More Parker's Ridge Photos and Video

Top Photo: Snow pack was 221 cm deep at our pit: teaching Vince and Virginia how to do a compression test at treeline. Next Photo: Virginia and I, pit dug and compression test ready to start. Next Photo: The noticeable week layer (30 - 40 cm from the surface) was a plainer and sheared off at hard force (23) -- quite strong. Interesting Note: 2 days later this became the reactive layer in just two days, yielding a class 2 avalanche on Parker's Ridge. Bottom Photo: Snowy Yoho.

Click here to see the ski video.



Thanks to Vince and Virginia for providing me with these photos. I especially like the photos from the test pit. My ski was a little lame, but the video shows what it's like in the trees.

I really enjoy the snow science aspect of ski touring, the pit was pretty cool.

Delayed Picture from Parkers Ridge

Not the nicest picture, that's because bad weather was rolling in -- that meant one thing -- SNOW.

We've had a ton of snow fall and very warm day time highs here.
Tracey and I have been doing domestic stuff around the house.
I've been planning a backpacking trip for September and got a press release out in time for a trade show in the UK. I hope it sells because it will be a good trip.

I'll blog later when I have some new photos to post. I got my camera... more than seven days... but at least it was all there. Time to get out there and take some pictures.

Long time no blog...

Our Full Moon trip to the Edith Cavell Hostel... Edith Cavell in full moon splendor. Can you spot Tracey?

Sorry, I've been bad for Blogging lately. This weekend is already upon me and plans are being made. Tomorrow I take Vince and Ginny to Parker's Ridge for a little ski touring. Virginia is not too keen on it (fear of avalanches) but the conditions look safe and the weather looks good. We'll probably do a couple passes up and down, but spend the afternoon doing transceiver location practice... you can never do too much of that.

Last weekend Tracey and I went with Dieter to look at a cabin we were interested in buying... glad we saw it, to see what a hunk of crap it was. I wouldn't pay a cent over 60,ooo for that thing. It had no square door frames, basement that flooded, awful siding, and a hole probably full of dead bodies. Now the neighbours house was falling down and had a huge heap of garbage... also there was no running water so we couldn't check quality or pressure. I have pictures but it's not worth the time to upload them for you to see.

I have a feeling that the person who sold the camera to me has no intention of sending it to me. After paying he has disappeared from ebay... no more items for sale, two new scathing reviews from buyers and he's not responding to my emails. Let me give you some advise, buy nothing from Hilltopman52, real name Javid. first he slaps me with a $75 USD shipping fee, then nothing. I'll retract this statement "He's a crook" if I get my camera in the next seven days (not business days either).

EBAY = lots of money spent

I've gone ebay crazy. I've never bought anything on the site before, but I am an ebay virgin no more. It seems that a lot of money is slipping through my fingers at present, with the potential for an aweful lot more leaving our coffers in the near future (I'm not telling why unless it becomes true).
Back to ebay... As some of you may know, I've been getting into photography lately and whining and moaning that my present Olypmus SP 500uz is no longer cutting it. I had decided pre Christmas that I wanted to buy a new camera... a DSLR camera. Tracey (although sweet about it all) was dead against it, for a good reason though. I bought my Olympus just 16 months ago and wasn't even supposed to buy it when I did. As a compromise I said that I would save all of the gratuities I recieve and use them towards my new camera WHEN I horde enough cash.
Needless to say I got EBAY FEVER! I was sitting on nearly 600.00 cash and over bid (by about 100.00) and then saw two lens I absolutely had to have (plus 200.00). Oh, and shipping (100.00 ?!). I'm now looking at 400.00 over... oh oh... and Tracey still hasn't seen what I've spent. She won't say much, but that's it, I feel bad spending all of this money when she doesn't even want it... lets not dwell on that point though.
Just so you know, my Olympus is up for sale... $300, which includes batteries, adaptor ring, filters, and case. The camera is like new... no scratches anywhere.

Why did i buy this new camera, and more importantly what did I buy?

I find that digital point and shoot cameras are way too slow and I have missed too many shots waiting for the camera to start up and to focus the shot. Furthermore I love the versitility of being able to change lens and the ability to have complete control over my photographs.
I was contemplating buying either the Nikon D80, or Canon xti... both 10 mp cameras... but then something was brought to my attention. Besides the additional cost of the camera + 400-600 $, there are hidden costs too. I would need a new hard drive in my computer or (eventually) a faster computer to fool around with these huge images. Also do I need to take photos that are 20 inches by 16 inches? No... I don't have a printer that prints that large. So I settled for the older model. Admittedly I feel a little strange settling for the older model but as I pro told me... Living in Jasper you'll see things that no ever sees, therefore do not spend a huge amount of cash on professional equipment. Also look at all the magazines out there... many of the beautiful photos you see are y\taken with 8 or even 6 mp cameras. I figured by spending less on the camera I could justify more on lens equipment.

Photos from bottom to top: Ed approaching the base of Evelyn Peak on Skis, The route from beyond skis, Strange ski over six pass route, Jeff bustn' down the cornice, Jeff, Wayne and Ed on the summit, Jeff and Ed taking off the skins for the ride down.

Evelyn Peak

Evelyn Peak Rocked!
I joined Jeff Andrews and Ed Leport on an ACC trip today. We ascended Evelyn Peak, located located behind the Bald Hills on Maligne Lake. We left the parking lot at 9:00 am and reached the base (2442 m) of Evelyn Peak on skis at 12:15 and ate lunch. From there we ditched our skis and boot kicked our way up the slope. The snow was quite firm and allowed for a healthy pace. Jeff lead the way and cut down a cornice so that we could access the summit. Only a brief stop at the summit and we worked our way back down. The snow was really wind scoured and formed some pretty hard surfaces in the alpine. At tree line the snow was beautiful and fluffy. I'm not accustom to deep powder but enjoyed it despite the odd spill. We were finished by 4:30 pm and back in Jasper before 6:00 pm. Glad I took today off work!

Avalanche Course Complete

Hey all
I had a non-weekend. Friday was awful busy at work so I spent some time there. As for Saturday and Sunday, I took a course from Peter Amann (click his name to see his site). Peter staged a recreational avalanche safety course. Saturday we spent the time in the class room and an hour outside practicing locating beacons. Sunday we toured up to Bald Hills and surveyed avalanche terrain and performed compression tests and a Rutschblok test. The snow is incredible up there.... 170 cm deep! Anyone looking to take a mountaineering course, contact Peter... he is one of the most respected mountain guides in Canada, and known around the globe.
Wednesday I am going on the ACC trip up Evelyn Peak with A guy from Jasper named Jeff Andrews. He is currently training an avalanche dog and has WAY more experience winter mountaineering than I do. I'll post pictures.
Just so you know, the avalanche course peaked my interest and I can see myself in the future getting more involved in these avalanche courses and forecasting.

Coldest Backpacking Trip Yet!

Tonight I just heard a CBC radio broadcast about an Antarctic Expedition by Amundsen. He experienced minus 70 degrees Celsius... we experienced nothing close to that, but still our trip was cold.
What seemed to be a doomed trip from the very beginning turned out to be a success (for skiing at least). Jasper and much of south western Canada were hit with a massive winter storm followed by a REALLY cold front (at this point we have more snow than we've had since '89). There was a lot of doubt whether we should even go, but I was determined.
We set out later than we had planned on Wednesday, Tracey, Myself and our friends Pam and Evan (and of course Yoho). We made it down to Nakusp around 7 pm as we had to take the Kamloops route as the Icefield Parkway was close due to avalanches.

Thursday we awoke early and got to our usual trail head at 10 am. We found more snow on the logging road than we have ever seen in the five winters we have taken this trip. I am deliberately not mentioning the name of this Hot Spring... if you want to go to it, drop me a line and I'll take you there (this is a super special place for Tracey and I... she;s been going here since she was five, and together we've been there well over ten times).

The ski in was great! I had my new touring setup and found it to be far superior over cross country skis, especially with an 80L backpack on. We made good time and covered the 12 km in just under four hours. Thank goodness there had been a snowmobile through first so that we didn't have to break trail. When I attempted to break trail the snow penetration was calf to knee deep.

The springs were different (as usual) fewer pools by the river and a hell of a lot more snow than we've ever seen. Usually the ground is clear of snow in many places due to geothermal heat, but it was so cold that this was not the case. We set up camp... I started getting grumpy as my feet and hands were frozen. After setting up camp I was the first in the hot pools. I went straight to the pool at 39'C... perfect temperature for me. The others joined me within 30 mins... they dreaded the idea getting into a bathing suit with temps. so cold. We left most of our gear at the spring... mistake number 2!

We soaked well past midnight.. no one wanting to brave the cold to get out and head to the tents. The sky was exceptionally clear and the stars bright... one of the best evenings I've had at this particular hot spring. Upon getting out of the springs I learned a valuable lesson... alpine touring boots freeze at anything below minus 20'C... I could not get them on. I had to walk approx 200 m in plastic bags over my feet and sleep that night with my boots in my sleeping bag. Surprisingly we all slept very warm and well!

The next morning... actually we never got up until until 1 pm. Tracey and I awoke to a tent of frost... every time you move you get covered in frost, that turns to water when it hits you. We decided the night before to head out on Friday and spend the night in Revelstoke so that Saturday would not be so long a day of driving for me (thank you!). A good thing. As you know I am very proud of being a professional backpacking/expedition guide... but I was humbled when I realized that I had forgotten the stove.... of all times... when the night time reached well below minus 20'C! Luckily we had lots that did not need cooking.

We skied out in 2.5 hours and had a hard time fixing the skis to the roof of the Jeep as it was too cold to use exposed fingers for too long. We reached Revelstoke around 7:30 pm and stayed at the Revelstoke Lodge... best place ever! $60 for a nice room, king size bed, down duvet, cable tv, microwave, and coffee maker... awesome. (Tracey and I stay there every time we have an evening in Revelstoke... we love it!) Anyhow, I cooked up Chili for Evan and Pam and we all drank the booze that we were too cold to drink while camping. Actually I drank very little as I really disliked the type of Scotch I purchased for the trip... a very poor 12 year old Islay as far as I am concerned! Saturady morning we left Revelstoke at 10 am and reached Jasper by 4:00 pm. Great trip, but would rather camp in warmer temperatures next time.... and there will be a next time. Check out links 1 2 and 3 for videos of the hotspring. 1 is a video of Evan's frozen bathing suit... yes that cold!

Holiday Visitors

Top Photo: New Years Eve with Me, Tracey, Arun and Bree. Bottom Photo: Christmas Night Feast, Angela and Paul.

We had visitors this holiday season. Paul and Angela arrived December 23 and stayed until Boxing Day, we checked out the Canyon, went x-country skiing, and I sent them with Tracey on a search for a canyon that they never found (a lot further away than I thought). New Years brought Arun and his friend Bree. I also brought them to the canyon and into Hidden Valley. Unfortunately for me, I had to work most of the time... some days were 14 hours of work, so my recovery has been this weekend. Tracey and I went up to Marmot yesterday, and despite the massive amounts of snow that has fallen here... found it to be quite skied out in places. Thank goodness for all this snow, or the hill would be a little scary. Tomorrow I plan to tour up the Signal Mountain fire road. Avalanche danger is high, so we never went to Parker's Ridge as we hastily planned... just as well... Tracey is 'under the weather' today and because of that we never made it out for Estelle's Birthday.... Happy Birthday Estelle!!

This week we head into BC for our annual pilgrimage to the Halfway Hot spring trip... this year we plan to make it there more than once.

Hope Everyone had Happy Holidays!

This Weekend in Winter Wonderland

We had an awesome day at Marmot on Friday. It was some of the best skiing I've done in long time, let's hope the snow continues falling.
Saturday we went cross-country skiing to Summit Lakes. The track and snow were nice. 10k was a nice start to our cross-country season. The above picture is taken at Summit Lake looking to Sirdar Mountain behind us.
Today was the xmas domestic day. I baked up a storm and Tracey wrapped the remaining presents that need to go out, some may be late this year. This evening we went over to friends' for the season finally of Survivor. Next weekend: CHRISTMAS! I'm asking for more cold weather and snow!

Christmas Is Comming

Christmas is Coming.. and we're busier than ever!
Tracey and I have guest arriving, Paul and Angela... and Arun for the period after Christmas up until New Years. I'll try to take some photos so that I can post them. Most of our time lately has been devoted to work and Christmas gift prep!. We had planned to go to Half Way Hot Spring on Friday but the plan is now up in the air. We did go to Marmot on Saturday and had a great time.... best snow in three years!
Did you know that I operate the Adventure Press? Check out this site to see it http://jasperadventurecentre.blogspot.com/

From a Canyon of Water to a Canyon of Ice

Within one week, Tracey and I have experienced a tropical canyon of 33'C, to a winter canyon of -25'C. How many people can say they've experienced that?

Dominican Sunset

The Beach east of the RIU and On the Way Home

Waterfall Trip and Sosua Beach

Top Photo: Tracey and Estelle in the bottom pool of our waterfall trip. We ascended seven levels and then slid or jumped down the levels. The fresh water was a gorgeous 24'C... a great relief from the 33'C weather. Bottom Photo: The beach of Sosua.

Paradise Island

Top Photo: Tracey lovin' every minute of it (Rum and all)! My swim trunks are too small. Bottom Photo: Looking North West towards Haiti from Paradise Island.

Paradise Island

Paradise Island was one of our outings while in Dominican Republic. This island is surrounded by a coral reef. The snorkeling was amazing.. the fish ate bananas out of your hand! Next time, I'll have a waterproof camera for all of the fish. I used to be afraid of the ocean, but no more.

Back From the Dominican Republic

Wow

The RD (as they abbreviate it) was awesome. We had a fabulous time and great weather. Our return flight was delayed by 24 hours, so got to spend an extra day there. We arrived back in Jasper late last night. The weather is horrid, it supposed to reach -34'C tonight and with wind chill has already reach that temp. Tracey and I have gone through a 60' C temp change in the last 24 hours. We've gone from humid hot weather to damn dry and cold conditions. Our skin is dry and peeling and itchy all over. Oh well, we loved the week plus we had!

I"m off to Banff for this year's Canadas' West Marketplace. When I get back I"ll post pics and details of our trip to the Dominican Republic. It may take week or so as work is winding up with the opening of the ski shop and the beginning of the Ice walks.

Finshed -- Successfully

I've finally completed my professional level MPHIA examinations. I can now call myself a professional interpreter... sounds kind of silly. Great, it's done... on with life.

Off to the Dominican Republic

Been working lots lately. Other than that I've been learning to use Photoshop and preparing for the Dominican Republic. I'll have lots of pictures to post when I get back.