Escape From Alderbash – A 26 Hour Mission To Get Out Of The Whistler Backcountry

All photos by Cam Unger

Many in the Whistler area heard about it before we even had our boots off but several weeks ago, a six-person crew headed out into the Whistler Backcountry on a touring trip to welcome in what was expected to be a two-foot storm, myself included. Three insanely awesome shred days later, we had split-boarded and rode out our hearts but it was the adventure to come that would challenge us more than any of us could have expected. 

After the excursion, I asked everyone to write down their own take on the experience and have attempted to weave a story with them below. Please take a moment to enjoy the video above – let's call that the good times for now – and then join us as we attempt to tell the tale of by far the most challenging experience of all of our lives. 

Team Alderbash: Claudia Avon, Tyler Unger, Cam Unger, Joel Loverin, Brian Hockenstein, Dave Henkel – as well as Pika and Luca in the K9 division.
 
[Dave]
 
Ever heard the saying "the adventure begins when everything goes wrong"?  That statement really resonates in most of my big mountain snowboard pursuits.  I mean, how good is the story if there aren't any hiccups?  Boring.  People want misery and suffering.  On our latest SHREDQUARTERS outing we had plenty of both.
 

 
[Tyler]
 
The majority of the trip was just like I pictured in my dreams. A backcountry wonderland full of pillow fields chutes, and cliffs. Overly caked trees littered the landscape straight out of one of those Chili Thom paintings. Things were going well for my very first split boarding trip and I couldn't have been happier.
 
[Brian]
 
For three glorious days we enjoyed one of the finest off-the-grid cabins – with some of the most epic and easily accessed tree-riding terrain I've ever seen. Each morning we awoke to a foot of fresh, just enough to cover our previous day’s tracks, shredded all day and then enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere in the cabin – which we had all to ourselves. The vibe in the group was second to none, everyone was in great spirits and we were enjoying the first big storm of the season in the best way any of us could have imagined. Just check out the video!
 
When we awoke on the final morning though, it was a completely different story. The fresh snow had literally doubled overnight to four feet. My sled, which hadn’t been moved the whole trip, was gone, with just the smallest bit of handlebar showing – I’ve never seen anything like it!
 

[Dave]
 
Claudia was the first one to wake and attempt to push open the door.  (By the way, when building backcountry cabins it's a good idea to have the door swing in, not out!).  After a little effort she was pretty surprised at what she saw.  Almost a meter of fresh had fallen while we slept!  There were just a bunch of mounds of pow where our sleds used to be parked. Everyone was pretty happy to see so much snow but it was bitter sweet as we knew we now had a big day ahead of us to make it 22km back to the trucks.
 
And so it began…
 
[Brian]
 
The decision to forgo our planned morning shred was an easy one to make with all the new snow but we were all still really confident that this would be a 4-5 hour mission at the most. We took our time packing up, enjoying our morning coffee and slowly getting ready to hit it. When we finally left, it was only about twenty minutes until we all realized things might be a bit more intense than previously thought. With three sleds stuck and only about 100 feet between the cabin and the furthest one, it quickly became clear that escape by sled was all but impossible. Nervous laughter followed by the decision to break trail by touring on our split-boards was made quickly. To be honest it worked a charm, but it was about four hours later when we did the math and realized we had only made it 2 out of the 4 kilometers of old-growth (it was was 22kms total to the trucksthat it slowly dawned on us that we might be in for the long haul.
[Cam]
 
My first experience getting snowed in at a cabin happened in Stewart and right after that I went out and got a GPS.  It’s come in handy several times since and this was no exception.  If I hadn’t had it we probably would have retreated back to the cabin, but I had it and so we decided to go for it.  I had a feeling that it would be a long mission but at the time I had no idea. 
 
[Dave]
 
It was now 3:00pm and we had a big decision to make.  Do we keep going, knowing that we are putting ourselves into a route-finding nightmare by dark? We did have a good gps route to follow that Cam tracked on the way in – one thing going for us at least.  After a makeshift vote, 4 out of 6 of us agreed that with no food left that we should do the big push and keep moving forward.  With any luck we could still make it to the Mile One restaurant in Pemberton before closing.  I wasn't convinced that this was a good idea because I was already soaked and getting cold but we should stay together no matter what.
 

[Joel]
 
I never really thought we'd be spending the night trying to sleep somewhere but it definitely crossed my mind a few times.  I’m never too worried when I’m with my crew but working so hard with no food and little water starts to mess with your mind and I noticed lots of different stages of thought.
 
[Claudia]
 
When we started struggling, I thought to myself « well we have no more food, all our gear is packed up and, we have to do this regardless, so we might as well get it over with. Let’s do this! We could get snowed in (even more) if we stay one more Night ». I was expecting some very hard work, but nothing like this.
 
[Dave]
 
Next up was likely the most thought-provoking and dangerous section to get through.  We had to skirt under a 3000-foot south-facing slope that was freshly loaded and likely set on a hair trigger.  If anyone were to get stuck underneath this face they would be at serious risk.  If anything was to slide here we may not even be able to get to them for several minutes in this deep snow. Joel volunteered to lead the charge and blazed a pretty wild trail for the rest of us.  It was awesome to watch him pound through the uneven terrain and get some of the craziest full body pow shots he’d ever seen – in the dark!  One at a time we all kept our throttles pinned and made it safely to big high fives on the other side.

[Tyler]
 
I remember thinking we could still make it back in time for Mile One burgers, they don't close until 9. We got this.
 
The crew started to cross below the avey path one at a time. I remember Cam, and everyone (except Claudia "3 pair" Avon pfff) was having google issues. He says "fuck it I'm going without them it's flat light and you can't see with them any way". We watch him send it into the field and about half way he punched through a drift which delivered an mighty body shot in which he completely disappeared. Immediately after emerging, you could just barely hear him at that distance, or over the scream of his sled, but heard him yelling, "Wear your googles! WEAR YOUR GOGGLES!!!" (Some say on a cold winters Eve if the wind is just right, and you listen hard… you can still hear him)
 

 
[Dave]
 
From here on we would be traveling in darkness and our progress seemed to slow to a crawl. For me, this was really the only part I actually kind of enjoyed.  The headlights cast amazing light through the snow-ghosted forest and it looked like something out of a Chilli Thom art show.  One by one, for two more kilometers and four more hours, we inched the sleds through the old-growth until we finally reached the road.  It must have been midnight.  "I guess we aren't gonna make it to Mile One for dinner but at least there's Macdonald’s 24 hour drive through to look forward to".  
 
So smooth sailing from here on the logging road right?
 
[Claudia]
 
I was still really positive, until Tyler pointed out that it took us over 7 hours to get through those trees. Oh that's why I feel so exhausted! At this point I had lost all confidence on my sled skills, I was very nervous to get through a high avi zone. I did NOT want to get stuck there. Luckily, we all crossed that section well and this is when I started having more faith.
 
[Tyler]
 
We are feeling good at this point and make solid progress for a while with Cam and Joel punching trail. However any sense of levity we started to feel would be quickly chopped down upon first sight of the alders.
 
These small tight trees had been hard enough coming in but now look nearly impassable. All the fresh snow had forced all the branches to sag and lay over the trail, which would snag skis and stop you dead in your tracks. Although he gave a valiant effort even Joel "the people's hero" Loverin was powerless to penetrate these defenses.
 
What followed was a never-ending (actually 16-hour long!) cycle of walking through waist deep snow, cutting a path, coming back to the sleds, and moving up. Some time during this bush whacking I noticed it just starting to get light out. "Well that's depressing" I thought considering our progress. Guess we'll be eating egg mcmuffins instead of big macs.
 
[Cam]
 
I learned from this trip how nasty alder trees can be in a low tide season.  It sucked sledding through them on the way in, but it was manageable.  On the way out though, I felt like a fly trying to get through a series of spider webs.  Not only did you have to punch trail through four feet of fresh pow, but you also had to do it through webs of alders covered in snow and you could only get so far until you got hooked up.  So we pretty much walked through and knocked the snow off the alders and cut and moved them out of the way for a couple hundred feet and then walked back to our sleds and went until we got hooked up again.  We must have done this for 12 hours to get through about 10 km it was horrible. (Again, it was actually 16 hours just for this one section!)   We kept thinking that we were getting close but it just kept going.  Joel punched trail like a champ for a lot of it and kept the motivation going through the night. 
 

[Claudia]
 
The crew was so helpful and productive it was crazy! We had such a good communication about what the plan was going to be and most of the times we didn’t even have to talk to each other, we all knew what to do and when to do it. We all could see when someone would hit the wall and the rest of the crew would compensate to give a break to that crew member. At one point I remember being so tired that I literally couldn't move anymore. I knew I had to help the crew and move to keep warm, but I just couldn't. I had to sit on my sled and take a break. I was so wet and I started getting cold so fast.
 
[Brian]
 
At no point in this adventure did we feel like we were in danger, it was more of a question of just how long it could possibly take. The answer was startling. Personally, I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve been forced to push myself so hard and for so long – both physically and mentally. It’s truly amazing what you can survive with nothing much more than a positive attitude and this experienced really taught me that, something I know will stick with me for the rest of my life. It’s no exaggeration to say that Cam, Joel and Henkel are some of the most experienced backcountry explorers in the Whistler area, and I would (and have) blindly follow them just about anywhere, but the whole crew just works so damn well together it was incredible. Two people would be up front doing the grunt work while two others fell behind to rest. Then we’d switch it up, using our new found burst of energy to relieve the others. I’ve never been part of such a smooth running team and it was unbelievable to witness – but the most incredible part was that this was all done without talking. I’m serious. It didn’t dawn on me until days later but we pretty much worked in silence the whole time, knowing what needed to be done and simply doing it.
 
[Tyler]
 
I noticed there was always someone nodding off every time we stopped to clear another patch. I know I did. A couple seconds of sleep here and there was helpful, I think we were starting to get delirious. I vaguely remember picturing Luka (Brian's dog) as a roast turkey more than once.
 
Finally at the bottom! We dig our trucks out and get loaded up. I jump in with Henkel and just as we are about to leave when I see a SAR heli fly by. Jokingly I say to Dave "imagine that was for us haha". They circle us twice more and then drop altitude too about 100ft. "Oh" I say. "Guess that is for us". They land in a clearing right beside the highway. Dave pulls his truck up to within 40ft of the chopper. Two guys with red jackets hop out and come up to the passenger window.We introduce ourselves and tell them about our ordeal and they confirm it's our group they were looking for. They seem cool with everything and were just happy to get out. Thankfully they leave without handing us a bill (unless it's in the mail). It seems that a few concerned girlfriends had had enough worrying and called the authorities the night before, something none of us are too surprised about considering the circumstances.
 
Dave throws his truck in gear and we're off too. I check the clock for the first time, it's 2:40 pm. How do you like that? Looks like we get to eat at Mile One after all.
 

 
[Joel]
 
From now on I’ll be packing a few extra dry meals each trip seeing as they weigh nothing. An extra night in a warm cabin with a full stomach is never a bad thing.
 
[Claudia]
 
Complete exhaustion mentally and physically! We all truly put our bodies to the limit through that experience. 
 
[Cam]
 
I felt comfortable with the situation that we were in as I think the rest of the crew did.  We were fortunate to have a good crew of friends who all work well together because in situations like this it just takes one person who can’t handle it and that can drain a lot of energy. 
 
The biggest thing I learned is to have a two-way satellite communicator and get it setup so that you can text out to let everyone know that you’re ok.  I felt really bad for making everyone worry and having to call search and rescue. 
 
[Brian]
 
Speaking of satellite communicators … I actually had my trusty inReach with me the whole time and while the safety of the SOS button was a great feeling in case we needed it, with a phone that was left in my truck from the beginning and the fact that I had not bothered to set up the pre-programmed emergency text (with a message like, oh I don’t know … “we’re ok but gonna be a bit late”!), I was only playing with half a deck. A tool is only as good as you knowing how to use it and my biggest take-away from this whole adventure was to be as prepared as you can be, which in this case meaning I had absolutely no excuse for not setting up the device in the first place, which would have easily avoided the whole S&R element.
 
[Dave]
 
And so ended the longest and most physically and mentally challenging day of my life to date.
 
A big huge thank you goes out to an amazing network of friends who had our backs the whole time and to the fine people who volunteer their time to help all of us adventure seekers out when it all goes wrong.  Oh, and most of all to my crew who never stressed or freaked out in such a dire situation. These guys and girl, are all truly warriors and I'm inspired by their love for the mountains and desire to explore what's over that next peak.
 
Powder to the people!!!
 

 
As an added bonus, Claudia's outerwear sponsor Powder Room was so stoked on the outcome of the trip they decided to give away a badass snowboard jacket for the occasion. ENTER THE CONTEST HERE until Feb 26th

Escape From Alderbash – A 26 Hour Mission To Get Out Of The Whistler Backcountry