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Sledding the Sea-to-Sky
Driving a sled at night is a surreal experience — the world a tunnel, lit by the machine’s yellowed light; the trees towering high on either side of the glittering track. From the…
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whither winter? why, here it is!
Where has the winter gone? Indeed, after a near two weeks of sun at the end of March — after a wet but wicked midweek storm cycle — we’re seemingly back at a…
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Hoji on the Beast
Here be Eric Hjorleifson on the Beast, Dynafit’s 16 DIN tech binding. The name sounds accurate enough: the heelpiece is quite the machinery, with a prominent spring, and plenty of metal. Boots using…
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the Burn
Another stunning instalment from the lens of Jeff Thomas & & Blair Richmond, the Burn captures the forest fires of summer yielding powder pleasure in winter… but with a twist; the digital overlay of…
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Throwing down in deep pow with ze’ RPC
Piers Solomon and Olof Larsson throwing down in the deep pow that Engelberg has been blessed with on the newly minted DPS Wailer 112RPCs. Check out our initial preview here. A full write-up…
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Arc’Teryx Alpha SV Gloves
I have something of a glove fetish. I also destroy gloves fast for some reason. So when Arc’Teryx launched their revised Alpha SV gloves, I wanted to get my hands in a pair….
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Dynafit Radical FT12
The Dynafit Radical FT 12 is a serious step forward in making a lightweight, 12 Release Value (RV), tech-styled backcountry binding that accommodates fat skis and features an easy-to-use heelpiece. While the volcano twisty…
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Scratch the Sun | Backcountry Snowcats
And here we have it — a delicious weekend of mellow lines in the sun up at Backcountry Snowcats. The operation is located up the Hurley, just past Pemberton, BC (which is just past…
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Out to the Last Frontier
If we haven’t been writing here lately, it’s because we’ve been tits deep in snow here in Whistler, buried in a massive mid-March storm cycle that has us nearly drowning. (And yes, we…
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Luxury Caboose – Whistler Heli
…and a Happy New Year to you all!, whenever the date may fall for you and your kind. Here’s some memorable times from last season, a day out with Whistler Heli on April…
Airship / an ode to the CBC
Ah, CBC trees. Two days ago, blower snow came drifting down across Whistler Blackcomb, blanketing us all with high-speed, super fast inferno snow that kept us hitting the pillows and the trees all…
Breaking the ice
I stood in front of what appeared to be a never-ending wall of ice, trying to quell the inner dialogue of self-doubt. “You got this,” encouraged Geoff. Kyle nodded in agreement. Yeah, right,…
The Costly Callaghan
Legacy in Limbo Looking forward, the future of backcountry skiing in the Callaghan Valley is still uncertain. It’s easy to call our investment in the Hanging Lake and Beverley Creek access trails a…
John Baldwin’s new Duffey Lake map
Dear John, Thank you. Thank you for understanding that maps printed by the government over 20 years ago no longer hold relevant information for backcountry users, and that those of us who use…
John Vaillant is coming to Whistler
Dig out your animal prints, folks. John Vaillant, winner of this year’s Governor General award, is coming to Whistler Saturday night to read, drink and party with the best of us. Vaillant’s book,…
Blast Zones: Garibaldi Access
A chilling very important letter came through the Pique from Anton Horvath for Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol on December 1st. The entire copy is below. In short, Whistler Mountain Ski Patrol is closing…
The Eagles have landed
When you can’t find a touring partner because everyone’s a work, you do the next best thing to commune with nature: you grab your camera. And so I found myself this past Friday,…
Spandex Suit Fundraiser
If you didn’t know, Canada has a National Ski Mountaineering Team. What’s this, you say? Well, it’s kind of like combining adventure racing with ski alpinism. Ski mountaineer racers perfect skinning on the…
JD Hare skis the Ivory Shoulder
And now, ladies & gentlemen, JD Hare skis the Ivory Shoulder of Alpha in the Tantalus Range. This is one beautiful, delicate line that dances down the shoulder above exposed drops before slipping…
Early season in the Marriott Basin
Ah, early season. The time of year when we’re just so darn eager to get in the mountains that we sacrifice reason for emotion. We focus on the white gold instead of the…
whistler opening day ..
So how was your opening day? Did you stand in line for hours only to get core shots instead of face shots? Or did you time your hike and hit the blower pow…
February 28, 2013
tobias c. van Veen — Yah, mine are beginning to pile. A quality merino liner would be appreciated, for warmth & faster drying. I find...
February 28, 2013
Dave LeBlanc — the fleece liners in the SV's suck, they get wet and stay wet. Replaced mine with wool and all is...
December 9, 2012
karl — Even tho well written i will STRONGLY disagree with ya on the case of racers being the best on the...
November 12, 2012
Vince — Thanks for your review Tobias.
Wanted to respond to a few key points:
1. Cakehole and Khybers (while outside boundary) were not...
