SteveR
Member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2016
- Messages
- 887
We're into the final weeks of our ski season here- not that the alpine snow along the spine of the Canadian Rockies is going anywhere fast, but with warm weather at home and often variable spring snow conditions- it's time to start thinking about other activities. In fact- had things gone according to plan we would have been down south in the Utah desert right about now, but for Jo having tweaked a knee back in February on a week of backcountry skiing. It's on the mend now and she has been able to do some moderate xc skiing and pathway biking without any pain, fortunately, but even an hour walking on uneven ground with the dog hurts, so several weeks of desert hiking is out, for now.
Anyway- back to last week's ski tour with my buddy Bob, at Burstall Pass in the Kananaskis area of Alberta.
There had been a solid overnight freeze after a week of warm weather, with only a dusting of new snow, making for fast travel everywhere. After a logging road approach, the route crosses a series of small lakes and expansive "meadows" (aka swamps in the summer). We are heading towards the low point in the forested headwall, across the flats, left of centre:
Looking south to the Robertson Glacier from it's outwash plain:
A good trail up the steep headwall leads to an upper meadow, and then the final steps of the easy climb from treeline into the alpine at Burstall Pass:
After a break at the main pass, we traversed the alpine over to South Burstall Pass:
Picking a lunch spot at the ridge above the south pass:
A panorama from the ridge, looking across the headwaters of the Spray River in Banff National Park to peaks of the Alberta- BC divide beyond,
A look back as we descend to complete a loop, through the mellow alpine terrain, with the north pass at middle left, and upper meadows that we came through earlier right above Bob's head. The dust on crust skiing was ok, but not good enough for a second run, as expected. But powder turns were not the main goal anyway:
Heading home across the upper meadow, keeping far skiers right to give as much space as possible between us and avalanche slopes offscreen to the left that are topped with massive cornices baking in the warm sun:
Safely down the treed headwall which can be a fun ski in soft powder, but was fairly challenging on this day with a hard crust. Now it's just one foot in front of the other for the final few km of flats, and a logging road which has been described (accurately!) as "uphill both ways":
Back at the trailhead in plus 6 degree (C) temperatures. Skinny "kicker skins" made the egress easy without struggling with grip wax or strong-arm double poling.
So- a great day of spring skiing, but I'm still pining for red rock and warm desert sun.
Anyway- back to last week's ski tour with my buddy Bob, at Burstall Pass in the Kananaskis area of Alberta.
There had been a solid overnight freeze after a week of warm weather, with only a dusting of new snow, making for fast travel everywhere. After a logging road approach, the route crosses a series of small lakes and expansive "meadows" (aka swamps in the summer). We are heading towards the low point in the forested headwall, across the flats, left of centre:
Looking south to the Robertson Glacier from it's outwash plain:
A good trail up the steep headwall leads to an upper meadow, and then the final steps of the easy climb from treeline into the alpine at Burstall Pass:
After a break at the main pass, we traversed the alpine over to South Burstall Pass:
Picking a lunch spot at the ridge above the south pass:
A panorama from the ridge, looking across the headwaters of the Spray River in Banff National Park to peaks of the Alberta- BC divide beyond,
A look back as we descend to complete a loop, through the mellow alpine terrain, with the north pass at middle left, and upper meadows that we came through earlier right above Bob's head. The dust on crust skiing was ok, but not good enough for a second run, as expected. But powder turns were not the main goal anyway:
Heading home across the upper meadow, keeping far skiers right to give as much space as possible between us and avalanche slopes offscreen to the left that are topped with massive cornices baking in the warm sun:
Safely down the treed headwall which can be a fun ski in soft powder, but was fairly challenging on this day with a hard crust. Now it's just one foot in front of the other for the final few km of flats, and a logging road which has been described (accurately!) as "uphill both ways":
Back at the trailhead in plus 6 degree (C) temperatures. Skinny "kicker skins" made the egress easy without struggling with grip wax or strong-arm double poling.
So- a great day of spring skiing, but I'm still pining for red rock and warm desert sun.
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