Sunshine backcountry ski for pass/ticket holders Off-Trail skiing on

Participants: Clifton, Ivan, guest Janice, guest Ian

Clifton and I met our 2 guests at Sunshine base. A ride up gondola and Standish chairlift. Then ski down west side into valley for skinup. An uptrack onto Twin Cairns and gentle ski down east facing slope.

Parks Canada weather station reported 15 cm new snow but maximum ski penetration was 7 cm. A nice powder on very hard base made for nice turns.

A return upslope but extended uptrack so got on top of ridgeline running south of Twin Cairns. Nice views of Monarch, Ramparts and meadows from this location that we can no longer visit in summer.

A ski back down to lunch trees. A cooling breeze kept us from overheating in sometimes sun and sometimes cloud. Then a tour over to Twin Cairns north slope where did two runs before return to resort boundary at top of Wawa.

At this point 7.2 km, 500 meters up and 560 meters down on skis.

Then ski down Wawa blue; snow getting soft on this slope. A ski down upper canyon, ride up Wolverine chairlift and ski bown Banff avenue.

In bounds skiing was 4.1 km, 500 meters down.

Gondola ride down to finish day.

Day was 6 hours 30 minutes.

Janice, Ian and Clifton walking on south ridgeline

Panorama of Sunshine resort area from Twin Cairns

Panorama of Monarch and Ramparts

Our first set of turns on Twin Cairns north slope

Ian, Janice and Clifton on down ski