ASCEND & WANDER

Coming from Field, we drove the Kootenay Highway 93 and overnighted in Invermere then skied Panorama the next day Field BC Elk on the frozen Kicking Horse river Alberta / BC border Lots of great trailheads and hiking and ski terrain along this stretch of road. This area came up lots in research of where to backcountry ski near Invermere Massive wildfire through the whole zone Invermere BC A small downtown area with many near condo complexes being built down the hill and closer to the lake. There was a great bakery in town. A cool spot we didn't get to check out would be the fire lookout tower on the opposite side of the river from Panorama access road   Mostly frozen Lake Windemere There are many advertisements for people to live at the base of the mountain. Then a short and old-school gondola shuttles you to the ski area every day until 10 PM.  Low snow year and unmarked hazards We followed the uphill access policy and skinned up ~700 meters of elevation gain Top of Summit ch...

We stayed 2 nights at the Eliabeth Parker Hut. It is very difficult to access the Lake O'Hara area in the summer due to permits so visiting in the winter is great if you don't mind the blisters that come from the 11-12 KM ski along a fire access road. Thanks Alpine club of Canada for maintaining a great hut network! ** Uploaded in reverse order ** Inside the Elizabeth Parker hut Skinning up next to a slide path that feeds onto Lake O'Hara Seven Veils Falls Another party staying at the hut had ice climbing gear and it looked like they had tracks in this area from a couple days ago but unsure if they attempted this ice.  McArthur Pass Our ski run down Mount Biddle (3,320 m) with McAuther Lake covered in white below Skinning up The summertime Lake O'Hara lodge Lake O'Hara Cataract Glacier from the fire access road 11 KM along the fire road to the hut This adventure mom was taking her sleeping baby out for a XC ski. Apparently without edges this has a tendency to drift...

Downtown Calgary from the inbound flight Terrain from Banff Sunshine Resort At the top Mount Assiniboine  Looks like access to the sidecountry. The lack of snow and hard pack snow was enough for us to not venture too far away from the groomers. A very busy parking lot on a Sunday at the beginning of March. It was good we got there around 8 AM. Though the lines were never long once you got up the gondola.  Vermilion Lakes rest area along the Trans Canada Highway Downtown Banff. And note the guy waving at me lol Canmore at night Lake Louise was plowed for hockey. There was a puddle of water in the middle of the lake and some kid actually jumped all the way in and got soaked up to his neck. He could have easily gotten stuck under the ice. And some Albertan guy yells "Who owns this kid". It was pretty wild.   

  These photos are from December 2025 and over 2 years since the maui wildfires of 2023 happened in Lahaina. The neighbourhood was blocked off for a while for reconstruction efforts and safety but you can now walk and drive the roads. The private and some public property are still closed off.  This was labelled as one of the heritage buildings Birds using mailboxes as a nest Federal response unit Right beside the ocean. The historic district and harbour were especially damaged.  Rebuilding efforts are ongoing and focused on people's homes first Sign junction at the main highway Looking at the destruction from a high point. The dark clump of trees is actually the exact site of the fire. I confirmed it with a compass after adjusting for declination. Surprisingly, that clump of trees remained green but everything else around it was destroyed.