Rocky Mountains

	Avalanche Hazard
	The route and terrain described here is capable of producing avalanches. Safe travel requires the skills and equipment to assess and mitigate avalanche hazards. A professionally taught training course is highly recommended.

Yoho National Park

Yoho National Park is located past Golden (i.e. Southeastern B.C.). The park extends both North and South of the Trans-Canada Highway (town of Field). There are numerous options for backcountry skiing, mainly around the first two (ACC) huts:

• Stanley Mitchell hut very (!) long one day, or two normal days, approach in winter
• Elizabeth Parker hut 3-5 hour approach by ski
• Abott Pass hut rarely visited in winter, due to high avalanche hazards

Banff National Park

Banff National Park is located in western Alberta (around Banff and Lake Louise), in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. A huge number of possibilities exist here, see below.

Wapta - Waputik Icefield traverse

One of the famous icefield traverses in the Rockies, can be conveniently done using ACC huts. Note that this not only requires good backcountry skiing skills and avalanche knowledge, but also involves extensive glacier travel. There are four ACC huts at the Wapta and Waputik Icefields:

• Peter and Catherine Whyte (Peyto) hut
• Bow hut
• Rob Ritche (Balfour Pass) hut
• Scott Duncan hut

Jasper National Park

Jasper National Park is located in western Alberta (around Jasper), in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

Columbia Icefield

This is the largest sub-polar body of ice in North America. Meltwater from the Icefield flows to three oceans: the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic via Hudson Bay.

Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park

Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park is located in Southeastern B.C. See the Assiniboine lodge website for more information. This area is less steep and daunting then other areas in the Rockies. Usually people helicopter in to the Assiniboine lodge, instead of spending two days skinning in. Skiing out in a day (~26km) is possible. The Naiset Huts provide primitive cheap warmth. The Hind hut is mainly used by mountaineers wanting to climb Mt. Assiniboine (3610m).

Kootenay National Park

Kootenay National Park is located in Southeastern B.C.

Resources

• Get Chic Scott's guide book, "Summits & Icefields, Canadian Rockies, Alpine Ski Tours".
• Check the avalanche forecasts: Canadian Avalanche Association
• Read the Avalanche Terrain Ratings for the various backcountry skiing trips in the Rockies