30K of XC skiing bliss in a magnificent and beautiful place
Just starting out. This was Arlene's first ever ski on Cascade Fire Road. It's 15K to the end. Dec 27, 2009
Just a few more metres and Arlene will reach the end of Cascade Fire Road. Dec 27, 2009
Talk about a trail with great scenery, this is it! Arlene and I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day or better conditions for an incredible afternoon of skiing on Cascade Fire Road in Banff National Park. The trail was trackset five days ago, and there hasn’t been any new snow since, so the tracks were still very good and the skating lane was also in nice shape.
The access on Lake Minnewanka road was in much better condition than last week, with a deeper snow cover, but our poles were still hitting pavement occasionally. The meadow still has a lot of grass in the tracks, but didn’t cause any problems. It takes about 5-10 minutes to ski down the paved road and cross the meadow to actually get to Cascade Fire Road.
We covered the 15K to the end in surprisingly good time. The snow seemed very cold but the tracks were fast. At the Stoney Creek bridge, the sun was shining and the scenery was breathtaking.
The last 100m on Cascade Fire Road to the Stoney Creek bridge is on skier-set track. Dec 27, 2009
The return trip had plenty of fast and fun downhills. 30K was the longest ski of the season for both of us, but we still had enough energy left to walk up the hill at the Upper Hot Springs and go for a nice soak, but I’ve never seen the hot springs so busy. More great photos
We hit a new record yesterday with 617 views of SkiHere.ca. Thanks to all the skiers who have left comments and helped make this the “go-to” site for XC ski information. Speaking of comments, Steve just left a detailed comment on the previous thread re: Ribbon Creek and Skogan Pass.
The groomer was at Mt Shark today. Everything has been trackset. Mt Shark trail report
If you’re heading for the Invermere area, or Golden, BC, read the comments below.
Received this email from Sanne in Golden:
“Dear fellow cross-country skiers,
The xc-skiing has been fantastic here at Dawn Mountain and the Golden Nordic Ski Club would like to spread the word that we welcome visitors to our trails. It’s only about 2.5 – 3 hours drive and makes a great weekend get-away from Calgary but we also see a lot of day visitors who enjoy our trails.
Attached are a few pictures to show some of the trails which are groomed on a regular basis for both skating and classic.
We are hosting the 14th Annual Huckleberry Loppet on January 31st and the Western Canadian Masters Championships (March 12 – 14) and we look forward to seeing lots of skiers from Calgary make their way to Golden for thess great events. There will be more news about this event coming soon and registration will soon be open on zone4.ca.
Please visit http://www.goldennordicclub.ca for more information. New website to come mid-January!
Happy skiing,
Sanne van der Ros”
see photos here: http://www.bobtruman.com/Golden_BC_Dec_29_2009/page_2317299.html
Received this email from Liz and Mark:
“I appreciate that your blog normally focuses on areas closer to Calgary, but if anyone is in or near Invermere over new year, the cross country ski trails at Greywolf Nordic/Golf Centre at Panorama resort were in excellent shape yesterday and virtually deserted, unlike the ski hill! The trails are groomed for skating and track set – around 24km in total I think.
Many thanks, and Happy Christmas!”