BREWSTER CREEK- WELL BEYOND OLD TRAPPERS CABIN- Monday
Trip date: Monday Jan 17, 2022
Submitted by DEMOCRATIZE AB
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Discussion:
The Healy Creek trail from the Sunshine Road parking lot has an excellent wet snow base but the trackset has been wiped out by snowmobilers traveling to Sundance Lodge. There likely was only a shallow warn track left before hand. About 10% of the track remnants remain and it was fairly fast and smooth. Obviously the snowmobilers don't have much experience dealing with ski trails. They should not have driven over the track. That is a no no that they should know. Significant rain fell on the trail at some before I stared skiing.
The Brewster Creek trail is snowmobile packed. Excellent wet ski base but rough snowmobile rain rut skiing on the way out. The inexperienced snowmobilers got stuck in quite a few places. In one instance a snowmobile looked like it went 10 feet off the side of the trail and down a hillside into the trees. Another snowmobile went up a bank on the hills and hit a fallen tree. The snowmobilere also did a fairly poor job packing the trail. No less than 6 snowmobile trips were made today but the trail in a number of places is only about a snowmobile track and a half wide in some areas. It should have been packed much wider in these areas while the snow is loaded with rain moisture in order to make a good tracksetting base for when it snows again.
I took the horse trail shortcut up. It is now in excellent condition for skiing up. No rocks. My 3 previous trips up this route side stepping hills really paid off and created an excellent snow base for climbing up.
Beyond Sundance Lodge I rebroke my old ski trail from a couple of weeks back. Once I hit the end of the old ski track I had to break trail. Trail breaking snow speed was somewhat slow to moderate speed depending on aspect. Ski penetration was near boot top near the old trappers cabin and became as little as ankle deep 3 km beyond the bridge by the old trappers cabin. I was using 59mmx210cm skis. Snow was clumping on the bottoms of my skis in some places.
At about 9:30pm the temperature at the lodge was +1c with light snow.
I recommend letting it snow at least 5 cm before skiing the Brewster Creek trail in order for new snow to smooth the snowmobile ruts and make for more pleasant skiing.