Ski Tour - Slow Pokes Rise to Explore Rae Glacier - Sunday, Nov 25, 2018

The Basics:
Event Type: Skiing 
Event Location: Elbow Lake and Rae Glacier 
Date(s) & Time:   Sunday, Nov 25, 2018 07:45 AM (Carpool Departure: 08:00 AM @ West Valley Carpool Parking Lot)  
Registration Cut Off:   Saturday, Nov 24, 2018 03:00 PM  
Event Duration: One day trip 
Difficulty Rating:   D1 - See Conversion Chart  
Trip Coordinator(s):   Wayne Gilraine
 

Participant Info:
Who's Invited:   Members Only  
Attendee Screening:   Attendees are Pre-Screened
Maximum Group Size: 11
Maximum No. Guests: 0
Minimum Group Size: 3
Maximum No. Guests Per Member: 0
Number Registered So Far:   8 (View sign-ups, waiting list)
Are Dogs Permitted:   No

Itinerary:
Slow Pokes?
There is always someone faster than you, likely just not us. Slow Pokes may aspire to reach uptrack rates of 300-400+ vertical-meters/hour that many of our esteemed club mates achieve, but are happy with 200-250 v-m/hour. We have stamina, sure, maybe do long days, just not that fast (yet?). So if you are concerned with holding up faster groups, or perhaps even being a liability with faster groups in complex terrain, you may enjoy this relaxed, easy, friendly paced tour.
This Tour:
This is an early season leg stretcher up to Elbow Lake and on to Rae Glacier. It is about 4.5 km in and 700 m elevation gain. No glacier travel is planned (its a tiny little, close to home, glacier). Hopefully we can get a lap or two in there on those north facing slopes and find some good early season turns.
Its the last weekend to get in there, as that section of highway #40 closes for winter on December 1 each year.
On Wednesday, I was there to just below treeline, finding sufficient snow to skin up from the parking lot (2000 m elevation already) and enough snow to ski down, although its a short walk down from the lake if you want to save your ski bases from any surprises at the lower elevations. At the picturesque Elbow Lake, snow boot-depth was knee deep and looked good for skiing. Higher up on the north facing slopes, snow will be steeper and deeper; Hopefully we can find some nice early season turns.
Required Items to Bring:
Bring the usual, beacon probe and shovel, etc.

How to Get There:
Carpool Departure Time:   08:00 AM
Carpool Location:   West Valley Carpool Parking Lot
Carpool Directions:   Just a couple hundred meters east of the new Calgary Climbing Centre on West Valley Road SW (SW of the Hwy#1 west and Stony Trail NW intersetion). Exit Hwy#1 onto Valley Ridge Blvd NW, take the traffic circle and head south under the #1 highway, then east a few hundred meters to the parking lot.

Notes:
Short notice on this posting, but the ski bug is starting to go around and its the last weeekend to explore the area before that section of the highway's annual Dec 1 winter closure.
Forecast Conditions:
Although there was negligible avalanche hazard observed below treeline at Elbow Lake by Mount Rae on Wednesday, above treeline on the north facing slopes will be different (I've never been up there yet). Windslabs on an Oct 26 near-ground-level crust may be expected. Please bring your avy sense along to discuss safety as a group as we get into the alpine.
Avy forecast as of Wednesday night is for conditions to rise from low to moderate by Saturday, with 5 cm new snow expected by Friday... ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺

Cancellation/Partial Attendance:
Please review our participant responsibility guidelines!


Cancellation Policy
If a participant is unable to attend a paid course or trip, there will be no refund unless the participant finds a suitable replacement that is acceptable to the trip coordinator. Acceptable waiting list candidates will have priority. It will then be the participant's responsibility to recover funds from the replacement. If the coordinator cancels an event, participants get a refund (less any non-recoverable costs). Note that ACC National does not refund hut fees due to weather, delay, closures, or any other reasons. The Calgary Section of the ACC is a not for profit club and we only charge attendees what it costs us to provide courses or trips.

Trip Feedback
If you have any feedback, positive or negative, concerning this trip or any other, we want to hear from you! You can send any feedback you may have to the Section Chair.

Registration for this event closed on Saturday, November 24, 2018 at 03:00 PM.