Description

ACC Vancouver Backcountry Ski Week – based out of Fairy Meadows alpine cabin in Adamant  Range in North Selkirk mountains. Fly in on Mar 20 (the participants must spend Friday night in Golden as the flight is in the morning).  Fly out on Mar 27. Both flights are weather dependent, and some flexibility is needed. This hut is notorious for delayed flights. 

This trip will be self-catered and self-guided. 

The Fairy Meadow hut is situated in the heart of the Selkirk Mountain range, right on the edge of the Granite Glacier, the Echo Glacier, and the Gothic Glacier in the heart of the Selkirk Mountain range. The hut sits at 2,050 m (6,700 ft) and has a plethora of options. The Northern aspect of much of the terrain holds the cold snow well, and the surrounding peaks provide runs up to 1,300 m elevation change. All this while skiing all the way back to the door, where an ample communal area and cozy sauna await. 

 The area is for strong and intermediate skiers at minimum, and it’s not suitable for beginners (all participants should be able to ski/ride black diamonds in any conditions). Reasonable fitness level, capable of skiing up to 5000 – 6000 vertical feet in a day. Your endurance level should be such that you could stay out skiing for 6 to 8 hours. It is essential to have previous backcountry experience and be able to contribute to route finding, avalanche assessment, and trail breaking. 

 Fairy Meadow area is famous for mountaineering year-round and skills like travel on steep snow and self-arrest are essential.  The terrain around the hut is heavily glaciated, and glacier travel/crevasse rescue skills are a must. Lack of that training doesn’t mean an inability to join, but if you’re accepted into the week, you should commit to get training prior to the trip. 

 Communal dinners in groups will be organized. I’ll try my best to facilitate dietary restrictions/preferences when planning that part. 

The cost is $1,700 per person.  A 50% deposit ($850) is required to confirm your spot (within 10 calendar days after a notification from the organizer. The remainder is due on October 1st. 

A Carpool will be organized closer to the date of the trip. 

Here is a link to Caltopo map:  https://caltopo.com/m/ELG1P    You don’t need a membership for Caltopo to use the map. If you open it on a computer, you will see the menu of the runs/shapes on the left side of the screen. On top of that left side you can see Export/Import – you can export the lines you’d like and use them on your preferred mapping software. 

 A YouTube playlist of previous ski weeks at Fairy Meadows: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTMeOWK70AXRI4W5f_rfIsqcPBTc2WOUc 

The book Summits and Icefields – Alpine Ski Tours in the Columbia Mountains by Chic 

Scott is the best source of info concerning skiing in the area. 

The maps that pertain to the Fairy Meadow area are 82N/13 (Sullivan River) and 82N/12 

(Mt. Sir Sandford). The hut is located at 52°45’48” / -117°52’36” 

, NAD83 11U 4394100 

5735340, grid reference 394352 on 82N/13 (Sullivan River). 

Please note that there are some mistakes on the map sheets: 

The Fairy Meadow (Bill Putnam) Hut is misplaced on 82N/13—it should be in the highforested zone south of the Granite Glacier. 

Friendship Col is misplaced on 82N/12—it should be between Mts. Damon and Pythias. 

Ironman should be west of Austerity. 

Gargoyle should be the next peak southeast of the East Peak of the Gothic 

Gear:  

Ski Equipment 

Mountain skis or split snowboard 

Ski boots; plastic telemark or alpine touring, previously 

worn and proven comfortable 

Poles 

Skins (full width, properly fitted to skis and well glued) 

Snow shovel, Avalanche probe & transceiver 

Skin wax (Glop Stopper) and grip wax (Dry or Blue Extra) 

Repair kit: extra parts and tools specific to your gear 

Ski tie strap 

Ski goggles 

Ski crampons 

Ice axe 

Boot crampons might be useful. 

Helmet 

Sunglasses 

Glacier gear. Harnes. Each participant should have enough material to build an anchor.  

Ropes  

Radios  

Headlight 

 

Communication (radios and emergency), and glacier group gear will be organized.