By: Meghann O'Brien

On Friday night I hiked up to just below the alpine at Mt. Shames just out side of Terrace, BC, and set up camp, then rode down the next morning.  It snowed a couple of feet while we were sleeping and was so deep.  The terrain up here is sick and the people are so fun to shred with.  I’m going to get a split board setup so I can get more into it.

I’ve also been working with a Tsimpsian weaver up here named William White.  I am in the process of learning a very old form of weaving (ie, 10,000 years old) that almost died out this century up until the mid eighties when it experienced a revival of sorts.  So this is me with my ceremonial apron next to the robe I’m working on.  Its about a five month process.  The designs represent different aspects of nature.  I made the loom with a good friend of mine last spring and its pretty sick business to be involved in.  Tomorrow I head to Whistler and Mt. Baker and Vancouver area to ride and such, should be a good time! 

Welcome to Shames Mountain Ski Area-that evening it snowed about two feet right down to sea level and we got stuck in Terrace cause the highways were too bad.  The snow was like cotton balls and nice and cold.   

Thats me in about four layers of clothing:  two jackets, two merino wool layers.  Making some foods in my tent booties.  Hah in the backcountry in my slippers is so entertaining.  We dug out a pit so the wind went over our heads, and dug out a snow countertop, as well as some shelves to store food in.  

Same thing just getting ready to ride down.  

Riding down was a struggle, the snow was up to my thighs and the terrain which was accessible wasn't that steep.  We had originally planned on skiing northbowl but the visibility wasn't good enough to do that. Those are some snowshoes on my backpack,  getting up there took three hours of hiking!

The view from up top, nice mountains and snow.  Stoked.

The skins trail in some cool light.

This is the studio space I'm working in with a weaving teacher.  This is my ravenstail robe which should take about five months to complete.  

Im just standing next to it in my apron I made up in Haida Gwaii last spring.  Its a real honour to wear it!  The central design field units are representative of wealth in the form of having many bentwood boxes stacked inside one another.  

Ravenstail weaving loom with my project.  The design represents the shaddow of the tree spirit reflected in water.  To begin weaving all of what you see hanging had to be hand spun from raw merino wool.  A lot of the appreciation for this type of weaving comes from knowledge of the historical aspect and what the weaving carries in it, what it represents, and what making it now signifies.  There are only ten examples of  the original robes that exist in the world today and very few people who teach it so it is a real honor to be weaving it.