Words by Tess Weaver
Every year Oakley spends the first part of January at their favorite cat skiing operation in BC. Retallack Resort, just up the road from New Denver and a little over an hour from Nelson, has the steeps, cliffs, trees and high alpine bowls to capture the attention of athletes every year, including Tanner Hall and Seth Morrison who are part owners in the operation. This year Sammy Carlson, Sean and Callum Pettit joined Tanner to kick off the new year in the Selkirk Mountains. The entourage included acclaimed photographers and Tanner’s film crew.
Everyone gets to know each other quickly at Retallack lodge, the eco-friendly home base for the operation. Group happy hour, family-style meals (we ate salmon, Sammy ate Cheerios and toast), movie and hot tub sessions and quality hang out time are all in order at this picturesque abode tucked in the trees.
We started out the day with a 45-minute cat ride to the tree line, where the guys scoped a slope for a booter. The jump was built, four camera angles were established and the guys started making laps. The kicker had a little more kick then expected and the landing zone kept creeping downhill. By noon the gang had slashed it and after burritos it was time to head to Outland and find the second zone.
The men behind the lenses finally got to make some fresh turns on the way down to the cliff band. Sean, Callum, Tanner and Sammy each chose a line and threw down their own unique style. Callum was unofficially high-score, with a sick line that got everyone stoked.
Too bad the light was too low to bring the camera gear on our last run of the day. Unfortunately we had to take a free run. It did not suck.
Hopefully the snow pack will stabilize in the next couple days and the boys can open up some promising new terrain…
Retallack Part II — Retallack Part III
