ACC Gazette Section Stories: Saskatchewan
Ski Fest 2024 Trip Highlights
Story and photos by Erik deConinck Smith, for the 2025 Gazette
Avalanche and weather conditions aligned perfectly for the first annual ACC Saskatchewan Section Ski and Board Fest from March 28 to April 1. Our team was made up of nine section members, six of us made the long drive from Saskatoon, and met up with three who came from Calgary. The trip was based out of the Lake Louise Alpine Centre hostel, and we toured different locations in the area for four days. In total, we climbed over 3,500 metres and travelled almost 50 kilometres on our skis and split boards.
The first day was cloudy and at times snowing very heavily so we stuck to lower elevations, tree skiing under a sub-peak of Observation Peak. It was a good day getting a feel for the abilities of the group and for checking out the snow conditions in the area. Day two was forecast to be nice and sunny, so we decided to get up in the alpine and check out the views and snow on Ogden Bench above Sherbrooke Lake. Getting to the Bench involves almost 1,000 metres of ascent from the trailhead, and with the powerful sun expected in the afternoon we hurried up through the trees to Sherbrooke Lake and then up into the alpine. The cliffs of Ogden Peak were towering above us as we travelled up the slope and every so often the cliffs would send some snow thundering down, reminding us not to linger. We summited around noon and had a great ski back down to the lake.
The Bench is south facing, and it had a sun crust below the 20 centimetres of fresh snow and that just wouldn’t do for us Saskers… we needed bottomless powder! So, on our third day we chose a north-facing slope beside the spectacular Howse Peak. The approach to Howse involves a ski across Chephren Lake and as the sun came up the peak came into view. The fog was rolling through the lake, and it felt like we were dreaming. We ascended a knob above the moraines and skied down some of the best snow I have skied all year. One lap was about 500 metres, so we headed up to do another. For several in the group, if we could get back to the summit of the knob, they would achieve their first ever 1,000 metre day on skis. There was some mild complaining, but we pushed on and reached the summit once more.
For several in the group ... they would achieve their first ever 1,000 metre day on skis.
On day four we were looking for something close to home because we had a big drive ahead of us back to Saskatchewan. We decided that Surprise Pass which starts at the Fairmont Hotel was our best option. The route takes you up and around Fairview Mountain into a cirque that looks like a dead end, but then, surprise! There is a pass that you can’t see until the last minute that you have to boot back up to and the run down the north side puts you on the west end of Lake Louise. Like the slopes beneath Howse Peak, the ski down these north-facing slopes was amazing. We finished the trip with a ski across Lake Louise, meeting a jealous tourist wondering where we could have possibly been coming.
It’s an eight-hour drive back to Saskatoon, but it’s always worth it to play in the mountains. I hope to continue leading this type of trip with the Saskatchewan Section every year with the long-term goal of building a community of strong ski mountaineers that live in the prairies.
Regional ACC Sections are the Alpine Club of Canada’s strength. Membership in an ACC Section enables members to participate in numerous summer and winter mountaineering, rock climbing, and skiing activities, coordinated by experienced amateur leaders in their local area. The majority of activities offered by sections are either free or are offered on a break-even basis to their members. Through ACC Section trips you’ll learn all the basics you need to travel safely in the mountains, while meeting new friends to enjoy your experiences with.
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