Shoveling 30cm of new snow off my truck as bombs echoed over the caldera and plow trucks plied the streets, all seemed right in the world. The lifts opened on time, the ropes finally dropped on Granite, and everyone who could swing it (on this first day back to school and work) got their first real powder day of the season at Red.
What now? – Captain Jacks.
The top half of the mountain and any of the recently brushed areas were absolutely dreamy, but between the forest regrowth, the random holes, and the windfall, much of the lower mountain remains a challenging obstacle course. Chris from Doglotion recently summed it up as well as anyone:
“Everyone in the Kootenays who have concerns about deforestation will find satisfaction in the amount of alder Red and Whitewater are cultivating. Local herbologists know its benefits like lyphatic drainage, blood purification, and fighting diseases such as Tuberculosis. Come get your exposure to this local and organic substance as it slaps you in the face and scratches your goggles while you pick your way down the mountain. It’s also fun to watch people get their brand new gore-tex outfits shredded by it. It’s like skiing down a hill while ripping up $20 bills as fast as you can”.
