The week leading up to the race had brought an old-fashioned snowfall to much of the BC/Alberta border, and made Elkford look very postcard like – the temperatures were perfect; between -5 and -10 on both days. The volunteers at the Elkford Snowmobile Association (who were manning all of the rider’s checkpoints) were gracious enough to give Duane and I a ride out into the backcountry and drop us off on the side of the trail so that we could get our shots. It was fantastic to just go into the woods and just hang out! Normally we are moving in some capacity (snowshoeing, xcountry skiing etc…) and don’t have the time to take in the sites so it was nice just to sit back and take it all in.

This is what is killing so many people this year – the November rain crust. This highly granular, sugary stuff is about two and a half feet deep and has prevented the entire snowpack from settling in. Duane and I were amazed at how easily we were setting off slumps on extremely benign slopes. We would jump into the snow at the top of a hill (10 feet high or less) and create fractures that ran for twenty feet or more – sometimes the entire hillside would give way. You won’t find me out in the backcountry until they are sure that this layer is no longer a problem. You can always find the latest conditions at www.avalanche.ca.

The chase is on! This might be my favorite from the weekend.

Our gear took an absolute beating this weekend! Between the snowstorm and sub-zero temperatures on Saturday and me dropping one of the cameras (the new one of course) in a snowbank they definitely earned their keep. There were also a few occasions when cameras got thrown as we madly scrambled to get into position for the next shot. But that is why you pay the money for high-quality gear – it stands up to a bit more abuse I guess.

So this sport is the sport of skijoring. It involves a climbing harness and a length of rope attached to two highly energized, large dogs. On skis without edges. No thanks!

Catching a breather.

Okay, okay – so maybe we just didn’t sit idly by while we waited for the sled teams to pass. We may have been playing in the snow like we were eleven years old again.

But if our wives ask – we were working really hard!

On the home stretch.