Icefall Lodge, BC Rockies, Feb. 2016

[raypruit]

My wife and I spent a week in late March at Icefall Lodge last year and were blown away by the terrain there. There are so many huts to explore in BC, I figure there's no point doing a trip to the same hut twice. But by Dec. we found ourselves without a trip booked so we made a last minute decision to return to the guaranteed good time that is Icefall. We were not disappointed.

Video of the down:
https://vimeo.com/158303769

Pics of the up:

Starting the day up the drainage the lodge sits in




Joining a guided trip as a couple is a bit of a crapshoot based on the people. At Icefall, the guides always set up 2 trips everyday - a longer one and a shorter one. We lucked out and ended up skiing everyday with a super fun group who wanted to pound vert and did ironman triathlons in their spare time. As the only short-legged asthmatic splitboarder in the group, I got this view a lot. They apparently didn't mind though, as they asked us to join them on another trip next year.


The top part of the 400m NE-facing run called Home Run that ends right at the lodge. We ended half our days with that run.


We're from Vancouver, so we don't get much of this


Our assistant guide Igor and our objective for the day, the Diamond Glacier and Icefall Peak, in the background


Heading up the Diamond Glacier. We did this exact tour last year, but with views like this, I didn't mind


Not a bad lunch spot


Cool layers in this serac





Mandatory shot of Mt. Arras. Larry, the owner of the lodge, apparently skied one of those couloirs. What couloirs? Exactly


The view from our room at sunrise


Our tracks down Home Run


Icefall has 2 satellite huts in the high alpine. We went to the Lyell Hut at 2800m. Our tracks down Keffi Pass on the way to the hut


The scenery was ok


Mt. Arras again




Skinning to Crampon col (crampons not required today), which leads to the Lyell Icefield that the hut sits on


Our guide Pierre with the Lyell Icefield in the background. This guy was amazing and an absolute machine


Pure N-facing goodness down from Crampon Col


Lunch on the Icefield


Our tracks down from the col


The long trek across the Lyell icefield


Almost at the Lyell hut


View from the hut at sunrise


Probably the highest shitter in Canada. I had the misfortune of needing to visit this thing 4 times. I blame it on HAFE (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-a...atus_expulsion), which one of the docs in our crew verified was a real thing.


Decent views of the icefield

[raypruit]

On our way to summit Christian Peak 3400m


The final bootpack up to the summit


The view from the summit. Not much higher than us


Yours truly at 3400m, the highest I've ever been without being in a plane


Heading back up Crampon Col and looking back at the icefield. The hut is on the prominent hunk of rock


Descending the south side of the col


Tracks left by the other group down La Clytte peak. We're next!


La Clytte, post gangbang by our group. I'm probably the first to ever make that joke


Skinning up Kemmel mtn


...aaand Mt. Arras again


The view from the summit of Kemmel. I think that's Mt. Sir Sandford?


Hero pose by our cook at 3100m


We popped into this ice cave for lunch


The view from inside the cave


Our tracks up and down Kemmel


Night shot from the lodge BBQ


Skinning up a moraine after descending Vitamin P, the slot right of center


Another shot of Home Run


Our last runs in Alien Bowl the morning we flew out


Alien bowl, shredded!


So much radness we never got to


Our last skin back to the lodge


If you can't tell, I highly recommend Icefall. Two times is enough for me, but there is a ton of terrain we never got to see, let alone ride. Off to Larry's new hut Snowfall Lodge next year with the ironman crew! Time to start training.

[nutmegchoi]

Gorgeous!
Thanks for sharing!!

How long did it take to hike up there??

[CTR]

4 days until our crew heads in to Icefall!!!!.......(it's a heli into the hut for nutmegchoi answer) any clues to current snow conditions? who was the cook? how was the food? minor question....what kind of hut shoes needed for travel to outhouse or get water? thanks, Chet

[nutmegchoi]

4 days until our crew heads in to Icefall!!!!.......(it's a heli into the hut for nutmegchoi answer) any clues to current snow conditions? who was the cook? how was the food? minor question....what kind of hut shoes needed for travel to outhouse or get water? thanks, Chet

Thanks for the answer.
So... it's like Baldface Lodge, huh?

[raypruit]

nutmeg - yeah, sort of like Baldface, except there's no cat.

CTR - I'm sure it will be great. Plenty of north-facing stuff that will have good snow. Our cook was Mat and the food was amazing. Soup and snacks ready at the end of the day, awesome dinners 2 hrs later after a sauna/shower. They have rainboots up there for trips to the outhouse. No need to get water. Larry should have emailed you all this info

[CTR]

I was up there once before in the original lodge/hut....self guided; small, a bit awkward hut then, had to carry water......but same terrain ....sounds like a jump up in luxury now....and none of the new farther away huts.....Pierre will be our guide.....psched immediately......thanks, Chet

[plugboots]

I want to go.

[raypruit]

Go. As far as I'm concerned there is no better way to spend time and money

[Tap]

great photos, dude, whatever camera you were using. you scored.

[garyfromterrace]

Nice work man, looks like a kick ass trip! That night shot was superb. Thanks for posting.

[LeeLau]

Score on conditions Ray

[angrysasquatch]

^Big time. Pow all aspects and big peaks in. Perfect.

[adrenalated]

Ooh yeah, that hit the spot.

[raypruit]

Thanks all, glad to fuel the stoke

[Jack Burton]

Got to Icefall a few years ago, rad. We drooled over vitamin P but did not have enough stability, glad you got it.

[brown9]

Video was rad.