The Stoke

Revelstoke Pro Patrol took John Brodie and I up to the sub-peak on Saturday morning for an explosives demo. KABOOM! We wanted to find out exactly what goes on in the mornings, and how Pro Patrol keeps us all as safe as they can from avalanche danger.

Considering the power used and the amount of snow Pro Patrol aims to move, please be smart in the mornings and aware of your surroundings. Don’t duck the ropes looking for fresh tracks into North or South Bowls - if the areas are closed off, it’s because Pro Patrol is still setting off charges, checking out the results, or evaluating stability. It’s all to keep you safe on the hill, so respect closed signs for the safety of everyone!

Avalanche Forecasters Troy Leahey and Chad Hemphill start work at 6:30 am - they check the reports from the weather station on the sub-peak, look at the South Columbia avalanche forecast, a snow stability forecasts and evaluations, and InfoEx - the industry information exchange.

We met Pro Patrol at their office early Saturday morning - the group was incredibly well-organized and conscientious. There is a lot of mountain to cover at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, but there is a plan for exactly who did what, where and when.

We took the gondola up, and everyone re-grouped at the patrol hut at gondy top - John gave me a nudge and nodded toward the table, where a pile of explosives were laid out and then stuffed into backpacks. However, without the blasting cap the explosives used could be thrown into a fire and they still wouldn’t explode, said Troy.

We caught the very first ride up the Stoke chair well before opening - the hike to the sub-peak in 50km wind gusts was enough to wake anyone up. Of the twenty-four Pro Patrol and two Avalanche Forecasters on staff at RMR, about twelve work at any given time and eight did the hike up to the sub-peak.

After assembling the charges, some were thrown off cornices and some were sent down the bomb tram that hangs above North Bowl. Setting off bombs keeps patrollers from having to trigger avalanches themselves in unstable areas, putting themselves in potential danger. Patrol isn’t trying to blast holes into big sections of snow, but rather trying to cause failures in unstable layers with the kinetic energy from a nearby explosion. The percussive effects of the explosion from the tram triggers the weak snow layers to collapse, setting off a slide before you do on your skis or board.

While the atmosphere was surprisingly casual considering we were playing with explosives, once Patrol starts going, it’s all very fast-paced. At around 9:30, while we were still up on sub-peak, Pro Patroller Marty pointed out that “now is about the time people start waiting at the top of The Stoke wondering why it’s not open, but we haven’t stopped working!”

Because the mountain is so big, Patrol has a lot to do all the time. After the explosives went off, Patrol headed out on their other daily duties - making sure signs are visible and riders are safe. Even though there is a ton of terrain to cover, Patrol keeps a watchful eye on what’s going on with the snow. At the end of the day, patrollers fill out worksheets on all areas of the hill, noting everything of importance for the next day’s reports.

Have fun in the snow, but respect Closed signs because they’re there for a reason. Sorry I didn’t include video - it’s hard to capture the full extent of a big explosion through massive winds!

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Jeni brought The Stick from Vancouver, and we’ve all been getting use out of it (with a lot of faux-vulgarity thrown in for good measure).

The snow through North Bowl this morning was, for the most part, still really creamy. Especially about halfway down Discipline/Mania/right around there - because they were leeward slope, some soft and buttery snow was deposited down onto that area and it was really nice to ski on, considering we didn’t get any fresh snow last night.

FORECAST: The forecast for the next few days

is light snow and really blustery wind - 50km/h gusts today and tonight, and then a fairly sustained 50km/h NW wind at the top tomorrow, at least until early afternoon. It looks like we’ll get quite a bit of snow every day, starting on Monday. Cross your fingers!

Revelstoke powder days can leave ski boots cold, damp and smelly. Throw four 75+ days a season skiers in a house and you need some serious hardware to take care of the problem–enter the ‘Destinkinator’, our combination drying closet and boot dryer.

[WARNING: The following is a description of a homemade device that uses enclosed heat and electricity, which can be dangerous. No attempt has been made to describe how this should be done safely. Follow good electrical and fire safety practice. You've been warned!]

The key to ski boot drying is to have good airflow and a moderate amount of heat. Our incarnation uses a window mountable ventilation fan blowing into an IKEA closet unit, with heat provided by a 100 W light bulb. Air vents into the boots via eight 10″ long, 1″ diameter PVC pipes. The fan and pipes are held into the closet unit with hot melt glue. The light bulb is held by an inexpensive light fixture mounted inside a cookie tin, which reduces the danger of anything touching the bulb.

While not perfect, for about 75$ in material and 10$ a month in electricity we’ve got dry boots and gloves. Our entryway also picked up some extra ventilation, so all the meltwater from our skis dries a bit faster too.

The finished boot dryer:

Our heat source, a 100W light bulb mounted inside a cookie tin:

Closeup of one of the boot tubes. The 1″ PVC pipe has a 3/8″ hole drilled through its side, near the exit end to avoid having the boot choke off the airflow. (not visible) The tubes need to be spaced about 8″ apart to fit a typical pair of ski boots on them.

The window fan unit. About 50$ from the local hardware store. I’m sure any decent mid sized fan would work. We typically only run this on its lowest setting.

There you have it, one industrial sized boot dryer! We’re happy to answer any questions, so feel free to post in the comments below.

I had a moderately terrifying few hours this afternoon - after picking the wrong line around the Brake Check area into lower North Bowl, I ended up losing a ski in a fall, tumbling halfway down a chute, throwing my second ski down ahead of me, mountain climbing my way down the rocks at the bottom of the chute, and then digging out two lost skis in waist-deep powder. All told, it took almost two hours and I gave Sarah a heart attack when I didn’t show up at our scheduled meeting area after we decided to take different chutes out along the ridge line. A super-nice ski patroller helped me search for my sticks after about 45 minutes of digging by myself - I found one and Don found the other! No injuries to report which is what’s most important (there was a point where I thought that if I ended up falling straight down the chute my season was over right there), and I’m still thrilled that there’s no need to buy a new pair of Volkl Mantras. I definitely treated myself to a few homemade cookies when I got home though. Phew.

Make sure to ride with a buddy if you’re skiing new or challenging terrain! If you’re going different ways, pick a meeting place and time. Even though there’s precious little cell coverage in much of North Bowl, program the ski patrol’s number into your mobile: +1.250.837.9491.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort had anywhere between six and twelve inches of super-dry powder today, and it continued on throughout the day. It wasn’t much, but definitely enough to whet appetites for more snow. It’s supposed to keep snowing all week little by little, so hopefully there will be time for it to bond if temperatures warm up a bit. The Resort’s homepage only called it 2 centimetres overnight - we’ve been noticing that RMR often understates the amount of snow by quite a bit, so never base your decision to go riding on their site alone (though at least the hill doesn’t over-inflate the numbers!).

We’ve got a Stoke request for some audience participation today - we need a new word for when it is “precipitating vigorously” outside. We’re getting tired saying that it is “dumping” or “puking” snow, because…well, they sound kind of gross. Hit me with your best word for snowing hard!

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Rain in Revelstoke proper often means snow up on the mountain, so let’s hope that’s the case. Nice to finally see some precip after weeks of valley cloud and sunny mountain tops.

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The Stoke

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has received some emails from tourists wondering about road conditions throughout British Columbia. If you’re driving along BC highways into Revelstoke, check out Drive BC

for frequently updated road conditions, closures, live camera views and future events.

You can search for road condition info by route, which makes it easy to stay on top of what’s going on with the highways. If you’re coming from East from Vancouver along Highway 1 via the Coquihalla, click here. If you’re driving West from Alberta along Highway 1, click here. If you’re heading north from Kelowna along Highway 97A, click here. If you’re driving north through Nelson via Highway 6 and 23 click here

, and if you’re heading northwest through Cranbrook along Highways 93 and 95, click here.

The map interface is terribly clunky, but it gets the job done. Snow is exactly what we want on the mountains but it contributes to road closures, so check ahead before you drive so you don’t end up stranded on the highway. On that note, check out the BC Ministry of Transportation’s winter driving tips, and make sure you keep a winter survival kit in your car just in case of emergency, including:

• Ice scraper and snow brush
• Shovel
• Booster cables
• Sand, salt or kitty litter (for traction)
• Tow line
• Flashlight
• Extra fuses and duct tape for quick fixes
• Windshield washer fluid and antifreeze
• Flares
• First aid kit
• Blankets or sleeping bags, and extra winter clothing
• Non-perishable, high-calorie foods like Clif bars
• Candle and matches

The drive to Revelstoke from any direction is beautiful - enjoy it!

I sat down with Kevin Dorrius last week, Business Analyst for Revelstoke Community Futures Development Corporation harry potter and the chamber of secrets movie , to discuss Revelstoke development. Community Futures offers small business and forest sector business loans, assistance to local entrepreneurs download core the movie starting new businesses, and Self Employment Benefit program is aimed at people who are on, or have been on, Employment Insurance or maternity leave. Community Futures also works on a lot of community initiatives and manages the volunteer portal, so they’ve got their fingers on the pulse of what is changing in Revelstoke.

Dorrius acknowledges that the demographics of Revelstoke are changing, but he says that local business can still thrive in a growing resort town: because “people are coming here for lifestyle purposes,” he says, “with that attitude people really do support local businesses,” he says. Revelstoke “won’t be the same place in ten years,” he admits, “and with all changes there will be some we like and some we don’t like but we have to deal with it.”

Dorrius uses the term “lifestyle refugees” to describe people escaping the hustle and bustle of urban centres by moving to Revelstoke. The city is “growing up,” says Dorrius, and “as with all changes there will be some we like and some we don’t like, but we will have to deal with it as a community.” He used to hear the word “Revelbush” used to describe the city, but says he hasn’t heard it for more than five years, as Revelstoke stopped being seen as an “end-of-the-road kind of town” and started being seen as a viable location for working professionals. Revelstoke “won’t be the same in 10 years,” he admits, but “how far things go will be tied in large part to the resort.”

Dorrius is proud of the self-sufficient reputation Revelstoke has earned within economic development circles: “We’re known,” he grins, “as a community that deals with its own problems.” Community development projects and solutions the city has reached for forestry and rail workers “shows how Revelstoke comes together - when we feel like we want something, we do it.” Widely regarded as a pro-active, community-oriented city, Revelstoke is “often used as a model” for economic development, Dorrius explains.

CFDC doesn’t have a specific formula or process that they need to stick to when dealing with small businesses and entrepreneurs. Individuals or companies can come in to talk to Community Futures at any stage of their business, “whether it’s just with ideas, or with a ready business plan,” says Dorrius. CFDC provdes varying levels of assistance - they can be very hands on, assess from a lending standpoint, or give all sorts of assistance, even to companies not getting financing. “Financing is just one aspect of what we do,” says Dorrius; “Our mandate is to strengthen and diversify the local economy through business development.”

Small businesses can get loans of up to $150,000 from CF Revelstoke, and there are alternatives if more capital is needed. Community Futures offices can give or receive syndication loans to and from other CF offices. If a sound investment opportunity comes up in another city that won’t hinder the ability to fund locally, CF offices will help out businesses in other communities. Revelstoke Community Futures is also in a very fortunate financial position - “we haven’t taken any serious losses the way other CF offices have,” admits Dorrius.

Community Futures looks at various criteria when evaluating individuals and businesses coming to them for funding or guidance: first, and most importantly, the business plan must be viable. Very simply, says Dorrius, “it has to make money in the end.” While traditional lenders look at hard assets and appraised value and then lend based on that, CFDC’s decision is more qualitative, evaluating whether or not a business makes sense, and if it looks like it could be profitable.

Secondly, and importantly for new residents of Revelstoke, CFDC bases their lending decicion off the potential client - the business has to fit into the client’s lifestyle. Everyone has to take an objective look at whether the business matches the client’s character. This has become more and more important with the evolution of the community: “lately we’ve been doing a lot of loans for people moving here starting businesses from other communities,” Dorrius says, “so we’ve had to really interview people deeper because we don’t necessarily know them.”

Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. After a bunch of consecutive balmy days in a row, we decided to embrace the vitamin D and have a picnic up top. We brought backpacks loaded with snacks, sandwich implements, muffins, barley pops, hot dogs, hand cut fries and a camping stove, and then had a veritable feast.