T and I went to Looper Canyon this past weekend to dip a toe into the canyoneering world. It was a good opportunity to get a feel for the activity and decide if it’s something we want to pursue further. I’ve been learning to climb lately and I hope to take it outdoors this month and eventually into the… Read More Looper Canyon
This past week I made my first attempt at the Stein South Divide Ski/Raft route. I had given myself an 80% chance of completing the route but I wasn’t able to, instead getting 25% of the way in before turning back. The first day I broke a tip loop on one of my climbing skins and… Read More Stein South Divide: Attempt 1 Recap
Since 2012 the southern skyline of the Stein Valley has been, for me, the pinnacle of outdoor aspiration. I first glimpsed it in 2010 – heavily glaciated, remote and punctuated on the eastern end by Skihist, the highest peak in Southwestern BC. I wasn’t capable of conceiving a traverse of it then. I mentally added it to the top of… Read More 2016 Winter Hard Trip: Stein South Divide
Since tales of backcountry rescue are making the rounds I’ll share my closest calls. By far the closest I’ve came to being rescued was New Years 2011/2012. My wife and I, along with 3 friends, were out for a few days of backcountry skiing in dicey avy conditions. We knew the avy risk forecast was high, but… Read More My Closest Calls
My wife and I headed out for a short ski traverse over the holidays targeted more at chasing powder than covering miles. I figured we’d link two of our favourite backcountry cabins with a possibly, but probably not, untried route. On Google Earth it looked good to go. Joined by a couple friends, we headed into… Read More A Complacent Powder Traverse
Summer has been good. So good I’ve fallen far behind at blogging about it. Instead of trying to catch up with trip reports that are months over due, I’ve compiled of my 10 favourite photos from the summer. They might not all be Nat Geo worthy but they’re visceral links for me.
I’ve written the first draft of a guide to the Stein Valley Provincial Park in the southern coast mountains of BC, Canada. It can be found at the new Stein page: https://intocascadia.com/stein-valley-park-guide/ The Stein is a really cool area with huge recreation potential, yet ultra low usage. It contains dramatic peaks, packrafting, hiking, mountaineering, glaciers… Read More Guide: Stein Valley Park
