6. Puff Daddy

Puff Daddy, located on the Grizzly Shoulder, offers some of the best storm skiing in Rogers Pass. The route forms a large part of the east arm of Grizzly Mountain harbouring some of the best falline skiing of Rogers Pass, topped with endless pillow lines and quality tree skiing throughout. Right from the top, Puff Daddy gives you the choice of splitting off into three distinct gullies, some more technical than others, or going down the main face to the east. Given how convoluted the terrain is, it’s incredibly easy to stumble on unskiable cliffs and dangerous pillow fields. Moreover, the east slope is made up of large convex rolls that are prime avalanche terrain. It’s best to consider Puff Daddy when the avalanche hazard isn’t through the roof – hence why I only rank it at #6 on my list when it comes to storm skiing. On a good day, you can lap the 900m run twice since it’s so close to the Rogers Pass Discovery Center, aka the main parking lot.

5. Christiana Glades

Most folks overlook the Christiana Glades in favour of the popular McGill Shoulder. And, they are missing out! The Christiana Glades offers world-class, perfectly spaced-out tree skiing on a rather gentle grade. When the avalanche conditions are less than friendly (as they are often when it snows), it’s easy enough to carve out a conservative uptrack through the trees. Some people would see this run as overly boring but really it’s not. Thrill seekers can certainly seek out awesome pillow lines and natural booters. Keep in mind the Christiana Glades are located close to a Winter Prohibited Area.

4. Corbin Pass

Corbin Pass is a truly accessible ski touring destination, directly off Highway 1, at the western boundary of Glacier National Park (Rogers Pass). And it makes for awesome storm skiing when the conditions are right. Generally speaking, the zone starts at the low elevation of 900m, but the good skiing starts at 1100m and tops out at 2032m next to heli-skiing landing flags. You’ll need steady snowfall below that to fully enjoy this 1000-meter line. Where it truly shines: the cut block skiing. The route takes you through some previously clear-cut areas littered with stumpy booters and classic pillow lines. If you know where you’re going, you can access one of Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing‘s best ski lines. If you know, you know!

3. McGill Main Chutes

The McGill Main Chutes, located on the aptly named McGill Shoulder, is an absolute gem of the Bostock Area. It’s one of the finest storm skiing spots in Rogers Pass. The ascent follows the sheltered McGill Glades along the McGill Shoulder which offers a super conservative uptrack until you reach the treeline. It’s worth noting accessing the McGill Main Chutes involves crossing several active slidepaths, exposing your group to serious hazards. It must only be attempted during periods of decent stability. The reward: 800m of incredible avalanche path skiing topped with booters and flanked by some quality tree skiing. A word of advice, don’t blow past the Bostock Summer Trail. Otherwise, you’ll end up with rather wet skis in the Bostock Creek. It’s easy enough to miss it while you’re having the best time of your life!

2. Macdonald West Shoulder

The MacDonald West Shoulder, otherwise known as the NRC Slopes or Gully, tops many of my lists. Sure the ascent is nothing to write home about, but the skiing is of such quality for how easy it is to get up it. It’s manageable enough to do several laps in a day. Whether the avalanche conditions are awful or awesome, there’s something for every type of skier. During periods of great avalanche stability, you can carve huge powder turns in the large slidepath. And when things don’t look so great, you can ski the sparse trees into a sheltered portion of the slope. Start early if you plan on making a day out of it, the route has succumbed to its popularity, being right off the highway – the good lines usually get poached early on.

1. Grizzly Trees

Grizzly Trees is extremely popular… for good reason. It’s accessible, as close as it gets from the Discovery Center. It offers excellent fall-line skiing through open avalanche paths and nicely spaced trees. And, you can lap it twice (or even thrice) in a day or combine it with either Puff Daddy or Rogers Run. The uptrack takes you through some magical old-growth forest along the Grizzly Shoulder’s crest. It’s fairly exposed once you reach the treeline pitch topping out the ascent. While it’s quite busy during the high season, it’s possible to get the freshest of tracks with an early start. Hunting for the good lines, you’ll find plenty of pillows and deadfall booters across the slidepaths. Just remember that Grizzly Trees is classified as avalanche terrain and requires careful consideration when navigating its epic slopes. In the early and late seasons, watch out for the brutal alders patches at the base of the route.

So I’ve showcased a few routes summarizing some of the best storm skiing found at Rogers Pass. There are so many more quality options but I’ll leave it to you to seek them out. After all, I can’t reveal all my secrets. See you on the slopes!

The post Best Storm Skiing In Rogers Pass appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: 1. Christiana Trees: Skiing The Old Growth 2. Ursus Minor Trees, Rogers Pass: Epic Glade Skiing

Report from January 1st, 2022

Freddy and I kicked off 2022 with some really good tree skiing at the tail end of an extreme cold weather event. It was -22C and sadly cloudy. With the visibility playing against us and our own time constraint, we decided on Corbin Pass, having only toured up the FSR during one of our professional avalanche courses. We left the Illecillewaet brake check area, a 30-minute drive from Revelstoke, around 8:30 AM. Actually, it was 9 AM – I was very late… oops. After climbing 2.5km up some snowmobile tracks on the Corbin Forest Service Road (FSR), we veered west traversing above a huge cut block, recently logged in 2017.

In the old days before this area was logged, people used to tour up the skid road crisscrossing the newly logged terrain. Now that the trees have fallen, it has become quite dangerous to follow the road through the open terrain with a ton of overhead exposure. Please keep that in mind during your ascent.

A short time later, we exited the cut block into an old-growth forest. One could almost feel the magic in the air! We continued into a large boulder field which offered some sweet, albeit short, lines. There might be a way to link up the boulder field with the main cut block. We’ve never tried!

Eventually, we cut a trail through the meadows directly below Corbin Pass. As we crested the bald col, we peered into the distance. I could spot Fang Rock, a peak that we scouted during our Bostock to Revelstoke traverse last spring. It towered proudly over the Tangiers River, a bustling artery. The view brought back fond memories of that trip. It was such a memorable experience! Even further, we got a glimpse into Selkirk Mountain Experience‘s tenure near the Durrand Glacier, amidst the rugged, northern range.

With the Bell 205 helicopters from Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing reverberating in the distance, we transitioned quickly, braving high winds and bitter cold. We dropped into the main gully, speeding past sparse trees and big boulders. The forest got a little thicker midway down, only to open up again into the main cut block. The snow was light, fluffy and facetted given the extreme cold. It also slowed down our descent making it hard to find our balance throughout the run. But really, I can’t complain! Our run wasn’t the smoothest in the end. I bet it’s worth going up there later in the season to nail down on a flowy alternative.

All in all, it was a rather long run considering we peaked at 2032m, still well into the treeline elevation. I’d go back to Corbin Pass in a pinch during stormy days. It’s one of the most accessible tours in the area, rivalling the well-known Avalanche Crest route at Rogers Pass. It’s worth mentioning there’s also an epic run to the NE, just past the treed bump in the ridge, that’s often skied by Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing. The name is Helens. It consists of a large slide path offering several entrances from the top. Make sure you traverse back to the FSR to the skier’s left at approximately 1480m, otherwise, you’ll end up right on the highway.

Route Info

6-7 h	1175m	8.6 km	875-2030 m

The post Corbin Pass, Revelstoke: Logging Makes For Epic Skiing appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Ursus Minor Trees, Rogers Pass: Epic Glade Skiing

Report from January 5, 2021

We assembled a big crew: Rosalie, Steph, Kaitlin, Mia and Rigel. With Revelstoke’s pandemic unemployment rate at a record high, it seems everyone and their dogs are out ski touring. And you know what: it’s the ideal winter for that. Relentless snowfall and cold temps have provided a constant refresh on the slope of Rogers Pass – which leads to a common problem. Snowpack stability was questionable at best after our week-long storm cycle. Having very little intel on the conditions, we decided on skiing Christiana Glades, an area new to me.

After checking that the Bostock winter restricted area and its associated parking lot was indeed open for the day, we left the warmth of our vehicles for the mild cold of the outdoors. We toured along the Bostock Creek Trail, a gentle, handcrafted path that follows the valley bottom all the way to Bostock Pass. While we didn’t tour its entire length, you could reach as far as Corbin Peak if you desired so. 2.75km along the trail, we veered right off the trail, ski-skinned downhill, and crossed Bostock Creek over a series of pillows, conveniently bridging the gap of moving water.

We were now at the base of the Christiana Ridge, the start of the Christiana Glades uptrack. We followed the creek’s west bank until we found a wide-open gully piercing through the Selkirk bush defining the lower boundary of the ridge. We ascended the gully to a lovely clearing, peppered with tasty pillow lines and bordered by magical old-growth forest.

We raced past the clearing while I noted where the pillows – to be sent later in the day – were located. Soon enough, we were touring through the old-growth, a preserved snapshot of what it used to be eons ago. Our ascent led us through a band of denser trees that eventually dumped us into yet another clearing that seemed to offer some all-time skiing.

All in all, we ended up climbing along the border of the Fidelity Winter Prohibited Area until we could no longer go higher. At that point, the WPA wraps around the ridge, prohibiting further uphill travel. This is where the Parks Canada staff conducts snowpack assessments. We call it Parks Canada’s private ski area.

After a short lunch break, we dug a full snow profile to assess the stability of the upper layers of storm snow. With no apparent weakness, we transitioned for the descent. The snow was excellent: light, dry champagne powder.

The descent route was super straight-forward. We simply followed down our uptrack, hitting pillows left and right when possible. With that good of snow, the crew was absolutely ecstatic. I wished we could have gone for a second lap but the sun was getting a little low. Days are short in early January.

After the 700-meter descent, we arrived at the base of the ridge and crossed Bostock Creek at our previous spot. A quick skin up the east bank got us back on the trail that led us to our vehicle. All in all, we all thoroughly enjoyed the day of mellow, powdery skiing in the Christiana Glades.

Route Info

5-6 h	1000m	9 km	900-1900 m

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