Related: The Raven: A Burly Line For A Burly Storm

Report from December 11, 2023

We began our ski tour at the Illecillewaet parking lot, frequently plowed by the Parks Canada staff. After performing our customary transceiver group check, we race along the rail grade of the Asulkan Valley trail. Due to the early-season conditions and a below-seasonal snowpack, we avoided the Perley Rock trail that traverses the avalanche fans below Eagle Peak and Mt Sir Donald. At this time of the year, it’s covered in thick mountain alders, creating an impenetrable jungle. Instead, we took the alternate path on the Great Glacier Trail, navigating around the eastern slopes of Glacier Crest.

We followed the Great Glacier trail until the bush became too thick. We dropped into the Illecillewaet Creek, with barely enough coverage to carve an uptrack. As the creek steepened, the terrain transitioned into a series of lateral moraines, created when the glacier flowed to the valley bottom. Given the thin snowpack, the uptrack from the valley bottom to the alpine took way longer than anticipated, requiring creative thinking and a good dose of heel risers to get through the bushes and faceted pillows.

We made a point to avoid the steep sidewalls of surrounding gullies and northerly convexities. The constant downflow winds coming from the Illecillewaet Neve created dense wind slabs on the north-facing terrain. With much patience, sweat, and a little frustration, we made it up the moraines in a little over two hours.

By the time we reached the alpine terrain, we were shrouded in a thick cloud layer. Visibility was poor, but fortunately, someone had laid a nice uptrack to Lookout Col. We followed the uptrack, ascending a rather steep moraine right below the col. As the cloud layer retreated into the valley, we glanced upon the Illecillewaet Glacier and Terminal Peak, now clear as day. The sun was shining strongly for a cold December day.

Getting to the col was exhilarating. Emerging from the darkness of the northern slope, we basked in the warm sunlight, looking down into Lookout Bowl to the South. We traversed across the south face looking for fresh tracks. With so little snow coverage, the terrain was limited and mostly tracked out. We dropped into a virgin 30-degree slope, carving some smooth turns in the moist sunbaked snow.

We regrouped at the bottom of the bowl, far away from the warming overhead slopes to our skier’s left. From there, we skied the valley bottom through the cloud layer until 1650m, where we transitioned for a quick traverse into the Ravens.

We followed a well-established uptrack that contoured through the thick forest north of the Ravens. Scoping out the terrain both above and below us, we realized this forest would offer some good skiing with another meter of snowpack. Something to keep for later, I guess!

I punched an uptrack traversing through the west slope until we found a patch of snow with little to no tracks. It dawned upon me. In the last few years, the Ravens have succumbed to their popularity. There used to be a time when no one would visit the area.

We skied the lower slope, bolting past a group of telemark skiers getting ready. That snow patch did not remain fresh for very long. I drained it way down the valley, maximizing our turns in the surreal powder. It seems the colder temperatures and downflow winds had created a dense layer above the Dec 1st rain crust, offering some supportive skiing without feeling the crust. This was by far the best descent of the day!

After a few high-fives, we joined the Asulkan Valley trail, slogging 6km back to the parking lot. Surprisingly, the toboggan track was in rather good shape. The rain crust must have preserved its surface and bridged all the rocks and roots below. When the conditions are right, this loop is one of the finest in the area.

Route Info

7-8 h	1550m	13.8 km	1200-2360 m

The post Lookout Col: The Scenic Way To The Ravens appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Sapphire Col Traverse: An Alpine High

Report from November 29, 2020

It was 8 AM. We stopped by the NRC parking lot, granting us a detailed but incomplete view of our route. We could barely make out the uptrack on the Grizzly Shoulder, crossing into the mellow alpine slopes above Puff Daddy, a slope that terminated at the Little Sifton Col, our highest point. For the way down, we scoped out two options below Mt Sifton both covered with alders:

1. Ski down a small gully over an open creek leading to the Hermit parking lot which seemed to offer some decent fall-line skiing but added a walk back to the Discovery center.
2. After skiing the slopes below Mt Sifton, traverse west into the Puff Daddy run and face tight alders. Puts us closer to the Discovery Center.

We then rolled into the Discovery Center’s parking lot, chilled by a week-long temperature inversion. We organized our gear and heading up the Connaught Drainage towards the base of the Grizzly Shoulder. On our way there, we crossed a large footbridge, marking the start of the winter trail.

We hurried up the alder-infested Grizzly Mountain Slidepath, looking high up for any sorts of avalanche activity. We ducked into the Grizzly Shoulder trees and borrowed an uptrack that was put in to access Rogers Run, another famous ski line. The uptrack was proper icy but its mellow grade was manageable with good technique, a testimony to the quality of the route-setting.

As soon as we emerged from the cover of the trees, winds picked up making the traverse a little chilly. We climbed a steep exposed slope covered with a layer of slabby snow, a result of the harsh, prevailing SW winds, hammering the windward side of Grizzly Shoulder. I performed a quick hand shear test to get a sense of the relative hazard the slab posed. Judging from the lack of cohesion within the slab itself, the risk was acceptable. Once in the relative safety of overhead rocks, we crossed a striking cliff band, the same one you would sneak through to hop into Rogers Run. You won’t miss it. This distinctive rock feature towers over the rest of the shoulder.

We followed an intricate system of wind lips leading to a hard, wind-blown ramp crowned by large boulders. Skins would do us no good. We strapped our skis to our packs and booted up the faceted snow, punching through the lower layers a few too many times. Damn, if I can avoid it, I would just skin it all, which is possible later in the season.

With some frustration, we gained a comfortable bench, at which point we could clearly see a way to the Little Sifton Col. To the west, the Grizzly Couloir was hiding behind a rocky ridge, looking prime for a shred. Vivid memories of last year’s descent with Cedrik surged before my eyes. We navigated through the gentle, waving terrain with ease. Point it straight up and you’ll eventually get there. It’s that simple! Just watch out for the steeps, to the left, plunging into Grizzly Bowl.

As the sun finally breached the thin veil of clouds, we took a quick break to strip down to our base layers to avoid sweating too much. Man, it was steamy up here, a brutal reminder of the current inversion. The alarm bells rang in my head. Warm weather calls for a warming snowpack, especially so on solar aspects. As we reached the end of the bench, we were now faced with a steep, south-facing alpine slope, brightly lit by the now-beaming sun.

I took a moment to feel the snow in my left hand, looking for evidence of surface warming. Light and fluffy, as it should be. The snow was still cold enough. With no signs of avalanche instability in the area (yet), we proceeded up the pitch as fast as we could to minimize our exposure to the warming temps. As we exited this hazardous zone, I noticed the snow getting denser, not alarmingly so but enough to cast doubt on our decision. In the future, I promised myself to start this traverse earlier.

As we began to feel the altitude bearing down on us, we gained the Little Sifton Col (2650m). To our left, a pilgrimage of ski tourers were slowly climbing to the summit of Little Sifton, like sheeps flocking to the shepherd. With the previous day’s high SW winds, I was amazed that no one bothered to verify the slope’s stability. A section of it was noticeably wind-loaded. And, that’s exactly where the first tracks were laid. Careless! Needless to say, I had my transceiver at the ready, even if nothing happened.

As the sun reached its apogee, we clicked in our bindings and shot down the NE face onto the Sifton Glacier. The skiing quality was pretty decent with a thin layer of power over a firm base with the occasional tiny wind crust. The NE aspect, always in the shadow of the mountain, had preserved the snow.

We skied down the gentle slopes of the Sifton Glacier, carpeted with extremely dry powder. Even in the summer, this glacier is barely crevassed. We followed the Grizzly Shoulder to the east, making sure to stay well away from its steep, eastern flank. I noticed signs of old slab avalanches triggered by cornices failing overhead. A gentle reminder of the hazards at play.

Once we dipped into the treeline elevation, we decided against following the deep gully down to the Hermit parking lot, where all the tracks were heading. Instead, we traversed skier’s right under the termination of the Grizzly Shoulder cliffs, into the Puff Daddy run.

From there, we followed a large slidepath leading into perfectly-spaced trees. With a little alder bushwhacking, we made it to the busy highway and toured back to the Discovery Center parking lot. What a glorious day, filled with scenic views and surprisingly good snow. The Little Sifton Traverse… check-mate!

Route Info

5 h	1380m	10 km	1330-2675 m

The post Little Sifton Traverse: A Quality Alpine Stroll appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Afton Southeast Couloir, Rogers Pass: High Exposure

Report from November 22, 2020

We met up with our crew formed by Georges, Renaud, Jay, Kaitlin, and I – a big group with even bigger ambitions. After sorting out our gear and performing a standard transceiver check at the trailhead, we started the long stroll on the Meeting of The Waters Trail, where the Asulkan Brook empties out into the Illecillewaet River, both fed by glaciers. After crossing far more dog walkers than backcountry skiers or splitboarders, we veered left on the Asulkan Valley Trail, making sure to follow the correct sequence. A wrong turn there would take you up an entirely different valley.

As we crossed a narrow footbridge, my jaw-dropped. The Asulkan Brook was carving a path through giant white pillows while all we could hear was the soothing sound of water running past us. True serenity! I stood there taking in the Asulkan’s beauty while Jay was whacking away at the snow piling up on the bridge as if he was about to drop a sick line. What a curious soul!

The reality of touring in the Asulkan is that the approach takes forever. It’s always a slog, in or out of this valley, since the trail follows the quasi-flat Asulkan Brook for more than 8km inland. Fortunately, Glacier Crest is much closer than the Asulkan Glacier. We veered left at the next fork, right after the footbridge 2.5km from the parking lot, to ascend the Glacier Crest Trail.

We followed the trail up the steep shoulder of Glacier Crest at a brisk pace. The summer trail had been cut into the treed slope at an easy grade, making it much more manageable ski touring. We glided effortlessly through the machine-made switchbacks all the way up to treeline elevation.

As we emerged out of the thick forest, the Sir Donald mountain range came into view. Woah! After having my head stuck in clouds for the last week, this was a sight for sore eyes. Treasured memories of summer mountaineering missions up Uto and Eagle Peak surged back through my mind.

We set our crosshair on the Glacier Crest ridge running north to south, aiming to gain it as soon as possible. We opted to gain the high ground versus traveling on the gently sloping bench to the north: the latter was exposed to much overhead hazard from the narrow ridge. I’ve seen it many times before, where an avalanche would bury an uptrack placed on the bench.

I looked back once we had gained the ridge. Behind us, I spotted the Rogers Massif just as the thin, lingering clouds parted and basked the range in a golden hue. How stunning! I could see the Swiss Couloir and the Rogers South Face, imposing features even at a distance.

We moved along the elongated ridge until a short, narrow step stopped us in our track. With a sudden drop on my left and a questionable slope on my right, I felt rather exposed. We strapped our skis to our packs and booted up the section. Only then, could we see our final objective, the summit of Glacier Crest, only 500m away.

I attempted to scope out the terrain to my left, looking for the entrance to the east bowl as I hurried along the flattened ridge. After much back and forth between terrain photos and our current view, I located the entrance. A quick glance into the slope revealed our predicament. The east bowl of Glacier Crest is a high commitment line when considering the incline, the features, and the terrain traps below. It’s perched above cliffs and pillows that usually disappear under a deeper snowpack. While snowfall has been copious of late, it wasn’t what I would call “deep”. Peering further down the bowl, our line would take us through a long 35-degree planar slope overlooking those cliffs and topped by a rolling convexity, perfect for skiing and more than ideal for avalanches. We had one shot but we couldn’t mess it up.

With little to no information about the stability of the alpine snowpack in the Asulkan, we decided on digging a full snow profile on a similar east-facing slope, just lee of the summit. We performed compression, extended compression, and propagation saw tests to get a feel for what was lurking beneath the surface. Even with our optimistic results, we were cautious. A profile 2m away from where we dug might have completely different results. We debated whether to engage or not for 15 minutes but finally decided to do it as the clouds rolled in. Just our luck! No more visibility! Jay, a brave soul, volunteered for the uneventful ski-cut which also meant he got to drop first.

The skiing was incredible, except for the uber-flat light which made it impossible to read the terrain. Quite a dizzying endeavor. There was no way of knowing whether the slope went up or down, what veered left from right. Still, I’ll take some soft powder with a nice supportive base any day of the week.

We pressed on, almost blind, through the complex terrain, billy-goating our way down a giant pillow field. The visibility didn`t stop our party from tricking off some fluffy pillows. So much fun!

We then followed the valley bottom along the Great Glacier Trail, an icy bobsleigh track in the winter, perfect for an exit. With a little patience, Kaitlin, Jay, and I made it back safe and sound to the Illecillewaet parking lot. It took Georges and Renaud 15 minutes to join us after they took the “freeride” route involving a creek bed and brutal alders. I was exhilarated once I realized this was my 2020 season’s first true alpine high.

Route Info

5-6 h	1050 m	10 km	1200-2250 m

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