Update – Where has La Niña Gone? What it means for Skiing in BC now.
The start of 2025 has been drier than usual in parts of British Columbia, with some areas experiencing early-season drought conditions. While lower elevations lack fresh snowfall, dedicated skiers and riders can still find quality turns in the backcountry, for a BC ski conditions update: where to find the best snow, the key, as always, is knowing where to look.
Snowfall Has Been Highly Variable
This season has been defined by inconsistent snowfall across BC. While some areas have struggled with minimal accumulation, others have been hit with heavy dumps. A prime example is Crescent Spur Heliskiing, which received an impressive 40-60 cm in 30 hours, while nearby Tête Jaune saw only 2 cm in the same period. These drastic differences highlight the unpredictable nature of this year’s snowfall patterns for anyone looking to update on BC ski conditions.
Despite the lack of major storms, many ski hills have done an excellent job maintaining skiable terrain. Their grooming teams have been hard at work, ensuring their resorts remain in top shape for visitors. While fresh powder may be limited, the well-maintained runs continue to offer enjoyable skiing.
Backcountry Conditions: What to Watch For
For those venturing into the backcountry, there are both opportunities and hazards to keep in mind. Snow coverage varies significantly by region, and the snowpack is far from uniform. In the BC Interior, the snowpack tends to taper sharply as you descend into or below the treeline, making route selection crucial. Some mountain ranges have remained relatively thin, while conditions in other areas are even more sparse, making glacier travel especially challenging. Skiers and riders should do the appropriate research before any trip, approach specific areas cautiously, and be prepared for tricky navigation over exposed terrain.
Another important factor this season is a persistent layer of buried surface hoar, which has been reactive in some areas but not in others. Regions like Rogers Pass have seen increased activity, mainly where wind slabs have formed. Travellers in avalanche terrain should carefully assess slope stability and check regional forecasts before heading out. Thus, BC ski conditions update: always keep track of recent reports before any backcountry adventure.
Navigating the Season Ahead
With such varied conditions, adaptability is key. If planning a backcountry trip, pay close attention to recent weather patterns and local snow reports. Avalanche forecasts remain critical, particularly with a spotty but potentially dangerous weak layer in play. For valuable information, utilize Avalanche Canada’s Public Avalanche Bulletin, our Know Before You Go, and Resources and Organizations for the latest BC ski conditions update.
As we move further into the season, keep an eye on shifting snow conditions and be prepared for a mix of deep snow in some places and firm or shallow coverage in others. Whether inbounds or out in the backcountry, staying informed will help ensure safe and rewarding turns. Here’s to making the most of BC’s unpredictable winter!
In the film, a group of women led by outdoor writer Meghan J. Ward retraces Schäffer’s legendary 1908 expedition to Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park.
Co-produced by Ward, based in Banff, and Trixie Pacis, a filmmaker from Kimberley, the documentary is based on the shared passions for mountain exploration and history held by two women, Schäffer Warren (1861-1939) and Ward, separated by a century.
“Having our world premiere at the Banff festival was our big goal from the beginning, not only because it is a prestigious festival but because it is one with deep connections to the film,” according to Pacis, the film’s director.
Schäffer Warren was a pioneer in more ways than one. Born in Pennsylvania, she was destined to buck the conventions of polite early 20th-century Victorian society, where a woman’s place was to be dressed up nicely for teatime in the parlour.
Schäffer Warren was born into money, and it came with privilege. She studied art at a young age and married Dr. Charles Schäffer, a doctor and amateur botanist. Together, they made many train trips to Banff, and she fell in love with the Canadian Rockies. Mt. Schaffer near Lake O’Hara is named after the couple.
When her husband died, she was widowed at age 43.
That’s when her life took a big turn. Schäffer Warren “reinvented herself as a mountain explorer, writer and photographer,” as described on the Wildflowers’ website.
She was the first non-Indigenous woman to visit Maligne Lake and many parts of Jasper and Banff national parks. She also wrote two books, including the classic Old Indian Trails of the Canadian Rockies.
The seeds for Wildflowers were planted in 2020 when Pacis started working with Ward at Paul Ziska Photography in Banff. They became friends and soon learned they were fascinated with mountain history, notably Mary Schäffer Warren.
More than a century after the original journey, Ward, photographer Natalie Gillis, and travel writerJane Marshall decided to follow Schäffer Warren’s inspiring footsteps to Maligne Lake.
Pacis, a Banff Centre Adventure Filmmakers Workshop graduate, saw it as a perfect pitch for a documentary film.
“Like Mary, Meghan moved west to the Rockies and reinvented herself as a mountain writer. Meghan once described her curiosity about Mary as ‘an itch that can’t be scratched,’” Pacis said.
Schäffer Warren remains an inspiring figure for women in many ways. In the early 1900s, when females were not allowed to join official survey parties, a man employed by the Geological Survey of Canada had the guts to ask Schäffer Warren to survey Maligne Lake.
It says a lot about the respect she had as an explorer and woman who was smart and could handle herself as well as any man could in the mountains.
At the same time, Pacis said Schäffer Warren’s life overlapped with “a significant time of colonial impact in the Canadian Rockies.”
“Reflecting on Mary’s legacy invites us to ask questions, rethink history, and consider what we can do now to blaze a better trail forward,” Pacis said.
Schäffer Warren built a house in Banff and eventually remarried one of her longtime guides, Billy Warren.
She died in 1939 of pneumonia but left behind a legacy of trailblazing – in the mountains and in a society that tried to put restrictive limits on what a woman could choose to do.
“Banff was also special to our friend and expedition photographer,” said Pacis. “We have dedicated this film in loving memory of Nat and know that sharing this film in Banff, surrounded by her family and our friends, was a unique way to honour her memory.”
The weather gurus predicted we had a 71% chance that we would experience a La Nina weather system this season. This shift can alter weather patterns, creating a northwest flow that funnels cold, moisture-laden air from the Pacific Ocean into BC, perhaps lots of snow for us to enjoy. For a detailed explanation of this winter’s La Nina forecast and how it might affect conditions in BC, visit OpenSnow, written by meteorologist Alan Smith.
As we move through January, it is worth doing a quick summary of the snowpack in the alpine and around the province. A couple of avalanche incidents were reported earlier. Avalanche Canada started their regular forecasts on November 21st at 4:00 PM PST. Check your local forecast and any MIN (Mountain Information Network) reports that refer to the area around your riding destination.
It’s always a good time to inspect your gear; double-check that your transceiver is functioning properly. Industry professionals continually work on their companion rescue skills. Do some drills with your touring partners. Is your tape, glue, spare batteries, etc., and other gear in your pack all functioning as expected? When was the last time you re-glued your skin? Waxed your board or skis?
We are fortunate in Canada to have many resources, such as detailed weather forecasts, at our fingertips. Some of my go-to’s are Windy.com andYR.NO, but DriveBChighway forecasts can also provide important information. You may consider taking an avalanche course or a refresher with a local provider.
Be well prepared if you plan to head out into the backcountry. Understand what the avalanche danger ratings mean, particularly High – “natural avalanches are likely, human-triggered avalanches are very likely,” Considerable – “natural avalanches are possible, human-triggered avalanches are likely” and Moderate – “natural avalanches unlikely, human-triggered avalanches possible.”
In the spirit of safety, let’s stay informed, communicate effectively, and adapt our plans accordingly. Winter’s challenges are part of the adventure, and with a thoughtful approach, we can continue to enjoy our alpine environment while managing risks. Here’s to making smart decisions, respecting the backcountry and its residents, and ensuring an enjoyable, memorable and safe winter season. Please remember to #recreateresponsibly and ask others to do the same.
The story of one of the most important inventions in ski touring history
I attached Alpine Trekkers to my downhill skis the first time I went ski touring and clicked in with my clunky Alpine boots. It was 1997, and I was probably lifting more than 10 pounds of gear with each stride. I was also young, fit and ignorant enough to think the system was amazing. Until one day a Swiss mountain guide using Dynafit touring bindings left me dragging a mile behind him.
I can still picture those bindings. They don’t look that different than the ones on my skis today or the first pin binding introduced in 1984, as such “Low-Tech” bindings are unique among outdoor gear.
Besides the two wheels, today’s mountain bikes share little with the early off-road rigs of 40 years ago. Backpacks have gone from exterior aluminum frames to internal suspension systems. And while skis still have a tip and tail, everything in between has changed.
Meanwhile, the pincer toe, U-pin and boxy heels of today’s tech bindings are obviously descendants of the binding Fritz Barthel invented four decades ago.
“Laziness is the mother of invention,” says Barthel.
The story goes, in 1982, he and a buddy were driving back to Austria from a Mediterranean climbing trip and, on a whim, decided to ski Mont Blanc. When they reached the summit, they were exhausted and nearly didn’t make it back to the car. On the drive home, Barthel, an engineering student and lifelong tinkerer, wondered what he could have done differently. Low Tech’s 30th Anniversary
The logical solution was to design a lighter touring binding system. Touring bindings at the time worked similarly to today’s “frame” bindings with resort-style bindings mounted on a plate, or frame, that swivelled from a point near the toe. Barthel realized the key to a lighter setup was the relatively new introduction of stiff plastic ski boots. It would eliminate the need for a heavy frame. The problem was the connection.
After many iterations, Barthel developed a system that used metal pins at the toe that coordinated with notches on a boot and a similar connection at the heel that spun out of the way for climbing.
“At the time, everything had to be called ‘high-tech’ to be successful,” Barthel says. “But, what should this lightweight, mechanically simple binding be called? Low Tech, of course.”
By 1984, Barthel had a working prototype and a patent for his Low-Tech system. He shopped the idea to all the big boot and binding manufacturers, but they were put off by the unusual-looking binding and the fact shoppers of the new bindings also required new boots.
“I still have all the rejection [letters] of all the companies,” Barthel said. “There was no official interest.”
Eventually, Dynafit permitted him to retrofit the binding connections into its boots, with the catch that Barthel had to buy them first. Dynafit.com
His dad, an avid backcountry skier, raised some money, and Barthel turned his basement into a workshop. At first, sales were slow. Then, some ski-mo racers saw the advantage, adopted the system and started winning races. Soon, Barthel was manually retrofitting 1,000 pairs of boots a year. It was unsustainable for a home-based business, and Low Tech was finally enticing enough for the more prominent companies.
In 1990, Dynafit licensed the patent, took over the boot and binding manufacturing and renamed the Tourlite Tech system. (Thirty-five years later, Barthel continues to consult with Dynafit about their bindings and boots.)
As the system gained popularity among the growing ski touring community, Dynafit became synonymous with “tech” bindings. Barthel’s original patent expired in 2006. Overnight, several ski brands introduced their versions.
One of the first was Vancouver-based G3 or Genuine Guide Gear. In the mid-2000s, an alpine touring binding fit well with its mix of avalanche safety gear and telemark bindings. Its first offering, the Onyx binding, sought to alleviate concerns that the tiny pins weren’t reliable or robust enough for hard downhill skiing. It looked beefier and had lateral release values, similar to the DIN settings on resort bindings. It has since been replaced by more minimalist models that the new owner of G3 will continue to sell. G3 is back online and ready for another lap;seeG3 Bindings.
The Onyx was a precursor to the Marker Kingpin, which had a pin-style toe but an alpine binding-style heel. Salomon and its sister brand Atomic eventually adapted the idea further with the Shift binding. It uses a pin-style toenail for skinning and a traditional alpine attachment system for the descent, Marker Kingpin Bindings, 2025.
Low tech is now catching on in snowboarding. First, individual riders milled pin connections into their soft boots or created their own “franked systems” out of alpine touring gear. Today, there are several brands, such as Phantom Snow. Voile and Spark R&D, who design and manufacture tech-style boots and bindings specifically for split-boarding, see Cripple Creek Backcountry.
The dozens of tech-style bindings on the market mostly stick closer to Barthel’s original goal of making ski touring lighter and more user-friendly. The latest company to get into the pin binding game is Tyrolia with its new Almonte 12 PT. They look and function very similar to the originals but are lighter, safer, more reliable and easier to use. As such, Fritz Barthel is one of the key architects who made ski touring the approachable and accessible sport it is today. I thank him every time I skin past someone sweating uphill in a clunky frame binding or, worse, Alpine Trekkers.
The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Let’s face it: it’s a hopeful declaration. Between about 100,000 and 11,000 years ago, most of North America was frozen beneath ice three kilometres thick in places. Known as the Wisconsin glaciation, it was the last major ice age to grip the northern hemisphere. Time must have practically stood still in this virtually lifeless landscape. It’s no wonder that humans would adopt the word “glacial” as a metaphor for things that move ponderously slowly.
However, that metaphor is melting. The glaciers we know are vestiges of ancient geological history, and they are rapidly leaving the ice age. Human-caused climate change is accelerating this exit. Unless we can limit global warming to a few more tenths of a degree, we’ll lose two-thirds of the world’s remaining glaciers by the year 2100.
Helm Glacier is one of them. Nestled on the north face of Gentian Peak, near Garibaldi Lake, the Helm has been studied more than almost any other glacier in southwestern BC. Federal government scientists started taking measurements there in the 1960s when it covered an area of around 4 square kilometres. Today, it covers just a square kilometre, and it’s not long for this world, says Mark Ednie, a geologist with the Geological Survey of Canada.
The Helm is one of dozens that Ednie monitors in the Western Cordillera of Canada, from the Rockies to the Coast Range. He visits all of them twice a year: once in the spring to measure snow depth and snow density and once in late summer to measure ice melt. Combine these two measurements, and you get something called “mass balance,” a metric that describes whether a glacier is growing or shrinking.
“It’s usually in the negative column,” Ednie says.
You don’t need to be a geologist to know that most of our glaciers are disappearing; you only need to spend a few summers in the mountains and open your eyes.
Scientists divided a glacier into two zones. The accumulation zone occupies the higher elevations, where the ice remains snow-covered year-round. Below that snow, or firn line, is the zone of ablation, where more snow is lost than accumulates and is often bare ice.
A healthy glacier is growing and is in constant motion. Snow in the accumulation zone feeds the formation of ice, which flows from the upper to lower reaches of the glacier.
Since Ednie started visiting Helm Glacier in 2018, there has been no accumulation zone. Whatever snow falls in winter is long gone by the end of summer.
“So, it means the whole glacier is melting,” Ednie says.
It’s a similar story for most of the glaciers he monitors. And worse for ones like the Peyto Glacier, a dying appendage of the Wapta Icefield in the Rockies with data going back to the late 1800s. The effects of anthropogenic global warming are compounded by ash from massive forest fires. Ash darkens the glacier and reduces the albedo effect, or the surface’s ability to reflect the sun’s energy. The result is an even faster rate of ice melt.
In some ways, Ednie’s work is similar to that of the palliative care business. He makes the rounds to ailing glaciers and takes measurements, the way a nurse dutifully takes the vitals of a terminally ill patient. They know the end is near, but they do it just the same.
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide depend on rivers originating in high mountains. In western Canada, melting snowpack contributes most of the flow to rivers with mountain headwaters. Glacier melt, on the other hand, is responsible for a small portion of streamflow, less than five percent on the Bow River, for example. However, it’s a significant contribution. Melting ice gives streams and rivers a pulse of water during the year’s hottest months. There’s a reason glaciers have been called the water coolers of the earth; they store moisture for when we need it the most. When these water coolers vanish, it will have cascading impacts on irrigation, drinking water, fish habitat, and how we manage water.
Despite the dim outlook for glaciers, even anemic ones like the Helm in the Coast Mountains or the rapidly melting Peyto are still beautiful. Earth’s history is written in the layered, turquoise-coloured walls of a crevasse like the rings of a tree. Glaciers appear, for the most part, still and silent. Yet they are animate, moving imperceptibly by the pull of gravity as they scour, claw, grind and shape the underlying rock over thousands of years into the rugged landscapes we cherish.
Next to scientists like Ednie, who poke and prod glaciers for research purposes, mountain guides, perhaps more than any other people, have a profoundly intimate relationship with glaciers. As a Squamish-based guide, Evan Stevens has lived and worked in Sea to Sky Country since 1998. Stevens has witnessed phenomenal changes in the Coast Mountains, but in a brief period, it doesn’t even register in geological terms. Moats and bergschrunds are bigger and more complicated to navigate. Glaciers like the Serratus in the Tantalus Range are so shattered and broken by late summer that they are almost too dangerous to travel. Where ice retreats, unstable ground is uncovered, creating new rockfall hazards. In other cases, melting alpine permafrost is causing mass wasting events, like the cataclysmic landslide that ripped from the north face of Mt. Joffre near Pemberton in 2019. According to Stevens, most people think about the toe or terminus of a glacier when it comes to glacial recession. It’s easy to benchmark a glacier’s retreat. However, the diminishing thickness, perhaps less noticeable to the naked eye from year to year, profoundly impacts mountain travel, particularly at that threshold between rock and ice. As the ice thins, the glacier pulls away from cols and mountain passes. What once was a straightforward descent on skis or boots can become a technical descent requiring rappels to reach the glacier.
“As guides, we’re always thinking about plans A, B, C and D and making decisions on the fly. But in some cases, the decision is simple – not to go. The seasons are getting shorter, and some areas have higher hazards. It’s grim,” Stevens says. “I guess it’s not changing what I do, but it’s changing where and when I do it.”
Speaking to people like Stevens and Mark Ednie, you get the sense that travelling across glaciers these days is as much physical as it is nostalgic. It strikes at something existential to mountain people: the disconcerting notion of an alpine without glaciers.
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s alarming, but it’s also scientifically fascinating to imagine what we would have seen hundreds of years ago and what we will see in the future,” says Ednie. “I have two young daughters, and I want to make sure they see some of these places before they’re gone.”
Blanket Glacier Chalet is known for its snow. With an average spring snowpack of 5 meters, backcountry skiers have been enjoying the terrain for over 30 years.
Growing up at the lodge, I know every square inch of the area like the back of my hand….every tree, cliff and secret glade. But I have only spent this time with the area blanketed in snow. It was always a pipe dream to bring my mountain bike up in the summer to explore the area I call home every winter. Access has always been the limiting factor. We’ve tried hiking in before…successful 2 out of 3 times after 12-16 hours straight of bushwhacking or crossing big complex glaciers. The reality is that the only access for both summer and winter is by helicopter ride from Revelstoke.
I’ve spent years contemplating flying my bike in to see what it would be like to ride around the Chalet. Then came the pipe dream of actually riding my bike out of the Chalet to Revelstoke.. Laughing over the idea with good friend and long-time adventure buddy Chris Rubens, we thought we had to give it a go…but quickly second-guessed ourselves if we should. Even the night before we flew in, we had doubts about even bringing the bikes. The trip consisted of two days; on the first day, we would fly in, ride the area, and then develop a plan for next summer’s infrastructure upgrades. The second day, we rode our bikes out to Revelstoke via the northern section of the Gold Range Traverse. It is a multi-day ski mountaineering traverse that has grown in popularity and requires perfect springtime conditions for its technical route finding and glacier travel. I completed the traverse only twice, several years ago. Nervously reviewing terrain photos from years past and closely zooming into Google Earth terrain features, we figured we’d give it a shot. In the worst-case scenario, we would have to tie our bikes to our backs and slog out….or just call for a helicopter pick up.
We had two good weather days, so we decided to go for it. The night before was spent strategically packing our camel packs with glacier travel gear and sizing out mountain bike shoes with crampons. We met at 5 am to break our bikes down to fit into the small Jet Ranger. At first light, we took off from the Glacier Helicopters hangar. A lightning storm to the west was going off as we landed on the summit of Castor Peak. As the heli took off to the east back to Revelstoke, we stood silent, watching the sun break through the clouds for an incredible sunrise. After our bikes were put back together, we rode the 800m vertical down towards the Chalet. We linked up one rock slab to the next as we descended. What an incredible experience to be riding our bikes down terrain we thought we knew so well. It was that same feeling of stoke as if we were skiing that blower powder, hooting and hollering over every roll.
The rest of the day was spent filled with youthful adventure. Freedom, like the first time you learned to ride a bike with you and your best friend. A backyard filled with a new adventure around every corner. We would spot a cool terrain feature and giggle our way over to ride our bikes on it. From riding off a summit to connecting the most interesting rock features right up against a mighty glacier, we were ecstatic that this silly adventure wasn’t just working…but might be the best mountain biking of our lives! There was no need for a trail or to even follow each other. As far as the eye could see was solid rock that we could free-ride to wherever we wanted to go. We would ride past an alpine lake, drop the bikes and jump in fully taking our breath away. Or find a half pipe of rock to follow each other down. As the day drew to a close, it was time to head back to the chalet to take the measurements we needed to plan for next summer’s building. Exhausted by covering more terrain than we would on an average ski touring day, we fell asleep early, nervous for the next day of travel back to Revelstoke. Thoughts of impassable crevasses or loose rock along ridge features limiting us from making it home dwelled on us.
The next morning started early. We made it to the col between Castor and Pollex Peak after fooling around on the longest and steepest rock ride we’ve ever ridden. We jumped on our bikes from the col to ride the small pocket glacier losing elevation. Easily steering clear of the crevasses, we giggled at the thought of never riding our bikes on such a feature before. From the toe, it was quickly evident that our previous very rideable terrain was now over. Moving over broken rock and snow, we found ourselves at the bottom of the Big Apple Glacier. With very little firn snow left we put our bikes on our backs and crampons on our feet. On the steep ice, we were stoked to have the crampons. From the summit of the Big Apple or Mulvahil was our first major route decision. Try and cross the heavy, crevassed, and steep Mulvahil glacier, or attempt the ridge scramble with our bikes on our backs. The gaping hopes on the glacier easily steered our eyes to the ridge…which wasn’t much of a gimmie.
The more we put our bikes on our backs the more we developed efficient systems of strapping them to our backs. While scrambling along the knife edge ridge, we had our frames and one wheel strapped to our backs. One wheel was used as a walking object, and the other to find handholds to pull us up and across exposed sections. From the summit of this subpeak, it hit us as to how much ground we still had to cover and just how little riding appeared ahead of us. The terrain eventually mellowed out, and we jumped on the bottom half of our last glacier to ride straight down, covering distance quickly…we couldn’t believe how it actually worked out.
After crossing the Begbie Lakes we were taking much longer than expected. By the time we had made it to the base of Mount Begbie, it was getting late, and fatigue was setting in. An hour-long large boulder scree walk below the Begbie Glacier found us at the top of the traditional hiking route climbers take to get to the Begbie summit. We laughed and were stoked that we could ride our bikes again. Following the rock cairns, we rode into the Begbie campsite. The last remaining power gels were pounded, and we started the steep switchbacks down. STOKED to finally be riding without hiking, we hit the road before dark. Rolling down the highway home never felt so good. It was dark when we cheered our beers at the Big Eddy pub.
There was no doubt in our mind that we would be back to ride the rock around the Blanket Glacier Chalet. But the ride-out does not have to be done again. This summer of 2017 marks the first time that the Blanket Glacier Chalet will offer short 3 and 4-day mountain biking trips to the area with access by helicopter. All programs will be guided by certified ACMG guides consisting of small groups. Guiding will ensure respectful and low impact alpine travel on this ecosystem. With such a sensitive alpine ecosystem, riders will be riding their bikes on routes consisting primarily of rock. We will incorporate minor glacier travel using ropes and ice axes on some of our glaciated terrain to access certain terrain features. When guests are not mountain biking, the Chalet area has 3 lakes filled with rainbow trout, with a canoe and a couple of for use. And if the conditions permit, we will ski on the Blanket Glacier, just as they did in the early 80s, using a rope tow to maximize laps.
Keep an eye on the Blanket Glacier Chaletand the BLBCA website for upcoming details on these exciting and adventurous trips!
As the technical editor forSki Canada Magazine, it’s my job to know about the new gear for next winter before it arrives in stores. I test the latest jackets and boots, skis, and goggles. Basically, I call skiing work. Yeah, it’s a tough job. While my purview includes a lot of lapping groomers, backcountry skiing is my preference and the source of most of the growth in ski participation. So, it’s here where I get most excited and where most of the innovation is taking place. From more environmentally friendly ski construction to the ongoing quest for the perfect do-it-all boot to more breathable layering and new ideas in avalanche safety, there’s a lot of cool stuff in the pipe.
Some of it is available now. Some of it will arrive in stores in August and September. Either way, check in with your local retail shop to find out more about these cool products. Take it from a gear guy, talking about and thinking about new gear is a good salve when your next powder turn seems way too far away. Here’s some covetable gear to get you through the summer.
A lighter slack country boot The first four-buckle boot fromDynafitis pursuing the Holy Grail: a powerful downhill performance that’s also light, comfortable and walkable. TheTigard is available in a 130 and 110 flex. The overlapping, three-piece shell design is the beefiest yet from the veteran touring brand, but it weighs in at a respectable for touring 1,500 grams for a 26.5 size. The Hoji Lock System integrates the ski-walk mode into the shell and cuff, reducing play on the down and easing foot entry and hiking. It allows a 70-degree range of motion for comfort on the up. ($1,000)
A more environmentally friendly ski Atomic plans to overhaul the construction of its entire ski line to reduce the environmental impact of every model. It started with the 2023-2024 Backland family, including the 1,370 gram 95, a powder surfing, lightweight touring-focused ski. They switched to locally sourced poplar wood with hardwood inserts underfoot and a manufacturing process that reduces production waste. In total, they estimate the new process cut emissions by 30 percent. Atomic says they will continue to try to improve the process as they roll it out across their line.
A ski for the 50 Project TheQST Echo 106 is the ski Cody Townsend used last winter to continue ticking off objectives on his 50 projects, an effort to ski all the lines in the book “The 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America”. Salomon took their versatileQST 106 shape and lightened it up, both in weight and environmental impact. Construction includes a karuba and poplar wood core, basalt fibres, and cork. Thirty percent of materials are recycled, including the 100 percent recycled ABS sidewalls. At 1,760 grams, it’s not particularly light but if it’s good enough for Townsend…
A jacket for the uptrack The right layering can help you ski farther and faster in more comfort. That’s the goal of the Patagonia Upstroke Jacket and its partner pant. The new Fall 2023 kit is a slightly burlier version ofPatagonia’s Upstridekit. The Upstroke used a recycled polyester stretch-knit fabric backed by polyester. All that’s to say is it’s soft, highly breathable, and insanely stretchy. Two zipper pockets double as vents and another two fit skins. It’s our new favourite jacket for touring when it’s cool.
A better way to reglue skins Most skiers only attempt to reapply skin glue once. It’s such a challenging and messy process few attempt it twice. Montana’sBig Sky Mountain Products heard our pain and is now offering skin re-gluing, likely the only service of its kind in North America. For about half the cost of a new pair of skins, skiers can send theirs directly to the company to have the old glue mechanically removed and the new glue applied. Check with a Big Sky retailer or online to find out more.Climbing Skin Reglue Service
A recyclable ski G3 is threatening the future of ski benches and fences. The Vancouver-based brand has figured out how to make its skis recyclable. Until now the resins and glues used to hold the various parts of a ski together made it impossible to recycle and break them into their individual components (wood, metal, fiberglass, etc.) at the end of their life. G3 won’t divulge specifics, but it has figured out a way of unlocking the resin to make it possible to separate an old ski into its constituent pieces for reuse or recycling. It’s rolling out the construction across its line of skis, the G3 Recyclable Ski.
A lifesaving vest Whether it’s an avalanche burial, tree well, or simple snow suffocation, people die every winter from running out of air when stuck in the snow. To help save lives Safeback is working on what it calls “the world’s first active air supply.” Either in a vest or pack, the device sucks air from the surrounding snow and pumps it around the face of the victim via two hoses. Safeback says it extends the average burial survival time from 15 minutes to more than 90. Safeback Avalanche Survival Gear
An easier binding TheMarker Cruise 12 is a classic-looking tech binding system but is easier to step into than most. A bumper helps align the toe into the right spot and the heel requires 30 percent less step in force thanMarker’s Alpinist binding. The heel piece is also made from bio-based plastic mixed with carbon fibres and has both vertical and horizontal play for more predictable release values.
A binding for the kids Lots of parents want to get their kids touring but are held back by heavy gear or the absence of junior-sized touring products.Marker’s new F5 JR Tour crosses off both problems. The frame style binding fits alpine or touring norm boots in sizes 23.5 to 30, offers low DIN settings of 1.5 to 5, and is one of the lightest frame bindings available.
Pat Morrow – the amazing story of climbing legend Conrad Kain
Photographer/mountaineer, Pat Morrow, author of Beyond Everest, Quest for the Seven Summits, has been “preaching the word of Kain” since he became the president of the Conrad Kain Society 15 years ago. The society was created to keep the legacy of Austrian mountain guide Conrad Kain’s contribution to Canadian mountain climbing alive. Kain was the first alpine guide hired by the Alpine Club of Canada and emigrated from the Austrian Alps in 1909.
In 2009, the third edition of Kain’s handsomely illustrated bio-book, “Where the Clouds Can Go” was printed with a new foreword by Morrow who had read the book as a teen. He say he feels that the book helped him shape his worldview in terms of his approach to the mountains and mountain climbing. “There’s also an intriguing historical component to the stories about pioneer life in the Purcells and Rockies over a century ago” he said. The book sold out several years ago, and Morrow has been working with its publisher Rocky Mountain Books, the ACC and the office of the Austrian Consulate to Canada. Where the Clouds Can Go will be published as a reprint, available this spring.
The Kain Society has organized many events over the years, and taken upwards of 120 teens from the Rocky Mountain Trench on a 3-day introductory climbing program to get their hands on the Bugaboo rock that Kain and his guests explored beginning in 1916.
Check out www.conradkain.com for an in-depth overview of legendary mountaineer, Conrad Kain, and the society’s events.
On March 8, Christina Lustenberger and her frequent expedition partner Andrew McNab, climbed and skied a technical 45-degree couloir on the southwest face of Mount Niflheim in the Monashee Mountains.
Lustenberger is an ex-World Cup alpine racer from Invermere-turned-ski guide and bad ass big mountain skier. For the past several years Lusti, as she is known, has been ticking off a list of striking first ski descents, from the mountains of Western Canada to the remote granite spires of Baffin Island.
She is one of the women carrying on a tradition of female badassery in the mountains of Canada that is worth noting. And she’s doing it with, what you might call, typical Canadian understatement. Of her recent foray with McNab, she posted simply on social media, “Niflheim. Where the bad people go.”
Georgia Engelhardbelonged to a vanguard of affluent Americans who found their mountain bliss in Canada. She was also a pioneering alpinist who helped blaze a path for women on the sharp end of the rope.
The Manhattan-born adventurer visited the European Alps as a teen with her family and climbed Mount Rainier with her dad in 1926. On a trip to the Canadian Rockies that same year, she ascended Pinnacle Mountain above Larch Valley with guide Edward Feuz Jr. The Rockies was her summer home away from home for 15 of the following 25 summers. In 1929 she climbed nine classic peaks, including a traverse of Hado Peak and Mount Aberdeen. In 1931 she summitted 38 peaks, a tour de force summer that included nine trips up Mount Victoria for a 1932 Parks Canada-sponsored film called She Climbs to Conquer.
In addition to mountains, Engelhard conquered gender-defined rules. She thumbed her nose at the Victorian-era conventions of the day demanding women wear ankle-length skirts in the mountains and became one of the first female alpinists to wear wool pants like her male rope mates. A century later, it seems like a ridiculous notion, but at the time it would have taken some courage on behalf of Engelhard to withstand the withering looks of her stuffy critics.
She is but one of many women to break barriers in the mountains. Diny Harrison is among them. She broke a barrier without giving it too much thought when in 1992 she became the first internationally certified female mountain guide in Canada.
At the time Harrison was too immersed in the rigour of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides examination regime to ponder the significance of a woman dancing onto the stage of a then very male dominated show. To her it was simply the pursuit of a passion for mountains that was kindled in her teens. When she was 14, Harrison traveled west from her native Toronto for a 10-day adventure at High Horizons, a mountaineering skills camp started by legendary guide Bernie Schiesser. This experience prompted a move west.
Prior to diving into the mountain guiding life, she worked on the ski patrol at Lake Louise and was an avid backcountry skier. The idea of choosing her lines and “always skiing first” appealed to her. Friends encouraged her to knuckle down and focus on becoming a ski guide. She was used to hanging with the boys, comfortable in an outdoor locker room environment overflowing with testosterone. An energetic, engaging and assertive-as-needed personality served her well.
After earning her guide stripes in ’92 she embarked on a 17-year career with Canadian Mountain Holidays, eventually becoming assistant manager at CMH Revelstoke. She also guided summers with CMH, Yamnuska Mountain School, Banff National Army Cadet School as well as internationally with a number of guiding outfits, while also honing her linguistic chops becoming fluent in French, German and Italian.
Alison Criscitiello, who heads up the University of Alberta’s Ice Core Lab, is another pioneer. Not only is she a world leading scientist in the traditionally male-dominated field of glaciology, she‘s also a bad ass mountaineer whose career blends her profession with a passion for adventure.
There are so many women who have smashed gender stereotypes in the mountains and inspired others to do the same, that it seems unfair to single out just a few for mention. Climbing mountains can strip life down to its simple essentials. Assess the conditions, weigh the risk against the reward, make decisions, and move – or not. Why shouldn’t mountains also strip life of its artificial barriers?
Walking among the giant cedar, hemlock, and head-high Devil’s club of the Incomappleux River valley south of Glacier National Park, it’s easy to forget that the Pacific Ocean is 500km westward.
The Incomappleux belongs to a unique forest spanning a moist wet belt that’s nourished year round by deep winter snowpacks in the Columbia and Rocky Mountains. Measuring 15,000 sq km in size, it’s known as the Inland Temperate Rainforest, and the newly established Incomappleux Conservancy protects 580 sq kms of it.
This is an important and hard-won conservation victory. Craig Pettitt, a founding director of theValhalla Wilderness Society, is one of the conservationists who for more than a decade has been championing the protection of the Incomappleux and other remnant patches of inland rainforest like one at the north end of Duncan Lake. If it wasn’t for a blown-out logging road too expensive to repair and a remote location, the timber rights holder Interfor would have already harvested the forests of the upper Incomappleux.
How coastal rainforests have flourished for thousands of years so far from the BC coast results from an interplay of topography, latitude and climate interior that is found in few other places in the world. That’s why for mountain folks like us, the Incomappleux and other forests like it are particularly fascinating. Precipitation in the Incomappleux falls below the threshold of annual precipitation that defines a rainforest, roughly 1400mm per year. However, winter is the difference maker. Weather systems, laden with Pacific moisture, collide with the interior mountain ranges and delivers a deep snowpack that compensates for the moisture deficit. This creates localized conditions that mimic a rainforest, especially at the foot of mountain slopes where moisture seeps year-round. Such forests have historically been spared from massive fire events, fostering rich biodiversity centuries in the making and allowing trees to live to a thousand years or more. In terms of species mix, biodiversity, climate, and feel, these forests are more Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island’s West Coast than the interior mountain ranges where pockets of this ecosystem thrive. So big deal, why protect them? Well, such forests can generate tourism – people will travel to visit big trees. Tall tree tourism has become a thing in Port Renfrew thanks to the Avatar Grove.
But more importantly is that biodiversity is key for planetary health, and the Inland Temperate Rainforest is a richly biodiverse frontier of scientific discovery. In the early 2000s University of Alberta botanist Toby Spribille studied lichens in the upper Incomappleux River valley and catalogued more than 280 species, nine of them new to science. A survey of mushrooms in the Incomappleux identified 50 species, half of which are normally found only in coastal forests.
Dwayne Coxson, a University of Northern BC lichenologist, and botanists Trevor Goward and Curtis Bjork, both affiliated withUBC’s Beatty Biodiversity Museum, have been studying the interior rainforests of the Robson Valley, roughly between the communities of Dome Creek and Upper Fraser on the Yellowhead Highway. In an area that includes both Ancient Forest/ Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park and the 50,000-hectare Sugar Bowl-Grizzly Den Protected Area, the team has catalogued more than 2,400 plant species, including dozens of new discoveries. What’s even more surprising is that not all of them are “mosses and lichens,” says Coxson. “Some of them are vascular plants [a broad group of plants with tissues for conducting water and minerals – like fir trees or wildflowers.] It shows just how little we know about this ecosystem,” says Coxson. “Globally it’s a very unique ecosystem.”
Similar temperate rainforests are found this far inland in only in two other places, southern Siberia and Russia’s far east. According to Coxson, though scientific understanding of these rainforests has advanced, precautionary land use decisions in BC have not kept pace.
This forest once covered more than 160,000 square kilometres and stretched 1100km from central Idaho through BC’s mountainous interior as far north Prince George. According to some estimates, more than a quarter of this rainforest has been clear-cut logged and less than 10% has been protected.
That’s why the Incomappleux Conservancy, which came about after Interfor gave up 750 sq km of its forest tenure in the area, is worth celebrating. The Nature Conservancy of Canada brokered the deal, which includes support and funding from Teck Resources, several foundations, the federal government and individual donors. It also required the participation of First Nations in whose territory the valley lies. In reality, few of us will ever see the Incomappleux Valley. But that’s okay; knowing that this treasure exists is reward enough.
The wolverine, glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or quickhatch
BC Species at Risk
Next month representatives from nearly 200 countries will gather in Montreal for COP15, the United Nations biodiversity conference. The hope is to reach an agreement that will reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and achieve full recovery by 2050. Nevertheless, maintaining biodiversity and the ecosystem services our planet needs is more important today than ever before. In fact, it’s mission critical.
That’s why British Columbia needs to step up its game, in a big way. For too long our province has lacked a coherent plan and legislation to protect species and biodiversity. The result is an ongoing series of trade-offs with the resource extraction sector and an incremental loss of habitat.
Wilderness and wildlife are our calling cards as a world class adventure and tourism destination. From the grasslands of the South Okanagan and the Interior Rainforests of the Incomappleux River Valley to the Columbia River wetlands and the Great Bear Rainforest fjords, BC is blessed with a biodiversity and topography that is arguably unrivaled. It’s also home to more species at risk than any other province or territory, with more than 1,900 species, sub-species and ecosystems officially at risk of extinction, including southern mountain caribou and spotted owls.
During the 2017 election campaign, the BC NDP made special mention in its platform of the fact that BC has no “stand-alone species at risk legislation.” They promised to do something about it.
“We will bring in an endangered species law and harmonize other laws to ensure they are all working towards the goal of protecting our beautiful province,” the NDP boldly stated in its campaign. Half a decade later, not enough has changed, and that’s a travesty.
In 1996, the territories and all the provinces (except Quebec) signed the National Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk, agreeing to enact legislation and create programs to protect species. BC was one of four provinces that let the ink dry on the accord then didn’t follow through.
A Saw-Whet Owl, not much bigger than your hand.
As reported recently in The Narwhal, the BC government says it protects at-risk species with a basket of legislative tools, including the B.C. Wildlife Act, the Land Act and the B.C. Forest and Range Practices Act.
However, a new report from the Wilderness Committee and Sierra Club BC highlights big gaps in this approach that is putting at risk species and habitat in even more peril. The report is based on an independent audit by biologist Jared Hobbs, who was commissioned by the groups to analyze existing federal and provincial species protections in BC.
The result, says Hobbs in his report, is “continued unabated habitat loss and consequent decline for many species.” He notes that mapping of at-risk species habitat is outdated and incomplete, and BC’s patchwork approach fails to address all the threats facing critical habitat.
It’s a sad indictment of land use in BC. That’s why the Sierra Club and Wilderness Committee are urging incoming Premier David Eby to quickly create at risk species legislation in collaboration with Indigenous communities and make it law by the end of 2023.
As Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, said in a recent Sierra Club press release, government already has the reports and directives in its hands.
“One of the key recommendations of the 2020 provincial Old Growth Strategic Review Panel was for B.C. to enact a new law to establish ecosystem health and biodiversity as an ‘overarching priority’ across all sectors,” said Chief Phillip. “There is no more time to waste.”
In other words, we need a reset on species and habitat protection. Yes, it will take a paradigm shift on a landscape level, like how we develop our urban areas or carry out logging. But it’s possible, and necessary. For example, I recently visited two small scale woodlots in the Comox Valley whose operators have been practicing a very different type of forestry for the past 30 years. They manage their woodlots like living and functioning ecosystems, with timber and fibre being just one of many benefits they provide. It seems simple on paper, but this sort of thinking needs to be applied across the province, and it starts with robust at-risk species legislation. It’s time to get with it, BC.
Imagine if we could make more gear here; outdoor gear that is. That’s the premise of KORE (Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise Initiative) Launched in early 2021, this Kimberley-based non-profit is aimed at supporting the growth of the Kootenays – and BC – as a hub of outdoor gear design and boutique manufacturing.
“We knew there were people out there doing interesting things, but we were blown away by how many,” says Kevin Pennock, the KORE’s project manager.
After shaking the trees, Pennock discovered more than 30 ski shapers, design engineers, apparel specialist and other entrepreneurs in the outdoor gear sector, many of whom were unaware of each other’s existence. People like Nelson’s Cam Shute, an engineer and former head of design at G3, Nelson clothing designer Carolyn Campos, Northern Teardrop Trailers, a company of two that manufactures roughly 30 ultralight camping trailers each year out of a shop in Salmo, and PJ Hunton, senior design engineer for Norco Bicycles who works remotely from Kimberley, to name just a few..
KORE is the fruit of several years of back-of-the-napkin brainstorming between Pennock and the American-born Matt Mosteller, Senior VP of marketing, sales and resort experience for Resorts of the Canadian Rockies.
Testing the Attitude Skis at Red Mtn. Photo – Peter Moynes
“We wanted to change the narrative of small Kootenay communities as raw resource dependent towns and show that they are places where innovation and entrepreneurship in the outdoor sector is happening,” Pennock says.
KORE is inspired by similar efforts elsewhere, like the Outdoor Gear Builders of Western North Carolina (OGB) based in Asheville, NC. The community was once anchored in the textile and forest industries, and later in bedrock firms like DuPont that built and then sold a massive plant in nearby Henderson County that employed more than 1500 at the time of its closure in 2002. OGB was established in 2013 with nine core members, and has since grown to include more than 80 companies and organizations. In that time established brands like Fox Suspension, Rockgeist and Kitsbow have relocated or opened branch operations in the area, while new brands like Black Mountain Adventure Apparel and Blyss Running have been born. According to Noah Wilson, OGB’s director of sector development, member businesses collectively employ nearly 1100 people, spend (USD) $8.3 million annually in locally sourced materials, and are major contributors to North Carolina’s (USD) $28 billion outdoor recreation industry.
Exegi Snowboards
“A major motivator was bringing the outdoor media to our community, which was emerging as the east coast’s biggest hub of outdoor gear manufacturing, as well as creating a supportive community of companies that would work together to help one another grow and prosper,”, Wilson says, adding that support from the regional economic development organization was also key.
Pennock believes the Kootenays has similar ingredients for this secret sauce.
One of KORE’s biggest cheerleaders is Kimberley Mayor Dan McCormick, who was also part of early discussions with Pennock and Mosteller, and now sits on KORE’s board of directors. The East Kootenay community is historically rooted in forestry and mining. In 2001, Teck Resources Limited closed the Sullivan Mine, an underground lead, zinc and silver operation that operated on and off for nearly a century. Since then, Kimberley has shifted toward tourism as an economic mainstay, but COVID-19 has revealed the vulnerability of this sector.
“We need to look beyond tourism to create some economic diversity and resiliency,” McCormick says. “I see outdoor manufacturing as a natural for creating lasting jobs and prosperity.”
KORE decided to examine the procurement and supply chain realities around Dyneema, the ultralight, ultra-strong, fabric used to make packs and tents to see what opportunities may exist for reshoring manufacturing. A report commissioned by KORE showed how this fabric travels back and forth across the ocean, racking up thousands of kilometres and a considerable carbon footprint before it ends up in the hands of North American consumers in the form of outdoor gear. That’s why KORE is floating the idea of a Kootenay-based Dyneema product manufacturing facility that would tick a lot of boxes, a lower carbon footprint and better-quality control to name a few.
Ex-Canadian World Cup Mountain Bike downhiller Dustin Adams proved it when he launched, We Are One Composites, with the goal of designing and building carbon fiber wheels and bike frames from scratch in Kamloops. Most people told him he was nuts to try. They were wrong. His business is thriving, his staff is growing and Adams has several new bike frames in the works after the successful launch of his flagship model, Arrival, two years ago.
It’s the kind of success story that KORE wants to see repeated in small town BC. KORE is hosting the Outdoor Rec-Tech Summit, Oct 19-21, 2022, that will bring together BC-bred outdoor entrepreneurs to share stories around innovation, product design marketing, supply chain challenges and the case for making more gear here.
Interested in reasons why it is important to shop local, visit a previous blog post, Importance of Shopping Local.
Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park is a place of soaring glacier clad peaks, alpine meadows, powder snow, turquoise lakes and remote wilderness. For generations the area was the center of trade routes. Earlier this month the Assiniboine Lodgecrew, along with Chic Scott &BC Parks celebrated its 100th year anniversary.
Interest in mountain places came to Western Canada when the Rockies became accessible by train in 1885. The CPR began building elegant mountain hotels such as the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise. Mt. Assiniboine became prominent when James Outram and his two Swiss guides reached its summit at 11,870 ft. in 1901. A near perfect pyramid, Mt. Assiniboine is often called “the Matterhorn of the Rockies.” As James Outram said, “It towers 1500 ft. above its neighbours, commanding attention and admiration.” By 1922, the Mt. Assiniboine area was added to the newly established Canadian Provincial Park System.
Assiniboine Lodge is owned by B.C. Parks. After the Strom tenure ended, Sepp and Barb Renner and their family operated the Lodge for 29 years (1983-2010). The Lodge is now operated by Renner’s son, Andre, Claude Duchesne and his wife, Annick Blouin. They also manage the Naiset Huts, all of the camping facilities in the area and the helicopter access.
What an amazing setting!
One of the perks of being the executive director of the BLBCA is getting opportunities to spend time in so many amazing backcountry and alpine environments. I am fortunate to have just spent a week in the Assiniboine area under nearly perfect weather. After hiking in a lengthy but well-maintained and pleasant trail, my climbing partner, Masten and I headed up the Gmoser Ledges to the RC Hind Hut. The next morning brought perfect conditions, we cruised up the many coloured bands of rock that delineate the climbing route on Assiniboine, the red band is definitely my favourite. It was warm, calm and the spectacular views from the summit were unencumbered in all directions. After a leisurely lunch we moseyed down, thanks to BC Parks for all the bolted rappel stations, very convenient. It was an amazing day, a mountain I have always wanted to climb. Thanks to the staff at Assiniboine Lodge, Masten and Mother Nature for their important parts in making this trip so nearly perfect.
If you prefer exploring without a bunch of climbing gear, there are many wonderful scrambling opportunities in the immediate vicinity.
Masten, climbing the “red band”
All these years later the Assiniboine Team and Family stay true to the deeply held values of the early Assiniboine Lodge pioneers. The minute you arrive at Assiniboine, you are welcomed with open arms into the Assiniboine Family. Guests ski the same meadows and the same ski runs as Erling Strom did with guests 90 years ago. They hike the same trails. And after a day out in the mountains they gather to share hearty food and stories. It is a time to absorb all the beauty that Mother Nature can offer in this very special place. A time to regenerate, reconnect and recreate responsibly.
Mountain goats are masters of the vertical world. These shaggy, white-coated animals are skilled climbers who can balance on a spot no bigger than a Loonie. An adult mountain goat can weigh between 80 and 100 kilograms, as much as a black bear. Their gymnastic ability to scale a mountainside can be breathtaking.
Western Canada is made for mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus.) Bill Jex, BC Gov’t sheep & goat biologist estimates that between 40,000 and 70,000 of them range throughout BC’s backcountry alone, making up half the global population of this species. COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) lists them as not at risk, but there have been localized extirpations and declining populations in areas of southern BC. Parks Canada considers goats an indicator species of ecosystem health and climate change impacts because of their unique ability to occupy the harsh, snowy alpine environment.
In very rare occasions these alpine ungulates can be as dangerous as they are beautiful. In 2010, a mountain goat in Washington State’s Olympic National Park killed a 63-year-old hiker (mountain goats successfully colonized the Olympic Range after humans introduced them to the area in the 1920s as prey for hunters.) Last September backpackers reported finding a dead grizzly near a trail crossing Yoho National Parks’ Burgess Pass. The cause, according to Parks Canada; death by a mountain goat horn.
Mountain goats are masters of the alpine environment.
More and more people are getting outside and in the mountains. That’s a good thing, generally, but it’s not without problems. In two popular BC provincial parks, Valhalla Park, north of Nelson and Cathedral Park near Keremeos, mountain goats are getting unusually up close with humans. Why they’re doing it is no secret to wildlife biologists. In spring and early summer mountain goats, especially nannies with kids, need minerals like potassium, phosphorous, and sodium to compensate for natural deficiencies that result from a winter of stingy forage. So intense is the drive for nutrients, they’ll travel 40 or more kilometres over rugged mountain terrain just to reach a natural salt lick. However opportunistic herds, like the ones hanging around certain campsites in Valhalla and Cathedral Lakes have found a much easier source – salty human pee, grey water, and sweaty hiking clothes. In fact, they have become uncomfortably addicted to it and it’s creating a tenuous human-wildlife management challenge for BC Parks. The problem is what to do about it. Weaning mountain goats off this salty supply isn’t easy. Diversionary salt licks, placing blocks of salt at locations away from people and campsites can work for awhile. However, it seems goats tend to revert back to old ways, especially after several generations have learned to be tolerant of people.
Most biologists agree it’s more of a human issue than a wildlife issue. In problem areas, using the outhouse instead of peeing next to the tent can go a long way. So can properly disposing grey water. Infrastructure is important. Installing more outhouses, greywater pits, and signage explaining goat behavior and habitat is a good start. But humans can be as stubborn as goats can be when it comes to altering their actions.
There’s a small percentage of people who probably don’t care. No amount of education will change their attitudes. But most who travel in goat country and have a chance to see one are thrilled and don’t wish them harm. But we have to remember that a goat’s normal behavior is to avoid humans. If you see one lounging outside your tent waiting for you to do your, ahem, morning business, don’t be fooled into thinking the goat is tame. It’s not. It’s wild and if the tables turn and they perceive a threat, it can go from cuddly looking to deadly in a heartbeat. And when a wild animal starts to get aggressive because of human disturbance, things rarely end well for the animal.
Are you a wildlife advocate, enthusiast or just like to learn more? Check out our blog post on the wolverine, highlighting another amazing backcountry resident, “The Ultimate Winter Specialist”
The people who own and run BC’s backcountry lodges are, by necessity, tinkerers. Far from town, operating at the whims of Mother Nature, and with infinite variables at play, they get good at coming up with creative solutions.
But even after nearly 20 years of helping with the problem solving at Golden Alpine Holidays (GAH), a trio of backcountry lodges north of Golden, B.C., Brad Harrison wasn’t ready for the doozy that landed on the industry’s plate in 2003. Following a challenging avalanche season, the insurance industry decided either not to renew, or to charge exorbitant rates, for affected insurance policies. A commercial general liability policy is a BC Government requirement needed to operate on crown(public) land. As a result, GAH and every other commercial backcountry lodge were all left wondering how they move forward.
But as is often the case, a crisis created a chance to improve.
At the time the 25 odd commercial lodges in B.C. often looked at each other as competitors. In the insurance issue Tannis Dakin, then owner/operator of Sorcerer Lodgesaw an opportunity. She believed in old adages like “a rising tide lifts all boats” and “don’t waste a good crisis”.
Dakin teamed up with two Calgary insurance agents, Bill Dunlop and Angela Dunlop McKenzie, to sort out a way to recapture the much-needed liability insurance policies. Standard operating protocols were researched, created and readied to be implemented or recommended. Protocols included waiver administration, human resource procedures, risk mitigation, information sharing processes and other business practices. Insurance underwriters agreed to make liability insurance available if an association was created and members of the association agreed to follow the aforementioned and other standard operating procedures. Hence the Backcountry Lodges of B.C. Association was created in 2004. Margie Jamieson, owner/operator of Ptarmigan Tours was the association’s first president.
Six years later, Harrison and his partners sold Golden Alpine Holidays and he became the Executive Director of the BLBCA, a position he still holds. His past experience helped, given the trials and tribulations of operating GAH. And by not owning a lodge anymore, he was in an impartial position, both in actuality and perceptively.
“I was well situated to help operators use the backcountry in an appropriate and responsible way,” he says. It’s a mission he continues to pursue.
The BLBCA gradually matured, members saw more value in working together. At annual meetings they would share their experiences and learn from each other. Learnings like effective solar panels, the best composting toilet, preferred water treatment systems were routinely shared. We realized if we help each other, everybody gains, says Harrison.
Soon, the BLBCA started working with the BC Provincial Government in earnest and introduced an association-wide marketing program, with the integral help of Destination BC. Although themes of the marketing program have varied over the years, the overarching tenets to Regenerate, Reconnect and Recreate Responsibly have remained.
Harrison and the BLBCA are very focused on informing listeners on the value of wild places. The Wilderness Tourism Association of B.C. estimates the economic impact of B.C.’s adventure tourism industry at $2-billion, Value of Adventure Tourism. Although difficult to quantify, the socio-economic value to Rural BC is significant. Health benefits of time spent in nature are well-documented, Canadian doctors can even prescribe it, Announcing a New Collaboration between PaRx and Parks Canada.
Now with outdoor recreation booming and government budgets stretched thin, Harrison thinks the BLBCA can play a role in enhancing and expanding a culture of stewardship. The lodges are perfectly positioned to support the BC Gov’t with citizen science data on species-at-risk, like Whitebark Pine, Wolverine, amongst others. And they hope to help new outdoor users learn the art of treading lightly, Backcountry Trail use is Booming.
“A lot of new backcountry users aren’t yet sure how to treat Mother Nature with respect,” he says. “Lodge owners interact with a lot of backcountry users. It’s a perfect interface and opportunity for them to inform and influence backcountry users.”
Trip Update: Our Complete Monashee Traverse started in Grand Forks on April 1st. We travelled through the Midway Range over 5 days with unsettled spring weather and a healthy dose of forest cutblocks and roads. Caching up on food at Highway 6, two friends Mark and Emily are joining us until Highway 1. Our highlight thus far, after waiting out rain, was through the Pinnacles and beyond to Sol Mountain Lodge. Cool conditions are lining up for great travel through the Gold Range. Thank you Aaron and Sol Lodge crew for the food cache, showers, sauna, beds, and delicious fresh food! We also appreciate the expedition support and funding from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
~Stephen, Isobel, Doug
Sol Mountain Lodge: The crew arrived in good time and good spirits on the sunny afternoon of April 11th. Showered, apresed, G&T’s, saunaed, ate more, drank, slept.
They left the the lodge the morning of April 12 with full bellies and full packs under clear skies at -12 with perfect travel conditions for traversing north through the Gold Range. Our son Seth, staff Jette, and friend Max joined them for the part of the day to Ledge Creek. They seem to be a good team all getting along well.
~Aaron
Blanket Glacier Chalet – Stay tuned for updates as they make their way!
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Continue to check this post for more updates from this exciting adventure!
Did you know we recently launched a podcast? We’ve got 12 binge-worthy episodes so far and will be launching one every month for your listening pleasure!
What It’s All About
Mountain Escapes is a podcast that aims to connect backcountry enthusiasts with the owners and operators of BLBCA member lodgesthroughout BC, Canada. In each episode we highlight a unique lodge through conversation with an owner. We will also feature guest appearances by other influential backcountry enthusiasts and industry experts.
Already a fan of the podcast, want to help us continue to grow? Our quick how-to video takes you through the easy steps of engaging with our pod.
Find us on your favourite podcast provider, subscribe to get new episodes when they drop and then let us know what you think by rating and reviewing!
To say that Mt. Assiniboine is both iconic and historic would be a major understatement. In many ways Mt. Assiniboine is the cradle of mountaineering, skiing and backcountry travel in the Canadian Rockies. Andre and Claude will provide us with a glimpse into Mt. Assiniboine Lodge both now and back then, way back then. We will hear stories about legendary characters such as Lizzie Rommel, Erling Strom and Andre’s father, Sepp Renner. Thanks for tuning in!
The podcast is on all major platforms, search and find us on whatever platform you listen to podcasts. See a full list of Where to Listen.
Listen to Mountain Escapes on YouTube
Prefer to listen via YouTube while at home or on the go? We’ve got you covered! Each episode of the podcast is also added to our BLBCA YouTube channel.
If I could choose a spirit animal, it would be the wolverine. This solitary animal moves through deep snow and the mountains with breathtaking ease. Though it avoids conflict, the wolverine can be fierce when backed into a corner.
I once sat with a handful of other climbers in a remote camp near Moby Dick Mountain south of Rogers Pass and watched through binoculars as a wolverine skillfully navigated a technical glacier, mired in crevasses and seracs. For more than 10 minutes, we observed the wolverine’s lonely ascent before it disappeared over a high pass and descended into the valley beyond. The wolverine – always restless, always moving, always searching.
Wolverines are mustelids, otherwise known as the weasel family. Next to sea otters, they are the largest of this group in North America, which also includes fishers and pine martens. With compact, powerful bodies, large heads and strong jaws, an adult male can measure one metre from nose to tail and weigh between 12 and 16 kilograms. Broad feet and strong limbs allow them to travel quickly in deep snow and track down a range of prey from moose, mountain caribou and mountain goat to beavers, porcupines and squirrels. Beyond a few weeks in the year when adults pair to mate, they are solitary creatures with vast ranges. People often mistake wolverines for bear cubs. That’s why in indigenous North American lore they are referred to as the fourth grizzly club.
By some estimates wolverine habitat has contracted by as much as 37 per cent in North America. The animal, listed both federally and provincially as a species of special concern, has been extirpated from much of its previous range, including Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. BC still relies on decades old radio telemetry data and remote camera evidence that pegs the provincial population at roughly 3,500 animals. It science’s attempt to extrapolate certainty from uncertainty. In other words, there’s still much to learn, including how climate change, diminishing snowpacks, and habitat fragmentation will impact wolverine populations.
The wolverine, glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or quickhatch
Wolverine Watch is an informal group of scientists collaborating to better understand wolverine habitat and the impacts of human disturbance. For example, Nelson researchers Andrea Kortello and Doris Hausleitner – Team Wolverine – have been using a mix of drone surveys, citizen science, and habitat modeling to identify denning sites in the West Kootenay region. The hope is that by knowing where the slowly reproducing female wolverines have their kits, we can make better land use and access decisions.
They are slippery subjects of scientific inquiry, often evading the biologist’s most tenacious efforts to locate, track and understand them. Ask any wildlife biologist, and they’ll tell you that’s part of their appeal. It’s also likely why wolverines are enveloped in myth and cursed with an undeserved reputation for cruelty that’s as large as the wilderness in which they thrive. This popular demonization might start with the wolverine’s unsavory Latin scientific name, Gulo gulo, which translates as “glutton, glutton.”
“Nobody moves through the mountains like a wolverine,” says Montana-based writer and biologist Douglas Chadwick.
And few North American animals are as misunderstood, he adds.
While researching his 2010 book The Wolverine Way, Chadwick says he failed to uncover a single credible report of a wolverine attacking and injuring humans. Nonetheless, people demonized them. And that’s easy to do in “the absence of data,” Chadwick says.
Absence of data; those three words say much about the wolverine. And whenever the first snow flies in BC, I start thinking again about this ultimate winter specialist.
Are we exhausted, have we had enough? Without exception the last two years have been tough. Is it over? Probably not.
There is no new normal, not like we thought. Climate change scientists are telling us loud and clear, Just as they have for years. Are we listening? Probably not.
In the Western world – we like our stuff Giving anything up would just be too tough. Inequities are there, but our words are like thin air. Do we get it? Probably not.
Will we change our ways, will we hear nature’s call? Or continue to dismiss the warnings, thinking all will be well? Technology will save us, look what we’ve done, For the next generation, their future has just begun. Will electric cars and space travel save us? Probably not.
Do we think about what’s ahead? We live on a finite planet, that’s been said. There are too many of us, we want too much, We are not willing to give anything up without a fuss. The natural commons are paying a price, While we purchase things, we think are nice. Do we know the difference between wants and needs? Probably not.
Governments and corporations keep the system going, And the public maintains a comfortable position of uncaring and unknowing. As decisions are made that compromise our existence, There is little resistance. Will we see what’s happening in time to make a change? Probably not.
Is there time to make a difference? To save the forests, the oceans, the rivers and glaciers, the air we breathe? Natures gifts for life and all that we need.
It takes courage to make a change, To care about the planet outside of our personal gain. To care about others who are paying the price, For the consequences of not thinking twice.
Will I stop hoping for change or voicing my concerns? Probably not. I love our beautiful planet too much.
Canadian Adventure Company’s story is captured in this video by Backpacker Magazine of a trip to Mallard Mountain Lodge with editors, photographers, and skiers for an annual gear testing trip.
Below is snippet from their look back on 10 great years:
“2005 was the birth of Whitecap. Oh, we had run commercial trips since the lodge was built in 1972, but this was the first season we ran (or attempted) to run back to back trips the entire winter.
As a prominent El Niño trend continues to gain steam in the Pacific Ocean, climatologists at the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center claimed Thursday that every one of their computer models are predicting a El Niño to reach peak intensity during the late fall/early winter months. Read the complete article.
Golden rules for destination weddings and Purcell Mountain Lodge offers year-round elopement packages to intimate private backcountry weekend weddings for up to thirty guests.
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