The last part of Patrick Fux's 12-week powder trip starts in Red Mountain in Canada and leads via a cat skiing detour in deep powder to Beijing and from there back to the very snow-poor Swiss Alps.
Red Mountain is one of my top 10 ski resorts for forest descents. Some runs are very steep, but there are also medium-difficulty, longer runs with lots of small jumps and cliffs. Five centimetres of fresh snow had fallen overnight on Monday and the persistent snowfall made every run that little bit better, especially as there was hardly anyone else in the area apart from us. The Red Mountain area is always worth a trip, even if it wasn't exactly on my route. So if you're traveling in Canada for a few weeks, you should definitely make a detour here. There are also some backcountry options, although the visibility was far too poor again today to do any touring.
Tuesday, my last day of skiing, was excellent and so my trip ended as it had begun: we spent the day CAT skiing in deep powder snow. Some fresh snow overnight and still wintry temperatures allowed us to complete nine fantastic forest runs. As we were in an advanced/expert group and the avalanche risk was also quite low, we were able to ski steep sections of forest and use some rocks as jumps. "Big Red Cats", as the company whose services we used is called, works with up to four snow groomers on eight mountains. Three different levels of difficulty are offered: Intermediate / Advanced and Expert. For me, CAT skiing is perfect if you're not sure whether you're ready for heliskiing. It's a taste of great things to come, but it's also possible if your budget is a little smaller. CAT skiing offers the opportunity to enjoy untracked snow even after weeks without fresh snow without having to climb up.
I then headed straight to Vancouver. On Wednesday, I only had a few hours left in Vancouver before my flight to Beijing.
On Thursday, I spent an evening in Beijing with friends.
On Friday, I went on a big shopping day in the shopping nirvana that is Beijing. Shopping here is a unique experience and an endless back and forth haggle until you agree on the price of a product. Prices are currently rising because unsuspecting tourists often think that 50% cheaper than at home is a great deal. However, a realistic price is more like 90 to 95% "discount" compared to the price level at home. A T-shirt costs around 30 REM (renminbi), a sweater around 45 REM, a windstopper, regardless of brand, around 120 to 180 REM, etc. If you divide the price of a product in REM by 10, you get roughly the price in euros. Many copies are as good as the original, as the factories simply produce more and these surpluses are offered locally. For the big companies that have their products made in China, this is an annoying but hopeless battle.
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In the evening, there was a big get-together with old acquaintances I had met when my sister lived in Beijing. Sushi at its best (yes, you can get it in China and even better than in many places in Japan - Hatsune is the name of the place I highly recommend). Afterwards, a long night of partying until the early hours of the morning, as it happens every year. Beijing is worth a trip.
On Saturday, I did the last bit of shopping and then off to the airport. And with that, another snow safari comes to an end on Sunday. Then one last day off before returning to everyday life. Once again, it was a brilliant winter with lots of fresh snow, great friends, even more good food and cozy evenings. My thoughts are already turning in anticipation to next winter. Where should we go? To India, Iran, Canada, the USA or back to Japan, where everything is very uncertain at the moment, or something else?
All the pictures from the last few days of skiing on the Powder Trip 2011
This concludes this long-term trip report. I hope reading it hasn't been too torturous for freeriders disappointed by the Alpine winter. This year, I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Last year we had three rainy weeks in Japan in February. Let's see what the rest of the Alpine winter brings and then the long wait for 2012 remains.
The best pictures from all 12 weeks of my powder trip in the gallery
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