Outdoor Video Magazine

Length: 5km (one way)
Time: 1.5-2.5 hours round trip.
Details: Jasper Parks Office
Date Done: March 20th 2007
Effort: Low
Rating: 5/10
Map: Not needed.

I was in Jasper this March with some friends of my from England. We did a little tour of the Rockies, doing some snowshoeing, downhill skiing, and I wanted to introduce them to cross-country skiing too. But despite fresh snow in Marmot (again), Jasper townsite was decidedly bare of snow. After enquiring at the Parks Office, I figured the Beaver Lake/Summit Lake trail would be our best bet to get some snow, seeing as it is halfway along the Maligne Lake road right at the end of Medicine Lake, and so is considerably higher than town.

Still the trail was in terrible shape (mostly thanks to the hikers that walk all over the ski tracks). The trail was essentially ice in the shape of human footprints. My friends really appreciated the sport of cross-coutnry skiing as they struggled up the ice on rented skis, falling at regular intervals, and sliding backwards constantly. I was fairing just as badly. I was just beginning to regret it, and was going to turn back, when we came out to Beaver Lake. Hah, we could ski over an inch of fresh snow on the gloriously flat lake. Finally they realised skiing can be fun! I would recommend skiing along the lake even if trail conditions are good, its nice to be surronded by the mountains for a stretch. At the end of the lake we rejoined the trail, and conditions got better as less hikers had made it this far and the trail flattened out. We sped along to Summit Lake at the end of the trail, 5km from the car park.

The trail itself (in good conditions) would make an OK ski, with some nice views when you break out of the trees at the two lakes. The views are nice, but not incredible, and the trail is quite interesting with a lot of ups and downs, but ultimately should be 100% ski-able even for a beginner. You have to cross just one avalanche path nearing the end of the trail. So the risk is minimal overall.

Coming back down was nice, you can double pole most of the way, and it makes for a nice quick return. We were lucky enough to get a sudden snow-storm that blew in to coat the nasty icy sections with 2 inches of fresh snow ready for the return trip. It softened the falls for my English friends on some of the faster downhill sections!

Length: 54.4km
Time: 5-8 Hours
Book: Mountain Biking in the Canadian Rockies - Doug Eastcott
Elevation: 1500m - no net gain/loss.
Date done: June 2006
Effort: Medium
Rating: 9/10
Technicality: Moderate
Map: Not needed.

This ride is out and back on 100% singletrack. It goes right along the shore of Lake Minnewanka, and it’s awesome fast, rolling, techincal (in places), rideable singletrack. Just don’t get too excited and knock a hiker off a cliff. Park at the North side of the Lake Minnewanka dam. Mountain bikes ARE allowed on this trail, so don’t take stick from the hikers.

There is not much to describe about this trail. It just goes on and on by the lake. But that makes it sound repetative and it certainly isn’t. The views are gorgeous of the mountains across the lake, there is lots of lake access if you want to cool off (summer only!), and the riding is never boring. Continually twisting and turning with rocks, roots and short rises and inclines there is nothing to slow you down or tire you out. It’s fast, continuous fun. I don’t know whether I was having a good day, or whether it’s the nature of this trail, but when I did it I didn’t tire at all and felt like I could ride forever at speed. The riding gets more techincal as you approach the warden’s cabin that marks the end of the ride. You then get to enjoy it all in reverse on your way back. It’s one trail I didn’t mind backtracking.

Mountain bike! The Canadian Rockies

Backcountry biking in the Canadian Rockies - Gerhardt Lepp

I spent a few days at Edith Cavell Hostel this winter. Looking for a fun day trip on cross-country skis, I decided to venture along the trail towards Tonquin Valley, the Ramparts and Amethyst Lake. It is around 19km one way into the valley itself, so I knew I wasn’t going to make it all the way. We knew from speaking to the hostel guys that snowmobiles had been out on the trail, in fact the hostelling guy worked at the ACC Wates/Gibson Hut as well as the hostel, and often commuted back and forth (tough job huh?). I would NOT recommend this on cross-country skis if the trail has not been packed! It would be for touring skis only.

As it was, we had some 6 inches to a foot of fresh snow on the snowmobile tracks at first, which made for gorgeous “fluffy” skiing as I like to call it. We descended down a narrow trail through some trees, with good views of surrounding mountain peaks in the gaps. It was interesting skiing, with just enough ups downs and bends to keep you on your toes but not put you in the snow face first. Except once. After around 40mins we broke out next to the Astoria River. Here instead of following the Tonquin Valley hiking trail, the snowmobiles blazed up by the river. So we followed their tracks. It was a barely noticeable uphill gradient all the way, with stunning scenery in the form of snow-capped peaks and impressive cliffs. The valley is nice and wide, and there is no avalanche risk along it. We skied another 2 hours or so up this direction, and judged we had gone around 16km in total by the time we turned round. If you’re a very strong skier and you have a nicely packed trail you could make it into Tonquin Valley and back to Edith Cavell in one very, very long day.

Coming back the gradient is such you can double pole most of the way making for a nice quick return to where you joined the river. Then it is a bit of an uphill slog back to the hostel.

I think part of the reason we were lucky and had packed snowmobile trails to follow was because there was a group on the Waites-Gibson Hut who had food catered for them for the week. So the snowmobiles were probably shuttling food in and out. Check with the hostel people or with the ACC if you want to know in advance if the trail has been packed.

I think this would be a long, hard, flat day on touring skis with skins! I wouldn’t envy it at all, I am definitely going to remember to leave Tonquin Valley via Maccarib Pass instead if I ever get back there on AT gear.

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).

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.

Well last week I went on a trip with some people from the University of Alberta Outdoors club. 10 of us in fact. The intended destination was Edith Cavell hostel on cross-country skis. With one member of the group never having skied before. Fun!In winter, HI Mount Edith Cavell is only accessible by skiing or snowshoeing. This means it is the only backcountry HI Hostel in Alberta (if only for a few months a year). It also means its a pretty cool place to go for an ‘easy’ taste of staying in a backcountry environment in winter. Oh and did I mention it’s in an AWESOMELY beautiful location? To get there, take the Marmot turnoff from Highway 93 south of Jasper, then after a few minutes carry straight on at the junction where all the other traffic turns right to the ski hill. It is signposted for the Hostel. You can drive 3km along here to a parking lot, where the fun begins. It is now a 12km ski/snowshoe along a road into the hostel. Nearly all uphill. Its good fun though…honest!

You should book the hostel and let them know you’re coming just to ensure they have adequate water for you and that the road is packed.

The Road to the Hostel
The trail is normally packed by snowmobiles, if not actually groomed. The gradient is such that the beginner skier of the group (literally his first time on cross-country skis was in the parking lot at the bottom of the road for a quick lesson) made it up to the hostel in no problem. It is a fairly long slog for a beginner, but perfectly manageable. The ski takes from 2 1/2 hours to 5 hours dependent on ability and how much stuff you’re taking. After around halfway there are some great views of surrounding mountains, a taste of more to come.

Coming down is nice….it is fairly quick all the way and can nearly all be double poled (except I had a stupid large pack and stuck to the snow like I had crampons on not skis). Beware though…the beginner of the skiers really struggled coming back down. Many falls. For intermediate skiers the descent is good fun though. It takes from 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours to come down.

The Hostel
There is a main cabin with kitchen, tables, sofas and a stove. There is no running water though. There are then two more cabins for sleeping, holding around 30 people in all (I think, can’t find exact numbers). You need to bring a sleeping bag, a fairly warm one so you don’t have to get up and stoke the fire all night.

Things to do from the Hostel in winter:

From the hostel it is just a short 5min walk down to a bridge that crosses the outlook from a lake. The view from here of Mt. Edith Cavell is superb and an excellent place for some photography. See below. From the bridge you it is possible to snowshoe round the lake itself (although not on a trail). This is an entertaining hour long outing.

Edith Cavell Meadows
From the hostel it is another 2km further up the road to the parking lot for Edith Cavell Meadows. This is not packed by snowmobile, and would be an effort for someone on nordic skis. We managed however because other group members had been out on snowshoes the day before and packed a nice trail for us. Thanks guys!

Once you get to the parking lot, skis should be swapped for snowshoes (unless you’re on touring gear of course). It is then another 15mins (broken trail) to 45mins (non-broken trail) until you are right underneath Angel Glacier. Well obviously not right underneath, that would be plain stupid and dangerous! Stick to the opposite side of the small valley on higher ground. You don’t wanna be avalanched on. This is a fun area to explore.  

Tonquin Valley Trail/Astoria River
From the hostel you can explore the Tonquin Valley/Astoria River trail, this baby deserves it own small post. Check it out here!

The hostel is often used as the first access point and night of accommodation on the way to the ACC (Alpine Club of Canada) hut, Waites-Gibson which is 18km further along the Tonquin Valley trail.