sand solutions

***archives***************************************************************matpackingvancouverisland********wintersolstice24*************

Not sure how we talked ourselves into this being a good idea. A weeklong, 200-mile biking loop through southern vancouver island.... on the winter solstice..... carrying our camping gear.... and our surf mats, fins, and wetsuits. Why? Still trying to figure that out. Needless to say, it went about as well as you would expect. It rained every day (except for the day it SNOWED), we got terrible waves, tears were shed, and I still can feel the cold and the wet even years later. 

***gradschooldays******************************************************************* volcanoseason**************************spring26***********

A broken shoulder, record-low snowpack, and research responsibilities did their best to limit volcano season for me this year... and they did a pretty good job at that. Still, a few outings were made

Pole Creek -> North Sister 

Shoulder was finally feeling good enough.... Ambitious plans were made with my good buddies Will and Luke for an early morning couloir lap, with backup Villard face option depending on stability. About ~ 1.5 feet of dense late-season snow had fallen a few days prior, with temps being relatively cool but due to warm up sooner rather than later. 5 am start led to the most rapid warming I have ever seen in my time in the mountains. By 9am we were forced to bail halfway up Villard due to the deteriorating snowpack. 600 feet of terribly skiing, thigh-burning, sticky wet pow back to the treeline.... Went for the alternate route out and had an all-time bad bushwack. Just enough snow to be impossible to boot through, but not enough snow to cover the deadfall and ski over. Seemingly endless game of log step and transitioning for 3 hours....  not my finest moment(s)

Pole Creek -> Hayden Glacier

Seeking redemption, headed back out a week later to middle sister for some prime corn conditions with the Mrs.... and corn was harvested. Few miles of skis on back walking, transitioned near the base of the glacier. Another few hours of easy skinning and we stood at the top of the notch near Prouty Point! Shockingly, the upper reaches had received an inch or two of fresh snow overnight, with a few areas collecting close to 8-10' where the wind blew. Debate was had as to whether we ski the freshies while still cold, or wait a little longer for the corn in the middle to thaw out. Opted to drop asap, and was rewarded with some stellar turns on the upper few hundred feet of the glacier. A little icy and rain-runnled through the upper-middle, transitioning into smooth, creamy corn through the bottom. How lucky are we?

South Sister

Little wrap up for the season. With Cascade Lakes Highway opening up for the summer, decided to make the pilgrimage to south sister with the Mrs., our buddy Jackson, and damn near half of Bend. A fun social mountain outing, great to be amongst all of it. COverage was a mixed bag. Tennis shoes out of the carpark for a few miles, transitioning to skis as we got towards the steeps below the golf course. The zone ended up being an iced-over nightmare, and after some near tears from the team we opted to take off the skis and follow the exposed patches of dirt we could find. Back to skins across the golf course, then crampons for an icy pitch 1/3 of the way up, back to skins, into a dirt patch ski carry, skins again, and finally booting towards the summit. Before route choice can be questioned, every other soul on the mountain underwent a similar experience.  Skiing-wise, was better than expected, with some pretty dang fun corn for most of it. Lack of sleep and too much work led to a far worse fitness day than Hayden Glacier; ended up being a 12-hour slog. Was not aided by the number of transitions necessary. So it goes.

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