The Neve Traverse Plus Some Other Pointy Peaks

So, Ben wisely booked a weekend off to do the Neve with a friend who’s new to backcountry skiing, probably to keep the group manageable and avoid any chaos. But then Alex caught wind of the plan and decided he wanted in... with a catch. Just doing a traverse? Too boring. He needed peaks. Next thing you know, I’m roped in.

We dropped one car at Rubble Creek trailhead. Fun fact: the last steep bend of Diamond trailhead was still iced up enough to make even the bravest consider a career in flatland hiking. Skiing down Ring Creek, though? Surprisingly better than expected, like finding fries at the bottom of your bag kind of good.

Alex had his heart set on a side trip to Viking Ridge, but then the universe said “Whiteout!” and we all agreed that Viking Ridge could wait. Instead, we hunkered down at the high point and set up camp, visions of Viking glory replaced by cozy tents and hot cocoa dreams.

Morning enthusiasm was... well, let’s say it deflated faster than a leaky air mattress. The ambitious plan to bag Mount Garibaldi and Dalton Dome shrank dramatically.  Just 1km from camp, because apparently the word “tent” is synonymous with “easy.”

No takers for skiing Glacier Pikes, so I went solo, promising to catch up later (which is ski-talk for “don’t wait up”). The south-facing slope was wind-loaded with a suspicious layer of ice hiding beneath a few centimeters of soft snow, nature’s version of a surprise party that might break your leg. Skiing down was mellow enough to make me question my life choices (but in a good way).

After retracing my route to the pass and skinning across Sentinel Glacier to Garibaldi Lake, a slog as usual. I found the gang transitioning to ski down the Barrier. Good news: the Barrier was in solid shape. We enjoyed a smooth ride down the switchback trail all the way back to the car, where the real celebration began: warming up and bragging about surviving.

Big shoutout to Patrick on his first ski traverse! You crushed it, and probably earned some serious backcountry cred (or at least some epic post-trip snacks).