Related: Little Sifton Traverse: A Quality Alpine Stroll

Report from February 8, 2021

Note: This trip report is part of a bigger ensemble, which we now call the “Triple Crown”. The route starts with the Video Peak SE Face, followed by the 8812 Bowl through the Bruins Ridge, and finishes with a walk up the west ridge of Cheops Mt to ski Nicci’s Notch (report from 2020). Honestly, one of the better “big” days to be had at Rogers Pass.

Starting at the Rogers Pass Discovery Center, we bolted up the Connaught Creek, using an icy uptrack along its NW bank. It was -22C in the morning and the valley seemed even colder, probably due to a weak inversion lingering over Glacier National Park. The goal: keeping my previously frostbitten toes nice and toasty.

We veered right (off the Connaught uptrack) and up the sparse trees below Hospital Bowl. The ascent was quick and easy – in much better conditions than what I’ve encountered in November. By now, all the alders, usually the biggest hurdle at this elevation, were covered with a considerable snowpack.

From there, we ascended the gentle grade of Hospital Bowl to bag Video Peak, a beautiful summit granting us impressive views of our surroundings. This part of the trip is covered in Video Peak SE Face: A True Rogers Pass Classic. After our descent from the SE Face of Video Peak, we linked up with the base of the Bruins Ridge, which progressively narrows down to no more than one meter. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to head straight for 8812 Bowl, you can skin up the bottom of Hospital Bowl, wrapping around the Hospital Knob and traversing above the Hospital Gullies.

We put an uptrack through a large convex slope at the base of Bruins Ridge. This must be the sketchiest part of the route since our track traverses above a giant cliff: an avalanche here would definitely be fatal. Unfortunately, there’s no way around the convexity. We ascended the narrowing ridge with ease at no more than a 25-degree incline.

As the clouds parted, we reached a rocky outcrop, just time in time to soak up the sun. We wrapped around it and pressed on to the exposed section of the ridge. The section narrows down to about an uptrack’s width. On the right, there’s the steep E-facing slope of Bruins Bowl. On the left, there’s a steep roll into 8812 Bowl. As a precaution, Steph mounted her ski crampons – a smart move as the alpine ridge is usually swept clean by the drafty winds.

The top of Bruins Ridge was icy. With care, we managed the exposure. After a few minutes, we dropped 10 meters to gain the 8812 Col, marking the very top of our run. I stayed on the ridge, setting up for the shot. I watched a further party laying down some turns in pristine powder, nothing like the wind-affected crap off Video Peak. Freddy dropped first. Wow! In the shimmering light piercing through the rolling clouds, his line looked absolutely stunning.

I went last, after Rigel and Steph. Staying away from existing tracks, I slashed a large convexity. Here we go into the White Room! We reached the bottom of the bowl, veering off into the skier’s left trees below the Bruins Ridge cliffs. After a quick snack break – let’s remember it was frigid – we continued up the Cheops West Ridge to ski Nicci’s Notch. Usually, you would ski down Connaught Creek back to the Discovery Center.

Route Info

6-7 h	1200m	8.4 km	1330-2500 m

The post 8812 Bowl, Rogers Pass: Better Than Heli-Skiing appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Ursus Minor SE Couloir: Bootpacks and Backtracks

Report from February 8, 2021

The crew consisting of Freddy, Rigel, and Steph, assembled at the Rogers Pass Discovery Center at a pretty comfortable 8 AM during a bout of high pressure. The goal: complete what Rigel comically calls the “Triple Crown”, shredding three classics in a day, all located within the Connaught Drainage: Video Peak SE, 8812 Bowl, Nicci’s Notch.

After a transceiver group check, we proceeded up Connaught Creek at a blazing pace, bolting past the dangerous Grizzly Slidepath. My thermometer was reading -22C, a painfully cold temperature for us coastal softies. We kept up the blazingly fast stride to stave off the cold weather until we reached the Hospital Bowl uptrack that veered left through the trees, winding up a mellow gully.

Early in the season, the frequently travelled Hospital Bowl uptrack is typically horrendous, requiring some alder acrobatics and a few tactical tree belays (TTBs). However, mid-winter, it’s an absolute dream to climb. It ascends a gentle gully and veers into sparse trees to the NE, circling the Hospital Knob, a forested hill. From there, it’s a beeline to the base of Video Peak or, heading NE to Ursus Trees.

After a brief duration, we were at the base of Hospital Bowl, still shrouded in the shadow of Cheops Mt. In the distance, we spotted a glimmer of light hitting the SE face of Video Peak. I’ve been feeling drowsy since the start but I was determined to climb higher. The thought of feeling the sun’s warmth, piercing through this dire cold, was my sole motivation.

The icy week-long drought, accompanied by strong SW and NE winds had thrashed the Hospital Bowl. The cold temps and harsh winds had formed slabs on the snow’s surface. Where it wasn’t slabby, it was wind-scoured. We navigated the terrain up to the base of Video Peak. The vast, planar face towered above us. What an imposing sight!

At the base of the SE face, we contoured from east to west under an imposing cliff band, now heated by the mid-winter sun. Here, I was mostly concerned by potential dry loose avalanches, triggered at the rocky features above. We consequently spaced out, minimizing our group’s exposure to the hazard. Having toured the valley for the past three years, I commonly see small avalanches starting from those cliffs.

We traversed under the cliff band without a hitch. Onto the Video Peak SE face, the real challenge. A couple of hand shear tests revealed that the face was most likely peppered with stiff wind slabs. After all, visual indications pointed toward that fact. We navigated the slab minefield, avoiding steep terrain and convex rolls as well as we could. It felt a little exposed.

We eventually bagged Video Peak under a partial cloud cover. It wasn’t as cold as we expected, partly due to a weak inversion lingering in the valley. We skied down the SE face, one by one, in boot-top, blower powder. The face must have been sheltered from the brunt of the S-SW winds as well as the reverse loading from the NE. The wind-swept bowl, however, wasn’t so great, offering a mix of crusty slabs and grabby snow.

After some half-decent skiing, we pressed on to the Bruins Ridge, towards the 8812 Bowl and, later, Nicci’s Notch. That’s the perfect link-up for those in search of a little more vertical… and a ton more powder. For the trip report, here’s how you get back to the Discovery Center after skiing the Video Peak SE Face.

I typically descend the skier’s right of the face, bolt through Hospital Bowl and connect with one of Hospital Gullies. I prefer the #2 gully, for it is narrower and steeper. The #1 gully is a mellower descent. As an alternative, you can ski the south face and link up with slightly more technical gullies. The possibilities are endless! From there, it’s a bobsleigh run along the Connaught Creek and back to the Discovery Center.

Note: The south face of Video Peak requires a short bootpack down from the summit to access. Early in the season, it can be quite exposed. The route offers more direct vertical and better fall-line skiing to Hospital Gullies #3 and #4.

Route Info

This information is based on the descent from the SE face of Video Peak through the Hospital Gully #2 – my favourite variant of the line. After skiing the SE face, we continued to ski 8812 Bowl and Nicci’s Notch. It’s an awesome link-up if you’ve got the legs for it (2100+ vertical meters and 22km round-trip).

6-7 h	1300m	8.5 km	1330-2550 m

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