You Only Snowboard Twice

"Out Among the Stars I sailed, way beyond the Moon. In my silver ship I sailed, a dream that ended too soon. Now I know exactly what I am and what I'm here for, "You are a TOY you can't FLY!". And I will go Sailing no more...But No! IT can't be true! I can fly if I wanted to, like a bird in the sky, If I believe IL fly, then IL flyyyy!! "To Infinity and Beyond!!!" ......Clearly I will go sailing no more." Randy Newman Toy Story 1 1995.

When the ski season ends, many people stop skiing. In 2020 the season ended on March 15. This is from later that summer, when I just could't let go of the ski season...I uncovered these old photos because I was transferring a bunch of stuff to a new phone, and I figured its not to late for those of you people out there thinking of still getting in some turns....

I went up Kelso Ridge. At this point I had done plenty of back country riding, but the snow just seemed to keep coming that spring and early summer.

It turned out the hardest thing was figuring out just how to carry my boots. The ridge was dry, so I elected not to hike in them, but to carry them in a older backpacking backpack I had.

After the first few months of lockdown it seemed like the spring was finally arriving in the mountains, even though it was halfway through June.

There were many people on the ridge that day, and because I was hauling alot of extra stuff, many people passed me, which I was only to happy to let them. This was definitely one of my bigger hike/rides.

At the Knife Edge part in particular, I got some great shots of people crossing. I found out I was not the only one on the mountain who was earning turns.

After a break on the summit, I changed and made my way over to the point I decided to drop in. Long before I reached the summit I decided to drop in NOT in Dead Dog Couloir, but in between Grays and Torres. It looked good going up from the ridge.

I had tremendous fun. (of course) I remember the drop was much bigger and steeper when I went to actually do it....nevertheless, I resolved that this would be a new snowboard spot. When my next days off came around, there was MORE spring snow, so I went back.

The second time up the ridge it seemed winder than a week before. I was if anything more motivated than the week before, knowing that this was probably the last ride of the season.

This time it seemed easier to hike with all my crap, I had made some adjustments, and not brought as much stuff as the week before. Looking back, I should have sucked it up and hiked the whole way in my snowboard boots, oh well.

This time the knife edge had more snow than before, because of the new June snow we had gotten...Despite this, I was able to cross safely again, juggling all my stuff. I do not have a split board, and even if I did, It would have been worthless on the dry Kelso Ridge. (at that time)

I remember just before I got to the summit I saw people with skis and snowboards as well, coming up the other side of the mountain.

This time I felt much better about the route, and seemed to ride it better. It was so much fun.

One of the major changes i made was to not bring such a heavy coat. This made the snowboarding much more balanced and faster. Before I knew it I was just above the turnoff to Kelso ridge again. (It had been a crazy snow year)

While I was sorely tempted to saddle up and do it all again, I was also tired. I knew that the next ski season was just around the corner, despite the fact it was June 21st. On a safety note to this trip report, I would recommend to everyone to start early if you are Spring Skiing. Each week I probably dropped in borderline too late in the day, considering Avy Risk and all that. I also remember being very confident, to the point of forgetting that my helmet was strapped on my chin the 2nd week, but luckily my googles held it to my head. Luckily I didn't break the cornice off when I dropped in. While this was indeed the last ride in 2020, I was able to go snowboarding again in just a few short months, when the snow returned in November.