After a quick introduction to the Nelson ski scene last winter, I swore I’d come back, hopefully often. With surreal visions from Sweetgrass Valhalla stuck in my mind, I decided now was the time.
A few days in Colorado gave me a good fix of light deep pow but I certainly wasn’t done. I arrived back in uncharacteristically bone-dry PNW and immediately fled. Zach, Amber, Chris and I hit the road and three days ago we arrived in Nelson, British Columbia. So far the powder’s been deep.
Welcome to Nelson! Photo by my good friend and awesome photographer, Zachary Winters.
For two days we’ve skied in the backcountry around Whitewater ski resort and found phenomenal conditions. Saturday we became acquainted with the current snowpack and enjoyed a bit of sunny weather. Sunday we had a better idea how the snowpack was situated and went for lighter powder on more northerly slopes.
Skinning up to pillow country on the first day.
Zach dropping classic Kootenay pillows.
More pillows!
Chris finding the way through ghost trees.
One last lap before sunset.
I’ve got a few more days of freedom before school starts again — goal is to milk it for all its worth. Our plans are wide open; we’ll ski Nelson for a few more days and possibly head up to Revelstoke, or go to one of many backcountry huts. One thing is for sure — it’ll be fun skiing!
Louie Dawson earned his Bachelor Degree in Industrial Design from Western Washington University in 2014. When he’s not skiing Mount Baker or somewhere equally as snowy, he’s thinking about new products to make ski mountaineering more fun and safe.