Valhalla Catskiing. Jan 11 & 12.
team Rossi @ Valhalla Powdercats from rossignol on Vimeo.
On Sunday morning our crew left the Best Western in Nelson and drove to Grand Junction to the Valhalla/Snowwater main office. From there we loaded an old school bus that had been painted blue and we drove for about 45 minutes before re-loading into the cat and heading up the Valhalla catskiing tenur.
Once we reached the summit of Huckleberry Bowl I knew we were going to be having an awesome couple of days. The terrain was the steepest I’d seen at a catskiing operation and there were features to play on everywhere. We ski’d a hot lap right off the bat and then headed back up to do it again. Throughout the day we shot on some pillow lines, jumps we had stepped out and even snapped some good ol fashioned pow slashes.
On Monday things began to heat up. Our crew split into two groups. Lindsay Dyer, Hopkins and I did some stills with Blake Jorgensen and Ian, Sage and Kye filmed with Crosland. Unfortunately Hopkins uncovered a stick while doing a turn and took it right in the butt. He went pale with shock and Paddy and Newell decided it would be best to make their way out with Mike so he could be checked at the clinic. By the time they made it back to the vehicles Mike felt well enough to drive home. I was glad to hear he had no major injuries and would be meeting us in Revelstoke later today.
The rest of us made the best of our last day at Valhalla. Kye did a couple memorable lines including a steep shelf to drop, a massive cliff and a good sized double. Ian chucked his meat off the biggest cliff he could find and stomped. Sage had an awesome straight line from the top and I scoped my own line from the bowl over. It was refreshing to get some variety in our lines since we’d been skiing trees and booters almost exclusively in the last week or so.
SnoH20 Lodge. Rossignol team shoot. Jan 5-8.
Rossi Team sessions at SnoH20 from rossignol on Vimeo.
On Monday morning Paddy Kaye picked me up in Pemberton as the snowflakes accumulated outside my door. It was the first real snow storm since the dreaded arctic outflow which caused a high pressure system in Whistler and left us with really cold temperatures and no precipitation. Fortunately luck was on our side as we had no problem driving over the Duffey Lake road (which closes when conditions are too dangerous for drivers).
This year Jason Newell and Paddy Kaye combined forces with Jim Bolser and Bob Legasa at Peak Video Productions and brought their team to the Kootenays for some pictures, video, and sessions. This time around we’re lucky enough to be guests at Snowwater catskiing lodge just outside of Nelson, BC. Paddy and I arrived Monday evening just in time for dinner. Ian Mcintosh, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Kye Petersen and Mike Hopkins had pulled in a few hours earlier and were already settled in.
Rossignol team portrait. Photo: Bryan Ralph
Our first day started at 7:30am with a breakfast buffet in the main lodge. I had a hefty helping of my favourite breakfast foods along with a tall glass of juice. After eating we were introduced to our guides, and given a refresher on the use of our transievers to search for victims of an avalanche. Next we met Paul our pilot who showed us the proper protocol for moving safely around helicopters. The avalanche danger is extremely high around British Columbia right now so it is very important for us to listen to the guides and do our best to keep everyone in our group safe. The first ski day was a success! We did multiple heli drops and got some good footage and some darn good turns. To top it all off we had an amazing four course dinner.
At around midnight Patrick (the lodge owner) was kind enough to show us one of his favourite spots in the area, an old mine shaft. Our whole crew piled into the cat and we adventured down the snowy road. When the cat stopped we had to make our way through chest deep snow to the opening of the mine. Inside was spectacular. There were snow crystals everywhere! They grew from the floor and the ceiling; we had to walk through them like ninjas being careful not to knock any over. In the back of the cave we met bushy tailed pack rat that had an beautiful greay and white winter coat. This is not the kind of dirty rat you’d see in the city streets. This particular rat was living like a king deep in the forest. Check the video:
Mine Tour from rossignol on Vimeo.
Pow turn. Photo: Bryan Ralph
Our second day on snow we did laps of the low angle, low elevation tree runs in the snow cat. Unfortunately the temperature dropped in the early hours of the morning after a night of snowfall which made for some heavy turns. In the afternoon we built and shaped a big kicker next to the main lodge. Patrick (owner/operator of the lodge) towed us in on his sled complete with his scottish cap/wig. Despite having troubles keeping speed on the inrun we were able to each get some tricks in before our landing was completely bombed out. The giant flag pole was left over from the Expo in 83, we used it as a height-o-meter.
Mike Hopkins & Austin Ross. Photo: Bryan Ralph
My third and final day skiing at Snowwater Lodge was a day I will remember for years to come. Macintosh described it as a “full out huck fest,” I couldn’t have put it better myself. After a couple days of tree skiing we were all itching for something a little more, I guess it’s just in our nature. It wasn’t long before we found the perfect spot along the cat road to step out and build some jumps into the cut block. Kye, Mike and Sage found their own lips and stepped them out while Ian and I piled snow for our kicker that would send us through two trees, goal post style. Ian and I sent backflips first and both stomped with huge smiles on our face. We ski’d down the cut block and waited for our sled to take us up for more.
- Front flip! Photo: Bryan Ralph
I went back to the top and tossed a double back, but it’s the third jump of the afternoon that shook me up. Having already landed my double back flip clean I decided to try a new trick I’ve been visualizing. Essentially it would be a double cork 1080. I completed my first rotation clean but hit the tree mid way and got sent plummeting towards the snow without finishing my trick. When I landed I plugged myself in the deep snow and was left with only my feet sticking out. I struggled to free myself but couldn’t move anywhere, I was helpless. With snow lodged in my throat and my air supply running out I felt myself start to panic and reassured myself someone would come to my rescue. Just as I was about to pass out I felt snow moving above my face, it was the best sound in the world. Soon our guide Scott had my arm and pulled me from my snowy mold. Mike Hopkins said he couldn’t believe how big my eyes were as I cleared my airway and regained my senses. It was the closest I’ve ever been to being buried and I now know from experience how important it is to be aware of the snowpack at all times when playing in the mountains.
Back flip! Photo: Bryan Ralph
After the landings were all ski’d out at this area we headed down the cat track to a jump that Sage had scoped and set up the day before. The jump was shaped perfectly and made for a great session before the end of our trip. All sorts of tricks were thrown. Sage had some very clean cork 3 tail grabs, Ian floated his back flips, Hopkins spun cork 7s and a couple of awesome flatspins, Kye was the only one to hit it switch and stomped 5′s and 9′s, I tossed a couple flatspins and a d spin for good measure. Kye and Sage had some great tree taps to spins (getting all ”T Rice”) and Ian even bonked the tree and did a lincoln loop out!
Tappin Trees. Photo: Bryan Ralph
An avalanche had blocked the access road to the lodge so we were forced to ride the heli out to the road (much to my delight). It was awesome to get a better view of the surrounding area before saying goodbye to the Snowwater lodge.
Thanks to Pat and Mariah, the rest of the staff at Snowwater including Johnny the chef, Alex the bartender, Paul the pilot and our guides Scott and Sean. Despite the dangerous snowpack I still had a great time skiing some new terrain and sessioning with some best bros. Anyone interested in visiting Snowwater should visit their website at www.snowwater.com
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa & Austin Ross. Photo: Bryan Ralph
Baldface Lodge, Nelson BC
Baldface Lodge is a magical catskiing operation nestled in the heart of British Columbia’s Kootenay mountain range. After a ten minute heli ride from Nelson, BC and an elevation gain of 6700 feet, I arrived at the lodge. The energy level was high as our crew aticipated the next week’s powder extravaganza (we had heard you can shred lines all day and never hit another set of tracks). On hand shooting some epic stills was the one and only Bryn Hughes. Check out the “Photographers” links to visit his website. I can remember barely sleeping the first night as I imagined floating through the old growth trees in a cloud of the cold white stuff.
With the January snow light and fluffy and the weather on our side all week long, Mike Hopkins and I took full advantage of what Baldface had to offer.
Our hoots and hollers could be heard echoeing through the forest all afternoon as we played games of cat and mouse in front of the lens.
Soul riding amongst the trees gives me unrivalled feelings of peace. No matter what may be going on in the world, a seemingly endless maze of BC foilage keeps me smiling inside and out. However, there are some times I crave a boost of adrenaline that can only be satisfied by hurling my bones off the side of a cliff. Luckily Baldface has the best of both worlds.
When it comes to catching some good ol’ fashioned air time sometimes it’s fun to step out a take off for maximum pop. These jumps are perfect for doing the “grab” and “tweak.”
One of my many valuable lessons learned on this trip. If it gets tight, you better have your hand up front. No one likes a branch in the mouth!
One afternoon Rossignol Team Manager and all around Guru Paddy Kaye decided we should build a jump. Luckily for us our buddy from the Lodge used his cat skills to push a pile of snow on top of the heli pad. From there we continued to park a Suzuki with tracks on it under the jump. Hey, may as well make things a little more interesting right? The result was a good vibe session with some fun tricks.
After the sun sets and we fill up on a hearty meal it’s hard not to throw the sticks back on and get busy with some jibbing. With the help of some keen lodge workers, Mike and I set up a jump over the Lodge’s sauna. We got the session started with some 180s and 360s over the roof. The landing on the back was deep and things started to heat up. After a few hand drags it was time to call it quits for the night, after all we had to wake the next day early and do it all again. Tough stuff…
I’d like to send a huuuge shout out to everyone at Baldface Lodge! Thanks for making my stay so memorable. Also a big thanks to Paddy Kaye and Jason Newell at Rossignol, Bryn Hughes for his artistic endeavours and Mike Hopkins for being a bro brah. To those of you who haven’t been yet I suggest you get on it. Check out www.baldface.net to book your stay. Hopefully I’ll see you there for some turns this winter!
Austin Ross
Check out this video clip from a US TV Network that did a profile on Austin for their show. The host is none other than the “original hot dog,” Bob Legasa. Hope you like it! Thanks to Peak Video.
