Nice parking lot clearing Parks Canada!
This winter was slow in coming, all over BC except in the North and Revelstoke and Rogers Pass. We took the opportunity to hunt for pow heading to Revelstoke to find the possibilities for skiing in adjacent areas. Obviously a choice is to ski tour in Rogers Pass. However there are also lots of choices closer to town not just to tour but also inbounds; always worthwhile if avalanche hazard ramps up. Town pow touring choices canvassed in this article include Begbie and the Fingers both of which are within 20 minutes of town. Revelstoke Mountain Resort is the go-to choice for resort skiing with some diverse slackcountry options.
If you need a place to stay we stayed at two different places with totally different character Minto Manor, a charming bed and breakfast and the Best Western a new and well-appointed full service hotel. For some dining suggestions we checked out some local options including the 112 Restaurant and the Rockford at RMR. Now on to the skiing!
Revelstoke and Rogers Pass February 2014 from Lee Lau on Vimeo.
Rogers Pass is the place that most people think of in terms of backcountry touring when they think about Revelstoke and for good reason. The Trans Canada highway through the pass tops out at about 1350m so you gain cheap elevation quickly via road. And what a road; the highway winds through the heart of the Selkirks; one of the world's astoundingly beautiful mountain ranges.
Unfortunately there are logistical challenges in skiing the Pass most having to do with the fact that the highway to Rogers Pass has Winter Closures due to avalanche control. Since a few big storms came through the highway was frequently closed; and even when it was open we were limited in the terrain we could ski due to permit area closures. Parks Canada is also frustratingly slow in updating permit closure information so if you want to ski at the Pass during storm cycles expect to spend a fair chunk of time waiting for information.
On our first day of skiing we were joined by Douglas Sproul who created an epic Rogers Pass Online Guide Book via Geobackcountry - You can purchase this as an online PDF or a mobile app that is optimized for Android. A review of this guidebook is here in two parts - parts 1 and parts 2 . When most of the permit areas are closed you can still ski in the Asulkan or Illecillewaet drainage; a 45 minute drive from Revelstoke. Parks Canada is responsible for this lot but their snow-clearing is haphazard and lackadaisical (where do those Park fees go?). There are some RV's that spend a few nights here, as well cars parked overnight to access the Wheeler Hut. This can make parking challenging on snowy busy days so get there early!
Nice parking lot clearing Parks Canada!
On one particularly stormy day we explored new areas off Glacier Crest. It stormed 40 cms + with a good deal more in the alpine so we stuck to well-anchored treed slopes. Here we are skinning up
Digging a pit to see what's up, good to go!
The next day we headed back to Roger Pass to take advantage of more pow. None of the Permitted areas were open so we headed up the Asulkan Valley again to the Practice trees. Lee had to break trail all the way!
The pow did not disappoint as another 30 had fallen. Storm snow was 50+ even in the lower elevations.
We did set off a small remote slide off a shallow rock right to the facet layer. Low consequence here... but kind of indicative of needing to keep things in check
After two days of skiing at Rogers Pass and with concerns about deteriorating stability from yet another oncoming storm we opted for a rest day skiing at Revelstoke Mountain Resort . With all the new snow and hopefully most of the weekenders gone, we figured we'd have the resort all to ourself! Unfortunately, no. It was Alberta and Ontario reading week and it seemed like lots of Revy folk had the powder flu so the resort was busy. But we still found some pow.
This is also a good option when avalanche conditions in the backcountry are suspect. One convenient service offered by the town and resort is a Shuttle. Check link for times. Nice to not have to drive to be able to enjoy apres at Macs or dinner at the Rockford. We had a couple runs under the Stoke Chair before heading down the lemming line to the North Bowl, which had great snow but a long ski out. We also had a run on the South side which also had fantastic snow. This mountain is big and I think you need to really get to know it to use your time well and minimize traversing.
Apres or lunch
Under the Stoke chair, you can see the Fingers across the Valley
Heading up the Lemming line to North Bowl
Norwegian Pow! In the slackcountry
Our line on the South Side
On our first three nights in Revelstoke we stayed at the Minto Manor. Run by Edna Mae since 2003, this mansion was built in 1905, and has been a B&B since 2003. Edna Mae creates hearty breakfasts and the Mansion is quiet for a restful sleep. The old Mansion is well heated, comfortable and gets you ready for the next days outing. Since all the bedrooms are on the top floor (3rd) there is minimal noise from people walking around the bottom floors. There is a tv room on the 2nd floor, where breakfast is also served.
There is a great ski storage room with boot heaters on the lower floor just off the parking lot. The large wrap around veranda also makes getting your stuff into the mansion from the main road or parking lot very easy.
Awesome elegant (but filling) breakfasts to get you ready for a day of skiing!
We can also highly recommend the Rockford Grill at RMR as a fine place to get food. It had a pretty wide selection of dining and drinks and lots of space to stretch out (good if you have ski boots)
Dinner at the Rockford. The Asian dishes were very good!
Parks Canada
Winter Permit Information
Weather, Snowpack and Avalanche
Glacier Park Avalanche Bulletin
Other information
Webcams
Ski areas
Maps and Imagery