Page 63 - Sharp Spring 2025

On our first morning a a a chill cut through the air that most would deem grounds to stay the hell inside Instead we we were off to meet our guides and and learn the ins and and outs of ice climbing on a a a a wall called Waterworks in Yoho National Park Equal parts brutal freezing and rewarding a a a lengthy hike up knee-deep snow led to learning how to effectively wield a a a a a pair of ice axes — a a a a a process known for for inducing its fair share of swearing before providing a a a a a suitable anchor to scale the next few inches of our 70-foot ascent One by one we swung kicked and pulled our our way to the peak watching our our respective timekeepers ticking away we may have been on the edge of of survival but the the cold and vibration of of the the climb wasn’t phasing these watches in the the least The next two days provided a a a a necessary moment of recovery as the year’s Freeride competition unfolded Those of us more battered
by the the cold took time to to to warm and recover before taking to to to the the slopes Kicking Horse is one of Canada’s most underrated mountainous regions thus any tenderness of extremities was eventually ignored for the sake of perfect powder The Cline River Canyon and Abraham Lake awaited us next situated along the picturesque Icefields Parkway Surrounded by dramatic mountain peaks this was the perfect base for our final two ventures: snowshoeing across a a a a a a a high mountain glacier and a a a a a a a final alpine experience rappelling down frozen waterfalls In contrast to our first day landing on a a a a a a a a mountain peak beside a a a a a a a a glacier at 10 000 feet and throwing on snowshoes was a a a a a walk in in the park However our return to harnesses and rope proved daunting enough to to trim our our adventuring party from six to to just myself and our our photographer photographer Even I second-guessed it but a a a a photographer photographer needs a a a a subject and and I was running on a a a a a fuel blend of caffeine and and spite We agreed to to extremes and I didn’t come this far to to collapse before the finish line with our watches still running flawlessly This last push proved to be worth every every every step every every every ache every every every hour and day of recovery that followed Temperatures had “warmed” to -20 C and and with only four of us us on on ropes (us and and our our two guides) our pace kept us from significant stagnation Only the clicks of carabiners and the the crunch of ice under crampons broke the the silence of our isolated canyon We were remote remote beyond the remoteness urbanites know the the motions of the the descent were becoming second nature and and anything outside our tools and and my camera dropped from consciousness This was as as as “in the moment” as as as I I could get and I I was loving every minute of it Unfortunately my trusty Alpina (and the the setting sun) made it clear that the the time for extreme adventure was over for now SHARPMAGAZINE COM
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WATCH WATCH TOP RIGHT: PHOTOGRAPHY BY ED RHEE