Mammoth Head Hike

photo.craigwilliams
Some days you do things that change your life as whole. Today was one such day, and i was was able to share it with a group of friends that only added to the experience. We awoke to a sunny day, with a hike on our mind we opened the day with a heat up jump session. With every ones legs feeling fine we decided to set forth to the backcountry. A quick walk found a us at a nice wind lip to slash, so we slashed it. Craig whipped it first and I followed with a layback. Terry than choose a tree ollie line that had a great tranny landing.


photo.gustavohlsson
After our quick mini session and lunch for some we rode down the gully to a spot below the ridge line we wanted to start our hike up. We put the peeps on and the laced up the snowshoes. The next few hours would require a lot effort and some stamina, with a reward from Stella Artois. Oh, not to mention the view and untracked pow run before us.



photo.briankopish
The hike was long steep and tiring. The previous days snow had drop a strange layer that was slipping under our snowshoes almost every step. It was almost like a layer of hail on a spring crusted snow really strange. We took a few breaks up but between Gustav and Wolfe we had great trail breakers who set a strong pace.


photo.craigwilliams
Once we reached the top of the first ridge line it flattened out some and we took a rest. Now the peak was in what seemed to be our reach. We all hit the water, laughed and snacked. We estimated another 30 or so mins up, but with the end in sight and a mellower pitch to hike we flew up that ridge to the top.


photo.gustavohlsson


photo.gustavohlsson

Stella meets us up there and it was great to hang. Snowshoes off, bags off, boards off our backs, crazy mountains surrounding us, snow ghost in our proximity. We were pumped to have hiked this beast, and now we were thinking about all that amazing untracked snow we were about to rip. After relaxing some, shooting photo's, and drinking a Stella we started to pack our snowshoes up. We all got our packs strapped down to the smallest volume possible, turn strapped in, and dropped into this.


photo.gustavohlsson


photo.gustavohlsson


photo.gustavohlsson


photo.gustavohlsson

After a ride down that had Craig follow caming into a tree (he was ok), voices scattered threw the trees, boyish yelps, and fast powder trees in the steeps. We popped out at our initial hike spot and with the snow sun baked on our earlier tracks down we knew we could boot pack it out. I was beat at this point but me at Kop hiked a short distance to pop a ollie to try a photo with Gustav. The rest of the crew hiked up some to try to get a line or two to shoot. After Terry, Wolfe, Craig, and Gustav took some photos we pointed it out of the gully. We want to be back at the van bad at this point and we weren't sure of the best traverse out. We all strapped in and drop into trees above a zone we thought would put us on a cat track back to the Falling Star run, but that didn't quit go down as we had thought. So Kopish pointed it through another gully trying to reach the top of the other ridge. He almost did, Wolfe followed, than Craig, Terry, Me, and Gustav. A quick hoop up that had me swearing and we were riding down to track that had us back on Falling Star.

Now back at the Sweet Pickle we loaded in, beat from a long day ripping with some great friends all pushing with out pushing each other. The kind of moment that radiates in your soul. It was the kind of day that makes us feel free, real, open to challenge, strong, small, humble, and true. I was glad to share this day with new and old friends alike. It was a moment that in real time may have been hours, but in my heart will last forever. It was a pure experience that brought much joy to a group of that was in search nothing but a walk in the woods up a mountain to ride down. I urge you to talk a walk with your friends and see what you can find.


video.craigwilliams