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REVELSTOKE
Revelstoke, a town of a little more than 8,000 people, plopped on the eastern shore of the Columbia River, has no shortage of adjacent ski touring. Just stand in town and look around—the Monashees to the west and the Selkirks to the east. What more could a skier want? A lift? Head south just a few klicks and check out Revelstoke Mountain Resort if you’d rather not walk to the goods. For the ski tourist, a strong sense of adventure and a set of sturdy legs are the only requirements. Rogers Pass is about an hour east, and the rest of the Columbias are yours to discover. We included a few tasty Mt. Macpherson tours below but we’ve only scratched the surface. Grab a map, head out and experience all the area has to offer.
ROUTES:
1. Mt. Macpherson - The Fingers
2. Mt. Macpherson - Summit via South East Face
3. Mt.Macpherson - The Womb
4. Mt.Macpherson - Burnt Knob
5. Corbin Pass
We want to hear about your adventures in the Selkirks so don’t forget to post a trip report in the backcountryskiingcanada.com forums. If you have new route in the area you want to share, mouse-on over here. N-Joy.
The first three routes listed here are provided by Conor Hurley and the next two routes are by David Lussier of Summit Mountain Guides. If we have missed anything please let us know?
Some rules you should know about for skiing in the Mt. Macpherson area:
The parking fee is $6.00 which helps offset the cost to the XC club for ploughing. The fee can be paid in the office or the fee vault. Please keep your dog on-leash in the parking area and on Main Loop. Dogs can be off leash once you get to Mountain Climb. Be courteous to your nordic skiing friends. Move to the side if there are skiers coming down hill when you're going up and please take it mellow on the way down, minimizing damage to the trail and danger to nordic skiers, as they might not be expecting someone coming the other way in alpine gear.
For a full listing of backcountry huts, cabins and lodges check out the Interior Mountain cabins/huts/lodges page over here.
Backcountry skiing is an inherently dangerous activity that requires experience and knowledge to travel safely. Any of the routes on this site may be dangerous depending on conditions. You are responsible for your own safety in the backcounty—the team behind backcountryskiingcanada.com disclaim any responsibility for any injury resulting from people travelling on routes described on this site. To read our Terms of Use and get all the details, read HERE.
Drive 7.5 kilometres south on Highway 23 from the intersection with the Trans Canada Highway just west of Revelstoke and park at the Mount MacPherson Nordic Ski Centre parking lot on the right (west) side of the road. There is a $5.00 parking fee which goes towards the maintenance of the parking lot.
Ski left (south) from the lodge up the hill on the groomed Main Trail. Follow the trail, gradually climbing and curving to the right, for about one kilometre until you see a Mountain Climb to The Fingers sign and a trail heading left (south). The trail is also marked by a CAA Avaluator sign and a photographic description of Mount MacPhersons avalanche terrain.
Turn left and follow this broad trail for about 300 m to an open area where you cross a creek on a bridge. Follow an old forestry road for about 400 m climbing steadily and curving to the right. Keep your eyes open for a skin track heading off into the forest on the left (south) side of the road (413100 E 5643900 N).
Follow this skin track for about 100 m through the forest to reach a drainage that trends up right. Follow this drainage for about 500 m to reach an open area at the bottom junction of the middle three fingers. From here, depending on avalanche conditions, you can either uptrack though the trees or centre-punch the fan. There are plenty of options for good skiing.
ROUTE: Mt. MacPherson Fingers
ACCESS: 7.5 kilometers south on Highway 23 from the intersection with the Trans Canada Highway just west of Revelstoke. The Mt. MacPherson Nordic Ski Centre parking lot.
MAP: 82 L/16
TIME: 30 min from the parking lot
ELEVATION GAIN: 800 / 2,600ft
ATES RATING: Complex (3)
MT. MACPHERSON - SUMMIT VIA SOUTH EAST FACE
Mount MacPherson offers a great ski descent, however getting to the summit is a circuitous affair. The initial approach follows the same route as described previously for The Fingers. As you gain the upper fan of the central three fingers, you will note a gulley just to the right of a prominence in the ridge that breaches the ridge crest. Use this steep gulley to reach the crest about 412100 E 5642500 N. Sometimes you can ski to the ridge and at other times it is necessary to boot-pack.
Follow the undulating ridge in a westerly direction to a col (410800 E 5642600 N). Enjoy the view to the north over the precipice and into The Womb. Continue along the ridge to another col (410300 E 5642500 N). You are now standing at the top of the womb, a big run, about 1300 vertical metres.
From here you can drop into The Womb or continue another 300 m along the southeast face to the summit. It is worth the walk as there are exceptional views of the Monashees and the Selkirks from the top.
From the summit reverse your ascent route to the top of The Womb. It is a committing run, so the stability must be good. At the fan trend right and bushwhack towards the road. When you reach the road turn right and ski down towards the Nordic centre.
ROUTE: Mt. MacPherson Summit via SE Face
ACCESS: 7.5 kilometers south on Highway 23 from the intersection with the Trans Canada Highway just west of Revelstoke. The Mt. MacPherson Nordic Ski Centre parking lot.
MAP: 82 L/16
TIME: 5-8 hours
ELEVATION GAIN: 1,600m / 5,250ft
ATES RATING: Complex (3)
The initial approach follows the same route as described previously for The Fingers. As you gain the upper fan of the central three fingers, you will note a gulley just to the right of a prominence in the ridge that breaches the ridge crest. Use this steep gulley to reach the crest about 412100 E 5642500 N. Sometimes you can ski to the ridge and at other times it is necessary to boot-pack.
Follow the undulating ridge in a westerly direction to a col (410800 E 5642600 N). Enjoy the view to the north over the precipice and into The Womb. Continue along the ridge to another col (410300 E 5642500 N). You are now standing at the top of the womb, a big run, about 1300 vertical metres.
It is a committing run, so the stability must be good. At the fan trend right and bushwhack towards the road. When you reach the road turn right and ski down towards the Nordic centre.
ROUTE: Mt. MacPherson The Womb
ACCESS: 7.5 kilometers south on Highway 23 from the intersection with the Trans Canada Highway just west of Revelstoke. The Mt. MacPherson Nordic Ski Centre parking lot.
MAP: 82 L/16
TIME: 4-6 hours
ELEVATION GAIN: Approximately 1,300m / 4,265ft
ATES RATING: Complex (3)
MOUNT MACPHERSON - BURNT KNOB
Burnt Knob is a beautiful northeast facing knob at treeline with very steep open skiing through an old burnt forest. This appealing feature, located on the lower flanks of Mount MacPherson, can easily be seen from Revelstoke when looking southwest. It is best visited during mid-winter months when low elevation snow coverage is deeper and valley temperatures below freezing.
From the Mount MacPherson Nordic Ski Center, follow the access route towards the Fingers as described above. Continue along the old forestry road passing below the Fingers and The Whom in a northwesterly direction. Once on the north side of the creek below The Whom, the increasingly bushy road will travel across a few old clear cuts. Continue ascending in the same direction for 1.2 km up the deteriorating skid roads, keeping left (uphill) at any junctions until you reach the northwest corner of the farthest clear-cut near NAD 83 Grid 117-454.
From here, continue your gradual ascent through a mix of dense forest and avalanche runout zones below the northeast face of Burnt Knob in a northwesterly direction. The safest ascent route up to the top is via lower angle terrain skirting around the north side of the Knob to a treed saddle at NAD 83 Grid 097-453. From this point it is possible to ascend gentle slopes in a southeasterly direction to the top of Burnt Knob at 1775m and NAD 83 Grid 105-448.
There are some pretty exiting descent options from here. The less committing one is to simply retrace your steps. If the conditions are right, a descent down the northeast side of the Knob is memorable. This very steep open burn provides fantastic turns all the way back down to your up track. Another good option depending on the conditions is the skier’s right gully from the outflow of a small lake (NAD 83 Grid 106-444) on the south side of the Knob. This descent is not as steep however it travels through a significant terrain trap. Some parties will opt for doing a few runs on the Knob before calling it a day. The best return route is via the old forestry road approach.
ROUTE: Mt. MacPherson Burnt Knob
ACCESS: Park at the Nordic Center on the west side of HWY #23, 7.5 km south of the intersection with HWY #1
MAP: 82 L/16
TIME: 5 -7 hours
ELEVATION GAIN: 1,120m/3,674’
ATES RATING: Challenging (2)
submitted by: summitmountainguides.com
CORBIN PASS
Corbin Pass is a little known ski touring area located on the north side of highway #1 between Revelstoke and Rogers Pass. It offers good tree skiing at treeline and below treeline elevations. It is a great place to go when Roger Pass is closed due to avalanche control. MOT sometime does avalanche control here too however, they typically close access to the parking lot then. Visit drivebc.ca for information on planned avalanche control in this area. Of note, the northwest side of Corbin Pass is actually part of Selkirk Tangiers ski terrain; you might see helicopters skiers on that side. That being said, this area is open to recreational ski touring.
Ski touring at Corbin Pass requires strong legs and a long day! The tour starts at lower elevation and the vertical involved in getting up there is relatively big (1170m). The views from the pass and surrounding ridges are stunning and a worthy prize. The terrain includes a mixture of tree skiing and open avalanche slopes; there is no alpine terrain on this tour. Most of the area is southeast facing and is prone to sun crust and melt freeze cycles as winter progresses. This tour is only recommended once there is upwards of 1 metre of settled snow at the highway elevation.
Start this tour from a parking area on the north side of HWY #1 about 43kms east of Revelstoke. This pullout is a designated break check area for westbound trucks, park accordingly. Locate a logging road on the uphill side (northwest) of the parking area. Ascend this in a north-easterly direction for about 600m where you will come to a junction, go left and continue ascending in a westerly direction. After another 300m you will come to a second junction, bear right and ascend northeast. Continue ascending along the road, passing two switchbacks, for another 1.7km to a faint junction (1180m) with an old mining road (NAD 27 grid 466-707). Make a sharp left and follow the steep and narrow mining road in a westerly direction. This road also has a few switchbacks and after about 2kms, at 1775m, it flattens significantly. Continue along the flat road bed for another 200m and you will arrive to the edge of a large open & inviting avalanche slope. Put this one into the hard drive for the descent back down. Switch back here and continue ascending above the road in a north-easterly direction towards Corbin pass to about 1900m. This section of the ascent requires some good micro route finding skills to manage the increased exposure to avalanche terrain, denser forest and the odd cliff. From the 1900m mark, ascend open terrain in a westerly direction towards a 2040m summit (NAD 27 grid 451-716) roughly 500m west of Corbin pass. This little summit boasts great views and is a good starting point for your decent.
For keen skiers interested in more vertical, a run down the backside burn towards Tangiers creek is a really good add-on. Consider how much energy, time required and conditions before committing to this option. The best return option back to the parking area follows fall line terrain down the southeast side of the mountain via steep trees and open avalanche slopes on the skier’s right side of your ascent line. The upper part is very steep, convex and convoluted; it should only be attempted by a strong team when the avalanche danger is low. If in doubt, this section can be avoided by descending closer to your ascent line back to the 1775m level. This is where the old mining road enters the avalanche slope; it’s a lot more reasonable to ski into it the path from here. The skiing down this long avalanche path can be pretty amazing when the conditions are right. The trees to the skiers left side of the path provide a safer alternative if conditions warrant. Beware of increasing alder trees lower down on the path and make sure you stop skiing at 1020m, skiing below that is extremely bushy and not recommended. So, at 1020m, traverse hard to the skiers left side of the avalanche path and look for a faint overgrown road bed traversing east away from the path. Following this alder covered road for about 500m will bring you back to the second road junction encountered during your ascent. From here simply ski down your up track back to the parking area
ROUTE: Corbin Pass
ACCESS: North side of HWY #1, 43km east Revelstoke
MAP: 82 N/4
TIME: 6 -8 hours
ELEVATION GAIN: 1,170m/3,838’
ATES RATING: TBD, (Possibly Challenging)
submitted by: summitmountainguides.com
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