Training Log Archive: Carbons Offset

Half a day available before the snow cat picks us up at 1:00 to take us back out. I would have hoped the group would be ready to ski a little earlier because of the half day but these guys don't seem to get ready quick, despite their alpine mountaineering backgrounds. Lucas and I felt like we couldn't leave the hut early before helping with communal clean up, but it was hard to get anything started because no one was packed up or done eating.
Got out on the trail by 9:40. Figured we would still easily get 2 laps of the far edge of Planetary Glades that was so nice at the end of yesterday, maybe even 3 laps or 2.5. The female told me to be back by 12:00 so that I would have time to change and eat lunch. I told her that I was planning to ride out in my ski gear and eat lunch (already packed) on the cat, so I was aiming to be back for 12:30; she seemed to accept this.
Got up to the ridge in 50 minutes. As we started traversing the ridge, Planetary Peak felt like unfinished business. I radioed the rest of the group with our new plan and they simply told me that the cat leaves at 1:00, whether we are there or not. Had a fantastic trip across the ridge, up to the peak, down along the opposite ridge and wrapped around the shoulder for a nice line with great snow directly down to the hut. When we eyed up the line from a distance yesterday, it looked longer, but it was still good. Really glad we went for this traverse instead of just being tempted by a couple of nice powder laps.
After the cat ride out, I drove to Nelson for my next trip with Revy, CBass and others. On the way, came upon a young guy who had 360ed his car on the highway and stuffed it into the snow off the road. Managed to dig him out with my avy shovel and drive his car back up onto the road. Then got to Nelson just in time to meet up with Jordan and the gang for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant. Then enjoyed the shower and hygiene I had been lacking at the cabin (no sauna, no way to wash up, dorm sleeping) for 4 days.

About 35 cm of new snow. The rest of the group was wanting to be really cautious with this new snow. Lucas and I spotted some low-angle ways to get in and out of Cap'n Krunch, using yesterday's uptrack through Planetary Glades to get there. The rest of the group said they were sticking to the glades. Lucas and I had a great faceshot run down from Planetary Ridge to the saddle to the north. Then down the nose of the ridge above Cap'n Krunch. Some touchy slopes where the angle was steep, the storm snow would sluff or even slab. Dropped down through the trees and had a great run, with sluff management.
Broke trail to reconnect with the uptrack through the glades, and saw the downtracks from the other group: they had gone for the gully that Lucas and I were considering but didn't want to commit to until we saw how the less committing ridgeline skied. Climbed back up and dropped into Mercury Bowl which was awesome and not having any activity (due to its lesser angle).
Back up on Planetary Ridge, we followed the ridge south to get to some new lines on the skier's left of the glades but started getting tempted to due the full traverse up and over Planetary Peak and around the ridge. By 6:00, we were getting close but decided to not push it. Ripped skins and had a great line down the far skier's left of Planetary Glades, taking us directly to the hut.

Found a nice line to set an uptrack to Planetary Ridge, threading some low angle terrain and ramps.
Did 4 runs down through the glades on this side before deciding to explore off the other side into Mercury Bowl. Mercury was open and continuous most of the way whereas Planetary had some start-and-stop as you would try to connect open patches in the glades.
As I was uptracking out of Mercury Bowl, a lone skier comes bombing down. It was Lucas. I knew he was coming in on his own today by snowmobile, but I didn't think he would try to group with us, given that he arrived about 3:00 and the rest of us were not near the lodge. I don't think that impressed some of the more cautious people in the group, but I think they warmed to him later.
One more run down through Planetery Glades back to the hut. Chicken Marbella for dinner tonight. I may have raised the bar a little to high for this group, they like to keep it simple.

Took a snowcat in to McDermott Cabin in Grizzly Basin near Fernie for a 4-day trip with the ski friends of a co-worker (due to an accident, my co-worker wasn't able to come, so everyone was new to me).
The group was a bit older than me, many of them about 60 years old. It sounds like they have some big climbing and mountaineering history, many of them alluding to (but not boasting) past trips up Mt. Logan, and the one woman was a climbing partner of Sharon Wood back in the day; apparently she had even been on the cover of Climbing Magazine. A fun bunch although the woman seemed pretty set in her ways.
The cat ride took 2 hours. Then we did some single beacon searches (I got to teach/refresh two of the less experienced guys and give them some pointers) and then a multiple beacon search. One guy succeeded at bumping his beacon back to Send when he put it back in its harness, so I succeeded at finding him as my second victim.
Did a short tour up to Tunnel Pass and then up the climbers left shoulder for a short run down the west-southwest shoulder of Planetary Peak. Significant solar crust on this aspect.

Tough class.
15 min staircase moving from E2 to MAP, all at high cadence.
Then combining high power with longer sets in some staircase rounds of 5 min Sweet Spot, 3 min FTP, 3 min of MAP, 6 min E2, and back into it again. Three times through (with 90 sec and 60 sec MAP on the second and third sets) before getting a 5 minute break. 47:30 set.
Finished with 5 x (1 min MAP, 1 min rest) followed by 8 min FTP.
Held all the zones but had to work for it and it didn’t feel fun. Glad to see the end.
Maybe I’ve been riding too many chairlifts lately :)