Excellent. 5-15cms new overnight snow, clear blue skies with sunshine, often calm with some wind gusts. great scenery, great group. 9 1/2 hours car to car for those who didn't take the gondola. 31km and 1250m elevation gain and loss according to one GPS (it felt like it). Sunshine resort is in good shape but there was some melt/freeze action today.

Three of us (David, Sim and Evan) left Shouldice at 6.30am to arrive at the Sunshine parking lot at 8.00am. By 8.20am we started up the well groomed ski out “road” in -6c temperatures with a clear sky. Here there was 5cms of fresh overnight snow but higher in the Sunshine meadows it was neared 20cms on a firm base. We met Terry, Shirley and Kim, who had each paid various amounts to ride the gondola, at the Mad Trappers lodge at 10.00am. Following a quick washroom break we were off in perfect conditions and a variety of gear. Terry and Evan were on AT gear, while the rest used some kind of loose heel touring ski. All used skins and I found half-length skins perfect.  Shirley and Terry chose to ride the Strawberry chair to regroup for a transceiver check just outside the ski area boundary.


Sunshine Meadows and Quartz Mtn.

Alternating trail breaking roles we made good progress south and spread out while passing avalanche debris under Quartz Ridge to regroup and most of us deskinned on a flank of Quartz Mtn. A nice descent to a frozen lake was followed by lunch at about 1.00pm.


Evan below Quartz Mtn

Kim below Quartz Mtn.

Shirley below Quartz Mtn

Lunch below Quartz Mtn: David, Kim, Terry, Evan.

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Many were suffering from sticky wet snow which was resolved by blob (skin) wax supplied by Evan.


Terry with a sticky snow problem; solved with blob (skin) wax

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Somewhere under Citadel Mtn at 1.45pm we regrouped and discussed logistics. As previously discussed in Calgary, Terry opted to return carefully to the cars. The rest of us continued with a turnaround time of 3.00pm. To my surprise we made the pass by 2.30pm, which was partially due to Evan’s great trail breaking.


Rare duck like species approaches Citadel Pass

Sim, Evan, Shirley and Kim at Citadel Pass

Great views and photos taken we started back at 2.45pm. This was much faster but the uphills seemed to go for ever. Again we spread out under Quartz Ridge


Traversing avalnche debris off Quartz Ridge in Banff Park

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Near the ski area we passed over some weird ski tracks which we eventually concluded were made by a kite skier (no pole marks). We arrived at the quasi deserted Sunshine lift area soon after 5.00pm and after a short break started our descent. Again team B (Terry, Shirley and Kim) rode the gondola while team A (David, Sim and Evan) enjoyed the very acceptable ski out. We all arrived at the cars by 6.00pm (+6c) where I was pleasantly surprised to find Kim waiting to thank me for a great day. But really I did nothing for the weather and the group created it. My best this winter, which has been plagued by poor avalanche conditions. Today we did not experience any whumping and only saw the occasional sluffing.
Stats: 31km, 1250m gain, 9 ½ hours. Shouldice 6.30am, Car: 8.00/8.20am, Mad Trappers lodge 10.00/10.15am. lunch 12.45/1.15pm, Citadel Pass 2.30pm/2.45pm, Mad Trappers lodge 5.00/5.15pm, Car 5.45/6.00pm, Shouldice 7.45pm.

Participants: Sim, Kim, Terry, David, Shirley, Evan