March1-7, 2005, Valkyr Lodge,Selkirk Mtns,BC
3/1/05
Canada BC
1930
0
Jill and I had just spent the last 9 days skiing in Utah and we were spoiled by the great powder and snowpack. We had planned to tour around Whitewater and Kootenay Pass before our trip but the conditions in the area were not ideal. The trip to Valkyr was sponsored by The Mountaineers and led by Craig. By the way, it is true that Craig transitioned from being a graceful tele skier to randonee gear. He looked like a Dynafit sponsored athlete with the Dynafit skis, bindings and boots. He's becoming dangerously accomplished on his new gear. We met the 10 other members of the group in Nakusp and compared weather and avy forecasts. The avy conditions were good, but the upcoming weather pattern was dry. The heli "pad" was in Burton about 30 minutes south of Nakusp along Lower Arrow Lake. It's about a 10 hour drive from Seattle.
It was about a 10 minute flight in the Bell 206 Jet Ranger to the lodge at 7280'. The lodge sits at the base of a meadow surrounded by bowls and treed terrain with substantial chutes. Valkyr Lodge is new and we were the 4th group booking. Things are still being finished but the facility is great. There are 6 guest rooms, large open kitchen with propane stove, hot and cold running water, wood stove for heating, open dining and reading/ski story telling room, indoor toilet with hot shower. The dry sauna is large and has a shower. Needless to say, it is a beautiful and comfortable facility. Our group has many years of touring and trips to backcountry lodges and we were impressed with the facility.
The flight in exposed us to some of the terrain and we noticed tracks everywhere. The group departing was a guided bunch of guys from Montana. By weeks end, we found evidence of these guy's everywhere we toured. They were like locust. They skied the best lines with precision. During the week, we received a "skiff" of new which didn't reach the top of our ski edges. BUT, we skied boot deep untracked powder lines every day. The region did not receive any significant new snow for 3 weeks, yet each day we all skied fresh lines near the lodge.
The previous groups trip notes described "complex terrain" which is an understatement. The terrain near the lodge was tracked out, but climbing 500' to the ridge behind the lodge revealed numerous bowls and trees that were untracked even on our last day skiing. Evening temperatures were about -4C and daytime highs about 2C. North facing terrain remained powdery all week and southfacing terrain softened only 3 days. We divided into 3 groups and travelled to separate areas each day. We all returned each evening to share powder routes and stories of interesting descents and climbing routes. The snowpack is definitely low in the Selkirks, but we were amazed that we could still ski untracked powder lines after 3 weeks of drought conditions.
Martin and Shelly Glasheen along with their son Ryan own and operate Valkyr Adventures, www.valkyradventure.com., and they were wonderful. We were a self guided and self catered group but they also offer catered and guided options. Each year, we visit new huts and terrain throughout British Columbia. The Valkyr Lodge is a place we will return to when they build the second lodge at the southern part of their terrain near Mt. Hilda and McBride. We don't return to the same lodge because there are just too many new places and so little time. Upon our return to the helipad, we entered spring with buds on trees and mud in the parking area. 10 minutes earlier at 7280', there was powder on those north facing slopes in the trees. During the past 20 days, we have skied 16 days of powder and packed powder and our ski bases are still unblemished. It was humorous to see Jill cutting the grass upon our return to Redmond. It's time to head for the Sierras.
Zap & Jill
It was about a 10 minute flight in the Bell 206 Jet Ranger to the lodge at 7280'. The lodge sits at the base of a meadow surrounded by bowls and treed terrain with substantial chutes. Valkyr Lodge is new and we were the 4th group booking. Things are still being finished but the facility is great. There are 6 guest rooms, large open kitchen with propane stove, hot and cold running water, wood stove for heating, open dining and reading/ski story telling room, indoor toilet with hot shower. The dry sauna is large and has a shower. Needless to say, it is a beautiful and comfortable facility. Our group has many years of touring and trips to backcountry lodges and we were impressed with the facility.
The flight in exposed us to some of the terrain and we noticed tracks everywhere. The group departing was a guided bunch of guys from Montana. By weeks end, we found evidence of these guy's everywhere we toured. They were like locust. They skied the best lines with precision. During the week, we received a "skiff" of new which didn't reach the top of our ski edges. BUT, we skied boot deep untracked powder lines every day. The region did not receive any significant new snow for 3 weeks, yet each day we all skied fresh lines near the lodge.
The previous groups trip notes described "complex terrain" which is an understatement. The terrain near the lodge was tracked out, but climbing 500' to the ridge behind the lodge revealed numerous bowls and trees that were untracked even on our last day skiing. Evening temperatures were about -4C and daytime highs about 2C. North facing terrain remained powdery all week and southfacing terrain softened only 3 days. We divided into 3 groups and travelled to separate areas each day. We all returned each evening to share powder routes and stories of interesting descents and climbing routes. The snowpack is definitely low in the Selkirks, but we were amazed that we could still ski untracked powder lines after 3 weeks of drought conditions.
Martin and Shelly Glasheen along with their son Ryan own and operate Valkyr Adventures, www.valkyradventure.com., and they were wonderful. We were a self guided and self catered group but they also offer catered and guided options. Each year, we visit new huts and terrain throughout British Columbia. The Valkyr Lodge is a place we will return to when they build the second lodge at the southern part of their terrain near Mt. Hilda and McBride. We don't return to the same lodge because there are just too many new places and so little time. Upon our return to the helipad, we entered spring with buds on trees and mud in the parking area. 10 minutes earlier at 7280', there was powder on those north facing slopes in the trees. During the past 20 days, we have skied 16 days of powder and packed powder and our ski bases are still unblemished. It was humorous to see Jill cutting the grass upon our return to Redmond. It's time to head for the Sierras.
Zap & Jill
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