jonas and frederic picked me up this morning and we headed to whitewater. i ran into nature in the parking lot, the only other dark skinned dreadlock in nelson.
after two warm up runs, we prepared ourselves for an afternoon of backcountry riding. my friend brett had lent me his snowshoes, so my afternoon of backcountry riding was only very exhausting instead of crazy insane challenging.
it took 45 minutes to hike to the top of the 5mile basin. i happened to have my poi with me, so of course i tuned in and spun on top of a mountain. there is a very powerful prana that flows on the tops of mountains, and i was honoured to channel it through poi. yes, i'm such a fukkin hippie sometimes. i was thinking that i am the first person to ever spin poi on top of this peak, until i reminded myself where i am. if there is any place in the world where hippies might spin poi on top of a snow covered mountain, its here. perhaps i'm the first jamasian to do it, but maybe not the first person.
our goal was the facing peak of the 5mile basin, more specifically the top of the tree line on the right.
to get there, we had to drop in through these trees and ride to the bottom of the basin.
the slope was 40degrees through knee high powder. falling was definitely not an option.
as if you can't see from the pix, but the snow was incredible. light, fluffy, and in plentiful supply. the run down took about 6minutes, a short run in comparison to how long it took to hike to the peak, but its about quality not quantity...and the quality of the snow and the runs here is top drawer.
the ascent to the facing peak was untracked, no one had trekked up there at all today. we had to create our own path up the mountain, a task that was definitely easier said than done. to help me minimize the weight on my back, jonas offered to carry my snowboard on his back. oh man did that ever help out. having the weight of a board on your back with snowshoes on while trying to climb a mountain is intensely challenging to say the least.
its times like today that i wished i had a backcountry split board.
it took us just over an hour to reach our destination, the top of the tree line of 5mile basin. i was beyond exhausted, so i decided to catch my breath by tuning into the prana of the peak and meditate for a few minutes. what a great way to prepare my mind and body for what was to be the most insane run of my life.
pfft....like you didn't know i was a hippie *wink*
i buckled into my board and dropped into untouched, untracked, heavenly powder.
for 8 minutes, i lived in a dream. i was floating through knee high powder, making turns through snow that no one had touched, and smiling from ear to ear. the only sound you could hear was us yelling at the top of our lungs as we carved fresh tracks through the best snow in the world. the high was like nothing i had ever felt before. yes, it was better than sex (but only by a little bit).
it was the best run of my life. thank you jonas and frederick for taking me out to the backcountry and sharing this experience with me.
the trek back up took about hour. the sun had almost set by the time we reached the peak, and the temperature was dropping. the ride down to the lodge was fun, but i was beyond exhausted. our car was the only one left in the parking lot by the time we reached the base.
what an epic afternoon of backcountry at whitewater. those who know where the best snow is in the world are here shredding it...those who don't, are somewhere else ;)
i'm going to sleep like a baby tonight. i earned it.
~*...normaste...*~
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