; Kevin, a dear friend and touring partner who is always up for my crazy ideas and huge one day pushes; and Dave, another fellow Marmot who was hired right before the store went out of business and is currently getting ready to start a new gig at Mountain Madness.  Maggie, the back-country skiing pup, Will's puffin, a remarkable fellow named Puffin, and Jerry's goat, another Maggie, have also joined our motley crew. 


We’re kicking off the week with the Wedge-Currie Traverse, a 44 km traverse across northern Garibaldi Park, from the Blackcomb ski area north to Pemberton Valley.   The trip is similar to the famous Spearhead Traverse, but it sees less traffic and boasts more expansive ice fields.  We were hoping to do the longer and more committing McBride Traverse, but our weather window is looking a little too narrow.  We expect a system to move into the region by Tuesday.  Instead, after we finish the shorter Wedge-Currie Traverse, we plan to move to the Duffy Lake area where tree skiing options abound.   There, we’ll establish a base camp and do day trips for the rest of the week.

Our Saturday morning started early.  Jerry picked Will and me up at 5 AM.  Will had been up until after 2 packing and working on an email for school, and I hadn't slept well either….. Way too much excitement!   I told Kevin I felt like it was Christmas and I was finally getting a pony!  Anyways, after Jerry picked Will and me up in his Subi with not one, but two ski boxes on top, we headed to Capitol Hill to fetch Kevin and then north to Edmonds for Dave.  Once we were all accounted for, we made a quick stop at Starbucks for breakfast and then headed north on I5 to the border.  After a lengthy and somewhat hostile interrogation by customs, we were in Canada!   

In Squamish, we hit Nestor's Market and another Starbucks for a few last minute treats and then made a beeline for the Whistler-Blackcomb ski area.  Jerry had done some research and learned that we could park in a particular area of lot 4 reserved for back-country users for free, but unfortunately that section seemed to be full.  After driving in circles and becoming thoroughly carsick, we parked in another lot so that Jerry and I could make our way to Guest Services to ask for direction while the rest of the boys waited at the car.  We also needed to figure out where we could buy one-way lift tickets, as we had learned from a friend in Seattle that uphill traffic was not permitted in the ski area.  Anyways, the gal Jerry and I spoke with was super helpful and called one of her colleagues to resolve the parking situation.  We were in luck!  We were told we could park in lot 5 instead and instructed to leave a note on the car including our trip plans and an emergency contact's info (As a side note, we wound up coming out a day later than expected, and the ski area followed up with Jerry's wife, Gayle.  Fortunately, Jerry had been able to send her a text message indicating that we were delayed, so all was well.  It was nice to know that they followed up!).

After returning to the rest of the crew, we moved the car and got changed.  Heavy packs in tow, we walked  back to Guest Services, purchased the requisite lift tickets, signed the necessary back-country waivers, and were off on the first of many lifts to the top of Blackcomb Resort.  The highlight was undoubtedly the t-bar, which was similar to a rope tow but with a bar to sort of balance on.  This was an incredible ride and surely the most interesting part of the day.  I shared my t-bar with 6'5'' Kevin, and needless to say, it seemed as thought the bar rested at his knees and my armpits.  At least we got ab workouts!

It was blowing hard and snowing lightly at the top of the ski area.  Visibility wasn't great, but it could have been worse.  Our first goal was the saddle between Spearhead and Blackcomb Peaks, not far away.  We began skinning alongside many resort visitors who were booting in the same direction, but they quickly dispersed and soon we were on our own.  Visibility remained quite poor and it was extremely cold.  We initially topped out at the wrong saddle but quickly realized our error, made a short traversing descent, and then ascended to the correct saddle.  Once at the col, spirits improved drastically. It was still chilly, but we knew we were in the right place and the snow looked great.  

Soon after ripping skins and beginning our descent in powder, the visibility improved and we were able to see the Decker Glacier below.  We planned to cross the glacier and then trend left around a corner and down into a valley.  The day got better and better.  After crossing the glacier, we had an amazing 1000-ish foot descent in some of the best pow I've skied all winter.  We could see the tracks from many heli skiers in the distance (and the heli and skiers themselves), but there's no way they were having as much fun as we were.  It was bliss!

Eventually, we meadow-skipped our way into the valley and hooked right up another valley.  The terrain was mellow and the trail-breaking was cake.  Such soft snow!  Navigating wasn't bad either.  We used a combination of a map and GPS throughout the day. 

We're now camped at Billy Goat Lake.  It is a beautiful starry night, and I've just enjoyed a delicious meal of mac and cheese, pop tarts, and chocolate, all forbidden foods in the real world.  I'm warmish.  I checked the small REI thermometer attached to my backpack before crawling into the tent, and it was a balmy 15 degrees.  More tomorrow... Can't wait to get out there again!