Although Vagabond Lodge shut for the winter a week ago, the resort was open until April 16th.  We had a good chance to play for the final week and we did just that. 
Along with friends Ken and Patrick we managed to go for one more adventure off the resort to see what we could see. 
The conditions on the resort was late not ideal, with winterish at the top, then some hard packed and icy about half way down and then it was softening up at the bottom.  A real mixed bag and tough on the knees. 
Our final adventure on the second final day April 15th  was really good until about 2/3 of the way down the mountain.  As from the video we had untracked powder.  
But nearing the bottom, it was not much fun with crust, you could  break through with jump turns and then crust you could not break through.  It made turning a real challenge.   But we made it in one piece. 
All good. 
​Vagabond Lodge will reopen for the summer on June 15 until about September 17th.
You can book your stay direct from our website or email info@vagabondlodge. 

Our 19th season is in the books at Vagabond Lodge.  Hard to believe it has been that long.  Wow. This winter will not go down in the record books as one of the best for skiing but it certainly was for business for us.  We need to thank the great people at Canadian Mountain Holidays(CMH) the largest heli-skiing operator in our area if not in the world.  We had a lot of their guests this year skiing with CMH Purcell and also a great many  guests from one of our German Wholesalers Stumboeck.  Great company and great guests they have sent us.  
But more importantly were all our loyal and return guests' such as Peter and Julie from Sydney who have been coming here regularly for the past 16 years and stayed with us for a month.  Rod from Melbourne is another regular guest who was with us for a couple weeks again.  Dave from Calgary who stays with us every couple weeks all winter long, Harry from England who was with us for a couple weeks. Tony and his crew from Vermont have been coming for years and were back again.    The list of loyal guests is growing and we love it. 
As I am writing this, we are getting possibly our largest snowfall of the winter despite Vagabond Lodge not open.  Our final guests of this winter left yesterday.  The resort is still open for another week closing on April 16 which will allow us to visit with our neighbours and friends and of course ski and enjoy hopefully some sunshine and spring skiing.
Vagabond Lodge will reopen for the summer season in June.  You can check  our website for opening date.  And summer here is fabulous with so much to do.
For the next couple months we will be visiting family and friends and enjoying this fantastic part of the world. 
Video is from a few days ago so we are still finding some great terrain and snow right to the end. 

We are into our final couple of weeks of winter operation Vagabond Lodge.  Hard to believe this is our 19th winter.  Time has gone by so quickly.  A friend says, as you get older is like a toilet paper roll.  It goes quicker as you get to the end.  Sure seems that way. 
It certainly hasn't been an epic winter for snow conditions but just the same, it's not as if we don't have any snow.  We do.  It's just not powder everyday.  I explained that to a guest the other day, that no ski resort gets powder every day.  Luck of the draw or just  being at the right place at the right time.  We certainly have had longer dryer spells than over the past few years. 
I have been trying to get out for a run most days and surprisingly we are still finding some nice untracked stuff to play in. 
Final day for the resort is April 16th.  We are taking reservations for next season.  You can book direct for email info@vagabondlodge.ca
Video is of friend Patrick and I March 30th. 

It has not been a great winter for exploring off-piste.  The avalanche hazard in our area has been very high and very dangerous.  
But in the past week things have improved and there is more stability.  
One of our go-to spots not far off the resort has been on our radar all winter.  At this point last winter we have probably done 40 or trips to this area but not this year.
We always go with someone who knows more than we do and we always recommend a certified guide to anyone who is thinking off exploring off-piste. 
Earlier in the week was our first trip and it was well worth the effort.  We were really surprised by the number of tracks already through the area.  There must be a lot of skiers and boarders in the area who either are very knowledgeable or very reckless.  
More snow in the next few days is in the forecast and hope this is the sign of things to come to finish off the season which is slated for April 16th.  So still some great runs to be made. 
​Video is from our trip earlier in the week. 

Despite not having any big dumps of snow in the past week, we are still able to find some nice stashs of powder  here and there.  It takes a bit more effort and are are going "out of bounds" but keeping safe. 
Unfortunately there have been some horrible incidents in our area in the past week or so with two people dying in an avalanche just outside the Kicking Horse boundary a couple weeks ago and then 3 people who were on a heli skiing trip with one of the companies south of here were also killed.  
We have been avoiding our favourite  out of bounds area this winter because of the high avalanche hazard. 
The season is winding down with the closing date of the resort scheduled for April 16th which is not far away.  
But if history means anything the next month can be some of the best skiing, with warmer weather. You can book on-line or give us a call 250 344 2622. 
Despite the smaller snowpack this year there is still some great skiing to be had.  Video is from yesterday with family and friends. 

It has been a great week for snow at Vagabond Lodge.  We received almost 80 cms of snow in the past week which was sorely needed.  Part of it was followed by some cold weather again, which we usually don't get this time of the year getting down to -25C and colder for a few days.  The snow was deep but the cold weather basically caused the snow to set up.  It was far from champagne powder we are known for.   The skis would get buried and was very difficult to get them back on top.
But with our more recent snow over the past few days, the weather has stayed just below 0C and it made it for more enjoyable powder. 
March in the past has been a great month for skiing with usually more snow and warmer temperatures. I hope that will be the  case this year.  
You can book direct at Vagabond Lodge for the best rate.  Check out the website or email info@vagabondlodge.ca or give us a call at 250 344 2622.  Video is from yesterday along with friend Patrick we found some nice skiing. 

It has been a long wait for a big dump of snow at Vagabond but we finally got it.  And hope it is the sign of things to come for the rest of the season. 
We woke to 35 cms of fresh snow overnight and what a treat.  The big surprise was the sheer number of people who showed up on a Tuesday after a long weekend.  With Lake Louise also getting a big dump, there were a lot of people who bypassed the long line-up at Lake Louise and an hour later they were here.  It was probably the busiest day of the winter from the lineup at least. I  spent most of the say shovelling snow around the lodge instead of skiing but a lot of the hill was not open yet due to avalanche hazard.  No doubt throughout out the rest of the week, more terrain will be open such as T1, T2, Ozone and Fuez Bowl. In other words, I will still have plenty of opportunity over the next few days for fresh powder and with colder weather in the next few days the snow will stay Champagne Powder. 
I did have a great run yesterday along with friend Ken and we did a little bushwhacking not far from the  resort and out of avalanche harms way and found a nice stash of untouched snow to play in. 

No question we are spoiled.  We expect powder skiing every day, but that is not reality.  Especially lately.  But after a bit of a dry spell, we had a nice snow squall roll through a few days ago and dumped about 15 cm in a matter of an hour or so.  
Usually our routine is heading out of bounds off the top of the mountain  to find the best skiing but because of severe avalanche hazard we stayed on the lower part of the mountain. Along with friends Patrick and the other Ken(our leader) we did some bushwhacking and some skinning but at the end, we found it.  It was a lot of work but worth it.  

It's been a long wait for our first hike to T2 Kicking Horse Resort.  Usually we would have gone a dozen or so times already. 
T2 had been closed until a week ago and then within a few days of opening, a slide was triggered that swept across the top part of the run off the top. 
The hike was the best part.  The skiing was a challenge as we had to make our way across the slide with a lot of either rocks or hard chunks of snow and the visibility was marginal.  But we made it.  
The snow conditions are certainly not what we have been used to but we know it will get better. But just getting to do our climb again was a great feeling. More on the way.