Skiing and Soaking: Soapbox Comp
As we soak in complete relaxation, sipping a cold Mt.Begbie Kolsh not one person in our group can think of anything that could possibly make this day any better. Let’s face it, after a long day of ski touring nothing is better than the healing waters of a hotspring or the healing suds of a cold micro-brewed beer. Absolutely Nothing.
It had been over 10 years since I had previously base camped at this Kootenay hotspring and skied the nearby drainages. A lot changes in a decade I quickly realized. Our camping arrangements were 1000 times better, we drank 1/10th as much beer, we skied the same amount of vertical but our bodies ached 1000 times more and most of the valley burnt in a wildfire which made the skiing even better.
The Camp
My parents taught me at an early age that picking your friends is one of the most important choices you will make in life. As we rolled in a day late, we were reminded how good our friends are. The wall tent was already set up, the wood stove was crackling away and they had assessed the snow conditions and figured out where the best turns were about to go down. All we had to do is unroll our mattress, lay out the sleeping bags and meet them in the hotsprings five minutes away. Without making a turn, it was already a good trip.
The Springs
There is something about the geothermal energy of natural hotsprings that make them almost magical. During the winter this magic is elevated; perhaps it’s because they are less crowded, maybe it’s the extreme temperature difference, or even the fact that your beer stays ice cold. I think for me, it resides on the fact that when you know your day will end sitting in a hotspring every kick-turn, every pow turn and every face shot is just “that much better.”
Empty Pool #1
Empty Pool #2
The Skiing
There is something I have noticed about my favorite hotsprings in B.C. They are typically surrounded by some pretty good skiing. Meager Creek, Canyon, Helcyon, Sloquet, Ainsworth, Dewer Creek, Lussier and St. Leon all occur in the mountains with decent ski potential. Its almost like skiing and soaking are meant complement each other. A decade ago the mountains surrounding our basecamp was a little over grown and it was difficult to find open trees to ski when the alpine was a no-go. This changed in 2003 when much of the valley went up in smoke. The conditions this January were great with over 40 cm’s of fresh untouched snow. The only thing better than burnt tree skiing, is burnt tree skiing when you know you are going to soak the night away in a hotspring drinking ice cold beer in great company.
90% of the time we climb
The other 10% we shred
Let It Snow