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Powder Shredding at Backcountry Snowcats

J Dogg — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:42:53 -0500

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Good times cat skiing at Backcountry Snowcats, January 6 & 7, 2008.

Deep Day on the Duffey

J Dogg — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 02:10:26 -0500

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Bit of a late post, but better late than never. At the start of this epic storm cycle we've been having, a huge posse of us (9 I think) headed up the Duff, I mean Duffey Lake Road, for some deeeeep backcountry shredding. A few hour skin up one of our favourite spots led to a wide open, juicy, chute. Slid a bit up top, then opened up for some fast, wide open turns.

Here's a quick and super random video from the day. Doesn't do it any justice, but pretend you're getting the faceshots...

For lunch break we went to check out the new Lodge we'd heard about in the area, only to have the surprise of the weekend. Knocking twice on the door, nobody answered. After a 3rd attempt, a grumpy dude opened the door and quite bluntly explained that it was a private hut. Then tried to make chit chat about what lines we were skiing to change the subject.

RIIIIGHT. A private hut, on public land, cold chillin' right on the lake shore of a ski touring spot that's accessed from the road within an hour. Make that 5 minutes on a sled. Pretty sure it's a memorial hut for someone we have many friends in common with, but hey, guess it's a selfish memorial? Anywho, love to see how long that lasts in an obvious location at a popular ski touring spot that just got published in a travel guide, and soon a ski touring book.

Save the Duffey

J Dogg — Fri, 9 Nov 2007 23:06:01 -0500

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Check it... looks like CRH is applying for a Heliski tenure to that encompasses many rad backcountry skiing areas accessed off the Duffey Lake Road. I'm guessing it's more for the deeper terrain further from the road, but wouldn't hurt to cut the ski touring areas out of the tenure, as per John Baldwin's suggestion in his letter below. I think he sums it up pretty well so here it is...

Here's a link to the MAP, and you can send comments and concerns to:

Andy Oetter
Adventure Tourism Manager
510-175 2nd ave
Kamloops, BC
V2C 5W1
250 371-3932
andy.oetter@gov.bc.ca

Here's John's Letter...

Re: case file 3411014
Application by Coast Range Heliskiing for tenure in the vicinity of Anderson Lk

I am writing with some concerns about the application for heli ski tenure in the vicinity of Anderson Lk.
There are some small portions of their tenure application that are heavily used by backcountry skiers and should be removed from their application.

I understand heli skiing is an important business and that the government is trying to promote its development. I also see that Coast Range Heli Skiing has a large existing tenure and that most of the tenure being applied for is removed from heavily visited areas that will cause user conflicts.

My concern is with areas that are easily accessible from the Duffey Lk road.

Backcounrty Skiing is growing sport involving at least 10,000 people in teh lower mainland alone. I am currently updating a guidebook to ski mountaineering in the Coast Mountains - Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis. There are very few areas accessible to backcountry skiers in winter. The three most accessible areas for backcountry skiing in SW BC are the Duffey Lk area, Garibaldi Park behind Whistler and an area near Coquihalla Summit. Of these the Duffey Lk area is by far the most popular. This is an area that rivals the world renowned backcountry skiing at Roger's Pass. In particular the drainage of Steep Cr which covers Duffey South is one of the busiest areas for backcountry skiing from the Duffey Lk road. It offers some of the easiest access for backcountry skiers to top quality skiing and is well established as known destination. My guess is that there are skiers in there almost every day of the winter with large numbers of people on the weekends and when conditions are good. Allowing heli skiing in this area is not a good idea. It would lead to extensive user conflicts. I feel strongly that the entire Duffey South area should be removed from the application (it is a small portion of the area being applied for). CRH has tenure that is farther back from the road and will not lead to user conflicts and I feel they look to utilize those areas more rather than impinging on existing backcountry ski terrain.

My concerns with the Duffey North area are smaller. Most areas are farther back from the road and not used as heavily so that user conflicts are likely to be less frequent. Any potential conflicts can likely be managed through cooperation between CRH and backcouuntry skiers. An exception is the small portion of the area around the Hurley Silver Mine. This is readily accessible from the Duffey Lk road and is popular with backcountry skiers. The second portion of this area that should be removed is the headwaters of Spruce Cr and the W fork of Haylmore cr as these are very close to the ACC cabin in Marriott Basin and any skiing there would have a strong negative impact on Marriott Basin.

My third concern is regarding their proposed staging area 2 on the Duffey Lk area. This is absolutely the worst place for a staging area for heli skiing. It is right at the busiest part of the Duffey Lk road where backcountry skiers are the most active. It is close to the parking areas for both Marriot and Cerise Cr cabins. Along with nearby Cayoosh, Chief Pascall and Caspar Cr these areas are used constantly throughout the winter.A helicopter staging area here would severely impact the solitude of the most popular backcountry skiing area in SW BC. My suggestion is a staging area on the N side of the area on the Birkenhead road.

I notice that under application # 3410470 CRH is investigating the Gott Downton and Whitecap areas. These areas present much less likelihood for conflicts and should be considered as alternatives to the Duffey South and southern portion of the Duffey North areas.

SUMMARY
I feel all areas on slopes that face the Duffey Lk road should be removed from the tenure application.

DUFFEY SOUTH - remove entirely as it will lead to extensive user conflicts

DUFFEY NORTH - remove small portions adjacent to Marriott Basin and Hurley Silver Mine road.

STAGING AREA #2 - should be removed entirely

Sincerely
John Baldwin
3612 Pt Grey Rd
Vancouver BC
604-733-0042

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J Dogg — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 21:45:19 -0500

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Chillin' on Mt Currie

Mt Currie Heli Drop

J Dogg — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 02:23:26 -0500

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Quick vid from the Mt Currie heli drop. The camera was stuck with me, the sick guy, so the photos are better, and well the real thing was waaaaaay better. Enjoy.

Mt Currie: From The Eye of a Sick Guy

J Dogg — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 02:15:53 -0500

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You'd think it would be hard to blur some of my best & worst ski memories into one day, but a heli drop on Mt Currie while trying to kick some weird virus/flu is just the way to do it. Strolling through the heli pad parking lot on a brisk -18 morning probably wasn't the best way to kick my cold, but Mt Currie awaited.

We flew straight up the face, got all the scoping we could have asked for, then headed over to the neighbouring ridge for a warm-up rip down a steep wind-buffed face. Mat & Jordan went for the goods while I waddled my way down the shoulder, still wearing my puffy, and flirting with the desire to 'lose my breakfast'.

We chucked on the skins and headed up skin track that I guess Powologist had set for us days earlier. While the others lollygagged and cruised up, I did my best impersonation of what it would look like if I was skinning everest... three steps, breath... three steps, breath. The simple motivation being that it was my only way home, otherwise I'd have opted to not climb at all.

At the top, the boys went for a sunny glory lap back down the bowl, while I curled up in self-pitty and napped on my backpack until their return.

When they caught back up, the real fun began. We topped out and peeked into the skiers right, skinny pencil chute.

WIth no harnesses and no easy entrance in sight, sick me started wandering up the ridge on his own, in hopes of finding any sane and easy way down the north face of Currie for a sick gorbie like myself. The boyz hollared something about "it might go... just a 10 ft air to what looks kinda soft!". Hmmmm, nothing like airing into a 7000ft doglegging chute/face on a day when i could barely walk straight. So i continued wandering.

I tried to yell where i was going, but without a voice, it wasn't much use, so on i trucked, while they dropped like flies into the chute.

But laziness conquered, and when i got to the skiers left pencil, saw that the previous shredders had rappeled in, my luck was running out. Easiest way to catch up was to punch myself in the face a few times, wake up, jump the cornice, and shred like a fat chain smoker down 3000ft of oh-so-juicey pow by myself until the chutes meet up in the pow fields below.

We all met up, exchanged laughs and disses about who left who when and why, then dragged our sorry butts down a couple thousand feet of SOLID ICE avi debris and drooping alder bush wacking.

All in all it was easily some of my best and worst shredding memories wrapped up in one little package. And hey, I sure felt better at the end of the day than I did the day previous, after 3 hours in IKEA.

Moral of the story: "Don't get sick, and if you do, Don't go to IKEA." Or maybe there's another moral, for the whole entire 06/07 season... "Bring out the cough medicine, cause it's gonna be sick".

"One of these kids is not like the other"

Accomplises: Mathieu Miller, Andre Charland, Jordan Manley, Scott Medcalf, and my sick stunt double. Not sick in a good way.

Photos: Jordan Manley

VIEW THE VIDEO CLIP>>>

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J Dogg — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 02:11:57 -0500

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J Dogg — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 02:09:47 -0500

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Pencil chute on Mt Currie. Jordan Manley photo.

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J Dogg — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 02:07:59 -0500

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J Dogg — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 02:06:13 -0500

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J Dogg — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 02:04:08 -0500

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Andre checking out our turns. Jordan Manley photo.

Descending From Tenquille

AndreCharland — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 19:45:00 -0400

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Kris Sutherland and Charlotte Klein descending through a slide path at the start of the descent from Tenquille Lake. Pemberton, BC.