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May 3, 2009 | Tips from Us > Squamish, Snowshoeing
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Our 2 day (22km) snowshoe trek to Elfin Lakes was my first trip in the Diamond Head area of Garibaldi Park.
It was definitely more challenging than I had expected, friends who had done the trip in the summer described a hike that was relatively flat. In the winter you take a different route which was practically uphill all the way to the lodge. This made day 1 quite a challenge! That being said, the views were well worth it!!
We stayed overnight at the cabin at Elfin Lakes and enjoyed playing cards and cooking up a hearty dinner with the other travellers from BC and Washington State. The second day was mostly downhill making it a lot less strenuous so we had a chance to really enjoy the stunning scenery of the area and take some amazing photos on the way down.
This trek left our group with a feeling of accomplishment, especially the first time snowshoers!, so we finished the trip with some much deserved burgers at the Shady Tree in Squamish.
April 7, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Squamish, Snowshoeing
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If you’re relatively fit and have your own backcountry camping gear, the Elfin Lakes Route in Garibaldi Provincial Park makes for a scenic overnight snowshoeing trip within easy reach from Vancouver.
In mid-February, I joined six other friends for a snowshoeing adventure weekend. Our plan was to stay overnight in the hiker's cabin at Elfin Lakes, but when we got there, we discovered that someone had constructed three igloos just a short walk from the cabin. A closer look revealed that they were all vacant, so three of us decided that this was an opportunity we couldn't pass up! We definitely made the right choice... even though the temperature was below freezing and my boots had turned into blocks of ice by morning, we had a better sleep than the rest of our group who opted for the crowded (albeit toasty-warm) cabin.
The route to Elfin Lakes is 11 km (7 mi) one-way and is well marked. However, be sure to bring tire chains during the winter months for the sometimes icy drive to the trailhead. And if your heart is set on staying overnight, come prepared to camp outside, as the cabin fills up quickly on weekends.
March 30, 2009 | Tips from Us > Vancouver, Snowshoeing
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Last night was Earth Hour, and my husband and I and didn't stop at just turning out the lights for an
hour. We turned out the lights, left home and drove to the top of Mt
Seymour near downtown Vancouver, where we built ourselves an igloo to sleep in for the night.
We were with a group of friends and new acquaintances, testing out an overnight tour offered by
West Coast Adventures.
It was a worthy endeavour to have along the experts, because without
some guidance building an igloo could be quite tricky. They also
brought along yummy snacks. And dinner. And breakfast. And a few other
things that made the whole night quite comfortable.
But before
all that, we started out with an igloo-building lesson. Our guides demonstrated how to make an igloo block, by cutting it out with a saw and shovel. By cutting out the blocks out from what will become the floor of the igloo, and then building the blocks around the circular edge of the floor, the igloo takes shape.
It
turns out I'm quite a whiz at cutting snow blocks. My husband, on the
other hand, excelled at placing the blocks and sealing them in, which
is not super easy: the walls go up on a significant angle, and need to
be gently yet strongly secured into place with the blocks tightly
wedged together. Three hours later, 12 of us had build four igloos, plus a cosy outdoor 'living room' for meals and socializing.
The
day had started as snowy and foggy, and we couldn't see much further
than a nearby band of trees. But as the light began to fade, the clouds
opened up and we could see the city spread out below us. It was a
remarkable feeling - at first as if we were on a remote mountain alone
in the world - and the next minute, on top of the world yet close
enough to see the roof lines of houses below. Welcome to a new sport:
urban iglooing. "Where else in the world," pointed out the visiting
Brit in the group, "Can you do something like this?"
As the evening wore on, the wine and food flowed and the campfire was lit, and soon we were ready for bed. We retreated back to our igloos, now cosy with candlelight, sheepskin rugs and warm sleeping bags.
The next morning, the sun was out and the view from our igloo-village was beautiful. After
breakfast and packing up, the last thing to do before leaving was to
tear down the igloos, making sure no-one would stumble on them and fall
in. However, it turned out we did a fairly good job of building
super-strong structures: we were able to walk over the tops of all four of the igloos, and then we put in some considerable effort to bring them down (seriously, these things are strong!)
A
ten minute walk later, and we were back at our cars and civilization -
add another fifteen minute drive, and we had emerged from winter into
spring. Roughing it doesn't get much easier than that.
March 15, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Snowshoeing
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I have skied Whistler Blackcomb a couple of times - and a number of times in the Colorado region, but never before in the Canadian Rockies - Banff, Lake Louise, Kicking Horse and Revelstoke.
We almost cancelled our trip because of the lack of snow - but upon checking sites saw that a weather front was on its way, with good falls of snow expected.
Well - we got lucky.
Our first day was at Sunshine and we got about 6cms of fresh
Our second day saw us driving from Banff to Lake Louise at 7.30 - and it was dumping snow...approx 30cms. On the drive up we counted 11 semi trailers off the road and 8 cars - in a 48km drive.
We had a fantastic day skiing the trees and bumps off Ptargamin and Larch - the fresh snow making us look like heroes - and once we arrived back in Banff heard that 18 semi trailers had gone off the road...and that there was a 2.5hr queue to get up to Lake Louise.
So we got lucky - very lucky given it hadnt snowed for a month or more.
We moved on to Revelstoke, where we skied with some friends from Canmore. On our first day there we had the BEST corduoroy skiing I have ever experienced (who would have thought that corduoroy could have been so much fun) and ripped the mountain from top to bottom all day. Given the vertical at Revelstoke it was one of the most tiring (and exhiliarating) days skiing I have had in years.
The next day saw another 6cms fall - so once again we got lucky.
On to Kicking Horse. Wow - what a mountain. Easily my favourite ski filed in Canada - the terrain is magic. We stayed right on the mountain at the base of the lift, so were able to visit the local English pub...which was sensational and served the best beef stew I have had - possibly ever.
And then back to Lake louise, where we got another 6 - 10cm of fresh. There was virtually no one up the mountain and we spent all morning sking fresh tracks in virtual solitude.
This part of the world is absolutely stunning - we like to think our Queenstown is pretty special but its not even close to this place - awesome mountains, snow and facilities.
I will be back in summer to backpack and flyfish the backcountry rivers - if its this good in winter I can only imagine how good it would be on a warm, sparkling, sunny day with the fish rising.