– There’s still some construction debris on the new section of Pocaterra –
Jody wasn’t kidding when he said it was a whole pack of wolves, and as Chris and Peter have already pointed out, it was neat how they didn’t walk/run in the ski tracks.
Randy and Kelsey in front of the Pocaterra hut
This post will cover the first 4K of today’s ski trip, and the last 4K, also on Pocaterra. The other 16K had considerably better conditions and it covered Lynx, Wheeler, Whiskey Jack, and the higher-elevation Pocaterra(and the wolf tracks). More on that later. Let me tell you about my adventure on the “new” Pocaterra.
Randy and Kelsey had just completed their day’s skiing when I encountered them at Pocaterra hut around 1:30 pm. They confirmed the “new” Pocaterra was no longer a beginner’s trail.
Off to a good start. Conditions were great about 50 metres from the hut
No kidding. It will be fun for a seasoned, fit, intermediate skier. The net elevation gain to Lynx junction is only 40 metres but there’s an accumulated elevation of 122 metres. That can only mean one thing: lots of hills, ups and downs. Add in numerous twists and turns.
The snow is still cold and in good shape. Air temp was -4°C, and snow was -5.
A few changes have been made to the trail marker to reflect the new trail configurations
The first difference you’ll see after starting out from the hut is a split in the trail at 700 metres. Go right, you’ll be on new Pocaterra. Go left, you’ll be on Come Along.
The first 600 metres of Come Along is actually the old Pocaterra. Got that? It means that for beginner skiers who are determined to ski from the hut, you’ll have 1.3K of the original Pocaterra to ski on. It goes through the group camp, past Rolly Road, and at 1.3 it turns right onto Come-Along and soon starts climbing the steep hills.
The picnic table is in a scenic spot along the new Pocaterra. “Old” Pocaterra used to be down below.
The snow is late in arriving this year and conditions are still pretty sketchy on the 4K of new Pocaterra. (Old Pocaterra was 3.6K to the Lynx junction).You’ll encounter lots of dirty snow, twigs, and sporadic tracks. There are a few tree roots still attached to the ground and sticking out through the snow.
At 2.9K there’s a picnic table with mountain views overlooking the valley where old Pocaterra used to be.
Although very rough, it’s still skiable with some caution. I’ll do another post tomorrow morning which will cover the other 16K of skiing today, and the wolf tracks.
Merry Christmas everyone!
I wish I had read the previous post before heading out to the New Pocaterra on Dec 29th. I was looking for an easy ski and wasn’t expecting so many uphills and downhills. I really got a workout. This trail was used for a lot of kids and families and now I see it more as a training venue for ski racers. There were quite a few of those out that day as well.
In my opinion this trail is now mostly blue diamond and there was not much easy at all. I will still continue to use but most likely later in the season when I am more practiced and capable.
After reading Bob’s comments regarding the ‘new’ portion of the Pocaterra Trail, I am wondering how the Kananaskis Loppet racers will cope with it, especially those neophytes who bog down on the small hills in the first kilometer! Perhaps the race organizers should start the race out on the meadow instead of adjacent to Pocaterra Hut in order for racers to sort themselves out before getting to the small hills within the first kilometer of the race and the following new route.