Meet the gang. 6 solid badass ladies.
Heading full throttle into the backcountry for camping when there are tons of buckets of rain in the forecast isn’t usual.
Neither was this crew of 110% committed ladies.
Unfortunately we had some pretty high freezing levels in the forecast this weekend, combined with some precipitation.
Since we were setting up base in simple terrain, avalanche danger wasn’t really our concern. We were more worried about our morale staying in the parking lot and about a very wet, not-so-comfortable night out in the boonies.
We went up there anyway. We prepared for rain but were silently praying for the forecast just to be off and for the freezing levels below our camp.
Everyone had an extra layer in their pack, also thanks to the crew from the first weekend. The Stoke Sisters facebook group was busy the week in between the camps with tons of hot last-minute tips from the first group on how to have a great weekend up there.
We also brought some tents in case the snowpack would be already so soaked by the time we get there, that building a snow cave would be not possible.
We were lucky! When we got to our chosen campsite it was still cold and the snow was PERFECT for building shelters aka cutting blocks.
So layers on, shovels out and the snow was literally flying.
This time we decided to spend a bit less time shoveling so we only dug 2 caves for 3 people each. That way the shovelers could switch out more often, we wouldn’t get as tired, and also stayed a bit drier. And there was time to think about actions for a second to make things more efficient.
Besides the 2 snow caves we put up 2 tents in case the rain coming overnight would be too strong and the caves would collapse. It would need a lot of rain, but better be prepared. We ended up using the tents for gear storage since the snow was pretty wet. That way it was easier to stay a bit drier. The blue tent is the communal shelter we used for cooking and hangouts.
No sunset was in sight this eve, but no reason to not get out. There is always something cool to see in the mountains.
Garibaldi Massif peeked out and all shades of blue were out. Back in camp, we huddled into our shelter and the big dinner cooking started, fun times.
The night was warm and it rained, but the girls had built bulletproof caves. No one even noticed the rain and everyone had a good sleep-in. By the time everyone was up and had found their way to the coffee, the rain stopped and it turned into an ok spring day, smiles were back on.
Since the skiing was done we decided to make use of our time and do a big avalanche rescue scenario. We looked into what the role of a leader includes and what techniques to use in multiple and close proximity burials. There is usually never time to practice this for half a day. Perfect timing for us!
After that, it was time to break camp since we had a couple more tents to take care of. This was probably the funniest part of the weekend since the girls decide to break open the caves (to fill them in) by jumping on top of them. Also, they were curious to see how much they can hold.
There are videos that I cannot post here, but you can find them on Instagram, and you’ll have a good laugh!
All packed up, we headed down to the cars. It was super icy at the bottom so some decided to skin downhill to control speed a bit better. Especially with the heavy load and being tired. We all made it back to the parking in one piece and went home to dry out our damp west coast bodies 🙂
THANKS LADIES, YOU WERE TROOPERS! Being out there in the rain can be very miserable. There was not a hint of this and I just cannot say enough how stoked I am about the good souls this little passion project is attracting, what a pleasure to have met you.
SO STOKED!
See ya out there!
Mel
Stoke Sisters 
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