We were treated to crisp blue skies, gentle temperatures (-8 C to -5 C) and a total absence of any wind. The valley, due to being in the shade all day, offered perfect snow conditions; a good solid base with 15 cm soft powder on top! Only at higher elevations did we find an occasional soft pocket. From the parking lot a myriad of tracks lead up the initial steep slope through the old burn area. In an attempt not to miss the bridged creek crossing the coordinator ended up too far to the left but the open forest provided an easy correction. We picked up the track from the only other party in the valley this day, the two apparently attempting to climb one of the ice falls off Mt. Stanley’s shoulder. We carried on to the head of the valley where we had our lunch break at about 12:30, marvelling at the untracked slopes waiting for us. After yo-yoing for a few hours followed by a fast and exciting run down through the open forest we were back at the parking lot by 4 pm. Thank you Sheila and Philip for your inspiring company and for joining me, Peter C/S