Our last day of the BC interior mission couldn't have been better. I mean, we didn't get up in the heli, but you really can't argue with another blanket of fresh snow to shred. Best part about the snow on this last day was that it was completely dry. Temps had dropped over night under a clear sky and sucked out all of the moisture leaving ultra fine snow behind.

Another gourmet breakfast was served up by the Snowwater staff, and it was a definite welcome after keeping things up a little later than usual the night before. Pat Maloney recently became a certified sommelier so he set the tone during dinner with some great wine suggestions. We had been saints the entire trip thus far so we let the bartender mix up a few cocktails for us to sample. One of the more interesting concotions we tried was the "All-Canadian Shot" comprised of Crown Royal, maple syrup and a slice of bacon. Sound strange? Trust me when I say I was proud to be a Canadian after tossing that back. Super good. The staff at Snowwater also reprimand guests for safety infractions and other misdemeanors with some rather interesting punishments, namely having to throw back shots of questionable taste. We won't go in to details here but let's just say Dave might've been in violation. You'll just have to visit for yourself to get the full experience.

We got out at the goods early. The sun ended up rearing its head towards the early afternoon which allowed Dave and Mark to make some magic for Dalby's camera. Our guide Chev showed us around to some spots we hadn't hit the day before, and we were all more than happy to be hitting fresh snow. Our last run of the day was all-time, essentially just shredding for fun with no camera—just the four of us and an entire mountain of fresh snow. Needless to say it was good times.

It was now time to ship out of there as we had a drive ahead of us and flights to catch. The operation was literally shutting down for the season so we helped out with a few chores and rode the cat down to say our goodbyes to the staff. After two days spent with the Snowwater crew, it was safe to say we all walked away as friends. We might've even hugged it out.

Thanks to Pat, Maria and the rest of the Snowwater gang. Check out Dalby's Snowwater slideshow here. —Dean Seguin

Dinner about to be served.

Yea, it was as good as it looks.

And this was too... Seriously. All-Canadian shot made with Crown Royal, maple syrup and Canadian bacon. Booze, sugar and protein.

Signage in the can of Snowwater's main lodge.

Checking out a potential spot.

Sollors looking for his line...

...and then slashing a dry one.

Celebratory beers.

Would you want to leave? Didn't think so.

After bringing Mark Sollors into the fold and getting 'er done with redemption at Whitewater, we were all feeling stoked at Snowwater Heli's invite to come shred for our final days of the tour. We were up early, expecting to be up at the lodge and riding the same day. Little did we know that Snowwater was playing host to a special guest just before us. Ellery Hollingsworth was at the resort with an entire entourage following her aorund. And I mean this in the largest sense. Gatorade brought scientists, Nike 6.0 was there, Ashley Barker was shooting photos, not to mention James Sullivan from BNQT.com, a Fuel TV crew, and ex-pro rider cum media/management specialist Tricia Byrnes. We bumped into the crew in the parking lot on their way out and shared a few laughs before we found out the lodge had to clean up after last night's shenanigans and we'd have to wait until the afternoon to come up.

We hung in the main office watching shred flicks, inter-nerding, and, well, Dave was crashed out in the corner. We finally got the good-to-go sign and drove up to meet owner Pat Maloney at the snow line about midway up to the lodge. He picked us up in a cat and we cruised in the rest of the way. Snowwater is like a winter oasis. It's a snowboarder's dream. You've got anything and everything you could possibly want at your disposal here. From super plush private lodges and five-course gourmet dinners to your own A-Star heli eagerly awaiting to fly you in to the most remote spots of the tenure. No such thing as down days here, Snowwater has an ultra-comfy snowcat outfitted with a booming soundsystem for those times when shredding deep pow in the trees will just have to do. Snowwater's got all of this, not to mention the little things like internet, satellite flat-screen TV, cell reception, i-Pod jacks, a killer hot tub, and a full-time bartender ready to hand you a cold one at day's end. Paradise, right?

Well, we one-upped all of that when Pat said we'd have the entire place to ourselves as we were the very last group of the season. We essentially had free-reign of the place. Top that off with a forecast that was going to drop one last major dump of the season and we were well beyond stoked.

We settled in the first night watching TV and getting to know our hosts over an amazing dinner and plenty of wine. Russell and Dave had been here years ago back in the early days of the operation on a Westbeach team shoot. Pat, and his wife Maria (pronounced "Mariah") have got to be the coolest operators in the biz, and offer a very welcoming vibe to their entire operation.

Next day we woke up to a storm hammering down fresh snow. It was one of those rare times where you actually pray for the snow to stop so the heli can fly. But we happily took the fresh turns in the cat for most of the day, slashing pow fields, bouncing off poppers and searching out Snowwater's features to shoot. Near the end of the day, the sun finally poked its head out and the blades of the chopper started to whirl. Needless to say things capped off with a stellar ending. Enjoy the photos. —Dean Seguin

Our not-so-humble abode.

Not a bad wake-up call. Fresh snow and a heli waiting outside the bedroom window.

Mark Sollors got lucky snagging this piece of tail at Snowwater.

Snow puking on Larch trees.

Dave Short gets a piece of his own.

Witch's beard.

Sollors picked out a little close-to-home tree hit he sessioned until the heli was ready to fly.

Sollors getting prepped for his inaugural heli drop.

Our chariot awaits.

Paul, our pilot for the mission, making sure the bird is ready to rock.

Priceless.

Chev, our heli guide, scoping for lines to drop us into.

Dave Short poppin' one off.

After a down day, relaxing around Nelson, soaking with aging hippies at Ainsworth Hot Springs, and hanging at Kokanee Creek Park, it was time to get back to work at Whitewater. Rain had come down the previous night so that meant snow in the higher elevations. We were also recharged with the late addition of Burton rider Mark Sollors to the crew. We drove to Castlegar to scoop up Mark and then it was back up to Whitewater to make things happen.

The team at Whitewater were cool enough to once again set us up with tickets and a special VIP card to gorge on the gourmet lodge food at Fresh Tracks Cafe. From smoked salmon paninis to rich curries and the heartiest salads you'll ever have, you won't want to leave hte lunch table. You can even pick up a couple of cookbooks compiled by the cafe's chef.

But we had business to attend to. Light was a lot better this time around with good visibility and the sun making appearances over the course of the day. After making some quick work of the in-bounds zone we were hitting the day prior, including Dave and Mark sending it through this V-shaped tree formation and over a drop, we decided to heed the advice of the locals who earn their turns hiking Whitewater's famous backcountry terrain. Whitewater's two lifts offer super easy access to slackcountry and backcountry terrain to some estimated 2,500 acres. This includes massive alpine bowls, downright scary cliffs and chute lines and, of course, the deep snow the place is known for in the first place.

Off the Summit Chair, we plugged along the ridge and up into Prospector Bowl. The sun was now showing its face in full and Dave and Mark each found a couple of their own lil somethin'-somethins to keep them busy for a while. The one side of the bowl had a gnarly looking face dotted with spines dropping at a ridiculously steep angle. The other had a few nice drops, diving board-style ledges, and banks to slash the shit out of.

The lifts had stopped by the time we were done shooting, and I must admit, that run down was one of the best of the trip by far. The four of us charged super fluffy snow with lots of poppers and gullies to catch air time. It was one of those moments when there's no doubt in your mind that snowboarding is the best thing in the world, when everyone is hootin' and hollerin', spraying slashes at one another and having an absolute blast. The only thing better was following it up with a round of cold, locally-brewed beers.

Check out Dalby's blog for more photos.

Sollors made the trip in from the coast to slingshot through these dead trees.

A sampling of Whitewater's legendary terrain.

You might not be able to see him, but that's Dave Short slashing deep in the afternoon sun. Fun, eh?

And Sollors, out in plain view and dropping a Back 180 into more of the same.

A look over to some of the hike-access alpine zones.

Looking down on our last run of the day. Point it!

Any time spent in the Nelson area is time well spent. The area is teeming with good food, good people and good shredding. Straight up. Our first day up at Whitewater was met with a virtual empty parking lot, a colourful local guide, and VIP treatment from the resort crew. We were hitting this spot fairly late in the season, and it's been a light winter, so we weren't too sure what to expect in terms of conditions. Our guide, Orry, was born and raised in the area and knew exactly where to take us to make work of a few spots.

After a few warmup laps, we didn't have to venture far to find an in-bounds cliff band loaded with spines, trees, diving board drops and pillows. That's the beauty of this place. Even with its relatively small size (and that's all about to change with a master plan build out about to get underway), there are oodles of zones to session and hike off to in search of undiscovered gems. The locals are here to reap the rewards of the surrounding bounty and most are interested in touring the sidecountry aspects of the terrain here in search for perfect lines. Dave Short fit in quickly making work of several different features over the course of the day. Even Orry got into it, throwing massive backflips off a super high ledge for Dalby's clicking camera.

One day was just not enough time to get the full scope of how diverse the terrain is here so we decided to spend a few extra days in Nelson to get a better idea. Next day we headed to Ainsworth hotsprings and spent some time on the shores of Kootenay Lake before dining on hands-down the best meal we'd all had in some time at local hot spot All Seasons Cafe. Do yourself a favour and make a reservation at this culinary enclave next time you're in the area. Order the Ahi Tuna with black pepper crust, you won't regret it.

After dinner, we were lucky enough to be retiring for the night at one of Nelson's finest hotels — the Prestige Lakeside Resort — right on the shores of Kootenay Lake. For the more discerning traveler, this place is a gem and only moderately more expensive than some of the grimier hotels downtown. But since you are only a few blocks away, it's easy to take in some of the nearby pubs and restaurants and be within a short walk of your pillow. The lobby gives you a feeling of elegance and the rooms have all received a modern touch, certainly a everything-taken-care-for-you refuge after a day of riding out in the mountains.

Dave all business in the morning before heading up to Whitewater.

No modern lifts here, and that's a good thing. It's about the riding afterall, isn't it?

Dave thinks so as he gets back to snowboarding's roots with this Japan grab off a drop at Whitewater.

Spooky larch trees.

Not limited to the terrain, the lodge grub at Whitewater rivals that of any major resort in North America. Fresh, organic ingredients at the same price as a stale burger anywhere else.

It was definitely enough to fuel up for an afternoon session.

Dave strapped his snowboard boots into Leah Evans' skis and ripped the bank off the parking lot.

Shores of Kootenay Lake.

Dalby in front of the lens for a change.

Tough choices at All Seasons Cafe in Nelson.

After a day of riding, it doesn't get much more inviting than this. Prestige Lakeside Resort, Nelson, BC.

Although we could've easily hung out and shredded Monashee for the rest of the season, it was time to say goodbye to our new friends and continue along our Interior journey. We had a hefty drive ahead of us that took us down a super windy road and across beautiful Arrow Lake by ferry. Dalby admitted to us that he loves ferries, which brought on a few giggles from the peanut gallery. Our drive continued along the shores of the lake and through the coolest little backwoods (read: grow op) towns.

After exhausting most of the tunes on Dalby's iPod, we arrived into our digs, Slalom Creek, at Red Mountain. Compared to our rooms at Monashee, this place was paradise. So comfortable in fact, that it was hard to motivate the crew come morning. We each had our own room, lots of space to stretch out, a roaring fire, a deck with a hot tub, and strong Kootenay coffee to jack us up in the morning. What more could you want? The only thing that ruined it was Dave Short's gnarly boot stench in the bathroom.

Next day at Red was full bluebird and fun spring conditions. We ended up shredding around the mountain with local Rossland ripper Leah Evans who was glad to show us around her home mountain. After a couple days of straight pow, it was nice to mach down fast groomers and play around on hit runs and a soft park. Despite warm temps, Red still has a lot of snow but most of the locals are in a golfing/fishing/biking mindframe so we had a lot of room to shred anywhere we wanted.

After a sunny patio lunchbreak at Paradise Lodge, where a few cold ones were enjoyed and a lot of neon zinc was brought on, we decided to get serious and got down to business. Leah took us up Red Mountain and off the backside to a spot called "The Pits." Let me tell you, it wasn't the pits at all. Zing! This spot was like a cliff terrain park, the remains of open-pit mining at the turn of the century. Really eerie rock formations with strange Terminator-metallic colours burned into the stone. Afternoon sun was hitting the area with a glow so we decided to session the spot for the rest of the day. Even with a melting snowpack, we were able to make things happen. I can only imagine what this place would be like during a mid-winter dump — drops, spines, doubles, and a tranny that brings any route down back into a central bowl area.

Good times at Red! Thanks Erik, Mika, Mike and Leah. —Dean Seguin

View over to Mount Roberts, where lots of stellar freeride action goes down.

L to R: Our guide for the day, Leah Evans, along with Russell Dalby and Dave Short. Fun in the sun. If only you could see the smiles.

Not just The North Face teammates. Leah and Dave join forces to bring back the '80s neon zinc flave. Actually I think Dave is just wearing lipstick.

Dave didn't like that last comment so he took it out on the patio railing after lunch.

So much potential.

Dave drops into The Pits.

That sign wasn't telling us a whole lot so we made our own route.

Old school meets new school as Dave gets rad in front of this old mining equipment.