Beginner finds his groove ski touring
Exploring the backcountry near Golden exhausting and exhilarating at same time
With no fresh snow for a week (these things happen), everything at the resort appeared skied-out and crusty. But this was of little consequence. Outside the boundaries of Kicking Horse Resort there were “freshies” to be had. Powder “8s” to be made. We just had to work a bit — OK, quite a bit — to get to them.
My first-ever ski touring experience — on the snow-smothered slopes just west of Golden, a Mecca for backcountry touring — was eye-opening and memorable on many fronts. From the uphill “skinning” to the sublime snow, I gleaned enough information to realize that ski touring and me will be friends for a long time. In spite of the huffing and puffing, the delayed gratification, if you will, I’m on board. I get it.
True, ski touring is far from easy. In fact, from a physically challenging standpoint, I’ve done few things that match it. The sport’s mantra, “earn your turns,” hardly does it justice. But, in spite of the grunt-fest, humanpowered skiing in the backcountry is gaining plenty of steam.
The lure of fresh lines. The “cool” factor. The mouthwatering videos that backcountry enthusiasts are posting on their social media channels. The phenomenal, easy-to-use, lightweight gear. The mega-cost associated with mechanized skiing (cat and heli-skiing). The slower pace. The greater connection with the natural world. The physical challenge. Yes, all of this, and more, is fuelling the growing popularity of backcountry ski touring.
My touring experience starts at the base of Kicking Horse Resort. I meet my ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) guide, Rich Marshall, and we go over snow safety, how to use the avalanche beacons, the probe, the shovel. It’s a tutorial that could save our lives. Then, with a one-way gondola ticket to the top of Kicking Horse Resort, we set sail for the backcountry.
(The evening prior I rented backcountry touring gear from Higher Ground Sports in downtown Golden. My gear included lightweight touring skis with “walk-mode” bindings, lightweight touring boots that, while stiff enough for the descents, have flexibility for uphill walking, skins that adhere to the base of my skis for the “ups,” and a backpack equipped with avalanche safety gear. Total cost: approximately $100.)
Within minutes, after clicking into our gear at the top, we duck under the ropes and enter the un-tracked backside of Kicking Horse, a snow-white world where fresh lines and knee-deep pow are immediate payoffs. Thirty turns later we stop on a ridge and attach our skins, switch our gear into “walk mode,” and begin the journey back up. We would repeat this theme three or four times during the day, discovering new lines each time. And, being close to the resort, it’s the perfect place for an introduction to the sport.
“I feel like a turtle,” I mutter at one point when the uphill slog seems, well, a little slow. “I need to be 20 pounds lighter to be good at this!” Marshall doesn’t miss a beat.
“This is how you get 20 pounds lighter,” he quips without breaking his stride.
At 54, but with the physique of a 25-year-old sprinter, Marshall is made for the mountains. And I couldn’t be in better hands on my first day of touring. With over 35 years of experience guiding in the area — and certified in numerous other mountain disciplines such as ice climbing, mechanized skiing, rock climbing, alpine climbing, and mountaineering ( he’s also an avalanche safety instructor and trains other guides), Marshall brings the essential skills and guidance necessary to make the experience safe and, ultimately, successful.
With the undeniable risks associated with the sport, a guide is obviously a key piece of the puzzle. Bottom line, I don’t know snow science.
I don’t know the terrain. I don’t really understand my gear. I can’t determine where rotten snow, wind slab and sun exposure have pushed the avalanche danger to high.
But Marshall can. Without him, I’d be floundering like a fish out of water. The risk would be off the charts. And, sadly, there have been documented cases where unprepared people have ducked out of bounds at Kicking Horse and perished.
“No one should leave the ski area boundary without the proper equipment, knowledge, and skills to do so,” says Andy Brown, communications coordinator with Tourism Golden. “But, regardless of your knowledge, it’s always a good idea to hire an accredited ACMG guide when venturing into any new backcountry terrain.”
And it is that terrain, especially around Golden, that makes the sport so enticing. “Nearby Rogers Pass is an internationallyknown ski-touring destination,” says Brown. “But what a lot of people don’t realize is that the backcountry visible from Golden, even the terrain that borders Kicking Horse Resort, is just as good.”
At the close of the day, while standing on the exposed ridge near Eagle’s Eye, the famed summit station at Kicking Horse Resort, Marshall points to the never-ending sea of snow-splattered slopes in the Purcell Range. Most of those slopes he knows well, having skied and “skinned” them numerous times throughout the years. “This is my office,” he states. For me, a newbie, it’s overwhelming to ponder all those possibilities that humanpowered skiing can deliver. And it’s just a little more motivation, I suppose, to shed those 20 pounds.
From the uphill ‘skinning’ to the sublime snow, I gleaned enough information to realize that ski touring and me will be friends for a long time.