Lyle picks the winner

-Lyle Wilson picks the winning entry in the Fischer Skis Contest from the hat being held by Wendy-

I was thrilled to run into Lyle Wilson from Nipika Mountain Resort on Moraine Lake road today. I volunteered Lyle to pick the winning entry in the Fischer Skis Contest.

Kate and Katie from Oregon on Moraine Lake road

It was only fitting for Lyle to make the draw as he was skiing on, you guessed it, Fischer Twin Skins!

Lyle picked number 72 out of the hat which corresponds to… Diana Piggott! Congratulations to Diana.

Truth be known, everyone who was skiing on MLR today was a winner, with such great conditions.

These skiers from Texas were enjoying their first time on xc skis(but were very warm)

Lyle mentioned they have snow at Nipika, but not enough for skiing. We’re all waiting for the big dump that will open up trails everywhere. We are still waiting to declare a winner in the Elk Pass contest.

Conditions were wonderful on Moraine Lake road and Tramline. A bit slow, as Hilary described in her trip report, but great nonetheless. She also mentioned the shoulder of the down track was soft…

“Downhill track appears to have been set slightly wider than previous passes as it was extra soft and the outside pole punched right through to the pavement.”

Downhill skiers were descending in the up track beacause the shoulder on the down track was very soft. Parks Canada was grooming the skating lane.

That’s why you’ll see skiers in my photos descending in one of the uphill tracks. It wasn’t busy enough for this to create a problem. It was fun playing chicken with the downhillers. When I saw Lyle coming straight for me in my track, as I was climbing, I held my ground and he finally decided to pull out into the skating lane. 🙂

Skiers from Quebec at the Paradise Creek turn

I had pleasant chats with skiers and fat bikers from all over the place. Three skiers from Austin, Texas, were trying it out for the first time. They rented skis from Snowtips in Banff and seemed to be doing very well. A common mistake that first time skiers make is over dressing. About 1K into the trip they were all removing their parkas. I remember very well my first time on skis when I wore a down-filled jacket.

Tramline was in excellent condition

Fat bikers were doing well on the groomed trail, but perhaps they could carry a pair of snowshoes with them if they plan on going all the way to the lake. Two fat bikers ditched their bikes on the way to the lake and walked in the skier tracks. This incident was reported to me by a reputable skier who I know well. Just a friendly suggestion to try and avoid conflict.

Laurie, David, and Irene on Tramline

My turnaround point was at the Mt Temple viewpoint at 7.2K. I wanted to make sure I had enough energy to return. The tracksetting actually continues to 8.9K where there is a spectacular view of the Valley of Ten Peaks. Beyond the tracksetting, it’s another 2.5K to Moraine Lake but there is avalanche danger on that stretch of trail.

Mt Temple in the distance. This was my turnaround point.

I not only had the energy to return with all limbs functioning well, but I skied Upper Tramline to the Fairview junction. I was surprised to see the road to the upper parking lot is still being used by vehicles. This is usually a ski trail at this time of year. Fairview at the trailhead looked very bumpy.

Laurie, David, and Irene skied the entire Tramline from the train station to the top and said it was good all the way.

Snow and air temperature were -3. I used VR50(0/-4) which worked well on MLR but it was somewhat sticky on Tramline.