Talk Without Speaking

When morning breaks
We hide our eyes and our love’s aching
Nothing’s strange

Despite all the doubt and all the excited nerves, I’ve come back safe and sound from 5 days of backcountry skiing in Rogers Pass. The first annual Snow Symposium was a collection of MEC staff from all of the western MEC stores. Victoria, Vancouver, North Vancouver, Service Centre, Calgary and Edmonton all sent staff up into the mountains for 5 days of teaching, learning, eating, drinking, laughing, blistering, and a hell of a lot of skiing.

It’s been one crazy avalanche season so far, a fact that none of us were blind to. But, of course, avalanche reports will only tell you so much and I was really relieved and surprised as I stomped as hard as I could on top of a 2.5m avalanche pit on day 1 and nothing moved. I think all of us were pretty amazed by that…I mean, I was wailing on that slope as hard as I could, jumping into the air with my skis on, about a foot above our pit and not even the top layer slid off. I think that made us all feel a bit better about things.

There’ll be no better time
There’ll be no better way
There’ll be no better day to save me
Save me
Yeah, save me

The weather window was spectacular with sun all ski days and barely any wind.

Getting up into the mountains….well…there’s not too much like it. The worst part is not really being able to put those feelings into words or describe the majesty of the mountains, the way the light and shadows play on the glaciers and moraines.

I hope you see like I see
I hope you see what I see
I hope you feel like I feel
- Weeping Willow, The Verve