Tag Archives: Backcountry Skiing

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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Quick trip to Skoki Lodge

Walter, Steve and Jane stop in at the historic Skoki Lodge.

Walter, Steve and Jane stop in at the historic Skoki Lodge.

Once we got vehicles unstuck and somewhat parked Karen and Steve ran a great day tour up to Skoki Lodge and back with mostly sunny weather and a few windy sections. A couple of us headed back early and got an early start on the Pub Grub themed dinner and practiced our drawing skills for a confusing game of Pictionary.

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Perfect weather for the Fryatt Hut adventure!

Vance, Ivan, Margo and Derry enjoy the sunny weather and explore the valley above Fryatt Hut.

Vance, Ivan, Margo and Derry enjoy the sunny weather and explore the valley above Fryatt Hut.

By Steve B

Vance, Margo, Derry, Ivan and I loaded heavy packs and pulks at 9:00 am Friday morning and headed across the frozen Athabasca river and quickly joined up with the Fryatt Valley Trail. The lower section of trail is fairly flat and meanders through the woods offering the occasional glimpse of the Endless Chain Ridge to the east and Mount Christie to the south. Another group had been in the previos week and left a nice track and we had to do minimal trail breaking.

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Adventures Of The Parkland Rescue Service!

Lots of snow and cold for the Chester Lake/Goat Creek Tour

Lots of snow and cold for the Chester Lake/Goat Creek Tour

By Wlter Kubanek

Our crew of 8 included David, Margo, George, Karen, Todd, Jane, Steve and Walter.

The temperature soared during the week leading up to our trip – a high of +11 in Calgary. Then it plummeted to – 14 on Saturday, and -23 Sunday. The blowing snow had covered roads that had been clear and dry earlier in the week, making  travel Friday evening to Bell Cabin the first challenge. We woke to 15 cm of new snow at Canmore, and set off optimistically. Avalanche danger was still high, so our first day’s ski destination changed to low-risk Chester Lake.

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