Is it really spring?

Normally, the Rockies in Alberta tend to be in peak winter condition in March. But it this winter is not normal! So, you just take advantage of whatever it throws you. Yesterday we were mountain biking on the dry side of the Bow Valley in Canmore (Horseshoe and G8). There was a wee bit of mud, and a whole lot of fun. As I write, it is +20C on my deck! Just finished a road ride along the (recently swept) Legacy Trail, and then over to Lake Minnewanka (pictured above). Obviously the lake is still iced over, but I don't think for long. Certainly a beautiful day! I did see a couple of new big horn sheep lambs near the lake. They didn't hang around long enough for me to snap a picture. I think mom was calling.

Thinking about a back country ski tour this weekend....

Back To Louise

As the worst snow year in memory for Western Canada continues, we decided to hit Lake Louise on a Monday morning after a long awaited snowfall of some 5-10 cms. The rather thin base was rock hard on the front side, but surprisingly OK on the backside - particularly ER7 and Whitehorn 2 chutes (that are open). The above video clip was taken on the chutes when the sun broke through in the afternoon.

Ended up being a great day! The snow softened late in the afternoon, and was downright spring-like on the lower front side when we called it a day (at ten minutes to four...). Hopefully more snow is coming!

Update: March 20/15:

Back at Louise - perhaps a few mm's of new snow, and not soft! Flurries all day, so it really did not soften. Visability generally diminished throughout the day. Not stellar!

Finding snow: Robertson Glacier

The Author on the way up Robertson (photo by Ross)

This winter's snows in Western Canada continue to be dismal. In search of snow on a bluebird day, we ventured to Robertson Glacier in Kananaskis (Feb 22/15) with our AT gear. The trailhead (Burstall Pass parking lot) is approximately 35 minutes south of Canmore on the Smith Dorrien highway. On a day like this, it's an incredibly scenic area - mainly due to the geology. Most all of the mountains feature strata that has been thrust virtually straight up, resulting in dramatic peaks that reach over 11,000 feet.

The tour gains some altitude into the Burstall Lakes, then follows a glacial outwash plain towards Robertson Glacier. The valley narrows, so you have to be wary of avalanches from both sides, but on this day, the weather was fairly cold, and there hadn't been any recent storms. At that point, you start climbing a pretty evident route. Two skiers had come off the top from the other side (see the French-Haig-Robertson video blog from last April), leaving some nice turns, so we were encouraged by the conditions. No sign of the big crevasse near the top where the pitch rolls over - guess there has been enough snow and wind to bury it.

The col at the top was very windy, and as a result, not a nice place to hang for lunch. Too bad! The view is incredible! As such, we took off the skins, and cranked turns to the valley bottom that were surprisingly pleasant considering our complete lack of snowfall this season (so far).

By the time we were back to the cars, it was 6 hours. The way out will finish off whatever available calories you have left. And perhaps leave a blister or two.....

Looking back from the col