Snowy Day on Bow Summit

On Sunday, March 11, we planned to do an AT trip with our UK friends Mark and Liz.  The original plan was to set a somewhat "ambitious" goal, something we wouldn't normally tackle on our own (like Mount Hector, or A2), and hire Yamnuska to guide us through the tough parts.

Mark on our first descent

Liz loving the powder!

Well the weather changed all that!  It SNOWED for 7 days in a row, dumping more than a metre of fresh powder on top of hoar frost.  This created a very unstable surface, with avalanche ratings all week in the high-high-high area.  Our guide, James Madden, contacted us to suggest alternate plans.  We all agreed on one thing: safety first.

The morning of our adventure was still a white sky, and it continued to snow ALL. DAY. LONG.  Which made for awesome ski conditions!  James said the conditions reminded him of powder in the Nelson area, and he was right, lots and lots of powder.  EVERYWHERE.

James did a great job of guiding us to some great snow, very few people, while keeping us safe.  He also did a great job of helping us understand some of his route choices, making our education of safety part of the day.

He guided from the Bow Summit parking lot, across the B-U-G (Big Ugly Gulley) to ski some untouched snow.  After a couple of tangles and equipment issues, we were back on track.

Back up Bow Summit for another lap

Unfortunately, Ryan's knee had other ideas, so we contoured back across the BUG to deposit him at the car for a restful day.  Meanwhile, Liz, Mark and I did laps on the Bow Summit.  Although the weather wasn't clear, it was a wonderful day to play in the snow!

Loving the powder!

A bit foggy, but what a great ride!

Powder, powder everywhere!