Mt. Bourqueposito

 The new year gave us blue skies and stable boot deep snow.  I have been eyeballing this face for a long time... It was time to hit it.  I headed out with Johnny "foon" Chilton and Mie Yamashita. The lower portion of this post is a full on poach from Foon Skis blog.
Johnny calls this type of face a "Esposito", with a 77 percent chance its never been skied...Felt like a Raymond Bourque to me. Likely this thing has been tagged,  I just don't know anyone who has.

Mie Yamashita leads the way, as Johnny foon instagrams more mountains into his brain.. As this face really has no name, I explained it to mie as, "y know that face we never like skinning under"

Mie..

Some other stuff

Topping out...Nice wall in behind, but maybe don't go to the edge for a better look

Foon Skiing.. 

Yamashita inspiring MEC enthusiasts

13TH JAN 2013POSTED IN: FOON BLOG0

After starting the year with an amazing descent of one of North Americas biggest standing waves (Mt. Curries North Face 7500 vertical ft.) with the Pehota boys, I got a call from Joe Lax.

“My friend Mia and I are gonna try to hit this face between Mt. Cayoosh and 7 Mile Creek. You know it?”

“Oh yea, everybody’s been eyeing that face, what a great idea, thanks for the call.” I replied

The “Esposito”

A face like this is a classic example of what we call an “Esposito”. In the world of Coast Range Ski Mountaineering a really big, really steep, really remote face is often referred to as a “Gretzky”. This when your 99% sure it has not been skied before. (For the non hockey fans out there, Wayne Gretzky was the greatest player of all time and his # was 99). The face Joe and Mia had invited me to shred with them was fairly steep, pretty big (just shy of 2000 vert.) and while not remote, not right in the front country either.

Mia mid face on the Esposito

Although drooled over by many we could find no one who could confirm shredding it and the reality is that once the film crews show up later in the year this face is baked out from the sun. So we call it an “Esposito”. After another great canadian hockey player, Phil Esposito, who’s # was 77.

Joe leading up the face

Access was un-problematic, the day was beautiful and conditions stellar. This face receives a lot of sun and by February will probably lose it’s ability to produce pow. Super stoked to have been along, a perfect mission for the Foonlight.

Joe shredding “The Esposito”

“Snowboarder Joe”

Gorbachev Peak

Some Pre-new years action in the majestic Yeltsin range.

French Alpinist Insane Sam Casavant edges into the run he has coined "the vortex"   Johnny Foon looks on with disapproval.

Insane Sam is very lactose tolerant, as he loves shredding the milk.

We made the most of the mornings greybird, Johnny Foon gets in there.

But.. it eventually cracked for Johnny's birthday so we decided to do some runs not in the sun, but close to it.

I got to party like it was 1999 .. 

Rocky Coast

We decided to head east, hoping for better weather.... It started to crack open enroute.

"This is just like the guidebook said it would be!"

There was a bit of bootpack posthole misery, heading up the ridge.. but the views were nice

Sugar snow isn't sweet

Chris Christie took the ridge-rot posthole to the next level, and fell into this hole!... Chris was skinning, so it was a big surprise for him that this hole collapsed and swallowed him.

Dave B and Jon J set up a quick anchor and fished Chris out.

Back to gawking at lines... The terrain is alot more rocky in this zone compared to areas closer to the coast.   Cool to shred amongst the rock walls

Stuff looks good when it is sunny

I photoshopped a pic of dave into this pic of sun and blue sky , as Dave usually likes to travel with a milk entourage.

I slid into my line

in and out

Jon Johnston making the mountain his canvas.

Dave B making the mountain, his own private idaho.

Chris Christie enjoying the silky smooth sensation, that is skiing on powder type snow.

Jon J

Round two, headed for the ramps

More sweetness out yonder way.

Union Brotherhood of the Posthole Service.

Some real nasty skinning, and bootpackery.  I cursed alot.

Can you spot the matching lunch kits.  

Dave and I wanted to drop in off the top of the nose...  Another nasty rollover with a pepper dance off the top and midway down.

We all tied our shoelaces together to see if we could get a look in.

Its alot nicer to look at with sun... This is a shot from last year, and looks a bit more filled in... We pulled the pin as the light went flat, and opted for the skiers left ramp.

yar, the flatness!... Jon and Chris headed right off the peak to a chute, Dave B hit the middle ramp , and i hit the small ramp furthest lookers right... Snow was good, it was fun to hit this wall after being chased out of here last year by spooky avy conditions.

We skinned up for one last "bonus" run.  Dave B goes further and deeper and drops into yet another  backyard discovery, with a half ass sun tint on it!... Ya Dave!

Dave makes two precise turns before pointing his snowboard downhill , through the choke and avoiding the rocks that dominate the landscape.  This is Dave Basterrechea's perfect moment.

Dave B getting his PHD in soulriding.

Mini golf land getting the late light. Sweet as mate!