MEC supported Maxi Kniewasser through the MEC Expedition Support Program on his adventure to Mt Waddington last spring. We recently caught up with him to ask him a few questions about his inspiring trip.
Tell us about your expedition (who, what, where, when).
The goal of our expedition was to use whitewater kayaks to access remote Mt. Waddington for ski-mountaineering. The Homathko River, a world renown class 5 kayak expedition dissects the Coast Mountains and flows close to Mt. Waddington. We started kayaking on Tatlyoko Lake on the Chilcotin Plateau, the source of the Homathko. Halfway down the river we stashed our kayaks and hiked to and then skied up the Tiedemann Glacier to access the base of Mt. Waddington. From base camp we pushed one long day to the summit, the NW-Peak of BC’s highest mountain, and skied back down to camp. A few days later we skied back to our kayaks. Once at the kayaks it was two more days of class 5 whitewater to the Pacific Ocean at Bute Inlet. It took us 17 long and exhausting days. The mountains had many surprises for us and kept us on our game to the last day. We had a small but strong team with American Chris Tretwold, Frenchman Jules Domine, and Canadian Maxi Kniewasser. We started our trip early May 2012.
Why this expedition? What was your goal?
Our goal was to combine two sports into one long wilderness expedition. Kayaking and ski-touring are two of the greatest ways of traveling through the backcountry. Each sport offers a completely different perspective and as such, the two sports are great complements to each other. In our kayaks, we witness the world from the lowest point in the valley, often paddling through deep and imposing canyons. On skis, you travel on ridges and climb mountaintops, offering wide vistas of the land below. Using kayaks to access the mountains just was too cool and idea. On this particular trip, we combined two of the greatest adventures that one can do in their respective sports. The trip was a huge success and I am grateful for having had the opportunity to have such an adventure in such a remarkable place with good friends.
What was your most memorable moment?
On the river: Paddling through the Great Canyon of the Homathko, one of the deepest canyons on the continent. The canyon is full of class 5 whitewater and was the first big challenge of the trip. Multiple avalanches were blocking the river, some were unportageable. As such, we had to paddle class 5 rapids under avalanches.
On the mountain: Getting to the top of the NW-Peak of Mt. Waddington. We had come a long way to get to this point and overcome many challenges. At the top we were rewarded with magnificent views. Powder snow sweetened the decent.
What was your least favourite moment?
On the mountain: Sharing a two person tent with three people and waiting out a storm. Falling into a deep crevasse on our summit day was pretty scary as well.
On the river: Finding the river had been totally changed by a landslide on the second last day of the trip. We didn’t know what lay downstream, except that it was probably going to be ugly. Landslide rapids are often really awful. In this particular one it was tough to stop as the rapid was moving so fast and was so long in confined canyon walls. I was physically and emotionally worn down and the fear of the unknown put me close to the breaking point.
If you had one piece of advice for someone planning an expedition, what would it be?
Don’t get frustrated by the things you can’t control. If the weather is not cooperating, laugh it off or find another way to appreciate the place. Another is that patience is a virtue. Lastly, always talk things through with the team and make sure that everyone has input to important decisions.
What was the most challenging aspect of the expedition, and what did you learn from it?
The continuous hard physical and emotional stress. I was tired by the time we got to the bottom of the mountain – and that was much less than halfway done. When we got back to the river, I was mentally and physically exhausted, and I had two more days of really hard and dangerous whitewater still ahead, for which I knew I had to be on my game. I learned that the team is there to support one another and to help each other through the challenges ahead.
What key piece of gear did you bring that you would never leave without on an expedition like this?
Without a question, the single greatest piece of gear on the trip were our Kokatat Gore-Tex drysuits. Without these suits, expedition kayaking on hard whitewater would be a lot more unpleasant and dangerous. The drysuits were also key for getting to the base of the glacier, as we had to hike up Tiedemann Creek and cross its rapids several times.
The post Waddington/Homathko Ski and Kayak Expedition appeared first on MEC Blog.