This weekend I happened to be back in Salmon Arm, BC for a family thing and had the chance to go up above Three Valley Gap with one of my favorite athletes. Early Sunday morning Steven St. Denis and I met another skier (Amos)in the Griffen Mtn parking lot just off of the #1 highway about 40 km west of Revy. From here Amos (on the sled) towed us for about 20 minutes up the fire road to the top meadow of Griffen Peak.
Once at the meadow we decided to take an amazing deep powder line through the trees (not enough wind for the kiting I intended to do). For the last few years these couple of skiers have been scoping fall-lines on the east aspect of Griffen and with the accessibility of the sleds, you can get quite a few runs in on a given day. This time we had a few problems with the sleds (a few others showed up), I was suffering from an overnight flu and void of any energy, Yet the day was still incredible.
The sky was deep blue, the snow was deep and fairly light and once I made my first turn, I was in the zone. I took a straight line and pushed my heals through each compression making my body weightless as I popped out of each turn, the powder crashing up through my waist leaving a jet-trail of snowy smoke to fall back through the trees. I was connected again, if even for a moment to the experience I am always looking for. All the work that goes into these moments, is always worth it.
Once at the meadow we decided to take an amazing deep powder line through the trees (not enough wind for the kiting I intended to do). For the last few years these couple of skiers have been scoping fall-lines on the east aspect of Griffen and with the accessibility of the sleds, you can get quite a few runs in on a given day. This time we had a few problems with the sleds (a few others showed up), I was suffering from an overnight flu and void of any energy, Yet the day was still incredible.
The sky was deep blue, the snow was deep and fairly light and once I made my first turn, I was in the zone. I took a straight line and pushed my heals through each compression making my body weightless as I popped out of each turn, the powder crashing up through my waist leaving a jet-trail of snowy smoke to fall back through the trees. I was connected again, if even for a moment to the experience I am always looking for. All the work that goes into these moments, is always worth it.
Steven St Denis floating through the pillows.
One of the other riders who showed up later in the day.
