Word & Photos by Justin Ross
The first ski day of the season kicked off more as a scouting mission than a powder hunt. Rhys and I loaded up his truck, the RUX Duffel Box Ultra, which handled the full commute from the apartment to the tailgate and finally to the trailhead, keeping the early-season gear shuffle organized, dry, and easy to move.
We started up the Squamish Valley, driving up logging roads until the snow was too much. There we parked, loaded our bags, and attached our skis to our backs. Following a mix of dirt, grass, and thin snow patches,we made it to a consistent snowline.. Coverage was limited from the start, but the excitement of chasing early turns pushed us uphill. Once at the snow line, we transitioned to skins and began the climb.
As we pushed uphill through the cutblocks and eventually the forests & finally the treeline, the weather turned. Heavy snowfall moved in fast, reducing visibility and covering the already thin snowpack with a few deceptive centimetres. It quickly became hard to read the terrain as the rocks, buried gullies, and uneven sections disappeared under the flat light and new snow.. With visibility dropping and the risk of hitting hidden obstacles increasing, we decided to call it before making it all the way to the top.
Keeping close to a patch of trees, we transitioned tucked away and out of the wind. We decided to stick to what we knew on the way back down - the skintrack. The upper turns were soft and surprisingly smooth given the snow depth, but the lower sections quickly turned into a mix of crust, grass, and careful navigation back to the hiking trail.
Even without reaching the ridgeline, it was a productive first outing: 7.7 km, 661 m of vert, and a good reality check on early-season conditions. More importantly, it was a reminder that winter is just around the corner and the legs are officially tuned up for the next storm cycle.
