Cross Country Skiing on Campus

Hey Team!

If you're interested in XC Skiing near/on campus, there are various places to go- some within driving distance, and some within walking distance. I have been XC skiing out behind the UBCO campus in the farmers field, that offers some moderate hills and a wonderful open space. If you have you're skis here and you're feeling trapped in you're dorm due to the winter doldrums, please check out the back field and the running trail behind campus. The snow is brilliant for skate skiing right now, and you might even see or hear wildlife such as coyotes and many different birds. There is a great loop that you can do over and over and over...like a hamster in a wheel.
Have fun!

Sam

Ski to Sea Event

Everyone in VOCO!

Need a little adrenaline in you're lives? An event to train for? Well, lets put together a few teams for the Ski to Sea held in Kelowna at the end of March here in Kelowna! Teams of 2-7 people, or you can do the race solo- it is a relay race event starting with DOWNHILL SKIING on Big White, to NORDIC SKIING at Big White, MNT BIKING down Big White to meet the ROAD CYCLIST, who does a 40km ride and meets the distance RUNNER, who runs to Okanagan Lake to meet the 2 CANOESTS who paddle across the lake to Westbank and back (close to the bridge) completing the event over a few hours. Then of course, drinks must be had at the local pub (if you're of age!).
This is a very fun event that I participated in last year for Venture Gear as their XC skier, and I reckon VOCO should be putting a few teams out there to represent our sick club within the community! So gather you're pals and contact me for more info. or go to www.ski2sea.ca and investigate the wild race for yourself!

There is still time to register and gather a team, but I wanted to put the idea in you're heads earlier rather than later! Remember, these events cost money too, so the more team members you have, the more you can afford to split the cost. Registration deadline I believe is March 16th- after that the price goes UP!

Maybe we can make team t-shirts or something- props to those of you who give it a shot going solo! May the farce be with you.

Cheers,
Sam Brett

Bear Creek Provincial Park

I wouldn’t exactly call this a VOCO adventure, as nothing very adventurous happened, but I write this more to inform other people about a nice place for a quick hike. Brody and I headed out towards Bear Creek Provincial Park for some ice climbing with Adam and Kayla (2 outdoorsy friends). The park is located on the west side, about a ten-minute drive from the bridge. Upon arriving we discovered that there were some eager ice climbers who had already claimed the climb. We had a short budget for time, so we decided to not let the day go to waste, and hiked the small loop around the creek. It was about a half-hour to 45-minute hike, but it was nice to get out in the sun and enjoy the wonderful weather. If you are looking for a hiking getaway close to downtown Kelowna, check out Bear Creek. It’s a nice little walk and a good place for a lunch one weekend. If you’re into the ice climbing, it looks like a great spot, with easy access to the top (anchor goes around a giant tree), and enough room down below for hanging out. If you are interested, check it out! http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/bear_crk/

Dave Donnelly

Backcountry Trip in Pemberton

VOCO members, I'm keen to do a trip to Pemberton again this year to meet up with the VOC club and stay in their legendary Phelix Hutt.
The hutt only sleeps 25 people, so this means only 5 of us can go from our club, since their club is much larger. Last year, 5 of us went and had a blast! The hutt is a post and beam style, made with heavy lumber that was flown in via helicopter, funded by MEC- piece by piece! It is tucked away above the woods in a little backcountry bowl, about 5km from the end of a logging road. However, we learned the hard way, and in the winter it turns out to be a 10km tour into the hutt, half on logging road, half through pristine wilderness and subalpine furr.
Once into the valley where the hutt is located, there is a goldmine of incredible faces to snowboard/ski down, and the powder was lushious! The hut is warm and friendly, and after a long day of touring in, we had a good ol' shake down in the kitchen area of the hutt. Someone brought a fiddle and a banjo, a guitar and an egg shaker, one of our club members brought 4lbs of fondu cheese, 1 1/ltrs of wine, and a 6 pack of beer! There were drinks to be had, songs to be sung, dances to dance, and much laughing and bonding with the Vancouver club members.
They are an experienced club, and it was interesting to see how they run their trips.
The following day, we got up early and spent the entire morning and early afternoon digging pits and skinning up the slopes surrounding the little snow-burried hutt. We began to make our decent around 2pm or so back to the cars 10km below us. We were exhausted!
We stopped in Squamish for the night (Sunday) to sleep and made our way back to Kelowna the following morning. It is a long drive there and back, but worth every minute of the journey. It is a journey and an experience. The snow is different, the terrain is different and the people were different- all made for a well rounded trip!
So, if anyone wants to go, let me know and I've got all the details, etc. I'm just missing the car to get there, so if anyone has wheels and wants to go, thats awesome- we can all pitch in for gas.

The trip is Feb. 28-March 1st, but I would suggest leaving on the Friday Feb. 27th whenever people are finished class, and making the drive that night. We camped on the Friday night in a stump field, also known as a clearcut, located only 10 mintues away from the trail head. This would be a Friday afternoon-Monday afternoon trip, unless you're all troopers and want to drive back to Kelowna on the Sunday night- but I have a feeling people wont want to even move their eyelids. This is a rewarding and exhausting trip- to cover 20km in 2 days of touring is respectable! Snowboarders, RENT A SPLITBOARD! Strongly suggested, as I made the mistake of thinking snowshoeing that distance was cool- not cool.
Anyways, think about it!
Friday Feb. 27- Monday March 2nd- Pemberton Touring Trip with VOC to Phelix Hutt!!
Depending on vehicle use, we can only bring up to 5 people due to hutt size, 4 would be comfortable due to gear space in vehicles-but I'm sure wecould manage to squeeze 6 if anyone has a van!
Contact me at sammieb7@hotmail.com if you're interested.

Cheers,
Sam Brett

Annual Journal VOC

To those of you with a story based on an outdoor adventure you've had at anytime in your life, please write it down and send it to me! If you're interested in having you're work and story published in the annual VOC Journal, please send it to me at sammieb7@hotmail.com or vocojournal@gmail.com and I will edit you're work, send it on to the Vancouver club, and please make sure to indicate whether or not you would like to purchase you're own issue of the journal. Its a great thing to take home to mom and dad, and show them you're PUBLISHED story/article/photographs, etc. The length should not be longer than 1500 words please.
I need to know if you want a copy so that I can place the right order with the Vancouver club- otherwise not enough will get printed- I think they are 15$ each-
Please have you're stories into me by February 12th, so I can edit them and send them onto VOC intime for publishing.
I look forward to recieving you're work, reading you're stories and sharing you're adventures with other folks alike!

Thanks,
Sam

Something I thought all the readers and explorer's might enjoy:

"If you lose the power of wonder, you grow old, no matter how old you are. If you have the power of wonder, you are forever young- the whole world is pristine and new and exciting."
- In The Wilderness World of Sigurd F. Olson, Twin Cities Public Television, 1980

"If felt good to feel the north wind, to face it and glory in it. There was no bite to it, merely a good fierce joy in the sting of it." - Journal, December 12, 1934 Sigurd F. Olson

"When one finally arrives at the point where shcedules are forgotten, and becomes immersed in ancient rhythms, one beings to live." -Reflections of the North Country, 29

"In the wilderness there is never this sense of having to move, never the feeling of boredom if nothing dramatic happens. Time moves slowly, as it should, for it is a part of beauty that cannot be hurried if it is to be understood. Without this easy flowing, life can become empty and hectic."-Reflections from the North Country, 29

Hope you all enjoy these little quotes and can pull something from them as I did.
Cheers,
Sam

Revy's Hot

Another great day of skiing at Revelstoke Mountain resort!! Sam Brett, Dylan Cunningham, Matt Dodds, Greg Moorehouse and Nick Therrien all made it out for a Sunday ski. The weather was very interesting, 9 degrees Celsius at the top and 0 degrees at the bottom of the ski hill. There was a little bit of an inversion going on. Hopefully the inversion does not make the avalanche conditions any worse, but it probably will create another very unstable layer. The skiing was still very good considering there has been no new snow in almost 2 weeks. We found a good consistent section with shin deep, untouched powder. We spent the entire day skiing on the new Ripper chair. Reve always hides lots of sweet sections for those who are willing to spend the time looking around. Hope everyone else found some sweet, safe turns this past weekend!http://www.revelstokemountainresort.com/

By: Nick Therrien

Teton At -another great blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming This link includes some information regarding some scary snow conditions
Be sure to check the Current Avalanche conditions before heading out into the mountains, conditions are starting to get better in some places but the are still very scary- Avalanche Bullitens BC

Nick

Cat skiing with Manashee Mountain Cats

Last weekend 24 members of VOCO got to go cat skiing with Monashee Mountain Cats for the day. There was one group on Saturday and another on Sunday. I went on the Saturday trip. We started bright and early at 7:30 am in Brookes garage in Sicamous. The guides all introduced them self and we sign the liability forms. Giving them the right to drag us to the top of some great mountains just outside of Sicamous. We spent an hour or so going through basic avalanche awareness coarse and then we where on our way. The snow about knee to thigh deep and we got about 7 or 8 runs in! It turned out to be one of the best days of the year. If any one has picture from cat skiing please send them to vocojournal@gmail.com. We will be sure to post them so everyone can check them out. http://www.monasheemountaincats.com/
By: Nick Therrien

Picasa Web Albums - UBCO - Sam outside

Picasa Web Albums - UBCO - Sam outside

PLEASE READ- Unusual Snowpack

"UNUSUAL" SNOWPACK COULD AFFECT CONDITIONS ALL SEASON, CONCURS AVALANCHE EXPERT In light of this year's unusual snowpack, Chris Stethem, an internationally-recognized snow science authority, was brought in by Whistler Blackcomb in the wake of last week's fatal avalanches to provide additional insight into the current snow pack. His findings concur with Whistler Blackcomb avalanche forecasters in that there is currently an extremely unusual, and dangerous snow pack."We are dealing with a continental snowpack more common in the Rockies. This deep seated instability hasn't been seen to this degree in the South Coast region since the late 70s," says Stethem. "It requires backcountry users to tread cautiously, and inbounds avalanche control to be undertaken with extra vigilance."This winter season got off to a very slow start with below average snowfall accumulation. A three week cold snap resulted in a layer of loose granular snow on top of a crust that is very uncommon for the region. New snow is building up on this unstable layer. "This has resulted in a deep instability in the snow pack," continues Stethem. "This instability with lots of new layers will cause the avalanche frequency to increase in the short term."Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol, avalanche forecasters and operations teams are coming to terms with what this means for the rest of the season. Avalanches are always a concern in a mountain environment; Whistler Blackcomb works to control the occurrence of avalanches but they cannot always be prevented. "The snow is reacting differently this year, and the avalanche control teams need to approach inbound avalanche control differently after each storm system," says Doug MacFarlane, Whistler Blackcomb's mountain manager. "Ski Patrol records where slides are triggered from explosive testing, and pinpoints areas that are not sliding, to understand daily and weekly what is happening on the mountains. This approach may mean additional time spent on avalanche control prior to opening terrain for our guests." MacFarlane is urging the public to recognize the effort that is going into opening inbounds terrain and ensuring the safety of Whistler Blackcomb's skiers and snowboarders. "When we feel that it's ready to open, we will open it. We want to get it open," says MacFarlane. "There may be longer wait times for the opening of alpine lifts and there will be limited terrain open in the high alpine with some areas potentially not opening for extended periods of time, but it' all with safety in mind." The coastal snow pack is acting more like snow in the Rockies and will react differently than it has in previous years. Patrollers are working on the terrain systematically and are utilizing more explosives. Ski cutting, a technique commonly used to start avalanches with your skis, is problematic as the snow pack is too shallow to safely cut the slopes meaning that more explosives are required to effectively control.Outside the ski area boundary, this is a pattern that could play out over the rest of the season as that persistent weak layer becomes deeper and harder to trigger. "This is going to be a dangerous season for backcountry travelers," says Stethem. "Extreme caution should be adhered to."To dissuade people from entering high avalanche risk areas, Whistler Blackcomb will continue to designate some inbounds areas as "Closed". Anyone caught entering into a "Closed" area will face the consequences of losing their mountain access privileges at Whistler Blackcomb for one full year. "We are taking this matter very seriously and want to communicate the danger in the most effective way possible," says MacFarlane. "Taking away pass privileges, from the type of people who are out there every day pushing their limits, is a very serious consequence to their actions. We believe it acts as a very effective deterrent." There are no plans for Whistler Blackcomb to change policies and impose penalties on guests who ski beyond the Ski Area Boundary, which is very different from a Closed area. "Beyond boundary access is not something that we can or want to restrict entirely," says MacFarlane. "Backcountry travel in BC is very popular and many who venture in uncontrolled areas are prepared for the hazards that exist. Those who cross the Ski Area Boundary are responsible for their own safety and need the appropriate training, equipment, route finding skills, partners and self rescue capabilities."The avalanche safety hazard is currently high. Daily avalanche hazard updates as well as snow conditions and lift status details are available online at www.whistlerblackcomb.com

Horses, Snakes and Some Climbing

September 13-14 2008
VOCO trips are generally last minute ideas, planned during an organic chemistry lecture on a sunny Friday afternoon. This trip was no exception. Ivan, Benson and I decided that this weekend would be the last free weekend before the onslaught of schoolwork. The forecast was for sun. Why not climb? Even better, why not climb for two full days and camp out in between? Heather was a last minute addition to the team of three, making two solid climbing teams.
I awoke early Saturday morning to my cell phone ringing. It was
Ivan realising that Benson needed a harness. Of course Neil was sleeping and there was no way to get to the gear locker. I knew that Dylan had a harness so I sped down to his place at Phase II. His room being on ground level made tapping on his window quite easy. Getting a hold of the right person proved to be more difficult. “Nick what are you doing here?”, I asked. “Sleeping in Dylan’s bed”, he replies. Was that a faint smell of alcohol from Dylan’s room? As I am about to ask where Dylan is he comes up the stairs and we get the harness. First order of business taken care of.
Heather and I left campus and met Ivan and Benson at the bus station. Unfortunately none of us have a vehicle so we had to Greyhound it to Penticton. Some of the more “tired” climbers were able to catch up on some sleep they somehow or another did not get the night before.
We walked to Safeway, grabbed some food, and managed to get to the edge of town on one of the city busses. Off we went on Ivan’s idea of a fifteen-minute hike to the Skaha parking lot. Ten minutes later and we were still climbing the hill to Valleyview Rd. Luckily we were spotted by some other climbers who offered us a ride in the back of their pickup with their over-excited canine companion. The drive there turned out to be close to ten minutes. Thanks Ivan.
We finally arrived and spent the day climbing Red Tail wall. The four of us climbed 6 awesome routes ranging from a 5.9 to a 10.b. Me and Ivan climbed a 5.9 that led to a 5.10d where you had to get to the first bolt by climbing a tree. We were all tired from a day of climbing so we packed up our gear and headed out in search of a nice place to sleep.
We ate some dinner, played some frizbee in the dark, and set up the tents. Before retiring for the night we decided to put our food up in a tree, a lesson I learned when a mouse ate Dylan’s sandwich on the last trip to the Kelowna Crags. While most of the food was out of reach from anything shorter than a giraffe, Benson assumed that he was only keeping his food away from mice and small rodents, so he put it a few feet off the ground in the tree right behind my tent. This is important information for the rest of the story. Anyways, we all climbed into our tents, Benson and Heather in one, Ivan and I in the other. After a long day of hiking and climbing we all fell asleep very quickly.
At sometime around midnight Ivan heard something moving about outside and frantically woke me. I sat upright in a flash realising that while I was sleeping I was hearing something too but my mind was not processing the signs of danger outside. Sure enough there was something big moving around, and it was doing quite a number on Benson’s bag of food. We both assumed that it is a bear but neither of us was gutsy enough to unzip the tent, stand up, and see what was right behind us. We resort to rock-paper-scissors. I won. As Ivan unzipped the screen we heard the beast crash into the forest. He stood up and turned to investigate but all he could see was a large shadow moving through the trees. We woke up the other two to let tell them it was time to say their final prayers. We tried to convince Benson that he had to find out what it was since it was eating his food. He said to yell at it if it returned. After a couple of minutes of silence it did return. This time it was moving around right beside the tent. We thought for sure we were goners. Just as I was thinking that the bear was going to tear into my tent, with a snort it revealed its true identity – a horse. A harmless horse that just wanted to eat Benson’s apples. Next time we may not be so lucky.
We all slept in until well past eight o’clock. After a quick breakfast and camp teardown we were back on the rock, this time at the top of the stairs on a wall known as The Fortress. We managed to climb a few routes each before the second wave of VOCO climber’s pleaded for us to join them over in Grassy Glades. Nick, Dylan, Neil and Raeleen only had three harnesses between them and they were tired of sharing. Damn them for asking us to go over there, the whole place was full of rattlesnakes. As I was just conquering the crux of a nice 5.10c I see Ivan, my belayer, jumping up and down. Whitney was beside him fending off a deadly rattler with a stick. The snake was trying to kill two birds with one stone so to speak. Take out the belayer and the climber falls as well. Nick, Neil, Heather, and Benson all had enough of the snakes, they ditched out early for a swim in the lake. A few of us braved it for a little longer but after Dylan almost stepped on one we decided it was time to leave. Anyways, we got two days of solid climbing in, perfect weather, and some exciting stories. It was another fun VOCO weekend.

Dave Donnelly

Powder Choke

A 1 in 10 year storm hit Alaska's Southeast panhandle in the early days of 2009. Snow accumulated in quick inches, as light, sparkling powder that would normally be found in the interior, not on a coastal range. This was not the usual snow that Juneau would see. I was told by locals that I had come at the best time and that I was a lucky visitor to experience such dry snow, completely safe for shredding. I had never seen Juneau in all it's might and wet, rainy furry, although I had wanted to see it for the past 2 years. Of course, a series of life events prevented my visit to this magical winter rainforest until this past New Years. After flying from Toronto to Kelowna, sleeping for 7 hours, flying from Kelowna to Seattle, missing my flight to Juneau, getting the next flight to Juneau which stopped in Ketchikan and Sitka totaling a 4 hour flight for what could have been a 1 1/2 hour flight, and alas arriving in Juneau at 7:30pm the following day, I was content to see Kaitlyn standing there in the tiny inactive airport. The airport is a place of rest for those who travel to and from Juneau, for the city itself and the surrounding communities have some of the most active people I've ever met anywhere. There is always something to do in this landlocked city, the state's capital.

To be continued...with photos.

Ski Revelstoke Resort

I swear that there has to be some explanation for why getting hit in the face with snow is actually enjoyable. You should be getting pissed off… especially in the trees when you need to see where you’re going and the stuff is just sticking to your goggles. Sometimes you’re gasping for air cause your legs are on fire and you can’t help choking on it. Somehow, the converse is true, getting a face shot is great…it’s like a good joke and when I get one I find myself skiing out the run laughing about how awesome it was. Nick and I were up at Revelstoke Mountain Resort this past Sunday, and in following tradition, it was another good time. If you’re looking to get some pow turns this season I would advise that you check it out. Revy now has a new chair that accesses tons of glades that adds even more terrain to what is already a sweet area. Go up for a day, or stay the night in Revelstoke and ski both days…or don’t, you might never leave. I would call it a 2-2.5hr drive depending on the road conditions (which you should check out ahead of time www.drivebc.ca). Revelstoke Mountain Resort, http://www.revelstokemountainresort.com/revelstokemtn/info/lift.aspx

By Dylan Cunningham

Climbing at Beyond the Crux

Last Tuesday Dave and I hit the crux to get some energy out and keep in shape for climbing come spring. I’m not sure whether or not Dave consciously planned it but it seems convenient that the day he can always make it into the Crux is ladies night, regardless, with wicked climbing for anyone and a relaxing atmosphere the crux is always a good time. Check it out if you’ve never been http://www.beyondthecrux.com/index.php
By Dylan Cunningham