April 1, 2009, Kootenay Pass, BC

We were in no rush to arrive early at Kootenay Pass because we needed some locals to break trail after the recent storm.  Sometimes being an €œold dog€ has its advantages.  We arrived at the Pass about 10am and to my delight there were 4 young guys all skinned up heading for the trailhead. ;D  I started to talk to another young skier when a friendly local came over and drew me a map of the route to the hut on the snow-covered roadway.  I had to redraw the directions on a piece of paper before a vehicle drove over and wiped them out.  He and a couple of friends were heading for Baldy Rocks.  I overheard the young skiers next to our rig mention that they were heading for Cocaine Couloir; now that sounds like a real €œgriper€.  ::) Our goal was to find Ripple Ridge Hut and then to ski some powder.  The trailhead begins just west of the DOT snow sheds on the south side of the highway.  With an elevation of 5820€™, Kootenay Pass has an enormous snow pack.

The trail to the hut is about 600vf and takes 1-1.5 hours at a slow pace.  We used a couple of the shortcuts that bisect the logging road.  When we reached Ripple Ridge, we meandered along the flats until we saw the yellow €œCaribou€ sign.  Apparently this area is a caribou migration path.  No, we didn€™t see any caribou.  The hut€™s about a quarter mile from the €œCaribou€ sign.  It€™s a small but comfortable structure with a separate entry room, the main living area with a couple of benches for cooking/eating/sleeping and a wood burning stove and drying rack, then a ladder to a loft which could easily sleep 8.  And it€™s FREE!  There are 2 outhouses but only one was shoveled out and accessible.  There€™s a map on the wall which shows all the €œsecret runs€.  It was snowing during our visit so I was unable to get a look at the surrounding terrain, but the hut diary was very encouraging.  But then we all know how skiers/boarders enhance their snow adventures.

Jill and I toured towards Baldy Rocks and Lovers Leap.  Unfortunately, I had to break trail in over a foot of powder until I located the earlier group€™s skin track.  We started our descent in the saddle and skied tight trees until a wide open bowl appeared.  It was the USUAL powder turns, big smiles and a bit of barking.  :D This road-side attraction has lots of options and few competitors.  As we were leaving a couple of young moms and their 2 kids were heading up to the hut for a couple of days.  Kootenay Pass and the Ripple Ridge Hut are a couple of Canada€™s treasures.