March 5, 2006, Mt Ymir, Whitewater BC
3/5/06
Canada BC
2794
3
After a great week at the Kokanee Glacier lodge, we decided to head back to Whitewater outside of Nelson on Sunday for a day in the backcountry near Mt Ymir in an area referred to locally at 5 mile basin. Monika and I checked in with the ski patrol at the Whitewater lift area, and headed out around 9:30am with partially clear skies. We found excellent ski conditions following the storms from earlier in the week (6-12" powder in trees, packed powder up top). Settlement in the snowpack resulted in mostly stable conditions (CTM 10 from compression tests).
The 5 mile basin area is just over the ridge from the main ski area with some great runs up to +1700' including an open upper bowl and nicely spaced trees below. The slope angles are moderately steep up to 30-35 degrees. While it had been skied the previous day (or two), we surprisingly found lots of untracked lines and encountered no other parties all day (except one breifly early in the am). We had the entire area to ourselves with a nice steep skin track to follow. We managed to get in 7 runs and 9000' vft for the day coming out at dusk thorugh the lift area to an empty parking lot.
A great way to end the week. There is alot of amazing terrain to explore in the Whitewater bc for surrounding such a relatively small lift area (2 old lifts). Will definitely be back after this first trip for me. Thanks to Monika for showing me around and for another great day.
1. Monika skiing from the saddle.
2. Descent
3. To the trees
4. Approach on ridge, more terrain
The 5 mile basin area is just over the ridge from the main ski area with some great runs up to +1700' including an open upper bowl and nicely spaced trees below. The slope angles are moderately steep up to 30-35 degrees. While it had been skied the previous day (or two), we surprisingly found lots of untracked lines and encountered no other parties all day (except one breifly early in the am). We had the entire area to ourselves with a nice steep skin track to follow. We managed to get in 7 runs and 9000' vft for the day coming out at dusk thorugh the lift area to an empty parking lot.
A great way to end the week. There is alot of amazing terrain to explore in the Whitewater bc for surrounding such a relatively small lift area (2 old lifts). Will definitely be back after this first trip for me. Thanks to Monika for showing me around and for another great day.
1. Monika skiing from the saddle.
2. Descent
3. To the trees
4. Approach on ridge, more terrain
Sounds like you two had a nice short day with 9000'.
TR on Kokanee trip coming soon?
TR on Kokanee trip coming soon?
Sounds like you hit it right!
I was up there Feb 27, all BC was closed, talked with a couple guys on the Patrol and they had never seen the slides go so big in the areas they control inbounds. They had about 12 inches of snow, was the heaviest snow I have ever skied (worse than the worst of Snoqualmie, Whistler and Baker combined), really nasty stuff. I know they had a fatality that week as well.
As they say.... timing is everything!
Good work.
I was up there Feb 27, all BC was closed, talked with a couple guys on the Patrol and they had never seen the slides go so big in the areas they control inbounds. They had about 12 inches of snow, was the heaviest snow I have ever skied (worse than the worst of Snoqualmie, Whistler and Baker combined), really nasty stuff. I know they had a fatality that week as well.
As they say.... timing is everything!
Good work.
wow, Paul. it looks like there's slightly more snow than VA. nice photos though!
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