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: McGill Shoulder Rogers Pass: Stiff Slabs and Bare Ice

Report from January 22, 2022

Freddy and I arrived at the Bostock parking lot at 8:15 AM. With the weather being a big ol’ “meh” of poor visibility and questionable snowpack stability, we decided to revisit a classic, the McGill Main Chutes. The area had been closed for two days prior due to highway avalanche control. We figured the run would offer some excellent powdery skiing and remain conservative enough for the hazard at play (several persistent weak layers buried throughout the snowpack). We slogged up the McGill Shoulder through the denser, bushier forest of the Northern Selkirks, staying on the shoulder’s crest. We were trail-breaking the whole time – I bet the groups behind us enjoyed that.

At 1600m (the magic elevation), the trees started thinning out considerably, making route-finding a whole lot easier. While we were trenching through more than 40cm of light and dry powder, the sun pierced through the clouds. What a heartwarming surprise! We could barely see the peaks across the Trans-Canada Highway corridor.

After much effort (and sweat), we reached the treeline where the top of the McGill Main Chutes is located at 2130m. We crossed the shoulder’s crest onto the SW aspect, punching through a few cornices lined up on the ridge. We followed a high traverse, crossing above the Gunbarrels, two straight cleared paths through the trees. Those are awesome options during bouts of heightened avalanche hazard since the potential for large destructive avalanches within this feature is limited.

We dug a test profile to assess the snowpack instabilities. A thick layer of faceted crystals had been buried the week prior. Several natural and skier-triggered avalanches had slid on this persistent weak layer. When our test results showed the layer was stubborn to release, we transitioned for the descent.

During our change-over, we spotted a giant crown along the chute’s top, evidence of past avalanche activity. It was clear the guts would be icy and littered with death cookies but the trim lines on both sides of the slidepath were untouched. The area hadn’t been skied yet (a perk of cutting your uptrack) so we dove right into the first of the McGill Main Chutes.

I followed the crown across the first chute, stumbling a few times on buried debris and ducked into sparse trees to the skier’s right. Boy, was the snow incredible! This is the kind of snow dreams are made out of! We slowed down once we reached the path’s runout. We crossed over the rough avalanche debris and ducked left into the sparse forest.

Ready for lap two, we slapped on our skins at 1600m, where the trees thin out. We wrapped around the shoulder to connect with our original uptrack, now almost icy due to skier traffic over the last hour. We sped up the track, passing a few groups along the way. After all the trail-breaking work, climbing up an established uptrack was an absolute breeze. At 2130m, we traversed again and crossed above the first chute to ski the second. Only perform this traverse after assessing snowpack stability since it exposes you to two huge start zones with serious consequences.

We clipped into our bindings and glided downhill. Again, the snow was sublime. We skied past the avalanche debris and into some old-growth forest that led to a pillowy clearing. I recommend following the slope’s fall line, straight down the chutes. It lines up with the clearing perfectly. Once we hit the Bostock Trail, which is easy to blow past in all the excitement, we followed the trail back to the parking lot, heading SE.

Route Info

5-6 h	1200m	7.9 km	980-2135 m

The post McGill Main Chutes: My Go-To Avalanche Path Skiing appeared first on The Uptrack.