Journeyman Lodge Review
Bottom Line Visiting the Journeyman Lodge felt like visiting a good friend with a house that just happened to be nestled in the snowy mountains of the Callaghan Valley where we could ski right from the front door. This is a place where you are not just a customer, you are a guest in their home and are warmly invited by the hosts to enjoy the space as your own. A beautiful place to enjoy the backcountry without having to give up the little comforts like indoor plumbing and a warm place to sleep. Our Experience The Tailor-Made 3 Day Ski Touring Escape was the perfect option for us. It included a shuttle to the lodge Sunday morning, 3 hearty meals a day including evening après, a comfortable warm room to stay in for 2 nights and endless skiing terrain. Here are some of the highlights from our stay: The People From the time we set foot at the base office we were welcomed with smiles by everyone. The lodge,built and run by Brad Sills, manager for Whistler Search and Rescue and long time lover of the Callaghan backcountry, came by to arrange our shuttle to the lodge. We had the chance to chat with him and caught a glimpse into the passion he has for the mountains, his love for the Callaghan valley and his desire to share this pocket of winter and summer paradise with as many people as possible. As he said “people need a connection and to value the connection to the wild.” After our shuttle to the lodge we met the seasonal hosts - Ryan, Rebecca and Hannah. They are some of the friendliest, most inviting people and instantly make you feel at home at the lodge. Between the three of them they made sure that we were well fed, warm, having fun and kept the sauna nice and toasty every afternoon. The only thing we had to worry about was setting our alarms to get up each day to play in the snow. The Lodge Built like a big backcountry family home, that sleeps 15-24 people depending on how cozy you want to get, with bedrooms on the top 2 floors along with a living/games room and a communal dining area downstairs - you can tell this place was designed to bring people together. All of the bedrooms are private and you can choose between a room with an en-suite bathroom or a room with shared facilities down the hall. The best thing about the accommodation is the chance to catch up with everyone at the end of a day skiing. Everyone gets...
Mountain Hardwear SnoJo 20 Backpack Review
Bottom Line: An awesome everyday backpack. The SnoJo 20 is designed for use Resort Skiing, or for day-trips into the backcountry. It’s stylish enough to be used for days commuting in the city or as a decent pack for ice or rock climbing. It has excellent options for accessing the contents of the SnoJo 20. Observations: In the sea of neon and primary colours out there in the recreational gear space it was refreshing to see the understated grey/black/white design of this 20 litre backpack. The SnoJo 20 is well constructed and easy on the eyes in my opinion. I took it out on a series of trips and adventures over the following few weeks to fully test it out. The looks were one thing but I needed to know if the SnoJo 20 was actually functional for being out in the mountains with me. I tested it out first as a pack to go ice climbing with. It’s designed as a pack for skiing but there might be occasions when I’d need to use it for ski mountaineering or ski-in ice climbing objectives. SnoJo 20 packed for Ice Climbing Back compartment zipped up Ability to access items It performed really well in this regard. There is a section on the front of the SnoJo 20 to protect the picks from catching on anything and straps to hold down the shafts of the axes. I was also able to strap a rope over the top of the pack. The front and back access zips meant I could still access the gear inside without having to remove the rope on top. Awesome! After that trip I started testing the SnoJo 20 for what it was designed for, Backcountry Skiing day trips and Side Country excursions outside of Ski Resorts. It worked really well in these regards. At 20L in volume there is just enough space for a few pairs of gloves, food, goggles, ski skins, puffy layer and camera… etc. The front compartment easily fits my beacon, shovel, probe for travelling in avalanche terrain. Here are some of the features I noticed that I really loved. The fleece lined top zippered pocket: For light and fast ski days this could be used for goggles alone without needing to worry about them getting scratched. Covered Hydration Hose Sleeve: (Note: the hydration hose is not included with the pack, I used my own) Hydration is always an issue in Winter as liquid water tends to freeze. Mountain Hardwear has greatly reduced this issue by putting the access for a hydration hose inside the left shoulder strap. This accomplishes two things, the hose is kept...
Trailrunning the Howe Sound Crest Trail
I remember seeing a photo of a section of the Howe Sound Crest Trail (HSCT) when we first moved over. When I saw the photo I knew that I wanted to do it. It looked rugged, beautiful and tough. The caption under the photo said something along the lines of ‘an ambitious overnight hike best done over 3 days’. Wow, that was something far outside my abilities at that time. Fast forward 4.5 years to today and I was joining a jolly group of trail runners (Jeff, Chloe, Adam, Joel, Shannon & Aran) to run the trail in entirety - from Cypress Bowl Ski Lodge to Porteau Cove - approximately 28-30km. This turned out to be a day for the books! The weather couldn’t have been better, the company was fantastic and with the views we had there was no way we set any speed records because every corner we turned ended up being the perfect photo opportunity. Sidenote: If you are attempting the HSCT it is recommended to do it from South to North as this will ensure you a day of net descent, which you will greatly appreciate at the end of your hike or run. The first water source is at Magnesia Meadows, which for us at this time of a dry year, was a tarn. We treated/filtered the water here. The next water source was just past the Brunswick hut, about 1km. I drank from this creek without treating the water, however please do so at your own discretion. On a dry sunny day this trail is stunning! Be aware that there are boulder field crossings, a few narrow trail sections and roped sections for aid - so attempting this trail in less than ideal conditions will alter the difficulty. I highly recommend this trail - either as a run or an overnight backcountry trip. It is an iconic North Shore adventure. So get out there, be safe and start adventuring! Here are some of the best views and highlights from the day: Nothing like catching the dawn glow Views from St.Marks Summit Bluebird sky I’ll let you guess on this one Traversing the base of West Lion Chloe taking in the views Coming up to the Lions Roped section Boulder field Adam running beautiful trail Brunswick Emergency Shelter Pristine...
Rohr lives up to name. Everyone surprised.
“Ugh! That Whiskey Jack ate my loogie” Cody sat on the remnants of the column of snow that he’d dug out to do a Snow Stability test. A persistent weak layer that had formed near the beginning of the month was lingering. The column had serendipitously split just high enough to make for a nice high perch to sit on as he scarfed down some calories. Spring joked “You look like a King on his throne…yeah… *low voice* Winter is Coming!“. Much to her chagrin nobody, but I, got her Game Of Thrones reference so she let it slide, no pun intended. Cody, living up to his net nom de plume as “The Camel”, hocked a loogie into the snow beside him. Within seconds it froze solid, within a few seconds more a keen eyed Gray Jay swooped down and flew away with that frozen morsel to a nearby branch to devour it. Slightly disgusted but amused by this scene it had at least taken our thoughts away from the weather for a moment. A low ceiling of cloud hung close above us, winds were picking up and it was intermittently hailing and snowing. We’d made it just above the treeline and from here on out we’d be climbing further and further into the clouds and the reduced visibility they promised. This wasn’t the Spring day I had imagined. This felt more like a day during the depths of Winter. Once again this troupe had been caught on the hop in the unpredictable weather of the shoulder seasons. We packed up again and continued on. I couldn’t help but laugh. The last time the four of us, myself, Spring, Ben and Cody, had been out in the mountains together was last Fall. We had attempted, and reached, the summit of Mount Frosty. Back then we had gauged for warmer Fall weather. What we got however was the birth pangs of Winter, with temperatures below -15’c, a biting wind, and a fair amount of fresh snow on the ground. Frosty had lived up to its name, it was in fact very frosty. Fast forward through Winter and finally, in the beginning of Spring, all our schedules aligned so that we could get out again together. In town the weather had been warm, it hadn’t snowed at sea level in months and, at times, it felt more like Summer weather than Spring. So, when I was packing for Mount Rohr, I packed for warm, Spring conditions. What I got however was the death throes of Winter. As we traversed above two lakes heading to the base of Mount Rohr we’d get...
