Infinite expanses far away from civilization, good terrain. Light and deep powder snow that makes you disappear behind a white wall at every bend and sink in up to your stomach when you get out of your bindings. Trees so deeply snow-covered that you can barely make them out. Meter-high pillows? these are all thoughts that make you dream of a skiing adventure in Canada - something like the snow conditions in the Alps this season. But then, when the envy soon made us burst, then came the turning point?
Canadian cabins can be compared to SAC huts in Switzerland, depending on their condition. They usually offer everything you need to survive on a mountain somewhere. You just have to get there somehow with all your luggage and provisions. But this problem was quickly solved when "Northern Escape Heliskiing" agreed to quickly drop us off at the hut from their base at the end of a day's skiing. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them once again. The way back should then be covered by ski.
With the heli-taxi into the Canadian backcountry
After we had stocked up on enough food for a week away from civilization, it was just a matter of waiting for a good opportunity. But winter had returned to Canada. We had to stay at the base for three days until good flying weather finally arrived. At least we now know what heli-downdays feel like.
The wait was more than worth it, however. Our excitement was at its peak when we first saw the terrain that opens up the "Anderson Cabin", just a few minutes' flight from Terrace. Flat ascents on the ridges leading to countless steep couloirs, cornices, cliffs, pillows and forest descents gave us the impression that the area was made especially for downhill ski tourers. Covered with a thick, ever-growing blanket of snow and perfect weather during the day, you can probably guess how quickly the week went by.
New cabin, new luck
The descent on skis proved to be easy despite the rather miserable maps and the well-earned beer and shower made us look back on one of the best weeks of skiing. Of course, this made us hungry for more, so we found out about other cabins in the area and came across the \"Larsen Cabin\". As luck would have it, we had just met the group who were planning to stay at the cabin before us. So we were able to split the cost of the helicopter flight by flying into the cabin while they were flown out after their stay. We, on the other hand, opted for a skiout again, even though this time the cabin was almost 20 kilometers from the nearest highway, so the process started all over again. Getting food, booking the cabin and doing some familiar tours to pass the time until the helicopter flight. The stay in the Larsen Cabin can be described in a similar way to that in the Anderson Cabin. Good terrain, the best snow we've ever had in Canada and lots of fun. Although this time the weather wasn't as perfect as in the Anderson Cabin, the pictures speak for themselves. Champagne powder in pristine Canadian solitude.
Skiout with obstacles
The skiout proved to be a more arduous affair. There were two options to choose from: Descend directly from the hut to a "forest road" and follow it for 26 kilometers to the highway or, after a 40-minute climb, stand above a descent that leads through an open basin into a creek bed and has most likely never been skied before, but made us 15 kilometers out of the 26 kilometers "only". Of course, we opted for the second option and after eight hours we reached the highway. The three stream crossings, the waterfall bypasses, the collapse into a pond and lots and lots of bushwhacking are only mentioned in passing. Now we just had to find someone to take us to our camper, which was 20 kilometers away. A real Canadian ski adventure...
Text & Pictures: Jonas Blum, Balz Koch & Michi Räthlin
