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        <title><![CDATA[Kokanee Glacier Park]]></title>
        <description>RSS of Kokanee Glacier Park</description>
        <pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2026 08:36:07 -0800</pubDate>
        <link>https://bcs-stage.websites.px-bcs.pixxell.co</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Skiing in July on Kokanee Glacier]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Summer is definitely here but that doesn&amp;rsquo;t mean the options for getting in some final ski turns are gone until next winter. The cooler than usual spring here in BC combined with a healthy snowpack over last winter means that there is still above average snow in the alpine.&amp;nbsp;



Kokanee Glacier Park near Nelson BC provides a relatively easy access glacier that is still snow-covered and ice-free this summer. Kokanee Glacier (which was once home to summer training for the Canadian Ski Team) is a large north-facing glacier that is a stone throw from the Kokanee Glacier Cabin, which is managed by the Alpine Club of Canada. &amp;nbsp;



To access Kokanee Glacier most people hike into the Cabin then follow the trail to the toe of the Glacier but the faster more efficient route is to hike up the steep west-facing Keyhole trail. From car to ridge top can be achieved in 2.5 hours if you are in good shape and used to hiking with the weight of skis and boots on your pack. From here it is a short ski and then skin up to the top of Kokanee Glacier where you will be rewarded with&amp;nbsp;beautiful 360&amp;deg; views. The descent may be short and the snow sun cupped this time of year but hey,&amp;nbsp;it&amp;rsquo;s skiing in July so you shouldn&amp;rsquo;t complain. From the bottom of the glacier, you can either follow the summer trail back out to Kaslo Lake, Keen Lake, Kokanee Lake and finally Gibson Lake where the trail started from. Instead of this longer,&amp;nbsp;less direct route we always opt for the shortcut over the lower shoulder of the pyramid which saves time and distance.



Round trip you are looking at about 4,000ft of elevation gain and a 5.5-hour outing (more if you like to take in the scenery or tend to move slower). Have a&amp;nbsp;look at all our Kokanee Glacier ski touring routes here or buy the map to prepare your adventure for next winter. You can follow our route here on Garmin connect as we tracked it with the Garmin Fenix GPS&amp;nbsp;Watch.



Now to plan where to ski in August? Happy turns everyone.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2020-07-24 10:07:04</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/Kokanee-Glacier-Skiing</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/Kokanee-Glacier-Skiing</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Kokanee Glacier—all it’s cracked up to be and more]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park just East of Nelson BC offers relatively easy access to Kokanee Glacier which gives the park its name. While there are technically five glaciers in the park, Kokanee is by far the largest followed a distant second by the Woodbury Glacier. While all of the park&amp;#39;s glaciers are receding with climate change they still provide easy access to discovering a world that seems prehistoric in nature. For hikers, Kokanee Glacier is found by following the trail to Kokanee Glacier Cabin then taking a hard right to the Slocan Chief Cabin and continuing on a little further until the glacier fills the southern views. For those looking for the more advanced and direct route, you can climb the 800 meters to the Keyhole which holds the entranceway to the top of Kokanee glacier. Having already climbed this route in July of this year to ski the glacier we opted for the easier less direct route of Kokanee glacier Cabin but took a slight short cut up and over the shoulder of Smuggler&amp;rsquo;s Ridge just under the Pyramid.


Taking a break on the shores of Kokanee Lake.


Camp is set up on a relatively flat section of the rock feature known as &amp;lsquo;The Battleship&amp;rsquo;.


Views of Kokanee Glacier Cabin and Kaslo Lake provide a nice backdrop along with killer sunsets.


After spending the night on a rock feature known as &amp;lsquo;The Battleship&amp;rsquo; we donned crampons/harnesses and roped up for the long walk up and over to Grays Peak. Along the way, there were several large cracks which opened up in the ice&amp;mdash;these crevasses were larger than I&amp;rsquo;ve seen before and could possibly be attributed to a low snow year and warmer than average summers. None-the-less they provided an intriguing look into the depths of the glacier and reminded us to keep our wits about us.


After a few hours of walking, we made it over to the saddle just north of&amp;nbsp;Grays Peak and then continued on&amp;nbsp;up to the summit where we had lunch and took in the views. After a brief and welcome rest,&amp;nbsp;we were soon on our way down and back to the car. We fought through boulder and alder fields dropping 4,000ft in just over two hours, the thought of a dip in Kootenay Lake on the way home kept us motivated and moving at a good clip.


Over the course of two days, we covered a distance of 20km in just under 10 hours and had an elevation gain/loss of 1,600m or 5,250ft.


For a closer look at the entire route and all the stats you could ever want, check out our Gamin Connect page that has all the info from my Garmin Fenix 5X GPS Watch.

]]></description>
            <pubDate>2019-08-29 07:54:56</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/Kokanee-Glacier-Park</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/Kokanee-Glacier-Park</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Kokanee Glacier: Climbing Mt. John Carter via Sapphire Lakes]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Kokanee Glacier Park is located a 20min drive just east of Nelson BC and offers up some pretty easy access hiking, scrambling and mountaineering in the summer months and world class backcountry skiing in the winter months. Kokanee Glacier Cabin is your base camp for either summer or winter adventures and is located a few hours hike into the park on well maintained trails. Last week provided a good weather window to get into Kokanee Glacier Park and put some km&amp;rsquo;s on the &amp;lsquo;ole hiking boots.&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;
(click photos for a larger view)
&amp;nbsp;
A round trip hike to Kokanee Glacier Cabin, Sapphire Lakes and Mount John Carter will take you the better part of a full day and cover 23 kilometres with 1,205m of elevation gain (see the details here). Once you leave the main trail that leads to Kokanee Glacier Cabin the minimal crowds dwindle to non-existent and the scenery becomes more rocky with picturesque streams and lakes that lead you to a beautiful basin where Sapphire Lakes can be found. Camping used to be permitted in this basin but now its day tripping only so be sure to leave your car early to provide enough time for a swim and relax around the various lakes.&amp;nbsp; From Sapphire Lakes head due south into Glory Basin and start climbing up to the large plateau to the west where you&amp;rsquo;ll find the summits of Mount John Carter (which is named after former president of the Friends of West Kootenay Parks Society who was killed in an avalanche in 1996) and Outlook Mountain. With good views of the valley below you will be tempted to B-line it for the parking lot via the steep rocky south face of Mount John Carter but second guess this ambitious plan as it is much farther and steeper than it looks. You can back track to Sapphire Lakes and hike out the draw to the east or take a shorter, more direct route that you can see here on my Garmin Connect page.
&amp;nbsp;

The hiking season is short in Kokanee Glacier Park given its elevation and propensity for early and late season snow so get off the couch and check out the park before the snow flies. After this time you&amp;rsquo;ll have to enter a lottery in order to get the opportunity to experience the park in winter time. For more information on backcountry skiing in Kokanee Glacier Park have a read of our trip report / review here or look at the multitude of routes that you can ski and the amenities of the cabin.
Kokanee Lake from the North end on the descent from Mount John Carter.

&amp;nbsp;
On the way to the summit of Mount John Carter and looking north-west back towards Sapphire Lakes.

&amp;nbsp;
Smoke from a back burn on the Sitkum Creek fire as seen from Lemon Creek Pass.

&amp;nbsp;
Looking south from the summit of Mount John Carter toward Gibson Lake and the parking lot.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2015-07-25 13:11:31</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/kokanee-glacier-climbing-mt-john-carter-via-sapphire-lakes</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/kokanee-glacier-climbing-mt-john-carter-via-sapphire-lakes</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[New Years 2015 - Kokanee Glacier]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Interested in spending New Years at the Kokanee Glacier Hut?

Dec 27th-Jan 2nd
ACC hut/heli fee $925

Spaces still available, contact me if you&amp;#39;re interested.

owen_day@hotmail.com




]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-07-12 05:16:59</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/new-years-2015-kokanee-glacier</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/new-years-2015-kokanee-glacier</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Road access to Kokanee?]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[I&amp;#39;d like to do some late spring/early summer ski touring at Kokanee. Any info on when road access opens up? Either Kokanee Creek to Gibson Lake or Woodbury Creek to get to Silver Spray?]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-05-23 15:07:58</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/road-access-to-kokanee</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/road-access-to-kokanee</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Monument/Grohman/Kubin conditions]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Got a chance to stray further afar than just the slackcountry off WH2O and as always well worth the effort.&amp;nbsp; Sledded in to the Mtn Grohman area today up Monument way.&amp;nbsp; As many have posted already the skiing has come back to our little hamlet and Monument was no exception. I got to travel in with an old friend Bob and his friend Dale, who is new to the backcountry ski thing.&amp;nbsp; We toured in classic Kootenay style and that always makes one smile.&amp;nbsp; First our machines were not the high powered ones of Creston area no an old Sanvick 380 and a circa 1997 Tundra.&amp;nbsp; We did however make it in with only getting stuck twice but for almost 30cm on an old track that is not bad for the old Sanvick and Tundra.&amp;nbsp; Then we got to drop the skis and I had to make comment on Dales classics--K2 Heli Stinks.&amp;nbsp; As we toured up Dale let me know that he had just traded for these K2s.&amp;nbsp; I asked him what he  traded.&amp;nbsp; Two truck loads of manure he said, awe the Kootenays I though.&amp;nbsp;  Where else does two trucks loads of shit get you a pair of skis with  dynanfit bindings on them, oh yea and a pair of skins to boot.&amp;nbsp; We  headed up toward Mt Kubin and broke out on to the ridge by about noon.&amp;nbsp;  The conditions on the way up definitely keep your attention.&amp;nbsp; I have not  heard settlement like that in the backcountry for a long time.&amp;nbsp; Mothers  nature way of saying &quot;keep your heads up&quot;.&amp;nbsp; When we reached the ridge I  dug a quick pit and what we heard was confirmed by what I saw.&amp;nbsp; A  definite sun/ice crust layer down 38cm on breaking down facets.&amp;nbsp; A CT  test confirmed the touchiness as we got CT1 X 2 on this layer.&amp;nbsp; The  other tec info is elevation 2100m, aspect NE, winds moderate out of N  and air temp -8.4c, incline 18deg, new planner sheer.&amp;nbsp; So with this in  hand we choose our lines conservatively.&amp;nbsp; We skied two lines back into  the basin and then a final one down to the sleds.&amp;nbsp; Nothing popped or  moved and the skiing was fanfabulous.&amp;nbsp; Hey and even the sleds started  when we got back so the day was huge success all the way around.

Get out and enjoy but this week might be one to play it safe (just from what we saw)





]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-02-17 02:43:23</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/monumentgrohmankubin-conditions</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Soap Box Comp - Kokanee Glacier Cabin]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Back on January 4th to 13th&amp;nbsp;I was lucky enough to join a group of friends up at Kokanee Glacier Lodge. This was my first multiday ski tour trip at a hut. Well, not really a hut, more like an over the top deluxe lodge. I only knew a few of the people I was going up with but everyone turned out to be great ski partners. We started out on a partly cloudy day heading up from KVH in Nelson. I had never had the chance to be in a helicopter, it was as cool as in the movies.
&amp;nbsp;
Our playground for the week

Kevin, the hut keeper, showed us around and laid down the law before getting us out the door testing our beacons. We were off for a first few laps in no time.
&amp;nbsp;
Kenyon getting into the groove

The first day had our hopes up, increasing stability with a good forecast for the next few days. Everyone was full of stoke and was in bed pretty early. The next day we were up and out the door at 7am to try to get up on the glacier.
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
Can&amp;rsquo;t beat the early morning views

We made it up towards the lower part of the moraine when we got our message to head back; a large whumpf confirmed our suspicions of a weak layer in the alpine. To the trees! We decided to ski off of Tanal Peak for the rest of the day and had some fantastic steep and deep shots through the trees.
The next day we aimed for a zone that looked promising but found that our route choice up a north face was a poor choice and ended up wrapping around for quite some time before we found safe snow to climb.
After this we went over to an area East of Kaslo lake and rode some great steep lines in knee deep.
&amp;nbsp;
Making Highways

&amp;nbsp;
            
Farming

The next day we went on a fairly big mission up Tanal with a big run down then up to the ridge near the Joker Lakes area. We had a long and interesting run down followed by some black diamond skinning to get back out.
&amp;nbsp;
Sun dog

The next two days, which turned out to be our most stable days, were filled with chutes and meat hucks.
&amp;nbsp;
Tarn getting style points


Me getting some chute action (Photo: Kenyon)


Kenyon hucking meat


Tarn getting rad

On our last day it snowed significantly over night on a layer of graupel, enough that a soft layer was remoting up to 15cm deep in the trees. So, needless to say it was a tree day. We skied an area that we skied the first day and ran laps for a good portion of the day. It was awesome blower and everyone couldn&amp;rsquo;t stop smiling.
&amp;nbsp;
Me enjoying the safe trees (Photo: Kenyon)

&amp;nbsp;
Steph demonstrating how to have fun (Photo: Kenyon)


Allistar off a pillow (Photo: Kenyon)

That night we managed to drink all our remaining fuel and get a great sleep. The next day we woke up to sideways snow which made us wonder if we were going to get out or not. Sure enough they came after a short delay and we were off to a balmy day in Nelson and back to reality.
&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;(Photo: Kenyon)

Overall the trip was amazing and I feel I learned a lot about snow safety by being immersed in it for a full week. We made some smart and cautious decisions and still had amazing skiing the entire time.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-01-30 23:31:06</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/soap-box-comp-kokanee-glacier-cabin</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/soap-box-comp-kokanee-glacier-cabin</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Gray&#039;s Peak South Face Climb Kokanee Glacier Park]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Gray&amp;#39;s Peak is the highest point in Kokanee Glacier Park just North of Nelson BC. It&amp;#39;s also the most dramatic mountain viewable from downtown Nelson and so it taunts climbers, hikers and skiers year round. The approach is not in any guide books nor is there a trail to take you to the summit however the climb is relatively straight forward. I have been summiting Gray&amp;#39;s Peak pretty much each year for long spring ski descents. This year was no exception with an Early May ascent from Kokanee Glacier Cabin. The 22km ski tour took approximately 8 hours to complete, the details of which can be viewed on my Suunto Moves Count we page here.
(click horizontal images for a larger view)


With my last summit three months previous I was looking for a climb this past weekend and my gaze once again fell upon Gray&amp;#39;s Peak. This time it was to be more of a recon mission to see what the South face held in terms of ski-ability for future backcountry skiing trips. The South face of Gray&amp;#39;s is what is viewed from Nelson and offers up a formidable looking challenge as it&amp;#39;s rocky peak seems to rise to the sky without any relief or easy access. Having stood on the summit of Gray&amp;#39;s over a dozen times I have on occasion studied this new approach and was able to find numerous climbing options to the top. The one in particular that seemed to be the easiest was a 1,000ft scree chute that led almost right to the summit. This chute stopped short by only 60&amp;#39; at the glacier below and it would then be an easy climb to the top.

The plan was set and we were in motion by 7:00 AM with our goal tohave it be a 5 hour climb to the top. From the Gibson Lake parking area we followed the traditional route veering South once we arrived at the obvious boulder field. From here there was a small ridge in our way and once over we traversed a large open meadow to encounter a second larger ridge which had to be climbed. The obvious scree gully provided good access to the top of ridge number two and from here we wrapped East around the summit ridge until we found ourselves in the south bowl of Gray&amp;#39;s Peak. After a quick lunch stop we headed higher to find the chute which I had gazed down years previously. This would provide access the Kokanee Glacier which was a short climb beneath the summit itself.
Boulder field.


First Ridge.


First Meadow.


Second Ridge.


South Bowl.
 


Scree chute.



On the summit we took in the traditional views of Nelson, Kane Peak, Mount John Carter and many more incredible vistas. Our route down would follow the more traditional ascent path since we did not fancy down climbing the rather dangerous scree slopes that we had to negotiate on our way up. After traversing the small glacier we reached the saddle and headed straight down with Gibson Lake which was in our sights the entire time. After 3+ hours of boulders and bush whacking we were once again back at the car. Tired, sore and bellies full of huckleberries we shared a quick high five and headed home with the knowledge we needed for next spring&amp;#39;s descent of Gray&amp;#39;s Peak via the South face. Mission accomplished.



Map of the ascent route.


Map of the ascent route from Kokanee Glacier Cabin.

  

Gear used:
Suunto Ambit GPS Watch


ResQLink 406 PLB


Oboz Beartooth Boots


Mile High Mountaineering Salute 34 Pack


Black Diamond Ultra Mountain Carbon Trekking Poles


Vapur Element Anti Water Bottle


Rab Zephyr Jacket


Switch Vision B7 Glasses

]]></description>
            <pubDate>2013-08-22 11:38:06</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/grays-peak-south-face-climb-kokanee-glacier-park</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/grays-peak-south-face-climb-kokanee-glacier-park</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Kokanee Glacier Research]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Canadian glaciologists know quite a bit about glacier area in the  Canadian portion of the Columbia River Basin (CCRB) thanks to satellite  imagery. Unfortunately, they don&amp;#39;t know as much about annual glacier  thickness change and snowpack gradients, which are useful for glacier  modelling. Modelling has been useful in predicting glacier-melt  contributions to streamflow from small basins to large ones and help  estimate contributions to sea-level rise.
There are glacier  monitoring sites in the Coast Mountains and in the Rockies, but only  recently have there been sites in the CCRB. To improve our understanding  of glacier change in the basin the Columbia Basin Trust has supported  University of Northern British Columbia to establish some monitoring  sites in the CCRB. Kokanee Glacier is one of them.
On May 5-11 we  setup a glacier mass balance stake network on the Kokanee Glacier from  Cond Peak to the glacier terminus above Joker Lakes. We found an average  snow depth of 4.8 m, which made for long days digging to ice. The two  pits (indicated by yellow on the map) were refilled, but could pose a  hazard as the pits melt out.

(left) Jocelyn collecting snow density samples, and (right) Chris digging 5 m down to glacier ice.

The stakes are aluminium poles drilled into the snow or ice. Please do not move these poles, as they provide crucial scientific data to gauge summer and winter gains and losses of the glacier.

Aluminium stake (photo by Jocelyn Hirose).

The approximate locations of the poles are shown here:


What can you do?
If you&amp;#39;re skiing or hiking around the stake network and see the poles leaning over significantly or completely tipped over please give us a heads up by posting your comments on this forum, but please do not move the poles from where they lie.&amp;nbsp;

Thank you and keep enjoying the majestic white beauties in your backyard!

Stay tuned for more information on the Kokanee Glacier research.]]></description>
            <pubDate>2013-06-16 11:23:13</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/kokanee-glacier-research</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/kokanee-glacier-research</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[A trip to Paradise  Spring touring at Kokanee Glacier Cabin]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[I love spring touring but in all honesty I do very little of it. By April or May my motivation starts to shift to riding my road bike and work starts to control my life. I had a pretty prolific winter and managed to ski over 60 days with almost 40 of those being self-propelled. Though not as deep as winters past, it was good none the less.
Lately I&amp;#39;ve concentrated more on taking photographs to capture the stories, and document my adventures. So I submitted an entry for the&amp;nbsp;ExposeYourself Contest&amp;nbsp;and was super stoked to win a trip to Kokanee Glacier Cabin joining the BackcountrySkiingCanada.com crew. The popularity of this cabin is outstanding during the prime winter months, and accommodations are secured by a lottery draw. However the &amp;ldquo;shoulder seasons&amp;rdquo; are a quieter time, and offer many opportunities for groups to experience this paradise in the Kootenay&amp;rsquo;s.

&amp;nbsp;

It was early May when the weather turned to a tropical +30 Celsius in Nelson as we readied to depart. We arrived to a 4500 sq. ft. cabin which really feels more like a mountain chalet, complete with most of the luxuries found at home, serving as an outstanding base for a week of touring. The effort to build and maintain this cabin is a true testament to the dedication of its custodians, the&amp;nbsp;Alpine Club of Canada&amp;nbsp;and our gracious host, Kevin Giles.


At a first glance of the terrain, it was obvious the touring opportunities were endless, and my mind quickly drifted to the possibilities of places to go. Though the weather in the alpine neared daytime highs of 15-19 degrees, conditions were surprisingly stable and our only real concern was the warming that occurred during late afternoons.
Never has a ski vacation felt more like a beach vacation given the hourly reapplication of so much sunscreen. Because of the strong rays, we ventured out each morning by 7am to complete our tours before the afternoon sun took its toll on the snow pack. One of the best parts of the cabin is the close proximity to high alpine terrain. Within a two hour hike you are standing on top of a world-class 800m glacier run. By late lunch hour we were back at the cabin, sipping from a fresh pot of coffee and unwound in our peaceful surroundings.





We had seven straight days of ski touring and smiles on our faces. We had long mellow alpine ascents and one big successful mission bagging Grey&amp;#39;s Peak (the highest peak in the park). This one week adventure has very much altered my perception of what it means to experience a great hut trip. When we concentrate so much on the deep powder winter days, we miss many of the benefits of spring; beautiful vistas, snow stability, and touring missions that are only possible with long days and good visibility.
  
If you&amp;rsquo;ve ever thought about going to Kokanee Glacier, I can&amp;rsquo;t stress enough to enter the lottery, or better yet consider visiting during the shoulder season where you may just experience a more epic ski vacation than you ever expected.


A big thanks to the Alpine Club of Canada, Kevin Giles (our most gracious host) and Brad of Backcountryskiingcanada.com.]]></description>
            <pubDate>2013-05-16 23:36:28</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/a-trip-to-paradise--spring-touring-at-kokanee-glacier-cabin</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Spring Ski Mountaineering at Kokanee Glacier Park]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Day six up here at Kokanee Glacier Cabin and the required routes have all been successfully ticked off the &quot;to-do&quot; list. Sunday saw us climb two peaks in the south end of the park, namely Sunset Peak and Mount John Carter which was named after the legendary hut keeper here at Kokanee who tragically died in an avalanche several years ago. Monday we topped out on Mount Robert Smith and an unnamed Peak behind the cabin towards the enchanted forest. The un-named peak was a solid boot pack to the 8500 ft summit but offered uninterrupted views of Kokanee Glacier, the Battleship and the Pyramids. The following day we took on a big 10 hour day to climb up kokanee Glacier and traverse all the way over to Greys Peak which is the second highest peak in the park at just over 9,000 ft. After 21km of ski touring and over 5,000 ft of vert we returned to Kokanee Glacier cabin via the valley and Kokanee Lake. Today is a much needed rest day with one day remaining on Friday before we fly back out to Nelson and summer weather.&amp;nbsp;

The summit of Greys Peak, made famous by the Kokanee Beer company.

Ski touring up Kokanee Glacier at 7:00 am.

Sunny and warm first thing in the morning on Kokanee Glacier.


Overall the skiing here at the cabin has been spring corn but the ski mountaineering options are endless. With the temp getting up to +15 most days we have been having true alpine starts before 6:00 on most days to travel when things are still (mostly) frozen and safer than the heat of the day. There are plenty of obvious wet slides coming off cliff bands and rocks but over all the snow pack is holding up well and permitting us to climb just about anything we set our sites on.
A view of Kokanee Glacier, the Battleship and the Pyramids from Mount Robert Smith.

Climbing out of the enchanted forest on the way to Mount Robert Smith.

On Sunset Ridge preparing for the last 100 ft boot pack.

Sunset Peak from a distance at Sapphire Lakes.

May is an ideal time to stay at Kokanee Glacier Cabin as there is no need to win a lottery to get a spot here and in fact there are only 6 of us in the cabin this week so it is pretty spacious. We will be preparing a full review of the facilities and skiing here in Kokanee Glacier Cabin so keep an eye out for that&amp;mdash;including a video review. We are also working on compiling some routes in the park so when you do book a trip you will be prepared with heaps of route beta for the week.

To get all the details on each of the climbs mentioned about have a look at the Moves Count page created by the Suunto Ambit. Below are screen shots of the maps but there is also elevation gain, distance, time and much more.
Sunset Peak and Mount John Carter details here.

Mount Robert Smith and an unnamed peak details here.

Greys Peak details here.


Have a look at our first post from the weekend over here.]]></description>
            <pubDate>2013-05-09 11:35:22</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/spring-ski-mountaineering-at-kokanee-glacier-park</link>
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                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Kokanee Glacier Cabin backcountry trip]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[A modified version of the Backcountry Skiing Canada team is in at Kokanee Glacier Cabin (near Nelson BC) for the next 7 days and even though there is not a spec of snow down at lake level in Nelson the snow up here at the hut is plentiful. Temps are forecast to be in excess of 25 degrees this week for Nelson so that means spring skiing conditions but with sun and long days there will be plenty of time for some ski mountaineering and peak bagging. Not to mention some spring corn snow turns. We&amp;#39;re also using this late season ski touring opportunity to test out some of next season gear from Black Diamond, Pieps and Ortovox.
Check back this week for updates from the cabin on ski conditions and what we get up to each day.
An early Spring morning in Nelson.


A good day for heading up high for a week of ski touring.

Plenty of snow at Kokanee Glacier Cabin and on Outlook Mountain, tomorrows objective.

]]></description>
            <pubDate>2013-05-05 00:23:01</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/kokanee-glacier-cabin-backcountry-trip</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/kokanee-glacier-park/topic/kokanee-glacier-cabin-backcountry-trip</guid>
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