THIS IS AN INTERMEDIATE TRIP FOCUSED ON SKILLS DEVELOPMENT! We'll be giving priority to people who have some backcountry experience, but maybe aren't confident going into terrain as big as Rogers Pass yet. If you're a super experienced skier - still sign up - but understand that we're going to be taking the time to really discuss safety as we go (which we should all be doing anyway).

Fitness: You will need to be able to haul a loaded hut-touring pack up 800m of elevation gain. You'll have a lot more fun if you have enough juice to go for a lap or two on Saturday once you dump the heavy stuff. Ideally, a 1500m day (with someone else breaking trail) should be a realistic target.

Resumes: If you haven't skied with Paul or I, please email us a brief skiing resume. We just want to make sure you're not getting in over your head. All we need is basic stuff - self assessed ski ability and how much experience (and where - coast, rockies, etc.) you have in the backcountry.

You know what time of year is great? Winter.

You know what place gets the highest annual snowfall in Canada? Rogers Pass.

You know what hut is super hard to book all winter because it's rammed with skiers chasing the fattest snow? Asulkan.

You know what hut I booked every single bed in a year in advance so that a group of ACCers could go shred the GNAR? Asulkan.

The plan is to leave Calgary at 5:30 on Friday. We then drive to the pass where we'll dump the cars at the Asulkan parking lot and tour up to the Wheeler Hut so that we can get the earliest possible start Saturday. In the morning, we'll be leaving reasonably early and touring up to the Asulkan Hut. Depending on our pace, we'll either have lunch at the hut or on the way. Anyone who's keen will then spend every scrap of remaining daylight getting some turns in. That night? It's a potluck dinner, mulled wine, and if you like carrying heavy packs, cold beer. Sunday morning, it's breakfast at the hut before spending the morning skiing the Steps of Paradise and other epic lines in perfect weather (trust me) until we head back to the hut and grab our stuff - then it's just a ski out and we make it back to the cars just a teensy bit after dark and drive home, exhausted and grinning like idiots.

Seriously though, this is an intermediate trip. If you've logged some mileage in the backcountry but have been intimidated thus far by the really big, unforgiving terrain of Rogers Pass, this trip is for you. Paul and I want to spend some serious time talking about hazards and terrain management.

Paul and I would like this trip to operate in a very collaborative manner - we're confident in our decision making and experience, but anyone can miss something, so we like groups where people speak up and are active in their own safety rather than being a passenger. Additionally, despite what I might think, I have no actual control over the weather, just boundless optimism. Same goes for stability - if stability is no good, we'll behave accordingly.