Outdoor Video Magazine

Hey guys, I just found this “unreal” cool video of some skiers and snowboarders up in Whistler B.C.. The guy commentating in the video is freestyle skier Rory Bushfield from Canada. The first jump is about 60 feet of flat and the next day they pushed it back, so it was probably around 80 feet of flat (one word… huge!!!). It’s not just the amount they are clearing it’s the amount of vert they are getting off the lip of the jump that is absolutely amazing!!!

Length: 48km
Time: 3/4 Days
Book: None I could find, parks office has details
Elevation: 1400m-1400m = FLAT!
Date done: April 14th 2006
Effort: Medium
Rating: 8/10
Notes: Lots of grizzly tracks on trail - beware! Rating applies to April, could be plain/boring in summer
Map: Can be done without

If you don’t want to go uphill but love mountains, this is the hike for you. Also for an early spring hike it is perfect. This trail takes you through spectacular mountain scenery whilst hardly gaining any height at all. It has some superbly situated campgrounds, and is well maintained. I did this in April of 2006, and the parks people thought you we were crazy for trying to go backpacking at that time of year. But the low elevation and the low snow levels for that year meant that trail was in perfect condition for hiking right up until the last few kilometers approaching Fortress Lake. By then there was some old, crusty, thigh deep snow to battle through. The days were very warm and sunny…and the nights and mornings a little chilly to say the least. Fortress Lake was still fully frozen over.

Day 1 - 6km (half day)
Starting from the Sunwapta Falls car park on the Icefields Parkway, follow the trail over the falls and through some rather repetative forest to the first campground, only 6km from the start. From here there is your first view of the mountains to come. It is a gorgeous area with a nice lake as well as a river, and it provides some excellent photography opportunities at sunrise.

Day 2 - 18km
Following the trail onwards, I recommend breaking out to the river to your right occasionally to get the best views. You can even hike along side the river on a fairly decent game trail all the way to the next campground, a total of 15km from the start. Or you can stick to the true trail that takes you through the trees and limits your views somewhat. This campground is in a lovely spot too, with yet again a gorgeous lake nearby and two rivers. We had lunch here.

Crossing a suspension bridge It is now another 9km to the third and final campste at Fortress Lake. The trail becomes slightly narrower but remains very clear, and rises and drops in places. Eventually you come out to the main river bed, where you have to ford. This was no problem for us, but during high-water this would be impossible. If the water is low, this huge river bed gives you a good chance to soak up the views of the mountains on all sides. On the farside, the trail becomes less distinct as it winds along the trees by the river. This is where we started to pick up some bad snow that made the going tough. It is possible to stick to the river bed for a clearer walk though, just keep an eye on the path. Eventually it swings away from the river and heads toward Fortress Lake passing through gorgeous mossy forest (welcome to BC, you actually over the Continental Divide now). The final campground is perfectly situated above the lake with some stunning views. A shame the lake was still frozen in early April.

Day 3 - 18km
You know have to retrace your steps all the way home. If you want you can stick to the river all the way to the first campsite, or you can follow the main trail. Or mix the two. We decided to take the river back for some variety. In retrospect, I think this was slower and more tiring too. Maybe it’s just cos we were out in some VERY hot sun (it was April, but it must have been around 20C!!), or maybe it was the hour long game of frisbee we had! The river bed is sandy, flat, and huge. One day I would like a full Ultimate Frisbee game here, haha. The open views were amazing, and it was excellent for avalanche watching. We must have seen about 20 in one day. We spent the third night back at the first campsite.

Day 4 - 6km (quarter day)
We hiked the final 6km back to the car, and enjoyed a leisurely drive back through Jasper in some stunning weather.

This would make a gorgeous cross-country ski in winter and you can actually take bikes as far as the second campground (it’s a recognised MTB route in the park).

Located near Nordegg, Alberta in the Canadian Rockies.

Length: ~43km
Time: 3/4 Days
Book: David Thompson Highway - A Hiking Guide
Min/Max Elevation: 1365m-2700m
Date done: August 24th 2006
Effort: V. High
Rating: 9.5/10
Scariness: 1.5/3
Maps:

Wow. What a hike. This has a fair bit of elevation gain (around 1800m) in total if you do the side trips. But you get to the top of 2 mountains over 2600m, you see two fantastic gorgeous turquoise mountain lakes perfect for fly fishing, and you’re probably the only person in the area that didn’t helicopter in! It is kind of a half-circle route requiring two cars/hitchhike…but this means backtracking is kept to a minimum. You approach Landslide Lake initially from the South over a high pass (more exciting then approaching via Cline River valley), and you leave Landslide Lake/Lake of the Falls via the Cline River route.

Day 1
Start from the Landslide Lake parking area 1km west of Whirlpool Point on Highway 11. This is just west of Abraham Lake, which is west of Nordegg, which is west of Rocky Mountain House which is in Alberta! Ok I’ll stop. The trail initially climbs very gradually through some deciduous forest. It soons steepens though, and the trail quickly becomes a relentless climb that offers great views back over the Saskatchewan valley. As you approach the treeline, the trail crosses a stream and then continues to climb through scree and talus. Here the trail becomes indistinct and you can take what ever path you fancy up the final hard slog to the pass at ????m. At this point we decided to dump our heavy packs, have some lunch and then head up the peak to the west. This actually only takes around 15mins to the top from the pass and is well worth it for the views. It is a tiny bit of scrambling but nothing exposed at all.

Returning to the trail, you now have to cross the barren rocky landscape to the otherside of the pass. Luckily this is flat. When you reach the otherside you have your first view down to landslide lake. Fantastic. Pick your own route down the scree and descend quickly down to the valley bottom where you can rejoin the trail along the righthand side of the stream. It’s then not too far to the shores of landslide lake where you can find your camping spot either at the South or North end of the lake. I would recommmend going right to the north end where there is a nice little site with a view down the lake. Fishing time.

Day 2
The day starts with a nice gradual descent along side a beautiful mossy stream to the junction with the Lake of the Falls trails. Here you bear left over the stream (west) and follow the trail that passes through some nice camping spots. The first part of this trail is flat along by the river, but after a couple of kilometers it starts to rise with increasing steepness away from the river. Around the top of the climb, there is a nice view left to a large waterfall through the trees. You then drop steeply to cross the steam, and immediately rise again in a short but very very steep climb. Once you reach the top it’s plain sailing all the way down to Lake of the Falls. You pass through a gorgeous valley, surrounded by nice peaks….accompanied by the sound of HELICOPTERS. Yes, when we were there helicopters fly low and loud over the trail about every 30mins. They are doing tours to the Columbia Icefields, and taking in and picking up fishermen from Lake of the Falls.

Upon reaching the lake, you realise it was all worth it. It’s a fantastic colour, and in a fantastic setting. Lush green trees and meadows around, big cliffs (we saw a mountain goat here) and it’s full of fish. There are some nice camping spots here, and it was sorely tempting to stay the night here. However we stuck to our original plan and pressed onwards. We continued to the far end of the lake, following the stream right back to the end of the valley. It’s a gradual climb through a lovely alpine valley, however nearer the end of the valley it becomes very rocky and tough walking. The headwalls of the valley on all 3 sides provide an excellent setting though, giving a feeling of isolation compared to the busy, noisy lake of the falls. Climbing the scree to the pass at the end of the valley is tricky business. It’s unstable, steep, and takes a lot longer than it looks. Upon reaching the pass you have a gorgeous view down the Saskatchewan valley again.

Continue to climb to the left (east) over the first peak. The hiking is easy, the gradient OK, and the views remain stupendous. The ridge is not exposed. From the top of the first peak you can see for miles around, and streching directly in front of you is the inviting ridge to the next summit. At this point we descended to the saddle inbetween the two peaks, and pitched tent. Surprisingly we found a perfectly flat spot among the rocks. Camping at 2600m with no-one around, and a view reaching all the way to Abraham Lake in the distance was very special. You are one of the higher peaks around and view really is 360degrees. We enjoyed a perfect sunrise and sunset. I wouldn’t recommend camping here in bad weather though…you would become a perfect lightning conductor.

Day 3
We started the day with a trip of to the summit of the first peak (that we already climbed) for sunrise. Wow. Then we packed up the tent and headed along the easy ridge up to the more northerly and higher peak. From here you can see down to Lake of the Falls, and the view is still amazing. Then we headed back down to the saddle where we camped, picked up our stuff and descended the mountain side due West. Exactly what it says not to in the book. But the going is not too bad, loose talus that is awkward on the ankles but makes for a quicker descent than retracing steps all the way. Once back down to Lake of the Falls, it’s time for a long tiring hike all the way back out. At the junction with the Landslide Lake trail turn left, and take the trail that eventually joins the Cline River and leads back to Highway 11 on the shores of Abraham Lake. There are nice camp spots all the way along here if you don’t feel like making it out in one day. On reaching the highway it’s time to hitchike back to your car, or drive back in the sensibly left shuttle car you placed here beforehand.

I’ve been trying to find some good video on the web for those wishing to teach themselves how to cross-country ski. Coming from England originally, I had never seen snow (slight exaggeration) until I moved to Canada. The second I did see snow, I went and got some cross-country skis and started teaching myself and watching others. I think I have now have a pretty good idea (I move at least), but I’m sure I’m not the most efficient, fastest skier there is. And I still can’t go down hills! Anyway, the best site I could find for videos on learning to cross-country ski was this one. It covers basic tips for both classic and skate, and best of all for me, there’s one for how to go downhills on cross-country skis!

Here is a short 5min video on how to wax your cross-country skis. I had never been told much about the particular technique before, and just knew the area to wax. This video should prove fairly useful to beginners….although I’m not sure when it was filmed looking at the guys tie! In the 80’s maybe? haha.

Here is another video cross-country ski enthusiasts may enjoy. It’s filmed from Mt Assiniboine Lodge, which for those of you who don’t know is a fantastic area just south of Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. The scenery is spectacular, and the music slightly annoying! It details the Canadian teams training camp, and talks about the video-maker’s Olympic dream.