Author Archives: parkland

October 2011 Denali Presentation By Mike Spencer

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By Mike Spencer

This October meeting I would like to show some pictures taken this spring during a climb of Denali (Mt Mckinley according to the map) by myself, Lucille and Domhnall…and about 1000 other people. The success rate is generally around 54% and all three of us made it to the summit therefore beating the average and causing 2.75 other people to not summit.  And did I mention Lucille was along so of course we had the summit to ourselves in perfect, sunny, no wind conditions. Luck has a lot to do with it as several of the teams that were there ahead of us had been pinned down at various camps for a week and when the weather broke getting down was the only thing they were worried about. We saw a few of these folks in Talkeetna the night before we flew into the mountain, and they definitely were looking much worse for wear. Hope to see you October 11th at Kerrywood.

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Hosted By: Parkland XC Ski Club
Date: Tuesday October  11, 7:30 PM
Location: Kerry Wood Nature Centre

Long Day On The French/Haig/Robertson Traverse

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By Jane Davies

After a restful night at the Bear Hostel in Canmore (first time the club has stayed there) the group of nine,( Steve Davies, Jane, Karen, Dave Rideout, Dave Allen, Andy, Todd, Vance and Ivan) set out early. The Burstalll Parking lot had 10-12 ft of snow piled up along the road. We made our way up the French Creek with some long periods of bushwacking often led by ‘young’ Andy doing the trail breaking.  We came across the previous weeks avalanche which had started way up high and came down  taking out a swath of trees, 200yds x 100yds, all the way to the creek.  Continue reading →

Sunny Spring Skiing On Saskatchewan Glacier

Andy climbs the Saskatchewan Glacier

Andy climbs the Saskatchewan Glacier

By Steve B

The original plan was to ski up the Saskatchewan Glacier and onto Castleguard Meadows Friday, dig snow caves then climb Castleguard Mountain on Saturday and ski back out on Sunday but plans change.

Friday morning at 9:00 am nine members of the club loaded up packs and pulks at the big bend in Highway 93 and headed over the hump and onto the long approach to the Saskatchewan Glacier for the clubs final tip of the season.

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Another Great Week At Blanket Glacier

Marie and the Blanket Glacier Chalet

Marie and the Blanket Glacier Chalet

By Don Wales

OK!  It looks like nobody else is going to write this trip report so this is my opportunity to tell some lies about the great group of people we had on this trip.

Blanket Glacier is a short 7 minutes  helicopter ride from a little south of Revelstoke and it is renowned for its snow; in fact on average 25 meters of snow falls which translates into about a 9 meter base. We have been told if you get 1 or 2 days without snow falling you are lucky but, for the second year in a row, we have been fortunate with only 2 overcast days each week.

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Perfection In Paradise Valley

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By Richard Townell

On behalf of Hang and Hov; Arlene; Dave Allen; Marilyn; Debbie; Sue and Richard; Karen; Dianne; Trudy;  Lorna and Richard.

If you want guaranteed good weather and gourmet food, go with Marilyn!  Twelve of us did on that weekend and enjoyed a beautiful ski on fresh snow in warm weather into Paradise Valley.  We started at the Morraine Lake Road parking lot and followed a gradually rising trackset trail up the Morraine Lake Road to the Fairview Loop turn off.  A little way up the Fairview Loop we left the beaten track and ascended through the trees to the first bridge in Paradise Valley.  Such snow – white and fresh and as much as we have seen there!  It is a great route for a beginner to get a sense of the backcountry with minimal risk.  We skied pristine meadows to the second bridge and looked around at the mountains, capped with clouds to add a little bit of drama to the landscape.  Temple on the left was not visible behind the clouds but the mountains on the right were dramatic.  The second bridge was our turnaround point, though the trail goes further, across avalanche slopes, a risk we did not want to take.

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