Elevating Others
Carol and I recently returned from a ski trip to Whistler in BC Canada. We chose Whistler Blackcomb because 1) Carol wanted to ski in warmer weather, 2) We’ve never been to Whistler, or Vancouver, where you fly into to get to Whistler, 3) I have a friend who lives in Vancouver and has wanted me to come out to ski with him and 4) It’s a big mountain, over 5000 vertical feet, with great snow and lots of challenging terrain. Whistler Blackcomb is frequently rated the #1 ski resort in North America, now I know why. It is simply breathtaking, massive in size and challenging.
My friend Don couldn’t wait for me to come out and ski with him in his playground. The plan was for him to take me back country skiing, which I’ve never done before. Backcountry skiing takes you off the patrolled areas of the resort. It provides you vistas you can only get by hiking or backcountry skiing, and it provides you access to parts of the mountain others simply cannot access. While you are able to reach pristine virgin snow, there is also risk as it exposes you to potential avalanches.
I had to rent special equipment, which allows you to both skin up and ski down with the same skis. Climbing/skinning with back country skis looks like what you see when you watch cross country skiers during the Olympics, just with much wider skis. You need wide skis to help you ski in untracked powder, which is one of the main objectives of backcountry skiing.
Well the day came for me to ski with Don, and we couldn’t have planned it better had we tried. The weather was specular, mid-teens in the morning going up to mid-20s by the afternoon. It was brilliantly sunny, and we had a foot of fresh snow from the day before.
Although I’ve been skiing for 53 years, I’ve had limited experience skiing in untracked snow that deep, and I’ve never skied out of bounds or where there is a possibility of avalanche. I was definitely nervous. At first, I was nervous about skiing in deep powder, then I realized what I should be nervous about was getting caught in an avalanche and being covered in snow unable to breathe. (I’m claustrophobic, so the idea of being buried in snow and not being able to breath was a real concern for me.) But I trusted Don, because he’s well trained and because Don elevates others.
I shared my concerns with Don. He heard my concerns and proceeded to address them little by little. He had two backpacks with a shovel, a probe and a transceiver, one for each of us. We took the gondola up and went into the lodge.
There Don got some information about what might or might not be open due to avalanche concerns. He reviewed how one uses the transceiver to find someone, then probe and shovel them out. (Needless to say, I was paying attention.) He reassured me that we wouldn’t be going to any area where the probability of an avalanche would be high, but he also stated the importance of being prepared.
Then we went outside and as we got going, Don was able to point out areas that had already experienced avalanches and explained what made some areas more vulnerable and others less so.
In order to get my bearings, we took a warm-up run for me to get comfortable with the wide skis. When it was time to skin up, Don taught me how to set up and use the skis to go uphill. Off we went skinning up to higher peaks. Once at the top, we sat and ate lunch.
Then we skied down a couple expert pitches, in mostly untracked powder. I was skiing powder, out of bounds, where most skiers never venture.
Several times, I indicated, I may not go down the steep area. Each time Don said no problem, and he told me where he’d meet me and off he went. I’d catch my breath, and then ski the same pitches he did.
At the end of the day, we met Carol at the mid-mountain bar for a drink. Carol asked about our day, and I told her I survived. Don’s perspective was different. He told Carol that I did great and shared that I kept saying, “I’m not sure I’m going to do that,” and then did it.
At the end we skied up to a roped off area with a sign that said cliff (see photographic proof below). Don even took my picture with the sign in the background. It was only once we were in the bar that Don said he was surprised how easily I handled that. Then he shared, ”While the likelihood of you going over the cliff was low, the risk of serious injury if you did was high.”
Real power lies in your ability to elevate others.
Don demonstrated what I already knew, he is a powerful leader. He elevated me and my skiing. I want to publicly thank Don for caring for me, educating me, supporting me and showing me what so far has been a once in a lifetime experience. However, I’m willing to bet, it won’t be my last time backcountry skiing with Don. Thank you, my friend.
This is what elevating others looks like. How will you elevate others to go beyond their fears?
