ASCEND & WANDER

  I only spent a few hours here in the zone with a late start checking out of my air bnb and having to make my 4 PM flight. I figured if I made it to the hut by 1 PM, I would be able to ski down rather quickly then drive to YXC airport, return the rental car and catch my flight considering it is a small airport. The other 2 people at the hut were very surprised by how close I was cutting it. The ski out ended up being fast. Staging area for the hut is at the junction of the Crowsnest and the Tunnel Creek FSR. There were 2 main entrances but the one at the southern side of the creek is correct Skinning along the logging road Emerging out beneath treeline The logging road switchbacks back down the mountain but you want to veer up the creek The route apparently follows an overgrown summer trail up this creek before going lookers right up to a bench   Fernie Trails Association Apparently you can participate in summer volunteer work which earns you early booking privileges for...

I had been wanting to visit Waterton Lakes National Park for a while now but getting there always included a long travel time. I was surprised it is only 2 hours from Fernie and the drive takes you over the Crowsnest Pass and through some rural Albertan towns. Few people backcountry ski here but with some quick research I had found a route and figured I would get more information at the visitor center also. Apparently in April they pave the section of road in Glacier National Park but not the road connecting Waterton to Glacier until June so you always have a few options depending on the time of year I have been driving the Crowsnest highway tons around Hope BC and few times as far as Nelson/Castlegar but this was my first time going over Crowsnest Pass itself Path to Kootenai Brown cemetery at Lower Waterton Lake Bear's Hump trailhead Visitor Center Great chat with the park staff at the front desk who also happened to be the author of the red field guide. She had extensive knowled...

I tried driving Mount Fernie Park Road to check out access to the Thunder Meadows hut from valley bottom but there was a locked gate for the ski cat operation. I was able to park just past the campground in Mount Fernie Provincial Park at the Lizard Creek bridge. From there the skin track diverged from my pre planned route but worked out well anyway. There are probably a few options to get to the outskirts of the resort where the bigger terrain comes into view. I would like to explore other routes to access next time and other potential ski outs from the resort. It was a fun day overall considering I was unsure if going into the resort was the right call but everything seemed to line up on this one. The snow conditions were pretty good for spring explorations with wet isothermal snow but not too deep that made the travel slow. No melt freeze crust and extra sticky snow like Kimberly resort made it easy to control speed. Another option for a backcountry ski objective nearby for a day tr...