CASCADE RIVER TO WELL BEYOND ELK TRAP- Friday ski
Trip date: Friday Feb 04, 2022
Submitted by DEMOCRATIZE AB
Particpants:
Discussion:
Excellent winter like skiing all the way up to Stoney Creek. Great trackset skiing. Moderate speed coming out late at night. Some track damage in places by a bad skate skier. Expect wind sifted snow filled tracks in open areas, particularly on the first 1.5 km of trail.
Beyond Stoney Creek there is nice skier tracked skiing. Shortly after Elk Trap the trail was not visible in most areas due to wind sift. Ski penetration varied from just over the ankles to 1/2 way up the calf muscles. Slow to moderate speed trail breaking, depending on the aspect. I skied to within roughly 2 km of the Cuthead Warden Cabin.
At about 9:30 pm, the temperature was -3c at the Stoney Creek Warden cabin with very light snow falling. Skies were partly cloudy.
The Parks Canada trail etiquette rules are confusing and suck real bad. People are very confused as to the rules for skiing on xc trails and that is understandable. A lot of groups were hogging the trail today. Parks Canada trail etiquette rules should be such that skiers stay to the right, no matter what unless passing, just like car drivers, mountain bikers in every other place in Canada, hikers and walkers etc. I was zig zagging between people in groups today that were coming down hills. Those coming down hills should not have the right of way. People in front of you should have the right of way just like in the Alpine Skiers Responsibility Code that has been out since the 1970's. Cross country trail etiquette should be the same as downhill skiing etiquette and Canadian driving etiquette. If skiers stuck to the right when someone is approaching, it would be safer as it is the norm in our society. Clearly Parks Canada does not know about the "staying on the right except to pass" Canadian safety norm.