As we were skiing along Elk pass, Georgina pointed out a feature which I had never noticed before: the hugging tree. I’ve posted the photo. See if you can find it the next time you’re skiing on Elk Pass.
The hugging tree on Elk Pass
It appears that we’ll be suffering through a couple days of warm and windy weather with some rain mixed in. Today in PLPP the weather was constantly changing, but nothing that would affect our enjoyment of the new tracksetting on Elk Pass and Blueberry Hill.
Alex and Charlotte on Elk Pass
Georgina and I started out just after 12 noon at the Upper Lake trailhead. From there, it’s a 1K ski on gentle rolling hills to the actual start of the Elk Pass trail.
The snow temperature was -5°C and the air was -4. I waxed with VR45(-2/-8) and it performed well all day. The wind was howling at the top of the Elk Pass hill, but disappeared as soon as we got back down the other side, which was easy to descend on the new grooming.
Arriving at the top of Blueberry Hill
The PLPP Live Grooming Report this morning indicated that Elk Pass, Blueberry Hill, and Patterson had been trackset last night. Neither I nor Georgina had been to the end of Blueberry Hill this winter, so it was an easy decision to choose our destination.
The descent on Blueberry Hill was easy and fun
The snow and tracks were excellent all the way to the top of Blueberry Hill. We both noticed that it felt a lot colder, too. I was half expecting a temperature inversion, but luckily it didn’t occur. The skies were overcast and the clouds were low to this point in our ski trip.
Elk Pass
The trip down Blueberry was fast and fun on the new grooming. At the bottom, we turned right and headed up Elk Pass. By the time we reached the Elk Pass – Tyrwhitt – Hydroline junction, the sun appeared and blue sky was all around us. We went a short distance on Tyrwhitt so I could take a picture. There’s 6 cm of new snow on Tyrwhitt and Hydroline which must have fallen on Saturday night.
Tyrwhitt has 6 cm of fresh snow over recent tracksetting
On the return, we retraced our path down Elk pass and made a detour onto Patterson just to see the sights.
Rather than taking the big hill on Elk Pass, we took Fox Creek which was trackset yesterday. It was enjoyable, but it was easy to notice that there had been some very icy conditions prior to the tracksetting, as it was quite crunchy and hard. I remember the trip reports had said that it was icy and covered with debris prior to the recent snowfall. Some debris is still present, but mostly embedded so it wasn’t an issue.
Georgina skis under the fridge on Elk Pass which is named after her
Another feature on Elk Pass which I now call “Georgina’s fridge” has grown in size and is quite imposing in its spruce tree perch. It’s amazing how it appears every winter. That’s another one you can look for next time you’re on Elk Pass.
Can anyone think of a good caption for this photo which was taken at the top of Elk Pass?
Arriving back at the lower reaches of Elk Pass, the temperature was suddenly warmer. As we skied down the Upper Lake connector to the car, it started to rain. The air temperature at the car was +2. I didn’t leave PLPP until 5:30 pm at which time the rain had turned to snow and it was starting to accumulate on the roads.
It’s very windy in Canmore tonight with above zero temperatures.
Considering I am being cheeky and actually standing on top of the picnic table with my skis on, I think the caption should be ‘Own the Table’. The recreational skiers equivalent to Own the Podium!
How about, “The mistress of all she surveys!”.
It appears she is calling us to “All hail winter!”