British Columbian Skiing, Take two - January 2017
Exploring new places is such a motivator to explore Alaska and beyond. But sometimes it is just as magical to go back.
I'm finding that visiting a place, for the second, third, tenth time can lead to just as much adventure as that initial trip, without the hassle of cumbersome logistics or those worrisome unknowns.
Late last fall, without much on our "adventure calendar" between November and March, my partner and I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to head back to British Columbia - our second annual ski-trip to the Columbia Mountains and our fourth trip to Canada in just over a year.
We rang in 2016 in with a week in Golden, BC before flying into the Fairy Meadows Hut in the Adamant Range of the Selkirk Mountains. We spent the next seven days skiing the trees, pillows, couloirs and glaciers surrounding the hut. Those first two weeks of 2016 whet our appetites for British Columbia's addictive ski terrain.
So, we ended last year - right where we started it - back in Golden, BC. This year we came with the knowledge gleaned from last year's trip, bigger ski objectives and an relatively open itinerary. The plan was to ski tour everyday if possible, but we came with skate skis to enjoy Canmore, Golden and Revelstoke's extensive nordic trails and the backup plan of resort skiing at Kicking Horse or Revelstoke if avalanche danger were to keep us out of the backcountry.
We were treated to clear, cold weather, one mid-trip powder refresh and relatively good snowpack stability. We spent most of our days ski touring in Rogers Pass - probing deeper into the mountains than last year, enjoying cold, champagne powder and ticking some lines off of our hit list. The blue collar ski towns of Revelstoke and Golden charmed us both, making the Vails and Aspens of the world seem like glittery counterfeits. If anyone knows the ins and outs of becoming a Canadian resident, send them our way, we're interested.
We also had plans to stay in a couple of the Alpine Club of Canada's huts near Rogers Pass - but our stay was cut short by a gnarly case of food poisoning that hit us both. Sprinting out into a pitch black, -15 degree night to empty the contents of one's stomach is, not surprisingly, a terrible way to spend an evening. The whole debacle serves as an excellent story to tell at dinner parties, but I regret that it kept us from staying at the famed Asuklan Hut. Something to go back for next time!
Illness aside, it was a perfect trip, a great way to wrap up 2016 and a wonderful start to the New Year. The diversity of terrain, engaging route finding and pristine snow conditions of the Selkirks lived up to our highest expectations. We're already planning the 2018 edition of our annual, British Columbia ski pilgrimage.
