Valkyr Adventures – backcountry skiing in Canada
Day1 Flyin || Day2 Naumulten Circumnavigation || Day3 Rollins Ridge || Day4 Grizzly || Day5 Heart Ridge || Day6 Rollins-Viking || Day7 GrizzlyStoneyLookout
Day 4 Grizzly Zone
On day 4 of our Valkyr trip we unlocked another hard-to-get zone with Greg and Mike. The Grizzly Zone also delivers quality N facing slopes of acceptable quality provided you can figure out a good exit. Grizzly’s polar aspects weren’t sun affected and the prevailing SW’ers dropping in snow distributed a fine amount of snow on Grizzly’s slopes. Finally what we had seen in our previous day’s Namulten circumnavigation was that were more then enough treed terrain to explore if the weather stayed cloudy with options to get higher in the alpine if the vis improved.
We skinned up Sunset and then dropped in on DogLeg shredding stable pow all the way (it was improving all week – yea for us!). We skied as low as 1920m then traversed over towards the more easterly part of the zone then worked our way back again working N-facing runs which were holding fine amounts of snow..
After two more runs in Grizzly bowl we took the Dragon Low Eentrance that the other group so graciously set, (including the grueling Quan-Puddicombe step), to get back to Stoney Zone. The Low entrance starts at 1810m and switchbacks a steep 130m climb to the Dragon/Stoney col. Once the track was set it was good for the rest of the week giving us tons of options. Note that it’s also possible to bootpack or ski-crampon up the grind from the Grizzly – Norseman col which then sets you up for an easy cruise back to the Lodge
Lee, Greg and Mike did another run down the Middle Entrance from Stoney to Grizzly to take advantage of the snow that continually fell during the day. Then back to the lodge for an extra 2 hour lap and the mandatory headlamp return.
The Green Track was our Route today.
Heading on up!
Down Dog Leg
Dog Leg
Zbo on the lower slopes
Dog Leg/Grizzly Area
Skinning back up looking towards Stoney and the Middle Entrance
Another run down Grizzly via the Grizzly Gulch. The ridgeline where you bootpack the Grind back to the lodge is in the picture top
Down Grizzly Gulch
Back up the Low Entrance to Stoney
Picture of Jesse earlier puttting the track in.
Looking down a committed slope (Bluff Charge for balls aka 18 year old me would do it) from Stoney to Grizzly
Lee, Mike and Greg did another run into Middle Entrance and back up the Low Entrance. A nice two hour loop.
Getting them back JUST before dark.
Not quite.
Kitchen.
Lee’s dessert! Always so much food – thanks Sarah!!
Google Earth Image from Above
Valkyr Map from Valkyr Adventures
While we as a self-guided group found that we could unlock the massive potential of some of the more gnar terrain of the Grizzly, Viking and Rollins zones with some effort we did notice in the hut log that many self-guided groups meandered around in the more mellow terrain. If your group is a tad more hesitant/less-willing to explore we’d suggest Zenith Guides (Evan Stevens). Lee and Evan geeked out on maps and terrain before getting to Naumulten; an exercise that proved fruitful!
