A day out at the Crowfoot Glacier Glades. We hit the slopes early and got to ski a lot of un-tracked chutes, hoorah!
The snow kept falling all day, and the powder was lovely to ski (even if it was heavier than usual for the Icefields Parkway).
And so we skied down, and skinned up, and skied down, and skinned up. The way these things go.
Just a taster of a few shots of biking in the snow in November – all on the Highline.
Since these photos were taken, it’s snowed enough that it has been a bit tricky to ride up the Highline, although the G8 and other trails around town are nicely packed for biking or running.
Nothing quite beats the Highline for the sensation of imminent collapse on the way up, and mind-exploding joy on the descent though. And the views along the traverse in the middle aren’t bad either (I am wondering if I can justify buying a proper compact camera for taking out biking and running, so I’ve got something nicer than phone photos).
So, touring out from Sunshine Village doesn’t feel very hardcore, but when the season hasn’t started yet, and there’s powder everywhere (even if it does have rocks lurking underneath), well, it’s not such a bad option. There are even sleds zooming around at random to avoid, to increase the difficulty factor a little.
It certainly wasn’t the best of weather, as the sky closed in, and we were surrounded by nothing but white, with more white appearing from somewhere above. Our hopes of a lovely bluebird day were dashed against the rocks of despair (not unlike the base of our skis once we started heading back downhill – although no, it wasn’t actually that bad at all).
But we made it out a Rock Isle Lake. It always feels like a pointless activity, skiing to a lake in the winter. You can’t see the lake, all you can see is a large flat area. Then if you’re really lucky, you can try to ski across it, fall in and drown. I’m firmly anti lake-in-winter.
After eating lunch we quickly left the lake, and headed back to the village. Slowly and patiently, but with large grins, as everything was soft and deep and fluffy. The Moosling slept in the Chariot for the whole expedition; apparently there’s still nothing quite so soporific as being snuggled in a warm Chariot while you’re gently joggled back and forth to the swoosh of runners on snow.
I’m still not ready for the onslaught of winter, stealing all of my nice dry trails and mountains, but a day like today makes the whole thing seem a little more palatable.
The first ski of the season, and the Moosling’s first ski as a two year old, with considerably better control of his legs than before.
We took it in turn to do a couple of laps each, while the other held Moosling hands, and helped him skitter up and down hills. He was very keen to run down the hills, as he hasn’t yet got the hang of the fact that all he has to do is balance, and the skis will whoosh him down the hill of their own accord.
At any rate, he seems to like this “keeing” thing.
(Oh, and Frozen Thunder is the little loop of trail that the Nordic Centre puts down in October, using some snow they saved up from the year before – no, really, they just make a big pile of snow and cover it in sawdust and things, and then dig it out to use 7 months or so later)
The last time we skied up Mount Gordon was just shortly after our Wapta Icefields traverse back in 2009. It was great, but we got clouded in at the summit.
This time round, I didn’t actually know I was going to Mount Gordon. I just knew that I was going skiing for the day, and a friend had kindly volunteered to mind the Moosling so Alex could come too – the first offspring-free ski trip together since… well, a good long while, especially if you count the times when I had an in-utero passenger.
We set off at a fairly decent pace, leaving the car at 8.20am, and making it to Bow Hut by 10.40am – with a few photo and sunscreen stops along the way. A brief snack stop, harnesses on, then onwards and upwards and onto the glacier.
I may have been inclined to lead at a fast pace, with the lurking worry about our toddler-minding friend being stuck with a screaming and unhappy Moosling, and no mobile phone reception so I could phone and check if they’d both been eaten by bears. But it was a gorgeous blue-sky day (perfect for getting the first sunburn of the year).
There’s only one brief steep section to get to the summit, and can be managed with skis on if you really want to, but we all opted for boot-packing and carrying the skis for a few metres.
I actually made it to the summit just before the clouds came along though, and these were the tracks of the guys who skied off just as I was arriving at the summit.
… watching the other guys approaching the summit.
By 1.50pm we were all sitting on the summit eating a late lunch, and admiring the clouds. The mountains had retreated into their standard afternoon shyness, so swathed in swirling cloud we sat eating our lunch and straining to catch a glimpse of view.
And then there was just the downhill to go! The snow was fantastic on the descent from Mount Gordon, and still pretty good on the way down to Bow Hut. The condition of my thighs by the time we reached Bow Hut -> not so good.
After dropping down from Bow Hut, there was the usual debate about whether with or without skins was quicker. No skins wins, but leads to a few frustrating climbs on the rolling terrain out.
Back at the carpark we thought it was all over. I was innocently eating my sandwich. And then I was swooped by a cheeky Whisky Jack, who tried to make off with the whole sandwich. He was pretty bold, and kept sitting a few metres away, waiting until he thought I wasn’t watching, and then swooping at my sandwich again. So we lured him into the car and cooked him into pie that night.
Dist: 24km. Elevation gain: 1280m. Max elevation: 3203m. Time: ~8hr10min
(Oh, and as you can see, posting is a little sparse these days – life was busy to begin with, and now I’m working full time as well. Or rather, doing standard, paid, turn-up-to-an-office, 9-5 kind of work. For another 2.5 weeks more anyway. As well as toddler-wrangling, and trying to keep making dolls, and getting into bike-fitness for the season on these awesomely dry trails, and attempting to train for a half-marathon that’s on in town this weekend.)