January 25, 2015
Tyler invited me out for a ski tour in the Coquihalla area today. We tackled the ridge from Zupjok all the way to Alpaca, a solid route with plenty of ups, downs, and laughs (mostly at my expense).
Turns out Tyler had high expectations of me , word must have gotten around that I’m a speed demon on skinning uphill. Well, after today’s pace, I’m pretty sure someone exaggerated a bit. I haven’t been doing much high-intensity training lately, and man, did I feel it. The day quickly turned into a suffer fest (the good kind), as I struggled to keep up with Tyler’s relentless pace. I hope he didn’t get bored waiting for me too often! He’s definitely the kind of guy who doesn’t mind a bit of suffering, and honestly, I really appreciate that mindset.
Snow conditions weren’t the greatest: thin coverage on the south-facing slopes, with bare spots on the ridge and near the treeline, and plenty of cliff bands to navigate around. We did manage to cross the creek on a log further down the trail , enough snow for skiing in and out on the trail itself.
The best turns came on the east face of Llama Peak, where the snow was a little more forgiving. From Zupjok, we skied out on the southeast side, carefully dodging all the cliff bands.
No avalanche activity spotted in the area, though the wind was definitely noticeable and added a bit of a challenge. The weather was beautiful, and the company was even better — thanks, Tyler, for pushing the pace and making it a great day out!
Ha, looks like late spring conditions, and OK for getting around
ReplyDeleteIt was very little snow and warm, too. Cheers!
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