Log Cabin Mountain

Backcountry corner

slovak

i have had some of the best and some of the worst runs on this mountain. this mountain is like new york. you either love it or you hate it.  one day we headed out for few turns. it was windy and snowy and we did not feel comfortable to climb up higher into open bawls so we decided to stay low and ski in trees. as we were having tea on the treeline, lone snowboarder and his dog came up behind us. he asked whether we were going up and i said no. he shrugged his shoulders and kept going up. i briefly asked him whether he had a beacon. he nodded. i tried to keep an eye on him but snow was blowing and he soon disappeared. we skied up and down in trees which made it for short runs but we felt safe. at the end of one run i looked up and i saw avalanche slide right above us coming to a stop. we froze.  i thought of that guy. we didn't see him. we didn't see the dog. we quickly skinned up and started going back up, adrenaline pumping in our blood. we briefly stopped at the treeline when i suddenly noticed the (dead?) guy coming out of blowing snow and boarding down. he stopped and with huge grin on his face said: did you see that avalanche i kicked off?  i felt like a cartoon character: DUH ! the guy took off with his dog trailing behind him.  dude, you have no clue how lucky you were and how much you jepeordized our lives. i just hope he is still alive to learn.