Escaped from Montana to Canada for the rest of the season. There’s a lot more snow here in BC, even though we did manage couple good days around Missoula too.

Arrived to Nelson at night, woke up at the hostel to blue skies and a beautiful day with some new snow on the ground. Head straight to the nearest sports shop that sells maps and guidebooks and a drive to Kootenay pass for some quick afternoon touring. Its one of the spots here for easy access, straight from the road quick laps with possibilities for longer tours also. At the parking lot we meet Ray, who was just returning to car from touring but he still offered to show us around and offer some local tips. Thanks Ray! We do one quick lap from the Cornice Ridge in the fading sun and the south facing aspect offers great snow. Ray tells us more about the nearby Ripple Ridge cabin that I had already read about and we decide to head there the next day instead of paying to stay at the hostel.

Skinning up, looking back at our tracks from the previous day on the other side of the pass.

Uphill, uphill

Preparing for the run down on top of some small, unnamed peak after leaving our stuff at the cabin

Some of our tracks

Quiet day in the backcountry – until we got back to the cabin. Two school classes; 15 teenagers and their 3 teachers were building snow caves next to the cabin to spend the night in them and using the cabin’s wood stove as a central for melting water and drying clothes. It was a part of their school course, I wish I had had stuff like that at school. Fortunately got tired early from all the digging and went sleep in the caves even before our sleeping time.. The cabin, which could’ve slept 6 (or more in a squeeze), was left for me and Laura.

Next couple days the sky was cloudy and sun wasn’t really peeking through, we just slept in and did a lazy lap or two.

The Ripple Ridge cabin

Yum yum, breakfast!

Melting water in the evening

Eventually we ran out of food (if you can call it that) and headed back to Nelson. Here’s Laura
riding down to the car, carrying a yoga mat, an essential item on every hut tour..

Kootenay pass is a fun spot, the runs are not long (at least by European standards) but sweet and very easy to access.. The pass sits at pretty high elevation (1774m) which should keep the snow nice and dry. Now we are in Nelson, managed to rent an apartment and even got season passes at Whitewater. Just let it snow.

First day at Whitewater