Silver Country

White Bowl Terrain

Another great day splitboarding in the Selkirks yesterday in the north end of the Kokanee Range, near the rusty old ghost town of Sandon. I was joined by an old splitboarder friend Dayna, from Calgary, and Gerry, Pete and Jered from Rossland. We left the vehicles in the shadowy quiet presence of empty Sandon, where five thousand souls once lived in calamity while the silver rush ran its course. Now only a half dozen or so people live here and most of the buildings are abandoned.

Dayna on the ridge with Sandon below.

We skinned up through old mining claims, talings piles and old roads, up and up to the narrow ridge where we put in more kick-turns than one prefers over some good exposure, then after more than 1200 meters of climbing we reached the peak. The group was stoked on the exciting climb and sick terrain that lay below us, we just had to pick one out of a hundred ridiculous lines from the top.

Our lines below the peak.

We dropped into a a beauty 450m north facing alpine line with some super nice snow from the peak, then after ski-cutting a little avalanche and cleaning out the danger, we all had our way with the superb powder bowl below, then skinned back up to the ridge and dropped into a beauty 600m line in the trees, then down to the cars 400m below through pillow fields and cutblocks to the vehicles. A big day with some sweet rewards! Always a pleasure to have great company in the mountains!

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