baldface

 

at first, i thought it took me forever to write this post because of my slacker tendencies.  however, i realized it was due to difficulties trying to convey my experience in a succinct, blog-worthy manner. visiting baldface was truly one of the most amazing trips of my life, and not just because i had run after run after run of fresh powder.  (BAH HA HAHA).  but, i have also come away from this excursion with an entirely new family of close friends.

so, please allow me some latitude on this one. my lack of brevity is due solely to an overwhelmingly profound few days in the mountains with some incredible souls.

for those of you unfamiliar with baldface, it’s a cat skiing operation located in the selkirk mountain range just outside of nelson, bc.  i flew from dc to spokane, wa and then met friends to drive to nelson with.  such a cute town! we met up with the rest of the crew at the nelson airport. there we waited our turn for the heli to take us the short flight up to baldface lodge. 

yes, i said heli. and yes, every time i fly in one, i feel badass.  cue ‘apocalypse now’ and the stones singing ‘paint it black’:

flying up over kootenay lake into the selkirks:

arrival at the lodge: (far too quickly after liftoff)

our cabins: 

sunrise view from our deck:

heres our crew. all but two of us hailing from idaho:

FOSO: 

its difficult to get many action shots when the terrain is this good. who the hell wants to stop mid-run for pics?  i was able to snap a few when we stopped, though.  so beautiful:

 

i was obsessed with this moss on the trees:

yeah, this run was alright:

  

  our guides josh and cordell were awesome. such great guys and tons of fun.

heres where cord tells us:  ‘go one way, and one way only’… 

SFD:

one of my fave runs… check the smiles :):)

a long day on the hill calls for a stella tall boy:

with runs and views like this, its hard to imagine ever wanting to go back home.  wonder if my family isnt canadian enough to get me a new passport ;)

 

however, like all good things that must come to an end… time to head home.

<sigh>

the badass ride back to nelson:

many thanks to sean for bringing us all together for this trip. 

he truly is, one of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet.

  cheers to you sean, ‘cause we’re on fu**in’ holidays’ ;)

if you want to check out baldface for yourself – go to the BALDFACE website.  let me know if you’re interested in booking a trip for this coming season, its worth every single cent and then some.

  ive already booked mine, and am wondering if just one will be enough…

i doubt it.

snowbasin. sigh.

all this snow in DC has made me miss snowboarding.
i miss my snowbasin morning ritual.
solo chair ride up jp. headphones on.
the morning light and music setting the tone for my day.

see. there i am. me and my shadow.
headed towards the heights of happiness:

and just before the chair ended, my soul would illuminate.
always. every single time.
and how could it not, with a view like this?:
(click on the pic to see how it REALLY felt. come on, just do it)


and not too bad from the peak, either, overlooking ogden:


so many incredible days at snowbasin.
it really is my favorite resort. and i miss it.
heres where it gets good.
headed down:



mmmm.
snowboarding + me = joy.

seattle

headed to a trade show in seattle for a few days. erik was determined to take me touristing on the last friday. so we hit the space needle as the sun went down. yes it was actually sunny that day in seattle!

the view of the city from the top of the needle was amazing.


after a stella or three, i decided i would really love to ride the carousel, and try to grab the brass ring - just like when i was little on the vineyard. problem was, the carousel wasnt actually, um, going. and also the manager guy that was running after me wasnt too friendly after i had jumped the fence to hop on one of the horses. hence the blurry photo.... oops!


on saturday, erik took me to stevens pass for a couple of runs and lucky us - it was DUMPING. as you can see we were quite pleased. btw, i have my own stevens pass seasons pass now. im legit.