RETALLACK: Powder, Pillows, and Popcorn in The Kootenays
Photos: Joe Erfle
For a photo gallery from this trip go HERE.
“This is probably going to be the deepest run of your life.” I feel like we’ve all been told that at one point in our skiing lives. But few times, at least in my case, has it been followed up by, “This is going to be a nipple tickler.” And it’s fitting that Andrew, our lead guide for the best three days of skiing in my life, spoke those prophetic words in his baritone voice.
Indeed, his proclamation proved to be righter than right as we skied the deepest and lightest snow in the steepest of trees courtesy of Retallack Alpine Adventures. Located in the Kootenay region of interior B.C. about an hour and a half northeast of Nelson, Retallack's playground and tenure sits on the Kokanee range of the massive Canadian Selkirk mountains. Two cats access 9,500 acres with average drop-off elevations of 7,000-8,500 feet with a legitimately steep sustained vertical of about 2,000-3,500 feet. Even better, Retallack's prominent western- and eastern-facing aspects lie in a snow pocket anomaly that usually receives more snow than the surrounding mountains (up to 40 feet).
Since General Manager Phil Pinfold officially signed the dotted line for ownership rights this past August, Retallack's experienced quite the makeover, including a renovated lodge and two new cats. And with the invested interests of Tanner Hall and Seth Morrison now part of the Retallack family, this former mining lodge turned hip-extreme cat operation may just change your life.
We dropped into tightly-spaced spruce, hemlock, and cedar with no regard for checking our speed knowing another perfectly-gladed, untouched powder lane would open up after airing another hanging mushroom pillow of snow. Such runs as Stovepipe, Lucky Jack, K.U.F.O. and the pillow mecca of Niagra had us smiling in euphoric glee. Our guides, Judson and Andrew, sporting quintessential and requisite interior B.C. beards for warmth, were extremely detailed and dialed, yet their laisesz-faire approach and accommodation for meeting our pillow and big-air demands seemed rather fitting for such big, challenging terrain.
Once we bounced our way from pillows on cliffs and felled trees and high-fiving about 186 times, our last run of 2007 consisted of tight trees, over-the-head blower on steep pitches, and more pillow airs trampolining us onto another pillow all the way down to the highway. We cheered with Kootenay beers in hand for appreciation and anticipation of New Year's Eve.
Fireworks, new friends, mixed port wine, and smiles were the ingredients for our New Year's Eve party. As another firework burst into the silent, dark air of the Selkirks, we celebrated 2007 and the excitement for 2008. But in all reality, our thoughts and smiles were solely circling around the last three days of 2007--the best days of the year, or remembering Andrew's words, the best days of our lives.
Check out retallack.com for more information.
For a photo gallery from this trip go HERE.