British Columbia ski Trip - January 2016
In June, my friend Zach sent me a text inviting Malcolm and I to join him and some other folks for a week of backcountry skiing at the Fairy Meadows (Bill Putnam) Hut, north of Golden, B.C.
I asked Malcolm if he was interested. His response was lukewarm at best: “what if it is really good in AK then? Will we really want to leave?” I tried persuading him, but didn’t make any headway. He had his heart set on skiing in Alaska this year.
I was, at the time, prepping for a trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Joe Stock, IMGA guide and all-around mountain guru, was also at our facility prepping for a trip to the Refuge. In casual conversation I asked him if he had been to Fairy Meadows. No, he hadn’t. But, he had heard it was “all-time”. And Rogers Pass, a backcountry skiing destination near the hut, was one of the coolest zones he had ever skied. I called Malcolm and told him, “Joe Stock says its all-time at Fairy Meadows.” Malcolm: “I’m in, send Zach a deposit.” He never takes my word for it, but I’m glad Joe was around to back me up! If not for his sage advise, we might have ended up missing out on a really great trip!
One hour before our flight.... hoping I hadn't forgotten anything!
We probably should have done more planning for this trip, but we basically started getting ready for this trip three hours before our flight left Anchorage. In the end we left behind all of our topographical maps (oops!) and our airplane neck pillow. At the time the time the lack of neck pillow seemed catastrophic, but we somehow survived!
A sunny day at Rogers Pass.
We had a week reserved at the hut, but it usually feels ridiculous to leave Alaska for anything less than two weeks due to the cost of air travel to and from Anchorage. So we tacked a few days on before and after our planned week at Fairy Meadows to explore Rogers Pass, in Glacier National Park, and Golden, British Columbia.
Rogers Pass is nothing short of amazing. It didn’t hurt that interior British Columbia was having their best December-January ever. The snow was soft and stable there were couloirs, tree skiing, steep open slopes, and technical, aesthetic lines. The weather was calm, sunny, and deliciously cold. We could not have asked for better conditions and I can't wait to get back to B.C. to explore more!
After a few days in Golden enjoying the charming town, world class nordic ski trails and the proximity to Rogers Pass, we were finally headed to the Fairy Meadow hut. We met the helicopter and the rest of the 12-person crew just 20 minutes north of Golden. The heli flight in was exciting as we headed north into some of the coolest mountains of the Canadian Rockies.
Malcolm checking out the ski terrain on the heli flight in to the Fairy Meadows Hut.
We weren't quite sure what to expect at the hut, but it did not disappoint. Surrounded by incredible ski terrain, the hut itself was spacious, well-lit with west and south-facing windows, clean, and well equipped. And did I mention there was a shower? And a sauna? A FREAKING SAUNA!! The Alpine Club of Canada does an incredible job of stocking the hut with shitter drums, propane for the stoves and lights, and split wood for the wood stove and sauna.
Besides the skiing, hut trips really are a special experience: no cell phone service, no internet, everyone working together cooperatively to haul water, cook meals, chop wood, and lots of time for cribbage, group card games, and getting to know a great group of like-minded people!
Celebrating the first week of 2016 with new ski friends!
Most days Malcolm and I skied together. He is after all not just my man-friend, mortgage cosigner, and the main consumer of my culinary creations, he is also my favorite ski buddy! But the days I had the most fun were when we skied with some of the other great people from the hut. Spending time together in the backcountry is my favorite way to get to know someone!
The incredible ski terrain surrounding the hut includes great tree skiing, bouncy pillow lines, moderately steep and open slopes, couloirs of varying widths and steepness, and big, technical, glaciated terrain. We made the most of all the options, spending the cloudy days in the trees, the sunny days crossing glaciers and all the days in between booting up couloirs and enjoying the incredible skiing! Even though we skied a lot, there are still plenty more lines we didn’t get to around Fairy Meadows.
