Back Country Love
Black Prince, Kananaskis Country
There is nowhere like the back country. End of story.
We walk up these giant mountains, in the hopes to achieve some amazing line to ride, surfing through powder engulfed in snow. There is no feeling you can get from anything else, that comes close to the purity and excitement experienced when ripping through untouched pow. Not to mention those cliffs you can huck into pillow patch bliss!
Wandering up the mountain braving many forms of weather is part of the adventure. If you don’t take enjoyment in the hike up then you will find that touring is not for you. Not only is the hike up quite the grunt, usually, but the elements you face in the back woods can be disappointing. You need to expect to have low visibility days, bad winds, scoured snow and high risk areas you will need to turn around from on occasion. That’s just a part of the game and there is never any shame in being safe and going back home after assessing poor conditions. I found that those day’s make the good ones even greater!
On the topic of good conditions, hitting those epic days with amazing pow and good people, is the pinnacle that we strive for. The best way to achieve these sessions is to keep on keeping on. Get out there every chance you get, because even a bad day snowboarding is better than a good day at work. Just remember to be safe!
On this day we ventured out with a group of 5 at the Crow Foot Glades located on the 93 North HWY. It was a mellow day of riding but the snow was absolutely wonderful! We managed to get a few laps in as the hike was quite short once you skinned in to the base. The side bowl was particularly radical offering fresh turns for everyone! That was one of the days we managed to obtain a safe and incredible back country tour.
Chester Lake, Kananaskis Country
