The crown jewel of St. Mary's daytrips, Snowcrest's elusive East Face has foiled all of my attempts to lay tracks on it. It has been a long-time dream of mine to ski this magnificent piece of Kootenay real estate, but co-ordinating safe conditions, good coverage, and partners work schedules has always stood in the way of a successful trip.

The magic combo for success on this descent is mid-season high pressure with a deep and stable snowpack. Late-season attempts are generally not possible due to large sections of the access road melting out. A trip up to a nearby route on Monday the 13th revealed that conditions were looking ideal for another attempt so partners were coerced, sick days were arranged, and we were set to have a go at it on Wednesday February 15th.

A pre-dawn departure from town followed by a half hour drive and then a freezing cold hour on the sleds found us gawking up at our objective gleaming in the early morning sun:



We were all a little nervous as we discussed routes and alternatives and a tiny bit of doubt about bagging the most classic line started to creep into our conversation. We eventually decided that we'd just have to go up there and have a closer look before deciding exactly where to ski.

We dropped one of the sleds at the creek that drains the east face and continued up the road to a spot that provides better access to the summit. It was a bit of a mad dash to get the skis skinned up and get moving as things were a tad nippy on this bluebird morning. After about an hour and a half of skinning and bushwhacking through mature forest, we were rewarded with our first glimpse of the remainder of our route:



The east face proper (our intended descent route) on the right side of the photo and our climbing route on the left. The snow looked fantastic and not nearly as wind-effected as we were expecting. We dropped down a short distance and entered the winter wonderland that we'd spend the rest of the day in.

Going up:

And up:

And up:

And finally a bit of a bootpack to get past the crux of the climb:

We spent a bit of time on the summit discussing our options and eventually decided that the snow quality and stability were suitable to give'er. Looking down it sealed the deal:

That's just under 1100m (over 3500ft) vertical to the runout zone at the bottom. The whole run back to the sled is about 1400m (4500ft).

The crux of the downhill portion of our day:

Nice powder snow on the lower part of the descent:

A foreshortened view of the whole face:

A bit of a bushwhack back to the sled was followed by high fives and a Kootenay Classic is finally bagged.

You may have heard rumors, and now that a trail has been cut, its time to share this with the rest of the paddling community.

A new put-in has been established about 1km downstream (still in the flatwater section) of the traditional put-in. Access to it is via a completely different road system and it only involves about a 20km shuttle. The only real catch to using this put-in is that it involves a 450m mostly flat walk. The walk is a little longer (~700m) if you don't have a high clearance vehicle as there is a deep cross ditch just before the parking spot. (Note: this cross ditch is the only spot on the whole access that cannot be driven in a 2wd car)

Directions:

From the take-out bridge (by the pulp mill), head North as if using the traditional access. Turn left at the first junction (you would normally turn right onto torrent road here) and start heading towards the Skookumchuck lookout. There is a Rec site at Tamarack Lake (approx. 5km from bridge) and this is where the Skook Lookout Forest Service Road (sign) starts, this is also the start of the km markers.

Carry on up the Skook Lookout FSR (staying on the main road) to about the 9km marker (~14km from bridge) where you will turn Left on a road that is signed "BR C". Stay on Branch C (basically just go straight) until you come to a junction with a road labeled "SP E" and continue straight onto Spur E (~16km from bridge).

Once you are on Spur E the road starts to drop steadily. At some point you will see the creek on your Left and it will become apparent where you are going. Stay on Spur E until you are at the bottom of the hill and hang a left at the first junction you come to (somewhere around the 15km sign or about 19km from the bridge).

This road switches back and you will follow it for a short distance (~600m) until you come to yet another junction where you will take a right onto the lower of the roads. Follow this road to it's end where there is a landing and a good place to park. (~20km from bridge) Beware of the cross ditch mentioned earlier that is a couple hundred metres short of the end/ landing.

Now get geared up, shoulder your boat, and head off the end of the landing and into the forest. A trail has been cut and is flagged in blue and pink / black candystripe ribbon. You will go down through the forest and cross a small stream on a fallen log (this stream might be a bit of a problem at really high water but if you are paddling the skook in really high water I'm sure you'll figure out how to get across it)

After crossing the creek, you will emerge into a flat cutblock which you will cross until you hit a road. (no you can't drive to here the way you just came) From this road you can see the Skook and the trail continues down off the road and through the forest to the edge of the Skook.

I know it seems like there must be a spot where the road is closer to the creek, but trust me....there isn't. Have fun and remember to beware of logging trucks, especially on weekdays.

A buddy of mine puts on a kickass skateboard race every year during Julyfest in Kimberley. This is the fourth year now and 48 racers showed up from all over the place to compete on one of the hairiest courses on the longboard circuit.

Some of these guys are pretty serious about their longboarding:


Funhogz had a bit of a booth set up to show off some of the latest goodies from Canadian longboard manufacturers Landyachtz and Kebbek:


Here is a shot of a group of racers about to enter the final corner:


The man who put it all together AND raced, Jody aka Shnitzel:


And finally, a bit of a group shot filled with assorted looneys from all over North America:

I recently made it out for my first run of the year on Skookumchuck Creek. We are incredibly lucky to have this as one of our local runs. It has more rapids than you can shake a paddle at and is pretty much continuous class 3 and 4 whitewater. People travel great distances to paddle this fine run and its right in our backyard. The pictures are from Sunday May 15, the level was medium, and the paddler's name is Shawn.

At the put-in getting ready for action:


Part way through "Shot in the heart" one of only two rapids that are actually named in the guidebook:


Shawn about to get munched in "Pinball", the other named drop:


A clean line through a drop we call "The Punchbowl"


One of a few nice surf waves that appear at this level:


In the middle of what's probably the toughest rapid on the Skook. We call it "The Screaming Right"