Home > Trip Reports > November 8-11, 2008, Harrison Hut, BC

November 8-11, 2008, Harrison Hut, BC

11/8/08
Canada BC
7604
14
Posted by Snowulf on 11/13/08 1:40pm
With grim weather reports last weekend and high levels of enthusiasm our crew of regulars were trying to decide what to do to make the most of the weather. After much debate, we decided to head up to Harrison Hut (in the vicinity of Overseer - Northeast of Whistler). With hot springs near the parking lot and a hut that we could make ourselves warm at in case the weather got bad we thought that it would make a good possible destination.

It turned out to be better than we expected in terms of being able to drive higher on the forestry roads, the bushwack into the hut, the stream ford that we were all envisioning the worst. We were able to park the trucks on the road at around 1000 m and then dove into the bush at 1200 m. At 1700 m we were able to strap on the skis and travel up the ridge until we had to traverse down to get to the stream running off the Roller Coaster glacier. Travel was a little slow at this point as the snow definitely got thin (see the first pic) but we made it to the cabin in good time.

The next day we set out in good spirits (it had snowed 20 cm over night) and headed up onto the ridge going up Mt. Frozen Boot (Mt. Breshnev). The winds were high but we managed to find a little pocket snowfield at around 1900 m that we ended up doing fantastic laps on in early season delight (see second pic). We did consider heading farther up the ridge but as it was quite scoured we decided to leave it alone. This continued for much of the afternoon with lots of laughs and good times until the turning weather and late afternoon sun made us head back to the cabin (see third picture).

The final day, we packed up our gear and headed out from the hut in an additional 15 cm of snow that had fallen overnight and were able to ski out to 1600 m where we needed to walk the skis from there. All told, a pretty good outing for the first ski of the season!

Looks like a fantastic start to the season. What shape is the hut in?

Pretty good overall. There were a couple rough spots that could use a coat of paint and a little TLC but overall it was quite good. There were a couple places in the roof where some precipitation was getting in that should maybe be fixed up at some point. However, the guitar still had all six strings and provided many hours of amusement!

Nice work! That's a beautiful area.

Very cool! Thanks for the report and pictures!!

There's some more info about how to get to the hut, etc on the VOC wiki

The VOC has put in quite some effort the last year (since the bridge over Meager Creek was rebuild) to improve access (flagged the route mentioned above) and have started some hut maintenance as well (installed new door, did some work on the roof, plans to replace/improve the outhouse are underway). In general, the VOC would very much appreciate getting $5 per person per night from users, towards the upkeep of the Hut. The money can be left in the blue dropbox in the hut, or people can send a cheque to: Varsity Outdoor Club, Box 98, Student Union Building, 6138 Student Union Mall, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 2B9. Also there is a voluntary registration at the wiki to coordinate use (here).

Thanks!
Bram

Another VOCer here.  If you can give me some more details of where the roof is leaking, it might help us patch it up.  Glad you enjoyed the area.  Looks like better skiing than I had during my attempt on Tuesday :)

Nice Trip Report! looks like a great trip. Do you have a link to more picts?
Cheers,
Matt

Somewhere near the middle of the cabin. I luckily had a nice dry corner to myself. Where did you go skiing on Tuesday? Did you find any snow closer than we did?

author=matosan link=topic=11219.msg46329#msg46329 date=1226729273]
Nice Trip Report! looks like a great trip. Do you have a link to more picts?
Cheers,
Matt


Sadly no. I'm too lazy... If there's something specific that you're looking for, I can send them along.

author=Snowulf link=topic=11219.msg46330#msg46330 date=1226729323">
Somewhere near the middle of the cabin. I luckily had a nice dry corner to myself. Where did you go skiing on Tuesday? Did you find any snow closer than we did?


Went to Brandywine Meadows.  There is a heathery slope at the end (on the usual route up Brandywine Mountain).  It was not so good, lots of rocks just below the surface.  Didn't have rock skis, so barely skied at all.  Others with less to lose did a few more turns.

My friend's pictures:

Note to VOC folks: consider using PayPal for collecting hut fees.

I have always paid in the past, mostly for using Brian Waddington Hut, with cheques. I am planning another trip up Phelix this winter but I no longer have cheques (my bank want extra money for that).  Sending you money electronically would be fantastic.

Think about it.
Cheers


author=runningclouds link=topic=11219.msg46344#msg46344 date=1226781213]
Note to VOC folks: consider using PayPal for collecting hut fees.

I have always paid in the past, mostly for using Brian Waddington Hut, with cheques. I am planning another trip up Phelix this winter but I no longer have cheques (my bank want extra money for that).  Sending you money electronically would be fantastic.

Think about it.
Cheers


Don't we wish!  Being able to accept electronic payment would be pretty amazing for us, both for hut fees and membership fees.  Unfortunately, our parent organization, the Alma Mater Society at UBC strictly forbids any monetary transactions outside of their accounts.  Apparently they are working on this sort of thing for us, but it is taking a while.  We might be able to get away with having some individual accept the money in their account and then give it to the VOC, but we are trying to play by the rules and it is difficult because the executive changes very often.

In the mean time, we've installed the blue drop-boxes in the Brew, Waddington, and Harrison huts, so you can drop cash in there...

author=ScottW link=topic=11219.msg46324#msg46324 date=1226713683]
Another VOCer here.  If you can give me some more details of where the roof is leaking, it might help us patch it up.  Glad you enjoyed the area.  Looks like better skiing than I had during my attempt on Tuesday :)


BTW, one of the things that happened while we were there was that the handle of the maul shattered beyond repair. What would be the best way to replace it? Money to the VOC or a direct replacement of the handle? The head of the maul is still there and the ax is still in good shape.

author=Snowulf link=topic=11219.msg46398#msg46398 date=1226940523]
BTW, one of the things that happened while we were there was that the handle of the maul shattered beyond repair. What would be the best way to replace it? Money to the VOC or a direct replacement of the handle? The head of the maul is still there and the ax is still in good shape.


Thanks for being honest... not sure exactly what shape the handle was in before it broke...  Anyway, for us the easiest thing is for you to replace it directly (somewhat obvious, since it means we don't have to do anything).  If you aren't going to be back there or don't know the size or something, then a suitable donation would certainly be appreciated...

If the maul was basically broken before you even touched it, then we might be easily convinced to trade the damage away for more specific information on where the roof was leaking.  I know you basically said you weren't sure above, but maybe someone else in your party remembers?

Yeah, it wasn't in the best shape to begin with (it had definitely been splinted a few times). We did try to stock up as much wood as possible before the real snow began and the ax was working well. I'll also ask around, but the two people who were most affected won't be back in town until the end of the week.

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Snowulf
2008-11-13 21:40:31