The Section just completed its second Backcountry Skiing Camp in Canmore. The camp was led by Bette Boechler with five ACC SK members attending. The camp is intended to introduce members to backcountry skiing and gear with a focus on safety and route finding, The group included two new to BC skiing and two with limited experience.
Day One (Friday) had the group meet at Bow Summit on the Icefields Parkway, about 40 kms from Lake Louise. The idea was to get used to the gear and get used to plowing through powder again. The Bow Summit area is ideal for a first day on new gear. It is easily accessible by car and there are good slopes within 2 kms of the parking area. Though there is some avalanche risk on the upper slopes, the lower slopes are gentle with good tree cover so pose minimal risk. The weather was warm with light snow flurries. The first activity was beacon practice in a small open meadow. The group spent the remainder of the day skinning up and skimming down through the lighted treed slopes. Day One ended with the obligatory stop in Lake Loiuse for pastries.
Day Two (Saturday) saw the group head up the Spray Lakes road to the Burstall Pass area. It had snowed all night continuing through the day. The wind also picked up through the day. As on Day One, the day started with practice in the beacon pit. The trudge up to the pass is about 5.5 kms starting with a narrow fire road up to Burstall Lakes then along the lake to the outlet of Burstall Creek. From here the trail winds up through the trees to the meadow below the pass. Unfortunately, the snow and wind reduced visibility to under 500 m and, given the exposure on the slopes, the group decided not to advance. A quick lunch then off with the skins and back to the Burstall Creek gully. The trail though the gully can be challenging as the ski-out can be polished smooth by all the skiers. This time there was soft powdery snow, thigh deep in places, making for a slow descent. Day Two ended with the obligatory sore toes and blistered feet. Apparently this is the price you pay with rentals.
Day Three (Sunday) again saw the group head up the Spray Lakes road, this time to the Black Prince area in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The road was an adventure as almost 300 mm of snow had accumulated over night. Despite that, an amazing number of cars were in the parking area showing the popularity of the area. The clouds moved off leaving beautiful blue skies but still lots of wind. The group split up with two members taking snowshoes to explore the surrounding slopes. The other four headed up along with numerous other groups enjoying the fresh snow. Coming down to the cirque was tricky as the snow got deeper as the trees closed in. But careful route finding and a vigilante Bette kept everyone safe. The day ended at 1:30 pm in the parking lot as the group dispersed to return gear rentals or to go off to more adventures in the Rockies.
Thanks to Bette and Bob for sharing their mountain expertise. No plans yet for next year but, blisters notwithstanding, there is strong interest to go again.
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