Tryst Chutes

More info to come.

Emerald Peak (Winter)

Mount Shark X-Country Ski

More info to come.

Helen Shoulder

More info to come.

Narao Glades iv

We just keep coming back. It's not too far of a drive, pretty low risk, fun, chill... Today was a sunny day and we came with Mark F.

Bryant Creek Shelter iii (Overnight)

More info to come!

Trip #2

Initial trip

Chickadee Valley

After skiing here last week, we had to come back! More info to come.

Chickadee Slide Paths

More info to come.
We came back the next week!

Narao Glades iii

We're back! More info to come.

Trip 2
Trip 1

Wawa Ridge

More information to come.

Boulton Creek XC Ski

More info to come.

Previous trips in the area
Elk Pass
Elk Lakes Cabin (Overnight)

Bow Hut

More info to come.

Hero's Knob

Name: Hero's Knob
Activity: Alpine Touring/Backcountry Skiing

Distance: ? km

Altitude: ~2,300 m

Elevation Gain: ~900 m

Area: Kananaskis (Spray Reservoir)

Crew: Bennett, Jordan, Shannon, Mitch, Lora, Garrett

Time to Summit: ?

Trailhead: Pullover on the side of the road just South of the Sawmill parking lot.

Getting There:

From the Trans-Canada (Hwy 1), head south on Kananaskis Trail (Hwy 40). At the gate closure, turn right. Take the right turn for the Smith Dorrien (Hwy 742). Eventually the Sawmill parking lot will be on your right; turn around and park a few hundred meters south.

Additional Info:

Had an unreal day skiing a few laps on Hero's Knob. Steph V, Aaron et. al. actually did the same tour as us this day and we met up at the parking lot/summit but toured separately. The snow was amazing and the weather was gorgeous- and to top it all off we stopped at the Canmore Brewing Co. for a few beers apres.

Crew debating the route

Cruisin'

 Skinnin'

 Skiin'. Dorkiest skiier on the mountain! (Photo: Shannon)

Way up.

Crowfoot Glades

Name: Crowfoot Glades
Activity: Alpine Touring/Backcountry Skiing

Distance: ? km

Altitude: ~2,300 m

Elevation Gain: ~700 m

Area: Banff National Park

Crew: Bennett, Jon, Emma, Jake

Time to Summit: ?

Trailhead: Pullover on the side of the road to intersect the south end of Bow Lake.

Getting There:

From the Trans-Canada (Hwy 1), head north on the Icefield Parkway (Hwy 93). Continue about 30 km.

Additional Info:

So, we were supposed to ski Crowfoot Glades on Saturday after skiing Narao Glades with Jon on Friday. We all woke up a little bit hung over and decided to skip it. Craving the outdoors all day and failing to forgive ourselves for skipping a mountain day, we decided at 11pm Saturday night that it would be a great idea to do Crowfoot Glades the next day, even though Bennett and I had to be back for 5PM Easter dinner... and it was a great idea! We had an unreal day, skiing 3 or 4 laps, with only 1 other group in the area. The snow was the best I've ever skiied in, straight chaaampagne powder!! What a great ski day. Then we went back to my parents place for a lovely steak dinner. Yum.

 Crossing the lake towards the glades (seen on the left of the photo)

 4 abreast.

 Spot 2 ski tourers?

 Adventurin'

 The only sun we had all day

 Keep risin'.

Searchin' for dat good good!

Narao Glades ii

Name: Narao Glades
Activity: Alpine Touring/Backcountry Skiing

Distance: ~10 km

Altitude: ~2,500 m

Elevation Gain: ~800 m

Area: Yoho National Park

Crew: Bennett, Jon

Time to Summit: ?

Trailhead: Lake O'hara Fire Road

Getting There:

From the Trans-Canada (Hwy 1), head west past Lake Louise. As you enter Yoho and begin descending, take the left turn towards Lake O'hara and park in the parking lot.

Additional Info:

Link to Original Narao Glades Post

On the long weekend that Jon was in town, we wanted to get out touring but the avalanche forecast wasn't amazing. We all had to be back in the city by 5 so we settled on a spot that Bennett and I had been to a few weeks ago, where we could do as many laps as time permitted and wouldn't have to worry too much about route-finding. As we had such a great time at Narao Glades last time, we decided to come back!
And we came back again the next season!

 Three Blind Mice

 The boys

 Narao Peak from the bottom of our first run. The shoulder below and infront.

 On the Lake O'Hara fire road

Sharing food.. egg cups and chicken!

Tent Ridge (Winter)

Name: Tent Ridge
Activity: Alpine Touring/Backcountry Skiing

Distance: ~7 km

Altitude: ~2,500 m

Elevation Gain: ~800 m

Area: Kananaskis (Spray Valley)

Crew: Bennett

Time to Summit: ?

Trailhead: Parking lot on the right side of the road halfway to Mt. Shark Trailhead

Getting There:
Head south on Kananaskis Trail (Hwy 40) from the Trans Canada (Hwy 1). Take the turnoff toward the Kananaskis Lakes/Smith-Dorrien. Take the Smith Dorrien and then turn at the Mt. Engadine Lodge turnoff. Continue past the lodge, and up the road. You will come across a parking area on the right.

Additional Info:

Summer Hike/Scramble

We were on our way back from Canmore for the weekend and were trying to decide what to do. We cross country skiied at Pipestone Loop the previous day and wanted to go for a tour. We were debating between Burstall Pass and Tent Ridge and decided to do Tent Ridge, as the avi forecast was quite low this day and there wasn't much risk of solar warming as it was cloudy. We were planning on staying in the trees if the visibility remained poor but with good conditions, we made our way a little ways up the shoulder on the left and did two laps. We got a few very brief bouts of sun, the day mostly consisted of clouds moving in/out to obscure visibility. There was another group on the mountain this day, skiing the same left-hand side of the bowl, as well as 2 groups skiing the right-hand side.

 Staring to clear up

 Our turnaround point

 Cool shots in the clouds

 "Bennett take photos of me tooooo"

 Can you spot Bennett among the trees? (Probably not because he blends right in with his black outfit...)

 Best snack ever.

 Snowwwww

Heading up through the trees.

Pipestone Loop

Activity: Pipestone Loop X-Country Skiing

Distance: 15 km 

Area: Banff National Park (Lake Louise)

Crew: Bennett

Lisa's Mom Rating: Yes

Bennett and I booked the Rundle Cabins in Harvey Heights for Saturday night and decided to pack up the vehicle with all of our different types of skis and head to the hills. We settled on cross country skiing the Pipestone Loop just past the Lake Louise Ski Resort. It was a beautiful day and we both had tons of energy. We later ate at the Blake (not the Drake) a new restaurant in Canmore, which was unbelievably delicious!

 Goon 1

Goon 2

Narao Glades

Name: Narao Glades
Activity: Alpine Touring/Backcountry Skiing

Distance: ~7 km

Altitude: ~2,500 m

Elevation Gain: ~600 m

Area: Yoho National Park

Crew: Bennett

Time to Summit: ?

Trailhead: Lake O'hara Fire Road

Getting There:

From the Trans-Canada (Hwy 1), head west past Lake Louise. As you enter Yoho and begin descending, take the left turn towards Lake O'hara and park in the parking lot.

Additional Info:

Bennett and I were looking for something to do on a good avi day with low visibility (I'm writing this at a later time and I can't recall what the forecast was). We debated between Crowfoot Glades and Narao Glades and were bouncing back and forth between a few options (Purple Mound was thrown in there too). We settled on Narao Glades and just had the best time! Only 2 other groups there that day and the snow was absolutely unreal - it was dumping when we got to the parking lot. Plus I got to try out my new alpine down! woohoo!

We loved it so much we came back a few weeks later on another low-vis day.
And again...

 Black panther

  Black panther

 Black panther

Moraine Lake (Winter)

Activity: Moraine Lake Road X-Country Skiing

Distance: 16 km ?

Area: Banff National Park (Lake Louise)

Crew: Steph, Mark

Lisa's Mom Rating: Yes

After many -30C days this winter and many cancelled cross country ski outings with Steph, we finally decided that it was no longer an excuse to not go on a bluebird day. Mark joined us as we skied up the Moraine Lake Road in the wintertime - truly a beautiful trail and a great view of the Valley of the Ten Peaks at the end! To go all the way to the lake, there are a few avi slide paths to cross. Hearing a few avalanches around us as we skied, we decided not to venture any further.

 Temple, baby.

 Valley of the Ten Peaks

 The crew!

Me & Steph