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The
Spring Tour For me, the spring also brings some sweet sliding and to that end, my patient bride (Wendy) and myself decided to punt the kids and put together a much-needed 10-day tour visiting our favorite spots in Western Canada with Rossland as our focal point. We arrived in Calgary to find that the weather was warm and sunny throughout the area and decided to head west to Golden, BC to get the ball rolling. Neither of us had been to the new Whitetooth and thought a day or two there would get our legs and tans in shape for the assault on Red. Of course the usual interesting sights occurred along the way washed out roads and a train derailment (boxcars in the river - kinda cool if your not in the business). What we found was awesome overall terrain, good snow up top, steeps galore and the most irritating lift system that we had ever experienced. A paltry 29 cars to take everyone up to the top with no mid-station. Day one with no vis and heavy snow, we thought a trip over to the east side through the trees made some sense, until of course we committed and found it was basically steep ice (looked good from the Gondola?). After Wendy crashed and continued down the ridge for about 500 feet, she suggested a beer would be in order. Who was I to disagree with that logic, in that I thought I would be killed by her at the first opportunity! At the bar we were welcomed by Juniper. One of those "just happy to be alive" kind of people that kept us entertained for the better part of the evening. When I jokingly asked if she had a sister named Iris she politely replied, "no but she had a brother named Jeremiah". Go figure! We were rewarded Day two with good vis, sunny skies and about a foot of fresh at the top. We giggled for the better part of the morning playing on CPR Ridge, but felt we should get on the road and head to Red. In all, 8 runs over two days. Impressive vertical, but a lack of service. Since the roads and weather were both generally good, we thought the Shelter Bay/Galena Ferry made some sense to save time and distance so off we went. I wanted to make sure that I got to the dock with plenty of time to spare because of past experience in Balfour. Never taking the route before I was quite surprised to find no one else waiting. Literally, no one was there. We got across with no trouble and continued on through Nakusp (great hot springs) and the Slocan Valley conveniently arriving at the Rock Cut Pub at dinnertime. A beautiful drive to say the least. My slimed down chubby friend Warren greeted us at the door and the festivities got under way. After a reasonably tame night, Wendy and I set out for a day of cruising the spring snow all over the mountain. The spring skiing was fabulous all over the mountain and we carved it up for three days. A highlight was getting busted by the speed police because of the truly excellent cruising conditions. We of course were compliant with the constable and slowed down after being scolded and told to go do it in the trees where no one would get hurt (except us of course!). There's a first for everything. On top of the skiing, the weather was wonderful. We spent an inordinate amount of time on the deck sipping some of our favorite bevy's and watching the FIS race on Red. We also met Chas. and Dan a couple of American diehards that were heading for Gray for the first time. Outside of the pole breaking dismount off of the Granite chair and a binding problem upon descent, they were all smiles when we saw them again later in the day. Congrats guys and thanks for the invite to the bash that evening, we had a great time. Olive Oyl's once again proved to be a great place for a gourmet meal in town or anywhere for that fact. Great service, food and prices bring us back every time. Our last night also proved to be a profitable one. Warren's lovely wife filled us in on Keno and we proceeded to win $400.00. What a town! We would also like to thank Jim Greene at Red for his hospitality and Mark and family at the Thrift Lodge for some great accommodations. Of course, thanks also go to Warren, Karen, Steve, and the entire staff at the Rock Cut for their gracious hospitality while we were in town. The comfortable atmosphere and friendly service makes it a 'must go' if in Rossland. Back on the road to Fernie the next morning led us to a seemingly uneventful day of cement skiing and the desire to seek out some fresh before we had to head back. Well, we got it. We thought that it might be some April Fools gag as we traveled through Crow's Nest Pass in a blizzard, but alas it was not. By the time we got to Castle in southern Alberta, there was in excess of 40cms in the parking lot. Speaking of parking lot, if there were 20 cars I would be exaggerating. Lots of fresh, no one there, sun starting to come through as the storm subsided - Ya Baby!! I actually started wondering if Warren Miller was going to show up. Long story short, about 18 inches up top and in the trees. Face shots galore for two days before it got skied out. A nice spring surprise to say the least (giggle, giggle). A great adventure for the two of us with a great ending to the season. That's it for this year campers, its off to the golf course to hit a few balls and think about what was and what is in store for next season! Have a great summer! Rock
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