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West elk pass (spring touring)

Report Submitted by MaSid
(trip) Date: Wednesday Nov 23, 2022

Submitted: Wednesday Nov 23, 2022 at 17:00

Discussion:

Sunny, calm and mild conditions made for great meadow touring today. -3 at elk pass pkg to start at 9, -1 on return at 3. A dusting of new at the trailhead, increasing to about a half inch at blueberry junction made for nice smooth skiing in and out of track. Pleasantly surprised to discover a broken ski track to the BC border (any type of ski will work). 2 ft of snow at the border. Boot top+ trail breaking past couch HQ to hydroline (LT gear). Gators and large pole baskets came in handy past the border. Returned the same way, so should be a nice track for next day or two. Trees were getting drippy around 1 PM in the solar heat. Excellent conditions and great snow made it a real treat to be back there again. Dodged up to middle elk pass and down hydroline for the quick turn into Patterson meadows (why not). Boot top+ again, until intersecting with a prior ski trail about half way through. Drippy trees and bombs deposited some ice on groomed trails, but not so bad. It was a pleasure finally running into bob this season lower down. Took the big hill back. Good descending control with the bit of fresh and good grooming. No hazards other than some tree debris. Didn’t hit fox creek at all, or east elk pass (usually needs more snow to get through the drainage corridor). No couch construction today, just compaction.

West elk meadows (BC side)

West elk meadow approach (AB side)

Some ski stoke to wet the appetite (from last spring, same neighbourhood).





3 comment(s) posted

Comments:



2022-11-23 at 17:31 - comment by Normand

Nice report MaSid and great photos.





2022-11-23 at 19:46 - comment by SteveR

I noticed a track leading south from the usual jumping off point for East Elk, on my way by on Tyrwhitt this afternoon. Not you?





2022-11-23 at 19:58 - comment by MaSid

No, not me steve. I didn’t venture down thyrwitt from elk pass at all. The initial meadow section probably travels fine, until the narrowing. Some folk just go in part way for a sunny lunch stop. Usually needs more snow to fill in the deeper drainages through there. I usually wait until late December to get into east elk.



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