Fairy Meadow (Bill Putnam) Hut, February 26-March 6, 2011

This year, Thorsten had a winning bid for the Alpine Club of Canada's Fairy Meadow hut for the last week of February. He got 12 spots in the cabin, which sleeps 20, and the remaining 8 went to a Canadian group of friends. The trip started out with logistical troubles, and unfortunately it was only 9 out of our 12 who flew in to the hut on Saturday. Two more were able to fly in a few days later after their luggage arrived; as we were out skiing and we unexpectedly heard the chopper coming, we knew our lost luggage boys were making it in.

Our food was pre-prepared by a caterer who is also a butcher by trade, so the meals involved a staggering quantity of meat (although she also prepared good things for the lone vegetarian). There was a TON of food, especially since we were 9 eating for 12 for the first three days. An example of the breakfast we ate on the second to last day: fresh fruit salad, yogurt with frozen berries, bagels, poppyseed cake, banana bread, bacon, and egg frittata. Dinners included steak, thick-cut pork chops, stuffed chicken, sausage and bean soup, schnitzel, and goulash. We were very happy with the food, but the meals typically involved a lot of preparation. Since each "food team" only cooked two nights, it wasn't a problem, and we had some excellent chefs in our group who put together wonderful meals from the ingredients our caterer sent.

The weather consisted of mild temps and mostly overcast skies, which only occasionally parted to give us a glimpse of our magnificent surroundings. The week before and the week after our trip both brought colder weather; when Aaron went to Fairy Meadows six years ago, the temperatures were generally in the -20s Fahrenheit in the middle of the day, so we were lucky to have a nice warm week. The snowpack seemed stable, but about 40 cm of fresh snow fell throughout the week and winds moved things around a bit, so we exercised caution after snowfall accumulated.

Day 1: Transport to the Hut

Gretel and others playing hackysack at the departure pad while waiting for the helicopter ride out.

Aaron and Gretel keeping their eyes on the hackysack. For this picture, I wish I had my grandpa's stereoscope camera so you could see the hackysack in the foreground better.

We had 30 boxes of food for the week.

In a round of rock-paper-scissors, Aaron won the front seat of the helicopter for the first flight out.

The chopper kicks up a lot of snow and can toss duffel bags around.

Eriko, one of the Canadians, arriving at the hut. It was pretty cold this first day, as you can see from her breath.

Unfortunately, these tracks aren't ours---the group at the hut the week before us sure schralped the bunny slopes! That's Aaron at the top getting a late run on the day of the helicopter ride. The snow came soon and covered up the tracks, and the practice slopes were good as new.

Owen.

Aaron zipping up for a second chilly evening run on the practice slopes.

Days 2-7: Schralping the Pow

On the first real day of skiing, a group of three headed out to the Granite Glacier to flag a safe route across. They found very good, solid conditions across the glacier and skied a few lines on the other side.

Aaron departing with the glacier group. The rest of us decided to ski the trees. The sky got cloudy and the light was very flat, so it was challenging to ski in the alpine.

Gretel and Steve H.

Thorsten.

Aaron after the glacier group joined us in the afternoon.

Aaron dropping down a fun, wide open run on the generally more treed slopes.

Thorsten.

Gretel.

The trees on a cloudy afternoon.

Aaron with a smile on his face. "Wowie zowie!"

Steve B.

A pretty line that Aaron skied. I didn't get pics of him skiing it because I didn't know he was coming down off this little ice waterfall. He didn't know beforehand, either. With the flat light, we sometimes skied off of things we didn't know about. "Thorsten's cornice" got named that way. I skied off of an unxpected drop and landed with a leg above my head, but fortunately in super deep powder.

Hiking back to the cabin.

Steve B.

Amy.

Steve H and Gretel.

Luke.

Steve H watching John.

Another day, another ski tour...this time with some freshies. Aaron and Thorsten.

John.

Peter.

Aaron.

Luke.

Some of the group gathered for lunch where the treed runs dead end into a moraine.

Peter outside the hut.

Luke and his teles.

Aaron beacon-checking on our way out in the morning.

Amy.

Thorsten with a bald spot, created during first aid administered for a tele ski to the back of the head.

Not a bad place for a hut.

Hiking along.

Hiking up the now-familiar track up and away from the hut.

Amy.

Thorsten in the lead.

Clouds rolling in behind the peaks beyond the Granite Glacier, which we never crossed after our three guys headed out there the first day. I don't know if I would have done anything differently in the first couple of days if I'd known we would get freshies mid-week, but out of cautiousness, challenging lighting conditions, and whatnot, we skied the crap out of the trees instead of skiing the alpine terrain. The trees were fun stuff, though, and the powder was whipped creamy.

Luke, Thorsten, John, Aaron, Steve B, Chuck, Amy, Peter. Missing are Owen, Gretel, and Steve B. We never got a full group photo since we were almost always in groups of 2-5.

Chuck.

Peter.

Aaron.

Aaron surfing a wave of powder.

John.

Aaron.

Thorsten and Aaron.

Canadians.

Aaron wanted to ski a line through this toothy ridge above the treed slopes, but I chickened out.

Peter checks out the line.

Thorsten enjoying the view.

Chuck.

Chuck again.

Aaron.

Aaron again.

Chuck.

Steve B, Owen, and Luke having a fun day.

Their tracks above and into a gully.

Either Luke, Steve B, or Owen on the practice slopes.

Their tracks on the practice slopes.

Sun dog.

Luke.

Steve B.

Owen.

Aaron hitting a rock pillow on the last day.

Steve B.

Aaron picks out his next line.

Aaron hopping from pillow to pillow.

Wowie zowie!

Steve B.

Peter.

Scenes from the Cabin

Owen and Gretel preparing dinner.

The next morning, lunch fixins set out along with leftover meat (in the bowls) from the goulash stew.

Apparently, on last year's Canada hut trip the caterer didn't send along enough (or any?) hot sauce, so a special request was made for hot sauce this year. We had all this, plus a can of green chile and some chipotles. It was sufficient.

Chuck, Steve B, and Luke shoveling snow.

Steve B cleaning the roof.

Amy and Luke.

Somebody's shiny new rope.

Pots 'n' pans in the kitchen.

Chuck working on another massive breakfast, which involved buttermilk pancakes with actual buttermilk and large quantities of bacon. And sausage.

My skis patiently waiting outside the window, hungry for powder.

Aaron just back from some runs, with hat hair, looking for space to dry his things around the crowded stove.

Aaron chilling.

There was a book in the hut titled "Inuit Games" that had many different physical feats and contests that can be performed while hanging out in a hut. Here, Aaron performs "The Airplane" with the help of Peter, Steve B, and Chuck.