Oh, hello… Mountains. I didn’t see you there.

I know it’s been a while since I last posted about you, but I haven’t forgotten. I promise. It’s just that I’ve been busy, see? So busy that I haven’t had time to post your sexy photos online… But that changes now!

Helicopter travel is a marvel of the modern world. No matter how many times I fly, I get the same giddy anticipation as the engine spools up and the sheer joy as the fragile machine I’ve committed my life to rises straight up into the blue. Helicopters are cool.

Lines, lines, everywhere there’s lines. To be skied. One day. Maybe.

Heading out haaaaawwwwt! When the pilot flies away over the ridge, we won’t see a fresh face for 5 days.

Opportunities to fly kegs into remote backcountry zones are few and far between (helicopters are expensive), but a trio of 40th birthdays is excellent motivation and the rewards are oh-so worthwhile.

It might be a little awkward when the keg freezes and you have to move it inside (next to the stove), but the upside is not having to go outside to refill. Gonna mark that as a win.

Fresh lines and blue skies out the back door.

Glacier travel can be meditative, so long as you don’t fall in a hole.

The Crevasseholes enjoy long walks on glaciers in the sunshine, anyone else?

Someone didn’t bring sunglasses on a week-long glacier walking extravaganza, but thankfully there’s an abundance of shades. Tally-ho!

Farther and farther and farther from home. Where are we going again? Oh right, further.

Maybe the top is just over this next crest!

Wrong! Maybe it’s over the next crest?!

Still wrong. It’s always at least 7x farther than you think.

One of the birthday contingent soaking up some epic Golden Hour light on a relentless march towards happy hour.

The sun drops below the horizon on the first day of a leg-crushing week of glacier fresh tasting pow and we contemplate the another spin around our axis. What will tomorrow bring? More sun, perhaps? Fresh snow? I don’t really care, so long as it’s not avalanches. Fnck avalanches. We’re here for a good time and a long time, but there’s no time for ‘lanches.

It may be early, but I’m pretty sure this is how you do it. (pic = Chris Wren)

Climbing and climbing and climbing and climbing. Are we there yet? No. Also, shut up. Please. Thank you.

Skinning for the sky. Get used to this view, JS tends to blaze a lot of trail.

Chris, entering a state of deep contemplation, satisfaction and perhaps intimidation.

Walking in straight lines is boring. We like to spice it up with random directional modifications.

Nothing makes you feel quite as insignificant as walking through this landscape. No trees, no people, and no real signs of human impact – just vast receding glaciers. Wait – that’s an impact. Whoooopsie-doodle! Maybe we are significant after all? Whatever, that helicopter was sweet.

A couple of birthday boys mid-celebration – the stoke is real!

This is what it looks like when you think you’re walking in a straight line on a glacier. To be clear, you’re not.

Ben surveys the great whiteness beyond. Results = inconclusive, with further investigation required.

Group shot with some big objectives as backdrop – and another opportunity to check in on our perspective. Everyone happy? Anyone want to go back to work? Yes, then no, respectively.

Here’s the part where we all spread out and travel in different directions home. Last one back has to kegstand. Last one not back might be a crevassehole.

Future objectives – maybe tomorrow, maybe everyday from now on. This is my home now.

JS’s first turns on the windsifted pow fields seem pretty good.

Epic locations make for beautiful turns and big smiles from Simon.

Little drops on weird windlips make for cool photos.

Snowboard carves on the scale of the landscape = big.

Riding the ridge with one helluva scenic backdrop. Can’t get enough these textures in the low winter light.

Happy boy, deep into the birthday festivities and eagerly anticipating the celebratory victory beverages that await. Perhaps it will be Margaritas? Negroni’s? Boxed wine? All of the above? Only the bartender knows.

Laydown pow slash. Is he falling or turning? Is there a difference? Does it matter? Not when the stoke is this high.

Out of focus paparazzi sneaker shot through the foliage.

Chris is an expert at high fives, low fives and is working on his mid-fives, pictured here. Looks like he’s got it dialed.

The tourist performing a million hop turns in some sunny pow. My legs are tired just thinking about it.

Dropping from the top on a fun run through the trees. Neato.

Tyler single-gunning the way to après… downhill.

Simon and Andrew tag-team the sunny pow for an afternoon glory lap down to the moraine.

Tiny, happy people in a big landscape… Or are they?

Here they are! But why are they on the moon? Weird, but we’ll roll with it for now.

 

End of Day 2 and Part 1 – there’s lots more days and fun to come, so stay tuned!