Related: Fuzzy Knob, Revelstoke: Shredding Through The Big Timber

Report from December 29, 2025

Paul and I parked at the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Lodge below Mt Macpherson for a cruisy lap down the Burnt Knob slidepaths, whichever would have the least track. Having last seen each other in the Fall, we casually walked along the Main Loop as we caught up on our busy lives. The staff at the RNSC made it easy for ski tourers to access the Macpherson NE slopes with clear signage showing the way. Within 20 minutes, we made it to the old skid road that traverses below the Fingers and, further, the two Burnt Knob slidepaths.

Arriving at the end of the skid road, made obvious by the dense jungle ahead, we began climbing more aggressively, following a series of small clearings adjacent to Wells Creek. With an existing uptrack carved in the lumpy terrain at a reasonable incline, our progress to the wide col between the two minor peaks, Burnt and Fuzzy Knob, was effortless. I reworked some of the trail, finding more efficient ways to contour through the alders and cedar forest. This reminded me how bushy the eastern Monashees can get, even with our unusually thick coverage for late December. Due to its low elevation, I typically won’t even attempt a ski tour at Mt Macpherson before January rolls around and the temperatures plummet.

As the fog lifted and the skies opened up, we reached the top of Burnt Knob. As we shovelled nuts in our hungry mouths, we scoped out the slope below. A convoluted system of gullies, wind drifts, and pillows split along a natural shoulder and led into the two beautiful slidepaths. Noticing most tracks leading into the skier’s right path (#1), we decided it was best to aim for the left one.

We also observed some noticeable wind effect along the top of the knob. As an exposed, prominent bump, this observation was no surprise after the variable winds overnight. Before starting the run, I cautiously ski cut the first steep pitch, grasping for a nearby tree. As expected, I triggered a small wind slab, 30cm thick.

With our avalanche control mission complete, we skied the top pitch, weaving through juvenile spruces and jumping off an endless stream of playful features carpeting the slope. This is typical Monashees skiing. We traversed to the skier’s left, lining ourselves up with the #2 slidepath below. The winds had compressed the snow, making the skiing challenging. While Paul, an expert snowboarder, had no problem staying afloat in the dense, creamy powder, I, on the other hand, kept having to shift my weight to the back of my skis in an effort to keep my tips up. Needless to say, the run was an absolute quad burner.

We spread our descent over three epic pitches. To my surprise, no one had skied the left path. This is awesome! Previous avalanches and meters after meters of snowfall had almost entirely covered the heinous alders. We skied nearly all the way to the old forestry trail. After a solid high five, we followed the undulating track down the skid road and back to Nordic ski club trails. What a day!

Route Info

5 h	1150 m	13 km	649-1765 m

The post Burnt Knob, Revelstoke: The Perfect Macpherson Slidepaths appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Highway Bowl, Revelstoke Mountain Resort: Chasing Big Lines

Report from December 10, 2019

After catching a ride on the Stoke Chair, Miles, Freddy, and I traversed the top of the lower North Bowl with ease through boot-deep powder. We then crossed over the top of Gracias Ridge and descended Greely Bowl, still within the boundary of Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR). December 2019 was incredibly snowy, seeing consistent daily precipitation. With much overhead exposure below the chutes spanning from the Mackenzie North Shoulder (The Doors) and large cornices forming along the ridge, we opted to remain inbounds until we reached the bowl’s terminus. This would put us a safe distance from the avalanche hazards.

We quickly transitioned for the ascent, ducked the rope line, and broke trail heading East through deep powder, spacing out as we crossed below a series of chutes, namely Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Split Milk, Lover’s Lane and Birthday Chute. All great ski touring routes when the avalanche hazard is decent; those weren’t in the books for today.

We continued up the Mackenzie North Shoulder, which would put us right above Greely Trees, our objective. Some call the shoulder’s treeline and alpine section the Upper Playground. After a few tricky switchbacks, we were right above our starting point. We removed our climbing skins and eagerly readied up for an amazing descent. Miles took the first line down the Upper Playground, aiming to stay on the shoulder’s crest. This would link us nicely with the forested section.

To give you a lay of the land, Greely Trees can be tricky. The terrain tends to force you down the skier’s right toward sizable cliffs and an eroded gully. It’s a great line in good avalanche stability. However, we wanted to remain in the trees, minimizing our exposure to large features, so we skied slightly off-fallline, hugging the skier’s left and avoiding the larger drops. From there, this route took us down a relatively planar, 30-degree slope littered with fun booters and manageable features.

We skied through deep powder, continuously trending skier’s left until we were funnelled through a wide trough. This led us to an open boulder field, which made for a perfect turnaround point. After skiing Highway Bowl, a few days prior, I knew the forest below the boulder field was bushy with a thin snow coverage. It was best to cut our descent short and start the ascent.

We slapped our skins on and began the 350m ascent towards the RMR boundary. We tracked through a magical old-growth forest, staring in awe at the massive 200+ year-old trees. What a sight to behold! After a short time, we gained Greely Lake (1820m), an important milestone as we make our way back to the RMR boundary. From the lake, we travelled a few hundred meters NW until we crossed back into the resort area. We effortlessly descended Baxters, a run leading back to the Ripper Chair at 1435m.

Thankfully, we made it back before the chair’s operational closure at 2:30 PM. The closure time varies from early winter to spring. To better plan your day, it’s best to check the operational hours sign at the base of the gondola and Stoke Chair in the morning. All in all, our crew had an amazing day of old-growth tree skiing, pillow popping, and cliff jumping. This route is truly one of RMR’s finest.

Route Info

3-5 h	615m	7.3 km	1430-2120 m

The post Greely Trees, Revelstoke: Slackcountry Tree Skiing At Its Best appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Ski Touring In Rogers Pass, BC: All You Need To Know

The Mountains and The Backcountry Terrain

The town of Revelstoke is nestled between two idyllic mountain ranges, the Monashees and the Selkirks, both sub-ranges of the Columbia Mountains. To the West, the Monashees are known for their incredible tree skiing, crammed with natural booters and steep chutes. The thick snowpack and deep powder make landing large features a breeze.

To the East, the Selkirks are better known for their ski-mountaineering potential, offering an unforgettable alpine skiing experience (glaciers, bowls and craggy peaks). Nonetheless, there’s some excellent tree skiing to be found, especially in virgin old-growth forests. On clear days, I’d rather spend my time in the Selkirks, bagging peaks and skiing alpine couloirs. For the unacquainted, Rogers Pass, another world-class ski touring mecca, is located in the Selkirks, just a short 45-minute drive from town.

The terrain’s accessibility and variety are what set Revelstoke apart from other ski touring destinations. From old-growth forest to wide-open, alpine bowls, its ski touring scene is the full package. With a valley at 500m and glacier-capped peaks cresting at 2750m, most backcountry skiing routes offer an impressive vertical, offering quad-burning powder skiing. It goes without saying: a good fitness level is required to complete most routes. Thankfully, the lift-accessed backcountry, beyond the rope line of Revelstoke Mountain Resort, opens up a plethora of friendlier alternatives.

The Climate and Snowfall

The climate is ideal for ski touring in Revelstoke. The area is the world’s only inland temperate rainforest. The snow gods love Revelstoke, dumping anywhere between 12 and 18m (40-60ft) of high-quality snow throughout the winter. Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) often sees slightly lower snowfall amounts, averaging about 10m at the start of Spring. This is not the dense concrete that typically falls on the coast. The mountains around Revelstoke typically get near-champagne powder, which is quite the feat given the snow amounts that hammer the area. It’s not uncommon to find a snowpack height of 2-4m in the alpine, perfect for covering all those nasty rocks. What might be a cliff in the summer becomes a smooth slope come mid-winter.

Let’s put it that way: powder skiing and endless faceshots in the Revelstoke backcountry are guaranteed. Due to storms tracking west to east across BC, starting from the Pacific and orographic lifting, the Monashee Mountains (west of Revelstoke) see 20-30% more snowfall than the Selkirk Mountains (east of Revelstoke). After a large storm, I usually head straight for the Monashees to revel in exceptionally DEEP powder skiing and strenuous trailbreaking.

Being an inland temperate rainforest, the temperatures in town typically hover around the 0C mark. Most seasons, my shovel gathers dust in the shed’s corner. However, the picture is a little more complicated. As you rise in elevation, the temperatures tend to drop. Typical alpine temperatures range from -5 °C to -15 °C, with the odd February cold snap delivering a shivering -25 °C. Essentially, be prepared for a wide range of temperatures as you’re ski touring in the Revelstoke area.

A Long Ski Touring Season In Revelstoke

The ski touring season in Revelstoke starts in mid-October for the true keeners out there. With the forestry road network reaching as high as 1800m, you can park right by the snow in places like the McCrae Glacier or Joss Mountain. The forest service roads near Revelstoke are typically pretty rough and require a high-clearance, 4×4 vehicle equipped with a UHF radio and tire chains. It’s easy to get caught in a storm mid-tour and come back to steep, snow-covered roads. Beware of the rock sharks hidden under the shallow snowpack at that time of the year. I purposefully seek out spots with a smooth summer ground cover to avoid patching my bases like a full-time ski tech.

Related: The Early Season Snowpack: How It Affects Your Winter

The backcountry ski season ends in mid-April, though some avid adventurers drag it into May around high mountain passes such as Rogers Pass. You’ll need good hiking shoes, ski crampons and skin wax for those warm, late-spring ski tours. Expect valley bottom approaches to be extra icy. The ski resort is operational from December to late April. Its ski lifts allow you to access its amazing backcountry terrain.

Related: Planning A Spring Ski Tour: Optimize Your Peak Pursuit

The Town & The Community

Just off the Trans-Canada Highway, the town of Revelstoke is equal parts vibrant and quaint. Now with a population of more than 8000, it has a rich 130-year history as the epicentre of the logging and the railroad industries in the British Columbia Interior. Its downtown core is lined with heritage homes and restored buildings, adding to the quaint atmosphere. The Revelstoke Museum & Archives is a great place to plunge into the town’s history, starting with its foundation in 1885 during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Its walls are covered with an impressive amount of old photos and literature.

You’d be wrong in thinking Revelstoke is quiet – this town is no slouch during our busy season. It’s bustling with everything from eager adventurers to eclectic hippies. You’ll find a bustling art scene, with the visual arts center and a community gallery. Revelstoke’s downtown is complete with a diverse array of restaurants, bars and even a distillery, Monashee Spirits. A few minutes out of town, you’ll stumble across the Begbie Brewery, our local beer producer. Revelstoke somehow strikes the perfect balance of adventure, amenities, and serenity, an ideal spot for adventurers and foodies alike.

The Avalanche Hazard

The avalanche hazard is always on my mind when ski touring in Revelstoke. The combination of steep terrain and considerable snowfall results in a higher avalanche likelihood. Unlike the ski resort, the Revelstoke backcountry is uncontrolled and wild! It’s no surprise that the two bodies that delve into the recreational and professional avalanche sector, Avalanche Canada and the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA), decided to call Revelstoke home. Revelstoke sees by far the most avalanches in Canada. Consequently, its complex terrain and high avalanche likelihood make backcountry travel a serious endeavour, requiring expert terrain management and avalanche skills. In a perfect world, all backcountry skiers and splitboarders would have avalanche and first aid training. Short of that, I recommend hiring an ACMG ski or mountain guide to explore our challenging playground. They know the area best and where the powder skiing might be found. Trick statement – it’s nearly everywhere you look.

As with any other mountain range, the Selkirks and Monashees will harbour the classic avalanche problems such as storm/wind slabs and cornices. However, you’ll also find an especially nasty snow grain: surface hoar. Formed during clear, cold and relatively calm weather, surface hoar forms at the – you guessed it – snowpack’s surface in areas where there’s no tree cover. Surface hoar often appears at treeline and below treeline elevations (approximately 1400-2100m) as it requires all of the factors to grow. In the avalanche world, this leads to a persistent slab problem that can lurk for weeks, if not months and can produce large, destructive avalanches.

The Ski Touring Zones

If you’re not already sold on the great skiing around this town, here’s why. Revelstoke is surrounded by four distinct ski touring zones that consistently deliver the good times. They are either accessible by road or ski lifts, and each adds a different flavour to the ski touring or splitboarding experience. If you’re looking for a wicked ski-mountaineering trip, I recommend you pay Rogers Pass a visit.

Mt Macpherson Backcountry

I sometimes think the slopes of Mt Macpherson rose from tectonic activity for the sole purpose of offering skiers an ideal playground. Along with Mt Begbie, the two summits of the Monashees preside beautifully over Revelstoke. A short drive down Highway 23S will lead you to the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Lodge, where the adventure truly starts. With a parking lot at 650m, the skiing here begins after Christmas when the climate is cold enough for the lower slopes to be caked in snow. Most of the accessible ski touring routes are located on the peaks’ E-NE flank.

Related: Ski Touring Mt Macpherson: Glacial Day In The Womb

To the South, you’ll find the Fingers and The Womb, two very popular routes for good reasons. The Fingers offers a short approach with some featured open path skiing. By far, the most accessible route in the area, it’s very popular for pre-work ski touring laps with the dog in tow. The word says it all. Those treeless hallways are avalanche paths with frequent activity. Keep that in mind when spending a considerable time in the area. Accessed by climbing up the Fingers, The Womb is a fulfilling run consisting of a large avalanche path flanked by classic Monashee tree skiing, chock full of backcountry booters and hidden chutes. Once at its top, the summit of Mt Macpherson is an hour’s climb away – an extra 350m of vertical gain up its SE face. The two lines can be linked to form a 1560m descent.

To the North, Burnt and Fuzzy Knob, two obvious bumps, offer a mix of open path and pleasant tree skiing. The fun terrain justifies the longer trek up one of Mt Macpherson’s skid roads. Burnt Knob’s slightly longer approach rewards you with two wicked avalanche paths that can be skied in decent snowpack stability. It’s a great place to visit during a storm when the higher elevations are shrouded in fog.

Related: Burnt Knob, Revelstoke: The Perfect Macpherson Slidepaths

Mt Begbie Backcountry

Mt Begbie is by far the town’s most recognizable summit. Its vast SE shoulder, the Begbie Shoulder, is a prime ski touring zone, with quality Monashee-style glades of old-growth forests, steep treeline chutes and open cut blocks. The snowpack is typically much deeper here than across the Columbia River in the Selkirks. However, the amazing terrain comes with a downside. The access isn’t for the faint of heart. Reaching the shoulder requires at least a 1300m vertical gain. Most folks access the zone by riding a snowmobile up the Begbie Forest Service Road (FSR) and ski touring from a high point.

Related: Begbie Shoulder: Skiing A Revelstoke Classic

Climbing Mt Begbie is an absolute classic. The 2743m peak, towering over Revelstoke, can be conquered in a day on foot starting at the Mt Begbie Trailhead, but most residents benefit from using a snowmobile to climb the Mt Begbie FSR and skip the low-elevation bushwhack. Without a mechanized crutch, it’s a considerable ski-mountaineering achievement with a 2070m elevation gain. Thankfully, you’ll be rewarded with incredible summit views, a short rappel, and a fun ski descent down the Polar Bear Glacier.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort Lift-Accessed Backcountry

It’s paramount to visit the RMR backcountry when ski touring in Revelstoke. Beyond Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s rope line, located below the south slopes of Mt Mackenzie, you’ll find flawless backcountry ski terrain offering endless possibilities. From Montana Bowl to Ghost Peak, there’s something for everyone. You’ll be weaving through trees in South Bowl and skiing large alpine slopes in Montana Bowl & Kokanee Bowl. Below Montana Bowl, you’ll find some man-made tree skiing, Montana Trees, remnants of a defunct cat ski operation, which closed its doors when the resort saw its first visitors. You’ll have to purchase a lift ticket at the resort’s base to access its backcountry terrain. Beware: the avalanche hazard inbounds is controlled by professionals, while the out-of-bounds (backcountry) slopes are not! Avalanche training is paramount in such terrain.

Related: Montana Peak, Revelstoke: Big Mountain Lines For Christmas

North of the main ridge, formed by Mt Mackenzie, Montana Peak and Kokanee Peak, lies Highway Bowl. The alpine cirque offers steep, technical lines for the daring backcountry skiers and splitboarders. This also comes with its fair share of hazards. The ridge’s north aspect is crowned by a large cornice, which has caused numerous accidents over the years. Across Mt Mackenzie and the in-bounds Greely Bowl, you’ll find Greely Trees. The zone offers ultra-fun tree skiing in old-growth forest. The forest here is magical.

Related: Highway Bowl, Revelstoke Mountain Resort: Chasing Big Lines

Far from the crowded slopes of Montana Peak, you’ll stumble across Ghost Peak. Not only is its name fundamentally cool, but the summit sticks out of the landscape like a sore thumb. The day trip is not for the faint of heart. The ski-mountaineering endeavour involves a 17km, 1500m round-trip trek to its summit, crossing most peaks within the Revelstoke Mountain Resort backcountry. The ascent up its SW face typically requires ski crampons as it gets hammered by prevailing winds. It’s a classic that most Revelstoke ski bums aspire to complete.

Related: Ski Touring Ghost Peak, Revelstoke: Counting Minutes

McCrae Peak Backcountry

Located 22km SE of Revelstoke, McCrae Peak is a great early-season ski touring area when you need your powder fix in October. It’s also a fantastic option for late Spring corn turns. Accessed through the Akolkolex FSR network, the hour-long drive requires a high-clearance 4×4 vehicle equipped with a UHF radio and tire chains. Radio communication on the forestry road network is paramount to avoid potentially fatal collisions. As long as the road is snow-free, you’ll be able to access McCrae Peak’s vast backcountry terrain.

Related: McCrae Glacier: Season’s First Powder Turns

Even better, the parking lot is located at 1800m, making the area even more accessible with our scrawny early-season legs. The forested slopes offer exciting tree skiing, weaving through ancient forest. The peak is crowned by the McCrae Glacier, accessed by ascending its mellow west ridge. The ridge is bounded by smooth, grassy slopes, offering safe skiing in shallow snowpack conditions.

Any Questions?

From the ultra-accessible, uncontrolled slopes beyond the resort to the Mt McCrae’s early season hotspot to chase those October turns, ski touring in Revelstoke triggers the adventurer in all of us. If you’re unsure about the terrain ahead or lack the crucial avalanche management skills, hire an ACMG ski or mountain guide for the day. They’ll suss out the good snow and minimize your exposure to all mountain hazards. If you’re looking for accessible ski-mountaineering, I recommend driving to Roger Pass, famous for its crevassed glaciers and long alpine descent from the 3000-meter summits.

Related: 1. Rogers Pass Top Runs: Best Bang-For-Your-Buck 2. Best Couloir Skiing In Rogers Pass For All Skill Levels

I love questions about Revelstoke and Rogers Pass. Please message me through my Contact Page or via Instagram. I’ll do my best to fulfill your requests promptly and accurately! Next winter, I hope I’ll see you cruising through our stunning backcountry playground.

The post Ski Touring In Revelstoke, BC: A Backcountry Skiing Mecca appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Planning A Ski Tour At Rogers Pass: The Online Tools

When To Visit

The ski touring season generally runs from November to April, with December to March being the prime months for skiing at Rogers Pass. The season can be divided into several sections.

Early Season: Stretching from November to mid-December, it’s usually a stormy span, featuring bad weather, high snowfall amounts (or rain) and poor visibility. Granted, you’ll find some calm periods between storms when you can chase the alpine snow. It’s a great time to avoid the crowds and get some so-so-sweet faceshots. While the fresh snow is plentiful, the base isn’t built up yet. The sharks are out! Keep that in mind when taking your brand-new skis for a spin in November. You’ll mostly meet locals doing some tree skiing pow laps and guides giving out avalanche courses.

Related: Ski Touring In Revelstoke, BC: A Backcountry Skiing Mecca

Mid Season: Stretching from mid-December to mid-March, it’s the bulk of the skiing at Rogers Pass and a great time to visit. Yes, you’ll fend off the crowds, but you’ll also find a great balance between storms and bluebird days. By January, the snow base is deep – you’ll hardly hit any rocks. The latter part of the mid-season, past mid-February, tends to offer more sunshine and less snowfall, perfect for high alpine trips.

Late Season: Stretching from mid-March to late April, this is the spring skiing season and one for the ski mountaineers out there. It’s the season of sunny skies, icy uptracks, ski crampons, peak bagging, and epic glaciers. The low-elevation forested skiing tends to lack in ski quality at that time of the year. You have to fight your way through that elevation band to get to the good stuff in the alpine.

Related: Planning A Spring Ski Tour: Optimize Your Peak Pursuit

Getting There

The Flight: You can either fly into Kelowna, BC or Calgary, AB, both having well-established airports. If staying in Revelstoke, Kelowna makes more sense as it shortens the drive and avoids potential road closures when catching your flight back home. If Golden is the destination, the Calgary airport offers a shorter drive and frequent flights.

The Drive: Nestled at a high point in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Rogers Pass is accessible via the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1). It’s approximately 65km east of Revelstoke (a 45-minute drive) and 80km west of Golden (a 60-minute drive). Remember that the drive may be longer due to poor road conditions, common during the winter months. The drive from Golden to Rogers Pass is generally in better shape since it’s in the range’s rain shadow, and sees lower precipitation amounts and cooler temperatures.

Related: Ski Touring In Revelstoke, BC: A Backcountry Skiing Mecca

I may get struck by lightning for writing this: Revelstoke has slightly better amenities than Golden. After all, Revelstoke is a bigger town. Make sure your vehicle (rental or not) is equipped with winter tires. I cannot overstate how bad conditions can get on this stretch of the highway, especially for drivers unaccustomed to Canadian winter roads.

Avalanche Control And Parks Canada Permits

Rogers Pass is known for its spectacular backcountry skiing and splitboarding, but its terrain also poses a significant avalanche risk. Avalanche control is crucial for ensuring the safety of travellers on the Trans-Canada highway corridor. Parks Canada uses artillery shells and remotely detonated explosives to trigger avalanches in suspect start zones. Authorities prohibit highway travel when avalanche control is in progress. After all, you wouldn’t want to be doing avalanches as you travel through our beautiful mountain scenery

Parks Canada has established the Rogers Pass Winter Permit System to ensure backcountry travellers don’t interfere with the avalanche control program, which protects the highway. The winter permit system depends on user compliance. Parks Canada allows us to go ski touring (or splitboarding) in Rogers Pass. Failure to do so would force authorities to prohibit access to the park for backcountry skiing and splitboarding. I cannot say this enough: read about the Winter Permit System before visiting the area.

Terrain, Snowpack, Avalanches

Skiing at Rogers Pass is so good. The simple answer is TERRAIN! I used to call it the mini-Alps of Canada, but with better snow quality and slightly gentler terrain. Everything is skiable and featured here! You’ll find old-growth forests, alpine bowls, knife-edge ridge tops and complex glaciers. One day, you can be skiing the deepest powder you’ve ever encountered, and the next, you’re scrambling across a ridge with skis on your back and then skiing down a gnarly couloir. There’s so much variety to be had! Granted, most of the skiable terrain in Rogers Pass is better suited to advanced and expert skiers with good fitness due to the nature of the terrain and the length, as well as the elevation gain required to complete most routes.

It also requires a healthy dose of avalanche awareness and some knowledge of avalanche terrain management. Due to the high snowfall, deep snowpack and steep terrain, the area sees very frequent avalanches. Some pose a real hazard to backcountry travellers. It’s worth checking out the daily avalanche bulletin released by Avalanche Canada’s very talented forecasters.

The area harbours an intercontinental snowpack, meaning large amounts of dry-ish snow, on average about 10-12m of snowfall at treeline. Arguably, the ski conditions found in Rogers Pass are some of the best in Canada – and maybe even in the world! This also comes with its fair share of avalanche problems, including persistent instabilities (buried surface hoar, crusts or facet layers) and surface instabilities (storm and wind slabs). Our snowpack depth varies from 200-400+ cm depending on the season. Generally speaking, the growing snowpack smoothes the terrain roughness (boulders, trees, small cliffs, etc.) by mid-December or January, depending on the season.

Recommended Routes

Skiing at Rogers Pass involves choice, lots of it. There are hundreds of known backcountry routes to the point where you can tee up classic trips and get an epic day out of it. However, not all routes are viable options given the snow quality, weather and avalanche stability. Avalanche skills training, backcountry experience, and prior terrain knowledge help decipher where and when to visit certain areas.

Related: Rogers Pass Top Runs: Best Bang-For-Your-Buck

If at all in doubt, don’t hesitate to hire a certified ACMG ski or mountain guide. ACMG guides are the only individuals who can offer guided services within the Glacier National Park’s boundaries. If you’re comfortable in avalanche terrain and have a solid group to go out with, here are a few route recommendations from a guy who has seen quite a bit.

For an appetizer: The Macdonald West Shoulder, otherwise known as the NRC Slopes, is a great introduction to skiing at Rogers Pass, better suited to novice backcountry skiers and splitboarders who have prior avalanche skills training. It’s a great area to learn and get some quality powder laps.

For some blower powder: The Bonney Moraines offer short laps full of pillows and natural booters. Given its northern aspect encircled by glaciers, the snow tends to stay dry and fluffy even during warm periods. The large prominent moraine provides shelter from the constant downflow wind.

For some quality tree skiing: The Ursus Minor Trees are unbelievable at times. It’s a popular tour that’s accessible to a wide array of backcountry travellers and generally well-sheltered from the elements. Gaining access to this treed shoulder involves crossing many crowded avalanche paths as you follow Connaught Creek.

For skiing on glaciers: The lily-dome traverse is an absolute classic involving uptracking and skiing two glaciers, a short bootpack and some of the best views in the area. I complete the tour every year, with guests and friends alike, and it never ceases to make my jaw drop.

For the ski-mountaineers: The Jupiter Traverse is one of my favourite tours in Rogers Pass. If you can muster the 1700m vertical gain, you’ll get a chance to bag three peaks, scramble across the Jupiter Massif, rappel into a line and ski some cold smoke on the Asulkan Glacier. What a blast!

Parking Lots and Backcountry Huts

Parks Canada maintains and plows several parking lots that provide access to our world-class backcountry terrain. Each parking lot gives you access to distinct valleys offering various tours and a specific flavour. Here’s a list from east to west:

Related: The Backcountry Huts of Rogers Pass: Cozy Up And Shred

The park also has three backcountry huts (more like 3-1/2 huts) operated by the ACC (Alpine Club of Canada): the A.O. Wheeler, Asulkan, Glacier Circle and Sapphire Cabin. They can be rented by the day. Plan your trip well in advance to book your stay. While the first three are comfortable huts with a dedicated sleeping space, well-stocked kitchens and some form of heating, the Sapphire Cabin is a glorified steel box at just under 2600m. You are guaranteed a cold night while up there. The Glacier Circle Cabin is seldom visited as it’s remote and doesn’t offer many skiable routes. It’s often utilized on the Bugaboo to Rogers Traverse, a 9-day adventure through the Purcell and Selkirk Mountains.

Resources For Getting Around Rogers Pass

There’s a plethora of terrain and weather resources to plan your ski trip in Rogers Pass, which you can find in this article: Planning A Ski Tour At Rogers Pass.

In addition to the content found on The Uptrack, Douglas Sproul‘s book, Rogers Pass: North and Rogers Pass: South is an awesome resource for getting around. It offers detailed terrain photos and a brief route description summarizing his 28+ years of experience in the area. He also sells a topographic map encompassing most routes. Unsurprisingly, both this website and Doug’s book complement each other well. You’ll also find the Parks Canada staff at the Discovery Center very friendly and helpful.

As with all wilderness areas operated by Parks Canada, Glacier National Park follows the same rules. You’ll need a daily or yearly park pass to visit the park (unless you’re simply travelling through it). In addition, you’ll need an overnight parking permit if staying at one of the three backcountry huts operated by the ACC (Alpine Club of Canada) and a wilderness camping permit if pitching your tent within the park boundaries.

Gear Rental

Many folks ask me where they can rent ski touring gear, including the avalanche tools (probe, shovel, and transceiver), necessities for ski touring in Rogers Pass. Both Revelstoke and Golden have shops that offer backcountry gear rental.

Closing Statement

Now you know what I know about ski touring in Rogers Pass – well not everything, but I’ve got to keep some secrets to myself. If you’re new to ski touring or backcountry skiing, don’t hesitate to check out my articles on How To Get Into Ski Touring and Backcountry Skiing & Splitboarding Etiquette. It’s a great spot to learn about the outdoor sport, the gear and training required as well as some of the resources useful to plan a tour. I’m truly passionate about Rogers Pass and the skiing/mountaineering it has to offer. I hope you do to after reading this post. See you on the slopes!

The post Ski Touring In Rogers Pass, BC: All You Need To Know appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: The Wapta Traverse: A Jaw-Dropping 6-Day Ski Tour

Report from April 12, 2021

Day 1: Bostock Trailhead – Tangiers River

After a short drive to the Bostock Trailhead, we shouldered our heavy bags stuffed to the brim with 8 days worth of food as well as the usual camping and glacier travel apparatus. The weight was soul-crushing, but we were determined to complete the Bostock-Revelstoke traverse, planned a month prior. We slithered along the refrozen snow of the Bostock Trail, hopping over the occasional dirt patch. While the winter granted us an above-average snowpack in the alpine, a warm spring was settling in the valleys. We walked past the exit of the McGill Chutes, two large slidepath terminating at the creek below. Within a few hours of back-breaking travel, we reached Bostock Pass, the first milestone.

In the near distance, we spotted Wolverine Ridge watching over Casualty Creek, a great location for future basecamp plans. We could also faintly see Farm Pass, our next objective.

With a short jaunt to the West, we reached Farm Pass, a wide opening through the Corbin Peak ridge. We ripped skins and glided down Farm Creek, pushing along with our poles when needed. After crossing many unexpected flats, we followed the valley, plunging into a narrow canyon.

We did our best to contour along the left bank around a broad shoulder but, alas, were forced to shoulder our skis and hike up the slope. Given the dense, wet snow and the shoulder’s topography, we were naturally sucked into the canyon. With great effort, we used our recent elevation gain to round the shoulder, putting us above the Tangiers River. We descended the slope through heinous chop until the river stopped us in our tracks. We meandered along the bank looking for an appropriate crossing. Within minutes, we were barefoot, drying our feet, now frozen solid, on the west bank. Hopefully, this was our first and last river crossing.

Instead of pitching camp onsite, we pushed further south along the Tangiers to warm up our tired bodies.

Once our feet were toasty, we pitched our tent below the Fang Glacier’s outflow stream at valley elevation. What a glorious camping spot! We fell asleep to the peaceful sound of water running past our tent.

Day 2: Tangiers River – Dismal Glacier

We woke up to the frost in suspension, glistening in our headlamp’s beam. Our humid breath and the nearby running water had created a thin ice film along the tent walls. Day 2 was daunting. A 1650m ascent was waiting for us, from the Tangiers Valley to Fang Col, with loaded packs. After a hearty breakfast, we followed Fang Creek towards its named glacier, a straightforward ascent.

By the time we gained the undulating moraines below the glacier, the sun was beaming. We were sweating every ounce of water we had drunk, making every step through the moist snow a little harder. We walked by a striking pillow field bordering the Fang Valley. Fang Rock, a black spire sticking out of the glacial landscape, was towering over us.

Within an hour, we crossed the toe of the Tangiers Glacier and stepped onto the upper flat area. My right hip flexor muscle was seizing up, a stark reminder of an old injury in my earlier days in Chamonix. While Freddy powered ahead, I painfully (and slowly) traversed across the flats to Fang Col, our high point of the day.

To our surprise, we found a 3-piece ski pole next to the rappel station, fresh cordelette slung around a frozen boulder. After deliberating with Freddy, we figured it must have been forgotten by a previous party, excited – or frightened – by the long rappel. That’s a bad way to end a traverse. We rigged up our system and rappelled 25m down the rock slabs onto the Silent Glacier below.

Exhausted by the long ascent, I mistakenly forgot to remove the backup knot at the end of the rope and it got stuck in the rappel carabiner 25m above us. Oops! I yanked a few times on the stuck end with no avail. As a last resort, I climbed a few meters and jumped down the slope, dumping my full weight on the rope. Lucky me, the knot passed through the carabiner. I successfully recovered the rope. Sorry, Freddy! After this stressful mishap, we skied a few magical turns down the Silent Glacier.

A few high-fives later, we were racing up the ramp to Silent Col. Boy, were we tired at that point? Our legs only managed to get us up there.

At Silent Col, we quickly found the rappel anchors installed by Swiss Mountain Guide, Ruedi Beglinger, which marks the boundary of the SME tenure. We rappelled 15m past summer Via Ferrata anchors onto the Dismal Glacier. The SW face of Fridden Peak, to our direct right, was clearly heating up. Snowballs and rocks were falling on the nearby slope. Best to hurry up.

We skied the Dismal Glacier, halting on a flat area below the Juliana Ridge. A perfect spot for a camp at a viewing distance from the Moloch Chalet. This was arguably the most scenic but technical and arduous day of our Bostock-Revelstoke Traverse.

Day 3: Dismal Glacier – Laforme Spire

We woke to yet another bluebird day at the foot of Mt Moloch.

After slipping in our frozen shells, we contoured the base of the Juliana Ridge, looking for a way up onto it. After some discussion, we settled on a rocky chute to the left of the ridge.

Freddy led the bootpack, kicking steps in the faceted snow. As expected, the upper section was coated with a thin layer of facetted, sugary snow that made for poor footing. He eventually made it up top, only for Freddy to scrape the chute down to bare rocks. I soloed most of the climb until the very end where my partner threw me an emergency length of cordelette as a hold. The views of the surrounding Valleys were astounding from our perch. Mt Moloch stood high and mighty across the Dismal Glacier. What a beast!

We walked up the Juliana Glacier, maintaining the climber’s right to avoid gaping crevasses, buried by a previous freak storm. The slope was roasting in the 9 AM blaze. As forecasted, temperatures were to spike over the next few days, indicating a period of heightened avalanche hazard. Thankfully, this came with a strong high-pressure system and perfectly clear skies.

On the lookout for sneaky crevasses, we reached Pointe Juliana, a subpeak of Philharmonic Peak and a convenient access to the upper Dismal Glacier. As it was difficult to estimate the slope’s gradient and length, we kept our skins and slowly glided across the glacial plain. In retrospect, we could have easily ripped our skins, setting us up for the steeper descent to come.

Once we gained the edge of the plain, we skied down a broad, icy gully flanked by a rock face and a jagged icefall. It’s important to nail the entrance and stay far away from the skier’s right blind roll into the icefall. The gully led onto the Durrand Glacier. We pushed across the flats and were forced through yet another gully. We followed several sets of refrozen ski tracks down winding terminal moraines onto a well-used uptrack leading to the Durrand Glacier Chalet. We scoped out the operation’s headquarters for a minute, were greeted by a lovely Golden Retriever, and proceeded with the regular programming.

In the heat of the day, we climbed up a series of mellow bumps and elongated ridges below Woolsey Peak. We traversed a steep slope to the West to gain Elm Col (next to Elm Peak) leading into the head of the Woolsey Valley. I know – a confusing naming scheme… After a long water break, we jumped into the valley and contoured below a corniced ridge as best as we could given the complex terrain. This was a foolish mistake, the worst of our Bostock-Revelstoke Traverse. While we managed the traverse without a hitch, we were stranded for 20 minutes below large cornices and a steep, potentially unstable slope, during the hottest part of the day and a spring heat wave. In other words, the wet slab and cornice hazard was at an all-time high. Fortunately, we got to live another day and learn from our mistakes.

By 5 PM, we reached our camp at a col between the Woolsey Valley and the Laforme Spire. The views from here were jaw-dropping. We fell asleep to the sun setting behind Mt Florina.

Day 4: Laforme Col – Laforme Lake

We woke up to the beautiful, frozen mountainscape overlooked by the Laforme Spire and Mt Laforme in the background. Being at the top of an alpine col meant the sunshine was hitting us right as we stepped out of the tent.

We donned our ski crampons to contour around the steep, icy western slopes of the Laforme Spire bowl. After a tiring bout of side-hilling, we climbed up the snow field north of Mt Laforme to an unnamed col at the top of its north ridge.

By mid-morning, we gained the north ridge col. After inspecting the vicinity, Freddy crossed over into a steep snow tongue while I settled on downclimbing a short rocky section leading into the slope west of the ridge. Both of our options were slow and arduous, especially with our heavy packs, but we made it. We skied down the west-facing slope, still frozen over and contoured around a subpeak to yet another col leading into the Elm Valley.

The initial beta recommended walking atop the ridge at the head of the Elm Valley. Given the seasonal conditions, there was no way in hell we could do that. Instead, we choose to traverse a long flat bench leading into a series of steep, narrow gullies topped by large cornices. We were trying to minimize our elevation loss. Yet again, we made a mistake and skied some wet soup at the height of the afternoon with a significant cornice hazard overhead and cliffs below. There’s no doubt that was sketchy. In hindsight, we should have dropped right from the col into the Elm Valley and climbed back up. In any case, after our excursion into the gnar, we skinned up a mellow ridge and hopped into a different drainage.

The rest of the day was of less interest. We followed a series of bumps along a very long ridge running generally south along Laforme Creek. Oftentimes, the ridge became quite complex so we dropped into the valleys on either side to circumnavigate the tricky sections. It was a hard day, mentally. By late afternoon, we contoured across the head of Maunder Creek and bootpacked up the same ridge (Borderline Ridge) that we’d been following for what seemed like an eternity.

From our high point, we skied falline into a small alpine lake, Steamboat Lake, at the head of Laforme Creek. We set up camp in the shadow of Mt St-Cyr, looming over us to the south.

Day 5: Steamboat Lake (Mt St-Cyr) – Heather Lake

After tearing down camp, we crossed Steamboat Lake and approached Mt St-Cyr. What a beauty and a sight for sore eyes on the Bostock-Revelstoke Traverse! We climbed its north glacier rolling steeply into the Laforme Valley. We could see a faint uptrack, nearly erased by the winds, perhaps from a heli-touring crew. Within an hour, we gained the St-Cyr Col (west of the peak).

We took a snack break at the col while basking in the sunlight, which we had been deprived of since the day prior. We looked at the next section through the Woolsey Glacier past Mt Coursier, marking our entrance into the Mt Revelstoke National Park.

We skied down the south face in mid-morning corn and traversed towards the Woolsey Glacier. We dropped once more into Gordon Lake flanked by its pocket glacier. There really isn’t much left of it. We continued south toward Mt Coursier Col giving way to the Clachnacudainn Valley.

We contoured across the head of the Clachnacudainn and linked up with a bench above the Jade Lakes where we enjoyed a long break with incredible views of Mt Coursier, Harry and the couloir heaven that are the Inverness Peaks.

We side-hilled through the steep slope south of Mt Williamson and eventually gained Eva Pass, next to Jade Pass. This was familiar terrain that I had hiked in the summer using the Mt Revelstoke trail network.

We skied down to Eva Lake and followed the summer trail back to Heather Lake where we set up camp. By then, we had this winter camping game dialled.

Day 6: Heather Lake – Revelstoke

We woke up at sunrise. We took advantage of the cold morning to ski down the 26km of the frozen Meadows-In-The-Sky Parkway. Our final descent into Revelstoke was as fast as it gets. The road was covered by a thin layer of refrozen snow nearly all the way down to the park gates. Granted: we had to walk across 2-3 bare sections.

By 10 AM, we reached the park gates where we got a lift back to town, terminating our Bostock-Revelstoke Traverse.

Route Info

6 days	7460m	89.5 km	470-2660 m

The post Bostock To Revelstoke Traverse: A Forgotten Selkirk High Route appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: McCrae Glacier: Season’s First Powder Turn

Report from June 17th, 2020

Day 1: Flowing Through Mountains

Getting to the McCrae Lake Recreation Trailhead is an endeavor in its own right. Mike and I followed the Akolkolex, Crawford, and McCrae forest service roads, winding through the stunning sub-alpine terrain of the Selkirk Mountains. As I was dodging the world’s sharpest rocks and tailing the world’s slowest grader (see the end of the report for a nasty flat tire count), I was looking at familiar peak’s I’ve bagged in the past, but this time from another angle. This was so cool!

An hour later, we stopped 3km from the trailhead as the snow was blocking our progress on wheels. No problem! We got our skis and splitboard out of my Thule box, gathered our overnight camping gear, and casually walked up the blanketed road. Our sole plan was to spend some time in the alpine with no clear objective in mind. We simply hoped to find some good backcountry skiing around McCrae Peak.

After a few kilometers of skinning through some well-spaced trees, we entered the sub-alpine where we found a camping spot with a panoramic view of the Monashee and Gold Ranges from across the Columbia Valley. We stashed our overnight gear in the snow and proceeded towards McCrae Peak, or rather its north shoulder unofficially called the Moon Landing. We spotted a large cornice failure from the summit of McCrae Peak, reminding us of a major hazard at play.

With the sun hanging so high above the horizon and the warming temperatures, water from melting snow and rainfall trickles down the wind-hardened layers of cornices and breaks down the bond with the snowcapped peak or ridge. Eventually, the bond fails and the cornice is flung clean off. Henceforth, cornice avalanches are a huge consideration when planning summer ski tours, as are wet-loose and glide slab avalanches.

We looked at the drainage east of the peak, a whole new playground for Mike and I to explore. We spotted a peak with a nice 40-degree west face on the peak farthest from us. This slope would offer excellent afternoon skiing, albeit a little soupy. We also could see Comaplix Mountain, standing high and proud in the distance. I’ll add that one to my list.

We approached the ridge overlooking run #1 (closest red line) and scoped out the terrain below. When I was about to give up, Mike’s guide senses sniffed out a clean entrance above a large cliff band, hoping to find a way to sneak through the rocks. We only needed a sliver of snow really. Alas, our descent led to a dead-end which forced us into a long traverse across the top of the cliffs. With that much exposure below, I would’ve never attempted this move in full winter conditions. The avalanche hazard would’ve been too high. While the snow quality lacks during the summer months, the avalanche hazard is at an all-time low. Mind you, avalanches are still very possible if the conditions are right (think cornice failures and glide slabs)!

From the bottom of the cliffs, we toured back up the drainage almost gaining the east shoulder McCrae Peak. We skied down run #2 resulting in a smooth 200-meter descent in perfect corn snow. Losing no time, we climbed up the peak marked by a couple of “heli” flag. I suspected we were traveled over Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing’s expansive tenure. I tried my best to ignore my blistered ankles rubbing against my stock liners falling apart at the seams. After 100+ days, they were finally dying on me. That’s my bad for not following the advice I wrote in my previous article, How To Choose Ski Touring Boots in 2020.

The ski descent was all-time (for summer conditions). We arched big GS turns in corn snow turning into a soupy mess at the bottom. It didn’t bother us one bit. We were just stoked to be on planks. In early winter conditions, I bet its grassy slope would offer some half-decent backcountry skiing if you were keen to explore the McCrae Rec Area.

We scrutinized the valley below, searching for a way back to our planned campsite. We spotted a steep ridge connecting to the north shoulder that we had previously crossed. There it was: the way out. Fortunately, we also stumbled across a small stream, the result of crystal clear glacial runoff. This was a wonderful opportunity to replenish our exhausted water supply. I must have chugged a liter of ice-cold water. Fear the brain freeze!

It was 7 PM when we gained the north shoulder. Our original plan was to skin up the north shoulder towards McCrae Peak. Sadly, after getting a good look at it, the ascent was deemed too dangerous. We gazed west at the Monashees only to find an idyllic blue-rimed alpine lake, the true McCrae Lake, and the main attraction of this region amongst hikers of all levels.

After more than 9 hours of ski touring, it was time to get back to camp. We didn’t fancy cooking in the dark. We decided to climb up a steep gully leading back to the foot of the McCrae Glacier. This option seemed like the quickest route, and booting up would give our sore hip flexors a well-deserved break.

Once past the col, we shot straight for camp and stumbled across a turquoise glacial pond frozen over by the dropping temps. Of course, Mike couldn’t resist the urge to perform a perfect pond skim on his splitboard. Smooth as butter minus an uncomfortable splash at the crotch.

Once we back at camp, I pitched up my bright-yellow Black Diamond Eldorado tent. Judging from my cursing, my pitch required far more practice. Mike, on the other hand, set up his minimalist bivy bag in less than a minute. I need one of those for future fast and light alpine missions. We cooked our hearty meals under a glowing ball of orange flames setting behind Mt Macpherson a little past 9 PM. Days are crazy long so close to the solstice. I fell asleep to the hypnotic flapping of my tent’s fabric in the gentle wind under a purple-pink sky. According to Mike, the stars were sublime that night.

Day 2: Timing is Everything

We woke up to blue skies and above-zero temps. It was quite nippy: the sun was still hiding behind the north shoulder. We packed camp, ate breakfast, and headed towards the McCrae Glacier. Today was going to be a summit day.

We zig-zagged up the glacier, no crevasses in sight. It was scolding hot. We noticed the stark contrast between the shadowed crust and sunlit corn as we crossed to and from the obscured slope. Sunlight has such a huge impact on snow conditions at this time of the year. Our timing was perfect. We skinned the snow during its transition from crust to corn whereas it will hold an edge without giving way. The west-facing route that would be climbed on foot was lingering in the shadow, which would provide excellent booting conditions.

We slipped our crampons on and bolted up the mountainside following the ridge to McCrae Peak. What a glorious view of the Goat, Gold, and Monashee Ranges, complemented by the deep blue of Lower Arrow Lake! It doesn’t get better than that.

As we were about to drop down our ascent route and face an icy crust, we noticed a clean line down the south aspect, now baked by the morning sun. We skied down the 400-meter run in perfect spring conditions with the most impressive backdrop. This is what I live for!

We looked back at our run. I was glowing. Mike noted how the feeling was comparable to carving down a well-maintained groomer. Coming from the East Coast, I couldn’t agree more.

We slapped some more sunscreen on our faces as Mike mentioned how sunburns are the bane of all gingers. So true. With no time wasted, we raced up the south bowl towards a col high up on the west ridge, the standard uptrack when backcountry skiing on the McCrae Glacier. The 250-meter climb generated more heat that my body could handle. I was on the verge of heat exhaustion when we connected with the head of the glacier. We transitioned and skied down the wettest snow I have ever encountered since the sun had baked the surface for more than 5 hours by now. We knew that going into it. It was unavoidable and the fastest way back to camp.

After grabbing our stashed overnight gear, we glided down through the sub-alpine forest towards my vehicle. Without a clean bobsleigh run, the forest was a slight bit more disorientating than I remembered. I pulled out my GPS tracker a few times as I was trying to join up with the McCrae FSR. We were back at the car in no time. And then, I got a triple flat tire on the drive down… yes three flat tires. That’s fucked! Apparently, the Akolkolex FSR was littered with carbide shrapnel (hardened steel) from an excavator’s bucket after the road had been recently graded. Oh, one has to keep the adventure alive!

This trip was an awesome opportunity to learn more from Mike, a seasoned splitboarder who has done a bunch of insane winter expeditions in the mountains. On top of that, he’s just an all-around nice guy with the most genuine passion for his craft.

For anyone that hasn’t gotten to it yet, the McCrae Rec Area is one hell of an early and late season backcountry skiing destination. I would always recommend this spot to friends looking for a shred.

Route Info

Day 1	13 h	1800 m	17.5 km	1770-2300 m
Day 2	6 h	800 m	9.5 km	2100-2505 m

The post McCrae Peak Backcountry Skiing: Wanderlust on Snow appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Burnt Knob, Revelstoke: The Perfect Macpherson Slidepaths

Report from January 13, 2020

It was a cold, cold day, but a bluebird one. My thermometer’s mercury spiked down, indicating -17 °C. Having grown up in Quebec, cold temperatures don’t intimidate me at all. However, when it comes to stuffing your feet into tight ski boots for 8+ hours in a humid environment, -17 °C becomes a real hazard. And those were the temps at 600m. The alpine was forecasted at -30 °C with wind chill. Since Revelstoke had been shrouded in clouds for nearly three weeks, it was worth braving the cold to get a glimpse of sunlight. And so, we headed up the Fingers, a popular ski touring area, after parking Simon’s Tacoma at the Nordic Ski Lodge.

I stashed my poles behind my back and performed aggressive windmills with my arms for most of the ascent. This was the only way to keep them functional. In the back of my mind, I thought of my big toes, not a particularly glamorous subject but a crucial one. After getting gnarly frostbites on both toes during my ascent of Rogers Peak, I had to keep the blood flowing. I had to keep them nice and toasty.

Further up the Fingers, we climbed a steep chute scarred by impossibly steep switchbacks. Our skins barely had enough grip. After shivering for hours in the cold valley bottom, we gained the eastern ridge leading up to the entrance of the Womb. The warm sunlight pierced through the sparse conifers. This welcoming sight was a perfect opportunity to take a break.

We discussed our options. The snowpack was relatively stable after the arctic temps had consolidated the dangerous layers. In our very active avalanche season, this was THE day when we could ski exposed lines. Hence, we decided to ski one of the Fingers straight from the ridge, a 45-degree chute leading into an open avalanche path. Deep light Monashees powder was waiting for us. It took no time for Simon to convince us. After setting up my camera, he led the way down the chute.

As expected, the snow was extremely light, one of the benefits of cold weather. We nearly sank to our waists at every turn, from the top to the bottom of our run. As Simon noted, these were probably the best conditions he’s encountered all season. I agreed. Cedrik was silent, as always, but we knew his wide eyes said it all.

We cut back to our previous uptrack, ready to transition for the climb to the top of the Womb, our day’s objective. I reached for my skins, but my numb fingers couldn’t open my backpack. Great! I resorted to using my teeth. Not very sanitary, but it gets the job done. Most importantly, I had to thaw my feet NOW. We bolted up the skin track in a constant battle with hypothermia. It got so cold that Cedrik’s skins wouldn’t stick his skis. He ended up securing the skins with a couple of ski straps. What a clever solution!

Once on the shoulder, we aimed for the Womb. I raced up in front of the group to maintain my body temperature – I’m particularly sensitive to cold. We maintained radio communication every ten minutes or so. I noticed the incline was ideal for placing a progressive uptrack through the sparse trees. Naturally, I caught myself stopping at every turn to gaze at the Columbia Valley. The views were jaw-dropping. That’s what ski touring Mt MacPherson is all about!

After two hours of ascent and cold sweats, we reached the entrance of the Womb. We watched a group of skiers laying sublime tracks down the summit. Surprisingly, the snow wasn’t as wind-affected as it seemed. With my ski mountaineering background, I wished we had bagged the peak. Unfortunately, we had to cut our tour short as it was getting late. In the end, we exchanged a summit for a waist-deep powder lap. I call that a fair trade.

Holy hell! This is now a classic in my books. How to best describe this run? The Womb is a deep ravine with towering walls on both sides. The skier’s left wall is divided by large clearings riddled with rounded boulders and stumps, perfect to jump off. As our previous run in the Fingers, the snow was equally deep, if not deeper. Again and again, the uber-light powder would fling into our mouths, providing us with a healthy dose of adrenaline and something to quench our thirst. Sadly, I’m devoid of photographic evidence. My camera’s battery finally succumbed to the cold. I was still amazed that it lasted that long.

Eventually, we reached the valley bottom, 1300m lower than where we stood 15 minutes ago. Let’s not forget the bushwhack back at the Nordic Ski Lodge through a sketchy creek. All good tours must end with a gnarly bushwhack!

Route Info

7-8 h	1485 m	10 km	649-2110 m

The post Ski Touring Mt Macpherson: Glacial Day in The Womb appeared first on The Uptrack.

He is currently funding the printing of the latest iteration through the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform. Consider contributing to the culmination of more than two decades of passionate work.

Why am I writing this article?

I truly understood the scope of Douglas’ work once I started ski touring in Rogers Pass on the daily. Take a look at my latest article to get insight into what this ski-mountaineering mecca is all about.

I needed to know more about this spirited Revelstoke legend if I were to invest in his next endeavor. I contacted him out of the blue to set up a call. Our planned 30-minute phone interview transformed into a 2-hour conversation taking the winding road through the history of ski touring in Revelstoke and Rogers Pass. After all, this is bound to happen when two passionate backcountry skiers meet without time constraints. You will find below the gist of our interesting back-and-forth.

Who is Douglas Sproul?

Some people call him Colorado Doug. Well, that’s not entirely true. It’s actually Boston Doug. Born in the state of Massachusetts, Douglas started skiing at the age of 2. This was the golden age of East coast skiing when the hills had bountiful snow. With high school out of the way, he moved to Colorado, chasing the real mountains. If 10 years of skiing champagne powder wasn’t enough for young Douglas, I wonder what was. After hearing of Canadian extreme skiing, he packed his bags and headed for Whistler. He comically mentions:

Mike Wiegele, Whistler, Banff. In the early 1990, that’s all we knew of Canada.

A day later, he quickly got tired of the Whistler “buzz”, finding too many similarities with his Colorado ski resort he sought to escape. Running away from the coast was one of the many turning points in his life, the commencement of his spiritual journey via ski touring, climbing and mountaineering. Through a shady exchange of illicit substances, he heard of Banff, the centerstage of the Canadian Rockies. He loaded up a beat-up car and headed East.

While burning the midnight oil, he stumbled across Revelstoke, specifically the 12-mile road leading to the Akokolex Valley, unbeknownst to him. The next morning, he woke up to the stunning views of two giants, Mt Begbie next to Mt Macpherson. He said:

We met Hank [a Revelstoke local]. He asked us if we liked skiing. He pointed at the Monashees and said: “It snows 50 feet up there”.

Douglas has been living in British Columbia for the last 26 years, bouncing between Golden, Nelson and now Revelstoke. He now inspires others through his technical writing and map-making the way Hank inspired him.

How did Douglas Sproul get into books and maps?

His honest-to-god answer: “I just wanted to hang something on my wall”. Such is the nature of Douglas Sproul. It seems like things just happen around him.

Maybe it’s the benefit of living his passion? After a decade of “research” (exploring Rogers Pass on skis), he first published a pdf guide: Rogers Pass North. He claims 150 people bought his guide. The demand for a detailed guide was obviously there. He then released the first edition of the Rogers Pass: Uptracks, Bootpacks & Bushwhacks, followed by the topographic map, which he self-published to avoid giving away creative control over his art.

He continuously emphasizes that his work is ART. I totally understand with my current background. His motivations are pure: spread the joy of ski touring and instill life-changing, learning, experiences among others.

What’s involved in creating a detailed topo map?

26 years of back-breaking work. Thousand of hours spent tweaking routes, planning approaches, and cross-referencing images. Douglas Sproul considers every step of the way part of his very own spiritual journey. I love his carefree outlook on life, which I’m slowly embracing.

As for defined steps, here’s how it goes: research, academia, and many learning opportunities. The research is the hardest part. Douglas is adamant about writing his guide book based on firsthand experience. He mentioned after apologizing for the upcoming humblebrag:

I couldn’t see any other way! I skied every single route on the map (minus maybe half a dozen “modern” ones).

This is bat-shit insane. Here’s an example to help us understand the magnitude of work put into the project. Take the steep narrow confines of the Single Bench couloir, scarring Mt Tupper. First, he has to scope the line from across the valley. Second, he has to wait for the conditions to be just right as a mistake guarantees death. Third, it might take three attempts to complete the planned route. Now, rinse and repeat for all 150 (minus 6) lines on the new map. Creating a guide map in this fashion is a monstrous time-sink.

After the research, comes “academia”, he coins. It involves learning current mapping technologies, laying the foundations for self-publishing and orchestrating the final product with Parks Canada who manages the avalanche control operation within the highway corridor. All that would be easier if it wasn’t for the many mistakes made along the way.

What’s new?

Any plans for the future of GeoBackcountry?

Douglas is almost certain he will release a third iteration of the Rogers Pass guide book, this time divided into two volumes: Rogers Pass North and South. The split will reduce the size of the books, making it easier to fit in a backpack’s top pocket. It will also include enhanced image/route manipulation and improve upon the feedback of the ski touring community.

A Closing Note

All in all, I clearly have a thing for well thought out guide maps for they help me navigate the mountains safely and encourage me to further my ski-mountaineering journey. Most importantly, Douglas’ guide book is not a cash cow. I want to make that very clear. It is a passion project of the purest grade, a love letter for the mountains, as is The Uptrack. Douglas and I share the same goal of inspiring others to seek the unknown while having a good ol’ time.

The post Douglas Sproul: A Cartographer’s Spiritual Journey appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: 1. Greely Trees, Revelstoke: Slackcountry Tree Skiing At Its Best 2. Kokanee Bowl, Radar Bowl: Unreal Lift-Accessed Ski Touring

Report from December 8, 2019

We had a lazy 9:30 AM start. With our energy levels replenished from a solid night’s sleep, the crew transitioned at the top of the Wind Sock, a flat groomed area near the Stoke Chair upper station, perfect for mounting those unidirectional strips of prickly hair we call climbing skins. We took our sweet time while I caught up with Miles, who chased the famed South American powder for a continuous snow year.

It took a mere 20 minutes to reach the top of Highway Bowl, a large north-facing bowl filled with dreamy powder only a kilometre from Revelstoke Mountain Resort. We scoped out the terrain below, watching out for the precarious cornices surrounding the cirque’s rim. After discussing the avalanche hazard and testing the snow’s stability, we switched to ski mode, ready for an epic descent.

And epic, it was. The run delivered… hard. We raced down an open face with limited tree cover, into a small chute and back out into the tail end of the bowl littered with snow-covered boulders. The powder was feather-light, blazingly fast and boot-deep. I suspected the strong northerly winds blowing up the bowl had sucked any remaining moisture from the snow. It lay on top of a hollow-sounding wind crust, an interface to watch out for in the future. While the crew skied hard and fast, my run was cut short by a dramatic face plant after accidentally launching off a wind lip. The visibility was so poor that I wasn’t even aware I caught some air!

Yew! Even in my mishap, the stoke was at an all-time high. This run was the winter’s first big mountain backcountry skiing line for both Miles and Max in Revelstoke. We looked back at the mountain in utter silence.

After snapping a few shots, we proceeded downslope through the now knee-deep powder, jumping off anything with a lip. The downhill fun had to end eventually as we stumbled across an old Selkirk Tangiers helicopter landing zone. This was the landmark where we would begin our long uptrack. I was dreading this moment.

I’ll cut the tedious part out and give you the short version. Backcountry skiing in Revelstoke means dealing with trees and powder. We were now 500 meters below the exit path, which meant we had to carve a path uphill through 500 vertical meters of knee-deep powder, alder bushes, and fallen logs. This fantastic area is called Greely Trees, which we skied a few days later. We put a rather spicy uptrack through the old-growth rainforest covering Mt Mackenzie’s North Shoulder. After 2 hours and 45 minutes of billy goating with little to no break, we ducked the rope, this time into the safety of the Revelstoke Mountain Resort – we had escaped Highway Bowl. We barely made it back in time to the Ripper Chair with a warm welcome from a mob of eager patrollers in training.

Route Info

4-5 h	650 m	7.5 km	1420-2270 m

Photos

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Related: Ski Touring Mt Macpherson: Glacial Day In The Womb

Report from October 23, 2019

After an hour-long sunrise drive up the forest service road, we began our adventure not by skinning up some difficult terrain, but by completing a morning yoga routine. Iannick’s back had unexpectedly locked up. What a fabulous start to our day!

After dealing with the pain, we stuck our skins to our bases and proceeded up the remainder of the road on foot, most of which was buried in snow too deep for his mighty 4WD truck. The calming silence was only interrupted by the loud crunch of our skis breaking through yesterday’s rain crust. Hoping the rain had transitioned to snow in the alpine during the previous storm cycle, we pressed on shoving the thought aside for the moment. Any day in the mountains is a good day!

After a difficult bushwack up a recent cutblock, we climbed up a steep ravine to a col between two gnarly peaks where we spotted a large chute facing west. We opted to ski the chute after assessing the avalanche hazard based on our snowpack observations on the way up.

The skies parted, rewarding us with a glorious view of the surrounding peaks. With a little more snow, the face lying across the valley would be prime ski terrain judging from its numerous diving board and pillow fields.

Iannick hurried ahead carving a meandering path through the old-growth forest as the sun was warming up our southern aspect. Speed was key here: the warming snowpack wouldn’t remain stable for very long.

We eventually climbed to the top of the chute and found an icy crust eroded by strong winds. The poor snow quality did not bother us one bit. The view the ridge spanning off the top of Joss Mountain was simply stunning. The Monashee Range delivered!

After struggling to fold my ultra-sticky skins for a solid five minutes, we packed our gear and transitioned for the descent.

I won’t lie: the beginning of the chute wasn’t great… as expected. My dull edges were no match for the wind-blown snow, crust, and rocks that were encountered. However, there is no substitute for good technique. Both Iannick and I executed careful jump turns down the slope until we overcame the difficult section.

Later, we reached the same ravine we skinned up, scarred at its bottom by an open creek. The stiff rain crust made for tough work, but nothing could stop us at that point. We launched off snowy stumps and slashed quick turns inches from the creek. We had a blast!

We had already skied back to the truck by 1 PM, excited to have crossed off our extensive bucket list yet another run. A short, but sweet run on Joss Mountain.

We returned to Revelstoke just in time to enjoy handcrafted brews on the outdoor patio of the Mt. Begbie Brewery. Under the blazing afternoon sun, we discussed our next objectives and dreamt of further exploring our mountains.

Route Info

5-6 h	650 m	12.5 km	1490-2150 m

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