Magical Mystery Tour & Treasures of Tayton...

Hiking across OutBack Ridge

Two days of off piste skiing!  This is Day Two:  A tour with Frank, a good friend and the biggest KID on the mountain!  "Do ya wanna play outside?" 

A good climb to the top

"Of course" I replied.  So off we went.  A practise run to wake up our ski legs on Show Off run.  How appropriate.  The sun was shining amongst a perfect deep blue sky.  The temperature sitting at -1 degree Celsius at 10:00 am.  It will be a warm day on the mountain.
To the summit....
And as we ride the Mile One Quad the sky deepens its hue.  Next, the Champagne Chair and the sun is cresting over the ridge.  We ski across Canadian Way to the Summit Chair.  You can feel the warmth of the radiant heat approach as we rise to the top.  It will be an almost perfect day.  Bob is recovering and will be joining us in a couple of weeks, otherwise it Would have been a perfect day.

Frank @ OutBack Ridge, patiently waiting for me

Tamarak & Pine inTayton Bowl

 Frank, a natural born explorer, wants to check out "The White Room"  A bowl on the Tayton side.  So, we drop into Heli High.  A good introduction into the "Dark Side" A paradise for snowboarders and adventure skiers alike.

 I feel like I am part of a fairy tale where magical rabbits and snowy owls play within the white ice crystals on the snow kissed Tamarak Trees.  We see The White Room above us.  A bowl with a cliff ridge.  The trick is to enter from below the cliff.  But, not today.

Back to Heli High....All I could say, was "OH MY"  Beautiful and magical as it is mysterious.

A Great Day for a Hike

So, down we go.  Yes, it's steep and intimidating.  I Respect Mother Nature and have faith as we traverse, down and through the trees and deep powder.  Oops! I lost my balance and a 50 foot slide on my back.  Where was I going to stop?  Thankfully a tree was there to save me from tumbling further down.  Once, composed and empty the snow from my jacket, a quick shake and a chuckle from Frank, we continue our decent.  Next, we enter "The Cauldron"  Yes, it is as it sounds.  I manage my way down, but not with much grace or finesse.  I was more interested in the beauty surrounding me and keeping a close eye on Frank who is guiding me through this magical forest.  At the base is the landing pad.  This was used for landing aircraft and helicopters when Tayton Bowl was accessible by helicopter only.


Hiking up the trail

A quick lunch and back to the top.  It's "Never Never Land" and an attempt at "Jacob's Bowl"  We enter the gates of Tayton Bowl. We traverse by foot and by ski along the OutBack Ridge past B1, B2, Devil's Drop, Ktunaxa, "Frank, Are we there Yet?"..... C-Spine (I will never go down this one), Kinbasket, Whitetail and 40 minutes later as we are gasping at the thin air, we arrive. We are literally at the top of the world.   The view was absolutely spectacular!!!! 

Finally, we have arrived

     Frank explains the mountains in the distance, Mount Assiniboine, 3619 meters, Mount Nelson 3294 meters, Jumbo Glacier, and the Columbia River in the Rocky Mountain Trench down below that stretches from the Yukon all the way to Astoria, Oregon, 1,600 Km.
It is hard to believe that we are the 3rd highest skiable elevation 4,000 vertical feet in North America.


Mount Nelson

We are in infinite silence and sunshine as we soak up the beauty left behind by the glaciers thousands of years ago.  Never Never Land is just that.  You are on the edge of the world.  As we traverse downward you realize your mortality and how small our human skeleton is against the snow and sky above.  Beads of sweat are forming on my head, back and neck.  The radiant heat from the sun, a combination of hard work and fear have created a sauna under my ski gear. 

Mount Goldie Glacier

We arrive at the base just before the chair closes.  It is almost Beer O'clock. 




Frank and I will be joining Bob for a cold one and very humbly share our experiences with Bob, as he will be joining us in the next adventure on The Magical Mystery Tour to Never Never Land and beyond.

Magical Mystery Tour (Lennon/McCartney)

Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up AND THAT'S AN INVITATION, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up TO MAKE A RESERVATION, roll up for the mystery tour.
The magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away,
Waiting to take you away.

Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING YOU NEED, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up SATISFACTION GUARANTEED, roll up for the mystery tour.
The magical mystery tour is hoping to take you away,
Hoping to take you away.

Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up AND THAT'S AN INVITATION, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up TO MAKE A RESERVATION, roll up for the mystery tour.
The magical mystery tour is coming to take you away,
Coming to take you away.
The magical mystery tour is dying to take you away,
Dying to take you away, take you away.

A View of Tayton Bowl