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.
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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. It hasn't been our best snow year by anyones stretch of imagination. And it has been a few weeks since we got a relatively good dump, but we finally did. We got about 18 cms new snow which really made a big impact. |
KenKen along with his wife Lori are the owners and operators of Vagabond Lodge at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Archives
March 2023
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