Boots has it figured out. Boots is Sparky and Bridgette’s cat that apparently “came with the house”. That puts Boots at over 17 years old. She sleeps under their woodstove at home in Rossland, B.C. a cool little mountain town I stopped off in for a couple days before heading to my CAA level 1 course.
Doesn’t do the quaint mountain town justice but it was a grey day..
A typical Rossland home. Super cool.
Bridgette and Sparky, old friends and roommates of Pete and Sarah showed me an awesome time in Rossland. I had a bed, great company, food and even a lift ticket to Red on Saturday thanks to the ski patrol director.
Red Mountain in the back. The bigger Granite mountain isn’t in the photo. Overall the terrain was siiiiick and the snow was softer than expected!
Sparky’s daughter Sally was competing in the freeskiing comp that day and ended up winning it all in front of the home crowd. Red mountain is minutes from Rossland and an easy XC ski to the lift. The town has a great feel. Steep roofed homes on hilly streets a nice downtown and a major outdoor community influence.
During my stay I also got to meet John Tweedy, a big name in avalanche forecasting that ran the avalanche program at Kootenay Pass for 30 years. He is the avy guy in the new snowboard flick “The Art of Flight”. He was all stories and sage advice over a couple hours and a beer at the pub.
Currently I am set up in the back of the Explorer, piled with blankets and a sleeping bag trying to stay warm for the night in the staging area of my course. In the morning a heli will pluck me and 12 other students to fly us into Valkyr Lodge in the Selkirk Mountains.
Hiking around the lake outside a tiny town named Burton. I stayed the night in the back of the Explorer in a 45 F bag… luckily I had some blankets!
Home in Valdez the faucet has finally turned off and the constant snows have given way to single digits and wind. Under Sparky’s woodstove Boots sits warm as can be and at the moment I am quite jealous of her position.
Dude! You didnt tell me you might be sleeping in the car. I would have made sure you were better prepared. Did you tell your mother? Be kind to my car, Frannie is dying quickly and might not make it through the weekend- high oil use and a leaky radiator.
That is sweet your got to share some chat and brews with John Tweedy, I bet there were some good stories to hear. Have fun on that heli flight when it plucks you and takes you into the BC backcountry! SICK!
No…. he didn’t tell his Mama. But I hope you snagged some of the Pendleton blankets to add some warm to that wussy bag! Keep stories comin’! BTW, that package you were looking for arrived yesterday.