Northern Rockies/Alberta Alberta and Eastern BC discussion thread

[Poolskier Vinny]

FYI: Lots of hills opening up this weekend: Fernie, Revy, KH.

Of the three opening up this weekend...Kicking Horse might have the best snow/conditions up high....hard to say....webcam view looks a bit thin down low but they say they are going to have crystal/fuez/bowl over open...intermediate to expert terrain only...


More options to enjoy!

 

[Mike Rogers]

Yeah, I am driving to Golden tonight. Hoping for the best! I saw a recent trip report for KH back country. Apparently it was pretty nice above 2000m. I might head up to Rogers Pass on Sunday, but I think it will be long hike to get above the crust.

Lake Louise opened ER7 today...so the steep stuff is coming along.

 

[GregK]

Anyone going to Fernie this weekend? Going in a week so curious how the conditions are opening weekend.

 

[Mike Rogers]

I don't know about Fernie. Rain has been a bit of an issue in this region for lower elevations. For this reason, Fernie was kind of off my radar. The publicized photos looked good, and Bill Handley's blog post on opening day was more favorable than I was expected.

However......

AND THIS IS VERY CONCERNING.

It seems like Fernie Management was not too pleased with Bill publishing first hand accounts of snow and rain.

His blog has been shut down.

The parting message:

"
Day 2 This is the end - with apologies to The Doors

Day 2 and I am already in serious trouble over my blog and likely to get in more trouble as the season progresses. I do not need more trouble in my life (particularly if I am not getting paid for it) so the blog ends today. For up to date news and information of conditions in future refer to the official sites which provide this information."

http://www.billhandley.com/2017/12/day-2-this-is-end-with-apologies-to.html

 

[DanoT]

I recall picking up a Fernie brochure a number of years ago, and I am paraphrasing, but it said that if you weren't happy with the conditions and returned to the ticket office within 20 minutes of the purchase, they would issue a voucher for another day....In other words it is a rain check.

 

[Mike Rogers]

Just a quick weekend update.

This last weekend was the best one yet in what is shaping out to be a very good year.

I hit Kicking Horse on Saturday. We got the hill approximately 45 minutes before lifts opened. There was already a long line-up for the first gondola of the season. The resort partnered with the Golden foodbank to raffle spots on the first chair. I didn’t win.

Still, it only took about 15-20 minutes after the gondola opened until we were off. This was the only significant (more than 5 parties deep) gondy line we would have all day…and we were walking straight on in the afternoon. Sweet!

Just about everything on CPR ridge was open, so we could pick our sides.

Our first run was on the north side of CPR. There was some avy work at the top, which left us skiing on chalk for the first few turns, but once we were in…and away from the debris it was very soft…and Deep.

We thought it would be a good idea to let the crowds at the base dissipate for a bit, so the Stairway chair was next. Only the south side (Crystal Bowl) was open here. The glades were very good..almost bottomless. More first tracks! From Crystal, we headed down to the base, skiing the fall line runs near the old Pioneer chair until we hit the cat track leading to catamount. The snow was enjoyable all the way to the cat track, but was shallower and had a bit of a crust lower down.

From Catamount top there was hardpack man-made snow to the mid station…then just enough snow to make things slippery from mid sation to base. Lots of dirt, grass, gravel and loose rocks to deal with, but none of us had any ski damage. It was just sort of uncomfortable skiing a grassy slope with a 1 inch base. The resort encouraged skiers to download from the Catamont mid, but this chair is super slow, so it wasn’t really worth it.

We hit the South (Bowl Over) side of CPR for our next lap. It was even better than the north side of CPR. Took Double Trouble all the way to catamount….face shots the whole way down.

Third lap was a return to the north side of CPR, followed by lining up for the rope drop on Fuez. More untracked….maybe the run of the day.

The rest of the day was spent skiing on tracked out snow. What a great start to the season!

They had both sides of CPR and Redemption ridge open. Feuz was only open until the end of the cat track traverse (but poached beyond..not by me!). Whitewall and the Terminators remained closed.

As usual, I didn’t stop to take pictures in the good snow.

The next day was a tour to Video Peak in Rogers Pass. It’s very deep there…over 2 meters. Unbelievable snow. Bluebird. What more can you want?

 

[Mike Rogers]

I hope nobody here was at Louise on Saturday. That power outage ( I guess a tree hit came down on a line..but not at the hill) would have been a major bummer!

 

[Poolskier Vinny]

Damn...now I'm wishing I woulda went out with my buddy to KH instead of doing home maintenence chores all weekend. DOH!

Looks like it was a great time.

Thanks for the update!

 

[Mike Rogers]

Well it was bound to happen eventually….


The skies have dried up in the Banff region. I went to the resort on Sunday and Lake Louise was reporting 0 cm in the last 10 days…. L

I skied on hard snow for the first time in a long time. Fortunately, the sun was shining, the scenery was great and visibility was perfect. I took advantage of the sunny weather and mostly skied off Paradise and the back of the summit.


There is a lot of terrain open now. ER 7 (full opening), ER 3 (full opening), and Whitehorn 2 (A-C) have opened over the last two weeks. This leaves ER6, the Browshirt Chutes, and Whitehorn 2 (D-I) as the regularily open terrain still to go. We are also missing ER 5 and (rarely opens..didn’t last year), Elevator Shaft (ditto), Ptarmigan Chutes (open every year, but temperamental snowpack), Lipallian Chute 1 (same as Ptarmigan Chutes), the Lookout Glades (should open soon), plus some front side stuff (race course and lower mostly) and the occasional pocket in the back still to go. So…lots of terrain to choose from.


The back bowls were a mix of chalk and crud, but chalk was more common. It skied fast, but was very edgable. Lots of fun for drought times. ER 3 and Whitehorn 2 (b and c) were highlights. The front side was hard and icy(ish) in spots. Ptarmigan glades had a (workable) crust.


I don’t know if I would have been super happy below tree line, but the steeper stuff was worth skiing (if not spectacular).



………………………………………………………………………………………………………………......................................................................................................................................................


I took advantage of stable snow and clear skies on Sunday and skied Crowfoot mountain above bow lake (approximately 30 minutes north of Lake Louise). Wind had gotten to the snow, so the skiing wasn’t great, but the views were Amazing. A recommended trip if you are in the area. You cross two small glaciers, but they are pretty tame.


Pretty pictures:

Crowfoot1

• Mike Rogers
• Dec 12, 2017

Sunrise on Bow Lake

Crowfoot 2

• Mike Rogers
• Dec 12, 2017

In the Alpine - the Wapta behind us

Crowfoot 3

• Mike Rogers
• Dec 12, 2017

Upwards

Crowfoot 5

• Mike Rogers
• Dec 12, 2017

Mount Balfour

Crowfoot 4

• Mike Rogers
• Dec 12, 2017

More Wapta

Crowfoot 6

• Mike Rogers
• Dec 12, 2017

Summit!

 

[Mike Rogers]

Castle opens this tomorrow...

....with a whopping 160 vertical feet of green run terrain.

Castle's low (for alberta) elevation and lack of snow-making make for tough sledding in periods of drought or warm weather. Let's hope we get a dump soon!

 

[Mike Rogers]

A quick update.

Good news! The drought is over!!!

Fresh snow everywhere. 23cm at Fernie, 22 at revy,17 at Louise etc.

And boy did we need it!

I skied Lake Louise on Saturday and Sunday this week. Conditions were fine, but it hasn't snowed in 2 weeks, and the hill skied like it. I found Exhibition under the Ptarmigan Chair to be crusty, the summit head-wall was coral reef stuff, and the lower mountain was icy (only in a few spots) to hardpack (lots of this). The trees were better, and were quite nice closer to treeline. Upper grouse near the gondola was great, as were the Pika tress. The Tower chutes off Larch had some crust, but they were workable, and the Ptarmigan glades were good at the top, but just okay at the bottom.

As usual, the snow in the back bowls was fine. Fast, cold, winter chalk. It isn't the most forgiving surface, and there were some rutted up sections, but it's easy to hold and edge and let the skis rip.

Best turns of the day on Satruday were on Whitehorn 2. C gully was fun with good skiing up top and great skiing past the choke. The choke is peppery though. B gully doesn't choke as tighly and was skiing easier, but the top had a bunch of awkward traversery ruts. ER 3 and Paradise Cornice were also fun.

Despite no snow overnight, Sunday skied a bit better than Saturday. There was some wind transfer into the back bowls. Verical Cornice and ER 3 had a bit of silk on top of the chalk. Or dust on crust if you're cynical.

Liz though the conditions were among the worst she has skied on the hill, but she still had fun. I think she has a short memory...The worst so far this year, but really not bad. I liked it enough to drive out from Calgary on consecutive days.

Coverage is quite good for mid December. If it keeps snowing, this should be a good week!

 

[Skiscouse]

Hello Alberta/BC locals, I'm flying into Calgary from the East Coast on Wednesday and had initially planned to ski from Thursday the 21st to Saturday the 23rd in Revelstoke, and then on the 24th and 25th in Kicking Horse before meeting my family in Banff on Christmas evening. However, looking at the snow forecasts on OpenSnow it looks like Fernie will get dumped on more heavily on Tuesday 19th with 14-30 cm, as compared to 7-15 for Revelstoke. In terms of preference I love the powder and steep skiing (like many here I'm sure). Given that I have 5 days (21st to 25th) before my family arrives in Banff, how would locals more familiar with the conditions, terrain and outlook for this week divide up time between these three resorts?

Btw, love all the pictures from Kicking Horse from earlier this month. Looks fantastic!
Thanks for any info!

 

[Mike Rogers]

Hi Skicourse.

The forecast shows Tuesday's storm hitting the southern resorts harder than the norther ones (Castle is actually forecast to get the most, but it is pretty marginal right now), but I've been burned chasing storms before. As a local, it's often best to wait and see.

I haven't skied Fernie yet this year, but it was hit with a dry spell, like the other resorts for the first part of December. Things look to be shaping up nicely, but I am not sure if they have opened the Peak Chair yet. Unfortunately, the blog I used to check for snow conditions has been shut down.

For what it's worth, I prefer the tree skiing at Fernie to Revelstoke. Fernie is a great hill to ski during a storm, assuming they can get the traverses open.

Have you skied these resorts yet? All things being equal, Kicking Horse has the best Alpine steeps, Fernie the best trees, and Revy has the most snow.

Maybe someone who has skied Revy or Fernie this season can give more info.

I am about to start a long vacation. Off from Thursday (maybe Wednesday) until January 8. I'm skiing here until the 26th, heading to Onterrible until the 30th then road-tripping to Red, Whitewater, and Revy in the New Year.

I don't have any set plans for time before Christmas. I might follow the snow, but it's easy for me to ski at Louise with my pass. We will see what Tuesday brings!

 

[Mike Rogers]

In terms of après ski, Fernie probably has the best party and Golden is the quietest. Revesltoke is quite picturesque, Fernie's old downtown is nice but the rest of it is a bit blah, Golden is pretty industrial/truck stoppy. I always enjoy my time in Golden though.

Golden is very central: 45 minutes to Louise, under 1:30 to Banff, under 2 hrs to Revelstoke.

Fernie is much further from these locations, but it is easy to link up with Castle (might be too early here), Whitefish (border crossing) or Kimberly (not known for its steeps).

 

[Skiscouse]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the great inside tips on the Eastern B.C. mountains I was asking about. It sounds like if you could merge the best features of each you’d have the perfect ski mountain – snow, steeps and trees. I hear your point on powder chasing. The storms never go quite where called for in the forecast, so I’ll take your advice and see where the snow is when I land. I believe you are right about Fernie having had a avery dry spell, but it sounds like I can’t really lose with any of these three. It will be my first time at any of the three, wherever I end up. They’ve all been on my wishlist for some time. I did Lake Louise and Sunshine last year and had a great time, but didn’t make it any further west that that. I’d like to have done the full powder highway this year – with Red Mountain, Fernie and Nelson thown in, but the family are more into casual resort skiing so there wasn’t enough time for that. Another time hopefully….

Thanks again for the tips and hope you enjoy your own skiing adventures through the New Year.

 

[Poolskier Vinny]

I'd.wait for the snow to actually hit first...as I've been burned before too...trying to chase the storm. I'll be spending the post Xmas period at Castle and Fernie so am hoping for a big dump too.

Fernie: If the peak chair is not running then there is very little for "steep" at Fernie......Fernie's more about the bowl skiing... The one thing about Fernie is that they can take awhile to get terrain open after a big storm....

I like Revy for tree skiing. Plus lots of vert/long runs.... It's a great place for progression/learning for tree skiing. Off the Rippper chair you can take a group down the central run and have them split off either to the rightside or leftside glades and do as much as they can handle....they can always see the open run so there's and "out" for them and can come back to the open area when they need a break. No need for them to "commit" to the entire run of trees. Glading in that area varies as well from very loose to pretty tight...

Not saying you can't do that at Fernie - cause Fernie's got great tree skiing too...(TIP: get someone/patrol to show you where easter bowl is...not on the map but easy to access and in-bounds) but when I ski Fernie I think "bowls"...when I ski Revy I think "trees" and when I ski Kicking Horse I think "steeps".

Each location has lots of options for accommodation from hostel to expensive...lots of choices...although of course the holiday period can be tougher/more expensive but even then I doubt you'd have a problem finding something suitable.

après for the 3 locations is pretty good...Fernie has the coolest ski town among the three...followed by Revy and Golden last....Fernie's got the Griz on hill...great food in town too...the Curry Bowl is great for eats. Golden has the golden taps, rockwater...and the Riv..Revy has the on hill bars, the last drop...and some great restaurants too...

Given what you have indicated you like to ski - you wont be disappointed with any of them....as long as they have the pow! Definitely go with whichever place gets the snow.

Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[surfsnowgirl]

We'll be landing in Calgary on 1/20 so looking forward to a week in the Canadian rockies. Doing at least 1 day each at Lake Louise and Sunshine Village and we'll see about the other 3 days. The 27th will be a travel day and we'll take 1 day to do something non skiing related. Can't wait for this trip. Just realized I forgot to buy a ski travel bag so time to do some online shopping....

 

[Poolskier Vinny]

Great trip you have planned. If you get a chance try zipping up to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and look at all the ice sculptures as you are arriving during the Ice Magic Festival at Lake Louise (Jan.18-28)

My wife and I have frequently stayed there during this time and it's fantastic. (if you do stay...definitely spring for the upgrade to be lakeside) Sadly we will miss it this year as we have other commitments....but If you are looking for a day off activity spending a day there is a great option: snowshoeing, skating,(they clear part of the lake for skating and also track set some areas too for x-country) sleigh ride,cross country skiing or hiking around the lake is absolutely amazing if it's sunny...the view of the Chateau, mountains, glacier and lake are World Class. Parking is free in the lower lot and you can still go into the Chateau and look around/shop/eat./rent gear/etc. It's pricey but the High Tea in the Lakeview Lounge is well worth it. They often have in the evenings an outdoor "ice bar" that is literally an area outside where the bar and seats etc. are made of ice...ice cold jager shots or specialty coffees/hot chocolate for sale etc. Very cool....simple but classy...in an outdoorsy way. That's the one thing I love about the Chateau - excellent service and staff - classy...but not snooty.

There will also be ice sculptures and events that week at the LL ski hill so they are also worth checking out if you have time... Oh on that note. At the LL ski hill they are doing the torchlight ski and dinner during your time there. (posted on their website...it's on Jan 26th) We have done that and it is really fun. You enjoy great food and drinks and appies at the Whitehorn bistro mid-mountain....funny and rowdy band.for an hour or two..then you ski down to the main lodge in the dark/with torches....and then the ACTUAL dinner buffet and dance starts! Highly recommended -we'd do it again for sure... but make sure to reserve soon as it often sells out -might make for a nice way to cap off your trip.

Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Thank you so much. I'm so excited to go back. We spent a week there last February and got hooked. Not sure what days we are skiing where. We went to see the ice sculptures on our last trip and it was magnificent. We are staying half the week in a condo in canmore with our friend and SO who live there and the 2nd half of the week in Banff proper. The torchlight/dinner sounds very cool. I'll mention it to Sabrina. I can't wait to get there

 

[Mike Rogers]

I haven't updated this in a while!

I skied a fair bit before Christmas, but was out of town on my free-days between Christmas and last weekend.

Lake Louise had good conditions before christmas, but it was VERY cold. Fortunately, the crowds and cold weather kept the crowds away. Most chairs were empty.

Friends reported that conditions deteriorated a bit throughout the holidays, which should expect with higher than average crowds. The week between Christmas and New Year is typically the busiest. Fortunately (?) very cold temps kept things from getting too busy.

So flash forward to this week.

Louise received just under a foot of new snow over the week. Obviously not enough for powder conditions, but the new snow was able to keep surfaces fresh.

The warm weather (finally) returned on Saturday too.

Unfortunately, so did the crowds. January is typically a bit quiet, but there are many local skiers who stayed in during our prolonged cold snap. Lake Louise is pretty good and handling decent sized crowds though, so the increased numbers didn't bother us too much. We skipped lunch to avoid the lodge, and didn't ride the gondola at all. Our only real issue was the final run of the day, which was sort of terrifying. The heavy crowds were made worse with the closure of several lower mountain runs: Ladies Downhill was closed for snowmaking and they were running races on Men's Downhill and Juniper Jungle. Busy, busy slopes.

Staying higher was much better. The snow in the back bowls was very good winter quality chalk mixed with chop. Visibility was pretty bad though. We stayed on treed runs and had great laps on the Ptarmigan Glades and Pika Trees. The glades to the skier's left of the Larch Lift Line were also very nice. Ptarmigan Chutes had some untouched snow (9 inches), but there was crust underneath. This is pretty typical. The chutes get a lot of sun. (Note the cliff/rock-band entrance was not open on the weekend, but you could traverse under the rocks). All and all, a good day...but it would have been better with more sun.

The sun came out yesterday! We spent most of yesterday in the Alpine. Highlights were Whitehorn 2, which is now open to "g" gully, and browshirt main which still had untracked. The sunny aspects softened up in the sun, and skiing was pretty easy. These slopes will probably be a bit crusty on colder or cloudier days.

Coverage is pretty good, with rock issues in the regular spots. It's generally better than before christmas, but some areas...such as ER3 were worse. I tried to thread the needle though a few known minefields and my skis picked were looking a bit beat up at the end of the weekend...but that's part of the fun of skiing Lake Louise.

Pics.

From Saturday...i only took one.

Liz jumping off a small rock on the Tower 10 trees in Larch.

Sunday.

Whitehorn 2
I'm on the e/g spine. Ben is in the e gully

Looking back at the Whitehorn 2 Gullies. Liz is in this shot, but looking very small.

Ben is high in Brownshirt Main. Nice view of the Whitehorn Gullies in the background

Brownshirt main connects nicely with North Cornice. Ben is jumping in.

I'm up next.

Ben and I look for snow in a sea of rocks in ER7.