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2022-12-08 at 12:15 - comment by Normand

Good job and nice report DAB for your trip yesterday. Indeed, anyone venturing beyond Shadow Lake or Lodge, from TCH1 in the same day, is a demanding effort when trail breaking is done this time of the year.





2022-12-08 at 11:28 - comment by DEMOCRATIZE AB

Hey Ye All,

The thermometer at the warden cabin is no longer hanging. The "hanger" was broken a year or two ago and now the thermometer sits in the corner on top of the shelf box. It is probably safer there. Thanks Helen for putting that there. Could you put one at Cyclone Warden Cabin east of Red Deer Lakes on the Red Deer River?

Anyone skiing down the Shadow Lake Lodge trail should take caution if they are skiing on flawless base skis as there is risk of hitting a rock or two. I side stepped the trail to make a better base and to make it wider. With 10cm of new wet snow this trail should be in very good to excellent condition and fine for skiing down. If you are skiing on rock skis, give 'er.

I bought a pair of Alpina Montana xc boots around 3 weeks ago. After my fourth day out I noticed threads blowing out in a few places. I wonder if the crust in the snowpack was the reason for the threads blowing out. I returned the boots to the ski shop and there was no other boots my size for a replacement. I am now skiing on my old Montana boots that have a number of holes in them. They are kind of like skiing on jelly runners. Not much for support and my feet get pretty wet and heavy. I was rather bagged skiing 32 km yesterday. It felt more like 50 km that I skied. It is really grim to find wide 43 cm xc ski boots these days. There is a lack of stock by the stores as stores do not want to carry much stock or they can't get it.





2022-12-08 at 10:59 - comment by Mike W

DAB - Thanks for the timely report. I'm heading up there tomorrow and now I know what skis I should use! Sorry to hear you didn't get to see the occultation.





2022-12-08 at 08:32 - comment by aqua toque

1:30:10

You're welcome.





2022-12-08 at 08:02 - comment by HenryL




Mars Occultation from Griffith Observatory



2022-12-08 at 07:52 - comment by HenryL

Well done DEM. I'm glad that you were out at such a beautiful spot and were able to look up.
I should have had a prize for best Mars trip report. You would have won. Next time.

Helen, the celestial event was on early Dec. 8 in Europe, but on the evening of the 7th here.

I watched the live stream from Griffith Observatory in LA. You can find them on Youtube and see the recording.

Those in Europe saw it at just about midnight and later.





2022-12-08 at 07:29 - comment by Helen Read

I am glad to read the old thermometer I hung at Redearth Warden's cabin is still there. I put it there many "moons" ago. And also to congratulate you on all your night skiing! I believe the viewing of Mars and the moon is happening tonight as per that posting below with at least a dozen comments.





SHADOW LAKE AND BEYOND

Report Submitted by DEMOCRATIZE AB
(trip) Date: Wednesday Dec 07, 2022

Submitted: Thursday Dec 08, 2022 at 01:06

Participants:

A champion to legalize real democracy moonlight skiing

Discussion:

The ski conditions up the Redearth Creek trail have improved greatly. Very good skiing with a few centimeters of silky new snow on a double packed snowmobile trail.

I skied beyond the warden cabin to the first switchback. Some people have broken the trail towards Egypt Lake, at least in part. The temperature at the warden cabin in late afternoon was -5c.

The trail to Shadow Lake Lodge has been snowmobile packed. It is in generally good condition with just the odd rock. I hit one rock coming down the trail skiing to moonlight.

The trail was broken to Shadow Lake from the Lodge. I broke trail from the bridge, up the Lake to the Ball Pass Trail a couple of hundred meters from the Lake. Trail breaking was moderately difficult to difficult. Ski penetration was over the boots. All rain crusts in the snowpack seem to be broken down now from the cold. There was lots of collapsing of the snowpack and lots of whoomps as a result.

Skiing across Shadow Lake it looked like I would get a good view of Mars going behind the moon, but then some cloud came in and I was not able to see Mars do its moon alignment thing. Skiing out across Shadow Lake at night was very impressive with the diffused moon lighting things up nicely for skiing. The mountains behind the Lake were glowing under the moonlight. The creek after the Lake looked rather impressive being lit up by the moon.

The temperature around 8:30pm at Shadow Lake Lodge was -8c. The moonshine ski out was very sweet with the new snow. By the time I got within a couple of kilometers of the parking lot the skies seemed to clear and I could see Mars on the "easterly" side of the moon a significant distance. I missed my Mars eclipse.


Total distance: 32.00 Km

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