Showing posts with label Glacier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glacier. Show all posts

Friday, June 24, 2016

All time in the Tantalus Range

Tantalized.
Photo: Vince Shuley
When things line up and become all time…

It was Tuesday night on March 22 at 8pm when the other partners cancelled. Anna Segal hesitated on our heli booking. I was at the Whistler Museum giving a presentation on 'Group Dynamics.' My text to Anna read, "I'm still in." Within ten minutes two women, Julie Cossette and Catherine Henry, were recruited from the audience and our group into the Tantalus Range was back on track.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Pamir Expedition: Flow of the Fedchenko


Flow of the Fedchenko from Vince Shuley on Vimeo.

Team Flow (L to R: Zebulon Blais, Emelie Stenberg, Holly Walker,  Selena Cordeau 
and Vince Shuley) at 5,000 meters on the Fedchenko Glacier.
Day 8 of 29: May 7, 2014 (4,200 metres)

I sat leaning on the outside wall of the Gorbunov Meteorology Station sipping on a splash of génépi, celebrating with the team our coming arrival onto the Fedchenko Glacier, which now lay just 300 metres away. The warm sun beat on my face and I wiggled my toes on the dry rocks in front of me. Taking another sip of génépi - one of our two bottles of booze we had carried up here - I questioned the bottle's weight. At that point I also questioned how we had even gotten here.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

A Smart Pack: Skiing off the Aiguille du Midi


The Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, France is one of the most famous lifts in the world. It holds the record as the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world, as it brings you up to 3842m (12,605ft). After passing through the famous ice tunnel, and making it down the arête, you can ski a variety of big mountain descents through heavily crevassed and unmarked terrain. Unless you are 100 percent confident in your glacier and ski mountaineering skills, it is wise to hire a local guide. When you ski down to Chamonix, it is a 2807m (9,200ft) descent. The access gives you the ability to explore high mountain terrain with incredible ease that is hard to replicate anywhere else in the world. However, the access needs to be respected because in Chamonix you can go from drinking an espresso to almost killing yourself in less than 5 minutes. Be sure you are prepared. Here is a look at what I carry with me down a ski run off the Aiguille du Midi.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Mixed Bag: Alpine Climbing in the Tantalus Range

Ross Berg and client climb in the Tantalus Range. Photo by Ross Berg.
It was 10:37pm on a Thursday, August 21st and I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when I received a text from Bram. "Hey, rather last minute but a friend is flying a client to Tantalus on Saturday. One more spot in heli - $215." I responded, "YES" and scrambled to find someone to cover my weekend shifts at work. I couldn't say 'no' to the Tantalus Range…