Introduction to Backcountry Skiing

by Don Chodzicki

On Feb 4 to 7, 2010, ten ACC SK members took part in the first Introduction to Backcountry Skiing trip offered by the section.

Day 0 was primarily a travel day from Saskatchewan to Canmore with minor diversions to pick up alpine touring skis and avalanche safety equipment. Three members were the first to arrive at the ACC’s Boswell cabin and as we settled in we were immediately impressed with the accommodations. We were uncertain when the other members would arrive and since it was too early to go for supper we decided to have a drink while we practiced with our avalanche beacons.

With 3 beacons at our disposal we decided to hide one in the area around the cabin and perform a practice search with the other 2. After having some degree of success we decided to hide 2 at the same time. This scenario proved a little more challenging but I think it helped build our confidence in using the equipment.

Morning of day 1 we visited Sunshine Ski resort for normal skiing on various groomed runs. We also gained more experience using the avalanche beacons in the beacon practice area. Despite not having fresh snow to thoroughly cover previous users "rescue digging" this practice environment proved quite fun and educational. There were multiple beacons buried throughout the area some of which were deeper than others which also justified our practice using the avalanche probes.

In the afternoon we started our official backcountry experience by touring away from Sunshine Ski resort into a far more beautiful and natural environment. We used our "skins" to move over horizontal and uphill terrain and spread ourselves out as we crossed one potential avalanche zone. Eventually we arrived at the top of what would be our first run and all around us we were faced with beautiful sparkling white snow. The more experienced skiers picked their steeper lines downhill and through trees while the less experienced skiers discovered that the snow plow technique of skiing still works in powder. Most people did 2 runs in this environment before we skinned back to the resort area and returned to the hostel.

On Day 2 we drove to the Burstall Pass area near Spray Lakes in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. We started our 16km round trip by skinning across the Burstall Lakes and Burstall Creek area, eventually entering the forest and starting our uphill climb through the trees. After about 500m of vertical we reached the area where we would start "yo-yoing" from. Apparently yo-yoing is the term used for going up and down and on this trip most of us had 2 trips to the top and down and a couple were quick enough to squeeze in a third run.

The view of the snow and how it settles on the surrounding mountain areas was mesmerizing to someone who has never been in such a winter environment. It became easier to understand why people are lured into potentially dangerous terrain every year. At the same time it was reassuring that there are agencies that offer avalanche awareness courses and avalanche forecasts, technology such as avalanche beacons existed, and volunteers with back country experience that are willing to share their knowledge with other individuals for moving safely in such terrain.

On Day 3 we drove to the Tent Ridge area, again near Spray Lakes. This morning was slightly colder than the last couple, but skinning up the mountain we quickly warmed up and removed many layers. Our path was once again through the forest till we came to an area that had the look of an avalanche run out zone with smaller trees than the surroundings. At this point we really started to gain in elevation as we skinned up through a gully and eventually decided to create our own switch back through sparse trees. At one point the group took a short break for a snack and water. The view and powder was once again visually stunning but underneath the snow was a bit of a crust which for me (a beginner powder skier) made things even more challenging. I decided to take the easier method down via a gully while the more experienced skiers gained a little more vertical before they turned around and made their single run down through the trees. The tour back to the vehicles was a little easier this time consisting primarily of easy downhill skiing on paths through the trees. In the end we completed a 6km roundtrip with 400m of vertical.

Reaching our vehicles we celebrated our successful weekend of adventure by consuming the remainder of one participant’s birthday cake and slowly accepting we now faced an 8 hour drive home.

Big thanks to Bob Hawbolt for arranging and leading the trip.

Pictures of the trip are posted on Picasa.