Okanagan Pow

Well another epic road trip has come and gone. I’ve been away from the Kootenays FAR too long.

The problem is that they are just so far away. I like to stop at Apex, which is half way, so that I can ski in the daytime and drive at night. Tis time I was tempted to drive straight through as a buddy of mine was caught in an avalanche a few days earlier and got a bit hurt, but I figured (rightly so) that he couldn’t ski so I could catch up with him easily.

Good thing I stopped. Apex is enjoying awesome conditions this year.

This sequence is taken in just out of bounds on a small peak called Secondary, in a chute usually referred to as Mainline.

That’s Gary Vollett, former pro tour ski racer chewing it up in there.

What you don’t get to see is him bailing out. Headplants are one way to get face shots I guess. The other tracks are mine and Wendell’s.

This last shot sucks for so many reasons, and it rules because you can see how deep and floofy the snow is. What can I say? I’ve been taking bike shots all year.

Had to leave about an hour after this. Could the Kootenays be any better than this? Does it get better than this?

More Seymour Stuff

August 16th was just one of those days. Not the bad kind, but the really really good kind.

For some strange quirk of the universe, I have a bit of a hole in the usual frantic summer schedule (since extended by the trail closures). What better excuse to kick back and actually enjoy summer again for a change. In the midst of my slacking off, doing butt-&^%$ nothing, I got a call from an old riding buddy.

Wanna get up at the crack of dawn and go wake boarding?

Hell yeah!

Anyway, it wasn’t quite as good as that pic would lead you to believe, but it was pretty good nonetheless.

I had three bails hard enough to come right outta the bindings.

On the way back in I ran into Clicker and Brent. Brent is, among other things, the president of Ryders Eyewear.

I was too tired to participate, but I agreed to come along for “safety reasons.” Besides, they were skiing not boarding and I can’t water ski for shite.

After that little cruise, where Brent definitely got ski of the day, I ran into Chaz who wanted to go up Seymour for a little spin.

So we did. After the ride, we grabbed Barb and went up the ARm to drink beer.

The arm.

The beer.

Get off the phone Chaz.

The coolest thing was the tour of the Indian pictographs. I’ve lived here for thirty years and I haven’t seen these ones before. Super cool.

Came home and passed out. But not for long because Corky, who just returned from Oakley to the Cove Bike Shop, was having a pig roast.

I will leave you with these images as they are. One last word, I made it to my friends wedding on the way home. Congrats to PK and Feesh. G’luck, eh?