Rockies - Backcountry Skiing in Banff National Park
March 5-12, 2023
I was invited to join a backcountry ski trip that Henning has organized the last few years out of Hilda Creek (Banff National Park) and Lake Louise. The other group members were Catherine Ostler, John Richmond, Anne Bussell and Doug Williams. Despite it being a winter of dangerous avalanche conditions and not having had any new snow, we found plenty of slopes that we deemed low risk. And the snow was fantastic - light and fluffy, not like our marine powder on the West Coast. Great company, great meals (we took turns preparing breakfast and dinner at the Hilda Creek Hostel) and a week of terrific skiing. I especially loved the rustic ski-in ski-out cabin nestled in the snowy forest, surrounded by mountain peaks. There was no running water, no flush toilet, no Wi-Fi, no cell coverage. We had to snowshoe to a nearby creek to collect water and the outhouse was a short distance from the dorm building.
Photos are courtesy of Doug and John.