For my first Adventure of 2012 I decided to try something new and take on Ice Climbing. From January 6th to the 11th, 15 students from the Adventure Guide Diploma at TRU embarked on a road trip of epic proportions. Here in lies the photo journal of our adventure as well as a video of my first time on ice.
Here is a link to the video of my first time on ice
November 4th some fellow Adventure students and I headed out to the Duffy Lake Road for a much needed pow session. We had perfect weather and used the summer route access to head out to Keith’s hut. We took our skis on and off a lot on the approach but the powder was worth it. Below are a few photo’s from the trip and a video link of our epic adventure.
Here is an edit of the weekend
This fall semester at TRU I was scheduled to take two rock climbing courses focused on trad climbing and guide training. The first week we had non-stop sunshine and perfect weather. The second week we were not so lucky.
The culmination of our two weeks of climbing course in Squamish ended with us having a fun day leading a new route put up this year called Skywalker. Here are some photos from the day.
Photo credit goes to Shaun King our awesome guide and fearless leader. Check him out at www.mountainsense.ca
On Aug 04 I set out on my second attempt at the mountaineers route up the NE Arete on Wedge Mt, the highest summit in the Garibaldi park. The weather that day was cloudy and a cool breeze dominated the afternoon sun. It was perfect conditions for a summit. After 3.5 hrs of sweaty hiking, skis, boots, ice axes and just enough hardware to make us feel like we might never reach the hut. We were greeted by some mountaineering on their way down from a successful attempt at the summit. They wished us luck and continued their descent. The mountaineers route is not easy feat. It requires perfect temperatures and impeccable timing. One of which was not on our side the next morning at 3 am when we rolled out the cabin door and gazed faithfully at the stars in a moment of unwavering confidence and certainty. Our climb to the summit would be a tale of tales, a dominance of epic proportions, a success story that resonated through family and friends as one of many accomplishments on a list of successes that define our awesomeness.
Ya NO!
By 8am we were knee deep (literally) in our mission. So there we are climbing excitedly across a boulder ridden knife edge covered in just enough sloppy snow to make anyone nervous I think to myself for a moment about our plan to reach the summit. Ok, so we only have a rope team of two but we are experienced and we have brought with us the proper pro….but we haven’t tested the viscosity of our friend the sun baked east face so we stop on curiosities request and pop in a picket. As I put my full feminine figure into the picket it pulls out like caramel and my ice axe becomes my unexpected savior.
Now the bells are ringing in my head.
1. Knee deep post holes
2. Cornices dropping like flies
3. Pickets pulling out like caramel
On the plus side we still have an entire glacier to ski down and our yummy lunch to look forward to but I can’t help but hear the laughter of the beating hot sun on my face. How ironic that I spent the entire summer praying if not begging for a day without a cloud in the sky but that it happens to be at the same time I am making a second attempt at my favorite route.
I cannot say much more other than it was sooo much fun. We climbed 3/4 of the way there, turned around at the crux and skied our way back to happier thoughts and the bottom of Wedge Gl. My friend tells me the next day that for him Wedge was a third times the charm kind of mission and my ego subsides. But as time passes I grow more and more obsessed with my mission.
So in an fit of yearning I must say before I leave you with some pictures of our adventure. I will get you NE Arete. You will be mine, oh yes you will be mine.
WEDGE MT AND THE LAST PITCH OF THE NE ARETE
THE BEGINNING
OUR HOME FOR THE NIGHT
THE WAITING GAME
Mmmmm DINNER
SO CLOSE YET SO FAR
SAD FACE
I JUST SAW A HUMMINGBIRD
LAYING IN THE SUN
LUNCH
ALL SMILES
NEXT TIME
Why do we climb? I began climbing about 2 years ago and only in the past year has my love been exponentially increasing. I climb because fear is a huge aspect in my life. The fear of failure is the only true barrier to success.
Fear rules so many lives, and popular convention holds that climbing is risky business, ‘dangerous stuff’ to be avoided. The view from the inside is neither as simple nor worrisome. Good climbers develop a fine , well-balanced relationship with fear. Instead of allowing it to paralyze when trouble brews, its energy is turned into a positive tool for overcoming dramas high above the ground. This ripples off into many aspects of life. To non-climbers, it can be a paradox that development of such a skill brings an easy calmness, but that it does, and climbers are widely admired for it. (Canadian Rock, Select Climbs of the West, Kevin McLane, 2010)
Climbing has helped me control my inner voices. It has complimented my skiing and has opened doors to routes that before were out of my reach. Here is to the spawn of a new love, and the hope that this relationship lasts a long time.
DIEDRE 5.8 a conquered classic
Onsight
Squamich chief-Apron
The first pitch a run out slab
More run out slab, remember to protect your second even if they are capable of soloing the route in approach shoes!
Getting steeper!
Stoked I am rocking this climb.
Who doesn’t love Squamish slab!
Check out my placements yo!
After the sting, I was pretty stoked on my on-sight lead and the tattooed tree at the top.
Since when did we stop dreaming? When did we grow up and say, ok time to get a real job. What is a real job? Sitting at a desk, starring at the wall wishing you could be in a better place; bringing home the pay check at the end of the day so you can fix the broken tap on your kitchen sink? Boring! I say there is more to life than compensating, more to skiing than weekends and more to a career than just sitting at a desk surrounded by cork board.
Perhaps a different perspective;
I am an adventure student. While you write papers, I write in the rain. While you study biology I look for fun facts on sea cucumbers. When you’re cramming for your final exam, I am riding the waves in a sea kayak in Tofino. Adventure is that little voice inside that tells you to get outside and experience life. That’s what we do at TRU in the Adventure Guide Diploma. We experience firsthand what it takes to be an adventurer. We are leaders of men and women and we live the dream.
This year in my life as an Adventure Student I have been to many places. Most recently I have been to a place beyond the confines of chalk, pencils, and PowerPoint’s. A quiet place, measured only by your ability to dream. Our transporter was Golden Alpine Holidays and they took us to their backcountry getaway; Sunrise lodge. Guess why they call it that? We skied, we toured, we snow caved and we summitted. It was an adventure worth living, in a world worth exploring and as simple as that is there is something about it that seems to quiet your mind.
I climb, I kayak, I ski, and I study and that is my student life. Don’t get me wrong we party hard, but mainly we are busy planning expeditions up Aconcagua or circum navigating the Pacific on a sail boat. We are in a world where the confines of day to day life do not apply. Sure we may be the only students in class during reading week but when you’re halfway through your semester ours is done and we are back to the great outdoors. It’s a world where it doesn’t matter why your here or how you got here or where you’re going. The fact is your here and this is now. This program will stretch your view of what you are capable of. If you’re looking for an adventure, or just an experience there is a place where, in a small desert town, living the dream can become your reality.
Wrangle the Chute is a competition involving three different skill testing tasks. The first is your big mountain run, the second is the step up booter, and the third is the bucking bronco.The event defiantly separates the city boys from the cowboys and makes you want to put on a good show. Bryan Coles did a great job with event organization and we were thankful to have him around all weekend. I don’t have much to say about Wrangle the Chute this year because I mangled my shit. However I did have a great time with the Rossignol crew. Thank you to Marie @ Rossignol for making it all possible and to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort for hosting one of the most progressive competitions on the Canadian Circuit.
Kasie Stroshin riding the bronco
The event from a athlete perspective
Logan Pehota my little hero
Darryl on the booter, represent’in
Best cliff drop Darryl Treadway
Its a new year and Jan 12 I headed down to Rossland BC again for the competition that started it all. This year was the 10th anniversary of the competition. Congratulation’s Red Mountain! The competition is a FWT Qualifier, and the first of the season. Head judge of the FWT Jim Norm Jack, showed his support for the classic event, offering pre-qualified positions on the FWT, to the top two of both the male and female contingencies.
Head judge of the Canadian Tour Jeff Holden claimed “PRIZES, PRIZES, PRIZES“ again this year as our sponsors for the event included: Kokanee, Dakine, SBC Skier, Smith, Elan, NewSchoolers, O`neill, and of course Stikeman Elliott. Leif Zapfe Giliefe, and Matt Cote stood alongside Holden again this year to complete the judging pannel.
The qualifier went off despite the low lying fog that haunted the competition all weekend.
Ladies’
1. Kasie Stroshin 26
2. Laura Silva 25.77
3. Rachel Findler 25.5
4. Leah Evans 25.47
5. Tatum Monod 25.17
6. Julie Thomas 24.6
7. Chelsea Sullivan 22.33
8. Meagan Klassen 20.07
9. Sonja Lercher 19.53
10. Nicole Derken 19.4
11. McKenna Peterson 17.73
12. Alex Reidman 17.33
13. Bergljot Stoer 17.17
14. Martha Burley 16.77
15. Caley Mulholland 15.9
16. Jaclyn Galbraith 15.13
CUT
Mens’
1. Alex Wall 31.17
2. Nick Leboe 30.5
3. CJ Wright 28.53
4. Carter McMillan 28.47
5. Lars Chickering-Ayers 28.17
6. Yu Sasaki 27.9
7. Colston VB 27.83
8. Silas Chickering-Ayers 27.67
9. Thomas Wilson 27.5
10. Michael Legare 26.2
11. Troy Erickson 26.17
12. Andrew Draper 25.83
13. Laurent Guthier 25.27
14. Cody Erwin 24.37
15. Chuck Mumford 24.33
16. Luke Nelson 24.33
17. Matt Francisty 24.17
18. Jesse Montandon 24.13
19. Marshall Dempster 23.93
20. Guillaume Vassas 23.7
21. Rasmus Ekman 23.53
22. Leif Coughlin 23.33
23. George Ezard 23.3
24. Ross Jansen 23
25. Ben Ogilvie 22.6
26. Vincent Martin 22.5
27. Graeme Bell 22.33
28. Nathan Heintz 22.17
29. Shikaichi Ueki 21.67
30. Dillon Crossman 21.17
31. Ryan Hawks 20.83
32. Eric Young 20.8
33. Jason Johnston 19.33
34. Adam Siltanen 19.13
CUT
Portrait by Vince Shuley
Day two of the competition was called a weather day, and then later cancelled entirely. With everyone making it to the finals the stoke level was high. As day three rolled around the fog lifted but split judging was the final call due to the rolling fog expected.
1 Kasie Stroshin
2 Julie Thomas
3 Rachel Findler
4 Tatum Monod
5 Leah Evans
6 Laura Sliva
7 Sonja Lercher
8 Chelsea Sullivan
9 Nicole Derksen
10 McKenna Peterson
11 Martha Burley
12 Bergljot Stoer
13 Meagan Klassen
14 Alex Riedman
15 Caley Mulholland
16 Jaclyn Galbraith
Cut
1 CJ Wright
2 Alex Wall
3 Lars Chickering-Ayers
4 Colston VB
5Michael Legare
6 Carter McMillan
7 Silas Chickering-Ayers
8Thomas Wilson
9 Nick Leboe
10 Luke Nelson
11 Laurent Gauthier
12 Troy Erickson
13 Eric Young
14 Dillon Crossman
15 Ross Jansen
16 Chuck Mumford
17 Matt Francisty
18 Andrew Draper
19 Cody Erwin
20 Jesse Montandon
21 Nathan Heintz
22 Rasmus Ekman
23 Ben Ogilvie
24 Yu Sasaki
25 Leif Coughlin
26 Ryan Hawks
27 George Ezard
28 Vincent Martin
29 Marshall Dempster
30 Shikaichi Ueki
31 Jason Johnston
32 Graeme Bell
33 Guillaume Vassas
34 Adam Siltanen
Cut
Photographs by Vince Shuley
POINTING TO THE SUMMIT
