Fog. Gray, dreary weather, long faces. Everyone absorbed in themselves. Welcome to the bus heading to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Unlike the many students, however, it is supposed to take Michi and me to the "Museum of Anthropology". Museum of Anthropology? Never heard of it! And anyway, what does this have to do with our sport of powder skiing?
Nothing, but the largest city in Western Canada is the ideal starting point for our plan. And the ingredients: Waiting a week for another colleague and the wall of fog in front of our faces for days on end, leads us to this deed. So we head to the Museum of Anthropology.
But who are we and why are we going to report on our trip on PowderGuide next time? Well, we are two skiers and a snowboarder who go by the names of Michi, Balz and Jonas. We want to take a break from everyday life and have therefore embarked on a little adventure to live our powder dream.
The rough plan is: Fly to Vancouver in mid-January - powder. Somehow get to Chile - powder. Fly home from Santiago de Chile in September. In the meantime, learn as much as possible about the country and its people and provide you with a few pictures and words every few weeks.
Financial crisis
So after we spent the first week exploring Vancouver downtown and extensively testing the countless types of beer, Balz joined us on Saturday, January 24. Complete and full of motivation, we started our first challenge. Buying suitable mobile accommodation for the next six months. Surprisingly, we quickly found what we were looking for. However, obtaining the necessary cash triggered a small financial crisis in Vancouver. It took us a whole six hours, half a dozen different banks and several phone calls to Switzerland before we were able to hand the owner the money for the takeover. A nerve-wracking undertaking for us Swiss, who are spoiled by bank service.
After all, we are now the proud owners of a 78 Chevy Van Motorhome, a whopping seven meters long and with everything you could wish for, from a kitchen with oven and fridge to three large beds, a toilet with shower and a gas heater, which unfortunately we haven't yet figured out how it works.
This meant we could get down to our actual goal of skiing and traveling. Our first spot on the map was the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Whistler was also on the way to our next destination in eastern British Columbia, but turned out to be a completely overpriced tourist destination with almost no snow. Speaking of snow, the whole of Canada has less snow this season than it has had for years.
We therefore decided to skip Whistler without spending a day on the mountain and traveled towards the snow. After a few visits to the doctor to get the camper in shape, we drove through a beautiful landscape to Revelstoke, where we found the snow conditions worthy of finally spending our first day in the snow. The snow was okay and the weather was close to bad, but at least we were able to soothe the initial withdrawal symptoms.
Rogers Pass
Due to the large crowds on the powder in the Revelstoke ski area, we escaped further east to Rogers Pass. Rogers Pass is a touring mecca in its own right. Every morning, a few dozen skiers and snowboarders gather at the "Rogers Pass Center" to discuss where the best snow conditions can be found and to get a permit to access the open zones. Most of the ascents are in the middle of the forest and, due to the steepness and all the trees and bushes in the way, are usually a bit of a mess. However, the effort is blown away as soon as you see the descents. Light forest on steep slopes, covered with lots of snow, creating an incredible playground with the powder pillows. In short: a powder dream.
After three days of very good runs, we returned to Revelstoke to relax our muscles in the swimming pool and to buy more food. Tomorrow we'll make the pilgrimage back to Rogers Pass to explore the vast area further.
Alas, the Museum of Anthropology was closed that day. We quickly walked behind the museum and discovered the garden with the totem poles, which offered some interesting things to discover. This is representative of our whole trip so far. Many "problems" whose spontaneous solutions led to nice encounters and interesting sights.
Until next time ...
By Jonas Blum, Michi Röthlin, Balz Koch
