<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
    <channel>
        <title><![CDATA[Kootenay Pass]]></title>
        <description>RSS of Kootenay Pass</description>
        <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 23:44:42 -0700</pubDate>
        <link>https://www.backcountryskiingcanada.com</link>
                        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Found Ski Pole]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Ski Pole found at the base of Satan&amp;#39;s Choice couloir on the north side of the Monk on 3/10/2019. It would be great to get it back to is sibling pole! Please share if you have any information on who it may belong to and I will do my best to return it.&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
            <pubDate>2019-03-11 10:29:26</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/Found:%20Ski%20Pole</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/Found:%20Ski%20Pole</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[NEW Kootenay Pass Ski Touring Map - On Sale Now!]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[We&amp;#39;re happy to announce that our new Kootenay Pass Ski Touring Map is now available for purchase. Backcountry Skiing Canada teamed up with Mighty Big Horn Maps to create a 1:20,000 scale map which includes&amp;nbsp;23 winter ski touring routes&amp;mdash;a 1:20,000 scale summer hiking map is also included. Each route on the map includes a&amp;nbsp;georeferenced photograph&amp;nbsp;of the ski slope, approach routes, hut locations, and avalanche terrain assessment scales. Kootenay&amp;nbsp;Pass is one of Canada&amp;#39;s highest year-round roads which provides easy access to some of the best ski touring options in BC. This map has been created with the help of&amp;nbsp;CAA professionals, ACMG/UIFMG members, and GIS technicians.

This is a must-have map for any backcountry skier looking to explore Kootenay&amp;nbsp;Pass. Buy it now in our store or click the button below.
&amp;nbsp;
PRICE: $19.95

   
Visit our on-line store to learn more about the other 22 maps and guides we have&amp;nbsp;or sale.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2017-10-21 09:18:16</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/Kootenay-Pass-Map</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/Kootenay-Pass-Map</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Ripple Ridge FEB 2017]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[I left for Ripple Ridge late that day. I had friends in town that wanted to ski our local resort so I joined them for a half day of hot laps before driving off to Kootenay Pass. I had never been there before but from what I heard from friends and the Ripple Ridge Recreation Association website it wouldn&amp;rsquo;t be too difficult to find. Depending on how slow I walked I could be to the cabin from the pass in forty minutes to an hour. And so I climbed under my 75L pack, filled with more than I would need (and weighing more than I had ever ski toured with), strapped into my splitboard and began the hike to the cabin.
&amp;nbsp;
I arrived after 45 minutes just in time to watch the sunset with some friends who had been touring the area earlier that day.




After a few tin cups of maple whiskey I was able to unpack and settle in. Before long it was dark, the stars and moon lit up the night sky and the snow below. We geared up and went for a walk to a nearby ridge to enjoy the night view. Later back at the cabin we made dinner and relaxed. It was nice to turn off the electricity and entertain ourselves with the art of conversation.



We let the fire burn down but the loft area was still a sauna, eventually the heat dissipated and we slept comfortably but it was a little chilly in the morning. It didn&amp;#39;t take too much effort to start a fire in the morning, make coffee and enjoy breakfast.





After breakfast we went for another tour, but it was clagged in and snowing plenty. We shredded a safe line and had some storm snow sluff down the steeps, after one lap we were ready for a nap.

Although we had booked the cabin for two nights we decided to tour out that day. Warming temperatures were about to make conditions suspect, and life had other plans for us back in town. Regardless, it was rad (as always) to get out of town, turn off the electricity and go back to the basics with good friends. I highly recommend this cabin for snowshoeing or ski touring in the winter and I look forward to visiting in the sping and summer as well.

&amp;nbsp;Photos by Bradley Moore]]></description>
            <pubDate>2017-02-21 09:10:45</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/ripple-ridge-feb17</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/ripple-ridge-feb17</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[KP Conditions - Dec 29, 2016]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Kootenay Pass has been awesome this week. It was starting to get a little bit of a wind slab today in the unsheltered areas, but the trees are still spectacular - best I&amp;#39;ve seen for this time of year since I&amp;#39;ve been touring the last five years.

And a note about parking. This is strictly my opinion, so do with it what you want.&amp;nbsp;
There is now a sign (not immediately&amp;nbsp;visible) requesting backcountry skiers to park east of the summit. This is probably due to the safety concern and trucker&amp;#39;s concern when the parking lot is full. If the parking lot is empty though, I see no problem with parking one row of vehicles at the summit. If you get there and the first row of parking os occupied, maybe that is when we should move on to the &amp;quot;overflow&amp;quot; lot on the east side of the lake.]]></description>
            <pubDate>2016-12-29 16:21:37</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/KP%20Conditions%20-%20Dec%2029,%202016</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/KP%20Conditions%20-%20Dec%2029,%202016</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Kootenay Pass Conditions 22 December 2016]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Hi&amp;nbsp;

We&amp;#39;re up here from the States for part of the winter. &amp;nbsp;Been up to Rogers skiing a few days up there before the storm and now down in Nelson area for the next little bit. &amp;nbsp;

Is there a process/way/avenue/place to access snow profiles?&amp;nbsp;

Down South there is usually a place to find pit profiles on the different avy center sites that have been uploaded by the forecasters and the general public but I haven&amp;#39;t been able to find a similar link to the graphs here on avalanche.ca. &amp;nbsp;Through the National Park website&amp;nbsp;we were able to find where to access the snow profiles done in the park but it would be nice to see full profiles for areas outside of the NP system if that indeed is a possibility.&amp;nbsp;

Thanks!

James&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
            <pubDate>2016-12-22 18:15:04</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/Kootenay%20Pass%20Conditions%2022%20December%202016</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/Kootenay%20Pass%20Conditions%2022%20December%202016</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Koot pass cond Dec 21]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Anyone has been at Kootenay Pass yesterday or today? Has it rained right to the top?]]></description>
            <pubDate>2016-12-21 15:54:35</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/Koot-pass-cond</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/Koot-pass-cond</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Koots Pass Cond. 16/17]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Has anyone been earning any turns yet this season up in the pass? How are things filling in or am I way to eager in this Oct shoulder season:(]]></description>
            <pubDate>2016-10-21 12:34:05</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/Koots%20Pass</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/Koots%20Pass</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Selkirk Traverse 2016]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[A few days ago I completed 27 days of the 36 day first ever Selkirk Traverse. Steve Senecal, Sam McKoy, Mark Grist, and Madeleine Martin-Preney started at Kootenay Pass on April 3rd 2016, I joined in Retallack on April 12th, and we finished in Mica on May 8th. Lena Rowat and Nick Matwyuk joined for the first 11 days, and Cindy Walker joined for the Goat Range.
There where a total of 8 legs, with food caches in Nelson, Retallack, Trout Lake, Battle Abbey, Revelstoke, Sorcerer Lodge, and Fairy Meadows.
I&amp;#39;ll post more photos soon.
Douglas Noblet, Wild Air Photo

Some stats:- Broken Gear tally: 3 ski poles, 2 skis, 2 bindings, 2 stove pumps, 1 boot buckle.
- Pine Marten Tally: 2kg lunch food, 1 Letherman and bits, water bottle lid, food scraper.
- White gas (entire trip): 16L
- Vertical gained: 43,000m +
- Total KM: 520km+
- Meters of river log crossings: to many
- Earliest wake up time. 12am
- Earliest bed time: 3:30pm
- Latest bed time: 2am
- Kootenay Pass to Nelson, 4 days
- Nelson to Retallack, 5 days


Retallack to Trout Lake, 5 days
 
Trout Lake to Battle Abbey, 6 days
 
Battle Abbey to Rogers Pass, 3 days
 
Sorcerer Lodge to Fairy Meadows, 4 days
 
Fairy Meadows to Mica, 5 days
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2016-05-14 12:49:55</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/selkirk-traverse-2016</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/selkirk-traverse-2016</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Kootenay Pass conditions?]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Anyone ski Kootenay Pass this weekend (Dec 13-14)? Looked like a little new snow in parking lot from webcam.
Conditions?]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-12-14 20:12:35</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-conditions</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-conditions</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Thanks to BSC Salomon!]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Thanks to BSC and Salomon for hooking me up with a new set of Salomon Q105 skis from last years soap box contest. I got them out on snow today at Kootenay Pass and they are awesome mounted with the new G3 Ion bindings. Looking forward to the season ahead!



Snow quality was great, boot deep pow on top of very supportive rain crust allowed for awesome turns on south aspects. The trees lower down still need some coverge but things are filling in nicely. Anything hit by wind was quite thin still though so be cautious of those areas.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-11-30 23:46:15</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/thanks-to-bsc-salomon</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/thanks-to-bsc-salomon</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[KP in May]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Hey Guys and Gals,
I was thinking about taking my 7yr old up to K pass for a final outting before summer, anyone know if its still skiable? Thinking about going this weekend May 17th,18th.
Cheers
Keith
Grand Forks BC]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-05-16 01:48:30</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kp-in-may</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kp-in-may</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Kootenay Pass Avalanche Fatality details]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Some details of the Kootneay Pass avalanche from last week as posted on Shredor.com by Morgan Lipscomb who was apparently at the scene. An interesting read and a sober reminder to play it on the safe side.

The crown of the large sympathetic avalanche spans the entire width of the photo.&amp;nbsp;

&quot;On the morning of Sunday, 2/23/2014, Drew met me in Kootenay Pass.&amp;nbsp; After spending a week in the pass with minimum split boarding, I was stoked to shred some powder.&amp;nbsp; Patrick a classmate from my CAA Level 1 course, also met with us for the tour. We started our day touring up Lightening Strike Ridge, with the plans of riding some West facing glades.&amp;nbsp; The avalanche danger was rated considerable, because of a buried surface hoar layer, covered by a meter of storm snow that had accumulated over the past week. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;

Halfway down our first run, we crossed paths with a party of two, who were heading to the parking lot to call for help, as their friends had triggered and been injured in a large avalanche.&amp;nbsp; They said there were two individuals still at the scene, one of whom had a broken leg.&amp;nbsp; Being avid backcountry riders, and understanding the seriousness of the situation, we switched over and toured to the incident site to lend some help. Arriving on the scene, we quickly understood the seriousness of the situation.&amp;nbsp; When we first caught sight of the slide, victim #1 was giving compressions to victim #2, who had stopped breathing 15 minutes prior to our arrival.

**Not knowing the victims, and not being involved in the decisions made leading up to the accident, I will keep my words short.&amp;nbsp; But this was a life altering experience and can be learned from.** &amp;nbsp;

From my understanding, the the victims dropped in off the ridge&amp;nbsp; into a steep &quot;tree chute&quot;.&amp;nbsp; 3-4 turns into the slope they triggered a slide and two individuals were caught and pushed down the steep slope.&amp;nbsp; This slide swept them down slope 600-700&amp;#39;, raking them through trees and over rocks.&amp;nbsp; When the slide reached and open, less steep bench it sympathetically triggered a large size 3 avalanche.&amp;nbsp; Average crown depth of this avalanche was 3&amp;#39;, and it propagated 300-400&amp;#39; across slope and 200-300&amp;#39; up slope.&amp;nbsp; This slide ran 600-700&amp;#39; further down to valley bottom and triggered 2 more sympathetic releases, on its way.&amp;nbsp; Although the victims managed to stay above this large avalanche, and came to rest on the staunchwall of the large slide, they had suffered serious trauma from being raked down the steep slope above. &amp;nbsp;

That afternoon our group hung out with the victims for over three hours until Search and Rescue arrived.&amp;nbsp; We kept victim #1 warm and monitored her status, gave continued compressions to victim #2, and kept an eye out for further avalanches.&amp;nbsp; Victim #2 was never revived, and passed away on the scene.&amp;nbsp; Victim #1 was evacuated that evening, and was lucky to be alive.&amp;nbsp; Im told she suffered a lacerated spline, damaged liver, broken ribs, and a punctured lung.&amp;nbsp;

We were grateful to see Search and Rescue crews arrive just after 4 pm.&amp;nbsp; They took over the situation, and evacuated Victim #1 back to the highway.&amp;nbsp; With fading daylight, they were forced to leave deceased victim #2 to be picked up the next day.&amp;nbsp; It took SAR crews over 3 hours to arrive and an additional 6 hours to get the injured victim #1 back to the highway.&amp;nbsp; Evacuation efforts took a long time, because the slopes from the victims location, down to the valley bottom were steep, and the victim had to be repelled the entire way.&amp;nbsp;

Not being in the group who triggered the avalanche, and only being involved in aftermath, it is hard to analyze this accident in terms of decision making and the human factor.&amp;nbsp; I do think there are a few important things to take away from the accident.&amp;nbsp;

One being, the nature of backcountry skiing, and the inherent dangers we subject ourselves too every time we go on a hike into avalanche terrain.&amp;nbsp; This event occurred on a Sunday, and a busy powder day in Kootenay Pass.&amp;nbsp; There were many people touring this day, who were riding steep lines and testing the snowpack as this group had done.&amp;nbsp; Many other groups were doing this, un-aware to the fact that just around the corner, a fellow backcountry skiers was dying from making a similar decision.&amp;nbsp;

Conservative decision making is essential if one is going to live through a life of backcountry skiing.&amp;nbsp; One wrong decision or one lapse in judgement can take your life.&amp;nbsp; Backcountry riding is a dangerous game, and you are gambling with your life.&amp;nbsp; It is easy to become complacent when you are having successful trips and not experiencing or seeing accidents.&amp;nbsp; But one must always stay on guard, continually asses safety, stay situationally aware, and MAKE CONSERVATIVE DECISIONS.&amp;nbsp;

In terms of accidents in the backcountry, this was a sad and tough learning experience.&amp;nbsp; It also showed how difficult it truly is to remove and injured person from the backcountry.&amp;nbsp; Although we were not far from the highway (1-2 miles), it took 20 SAR personnel over 6 hours to pull Victim #1 off the slope, out of danger, and back to the road.&amp;nbsp; If this incident had occurred further from the rode, the victim likely would have had to spent the night in the backcountry, and likely would have died from her internal injuries.

I am writing this up from a learning perspective, so myself and others may learn from this incident.&amp;nbsp; I understand this is a short explanation of the accident, and doesn&amp;#39;t really do it just.&amp;nbsp; I just wanted to write something about the events that day while it was still fresh in my mind.&amp;nbsp; Still, I&amp;#39;ve had a hard time writing this, unsure of what I should write or say about that day..&amp;nbsp; There are no words that do just to the situation that unfolded, and the individuals involved.&amp;nbsp; This was just my opinion on events that day, and I give all my respect to the individuals directly involved in the accident.

I wish Victim #1 a speedy recovery, and may Victim #2 rest in peace, and watch down on all of us who return to the backcountry and the dangers of traveling in avalanche terrain. &quot;
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-03-03 20:37:02</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-avalanche-fatality-details-1</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-avalanche-fatality-details-1</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[A long couple of days at the Pass]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[As most of you have heard we have had our first tragedy of the season up at the pass.&amp;nbsp; My thoughts go out the family and friends who suffered this great loss.&amp;nbsp; Times like this are always hard all the way around but I did want to give a word out to all the volunteers who came together to help his partner make it out to the highway.&amp;nbsp; Yes I was one of those persons but it always amazes me to see all the other people who step up the plate to help.&amp;nbsp; When we flew in Sunday under not so nice conditions there were 4 other persons on sight giving aid to both members involved in the avalanche.&amp;nbsp; Two more persons came on site from the cabin and with a team 6 NSAR members helped in lowering the one subject down almost 300m in some dangerous and hard pressed conditions.&amp;nbsp; Then throughout the night Nelson, Rossland, South Columbia and Castlegar SAR pulled by hand the stretcher all the way to the highway and the awaiting BC ambulance.&amp;nbsp; Hours of extraordinary work were put in by all to make this happen and I just wanted to give a shout out to all my friends, colleges and persons who just stepped up for a job well done.&amp;nbsp; What ever we call it slackcountry, backcountry, off piste, it is always about the people who do it.. you are an extraordinary bunch.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-02-25 00:58:31</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/a-long-couple-of-days-at-the-pass</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/a-long-couple-of-days-at-the-pass</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[A Day at the Kootenay Pass]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[THE SOAP BOX
The day began with a blustery walk up Lightening Ridge Kootenay pass!&amp;nbsp; As a&amp;nbsp;group&amp;nbsp;of four we were on our way to day of exploring!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Although tired at the beginning of the day the fresh air, beautiful mountains and ambition to ski energized us!&amp;nbsp; We skinned along the ridge and then contoured around Monk Peak to meet the ajoining ridge.&amp;nbsp; We then skinned up Monk south where the wind&amp;nbsp;nearly blew us&amp;nbsp;off the mountain top.&amp;nbsp; Here we stood scoping out future decents.&amp;nbsp; The time spent on this peak was brief because of the strong wind,&amp;nbsp;but the same wind also added excitemnt to the ascent. We then&amp;nbsp;skied&amp;nbsp;down the ridge and made our way to twin lakes. The ski into twin lakes&amp;nbsp;was marked with&amp;nbsp;interesting&amp;nbsp;off camber slope and&amp;nbsp;the faceted&amp;nbsp;snow surface allowed ours skis to wash and slide in the snow with ease.&amp;nbsp;In twin lakes we enjoyed the steep face of North Monk. Craving more powder snow we decided to skin up the muffin for one last run before we returning back to the car for a Bacardi breezer, creamcicle flavored.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-01-20 23:16:56</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/a-day-at-the-kootenay-pass</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/a-day-at-the-kootenay-pass</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[k pass]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[i spent a great month in the pass last feb -march. hoping to get back there this winter too. i agree with jake, &amp;nbsp;the pokies and blowdowns are still really exposed up there now. prob better left for few more weeks
ski hard play fair have fun
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2013-12-12 08:17:40</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/k-pass</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/k-pass</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Kootenay Pass Early Season - SOAP BOX]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[A peek at the Early Season Kootenay Pass (Nov 30 &amp;amp; Dec 1, 2013)

Couldn&amp;rsquo;t help but wonder why there was no hype coming out of the Nelson area. Curiosity got the best of us and we popped out to the Pass for the weekend with expectations in check. The green lawns in Nelson quickly explained the lack of winter excitement. The snow pack in Kootenay Pass is notably lower than this time last year. There is currently not enough snow to provide coverage in the larger talas fields or over the pungies in avalanche slopes, and the buried treasures are lurking everywhere. The shallow snowpack doesn&amp;rsquo;t seem to be discouraging the hordes. The abundance of vehicles in the lot seemed bizarre given the measly snowpack and&amp;nbsp;mediocre ski quality. Barely a dusting of snow for Saturday did little to disguise the fully tracked out state of the more popular easy access slopes.
&amp;nbsp;
Saturday night brought significant snowfall. The snow came in warm with some wind making for relatively quick slab formation. Avalanche conditions with the new storm snow were extremely touchy with very easy remote triggering of slabs and subsequent sympathetic slides extending for some distance across features.
&amp;nbsp;
With a few more feet of snow and a more mature snowpack the pass will be game on. Hopefully this storm cycle is just the start of things to come!
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2013-12-02 17:51:19</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-early-season-soap-box</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-early-season-soap-box</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Kootnay Pass Spring Sking]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Has anyone been to Kootnay pass recently? Is there enough snow for touring yet? Last Memorial day weekend was excellent sking at Kootenay pass. Hoping there is enough snow pack to make the trip again this year. The web cam is pretty limited for viewing snow pack.
Thanks]]></description>
            <pubDate>2013-05-18 15:49:28</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootnay-pass-spring-sking</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootnay-pass-spring-sking</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Kootenay Pass Goodness]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Kootenay Pass always seems to deliver. With not too much snow so far this year we switched it up and instead of looking for choker powder snow, we went looking for terrain. Pretty simple task with terrain being served up in bucketloads within a few kilometers of the parking lot.

Spent January 26th thru 28th skiing the pass. The storm snow over the Jan 23rd layer didn&amp;#39;t have any cohesion to it on the northeast thru northwest aspects we explored. Sluffing on the interface grew with added snowload throughout the weekend. By Monday, loose sluff on steeper features was getting significant.


]]></description>
            <pubDate>2013-01-30 11:18:59</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-goodness</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-goodness</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Backcountry Etiquette Questions]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[With increasing numbers of people heading into the slack/side/backcountry due to such easy access from the local ski hills I have noticed a couple of trends:

1. The uptracks are continually trashed by bootpackers (not snowshoers, although that is sometimes bad too) and there is continous postholes all the way up the track. &amp;nbsp;Now, I certainly don&amp;#39;t own the uptrack, and maybe I am being an old school elitist, but isn&amp;#39;t that poor backcountry etiquette? &amp;nbsp;I mean, it used to be, what is the current &quot;policy&quot;?

2. The other day we saw some people walking up Mount Roberts behind Red (they happened to be postholing as well as they were walking up carrying their alpine skis). &amp;nbsp;They had no packs, avi gear, skins, nothing. &amp;nbsp;They were pure resort skiiers. &amp;nbsp;So my question is, do we just ski idly by and let the Darwin awards have more contestants for the year or do we kindly mention the fact that they are skiing in unpatrolled, uncontrolled, natural avalanche terrain? &amp;nbsp;A couple times I have said something in situations like this but I usually get sarcastic or nonchalant responses back and I wished I hadn&amp;#39;t said anything at all. &amp;nbsp;But on the other hand, I would feel a tiny built guilty if the skiiers/boarders were truly ignorant about the conditions and I subsequently saw them die in an avalanche (or trigger a slide above our group).

Anyway, just a couple things I have noticed and just curious to see what others have to say. &amp;nbsp;]]></description>
            <pubDate>2013-01-15 12:36:20</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/backcountry-etiquette-questions</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/backcountry-etiquette-questions</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[COMP - My New Backyard]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Powder Magazine subscribers recently voted my new home of Rossland, BC the &amp;lsquo;Best Ski Town&amp;rsquo; in North America.&amp;nbsp; My husband and I voted the Kootenays as the best place on earth to live if your thing is to climb up and rip it on the way down.&amp;nbsp; We moved here in the spring of 2012 after years in the Golden area.&amp;nbsp; The Purcells certainly possess their own beauty and challenging terrain but after moving from ski town to ski town we just could not find a place that we could call home&amp;hellip; until now.


Our season started in Kootenay Pass.&amp;nbsp; During the month of November we explored our new backyard, spending most of our time taking the skis for a walk rather than ripping up the powder stashes.&amp;nbsp; It didn&amp;rsquo;t matter&amp;hellip; the new terrain was breathtaking and I wanted to get to know every inch of her personally.&amp;nbsp;

On December 3rd we again drove out to the Pass for what we thought was going to be another day of early season turns.&amp;nbsp; Cooler temperatures accompanied by several centimeters of snow produced one of the best powder days we&amp;rsquo;ve had in a long time.

On December 5th we brought along a friend to share the stellar experience we had only two days earlier.&amp;nbsp; In less than 48 hours, temperatures rose and it rained all the way to the summit of Baldy Rocks.&amp;nbsp; The crust was shin-breaking, the wind gusting and what was once epic now turned into survival skiing.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Mother nature definitely had another personality!

As I reflect on this past year, December 2012 has turned out to be a December to remember.&amp;nbsp; Shortly after our chilly day at Kootenay Pass a low pressure system moved over the Kootenays and decided to hang out for awhile.&amp;nbsp; For days we skied beautiful powder, with beautiful people in our new &amp;lsquo;home&amp;rsquo;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Thank you Rossland for your gracious hospitality and the wonderful snow.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2012-12-31 22:30:16</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/comp-my-new-backyard</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/comp-my-new-backyard</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[COMP - Tele Laps on the Sal-Cres]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[The day before Christmas, my brother and I headed up to the summit of Kootenay Pass for some victory turns after another semester of uni. I&amp;#39;ve been on the telemarks for several years, but Graeme was out for his first day minus a couple runs on the backyard &amp;ndash; he is more in it for the joy of getting to the top; I&amp;#39;m there to go down.&amp;nbsp;
We stuck to the safer, south side of the highway due to our limited backcountry snow experience and broke our own more-direct trail rather than following the long road around. It took not much more than half an hour to get to the base of the cliffs and we decided that we were happy to ski some short laps from there. The snow was stable, the sun was out and there were only a few other slashes in the snow, which had been already snowed on.
First run was through the trees to the west of the open face when you look up from the parking lot. It got us stoked and we rushed up the next couple tours much faster. A couple more runs on the open slope and a great finish in the trees.&amp;nbsp;
Can&amp;#39;t wait to go back.




]]></description>
            <pubDate>2012-12-26 18:13:23</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/comp-tele-laps-on-the-sal-cres</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/comp-tele-laps-on-the-sal-cres</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Baldy Rocks Dec 5]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Inconsistent weather changes the conditions again...for the worse. &amp;nbsp;Monday saw face shots top to bottom but the common theme today was a stiff crust from the parking lot all the way up to 2100m. &amp;nbsp;The crust got a little softer about 200m above the parking area. &amp;nbsp;Very strong SW wind at all elevations. &amp;nbsp;Anything even slightly open was wind-hammered. &amp;nbsp;Light snow off and on all day. &amp;nbsp;Skiied both sides of Baldy Rocks ridge and was slightly better on the south side. &amp;nbsp;A few controlled ski cuts on open, wind-affected terrain (NW) gave cracks and one of my partners was able to get one slab (10cm deep, 5m across) to pop but didn&amp;#39;t propagate on a 30 degree slope. &amp;nbsp;No signs of instability on the S side of the ridge. &amp;nbsp;-5 @ parking area.&amp;nbsp; Need some more snow to bury this latest crust and hopefully it will stay cool.


&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
            <pubDate>2012-12-05 22:35:55</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/baldy-rocks-dec-5</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/baldy-rocks-dec-5</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Kootenay Pass Dec 3]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Cooler temps today continues to tighten up the snowpack.&amp;nbsp; We skied terrain similar to the other post from earlier today.&amp;nbsp; Temps -2 parking lot, -5 at the Baldy Rocks ridge.&amp;nbsp; We found good stability on the N and NW aspects but there was a strong westerly wind all day which made it quite cold on the ridge top.&amp;nbsp; Heavy loading on the other side so we elected to ski the N/NW aspects.&amp;nbsp; Met up with a group that did some digging on the S side and they found easy results and didn&amp;rsquo;t ski it.&amp;nbsp; Snowing S-1 pretty much all day with more forecast for the next two days.

Had some great turns with lots of face shots today!&amp;nbsp; Will need to keep an eye on the wind over the next couple days but good to see the snow getting drier and the coverage getting better.&amp;nbsp; Hoping this cooling trend continues&amp;hellip;.]]></description>
            <pubDate>2012-12-03 23:21:12</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-dec-3</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-dec-3</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Spicy Conditions in Kootenay Pass]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Nov. 29 to Dec. 2
Spent a few days based out of Salmo enjoying lots of espresso and a bit of snow.
&amp;nbsp;
Driving over the pass very late on the 29th the thermometer struggled to drop to the zero degree mark. Snowline was met just moments before cresting the pass.

Nov. 30th
The mercury hovered around zero all day. Precip was falling as snow, but just barely. Roughly a foot of storm snow was sitting on the previous surface hoar layer and was extremely active. Skier triggered slides to about 1.5 were so predictable that we got a bit desensitized. Also observed evidence of a natural release on the North Ridge of Baldy Rocks near 2000m. A column in the area produced easy planar shears but compression tests were still in the moderate range. In our two very soggy laps we produced more than 10 slides with ski cuts all with 30cm crowns on NW aspects . Thankfully the erratic terrain allowed for lots of safe zones to watch the shattered slope go racing by. There were about a dozen cars in the lot when we left in the afternoon.

Dec. 1st
Temperatures in town climbed to seven degrees and we chose to brave the streets of a bustling Nelson rather than spend another day ringing out soggy gloves.

Dec. 2nd
Thankfully a bit cooler. The mercury read -3.5 at 2000m. Another 20cm or more storm snow had obscured our uptrack from the 30th. We got to ride with some great confidence on a steeper north facing slope off of Baldy Rocks courtesy of a natural slide that had occurred earlier in the weekend. Returning to the parking lot on a NW aspect a ski cut initiated a slide involving the entirety of the heavy moist storm snow. The crown was approximately 70cm, propagated to a 25m width, and ran 100m. 30 cars in the lot when we left.

With the new snow and wind it is getting more difficult to tell what has slid and what is primed to pop. Might be sporty up there for the next bit.

I&amp;rsquo;ll get some pics downloaded and posted up tonight.]]></description>
            <pubDate>2012-12-03 12:15:09</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/spicy-conditions-in-kootenay-pass</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/spicy-conditions-in-kootenay-pass</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Kootenay Pass Pics from Nov 30]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Here are a few pics from today to go along with my previous OBS&amp;nbsp;
  ]]></description>
            <pubDate>2012-11-30 20:42:27</pubDate>
            <link>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-pics-from-nov-30</link>
            <guid>/forum/bcs/category/kootenay-pass-4/topic/kootenay-pass-pics-from-nov-30</guid>
                    </item>
                    </channel>
</rss>
