21 Days of Winter: or It’s Rough Out There
Gab has been wanting me to write a blog about my skiing last winter, so here it goes (pictures above, words below).
Edelweiss Valley – December 7, 2014
This was my first day on skis. It was early season conditions, but it was just nice to be back on the hill.
Edelweiss Valley – December 11, 2014
A couple of days later and the conditions were improving, as we had received a bit of new snow.
Mont Ste. Marie – December 20, 2014
Mont Ste. Marie was giving away free pre-Chritsmas ski passes at the Ottawa Ski Show this year. I acquired two such passes, so I invited a friend to come along. It was an interesting day, as we met a local who showed us some of the more remote corners of the hill.
Mont Orford – December 27, 2014
From what I can remember, Mont Orford had just gone through a thaw cycle, so the hill was very, very icey. Not a complete surprise.
Edelweiss Valley – January 4, 2015
I can’t remember the last time I would have gone night skiing before this season. It was a blast.
Edelweiss Valley – January 11, 2015
Another day at Edelweiss. Crowds were starting to pick-up.
Edelweiss Valley – January 15, 2015
Another night out.
Edelweiss Valley – January 18, 2015
As you can see in this photo, we didn’t get a whole lot of snow in the National Capital Region this winter. Edelweiss still wasn’t completely open by mid January.
Edelweiss Valley – January 25, 2015
Jumping through the trees at Edelweiss.
Edelweiss Valley – January 30, 2015
People in this part of the world don’t usually ski off the groomed trails. This is good news for me, as there would always be pockets of fresh snow on the hill. I milked this turn.
January 31, 2015 – Mont Orford
We had a very, very cold winter this year.
Mont Tremblant – February 8, 2015
With the growing popularity of backcountry skiing, resorts like Tremblant are now allowing people to tour the hill. With lift ticket prices approaching $100 a day, it’s not a bad option.
Edelweiss Valley – February 15, 2015
Remember when I said we had a cold winter? Well it was so cold this day, that my phone would only work in the lodge. The skiing was magnificent though.
Mont Tremblant – February 16, 2015
Bill and Sylvie bought me a lift ticket to Tremblant for my birthday, so I got to spend a day riding the lifts. On my first ride up, I went right over this little terrain feature. It took me three tries, but I eventually landed it.
Edelweiss Valley – February 22, 2015
Edelweiss has lots of racing programs, so the weekends were usually full of little kids racing around.
Super Secret Ski Spot – February 28, 2015
A friend and I found an old abandoned ski hill west of Ottawa. Apparently a competing ski hill bought it and shut it down. The land is for sale with one caveat, that the new owners don’t open another ski hill.
Edelweiss Valley – March 8, 2015
This was my favourite run at Edelweiss during the latter part of the season. It was never “officially” opened though.
Edelweiss Valley – March 15, 2015
Late season at Edelweiss.
Jay Peak – March 21, 2015
I headed down to Jay Peak in March to compete in their Extreme Competition. I didn’t win, but as you can see here, I did get pretty “extreme’.
Owl’s Head – April 4, 2015
I had high hopes for Owl’s Head, but unfortunately it was spring, unseasonably cold, and the ski hill was one giant ice cube.
https://instagram.com/p/1oZvInIubj/?taken-by=kirbycreek
Camp Fortune – April 18, 2015
So, a friend and I walk into the ski lodge at Camp Fortune to get our passes for the day. At the counter is a forty-something year old volunteer ski patroller flirting with the young girl working behind the counter. He finally finishes his business and starts heading towards the door, at which point he turns to us and says with the bravado of a Chamonix ski guide: “It’s rough out there. You gotta know what you’re doing.”
gabandkirby 