Nippy New Year

Yup, it's a chilly one here at Valhalla Mountain Touring, where the margaritas are frosty, the snow is bloooowwwwer and the outhouse is a veritable ice hotel.


Good thing there are heated indoor bathrooms with real toilets for the paying guests. The lodge slave aka owner aka me gets her own private outhouse, but I can tell you, there was no reading the funnies while taking my time about it this week! Brrrr. But all that hoar frost was really really pretty.

Spent the week with a crew of Squamish and Vancouverites who I know mostly through climbing, but as usual my friends impressed me with their ability to fully send at what ever sport they are doing, be it climbing rock, scaling mountains, ski touring or just getting down on the dance floor. It was awesome to have a motivated crew for the evening hangboard workouts for once.


Good company aside, it was a pretty special week in the mountains, where a well-timed storm, good stability and some spectacular clear days had me wishing it wasn't getting dark at 4:00 so I could ski more laps. But skiing more laps would cut into sauna time, which would cut into drinking time, which would cut into eating time, which would.... well you see where this is going. There was no shortage of fun ways to spend time this week.

Big Sister Mountain reflected in Kelly's lenses

Me, Mandoline and an alien hovering on the summit of Rugged Peak

Katy and I rockin' out on Rugged with the Monashees in the background



Everybody loves a good facet wallow

Antony and Benny collecting snow on their facial hair

Heading up Rugged Peak

Jeremy Blumel demonstrating "silent feet" on Rugged Peak


Katy enjoying the view

Thanks to all the amazing people I spent 2010 having fun with!