Jan 14-16 Kootenay Pass
1/15/11
4305
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Sitting in a coffee shop in Nelson after 3 days and 2 nights at Kootenay Pass. We scrutinized the forecast and decided the highest year-round pass in Canada gave us the best chance of avoiding the rain. Well it did stay cold enough to snow, but just barely. Felt like Hyak, BC. Several folks from Fernie said it was pissing rain top to bottom of the mountain there. Raining here in Nelson now but reports from Whitewater say the base was above the freezing level all day. Supposed to get a bit colder for tomorrow so we are keeping our fingers crossed. At least the drive home will be fast with the bare pavement.
Conditions weren't great at Whitewater, but they were good enough to justify spending $20 on the one ride backcountry ticket. Avy forecast was extreme, and a person died in a slide the day before in nearby Kokanee Provincial Park, but we didn't observe any signs of instability. Nonetheless, we stuck to the thick tree lines rather than venturing to any of the more epic decents in the adjacent sidecountry. Even though we didn't get any blower Kootenay powder, we avoided skiing in the rain for four straight days when just about everywhere else in the PNW was getting wet, so I'd call it a successful trip.
Really loved your town and your mountains. I didn't get a chance to tour while there and only Silver King was open the days I went but the views of Summit looked good. What is the name of the large bowl south of the resort?
I keep reading articles about the extreme avy conditions. Glad to hear it was a safe "roundtrip". ;)
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