Local guide to attempt first descent in Selkirk Range

No-fall skiing means exactly that — fall and the result is disastrous. A single missed turn or slip of an edge could separate a safe descent from an emergency situation.

It's a game reserved for the best of the best.

This week, local backcountry guide and extreme skier Greg Franson will take on a no-fall endeavor of dire consequences when he leads world-renowned freeskier Chris Davenport on a first descent in British Columbia.

Franson, who owns and operates Blue Bird Guides in Whitefish, will lead Davenport, of Aspen, Colo., up Sir Sandford, an 11,555-foot peak in the Selkirk Mountains. Together, they will ski down the technical south face. From top to bottom, it's 7,300 vertical feet of skiing.

"It's pretty full-on," Franson told the Pilot earlier this month while he was in the planning stages of the trip. "It's a very committing line."

The descent will mark the first time anyone has skied the mountain's south face.

"Sir Sandford is a very aesthetic mountain," Franson said. "From anywhere in the Selkirks, it just dominates the skyline, and you think, 'I can't believe nobody has skied that.'"

Sir Sandford is the highest peak in the mountain range, and a glacier clings to its upper slopes. The team will stage the trip out of the Fairy Meadows hut, a backcountry lodge deep in the Selkirks. They will then ski tour around the hut for a few days while they wait for a weather window.

When snow conditions and appropriate weather finally come together, they'll move to a base camp at the Great Cairn hut, which sits in the shadow of Sandford's north side. From there, they will make an attempt at the summit.

The plan is to climb the north headwall, which Franson notes, has been skied before, and then descend the south face.

"Going down will be the most challenging," Franson said. "Just because you're on skis and it's really steep. It's definitely no-fall skiing, so we have to hit it at the right moment."

Yet, the team tackling Sir Sandford is packed with talent.

Franson is certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and regularly skis in the Selkirks while leading tours for Blue Bird Guides. He knows the area inside and out, and was a natural selection to lead the trip.

Davenport is a former alpine downhill racer who made his mark in the freeskiing community when he won the 1996 World Extreme Skiing Championships in Alaska. He has climbed to 8,000 meters on Makalu in the Himalayas, skied first descents in Denali National Park and skied all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks in less then one year.

Also coming on the trip will be Jake Bogach, editor of "Skiing" magazine, and Jason Layh, a writer for "Backcountry" magazine.

Photos and a story about the descent will likely go in Davenport's upcoming hardcover book about skiing the most demanding mountains in North America. It will be a follow-up to his book "Ski the 14ers' on technical ski descents in Colorado, and could be written in the spirit of "Fifty Classic Climbs of North America," a timeless book about mountaineering.

"When I first heard about the book project, I thought, 'OK, some guys from Colorado are going to come up to Canada and tell us what's classic?'" Franson, who is originally from Canada, said. "But, the style they're doing the book in is cool. They're using locals to contribute what they think are classic and for what reasons."

Franson also contributed to the book a segment about skiing Rogers Peak in Canada.

He hopes that between Davenport's upcoming book, and the magazine articles and Internet buzz that will likely follow a successful descent of Sir Sandford, Blue Bird Guides will get ample amounts of publicity to boost their growing business.

Based in Whitefish and now in its second year of operation, the company leads ambitious skiers on self-propelled backcountry tours in Canada and occasionally in Montana.

The business model is an antithesis to heli-skiing or cat-skiing outfits, and Franson says he's filling a niche for those who enjoy a slower pace and a more natural experience.

"While cat-skiing, you're pretty much missing out on the mountain experience," he said. "Ski touring, you get 100 percent of that. You're in smaller groups, which are way more intimate and more enjoyable. The conversation is better."

Most of Blue Bird's trips are in the Rogers Pass area of British Columbia, which is in the same region as Sir Sandford.

To follow the progress of the Sir Sandford first descent, visit online at www.bluebirdguides.com.