Imagine being flown, by helicopter, into a backcountry hut deep in the wilderness with 19 of your friends (and a cook), along with tons of great food and beer. Imagine limitless terrain, enormous peaks, and huge glaciers, all accessed easily out the door of the hut. That's what a trip to the Fairy Meadows hut in the Adamant Range of the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia is like, one of the finest backcountry ski vacations in the world.
The Route In
My first trip to Fairy Meadows was in 2012 and I have many fond memories of that experience. The best part of my return was that my Dad and fiancé, Kelly, were joining me. I was pretty excited to share the experience with them.
Flight In
Making the final turn into Fairy Meadows, with Cyclops peak ahead
The Hut
It took 4 flights to get us in and the previous group out. After the final flight we grabbed our skis and did a quick tour before dinner. The skiing was pretty terrible but the views were good! The next day dawned clear and blue and we were out the door early to make the most of it.
We headed up towards Friendship Col, which due to avalanche conditions my previous trip I had never been to. It was a stunning morning.
My Dad, 72, staying young by keeping up with the "kids". Reaching Friendship Col after a short steep bootpack through deep facets.
Nick Casmatta, Crystal (our cook), Kelly, and my Dad at Friendship Col
We skied onto the Gothic Glacier and reveled in the spectacular views...
Mt Sir Sanford in the distance
We reached the Col between Pioneer Peak and Sentinel Peak and had a spectacular view of the Granite Glacier, where the rest of our group had headed.
Granite Glacier
Then we took a run down the Gothic Glacier. We weren't expecting much but it was surprisingly good.
My Dad all smiles after some good turns. East Face of Sentinel Peak visible above.
Kelly
We skied a couple laps on the glacier and then headed home. Great skiing in some spots, and challenging skiing in other spots but avalanche wise things were pretty stable and we felt lucky to have that!
Nick getting ready for the final descent to the hut. Cyclops peak in the background.
Wrapping up a good day
We were out until pretty late, taking advantage of the good weather and stable conditions. The rest of the group skied a monster day, summiting Mt Colossus, Enterprise Peak, and Mt Sir William before skiing an iconic couloir to finish the day ("Beam me up Scotty"). We drank beers, feasted and told stories that night.
The next day we awoke to cloudy skies and snow. We weren't too excited to start skiing so we lounged for a bit before heading out midday. We toured below the hut, skiing some trees as the snow piled up. Logan, the king of "lifestylin" made a small bonfire, brought a bottle prosecco, and in-between laps we hung out and cheered folks as they dropped pillow lines and sometimes somersaulted in the powder. The snow began to pile up and the skiing got really good. But it also starting moving too, and with a rotten base we began to worry that we would get too much and the avalanche danger would quickly rise.
Logan, the "Lifesylin" King
The last run of the day was pretty spectacular but the snow was sluffing easily and running long distances. That night we anxiously measured the snow totals and prayed that the snow would stop.
The next morning we were relieved to discover that the snow had indeed stopped and we'd received 9 inches. It was a spectacular morning, and the fresh snow transformed the landscape.
The "Beam Me Up Scotty" Couloir
Half of us headed up to the Granite glacier, breaking trail through the fresh coat of paint.
The snowpack was adjusting to the new load and as we were walked the snow settled and cracked in unnerving ways. Part of the group turned around and the rest of us continued up to the glacier - sticking to low angled slopes.
The group off in the Distance
Dad
A nice 22 degree Halo
Tea Time!
We made it just below the col between Pioneer Peak and Sentinel Peak - where we'd peered over the first day. Then we decided to quick walking and start skiing.
Crystal, the cook, enjoying some great powder in a nice gully we found on the way back
My Dad in the same gully
Jonah
My Dad loves powder - it didn't take much to convince him to keep skiing
The other groups tracks descending from Friendship Col
Aaron Mainer (one of my old ski patrol buds) and I finished off the day by leaving some powder 8's for everyone to see on the slope right next to the hut
That night we couldn't believe our luck. The skiing was fantastic and things still seemed fairly stable. We had an entire valley to ourselves, no one but us to ski it. It was pretty cool knowing that every new track was ours and ours alone.
Sunrise in the Hut
An avalanche that occurred the night before - reminding us to stay cautious.
Heading out in the morning - Hut below
We headed back to Friendship Col - it was a stunning day....
The Gog and Magog
Dad
Dad
Nick
Jonah
Kelly
Dad
The other group skied over Friendship Col, down the Gothic Glacier and then wrapped around - putting some beautiful tracks in these two couloirs.
Aaron's Tracks
The skiing below Friendship Col was incredible. Beautiful powder, mind blowing views. It was everything skiing in Canada can be. We slowly worked our way into the steeper terrain and nothing moved. It was incredible skiing and stable -everything a backcountry skier hopes for. We decided to limit our walking and maximize our skiing - and spent most of the day tracking out the whole slope.
Heading Back for More
The other group climbing another couloir
A Days Work
Wind transported snow and beautiful late afternoon light
We finished the day by skiing the beautiful slope below and into the trees finishing below the hut and climbing back. We skied 4500 ft of incredible powder. It was a day none of us will ever forget.
72 and still climbing and skiing 4500 feet!
The next day I skied with Aaron and his wife Leah. We all used to ski patrol together and have done some incredible trips with one another.
Aaron deciding that this one doesn't go
The Icefall on the Gothic Glacier
Climbing up to the top of a couloir
Skiing said couloir
Couloir in the center is the one we skied
Looking at snow crystals
Triangle Rock!
We climbed back up to ski another couloir - the hardest part was getting into it. To do so we had to climb/traverse this ridge (below) - which was quite exposed. It was time to break out the rope.
Skimo!
Yours Truly. Aaron Mainer Photo
2nd couloir
Afterwards we decided to do another one...
Breaking trail to the 3rd one
We skied towards the top of the last one and tried to push some snow down the gut. It had a concerning loading zone. We debated breaking out the rope but decided to leave that one and head for home - it was getting late. The visibility was a little rough but the ski down was pretty good!
Aaron looking down the last one which we left for next time
Headed out (hut below)
Nick
Our last full day we skied over into the Quandrant basin. It had snowed 4 inches overnight - a very light snow that fell out of the cloud late the previous day. My previous trip we had spent most of our time skiing in the trees due to avalanche danger and visibility. It was hard to believe we had another clear day to explore the alpine.
Leah Mainer
Amos Hockmeyer
Later in the day we skied down towards the trees and the moraine below. The sun was out and it was much warmer than it had been - the snow in the sun was starting to get heavy.
Nick
We found the rest of the group skiing pillow lines on the moraine. We hung out and skied some pillow lines ourselves.
Alex Mueller
Dad in the midst of another 4000 foot day
Kelly
Last night
The next morning a few of us made it out for one last run, but just a few.
Kelci Pike and Leah - getting ready for the last run
We did our best to track it all out but left a little for the next crew
The Changing of the Guard
Another 4 helicopter flights and we were out and they were in.
My Dad, Kelly, and I drove to Revelstoke that evening. The next morning we grabbed our skiing stuff and headed up to Rogers Pass for another day of ski touring. After an hour drive we realized that my Dad had forgotten his skins which seemed catastrophic until one of the rangers offered us an old pair he had laying around. They weren't great but they seemed like they might work. We got started late and it was warm, really warm. The sun and the high temperatures were causing the avalanche danger to quickly rise. We got to the trailhead to start our tour and read this sign.
After some discussion we decided to go for it, then turned around after 10 min because Dad's skins didn't seem to be working. We were discussing options in the parking lot when we saw one of the rangers who thought we weren't making a bad decision by going. So we started again. There were numerous avalanches coming down in the sun but they didn't seem that big. But it was nerve wracking to say the least. There was no where to hide so we spread out and kept moving - after about an hour of walking we were through the bad part and could relax. It was an exciting start to the tour!
Bonney Peak
We climbed 3,300 feet to the top of the Bonney Moraines. We were pretty sure the skiing was going to be terrible but the tour had been worth it just for the views. We were blown away when we found 1500 feet of cold powder to ski on the way out!
The Ski Out
Lots of Avalanches in the Sun
The next day was even warmer and the avalanche danger increased to high. We were pretty beat after skiing 3-4000 feet for 7 days back to back. We spent the day doing beacon searches on the top of Rogers Pass, eating food, and driving back to Calgary before the flight home. Another trip to Canada that none of us will ever forget!
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