Sleeping Around in the Backcountry [PIQUE]

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November 24, 2011 | WHISTLERS WEEKLY NEWSMAGAZINE | www.piquenewsmagazine.com

FREEFOR 17 YEAR


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46 | November 24, 2011 | www.piquenewsmagazine.com

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www.piquenewsmagazine.com | November 24, 2011 | 47

Feature STORY

balanced only by a few precious moments

of pure ecstasy. For every brief moment of

joy during the weightless descent, hours are

spent meandering up steep slopes. At days

end, snuggling deep into down bags with

the subalpine wind blowing pinecones

through the trees, a sense of profound

peace settles deep into the psyche.

The Hut is the powder palace of many

a low-income earner, that sanctuary from

snow where passions and odours mix

in the communion with

nature. Huts are becoming

increasingly popular; on

busy weekends its notunusual to be packed in

like rats on a submarine,

but everyone is too, too

tired to care, face plastered

with that wild-eyed grin

endemic to all backcountry

travellers.

There is nothing more

indelibly romantic than

the Hut experience. Out

in the blistering cold of

the winter alpine, the

intensity of the blue

sky is matched only by

the howling winds of a

deep winter storm. And

when the clouds roll inalong the coast, the Huts

are havens in the midst

of whiteouts and epic

snowfall. While alpinists

and ski mountaineers dig

snowcaves, pitch single-

wall tents or forego even

rudimentary comfort to

bivy out in the elements,

the rest of us powder-hunting, skanky

ski-touring folk trudge our lazy asses into

a warm, somewhat stinky hut, peeling off

the sweat-stained layers to steam clothes

and smoke bowls in front of the stove,

breathing in fumes and downing schnapps.

Ski bums, architectsand freaks:

skiing at the Diamond

Head Lodge

The idea of putting a hut out in the

midst of the subalpine wilderness, though

embedded deep within the ski culture

of the Coast mountains, arose in the

European Alps, where the Grnhorn Hut

on the Tdi was built in 1863 by the Swiss

Alpine Club. Though alpine huts were

first built as staging areas for climbers

attempting the most challenging summits,

as skiing came into a sport of its own in the

late 19th century, huts were built at treeline

for skiers seeking out the adventure of self-

propelled descents.

Joan Mathews, Ottar Branvold and

his brother Emil built the Coast Ranges

first lodge, the Diamond Head Chalet,

in the late 1940s. Long before Highway

99 became a four-lane racecourse, skiers

took the four-hour ferry through Howe

Sound to Squamish, then continued by

train to Garibaldi Station, where after an

overnight stay they hitched a ride from the

Chalets Bombardier snowcat up past the

Red Heather ski area and to the lodge itself.

Located just east of Squamish, the Chalet

served as the basecamp to a wealth of

terrain, including the gentle slopes of Paul

Ridge and the more demanding objectives

of Mamquam Mountain and Mount

Garibaldi. It is also the southern terminus

of the Garibaldi-Nv traverse, which like

the Chalet, was first completed in the 40s.

The Chalet was originally conceived by

the Branvolds (Joan later married Ottar)

as the first of a series of lodges in what

is now Garibaldi Park, linked by hiking

trails. Had it been built, the chain mightve

established a ski-touring classic not unlike

the Haute-Route in the Alps.

Diamond Head was one of the only

places to ski, reminisces John Baldwin,

backcountry skier extraordinaire and

author of the indispensable 448-page

Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis (all

three editions), who also remembers the

Chalet serving hearty soups during the

cold winters. Jayson Faulkner, Chair of the

Spearhead Huts Project, recounts pouring

over the journals of the Varsity Outdoor

Club and finding himself enraptured

with decades of trip reports from outdoor

enthusiasts. Male and female skiers alike

began skiing in the area in the late 1930s.

In the 50s and 60s, these outward bound

university students would strap guitars to

their backs for the nights starry-lit sing-a-

longs. But this wasnt the only crowd that

made the trek.

Its amazing how many people went

up there, says Faulkner, who notes

how the Chalet attracted international

attention, and even the likes of architect

Arthur Erickson. Indeed, getting out and

enjoying the outdoors in a social manner

has long been part of West Coast culture.

In the heyday of Hollyburn Lodge and

Grouse Mountain Lodge, which in those

days were all backcountry lodges, it was a

really popular thing to do.

The Chalet dates from a time when

skiing was solely a touring sport. Going

down meant getting yourself up, and fat

wooden skis with freeheel bindings served

both purposes. After skinning up in leather

boots, sweaty in lederhosen and woolen

sweaters, and after some schapps, it would

be time toschuss down, filling in asitzmark

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or two so that those following wouldnt

flop head-over-heels into the bomb holes.

It made a great first date, as it lasted a

few nights.

Ski mountaineering in the Coast Range

also saw its start at Diamond Head with

missions to Black Tusk, where long before

avalanche transceivers, crampons andnylon ropes early alpinists hauled their

planks up 3rd class volcanic rock to ski

the steeps. Skiing in its inception was

not a sport of the overtly wealthy, or at

least not those who didnt wish to be

seen sweating away with the unwashed

masses. In this respect the backcountry is

still the great equalizer; only those who

throw down the energy on the way up

reap that incomparable feeling of tracking

untouched lines on the down.

The 21st century

renaissance

of self-poweredsatisfaction

This seemingly magical era of ski-touring,

before mechanization led us to believe

that economic salvation will arrive onlywith six-pack lifts and free parking, is now

experiencing something of a renaissance.

With carbon fibre materials and

advanced alloys providing lightweight and

strong ski-touring gear, as well as advances

in avalanche beacon technology, a greater

number of riders are leaving the ropes

behind. For one, it is cheaper; with proper

training and the gear, its you, a buddy,

some form of transport to the trailhead,

and your legs. And without wishing to

impart unwarranted criticism, many feel

that resorts, even the size of the vast

Whistler Blackcomb, are seemingly unable

to live up to the promise of their powder

publicity. Whatever the case, a growing

segment of the skiing populace is turning

toward the backcountry. This steadily

growing influx of usersthe WendyThompson Hut is already booked full for

Christmas and New Yearscarries with

it a greater concern for the maintenance

and upkeep of backcountry huts, as well

as for overall backcountry safety. Whereas

many dedicated backcountry users are

educated in rescue, snowpack safety and

first aid, many new travellers, especially

snowmobilers, are new to the outdoors

in general and often unprepared for

demanding conditions. With the increase

in users a concern for local search and

rescue, it means that any discussion of

backcountry huts needs to emphasize the

proper training and equipment required

for travel in backcountry terrain.

Today, the Diamond Head Chalet is

a rotting relic of quieter times, and the

subsequent Elfin Lakes Hut, built by BCParks in 1975, has become a popular

destination for the uninitiated. It is also

one of several huts erected between the

1970s and 90s through the valiant efforts

of BC Parks, UBCs Varsity Outdoors Club

(VOC), the BC Mountaineering Club

(BCMC) and the Alpine Club of Canada

(ACC). Not all are as luxurious as Elfin

Lakes, which features 34 bunks, self-serve

propane heating and hot plates, a wash

sink and pit toilets. Many Whistlerites get

Congratulationsto Mayor-Elect Wilhelm-Morden and the new

council. Good luck on your journey ahead.

Thanks to everyone who engaged in the

election process, and to those who voted.

I especially want to thank all who have

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a privilege to serve.

-Ken&family

view towards Mt Fitzsimmonsand the head of

Fitzsimmons Creek from the summit of Mt Trorey in the Spearhead Range.Elfin lake hut, left taken in November, right taken in April (2011 ).

Keiths Hutat Cerise Creek by moonlight.


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Feature STORY

their first taste of the hut experience in the

infamously cold, sometimes rat-infested

overnight shelter at Russet Lake, which is

why this hut has long been seen as an ideal

candidate for replacement.

Birth of anenchainment:

The Spearhead

Huts Project

Translating the backcountry experience

for others is key to expanding consciousness

of sustainable economic models and

environmental stewardship.

- Jayson Faulkner, Spearhead Huts

Project Committee

Between Whistler and

Blackcomb mountains

lies the great Spearhead

Range, a near-perfect

horseshoe connecting

what are arguably NorthAmericas two greatest

lift-serviced ski areas.

Sitting at the eastern apex

of the Fitzsimmons Creek

drainage, the huge arc of

the Spearhead contains

no less than twelve

summits and as many

massive glaciers, with

numerous subpeaks, ridges and valleys.

It is a wild and often lonely landscape of

volcanic rock and glacial ice, and yet one of

the most accessible ski (and backpacking)

traverses through challenging terrain on

the continent.

Though it is possible to undertake the

winter Traverse in a day, many parties optto spend a night or three in a tent, soaking

in the ambience and seeking out the more

inaccessible lines that are rarely skied in

the far reaches of the range. Yet to ski not

just a single peak, but a few of the distant

objectives in one outing would require a

minor expedition. For this reason, there

has always been the dream of installing

huts out in the midst of the range.

It is this visionof a trio of Spearhead

Hutsthat has been gaining momentum

in Whistlers outdoors community. The

ACC and its Whistler and Vancouver

sections, the BCMC and the VOC all

support the project and, despite a history

of friendly one-upmanship (the alpinists

of yore bagged each others peaks), thethree storied clubs have come together to

fully support the endeavour. Likewise, the

Kees and Claire Memorial Huts Society and

the Brett Carlson Memorial Foundation

are also behind the project. As Faulkner

says, the project is a Whistler community

initiative of its outdoor denizens.

Theres always a hesitation when

huts go into an area, says John Baldwin.

People look back at the way it used

to be. But the reality is that Whistler

and Blackcomb are right there, and the

Spearheads are popular, and there are

already use concerns, and this is one of

the fifty top ski trips in North America.

So its a great idea. It makes sense to have

huts there.Support has also been forthcoming

from BC Parks and the province. According

to Faulkner, meetings with the province

in Spring 2011 have indicated healthy

support, with government seeing the

Spearhead project as fulfilling their

mandate to encourage parks usage in an

era of declining visits. Faulkner says that the

project offers a sustainable, ongoing use

and attraction for parks.

However, it must be emphasized that

the project is at a preliminary stage; as

Faulkner stresses, it is far from a done

deal. Having passed the initial proposal

stage of round one, the Spearhead Huts

Project Committee is undertaking a detailed

master plan for round two, includingappropriate use and terrain studies, safety

standards and environmental impact studies

A management plan detailing hut locations

and socioeconomic considerations is also

underway, which will involve community

consultations including First Nations. This is

the time where, as Faulkner says, we have to

put the meat on the bone of the proposal for

BC Parks so they can act on it. A generous

timeline would see stage two submitted to

BC Parks in Fall 2012.

Like slow-motion ping-pong, BC Parks

will return the Project Committees serve

with detailed feedback for round three

The final round might include addressing

engineering and environmental reviews, or

executing a needs list to address stage twoconcerns. If the project is given the green

light, construction could begin as early as

summer 2012, though Faulkner says that

2013 is more likely.

The cost of preparing the stage-two

proposal will be in the ballpark of $80,000

to $100,000, which Faulkner says, will

be supported entirely by fundraising

(a Vancouver fundraiser is being held

November 25th at Performance Works;

see below). The organizations involved

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BRASS TACKS SNOW SAFETY

All travellers should have anAST-1if not AST-2 course under their belts; both are offered by the Whistler Alpine Guides Bureau and

Coast Mountain Guides. At least one in your party should have Wilderness First Aid including CPR-C. Carry a wilderness surviva

kit and medical kit including a SAM splint; check out local retailers Escape Route and Ex-cess Backcountry for the gear. Seek outexperienced mentors (buy them beer) and learn from them; better yet, hire a certified Guide for your first trip or two. Do not follow

tracks without maps, and a GPS is never a replacement for a compass. All gear is useless without knowledge. Ducking ropes

out beyond Whistler Blackcomb can get you killed; every year, it happens. Learn from locals, take the courses, get the gear, and

respect the terrain, for it wont learn to respect you. This also means keeping aware of those around youdont create a dangerous

situation for others through poor terrain management and dont get caught in their terrain traps. This is especially important in the

high-traffic slackcountry, from the Spearhead off Blackcomb to the Musical Bumps off Whistler.


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Feature STORY

will also be donating in-kind support. The

ACC, for example, has the knowledge and

experience of building and maintaining

25 huts throughout Canada. Donations

made to the Spearhead Huts Project are

tax-exempt, thanks to the ACCs status as

a non-profit.

The huts will be maintained through user

fees collected through an online registration

system, much like what is in place today

for the Wendy Thompson Hut in the Duffyregion.

Well put the pittoiletwith a glacier

view right here

The first question that users, supporters

and critics alike have for the Spearhead

Huts project is where they will be built,

especially given the complexities of the

terrain. There are now some preliminary

answers. On the south side, a new hut is

slated to replace the existing Himmelsbach

Hut at Russet Lake built by BCMC in 1968.

On the north side, the proposed location

is Pattison Ridge, on Mount Pattison. And

out in the midst of the Spearhead, the

proposed site is the West Ridge of Mount

MacBeth, at the head of Fitzsimmons

Creek.All the huts are situated not only for

winter access, but also for summer use,

with the proposed establishment of a

summer trail network for backpackers.

During summer months, all three huts

plan to be accessible without the need

for glacier travel. Likewise, each hut will

sleep around 30 occupants (approximately

the size of the Elfin Lakes Hut). The idea,

emphasizes Faulkner, is to ensure that the

huts are useful and relevant in 20 through

40 years. Ideally, a caretaker would be

onsite for a few months a year.

Safety sessions

with SAR

With a projected increase in backcountry

users, the proposed construction of huts in

the complex terrain of the Spearhead has

raised safety concerns. To get a handle onnumbers, the Spearhead Huts Committee

is installing backcountry access gates at

the boundary exit on Blackcomb Glacier

and at Whistlers boundary on Flute. These

gates will give BC Parks and the public

an idea of backcountry usage. Currently,

estimates vary widely, with Faulkner

saying that some patrollers see hundreds

of travellers entering the backcountry

during peak conditions. This could mean

that thousands of travellers are already

undertaking trips into the Spearhead yearly,

with hundreds if not more completing the

entire Traverse.

Any increase in overall visitorsnearly

a given if the huts are builtcould result

in an increase in inexperienced users. The

thing about the Spearhead Traverse is that

its a full-on ski traverse, says Brad Sills,

head of Whistler Search and Rescue (SAR).

Its all above treeline. You have to have

good navigational skills; you have to havegood avalanche avoidance and forecasting

abilities. Typically, when you have these hut-

to-hut systems, they have guides attached to

them. So that would be our concern. That

they, in and of themselves, become magnets

for people that dont have the requisite skills,

so the distances between them become the

point where people get lost.

Sills, who emphasizes that he is not

opposed to the project, likens the huts

to adding new lifts to the mountains.

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THE SEA-TO-SKY HUT CHECKLIST

With thanks to John Baldwin.

This list assumes youve got a winter sleeping bag, sleeping pad, appropriate (freez-dried) foods and a stove with fuel (and waterproof

matches). But beyond the basics (which for me includes coffee, smoke, electrolyte solution for dehydration, sunblock and schnapps), theres

a few amenities that make hut travel much, much more enjoyable:

1. The map and the guidebook description. Government maps are available for the entire wilderness around us from Escape Route in

Marketplace, as is John Baldwins third edition of Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis. Photocopy the guidebook and laminate both.

2. A four-season tent. Yes, if youre heading out late on the weekend to a hut that doesnt take reservations, you might need that tent. And

depending on whos there (or whos with you), you might want to camp far away in the woods anyway.

3. Hut booties. The venerable MEC carries cheap booties made from down discards. Dont go to a hut without them.

4. A down jacket. Indeed, down pants might also be in order.

5. Extra fuel. Never trust that the hut will have fuel supplied. Check to see what is on tap: kerosene, propane, white gas, butane.

6. A headlamp. In fact, never, ever, ever head out without one. And spare batteries.

7. Toilet paper. There are enough stories of trying to use snow and pine needles. Not only does it scrape the sensitive bits, but you will go

numb and never properly recover, resulting in the need to wear skinny jeans pulled down just above the knees (just look around you

casualties all, I tell you, all those waddling dudes).

8. If youre out for more than a night, a lightweight book. I prefer Philip K Dick or the latest Alpinist magazine. Try Walter Bonattis Mountains

of my Life, and be glad youre a skier.

9. Earplugs. And a spare set. Youll be amazed at the things youd rather not hear.10. Guilty pleasures. Whether that be wine, schapps or the fine herbs, pack it in and pack it all out.

skiing along Paul Ridge to Elfin Lakes with

Mt Garibaldi in the background.

Callaghan Lodge with the inviting slopes of

Journeyman Peak behind.


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Whenever easier access is granted to new

territory, it increases the numbers of

inexperienced travellers. The last thing we

want, says Sills, is a tourist attraction that

doesnt adequately provide for the safety of

people using it.

The provisio of adequately providing

for the increase in traffic is at the core

of the Committees two-pronged strategy

to address safety. No question, says

Faulkner. If youre going to put morepeople out in complex terrain, youre going

to have more incidents. So how do you

manage it? The first step, says Faulkner,

is increasing resources for SAR, including

hiring full-time BC Parks Rangers. We

know that were going to need more

resources on the ground to be able to

respond, says Faulkner. Part of this is

going to require that Whistler Search and

Rescue has the resources they need for

what will be an increase in activityjust

like North Shore Search and Rescue over

the last fifteen to twenty years has had to

have a significant amount of investment in

resources so they can respond as needed,

because of the increased amount of

people.

The second step is mandatory education.

Though enforcing the requirement of an

Avalanche Skills Training (AST) course

is not feasible nor ultimately desirable

Faulkner raises the point that thebackcountry is Crown land, and in the end,

telling people they need a course to walk

in the woods flies in the face of personal

responsibilityFaulkner envisions an

online skills component that will have

to be passed before users are allowed

to register. Similar mandatory education

exists for users entering the Grand Canyon,

says Faulkner. Users will have to undergo

a thirty to forty-five minute educational

exercise and pass a series of skill-testing

ascending the ridge above Keith's Hutat Cerise Creek

with Mt Matier in the background.


8/9


questions before being able to register. The

questions would test their knowledge of

terrain, avalanche safety, environmental

impact and sustainable use practices, as

well as cultural engagement with the area,

which would allow education in First

Nations history.It would be a relatively low bar that

you could require people to jump over that

would benefit everybody, says Faulkner.

They would know what the safety is, that

they should carry proper equipment and a

cellphone, because theres cellphone range

throughout the whole corridor, so if you

get into trouble heres the number you

can call, so make sure to enter it into your

cellphone nowmaybe have a Spearhead

user App that they could download, that

has the numbers in it, that has information

and maps on it and all sorts of things.

While mobile technologies are able to

perform small miracles in mapping and

communications, such devices can lead to

overdependence (ultimately, if your GPSand cell/SAT phone are dead, youre on

your own). Cellphones are especially tricky

things; they can interfere with avalanche

transceivers and should be kept off. Yet,

Faulkners comments are suggestive in the

need to utilize mobile devices, as they will

provide for the broadest possible user base.

However it is done, putting into place a

mandatory educational component would

align itself with best practices in similar areas.

Faulkner also makes the point that

snowmobiliers are not required to pass an

AST course in order to drive mechanized

vehicles in the backcountry. According

to statistics released in January by the

Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA),

backcountry snowmobilers have accounted

for the largest number of avalanche related-fatalities in Canada for the last three years.

The Legacy

of the Long Tail

The Spearhead Huts Project arguably

showcases the heart and soul of not only

Whistlers greatest resourceits alpine

wilderness of glaciers, peaks, forests, and

deep valleysbut that of its culture. Whistler

is something of an accident; its Disneyfied

village is built upon the old garbage dump;

its inhabitants are all exiles of some sort

or other, from the early alpinists and fly-

fishers to the hippies and Down Underski and snowboard bums. The vastness of

the Coast Range, so tantalizingly close, is

at the heart of Whistlers cultural legacy.

Should the Spearhead Huts be realized,

muses Faulkner, they could become part

of the Trans-Canada Trail as its sole alpine

section.

The Spearhead Huts also point toward

efforts to develop a more sustainable

economy centered on what Whistler does

best: exposing people to the beauty and

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wonder of the wilderness. Arent the huts

a much better use of our land base than

industrial logging or mining or motorized

activities? asks Faulkner. If its vision is

realized with the passion that its supporters

evidently espouse, as one of few such

accessible traverses in North America theSpearhead Huts could become something

of a model, not only for Whistlers future,

but also for sustainable ecotourism

worldwide. And that indeed would be a

cultural legacy born from freaks and bums.

The Spearhead Soiree Fundraiser is Friday,

November 25th at Performance Works in

Vancouver. See www.spearheadhuts.org for

more info.

RESOURCES

Spearhead Huts Project

www.spearheadhuts.org

Alpine Club of Canada, Whistler Section

accwhistler.ca

British Columbia Mountaineering Club

bcmc.ca

UBC Varsity Outdoor Club

www.ubc-voc.com

Whistler Search and Rescue

www.whistlersar.com

BC Parks

www.bcparks.ca

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WW1244-Photo:AnastasiaChomlack

Featurehuddled around

the kerosene

heater in the Wendy

Thompson Hut during a

cold snap.

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Sleeping Around in the Backcountry [PIQUE]