As winter kicks into high gear in the northwest, the powder fever has reached its usual frenzy. Those of us that have the craving to venture further and deeper into the wilderness in search of adventure, are ready to finally follow through with plans made months in advance.
Catch up with Payette Brew Crew badass, Evan Kramer, as he recaps an adventure to the great white north for an extended back country hut trip outside of Pemberton, British Columbia.
In the words of Evan:
The plan was for myself and two friends to make the trek to Pemberton, BC for 10 days spent between two different backcountry huts with a few days of resort riding mixed in. Anyone that’s made this trek before knows that it’s not an easy drive. Leaving at 4am in the dark of Boise and arriving 18 hours later in an unfamiliar Canadian winter wonderland doesn’t make it any easier.
It didn’t take long to realize that after months of planning, we were going to need to adapt our plans to account for a historic avalanche danger level. At that time, a massive storm cycle had passed through the Northern Rockies and caused an unprecedented level of natural and human triggered avalanches. Backcountry travel was dicey to say the least.
From our Airbnb basecamp we decided to check out the local brewery and talk to the locals regarding route choices and recent avalanche activity near our intended destination, the Wendy Thompson hut. The locals at Pemberton Brewing Company confirmed our suspicions that avalanches were happening all around the hut we had booked the next day. After a few brews and careful thought, we decided we would give it a try but stick to very conservative, low-angle terrain, both on the way in and during our stay. Having to spend one extra day in town due to avy danger ended up costing us the whole stay in our second intended hut.
It didn’t take long to realize how physically unfit I was for trekking into the backcountry. Swapping backpacks occasionally on the hike in was necessary to make the reasonably short 5 mile hike a bit more bearable, and to make sure that we weren’t completely spent should any dangerous situations arise. The first big push of the skin hit us at about 3 miles and because of the late start we had gotten that day, it was right here we started to doubt whether we were going to make it before dark. You can’t help but assume the worst at times like this and begin deciding whether or not you’ll be spending the night in a snow cave.
We pushed on steadily for the last mile or two and sure enough, just as darkness was starting to set in, we catch a reassuring glimpse of a hut nestled nicely among a backdrop of incredibly deep snow and enormous trees. We had made it. That days adventure really wore us out and it was nice to finally relax and dry out by a roaring wood burning stove, sipping on that necessary hot whiskey cider.
The next few days were spent enjoying the solitude that comes with a backcountry hut. Having endless glades of low angle terrain all to yourselves and nights spent relaxing playing cards by a fire with some of your best friends. When it was time to leave the hut, the hike out was much more manageable…and downhill. However, after a 4 hour hike out we had a 7 and a half hour drive ahead of us to Golden, BC. It was time to fill up on gas station food and attempt sleep upright for the next few hours.
Turns out, the powder gods wouldn’t stop delivering. The next massive storm had closed most roads heading east and oddly enough forced us to detour and spend an unintended night in the ski mecca of Revelstoke, BC.
We can thank that detour for giving us one of the best days of riding any of us had ever had. The kind of day you can blindly send drops into bottomless pow.
Smiles from ear to ear.
Revelstoke Mountain Resort
After a surprise, all-time day at Revelstoke we set out for our final destination. Kicking Horse and the champagne pow capital- Golden, BC. One last day of amazing pow riding in British Columbia, on a mountain known for it’s gnarly inbounds terrain with 10 inches of fresh powder, was the icing on the cake of an unforgettable road trip.
The sun sets on Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, and an unforgettable road trip
The only thing standing between us and home was another treacherous, blizzard filled 16 hour ride from the Canadian Rockies back to Boise. For the last four hours we had to drive 20mph. Even through all the trials and tribulations, our efforts weren’t wasted. All I have to say is when someone first learns about the potential risks of the backcountry, you learn quickly you must be able to adapt. Weather could turn for the worse, improper use of equipment, not enough resources to last the trip, etc. Whatever the problem arose, solving them on the fly truly made the entire experience more fun. I would recommend to anyone to push themselves through an endeavor like ours.
After all was said and done we decided the trip had realistically been a beautiful disaster. A solid plan that unraveled before us, but delivered unforgettable memories regardless.
Keep an eye on the Payette Adventure Log throughout the rest of winter to keep tabs on the Brew Crew doing some of our favorite things, accompanied by our favorite beers. Hopefully it’ll keep you all motivated to get out there and enjoy all that the great outdoors in the PNW have to offer!