Recent content by claurel

I'd say that the main reason to do a hut-to-hut traverse is because you specifically want the experience of the traverse... There's just something about being out in the middle of nowhere that is magnetic to me. You're certainly right that you don't have to work that hard to get fresh tracks in...

Glad you enjoyed the report, and thanks for sharing the video link! I'm curious where exactly those ice caves shown in the video were. I saw plenty of seracs (and stayed well clear of them), but I wonder if a lot of the ice was still covered by this year's deep snowpack.

Nope, I haven't done either of those. I really should get out and do the Spearhead. One of our Wapta guides mentioned that there's a new hut going in this summer, which makes it even more appealing. Thanks for the tip on the Neve—that one is new to me! —Chris

I just returned from the Wapta Traverse, a beautiful hut-to-hut ski tour in the Canadian Rockies that lies within the Banff (Alberta) and Yoho (BC) National Parks. This was a guided tour with Sawback Adventures, the same outfit that operated the Svalbard Ski and Sail trip I took April/May 2025...

I'm adding my Banff report to this thread. I snowboarded at Sunshine on the 26, 27, and 29, and did a half day at Norquay on the 28th. Overall it was an excellent trip with prime ski conditions, so welcome after a tough season in the Pacific Northwest. My only regrets were 1) not bringing avy...

Thanks for this trip report — I’m headed up to Banff tomorrow, first day on the mountain will be Thursday. I was hoping that the base wouldn’t be too firm down low, but maybe the ongoing snowfall will have mitigated that by the time I make my first turns there.

I'm assuming that you're not going to be heading to Alpental in early February now. It's a mess up there now and Edelweiss / Chair 2 is closed. Hard to imagine it reopening until we get a major weather pattern change in the Western US. 😢

I've been to Skeena twice, once in 2020 and then again in 2022. It's located well north of the other BC cat operations. The accommodations were certainly more basic than other cat skiing operations I've visited, with the beds in two-person huts and a walk through the snow to access the latrines...

I popped over to Alpental for the day to enjoy the bounty of the latest PNW storm cycle before the warm-up. Yesterday would have been a better day in terms of snow quality (colder), but the visibility was much better today. Lifts at Alpental generally start running at 9:00am, but patrol was...

Well, I'm glad that they're at least open now. But... has Bachelor ever opened this late? Crystal finally started running Forest Queen today. Apparently the extra 6" overnight was enough.

The first ski day of this very slow-to-start season for me was a day trip to Crystal Mountain. I'd been following all the weather drama closely — the late October snowfalls, through the warm November, the destructive series of atmospheric rivers, and the recent chain of colder storms — and was...

I've got a reservation at Crystal on Monday and will report here afterward. Baker just announced that they're opening to pass holders tomorrow (Sunday) and to the general public on Monday. They're claiming 91% open tomorrow, which is totally believable if you look at their latest snow report...

I'm in for a trip to Schweitzer from Jan 1-5 because I have a friend with family in the area. I sure hope it shapes up by then. Banff trips are scheduled for late March and late April — wish those dates were flipped!

Wow, I didn't realize that you'd managed to get an Africa trip in there! I was actually just looking at an Ice Axe ski touring trip to the Atlas Mountains — seems like an almost-reasonable way to ski Africa, though the idea of hauling my touring setup through multiple connecting flights gives me...

Another option would be the Lofoten Islands, although it may be pushing your definition of 'mainland'. They are connected to the rest of Norway by a bridge — does that count? I haven't been there myself, but I have a friend who went a few years ago and had positive things to say. Svalbard was...