Last Saturday, I turned 40.
40 years – 4 decades – halfway to 80.
So, like any responsible adult, I developed a three point plan to mark the occasion:
1 – invite everyone over to my house for waffles on my Birthday
2 – go back-country skiing with whoever will come
3 – go and drink beer (riding my new birthday bike for transport) at the Snow-to-Surf beer gardens, as pretty much 70% of the people I know would be there.
Part 1 went incredibly well. Many friends, lots of waffles, and some excellent sausages! There were even left overs to take ski touring!
Dylan points to our goal from the Raven Lodge parking lot. Mount Allan Brooks in Strathcona Park!
Part 2 ended up being a ski tour of Mt. Brooks. Joining me for ski touring were two of my best friends – Dylan and Tree. While both Dylan and I had been up Mt. Brooks before, we determined after getting on the mountain that neither of us really new the route…
On the shore of Lake Helen McKenzie. It is indeed snowing.
After climbing about half way across the west face of the mountain, we got our bearings and found our way to the route up the north ridge.
On top of Mt. Brooks! I don’t look that bad for 40!
While it wasn’t super cold, all of the north facing aspects had maintained pretty decent snow quality. Also, it had snowed regularly enough and recently enough that there was none of the usual pine needles and sap all over the snow. Not bad for April 26th.
Yup – that’s a pair of G3 Ion Bindings mounted to a pair of G3 Synapse 109 Carbon skis. More on those later this week…
The ski down was fun! Overall, Mt. Brooks is an excellent tour that combines a short traverse with meadows and forest, with a decent sub-alpine climb and some steep, north facing pitches for the ski down!
Tree rips up one of the north facing aspects as we ski back down the ridge.
Part 3 of the plan also worked out as planned. While I wasn’t competing in the Snow-to-Surf this year (for the first time in 7 years), I did plan on enjoying the end of the race!
All* of my friends at the snow-to-surf beer garden! Even Waldo!
All in all, an excellent way to mark 40 years on this earth.
I will end with a big thank-you to my most awesome girlfriend ever – Camille – who organized a large amount of my friends to help buy the commuter bike I was buying myself. I was buying it as my current kluged together klunker was dying a slow death, and I was in need of something reliable. Camille called /texted / emailed and otherwise contacted everyone of my friends she could think of and asked them to pitch in to help pay for the bike. At the end of the day, I may have to pay for half of it. I couldn’t be more touched. To everyone who contributed, I am deeply touched by your generosity and love!
*Note: maybe 70% of my friends attend the Snow-to-Surf beer garden. The rest were busy Elevating, which is more important than even my 40th B-day!