Words By: Alison McPherson
Well despite the recent heatwave, I’ve still been determined to ride every month of the year. After one failed attempt in August, it was hard to get motivated to get out the door when the opportunities for paddling, mountain biking, and river surfing seemed so much more appealing in this hot summer we’re having.
Luckily I have some wicked friends who also enjoy a good sufferfest every now and then so we were able to motivate each other to head out to Robertson Glacier. Without having high expectations, we prepared for a long day of hiking with skis and hoped to get a few turns in to check August off the list.
As we approached the glacier, we were pleasantly surprised with the amount of coverage still there and were certain we would get some good turns in. Once we got to the glacier, we put our ski boots and crampons on and travelled up the steep icy pitch. Beyond this, we roped up but easily navigated around the crevasses.
PHOTO: Just after we roped up on the upper section of the glacier.
We were at the trailhead at 7:00am and reached the col at around 11:00am. At this time, the snow was becoming quite soft and we were stoked to get our skis on. After a quick bite to eat and a bit of crevasse exploring, we started heading down.
PHOTO: Scouting things out in a crevasse
The turns definitely exceeded my expectations of skiing in August and I am now that much more stoked for winter! With the strong sun softening the top layer, it felt almost as good spring skiing…with a little bit of sun cupped snow thrown in the mix.
PHOTO: On the lower portion of the glacier, leaving our mark on the mountain!
Our rule for skiing every month is that we need to have a least 10 consecutive turns. In July, I had a bit of an epic day (I wasn’t on the Robertson trip with Simon) and just barely got 11 turns in. For August, Robertson Glacier delivered and we got at least 40 turns in, which in my opinion, is well worth the trip considering it’s August!
PHOTO: Tim dropping in to our last few turns of the day
Only one more month to go until I have successfully skied for 12 months in a row. And after that, hopefully an early winter will deliver some sick October pow once again!
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer, whatever activities you may be up to, and are looking forward to winter!
