Christmas Day - St Regis Basin

A solo jaunt (10 miles roundtrip) up St. Regis Basin, MT.  A recon mission of sorts, turns into a fan-tabulous bluebird day in the BC.

Skin track in blue

A subtle reminder of the dangers one may encounter in the BC

Nelson Newbies: Evening Ridge

Kristin and I ventured into British Columbia, Canada seeking our first exposure to what backcountry enthusiasts call "Canadian Cold-Smoke"  And YES we will we be returning!   

Evening Ridge near Nelson, British Columbia. Ymir Peak the prominent peak to the East is going down this new years :)

The typical evening ridge  tour includes the balder peaks lookers left of our skin track (see this photo taken on 1/2/2011).  However due to limited time, visibility, and a shallow snow pack, we figured it safest to tour among the trees and lower angle slopes

LA ROCKS ? - Riverside Quarry

A day after skiing in the Southern Selkirks of northern Idaho, K and I broke out the climbing gear for the last climbing trip of 2010.  I was attending a conference for work in Anaheim, CA of all places :(  A bit to far for Taquitz, Yosemite, Or Joshua Tree.  Leaving us with trying to find some worldclass rock in  the LA area....?  Impossible right?  Actually.... Riverside, CA, one of LA's many neighboring cities is home to what is called Riverside Quarry.  

An abandoned massive hunk of granite left by Lime miners once they cleaned all the Lime out.  The result superb steep climbing on featured granite.  The huge cliff band is 200-300ft tall in spots.  With over 200+ routes.  All quality!  Cant wait to go back, if only it wasn't in LA area!  However being in the LA means warm temps almost year around.  The crag mainly faces west, making winter afternoons perfect.  

Guidebook:  Climbers' Guide Riverside Quarry 

Crag Location: google map

Noteworthy Sends: 

Trundle Trophy 5.10d

  OS

Conundrum 5.10d

  OS

Tangerine Dream 5.11a

  RP 2nd go.

The massive granite cliff of Riverside Quarry

Schweitzer Area Backcountry

Day #4 of 2010-2011 season: Kristin, Andrew, Brian, Kyle, Alex and I.  Head into the Selkirks of the Idaho Panhandle. Snotel stations in the area, report that the Schweitzer area of the Selkirks with having the most snow fall with a base nearing 5 feet. Plus a bluebird day was on the schedule. 

 

Our day consisted of skiing un-tracked ( of course its the backcountry) knee deep powder in two different bowls! About 6 transitions from ride to skin mode throughout the day. AMAZING!

 

 

 

Now that's bluebird for ya!