Surface Crust Day 6

 

DB takes a header



A little air time

Today's entry will be short and sweet.  Since it’s our last night on vacation, we're trying to finish off the alcohol, so my grammar and lucidity will be tested.  Without the necessary cold temps, today’s snowpack was heavy and crusty.  Even so, we were all hyped to get some turns and have some fun.  Aside from the five of us, only Bob the Boarder (from the previous day) joined us for today’s adventures.  The Peak Adventures crew showed us a great time in spite of the heavy snow conditions.  Once again, the Ewok Village was the place to be….perfect, natural spacing between the trees and lots of stumps and logs to huck.  Unfortunately, the hucking didn’t always go as planned, as you can see from the photo of me upside-down beneath a tree.   I needed a little help from Paul to disengage my board from the branches, but all limbs (mine and the tree’s) were undamaged. 

We definitely had to work for our turns today, but to a man, there was no place we would rather be.  We head home tomorrow thankful for these opportunities and thankful for the friends that make it so fun.

DK, DB and the Cat

FM and TP chillin' with the guides

DB and TP at the end of the day

Tubbin'

Peak Adventures crew: Paul, Carey, Ryan and Phil

Our team at lunch



Carl gets an uppercut



Pow Day 5

Toe Pimp

Day 5 promised to be a new adventure in northern Idaho.  It was our first time with Peak Adventures, and we had some early morning jitters as we drove the vehicles to the cat.  There was a lot of dust and little snow, and we thought that mountain biking would have been a better choice than skiing.  Lo and behold, we boarded the cat with three snowboarders from Washington and were pleasantly surprised to ascend into some pristine pow.  Our three new partners in pow included a father/daughter boarder team from Seattle (Bob and Katie) and a solo boarder from Spokane (Tony).  I was very happy to have three good boarders join our posse since I was no longer outnumbered by those salacious skiers.  Tony the Tiger (as nicknamed by our crew) became my partner for the day and turned out to be an excellent boarder. 

The Peak Adventures team proved to be very fun and professional.  Ryan (owner and lead guide), Paul (guide), Ian (tail guide) and Phil (cat driver) showed us an unforgettable day on the mountain.  The morning pow was light and fluffy, and although it got a tad crusty in the afternoon, we found lots of good stuff through the trees.  I think all would agree that the best runs of the day were through an area dubbed “Ewok Village” which, like the name implies, was eerily reminiscent of the forest on the moon of Endor where the Rebels engaged the Imperial Army in “Return of the Jedi”.  (Yes, I am a geek….May The Force Be With You!!!)  The Ewok Village had perfectly-spaced trees that allowed each of us to rip hard and feel like a superhero (or at least like a Jedi on a land speeder).  We did have some carnage that is partially captured in the photos.  DK’s lips picked a fight with an evergreen branch and came out the loser, though DK’s fighting spirit was not diminished.  Carl also took a spill that got captured on film by DK.  As for the rest of us…..well, let’s just say that we were able to get back on our feet before a camera-toting onlooker could get a shot.  The day on the slopes ended with some beers and good laughs on the cat ride back to the cars. 

Back at the house, DK prepared an excellent salmon dinner (with Carl as sous chef), and we now look forward to our last cat day with our new friends at Peak Adventures.  In addition, we want to introduce our official mascot for this year’s trip……DK’s adorable dog Cassie (see photo).

The last day awaits….

FM and DK

DB and FM

DB and Tony the Tiger

The Cat

Scenery

DK goes down

TM goes down

Peak Adventures owner Ryan

View from the cat

TP and FM need directions

TP and DK

DB, TP and FM

FM in the trees





TM sells out

The dusty road to the cat

TM and TP



Katie, FM and Bob (Katie's dad)




FM



Day 5 Crew

Our mascot Cassie

Travel Day 4



Lunch in Creston



Not much excitement on day 4.  We loaded up the vehicles and departed the Riversuites at 9:45am.  After a quick stop at the Valhalla office to return TP's loaner poles, we set off on our drive to northern Idaho.  We experienced a 20 minute delay while the Canadian version of Cal Trans cleared snow from a high mountain pass.  The man that stopped us had a gray beard down to his navel and spoke in tongues that none of us understood.  We were sure to roll up our windows and lock our doors as we waited.  I swear I heard the faint sound of the "Deliverance" music in the background.  After a nice lunch in the Canadian town of Creston, we continued south to the border patrol station.  We answered a few questions and were welcomed home with open arms.  After some grocery shopping, we made our way to our new home for the next two days....an exquisite house that seems much too nice for our crew.  Tomorrow, we'll try to post some pictures of the house, but for now, we are about to start a movie, so stay tuned for tales of tomorrow's adventures....

Whitewater Day 3

Day 3 was a split operation… two hardcore powder hounds (TP and DB) drove to the Whitewater ski resort in the early am while the other three sipped tea and debated drapery design.  It was freakin’ cold at Whitewater (-18C), but it was a bluebird sky, and the snow conditions were great.  TP and DB scouted the new lift at Whitewater and made several tree runs through dense forest.  We realized that our legs were not as fresh as we thought and narrowly avoided intimate encounters with the snow-laden evergreens.  At 11:30am, we rendezvoused with FM, TM and DK in the Whitewater bar, where the three of them were already enjoying Faceplant ales and yam fries (extremely delicious).  After two rounds of Faceplants, TP, TM and DB headed out to the slopes while FM and DK snuggled in the bar.  As you can see from the photos, it was a beautiful day on the mountain.  It felt as if we were the only ones there.  Just before our legs completely gave out, TP and DB finished the day at Whitewater with a powder run down a bowl with no other skiers or boarders in sight….fantastic.  We joined the others at the bar for another Faceplant (non-drivers only), and then headed back to the Riversuites while chillin’ out to reggae tunes on the XM radio.  We enjoyed our nightly relaxation therapy in the hot tub, and then (brace yourself) FM prepared a meal!   Those familiar with this crew will understand that FM has rarely, if ever, been seen preparing anything in the kitchen besides a margarita.  To his credit, the nachos were fabulous and complimented the beers and tall tales perfectly.  Not long after the nachos were consumed, Thong Man wrapped himself in a blanket and passed out on the couch while the rest of us continued drinking (see photo).  For all the grief we received from TM about getting the wrong kind of beer, it was sweet justice to see him drooling on the couch while the rest of us had a good laugh at his expense.  It is now time to sign off as the final beers are consumed, and we head off to bed.  Tomorrow is a travel day to Idaho, so hopefully the roads are clear, and the border patrol is kind.

Until tomorrow….