Darren Proctor Memorial Avalanche Olympics

This past weekend a group of friends and family of Darren Proctor gathered in Whistler to commemorate his passing 10 years ago. Part 1 was the Avalanche Olympics on Tricouni Mountain Saturday morning. This consisted of timed beacon searches run in 3 man heats. The top 3 made it to the final where they each had to find 2 beacons. Winner take all - $500. The weather threatened for a while, but in the end the clouds parted and gave us some love. Thanks Proctor!

Akasha checks in. Stu photo.

Kevin, Mel & Darren getting busy at the grill with Cam.

Vanessa Stark digging for cash! Stu photo.


The finalists - Abby, Dave B & Helen. Stu photo.

Stu tabulating.

Fastest of the day - Abby! Stu photo.

After catching the end of the Grillers game (they won) everyone met down at Whistler Creek to spread Darren's remaining ashes. Then it was off to Creekbread for eats and awards.

C.S.M.

A drink for our brother Prox.

Creekbread Mob.

BJ and Age.

Chris Miron & Dave B.

Steve Sherlock of course.

Wes, Seb & Tosh in the house.

Stu & Abby.

It's hard to believe it has been 10 years since Proctor passed on. Great to see everyone. Thanks to Stu for spearheading the 1st annual Avalanche Olympics. The plan is to make it an annual event in December. Watch for it next season.

Surf & Snow

Scott Rowley just cruised through Pemberton on his way to Revelstoke from Vancouver Island. He's been bouncing back and forth between surf and snow all season, scoring wherever he goes.

We did a quick tour off the Duffey on a day that didn't hold much promise and found good snow in this little corner of the zone. I got to try out Jonaven's new Jones splitboard "The Solution" and can say it's definitely a nice ride. Here's a little clip of my first turns on Jones' new product.

Tantalus

Just spent 3 days in the Tantalus Range. We got a lift from Black Tusk Helicopters out of Squamish on a Thursday morning. The views from above the Rumbling Glacier were nothing short of spectacular. I could see from Mount Currie to Mount Baker. Jeremy Jones joined Jonaven to tag lines above the Squamish Valley for the "Deeper" project. The weather couldn't have been better for snow camping and touring. Sunny skies and not much wind. The east facing slopes we wanted to film demanded early morning starts so we could be done with them before the sun heated up too much. Skinning across a glacier in the dark with a headlamp was definitely a new experience for me. It was surreal to be so close to Highway 99 (full cell service) and be in the middle of some serious gnar at the same time. I've been driving past the Tantalus on Highway 99 for my entire life. To finally spend some time up there was very satisfying.

Home for 3 days.

Mt. Tantalus and the Rumbling Glacier.

Snow pits & test slopes on Day 1.

Jonaven and the Rumbling Glacier.

Jonaven climbing to his bivy spot around the corner. He spent the night on top of his line so he could ride it at sunrise.

Camp with Garibaldi in the distance.

Jones climbed right up this line in about 30 minutes. He then slayed it in about 1 minute.

Mikey Nixon was along for the excursion. Big smiles.

The clouds rolled in Saturday afternoon.

Ten minutes later we were in Squamish swatting mosquitoes.

Winter Returns to Pemberton

What a strange snow season we're having here in B.C. Most of February felt more like April. Bike trails were being ridden, the valley was green and it felt as though winter was finished. Then the temps dropped and low pressure systems in the gulf started spinning. March has brought a welcome return to winter (at least on the top half of the mountains).

Last weekend we stayed overnight in a cabin off the Duffey Lake Road. Dan Milner (over from France to take some photos) and I trekked into the shelter Friday night towing crazy carpets. Jonaven & his dogs (from here on known as Johnny 2 Dogs) and Dave B. met us there early Saturday morning and we were off to the fresh powder.

Full load. Thanks for the pic Dan.

Dave B's stack before...

...and after.

Lunchtime in the trees.

Dognap.

Touring up to...

the upper playground.

We spent two days shooting footage in the storm for "Deeper." Snow stability was less than bomber, but we were still able to get some decent shots on smaller terrain. All in all it was a great two days in the snow.