Even though I’ve been making turns at the Pass for years, my first trip to West Peak didn’t occur until February of 2008. I wanted to stretch my legs on the splitboard a few days after we got back from a multi-day trip to Whistler, and Todd was game so we headed out. Instead of doing the traditional approach from inside the ski area, we decided to skin the cross country trails from the base of the Pass. The ski up was pretty straight forward, and we were treated to a few inches of fresh snow. We worked our way up the ridge, eventually making our way through the glades and to the summit. I remember being impressed by the steep trees lines on the west side of the peak. After hanging on top for awhile, we dug a pit and found stable conditions. With that, it was time to strap in and shred. We chose a line off the west face, and enjoyed decent snow down through the steeps, eventually working our way back to the cat track below. All in all it was a pretty good day. The picture below, taken from the top, is the only picture I have from the day (the rest perished in a computer crash shortly after the trip).
