Sunday, February 22, 2015

Submitting to the drought....





By the last week of February our coastal snowpack is usually reaching it's deepest depths and the conditions are usually all time good. Not this year. After weeks and weeks of drought and high freezing levels the snowpack has been dwindling. The strangest part has been the unusually high snow line.                    


We finally gave in and decided to poke around an area we like to frequent. This year we needed to drive 15 kms further than usual and 800m higher....    


Things looked good from far but in reality were far from good....




Remnants of a big event presented itself on the approach....


My truck is seen here parked in the middle of a cut block we usually shred neck deep this month.    





Once on the glacier the views were beautiful and the "walk" began to make sense.  







We found some dust on crust that made for some fun turns....







I'm beginning to think this might actually be the end on this season.

Getting FAT this winter....


After a few weeks in Costa Rica I assumed we'd come back to Squamish in winter's grip. Quite the opposite was the case as winter took a long vacation this year. With no snow and way above average freezing levels it's been difficult to get motivated. Over the past 20 years I've developed a great routine.... 6 months of dirt.... 6 months of snow. I really prefer to get off the bikes this time of the year for body and mind health. This year we have no choice as the riding has been all time good in the Sea to Sky. One of the great benefits of working at Norco Bicycles is the opportunity to try new models and new categories of bikes. I'd been messing around with our new fat bikes in the snow since November but now it was time to take them to the steep loamy trails in our back-yard. The weapon I've been enjoying is the 2014 Sasquatch. The ultimate test would be the steep granite and dirt of Britannia Creek.





               

Costa Rica Kite Surfin January 2015