Varsity Outdoor Club Journal
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!"#$%&'()*&+,,#(-.*/(0,*#1".(2334536 !"#$%&'()*&+,,#( -.*/(!"#$%&' !"#$%&!"'($)*+"$",- ,661 2,34')+4("5-)6%)78',9"-8):8-;98 !',-$)<,34')=>,$,5'8=>)6%)?8-)@>8-5 .//0&/1 A'"-$4+)8-)6,;-+)"-)28-8+8)6%):4B9,<C RQ)RUHVW6WHZDUGVKLS&RXQFLOFHUWLÀHGSDSHU UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA VARSITY OUTDOOR CLUB JOURNAL VOLUME LI 2008-09 Copyright © 2009 by the Varsity Outdoor Club Texts © 2009 by individual contributors Photographs © 2009 by photographers credited All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher. The Varsity Outdoor Club Journal (est. 1958) is published annually by The Varsity Outdoor Club Box 98, Student Union Building 6138 Student Union Mall University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC V6T 2B9 www.ubc-voc.com ISSN 0524-5613 Copy editing by Karolina Hanula Cover and text design by Karolina Hanula Advertising sales and production management by Karolina Hanula Proofreaders: Afton Halloran, Chantelle Chan, Christian Veenstra, Christopher Hanula, Conrad Koziol, Erik Frebold, Jean-Francois Caron, Kristin Warentin, Laura Morrison, Madeleine Martin-Preney, Maki Sumitani, Margery Pazdor, Maria Markov, Matthew Carroll, Murray Down, Nick Chng, Niels Klabunde, Paulina Biernacka, Sarah Long, Sarah Stepec, Sophia Toft Moulton, Roland Burton, Trina Barclay Front cover photo, “Julian Harrison Memorial Hut“ by Ran Zhang. Printed and bound in Canada by Hemlock Printed on paper that comes from sustainable forests managed by the Forest Stewardship Council CONTENTS 1 President’s Message Christian Veenstra 3 Editor’s Message Karolina Hanula 4 VOC Executive Team HIKING 11 The Coast Mountain Experience - Ape Lake Evan Morris 14 Chilkoot Trail Agathe Lemaire 19 Ashlu Mountian Chris Petrus 22 Motocross Wheel on Unnecessary Mountain Marcin Mirski 26 West Coast Trail Agathe Lemaire 30 When Wedge Becomes Tricouni Anne Vialettes 34 Garibaldi Circumnavigation Scott Webster CLIMBING AND MOUNTAINEERING 49 Runaway Trail Gili Rosenberg 53 Northeast Buttress of Mount Slesse Richard So 58 Don’t Mess with the Nexus! Sarah Long 61 Becoming a Trad Climber Eric Escobar 66 A Dirt-bagger’s Guide to Climbing at Mt. Arapiles Andrew Paré 73 Concerning Bears & Rocks Wyatt Klopp 76 A Confession of Minor Sins on Mt. Baker Matthew Parisien 80 Red Rocks and Joshua Tree Sarah Long 90 My Valentine’s Day Date Richard So 93 Lazy Baker Ascent Chris Petrus 96 Boulders, Belayers, and Bikers Sarah Stepec and Leila Larson 99 North Ridge of Mt Baker Andrej Dobos 105 De Luge Erik Frebold 109 Super Deluxe Reality Awaits Robin Avery SKIING 117 Pillow Action in the White Room with the Pink Ladies Richard So 119 Skiing at Snowspider 1DWDOLH6WDÁ 121 Roger’s Pass: A Rewarding Swim to Cure a Hangover Samantha Brett 124 Doing the Turns Right Kjetil Birkeland Moe 128 Aventures sous une pleine lune Andrew Silversides 131 The Kindness of Strangers Afton Halloran 134 Deception Near Deception Peak Sophia Toft Moulton 136 Mamquam, it’s further than it looks! Scott Webster 143 The Lake That Never Ends–Uncrossing the Garibaldi Neve Eliza Boyce 146 Practicing for Speed: The Spearhead Passage Ski Moutaineering Race Bram van Straaten LAND AND WATER 155 From Castlegar to Midway by Bicycle Maya Goldstein 160 The Best Laid Plans of Fools... Devon Carr 164 Champange Ahoy! Misadventures in Cycle Touring Through France Andrew Silversides 167 Night Ride Up at Okanagan Mountain Park Samantha Brett 3UREDEO\QRWWKH )LUVW2IÀFLDO92&.D\DN7ULS Ignacio Rozada 177 How not to Pee in a Kayak Line Lund Veenstra 181 Mud, Chocolate and Ethical Hedonism Matthew Carroll and Elissa Smith TRAVELS ABROAD 187 Downs and Ups in Vietnam Maya Goldstein 191 A World in One Country: Backpacking in China Michael Fuller 202 Climbing in Australia... or something like it Karolina Hanula and Paulina Biernacka 207 Midnight Visitors Susie Dain-Owens 211 Culture Shock in Japan Michael Fuller 216 Travel Partners Tiffany Shen CLUB LIFE AND REFLECTIONS 223 We are the VOC Chris Petrus 225 Longhike 2008 Agathe Lemaire 227 On Partners and Self-Esteem Seth Adams 228 Two Birthday Cakes, Seven Minutes in Heaven, and Possible Upgrades to the Brian Waddington Hut Roland Burton 231 Glacier School 2008 Madeleine Martin-Preney 234 Winter Longhike 2009 Chantelle Chan and Roland Burton 239 How not to Fall Through the Ice Meghan Anderson 243 Winter Water Wisdom Scott Webster 244 Tele School 2009 Karolina Hanula 246 Confessions of a Spooner Spooner 249 Building the Phelix Creek Trail Christian Veenstra 251 Recreation and Conservation Update Scott Webster 255 Surely you’re Joking, Ms. Manners Conrad Koziol 260 Solar Bear Club Sophia Toft Moulton 263 Photo Contest 2008-2009 EPICS 269 Learning to Swim by Getting Pushed off the Dock Seth Adams 279 The World’s Hottest Burger–A Strange Trip Chris Petrus 282 Escape from British Columbia Jeff Mottershead 299 The Self Propelled Chronicles Act I Piotr Forysinski 313 Alaskan Cedar Sophia Toft Moulton 316 Whitemantle on Skis, by Kayak Christian Veenstra 332 Journal Awards Karolina Hanula NICK MATWYUK PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Christian Veenstra So, what does it mean to be in the VOC anyway... what is it all about? It's an outdoors club after all, so it must have something to do with that. But in a university club over ninety years old, yet with a four year turnover rate, what gives continuity? Sometimes it amazes me that we can keep everything together and survive as a club at all - and yet here we are, looking back at another great year in the mountains and forward to the next. It seems that the VOC survives based on a fundamental lust for life, personal challenge, camaraderie, exploration and love for each other, which permeates people who are drawn to the outdoors. The spirit is evident when gathered around, cold and wet, singing silly songs in a driving storm on a trip which didn't quite make it as far as advertised - or when a small group bands together and plans a remote expedition. Somehow, quality people are drawn to the club and this spirit drives us forward. Watching the beginners H[SHULHQFHLWIRUWKHÀUVWWLPHWKHH[SHULHQFHGFDQUHOLYH that realization and sense of wonder, and things continue. But if it's all about the people, then why do we need the mountains at all? Why not become the Varsity Hanging Around In The City-Club? This year especially, with all the media hype regarding slackcountry skiers as the new men- ace to society, why not hang out at the resort? Why not just go to the bars? It would certainly save on effort - no need for advocacy trying to keep some portion of the mountains wild, or trying to quantify how we're different from people ducking the boundary ropes without a clue. Somehow, it seems that this spirit which binds us togeth- er just doesn't get fueled in the city. As a species we've spared no effort inventing rules and building places that fol- Xɧ1 X 2 X VARSITY OUTDOOR CLUB JOURNAL 2008–09 low them - places where somebody else has carefully cal- culated what to do in every situation. Just follow the signs, regulations and subsection 2.56a and everything will work RXW ÀQH 1R QHHG WR WKLQN ,I \RX IROORZ WKHVH UXOHV DQG something bad happens to you the system will bail you out. (Or, at least, we like to think so and are outraged when it doesn't.) Some love these places, and can't imagine leav- ing them, or why anyone would want to. Yet, for some of us, getting out into the backcountry - the wilderness - away from the strict pre-calculated well-mapped city, making our own decisions, and suffering our own consequences, is what life is really about. The reality and freedom of thinking for yourself and truly living is immense, indescribable, and not for everybody. That true sense of living - that challenge, freedom and exploration - can be found in different ways, but for us it is found in the wilderness. And so, I propose, this is what binds the club together year after year - discovering and sharing this spirit together. And I hope this year's journal helps you relive it if you're in the city, or reminds you why you're here if you're reading it up in a hut or while trapped in your tent on a storm day, stuck halfway between “no” and “where”. Thanks to this year's executive who, by stepping forward DQGVHOÁHVVO\GRQDWLQJWKHLUWLPHKDYHKHOSHGHQVXUHWKDW the club survives another year - giving us a means to share these experiences and grow together, and to learn to do it safely. Also, thanks to those who came before us - who took us out on that life-changing introductory trip, all the while advocating to ensure there would be places kept wild for us to enjoy. We can only pay it forward by doing the same. EDITOR’S MESSAGE Karolina Hanula Varsity Outdoors Club? I haven’t seen the outdoors all week! Perhaps it is because I had scoffed at the warnings of previ- ous editors and procrastinated a hell of a lot while the deadline approached rapidly. I won’t keep you long, as those who contributed to this edi- tion have said everything I had wished to say, but with more colour and enthusiasm than I could muster up within me. I must confess one thing, however: Over the past six months, ,KDYHVWDONHG\RXUSKRWRJDOOHULHVDQGSURÀOHV,KDYHUHDG your trip reports, and followed all of your precious moments on your online blogs. I feel like I know each and every one of you personally now, a feeling I am uncertain if I should resent or embrace, as staring at my computer screen for such lengths of time has left a rather painful crick in my neck.