TR: GAH Sunrise Lodge - Mar. 18-25, 2017
A crew of 14 humans from the Lower 48 headed north to Golden to check out Golden Alpine Holidays’ Sunrise hut in the Esplanade Range. We got in a couple days at Kicking Horse on either end -- that place rules.
Sunrise is a heli-in touring operation. We packed our food and skipped the guides - damn cheap. And we lucked out on our cabin custodian -- Brad Harrison -- who was one of the four guys who started GAH in the 1980s. He knew every damn tree, and had the energy of a 19 year old on Monster (and roids?) despite being 60+. He no longer owns GAH, but it was his baby, and you could tell.
We packed the important stuff -- beer.
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PC: Bernard Rocca
First day featured exceptionally sketchy avy conditions. Lots of snow, with warming peaking just after we skied. The whole N face of Panorama Dome slid while we skinning below it on Wisted Creek. As we skinned back up the creek, we heard the booming of massive avalanches --dozens of such booms -- echoing around the mountains. We learned the next morning that that 24 hour period saw the biggest large avalanche cycle in that part of BC for 30 years. 100+ Class 4 avalanches reported. Some webbysites covered it too: http://powdercanada.com/2017/03/aval...-march-update/ and http://snowbrains.com/avalanche-phot...inue-to-occur/ The Low Probability/High Consequence (LP/HC) remained for the week on any N faces and especially any aspect with overhanging hazard (cornice, rockfall, etc.). We played it slow and eventually opened up the area.
After we scared the bejeezus out of our selves, carbombs were in order:
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The man, the myth, the legend - Brad H.
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PC: Bernard Rocca
We woke up to this as our daily view....
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...and kicked off the day with brekkie and daily sando-making "missions"...
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PC: Bernard Rocca
...and then skied our faces off --- all day long! Here's B on Dessert
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Feeling pretty good about the snow conditions. Ridge of Melting Face visible right behind my head, and Sunrise Lodge just below my right elbow. Edge of Panorama Dome visible at frame left.
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Did I mention that the snow conditions were excellent!?
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Top of Panorama Dome - the pano kept wrapping and wrapping out of frame.
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Skintrack from the hut went right next to the Ridge of Melting Faces. Our faces melted in yearning to take out those lines, but with the LP/HC conditions, the perfect avy-prone slopes, and the creek with massive holes in the run-out of the Ridge, we opted to play it safe. Lots of regrets about that, but better to slay another line than your last.
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More Melting Faces with Pano Dome just below.
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Not sure where this was, but it looked like this all week:
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PC: Bernard Rocca
Cairn and crew
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PC: Bernard Rocca
Cairn Peak (just above the hut) - Brad and one of our crew kicked off the cornice and set off this nice Class 3.
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Headed out to Paradise Ridge and to Cupola Mountain, highest mountain in the Esplanades.
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PC: Bernard Rocca
Almost to Cupola
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PC: Bernard Rocca
Summit:
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PC: Bernard Rocca
Lots of teletubby skittle dorks on this trip. I doubt we'll ever see any vids emerge, but if we do, I'll post em up. Top of Pano Dome.
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Pano Dome had awesome N-facing steep trees, with lots of pillows at the bottom of the runs. You can see the old, now ragged and filled-in, crown line from earlier in the week.
Messy:
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Water came from Sunrise Lake, a 100m skin with these torture devices to carry the load.
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PC: Bernard Rocca
We eventually made it over into Upper Mayvill Creek, skiing some nice alpine....
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PC: Bernard Rocca
(Did you find the skier on first glance??)
....into mind-blowing pillow terrain down low that we dubbed "Yu's Universe".
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More of the "YuUniverse". You can see of our tracks...
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Coming back out of Upper Mayvill Creek
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Messy tweaked his shoulder on a 5 stage pillow. The only injury of our trip. In the pillows directly above his head, you can see where we broke a pillow and started a little Class 2.
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The Lodge was small, but super efficient. Comfortable for 14 + 1 custodian.
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PC Bernard Rocca
Drunk jenga
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Pano Dome w/ Sunrise Lodge from Avalanche Peak.
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In sum -- We did a lot of this:
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PC: Bernard Rocca
Some of this:
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PC: Bernard Rocca
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PC: Bernard Rocca
And it was rad!
Alas, all good things must come to an end. (Ask me in person about how the heli was too overloaded to take off, and the pilot had to very sketchily set us back down and kick one rider out...which was somehow made us light enough...or so he said.)
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PC Bernard Rocca
Leaving us a VERY satisfied crew. We'll be back for more!
Many thanks to AKBruin for teaching me how to use a computer -- and post a TR to the forums -- they do not make it easy. And super big thanks to BGnar Rocca for his unreal photos! Hat tip to sillybunt2 for all his beta going in to the trip.
