Epically Excellent

 

Yesterday Stuey and I skate skied up the Salonie Creek Valley to the canyon.  The crust cruising conditions are about as good as they get.  Like once every few years good.  Or as I described to a friend, 'Epically Excellent'.  A firm but not icy crust with a dusting of about 1/2 inch of powder on top.  The powder is fast and keeps the ski rattle noise down.  So it is fast and silent skate skiing.  And while the temperature was below freezing (key for a fast crust) it felt warm in the sun.  Perfect conditions!

So good that we'll be going back again today.  But today I am a little worried because it is so windy. I am hopeful that since the valley is in the lee of Kashevaroff Mountain that it will not be too windy.

My favorite part is flitting through the trees. The shadows and nearby trees make it seem like you are going really fast.  It feels like you are in an adventure movie.  We followed meandering bear tracks that were a few days old up the valley.  We scanned the slopes of Kashevaroff looking for the bear because that's where he will be - basking in the sunshine out of the wind on the south facing slope.  But all we saw was a mountain goat getting in some sun on the sunny slope.

Patrick 

Yes those are bear tracks in the foreground