Valhalla Powdercats

Valhalla Powdercats’ home base is Nelson, British Columbia. Our expectations of legendary interior powder and steep n’ deep tree lines were quickly lowered upon arriving in Nelson. The town was in the midst of a tropical torrential downpour. The weather added to the haunted vibe of our hotel. Our crew stayed at the historic and beautifully renovated Heritage Inn that is rumored to be haunted. Genuine ghost sightings eluded us but we played enough convincing pranks on each other that we all went to bed fearing the undead as the rain pounded our hotel room windows.

We awoke to semi clear skies and our hopes jacked up again that we might get to some good snow. After a hearty organic breakfast, a la Nelson style, the Ride Guide crew headed for the Valhalla base to meet our guides and skiers Justin Francis, Colin Puskas and Peter Velisek who recently won the Lake Louise Freeski Comp. After greetings and high fives were exchanged we set out in the cat.

The rain had traveled quite far into the alpine but we still had some good turns. The storm clouds even relented to reveal the amazing scenery of the Valhalla mountain range. Impressive rocky peaks jutted from the clouds to show a glimpse of the varied terrain that Valhalla had to offer. After a few runs in the open bowls and in the trees we were satisfied so we cheered and called it a day. For more information about Valhalla Powdercats, please visit www.valhallapow.com.

Ian Macintosh

Ian Macintosh is a contender on the World Freeskiing circuit who recently placed 2nd at the Canadian Freeskiing Championships in Whistler, BC. He’s also a good ‘ol boy who grew up in Invermere, the small town resting in the valley below Panorama. The Macintosh’s have been pushing the limits of skiing in this resort for a couple generations and even have a run named after them, Macintosh Way. Ian grew up ski racing here, maching down the 1,220 m (4,000 feet) of vertical (Panorama has the highest vertical drop in this part of the Canadian Rockies). Ian was most stoked on the back bowls of Panorama so our film crew headed towards Tayton Bowl, a 1,000 acre recent addition to Panorama’s skiable terrain. The super friendly Tom Winters, from Freeskier Magazine, also joined us to hopefully get a money shot of Ian enjoying his old stomping grounds.

The new Champagne Express quad and Summit quad whip you to the top of Tayton Bowl, voted “Best New Terrain” by various ski publications. This area is peppered with pillow lines, cliffs, gullies, and, unfortunately, bumps since we were there during a dry spell. Considering it had not snowed in a while there was still good coverage on most of the features but dropping anything of considerable size was out of the question since the landings were solid. Ian still managed to huck off some good sized rocks for Tom Winters’ camera and it made my knees hurt to watch. Ahhh, what a hardworking pro he is!

We hiked a bit to the very end of Tayton bowl and found a bunch of fresh snow lit up by the sun. The snow pack was a bit shallow but the light pow and perfectly sunny sky temporarily distracted us from the danger lurking beneath. Ian was a great host and eager to show us Panorama’s freeskiing charm. All the best on the circuit, Ian!

The Punkass Canucks

The Punkass Canucks (PAC Army) are a group of snowboarders who ride for a distributor of the same name. They’re making a movie called Poverty of Opportunity staring the PAC army riders (such as Andrew Burns), the Canadian Westbeach team (such as Jeff Pepperdine and Molly Milligan) and other young up and coming canuck riders.

The Punkass Canucks were spending most of their time cruising around the Panorama Gamecube Terrain Park for “advanced huckers” when we met up with them. The park has the standard offerings (tables, c-box, long flat bar, rainbow rail, a box) that are well maintained by park builder Eric Lange and the music is always blaring. Combine fun music with sunshine and friends and you get a perfect park day and progression is at it’s best when you’re having fun. The Punkass Canucks were dorking out on the jumps and jibs (moose hats are so hot right now!) and having the best time. The highlight was Andrew Burns’ and Jeff Pepperdine’s handholding method. Good times! Watch for their movie in the Fall of 2004.

Check It

You can view the Ride Guide crew by tuning in to Global Television, this Saturday, April 03 at the following times: Maritimes at 12:00 noon, Quebec/Ontario at 1:00 pm, Manitoba/Saskatchewan at 1:00 pm and Alberta/BC at 2:00 pm.

This episode will also be repeated on X-Treme Sports (digital cable) on Sunday, April 04 at 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm (Eastern).