Few skiers would travel 14 kilometres into the backcountry and camp overnight in extreme temperatures, just to find the perfect line.
However, 40 of Canada’s best skiers and snowboarders did just that earlier this month for Soullines Backcountry Event, gathering near Nelson, B.C., before setting off into the backcountry on a three-day adventure from March 1-3.
Setting up camp beside a lake at the base of Kokanee Glacier, athletes skinned up a ridge-line to the top of a basin, where they were able to drop in and find their best ‘soul line’.
Riders were judged similarly to the Freeride World Tour; line choice, control, technique, fluidity and style.
Fernie skier Caleb Brown was crowned ski male champion in the Big Mountain Line competition for a run on a line choice the judges had never seen before.
Before skinning up to the top, athletes had to scout out their route from the bottom. From the ridge, riders were forced to drop into a blind rolling face and hope they could find where they wanted to be.
Brown explained that while the face wasn’t the biggest, it was extremely steep and technical.
“I nailed my line perfectly and I got to the bottom, and a guy that picked me up on the sled at the other side of the lake said ‘dude, no one’s ever stomped that line before’,” he said.
“So it was a pretty big deal, I guess. And that run actually carried me through.”
The competition, Soullines, is an exclusive event and open only to those qualified to compete and survive in the backcountry.
To determine who would start first, skiers and boarders competed in a probe search. Brown found his probe in just over 40 seconds, securing the first drop-in slot.
“The playing field was huge; the skill level was super high” said Brown.
“I did not think I was going to take the win. I thought I might be top three, maybe top five. It was a stacked field, so it feels really cool to be able to take the win.”
Among the competitors were pro skiers Lars and Silas Chickering-Ayers from Vermont, Alex Wall from Nelson, and Karl Fostvedt from Idaho.
Conditions over the three day competition weren’t ideal for the athletes, who were faced with -24C temperatures while camping overnight.
“It was really cold,” said Brown the day after the competition. “The end of my fingers and the end of my toes are sore to touch because it was just so cold for three days.”
This was Brown’s first time competing in Soullines and he said he hopes to return.
