Monday, February 21, 2011

Mt Cain Telefest

This weekend Mt Cain telefest was the place to be! A group of adventurous skiers that we know from Vancouver and Victoria were all converging on Mt Cain, so Marc, Joan and I had to go and check things out! What started as a very small community event has gradually increased in popularity at this small skihill and on Saturday the hill was "packed" - with 400 skiers! Lift lineups are apparently unheard of, but given the perfect sun and snow I didn't hear a lot of complaining - after all, we all came on the busiest day of the year on the hill by choice!

The last few weeks the snow has been awful here on the island, so in time for the festival it cooled off and snowed for a week, which was greatly appreciated by everyone. Perfectly clear nights with a full moon and a great starry sky and sunshine all Saturday, no wind to speak of and tons of fresh light powder was enough to have Marc and I giggling all weekend. Since we don't know how to tele ski, being able to turn in giant fluffy snowbanks was amazing.

Saturday - the annual tele-race. Not just for people that know how to ski, somehow Marc and I were in this....  It was super fun, and we made a solid showing at the back of the pack. Did I mention we don't know how to tele-ski? The draw prizes at the end of the day were truly amazing - for a $5 race entry we ended up with a great ski backpack and a pair of bright nepali mittens!
Marc at the race start area

Marc, Suzanne and Meaghan on lunchbreak

What can I say about this one? 

Sunday had a lot less people, and we were floored by how tired our legs were given the easy day we had on Saturday! My left leg was definitely not up for anything anymore and spent the day snowplowing - snowplow left turn, attempt tele- to right, snowplow, repeat....  apparently works just fine! 
So, halfway through the day we decided to go ski the West Bowl! Brilliant idea! We had avi gear and the risk was quite low, the bowl "skied out" by fussier people's standards, but we have no preconceived notion of what it should be like so it was AWESOME! The east bowl and other areas were still pristine powder, but we had to stick to the easiest terrain for obvious reasons. 

Top of the saddle
View down the top part of the run

and then it got a little steeper!


Joanie giggling 


Coming down the bowl
View back up the bowl
 Wish there were more pics of Joan and Suzanne making it look pretty and easy! For obvious reasons my camera was buried in the bottom of the pack as I anticipated faceplanting and tumbling in my near future!

Looking back at the West Bowl and surroundings from the ski out

Suzanne never seems to be having fun. 

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

spring on the island?

Pick the sport - CAREFULLY - and if you picked the right one for the weather it's going to be awesome. Last week I started with skate skiing Monday - poor choice as the trails were very icy and the going pretty awful. Tuesday I thought a road bike ride would be best - and low and behold - I get the little sticker that says "you got it right!"

I took my camera and spent a fair bit of time trying to figure out where on my bike to attach it since I'm not wearing a backpack. If anyone knows the right location....   I was also feeling very green, mostly due to my bright green bike and my new green sugoi jacket. The sun was really warm when I stopped, and as soon as I was moving the super cold wind was trying to cut through me - but I was perfectly dressed for once! That never happens, so it was quite memorable.
Kye bay stop - I always have to stop here and just pause...

Comox Glacier


Happy Donkeys and Horses, thinking of my mom! (it's not an insult - she has donkeys and horses...!)

Swans in the meadow

it IS spring!

Then I picked work as the ideal way to spend my day - and despite some goings on didn't get any pictures or good stories.


This weekend - we picked tele skiing today! I guess we could have picked worse - I didn't do the skate ski race because I really haven't been able to train - and in a blizzard that would have been a poor choice. Mountain biking was probably wet but okay. Tele.... wellll..... not quite sure what to think of the day. But we really wanted to learn to tele a bit before telefest, and there was no lack of snow.

A bit snowy... Mattie trying to stand on Marc's skis as often as possible. Pippa stayed in the car snuggled on a warm oatbag. 

My pretty skis!

more lovely snow


trail breaking on the island

The way up actually wasn't bad, unfortunately the fluffy snow actually weighed a ton and coming down just wasn't steep enough and I could see my ski tips when I'd hauled them out of the snow, then I'd glide a bit but despite everything they would slowly start to sink - and sink - and then I was past my knees sliding and stopping - and the slog to the next steeper section took forever, so we had to flail back to the up- trail and follow it out.

Next week is telefest at Mt Cain - maybe I'll learn to tele then? I sure could use some tips.....

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Winter on the island...

It feels like spring - and I haven't added any pictures from the winter yet! And what I really REALLY should be doing is organizing Big Dog Biking accounting....  oh what fun.
So I thought I'd post some pictures from the winter instead :o)

Way WAY back in January Marc, Joan and I took our tele gear to explore Mount Becher in winter. This is the easiest summer hike, and we've all done it multiple times, but I've never gone there in winter. Thankfully the pouring rain stopped on the drive out, and the weather was foggy but nice. 
The snow was not so nice, as you can see from the icy sheen.... but it was pretty!

 Matilda led the way, which unfortunately meant dropping through the snowcrust and she was really tired by the end of the day. Pippa was luckier, and she could run along the top of the snow surface without ever breaking a sweat. 
A well dressed dog is a happy dog..... Pippa showing off her winter coat

Marc on the summit

Joan, Matilda, Pippa, Marc - with me stalking behind. 

A good day was had by all. Pippa and Mattie slept for the next day but looked very happy..... Our next tele destination is Arrowsmith - but since the white stuff has turned to an icy blue we've been putting it off and going skate skiing and biking instead.

Till next time, I have to stop procrastinating now!