Andrew Strain Photography

With the lack of snow this season, I have yet to transition from my "rock board", my trusty 2003 (I think... I got it used in 2004) Option Sansalone. It has its fair share of core shots and edge damage, but Sapphire Bowl dealt a mortal blow this past Thursday, removing a bunch of sidewall from my heelside edge. With a few repairs its probably still fine in pow, but I can't see it lasting long on hardpack.

I can't really complain though, as I've ridden that board through the rockiest days of the past 5 seasons (and it was a demo board before that), dishing out a ton of abuse along the way. Best $125 I ever spent, long live the Option factory sale!

My poor board:


We hiked up above the glacier to deliver the last rites:


The scene of the crime - a very rocky Spanky's Ladder:


Read the rest of the post for a few more photos.
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Hereward doubles down:


All smiles on a bluebird day - this was before my board was so savagely assaulted:


I never get sick of this view:


A few more photos can be found on my flickr.

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I spent a few days earlier this week riding out of Keith's Hut, a cozy little backcountry cabin in the Cerise Creek valley, about half an hour east of Pemberton. It's close proximity to the highway make it a popular touring destination, but going up midweek gave our group a solid monopoly on the hut.

The skies were blue, the snow was stable, and there were still plenty of good lines to be had, a week after the last snowfall. Top it all off with fish and chips at the Wigan Pier in Squamish on the way home, and you get a perfect backcountry trip. Chyea!

Looking back at Mt Joffre after shredding a 700m chute / glacier line:


Read the full post for more photos:

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Joffre soaks up the morning sun:


Skinning up, with a view of Mt Matier and the Anniversary glacier:


Hereward serves notice that he will be skiing that line next time:


Looking east towards Vantage Peak:


Made it off the glacier with no crevasse incidents:



Speaking of monopoly, we didn't get to bed until 1am on Tuesday due to a 5 hr long game...



The rest of my photos
Hereward's photos

The only downside to the trip, was me realizing that I badly need a better touring setup. My backpack is way too big, I carry too much camera gear, snowshoes kinda suck and I always have to borrow a beacon when I go out. Definitely adding a better pack, a splitboard, and my own beeper to the "must buy" list, although I'll have to make due with my current setup for the rest of the season. I also need to figure out a better way to carry my camera when space and weight restictions are tight - the camera block from my sequence is waaaay too clunky to bring along on a multi day trip...

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This is the post where I concede defeat. You would think with no facebook to distract me (reinstated, by the way - someone complained about a group that I admin(ed) ), I'd have all that extra time to go out and shoot... but, of days 21-31, only 22, 23 and 29 have photos. I blame the departure of the awesome fog.

22: a park bench.


See the last few photos of the month after the jump:

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Day 23: Yahtzee!


Day 29: Sunrise from the Lions Gate Bridge (I'll blame this big gap of photographic fail on going to whistler and not bringing my camera... there was no way I was taking my first laps of Peak chair this season with a 30 pound Sequence bag strapped to my back.)


And finally, day 32 (to make up for no 31 ender). Building the ramp, testing the lights... almost ready for action:


So, there you have it - maybe not complete, but my photo-a-day is done. Check back soon for future updates.
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