Backcountry
Report from January 2, 2024
On New Year’s Eve 2024, I went for the longest run of my life.
- 10K for the Women’s Sports Foundation.
On New Year’s Day, I went for the longest drive of my life.
- 927-miles
- 13.5 hours
- Park City, UT, to Golden, BC
Today, I went skiing at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in British Columbia.
This place is epic.
I spent the season here back in the big snow year of 2018.
I love it here…
A 4,000-vertical-foot gondola and an alpine chairlift.
I cranked a few laps inbounds and met some cool locals: Matt, Avery, and Jack.
The snow was soft, chalky, and fun.
The light was flat so staying near trees was critical.
After a few inbounds laps I bounced out into the sidecountry.
I climbed up to the top of Ozone and dissolved into the mist.
The first wide chute I found was well skied, soft, and exciting.
From there I skinned up to another long, skinny couloir.
The light & snow were tough in top section but the bottom was powdery and sweet.
I spilled into an vacant valley with curled up lips.
This place is a dream.
I yearned to be back on that ridge as I watched chute after gorgeous chute fly by on my glide down valley.
I ground my way up a new zone for lap 3.
I bushwhacked to a “double secret tree zone” I know about.
The snowpack wasn’t quite there for this tour so I forced it a bit.
The powder skiing in the trees was splendiferous.
The ski out was an 8 outta 10 on the “bushwhack-o-meter.”
I escaped from the dense forest happy & exhausted.
Yet another spectacular day at Kicking Horse, BC.
Tomorrow we ride a helicopter to a remote backcountry hut for a week of faceshots 🙂
Thanks, Canada!
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