RAMBLERS TAKE ASSINIBOINEThis 5 day backcountry ski trip (Feb 23 to Feb 27) lead by Ken Park was spectacular. We had 5 days of blue skies and 4 starry nights with a full moon. Kaare, Arnold and Dave skied the 28 km. into Assiniboine while the rest of us took to the sky. Aster and Forget Me Not (Naiset huts) were our homes for the next 4 days. The first full day (Thursday) we skied to the Nublet and Jones Bench. The experienced of the group telemarked the slopes. There were many opinions about waxing and skins. Ken and his daughter Krista could go up anything with only wax (sometimes I think they had invisible skins). Arnold swore by violet wax and the rest seemed to be using blue. Personally I liked the violet. The afternoons were warm and sunscreen was a necessity. Friday we skied to the top of Wonder Pass

and some of the group went up Elys Dome,

it was windy and cooler but still a wonderful day. The lower slopes were great for beginner telemarking. Friday night was Follies night and the group gathered in Forget me not hut for entertainment. Poetry, jokes, puzzles and stories were the entertainment. Dave read a poem ‘Albert gets eaten by a lion in Blackpool’ by Marriot Edgar. The English accent was essential. Elizabeth provided a racy joke book. Arnold puzzled us with a brain-teaser (most of us were brain dead). Saturday was supposed to be a more relaxed day to prepare for the big ski out, however, we skied to Sunburst Lake, Cerulean Lake, and Moose Pond. Again, the keeners (Arnold, Dave, Kaare, and Sophie) took a side trip to Elizabeth and Wedgwood Lake. Saturday night we had our last great feast (Kaare’s night to cook- capers, pinenuts, prawns, apple pie, whipping cream were on the menu). We tried to finish the wine and food to save packing it out (someone joked that we all gained weight on this trip).

Sunday was an arduous day as Assiniboine Pass was icy and steep, we skied, walked, side stepped and slipped to the bottom to enjoy a more leisurely trip down Bryant Creek stopping at the Ranger Station for lunch. We passed a pair of Moose who had hiked down the ski trail leaving big holes in the tracks. Arriving at Shark Mountain parking lot about 3:30 pm, we drove into Canmore for a celebration dinner at the Golden Palace. This was my first winter backcountry trip, it was fabulous, if you haven’t had this experience-go!Scribe: Jeanne. Members on trip: Ken (coordinator), Krista Park, David, Kaare, Jeanne (Repp) Sargent, Elizabeth, Damian, Sophie, Arnold.
One digitized slide added by David in May 2020.