The Snowboarder's Journal - The Snowboarder's Journal 20.3
BIG TRIP: Tales Realized Beyond Nootka Sound
Words and Captions: Hayden Brosnan. Photos: Oli Gagnon 2022-11-30 08:51:34
Red Gerard, frontside 360 on the first day of the trip near Campbell River, Vancouver Island, BC. The team split up and Red, Bryan Fox, Austen Sweetin, filmer Jake Price and photographer Oli Gagnon went up in the helicopter to see what was going on. It looks maybe better than it was, but they still managed to have an hour or two of groovy conditions. The plan was to have that heli on call for the remainder of the trip, but the pilot was a little sketchy, and no one felt comfortable getting back into it. So that was the only day in the heli. During dinner the guys were talking about it and Austen was like, “Well, he was a nice guy.” Jake said, “That has nothing to do with it,” which is true.
The west coast of Vancouver Island just feels big. Big sky. Big trees. Big weather. Big bald eagles flying overhead. Big black bears on the beach eating big fish from the big, cold Pacific. Big logging trucks blowing by on big, long, winding roads. It’s a place where you need to have a plan when you leave the house, to know what you are doing and how to get to there safely. Because in the backcountry on the west side of Vancouver Island, you’re at the mercy of nature.
Amid all that big there’s our little crew. We’re here to find some snow and waves for Quiksilver’s annual Surf the Mountain trip. I’m with Austen Sweetin, Bryan Fox, Red Gerard, surfer Mikey Wright and photographer Oli Gagnon. Travis Rice may join us, but he’s currently in Alaska. It’s my first time meeting any of these guys. My first time on the west coast of Canada. My first day at a new job as a designer for Quiksilver and for all intents and purposes the first snowboard trip of my life. Out of the frying pan and into the powder, so to speak.
We’re at the Nootka Wilderness Lodge, a floating fishing lodge in a protected bay by Nootka Island. It was a two-hour drive west from Campbell River to the dock and then another two-hour boat ride to the lodge—four hours from getting a text out from your phone. As the boat worked its way through rocks and rips, coves and caves, we scoped all the different waves on the way. Beach breaks as well as slabs, lefts and rights. Growing up a surfer, I’d heard whispers and tall tales of the waves out here, though it was always hard to tell if it was earnest or bullshit. But throughout the years a photo would surface of one of the pioneering Bruhwiler brothers or Peter Devries on a perfect wave in a 6mm wetsuit, with Sitka trees in the background, and I’d realize the whispers weren’t just old wives’ tales.
On our first full day, the guys use a helicopter to get a few runs in—yes, the lodge has a heli—then check out some other spots nearby for future potential. Originally the idea was that the guys would heli from the lodge every morning, but the weather has bigger plans. We spend the following few days fogged in on the boat, battling rough seas to get back to the waves we had checked out on our way in. There are countless coves and nooks and crannies, which makes us feel confident we’ll find a zone open enough to let the swell in but protected enough to keep the wind out. Thanks to some local knowledge, we’re able to find exactly that.
Funnily, Mikey has just been awarded a wild card to the Bells Beach World Surf League event in Australia. While every other surfer planning on surfing in the event is currently staying near Bells doing mock heats and working with coaches, Mikey’s on a snowboard trip in the middle of nowhere getting tips from Red Gerard on how to approach jumps better, surfing in 40-degree water, and catching a fish roughly every 35 minutes. Mikey’s eagerness to send it in the snow rubs off on the guys in the water, and with no second-guessing Mikey has the whole crew paddling out to a well-known heavy slab. The wave is sketchy on its best days, and it’s nowhere near its best.
The problem with paddling out with someone like Mikey is his style and ease in hairy situations gives you false hope. While he picks off waves that stay open, gracefully racing through sections, everybody else is mostly exploring underwater rocks in the impact zone. After that first session, we find a little spot with more manageable sets coming through and trade off waves.
Halfway through the trip, Travis makes contact and comes to the lodge. His few extra days in Alaska have proven to be productive. Along with Bryan, Austen and Red, it’s cool to see the relationship they have and where their paths currently cross in their careers. In theory, they all have the same job, professional snowboarder. You’d think maybe things here could get a little dicey—a small lodge with four pro-athlete egos and agendas, but it’s the exact opposite. There seems to be almost no competition between them at all, and so much mutual respect for what the others are doing. Each of their approaches is different , but also complimentary. Conversations are open and fun. Talks range from video projects to Olympic cafeteria food to Melvins tracks to road trips in Baja to surfboard design to NFTs to Mikey explaining (and showing) the big hunts he’s been going on.
Upon Travis’ arrival, the forecast starts to change. I have a feeling that is common when it comes to Travis—he seems to often be in the right place at the right time. But some big calls must be made, the biggest one being: Where do we go? Staying at the lodge and depending fully on the heli seems like stacking the cards against ourselves. We’ve heard Vancouver Island has a little T-bar operation up north called Mount Cain, a community hill that has a bit of a cult following. We think it could be our best bet. We take a vote and leave the lodge before getting stuck by the incoming storm. We’ll be able to ride midweek via snowmobile. It’s dumping. We’re leaving with a solid plan.
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