Editor’s Note: Contributing editor Steve Andrews is in the middle of a late-season migration to Baldface Lodge near Nelson British Columbia. Baldface has been hosting its Zig Zag banked slalom all month where joes can compare themselves to the pros. In this series, Steve reports on the contest and the pure joy of riding one of snowboarding’s most hallowed locales.
Yesterday felt like a dream. In fact the day’s activities did indeed overlap into my dreams. When I woke up, I forgot where I was for a moment, as is often the case when sleeping somewhere for the first time. It took me a second for my mind to wake up and remember that I’m out in the middle of the Selkirk Wilderness in a gigantic compound built for the sole purpose of hosting the best experience a snow lover could ever envision.
As I sit down for my morning coffee, served by smiling staff that was up later than me doing shots at the bar, I notice a recent Snowboard magazine on the end table. The cover shot has Mark Landvik sending a huge method. I then see the caption for the location: Baldface, BC.
Yesterday was just about acclimation. I still had no idea what to expect. It was almost overwhelming how well I have been treated. The quality of the food is unreal. Even a good stereo makes all the difference, which they have already figured out. I am still yet to explore the home theater, although I did feel it last night through the floorboards. The pride in this operation shines through with every detail.
ZigZag Part Deux
‘Stay low, relax. Get high on that turn. Watch out for that hole. Keep it up. This is fun!’
So said the voice in my head as I made my way down the course. I wanted to take it seriously this time. During the first run I fell on the third turn trying to take a corner too sharply, thus losing my edge. So for my final run I had up my seriousness. It can be a romantic notion for an athlete to think that the results don’t matter, to just have fun and do your best. But there is an instinctual force within that drives us to push ourselves to our max, no matter the magnitude of the stage. This of course must be taken in context: I’m in an amazing place with amazing people. And I feel like I’m 8 years old again. But the combination of sunshine, good, fast snow, and enough talent for the bragging rights to mean something was the perfect motivator to get into the zone.
By the time you get to the lodge you’re a bit winded. But there is always a crowd cheering you on at the hip out front, so you know you need to keep it going. But with the cold temperature adding some speed this morning, you couldn’t point the board straight on the hip or you’d get way too much air. Even when slowing down it was a good 3-4 seconds of hangtime before you stomp straight into the next turn. The legs were certainly feeling it by this point, but it’s a good 8 or so turns before the finish so you just have to breathe and keep it going until you cross the line and finally exhale. But since the time isn’t revealed until the end of the day, you immediately begin to relive the run in your head. Trying to be confident, but unable to avoid the inevitable criticism as you replay the video and see spots where you could have done it a little better, put your arm out a little more, and held that edge a bit longer.
The next two riders behind me were Mark Fawcett and Brett Tippie. Some of you reading this will know who these guys are and know why that is such a trip. To those whom the names are unfamiliar, let me just say that without these two gentlemen, the history of sports in British Columbia would be a lot more boring. To have the two of them follow me on a course felt as though I was in some strange childhood ideation of the ultimate shred competition.
Fawcett ended up taking the fastest time of the day after only half of a practice run behind him. But he exemplified the proverbial “he who is having the most fun, wins” idea perfectly. It was a shining example of what makes a champion: relaxed, confident, and just happy to be here. It has been a consistent thread among those at the top of their game. You can see it in the way they turn to little children in their excitement toward their passion.
Into the Cat
The vibe that comes from the banked slalom course really gets you stoked to shred. Even though it’s all for fun (as everything should be in snowboarding), the competition aspect pushes you and gets you in the mood to charge.
After yesterday, I wasn’t really too worried about the conditions, as the extreme warm temperature made for sticky snow that got frustrating at times. Not today though. From the first couple turns at the top all the way down, the cold overnight temperatures had solidified the surface of the snowpack to a point where the board could cut in just enough to hold a turn, yet soft enough to respond to every slight lean.
This was what spring skiing was all about. Soft corn snow is like snowboarding through a giant slab of partially melted butter. You aren’t getting face shots, but you are able to pin it without much fear of losing an edge. It’s a rare consistency; too hard or too soft will be no fun. But when it’s juuust right, it’s as good a feeling as any day in the winter. And we scored.
Yeah, that’s Ayla Hansen Roche straight lining like a boss.
The Future
Joining us for the day was 15-year-old Ayla Hansen Roche of Revelstoke, who earned her spot on the trip through an essay contest amongst local high school students. I didn’t ask her what she wrote to win, but you could see in her eyes how much this trip meant to her. And she f$%#@!@ rips. At the end of the run as the group all looked back on their lines, hers was always among the straightest and through the gnarliest terrain. She also played DJ on a few of the cat rides up, blasting gangster rap and Sublime, never mind the fact that Bradley Nowell died five years before she was born.
She also won the girl’s division for the banked slalom. It gave me a strong hope that snowboarding is in a fine place. Although the industry has seen a drop in sales numbers, the quality of young riders is mind-blowing. All that has happened is that the number of wishy-washy snowboarders who only ride twice a year has declined. The kooks went back to skiing. With young riders like Ayla keeping the embers hot, snowboarding’s blaze of glory will continue to spread to those who seek the kind of fulfilment that comes from flying through snow in the mountains.
Back at the Lodge
When you have an epic shred day on the hill, sometimes it feels like it can’t get any better. Yet out at Baldface, it does. Because before you even make it to the lodge the smell of barbecue is already in the air as you cruise through the trees. With the sun out well into the evening, you have the perfect environment to make new friends, solid memories, and improve not only your snowboarding but your optimism for a life, pursuing the freedom that comes with gliding down a snow-covered mountain.
