12/13 canadian rocky mountain thread?

**angrysasquatch** · 10-26-2012, 10:33 PM

Anyone have beta on the emerald lake area? Looks like good access, and that little round guy to the ene looks alright.

**time2clmb** · 10-26-2012, 10:37 PM

What beta? You lose significant elevation advantage for early season skiing from Lake Louise to Field which makes regaining that elevation and then getting advantage suck. Tons to ski around there with a snowpack though.

**angrysasquatch** · 10-26-2012, 10:56 PM

That's what I was looking for more or less. Does the road stay plowed in winter for that lodge? If so, I might just go for a walk to check things out for later

**time2clmb** · 10-27-2012, 06:44 AM

The road to Emerald lake lodge stays open all year, and is plowed in the winter. The place is suprisingly busy with cross country skiers, snowshoers and lodge staying people. The BIG slide path that you see right across and lookers left is the emerald lake slide path...really popular for touring. I've seen it tracked wall to wall a few times down below treeline back to the lake. There's tons of other stuff to ski around there but every one goes for that it seems.

**jamesp** · 10-27-2012, 09:57 AM

most people only ski the slide path because that's what is described in the book...

**Wiilbert** · 10-27-2012, 03:15 PM

Anybody in Golden up for a tour tomorrow(Sunday)? It would have to be a bit of a later start, 10am or so. Text too-five-oh.683.8383

**time2clmb** · 10-27-2012, 03:59 PM

For anyone heading to Nakiska tommorrow, sharpen the fuck out of your edges...no point bringing dull and front side carvers will be your friend. Whistler style lineups for the lift.

Checked out Rae parking lot and spoke with a couple there. They claim to have counted 39 people up there...does anyone have any photos of the carnage up there from today, would love to see some pics of it lol. Also about 15 cars at Highwood proper and the same at the other early season spot. Time2 commence the bombing of highway 1....anyone got a plane I can borrow?

**time2clmb** · 10-27-2012, 04:05 PM

most people only ski the slide path because that's what is described in the book...

Yeah, I mentioned a couloir once on 93N on another site and some one was suprised that it could be skied because it wasn't in the book. You can see it from the fucking road... Guidebooks are great. I blame the internet though for shit shows like today at Rae hahahaha....it's good though, popularize and trip report the fuck out of the standard few and drive traffic to them.

**MustangSVT** · 10-27-2012, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Eastchris

I'll be up at Nakiska Sunday

Wanna meet there tomorrow? Send me a text at 403 eightohfive-8343.

**teamdirt** · 10-27-2012, 05:32 PM

Was at Rae today. We avoided the MECattude on the main glacier and chose the steep snow ramp in the east valley off the summit proper. To say the least is was awesome. knee deep and blower for the most part on glacier ice, however numerous micro aspects with crust and avi debris.... We had Private slopes, no one boot packing and carrying there skis, no split boarders learning how to use their boards, no whinny girls, no beginner back country skiers. The parking lot and skiing down was hilarious. 90% of the people up there couldn't ski down a packed trail......The side country, off glacier base is really close to being able to shralp. One more snow....

**endure** · 10-27-2012, 05:52 PM

Was the 22nd up to Rae.. yea, there were a ton of people, but there was more than enough snow to go around for everyone. Didn't cross a single track all the way down.. excellent turns! The ski out was full of little rocks sticking out so we stayed in the trees down to the lake.. some branches here and there but a pleasant ski almost all the way down

**time2clmb** · 10-27-2012, 06:28 PM

We avoided the MECattude

hahaha..MECattude, i'm going to use that in the future. Awesome.

Silly noobies, don't they know preseason thin snowpack turns will break them when they fall?

**angrysasquatch** · 10-27-2012, 06:30 PM

Went up to emerald lake, decided to leave the skis in the car. Went all the way up to Hamilton lake. There might have been a couple shots worth skiing, but nothing worthy of lugging skis and boots all that way. Around 30 cm of light unsupportive snow up at the lake elevation. Enough snow on the path to make going down kind of fun though.

**teamdirt** · 10-27-2012, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by endure

Was the 22nd up to Rae.. yea, there were a ton of people, but there was more than enough snow to go around for everyone. Didn't cross a single track all the way down.. excellent turns! The ski out was full of little rocks sticking out so we stayed in the trees down to the lake.. some branches here and there but a pleasant ski almost all the way down

I found it comical how everyone skied in the same place. We came out of our zone at 3pm and the Rae was skied to shit only on the lookers left side. No one even ventured out of the skin tracks. Goes to show you the mentality of people. "there are already tracks here so it must be safe, over there no tracks so don't go over there....."Lack of experience was on overload on the ski trail up and down to the glacier.....

**time2clmb** · 10-27-2012, 10:06 PM

Ran across this on MEC gearswap. If anyone has a single fat pow ski from a broken pair to pass along this person is looking for one...
http://www.mec.ca/Apps/outdoorGearSw...tegory_cd=Skis

**mntlion** · 10-27-2012, 10:40 PM

Also bow valley adaptive ski program needs skis. 70-110 under foot. And 170-190 length

**Mex** · 10-28-2012, 04:07 PM

Another busy day at the Rae today. I think FatMike counted 27 cars in the lot. We were there relatively early but there was a steady stream coming up when we were heading down. There's a little windslab up there right now.

**time2clmb** · 10-28-2012, 05:03 PM

Was wondering if the wind was starting to affect things up there. Had one whump today in non consequential terrain and some pretty crappy reactive slab forming up where you would expect it too.

Glacier ice...we don't need no stinkin crowded glacier ice..seriously though it's always nice to be able to get on to other things, it's a good sign the season is coming along when you can get off the ice AND the mega bonus is it's not even November yet. Supposed to get another 15cm in this spot in the next couple days.

Mrs. T2C:

**Eastchris** · 10-28-2012, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by MustangSVT

Wanna meet there tomorrow? Send me a text at 403 eightohfive-8343.

Sorry man didnt see this until today.

Pretty fun day at Nakiska for early season stuff.

**Mex** · 10-28-2012, 06:52 PM

T2c.. Nice. I think those turns looked slightly better than ours were.

**time2clmb** · 10-29-2012, 12:26 AM

Originally Posted by Mex

T2c.. Nice. I think those turns looked slightly better than ours were.

The sheltered at treeline stuff was skiing better than the above treeline stuff due to the windslab forming up...where we were at least. Still wouldn't want to ski anything without smooth ground cover though. Not quite there yet.

**angrysasquatch** · 10-29-2012, 12:58 AM

Got some itsy bitsy pillows in rogers today, it could use another week or two still.

MSP's Superheroes of Stoke showing at the golden cinema Nov 1st, 7 and 9 pm shows.

**Winkler** · 10-29-2012, 08:29 AM

Headed up to Rae with the masses yesterday, skiied in the hanging valley east of the glacier. It was shit skiing. Wind slab, avi bed surface to boney coverage over scree. Ski out was the highlight, all that foot traffic has its benefits.