Jan 22-27, 2014, Rogers Pass: Youngs, Lily, Dome...
1/22/14
Canada BC
4838
1
Just returned from a search for winter with Collin from Seattle, and we found it at Rogers Pass. We also found splitter weather and surprisingly good stability for January in the Selkirks.
We arrived at the Asulkan trailhead at 10pm and skinned into the A.O. Wheeler hut by headlamp. Our first morning we were greeted to 5 cms of new on top of dense springy pow in the Bonney Trees.
The inversion began on our second day and we skied up to the Asulkan Hut in the clouds. It was bluebird, undercast and warm by the time we reached the hut, and we dropped overnight gear, put on harnesses, and headed for Youngs Peak. Great views from the broad summit and a great sunlit descent back to the hut.
We awoke at the Asulkan Hut to continued inversion and skied down into the clouds. We transitioned at the base of the Triangle Moraine, and skinned right back up into a sunny day, this time on the other side of the valley. We ascended the Dome Glacier to Dome Col, downclimbed steep rocks covered in faceted snow and wind crust, skied a run off the back side, climbed back to the col, and dropped a sustained 4,000′ run into the Asulkan Valley: glacier headwall, benchy moraines, and steep pillows.
The Lily Traverse was the perfect objective for inversion day three: up the Asulkan Valley and Triangle Moraine to Sapphire Col, a short descent and traverse off the other side to the crest of the Lily Glacier, down the Lily weaving around crevasses, and out the Loop Brooke valley. Cool to do the Lily in Jan.
Also skied a day at RMR on the 26th and a frigid day (relative to the warm inversion temps) up the Connaught drainage to Balu Pass.
20+ photos on
We arrived at the Asulkan trailhead at 10pm and skinned into the A.O. Wheeler hut by headlamp. Our first morning we were greeted to 5 cms of new on top of dense springy pow in the Bonney Trees.
The inversion began on our second day and we skied up to the Asulkan Hut in the clouds. It was bluebird, undercast and warm by the time we reached the hut, and we dropped overnight gear, put on harnesses, and headed for Youngs Peak. Great views from the broad summit and a great sunlit descent back to the hut.
We awoke at the Asulkan Hut to continued inversion and skied down into the clouds. We transitioned at the base of the Triangle Moraine, and skinned right back up into a sunny day, this time on the other side of the valley. We ascended the Dome Glacier to Dome Col, downclimbed steep rocks covered in faceted snow and wind crust, skied a run off the back side, climbed back to the col, and dropped a sustained 4,000′ run into the Asulkan Valley: glacier headwall, benchy moraines, and steep pillows.
The Lily Traverse was the perfect objective for inversion day three: up the Asulkan Valley and Triangle Moraine to Sapphire Col, a short descent and traverse off the other side to the crest of the Lily Glacier, down the Lily weaving around crevasses, and out the Loop Brooke valley. Cool to do the Lily in Jan.
Also skied a day at RMR on the 26th and a frigid day (relative to the warm inversion temps) up the Connaught drainage to Balu Pass.
20+ photos on