Battle Abbey

Price     Date     Meeting Time & Place      Itinerary     Guides & Group Size     Difficulty     Gear & Clothing     Transportation     Accommodation     Meals     Booking Information

New for winter 2010!  Join us for an exciting week of backcountry skiing at the remote Battle Abbey backcountry ski lodge. Glaciers, peaks, glades, huge basins and trees... great skiing whatever the weather!

This alpine hut is located deep in the Selkirk Mountains west of Golden.  With access to almost unlimited backcountry runs within easy reach of the lodge, it is in an unbelievable location for Powder Hounds and Ski Addicts!

The emphasis of the week will be to get out and ski as much as possible. April is a good month for ski mountaineering and we'll be trying to get up high amongst the spectacular peaks surrounding the lodge. So come and join us for a week of fun, hopefully sun and great mountain skiing!

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Dates

2010: April 17 - 24

Price

$2000 CDN includes guiding, accommodations, cook, meals and helicopter flights.  Cancellation insurance is available for $105.  GST is extra.

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Transportation, equipment, and gratuities not included.

Meeting Time and Place

We will meet everyone at 12 noon (MST) in the Alpine Helicopters hanger at the Golden Municipal Airport in Golden, BC. Phone (250) 344-7444. We will fly into the lodge directly from the airport. 

Most clients spend Friday night in Golden and meet the group at the staging area. Info on Golden Accommodation.

Program Agenda

Saturday:      Meet us at at 12 noon (MST) in the Alpine Helicopters hanger at the Golden Municipal Airport in Golden, BC. We will check gear then shuttle into the lodge by helicopter (a 15 minute flight).

On arrival we move our gear into the lodge then head back outside for an avalanche safety briefing and beacon practice. We'll then be ready to try out the snow until it's time for supper.  

Sunday to Friday:    The varied terrain surrounding the lodge will give us plenty of scope for daily ski tours. Weather and snow conditions dictate where we head each day. Good weather will allow us to get above treeline and onto the glaciers, if it's snowing and the visibility poor we can head for the trees and glades where the best is snow is found anyway! 

Saturday:      After packing most of our gear we'll use the last of our time to get in a few more turns before the helicopter returns to shuttle us down from this memorable week of snow, skiing, mountains and fun. We will be back in Canmore by early evening. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: As always in the mountains safety is our biggest concern and where we ski each day will be governed by weather and snow stability.

Guides & Group Size

Roger Laurilla and David Begg will be the guides for this trip.  There will be a minimum of 8 participants, a maximum of 13.

Difficulty & Prerequisites

Participants should be able to ski in the backcountry at least to an advanced intermediate level as the terrain may be tight in the trees and snow conditions variable (it's often great powder but much as we'd like to guarantee it, that would taking nature for granted... not a good thing to do). 

'Advanced intermediate' means that you are comfortable making parallel turns on most terrain at a ski hill and that you have enough ski skills to deal safely with all but the most extreme terrain found at a ski hill (that is to say you can stop, turn around then traverse out of areas you can't handle). 

You also need to be in good aerobic shape, as you will have to "skin" up everything you ski down. You will get a good workout each day so need to be ready. You will be skiing with a daypack containing your lunch, water and spare clothing. 

No prior ski mountaineering experience needed.

Training

Any training you can do will greatly enhance your experience. The ideal would be to do some ski touring or cross country skiing in your own area. Don't try to go too fast but concentrate on even breathing and pacing. The hillier the terrain the better and if you can carry a moderate day pack then better still. Running or cycling is also good training.

Transportation

Participants are responsible for their own transport to Canmore and to the heliport near Golden B.C. We will help coordinate a carpool and with extra transport should that not suffice. Let us know if you can give someone a ride or if you will need one.

Canmore is a 1hour (100km) drive west from Calgary. Golden is a further 1.5 hours drive west.

Frequent shuttles connect Calgary International Airport and Canmore. Greyhound Bus Lines (1 800 661 8747) serves Canmore from points east and west along the Trans-Canada Highway. Call 609 0300, 609 1490 or 609 8897 for taxis in Canmore.

Accommodation 

This is one of the best back country lodges in B.C. Beautifully built by some of the best hut-builders around. It is well insulated and heated and doesn't feel much different from home! The lodge sleeps 14 guests in three private rooms and two dormitories.  All bedding and towels are provided.  There are two indoor bathrooms, one with a shower.  There are lights and a stereo powered by photovoltaic panels and a wind generator.

For accommodation in Canmore before and after the trip there are lots of options available including hostels, B'n'Bs, motels and hotels! Check accommodation options on our links page for our recommendations. The Alpine Club Clubhouse (403 678 3200) is a good hostel here in Canmore with good facilities and reasonable prices.

Meals

Meals at the lodge will be great! These will be prepared by a cook who will accompany the group. Your occasional assistance with household chores would be appreciated however.

All out-trip meals, snacks and drinks are supplied. We will be flying in regular food items (no freeze dry foods etc). We do cater to regular vegetarians (no meat, dairy OK); let us know if you need vegetarian meals. Please let us know, well in advance, if you have any dietary restrictions.

Equipment & Clothing

You will need to bring your own clothing, avalanche beacon, snow shovel, probe, skis, poles, climbing skins and daypack. We have many of these items available to rent and if not can pre-arrange them for you. We supply other group safety items (ropes, harnesses, crevasse rescue gear etc).   Rental Gear

If you have a lot of extra luggage, you will be able to leave excess gear in Canmore whilst on the trip.

The equipment and clothing you bring will have a big impact upon the quality of your experience. Please be sure to bring all items listed.  If unsure about anything please don't hesitate to call and ask us!

Skis

There are two ski systems you can use: System 1 Alpine Touring skis are essentially downhill skis with a special touring binding which allows the heel to lift whilst going uphill or across the flats and then 'locks down' to become a regular downhill safety binding. We recommend this system to anyone with a background of downhill skiing who is not already an advanced telemark skier. System 2 Telemark skis. These should only be used for this program if you are at least an advanced-intermediate telemark skier with some backcountry experience. This system is more difficult and less forgiving than the other.

Which should you use? If you are a downhill skier then you should use Alpine Touring gear. Only if you are already an advanced Telemark skier should you bring Telemark gear.

Both types of gear can be rented in Calgary or Canmore prior to the trip

Equipment List

You need to bring:

• Skis We recommend a short (160 - 185cm) wide ski designed for powder

• Climbing skins 'Stick-on type'

• Ski Poles

• Ski Crampons

• Ski boots

• Avalanche beacon rentals available

• Snow shovel  rentals available

• Collapsible probe  rentals available

• Daypack (large enough for spare clothes, lunch & equipment) rentals available

• Sunglasses and ski goggles

• Thermos flask and water bottle

• Sun block & Lip Cream

• Pocket knife

• Large Kit Bag (to bring all your stuff up to the lodge in)

• Small Flashlight or Headlamp with fresh batteries

• Small Blister & 1st-Aid Kit

• Camera

• Personal Toilet Items

• Ear Plugs (optional)

• Family FRS radio (short range, multi frequency) (optional)

Rental Gear

Optional Equipment

Yamnuska supplies but feel free to bring anyway:

• Harness, crevasse rescue gear

Clothing List

We suggest bringing light clothing of varying thicknesses that can be 'layered' to achieve comfort and versatility. The most important consideration for clothing is the ability to regulate temperature as you change from periods of activity to periods of rest and from the ascent to the descent.

• Polypro underwear (top & bottom)

• Warm pants (nylon blend, insulated or fleece)

• Warm shirts (not cotton)

• Medium weight fleece sweater

• Fleece Jacket

• Light insulated jacket or vest

• Waterproof jacket with hood (Gore-Tex or nylon)

• Waterproof pants (Gore-Tex or nylon, with side zippers)

• Socks (wool outer & polypro liner), several sets

• Wool or fleece hat

• Waterproof ski mountaineering gloves or mitts

• Neck tube

• Sunhat

• Casual clothing to wear in the lodge

• Hut Slippers

Rental Information

Skis, Boots, Skins & poles can be rented from:

• Canmore: Gear Up - (403 678-1636)

• Banff: Mountain Magic -  224 Bear St.  (Tel: 403 762-2591)

• Calgary: Campus Recreation, University of Calgary - Phys-Ed Building  (Tel: 403 220-5038)

• Calgary: M.E.C. - 830-10 Ave. S.W. Calgary (Tel: 403 363-0122)

Yamnuska has avalanche beacons, shovels, probes, sleeping bags and backpacks for rent  Rental Gear

Insurance 

Should you need to be evacuated you may be liable for this cost. It is wise, to ensure that your health plan will cover you in this case or in case of illness or accident whilst here. Obtain extra coverage if necessary.

Booking Information   

Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. We require a $500 CDN deposit at the time of booking.  The balance is due eight weeks before the program start date. To avoid unnecessary cancellation penalties we suggest you take our cancellation insurance for an extra non-refundable $105, this must accompany your deposit.

For detailed booking instructions and conditions, click here.

Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the program. Please view our sample waiver copy. In addition you will have to sign a similar waiver for the owners of Battle Abbey.

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