Rather new to touring and have seen the many descriptions of Black Prince Traverse, Hero Knob and Purple Knob. Considering going out this Saturday to do Hero Knob, but with the Considerable risk in the Alpine, thinking that maybe that's not the best choice. Read a recent report by an ACMG guide, reporting on his outing to "Black Prince Tree Triangle". He selected that as a more conservative option due to the Considerable risk on Tuesday. I am thinking that we might want a more conservative option than Hero Knob on Saturday as well, but I am just unclear on just what route is being referred to as "Tree Triangle". I am inferring that it is the first leg of the Black Prince Traverse, but that it refers to stopping short of the final climb to the saddle below Purple Knob. Am I sort of on the right track??
-
Reviews published since 2009 — updated every season
-
Weekly Episode
Avalanche Conditions Report
Weekly snowpack summary covering Rogers Pass, the Selkirks and the Canadian Rockies. Published every Friday throughout the season.
Listen Now →
Weekly avalanche & safety updates throughout the season
-
Proprietary Content
BSC Guide Books & Maps
Researched and written by our team. Printed guides and georeferenced digital maps for Canada's best backcountry terrain.
Shop the Store →
Printed guides + georeferenced digital maps — all authored by BSC
-
-
Know Before You Go
Check Today's Forecast
Real-time avalanche danger ratings updated daily by Avalanche Canada. Always check before heading out.
View Forecast →
Avalanche awareness saves lives
-
Know Before You Go
Check Today's Forecast
Real-time avalanche danger ratings updated daily by Avalanche Canada. Always check before heading out.
View Forecast →
240+ videos — gear reviews, conditions reports & backcountry edits
SITE LOGIN
Black Prince Tree Triangle
-
2016-02-18 22:34:02
-
2016-02-19 01:21:53If you park at Black Prince parking, follow the trail up towards the tree triangle. As you ascend the tree triagle is bound by a lake at the bottom, a creek on your right and an open gully on your left.
As the trees thin you arrive at a windblown alpine bench. From this vantage, looking downhill on your right is an open, treeless gully to the south(ish). The gully can be problematic and is avoided if you're uncertain of avalanche conditions. The trees in the triangle are relatively well spaced with a few tight spots to navigate. You can ski right down to the lake.
You can see the entire tree triangle from the road if approaching on the highway from the south before you get to the parking lot.
-
2016-02-19 11:29:22Thanks for the info.
-
2016-02-20 19:37:59
Hi, I am going to spend few days visiting a friend in Canmore on next Tuesday 23th till Tuesday 1st of March. I really would like to go to Black Prince (or even somewhere else colsed to Canmore valley) but as I don't know the place, it would be safer if I would be with a local :)
If you plan to go riding next week, it would be a pleasure to join you and share your experience over here.
See U
-
2016-02-22 16:34:13
Unfortunately I don't think we'll be back there again until next weekend (March 5) at he earliest. Hopefully there will be some snow next week to make it a worthwhile trip.
In case you do go, I can tell you that the conditions were terrific on Saturday from treeline down to about 2000m, where the trees get pretty thick and the snow turns a lot heavier and wetter. I am a heavier skiier, so skiing out was a bit of a chore, breaking through constantly. See this guys report from the same area:
http://www.avalanche.ca/report.....99b0dfc29a
Maybe if I could just figure out how to "think light thoughts"…
That said, a few other groups that were out there on Saturday talked about the creek (Warspite creek I believe) as a good option for the ski out once the trees get to be too thick. Might try that next time.
From where we topped out at around 2350m, and down to 2000ish, there was about 30-40 cm of light, relatively dry powder on a reasonably soft crust. We dug a pit and found things to be very stable. There was only about 6 or 7 other groups there but Sunday probably saw that many again so it might be fairly skiied out now.
Hope you find some good stuff to explore anyways.
