-Upper Pocaterra. Just look at that fantastic grooming and tracksetting!-
The lack of snow is quite evident while driving out, and upon reaching the trailhead at Boulton Creek. It can’t be fun for the groomers to work with this low snowpack. I’m glad they did, though, and the skiing was wonderful albeit with a bit of caution in a few places.
First tracks on Whiskey Jack
It’s always a treat to climb Whiskey Jack for the first time each new ski season. It’s corduroy only until you pass the very steep part about two-thirds of the way up, at which time the tracksetting starts.
Pocaterra from the Whiskey Jack junction. I never get tired of seeing this magnificent view.
You’ll encounter the occasional twig, grass, or dirt in the tracks but it’s not enough to worry about. The south-facing part of the steep hill has a few exposed rocks which I easily dodged on the way back, but as more skiers snowplow over them, they will undoubtedly become more prominent.
The best conditions were on Upper Pocaterra
Where you really need to be cautious is on the entire return trip. Don’t fly down with reckless abandon. It’s not very noticeable on the way up, but when descending it’s still very bumpy on some of the steep downhills.
As you descend Pocaterra and get nearer to Packers, you’ll see a lot of this.
From the Kananaskis Fire Lookout junction for 2k to the north, the tracks on Upper Pocaterra are excellent. As you descend towards Packers, and lose elevation, there are quite a few places with dirt in the tracks. It’s easy enough to step into the middle and avoid it.
Kananaskis Fire Lookout trail
Check the photo gallery to see the condition of other trails, namely, Moraine, Tyrwhitt, and Packers. I’ve also included a photo of Pocaterra at the hut.
The big news which you’ve already read about is that Elk Pass, Blueberry Hill, Hydroline and Patterson were trackset today.
The air temperature at Boulton Creek at 2:30 pm was -20°C and the snow was -17. I started out with VR30(-10/-30) but the snow was abrasive and sugary, so I eventually had to rewax with VR40(-4/-12) and it worked a lot better.
Anyone notice if they have done the fireplace repair at pocaterra hut yet? Always nice to end the ski day with a bit of warmth and overhear all the positive skier Bob website comments.
I stopped at the hut on my home today and someone was building a fire in the fireplace so it must be operational.
It is interesting to note there is new trail signage at the PLPP trails, yet they still do not show the snowshoe trails on these signs. No wonder there is confusion about where snowshoeing is permitted.