Purcell Mountain Lodge - Recapping the other days

Super fun - physically challenging

Summer has come and gone. The new ski season has started but I never did finish the story of Purcell Mountain Lodge. Perhaps this can get my friends stoked for skiing again and me back into writing.

Summer found me racing an MC Scow with my friends at Upper Lake Minnetonka Yacht Club and hitting a few out-of-town regattas as well. I hoped for one more fall regatta at the “Blue Chip” in Michigan but a problem hip caused me to cancel. After a few more doctor visits I decided on a cortisone injection to my right hip. The injection along with specific exercises have improved things so I hope to get one more ski season out of the hip before the need for a new right hip becomes clear.

Same old story on doing exercises….hard to get started but once I’m going things go well and I feel better. My confidence seems to get high that I will get after it every day, but then busyness and laziness intervenes and two days go by with no exercise. Now to top it off, a few days ago I came down with COVID. I seem to be getting better on day 3 but rough sledding the first two days and last night. Thank goodness I am up to date on the vaccines and boosters.

Now back to the Purcell Mountain Lodge and the spectacular skiing. On day two our mission was a long hike along open terrain to the top of “Copperstein”. One can see most of the hike from the lodge. It was a long 3 hour slog to the top with tremendous scenery the entire time.

Along the way a quick break for pictures

Me in Red Jacket - Guide in Blue Jacket

Still a long way to go to reach the top

When we finally got there the last 100 yards to the top was rocky and spooky windy. The view was great; thankfully Gary pulled out his camera to record the experience.

Now the reward for a 3 hour skin coming down the first pitch from Copperstein.

Russ and Gary on a second pitch coming down from top of Copperstein.

View of our tracks as we start climbing back to the lodge

After a few days some participants were having foot issues. Lesson learned is to buy your own boots if at all possible. Do not rent.

Another day we went up high when visibility was poor. We took a snack break and the guides seemed to vanish peering over an endless ledge of cornices. Where in the world were we going? NO ONE would ever do this without experienced guides.

Now you will see when the visibility cleared a bit, the guide in the distance trying to find a way over the cornice to ski the run. You may have to zoom the image to see the guide in the distance.

This is where the guide in the distance was. It was a hair raising entrance.

This is me skiing the run. The traverse before my first turn was the scariest part.

Looking up at what we skied. Amazing.

Run recap narrated by Gary

On our last day were lucky to have the option of getting a “heli bump”. This is a one time ride to the top to start the day on a helicopter. It turns a 3 hour climb into a 5-10 minute ride. Always a thrill.

After the helicopter left we climbed up a bit more on boots for yet another spooky entrance. The view in the distance is Glacier National Park of Canada.

This is the bottom of the run looking up. Pure magic.

Yet another run with Gary being followed by “Fred the Shred”. An apprentice guide who occasionally lets the skis run. Look at the top left to see the bullet coming down.

One of the guests was Hans from the Netherlands. Hans is a world class Ironman athlete and also CEO of a brassiere manufacturing company with thousands of employees. He was not a strong skier but made up for it with physical conditioning and a strong personality. Part of the joy of trips like this is the people you meet.

View from the bottom of what we just skied. The group continued on to climb up two more times but Gary and I tapped out to call it a day. No regrets, it was a great day.

Another view from a longer distance. The sharper edged tracks are the “skin tracks” where everyone follows the same path up the hill.

As I reflect on the trip it seems there are three phases. Planning, doing and remembering. Of course remembering is the one that is by definition the longest. This blog helps me remember. Thanks so much to my friends Russ and Gary that joined in on this nice adventure. Thanks to Jackie Mah, manager of Purcell Mountain Lodge, who works so hard to see that her guests have a great time. And most of all, thanks to my loving wife Jackie who tolerates my winter adventures without her. (Also, as my editor she is holding my feet to the fire to buy a used Kubota tractor with front end loader so she can move around Donkey poo piles to her hearts content.)