Best Run Ever

Since Christmas I have had more days on my split board than on my regular snowboard. It has become a bit of an addiction trying to find that perfect run that just makes me smile all the way down.

I don’t know if there is really any such thing as a perfect run, but today at Duffey Lake in a section of mountain range known as the Joffre Group, Chris and I managed to come as close as I have yet.

The Duffey area in north of Pemberton (near Whistler) and was the first place I ever tried my splitboard. I have been wanting to go back since, but for various reasons it hasn’t happened until now. The thought crossed my mind on Wednesday, so I e mailed Chris, who has proven to be as in to the whole thing as I am, and he didn’t need long to consider.

I had look at some maps and decided to try for Slalok Mountain in the Joffre Group of mountains. The access starts at about 1,300m elevation and slowly climbs through the forest, past waterfalls and over 2 lakes (Lower Joffre Lake, Middle Joffre Lake) until you reach a final lake surprisingly called Upper Joffre Lake.

At the other side of Upper Joffre Lake is the imposing Slalok Mountain. The lake is at 1,550m and the peak of Slalok is at 2,550m. For those of you good at math, that means there is a 1,000m vertical run waiting on us.

To give some perspective for those in Canada. Whistlers total vertical is 1,600m. For those in New Zealand, Turoa has a 722m vertical and is the largest in Australasia. So imagine taking 62% of the whole of Whistler, or 138% of Turoa but then compress it all down to a 40 degree slope.

The climb up was brutal! It was hot and I had to wake up at 5:30 to make it up there, so I was already tired. Any time the motivation lacked though, I could look over and see the slope we were heading to. Brutal as it was, the climb was interesting – through an icefield with beautiful blue ice outcrops and up to Matier glacier which is surrounded by fantastic peaks. There were some sections where skinning was not entirely comfortable and we had to tread carefully, but we made it.

Finally the ride down arrived. Standing on the summit, it looked like a cliff that we were about to head down, but getting to the edge and it rolls away to a perfect wide open slope with only 2 tracks through the nice spring powder. There was a smile on my face the whole way down, and at the first break we had Chris confirmed what I was thinking – best run ever!

Around this slope, there are several other smaller but just as fun looking slopes which are going to require many more trips, and you had better believe I will be riding this face again.

Splitboarding has been fun, but I am starting to feel like it might be done for the winter. I might try to get another day riding the lift and some spring slush, but I hear my bike and my climbing gear calling.

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