Author Archives: Christian Veenstra

Garibaldi Park Speed Traverse – Mt Currie to Red Heather

“You should turn back now,” the passerby said in a thick Russian accent as he watched me wallowing helplessly in the snow “you will die here”. That was more than 10 years ago, on my first trip into Garibaldi Park. Like … Continue reading

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McBride in a night

“Daddy, why do you have so many owies on your feet?” “Because I skied really far.” “Why did you ski really far?” “Umm, that’s a good question… I don’t know, I guess I just kind of like doing it? Sometimes … Continue reading

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North Shore Triple Crown

Nick: “My butt hurts”. Me: “There’s a reason for that – it’s because you’ve been able to sit down”. We joked as we strapped our skis back onto our bikes for the last time, just before sunset outside the “Crazy … Continue reading

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Blackcomb-Currie daytrip

Saturday, April 2nd. Normally, when trying to do a new (to me) ski traverse as a day-trip I end up spending far more time researching/planning the trip than I do on the trip itself (I think, for Tantalus it might … Continue reading

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The Zum Peak Fiasco

A zum (also called a zoa) is the female offspring of a nak (female yak) and a bull (male cow). Zum Peak is a forested summit located almost in the middle of the otherwise very impressive polished granite peaks of the Llamoid Group … Continue reading

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Going light but sticking with Tele

Is it possible to go light without going AT? Maybe. Once upon a time telemark gear was as light as it got; if you just wanted to move around in the mountains, that’s what you used. AT bindings were basically … Continue reading

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A Semi-Alcoholic Speed Traverse

Although most people have put away their skis for the year, late May / early June is my favourite time of year for ski touring, in particular for fast traverses. The snow stays firm well into the late morning, you … Continue reading

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Owl-Tenquille traverse in a day

Earlier this season Line did some planning for the Owl-Tenquille as a possible traverse option; they ended up doing the Powder Mountain traverse, but my interest was perked. Somehow this strip of alpine between Mt. Currie and the Hurley had … Continue reading

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A full weekend – Bridges, Pemberton Icecap, and Squamish-Cheakamus Divide

After crossing the Tantalus Range in a day last season I have been anxious to get out there and do another new long traverse in a short amount of time. A new baby (now 7 months old) has generally limited … Continue reading

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Joffre NW ridge

Some time ago Sam McKoy emailed me basically saying “let’s do something hard involving skis”. A little hunting around at photos suggested that we might be able to keep the grade on Joffre NW ridge down by bypassing difficulties out … Continue reading

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