I’m back in Jackson with the family, finally settling down after an all time trip to BC. Willie and I stayed in Nelson for a couple days after our session at Red Mountain. We scored a epic pow day at Whitewater Nelson’s local hill. We were in disbelief as we rode the chair over the untracked powder below. We rode till we had our fill and then relaxed in anticipation of the days to come at Baldface. For those of you who don’t know about Baldface listen up. It’s a Back-country cat skiing/snowboarding operation located high in the mountains above Nelson. It’s a place where the soul of snowboarding lives strong. The staff, quality of service, and good vibes makes it the must do cat shred trip. The complex road system connects a series of ridges accessing a wide variety of aspects and terrain. Steep snow caked tree runs, pillows and alpine bowls offer one of the most diverse riding experience you could ask for. With a ton of early season snow it was a dream come true. Jeff Pensiero, owner and founder invited me up to observe their guide training. It was probably the best thing I’ve done as a rider. It gave me an understanding of why the operation has become such a legendary snowboarding experience. Jeff’s dedication, hard work, and love for riding is the reason it’s become what it is today. He’s payed dues and built the lodge with the vision of sharing amazing riding with like minded guests. The safety team is top notch working together as a well oiled machine. I was humbled by the guides expert abilities and deep knowledge of the mountains. For three days I was fully immersed in a series of training exercises and discussions. We started the trip with transceiver training with multiple beacons buried in three different zones. We covered avalanche forecasting & control, first aid drills and discussions, terrain evaluation focusing on moving through the mountains safely with a group. The session ended the with a full on multiple burial rescue scenario. It was super cool to participate with the pros and getting after it with all of their experience and training. To say the least I left with a sense of inspiration from these guys and can’t wait to get back up there. If you can, do yourself a favor and book a trip… it’s going off.
Entries (RSS)