Skoki tour 11-13 April 2021

Skoki area is a back-country gem situated in the mountains out behind the Lake Louise Ski Resort in Alberta. It is both a summer and winter destination, with a graceful little log cabin community - Skoki lodge - that offers cute accommodation in a bountiful landscape. I've never stayed there, but you only hear great things about the place. The area is full of objectives - ski touring, scrambling, hiking, climbing. We went back there towards the end of winter, though it was still very much winter at night, reaching -17C and -14C on the respective nights. 

Skoki Lodge has been in operation since 1931. 

The first day we skied to Merlin Meadows, which is just a 5 minute slide downhill from Skoki lodge. It took roughly 4.5 hours ( 2hrs 45min to Boulder Pass). A late start meant it was nearly 5pm by the time we made it to the meadows. 

Deception Pass with a majestic cloud illumination to the west. 

 With no tent with us, we tried out sleeping in snow caves. That first night, we dug down (at least still 1m on flat meadow ground!) around the site and piled the snow into the middle, where a 2m tall mound eventually stood. Then we began to tunnel in from low to the ground, up into the deepest part of the mound. Cold air sinks, so theoretically it would seep out the entryway and the hot air would get trapped in the dome. This was very time consuming, uncomfortable and tiring. Trying to carve out the roof, lying on your back on snow, and wet. I'd recommend to always wear waterproof clothes or just one quick-drying layer AND lie on a foam sleeping mat. You get very wet. Also a great idea to poke some holes in the roof with a probe, once the cave is complete, for ventilation.

 Camp layout. Even a table and seats for the breakfast we didn't bring to eat. Amazing amount of snow.

The sleeping was quite comfortable. Snow is a great insulator and very effective at keeping the early morning sun out. So much so that we only woke up close to 10am. Unheard of time while camping! On a less positive note, we forgot oats for breakfast. So after some snacks and trail mix, we headed off towards Merlin Lake, following broken trails that hugged the creek at first then entered the woods just left of a small talus field, in search of a good run. This trail was steep but soon petered off then quickly got really steep. It was evident people had come up and down, but I was silently dreading coming back down. Tight trees, sharp turns and large drop offs. Eventually we popped out on a plateau, smattered with smaller trees. The lake quickly came into view, and wow what a view it was.

Merlin Lake with Mount Richardson, Pika Peak and Wall of Jericho R to L

It was getting significantly warmer as the sun crept higher in the sky. Skiing on snow that was in direct contact, as we skirted the right of the lake looking for a nice line, was making the skins stick pretty bad. We stopped for a short break in the shade, but didn't faff and were climbing again in 5 minutes. Hugged the trees just right of the wide (glacially formed?) rolling hilly section west of Mount Richardson. When it started to flatten out, we turned around and had a pleasant ski through deep pow and fun light trees. Perfect for the extent of my skiing skills right now! 

Hand drawn (ie not perfect) depiction of our paths travelled. Green is going TO Merlin Lake and red is coming FROM the lake. Red is ideal, for both up and down. Blue is where we got a downhill line. 

On the way down, we tried a different way that contoured Merlin's Castle a little more and consequently was a much more agreeable grade. This was a lot of fun. It passes across one slide path. You then drop into a rocky gully which spits you out on the opposite side of the talus field,  to the left of which we previously entered the forest. 

Marty, the best volunteer for my greatest trick, The Separating Man. 

After the great pleasure of collapsing the snow shelter, we stopped briefly at the lodge to chat to some employees, who were having an end of season staff party. They gave us a good tip for the next leg to Baker Lake campground. After getting over Skoki-Fossil Pass (very mellow), look for a sign leading into the woods on the right that reads 'Cougar Boy'. I forget the origin behind the name but it is a very helpful short-cut. The view down the valley and of the Sawback Range is just incredible. It is easy terrain on a well- marked/travelled trail, with minimal up and down, but it was arduous, no doubt. 

Lost in the many beautiful  jagged peaks of the Sawback. It would be lovely to see it in summer too.

I depleted my body a little too much, trying to save snacks for the next morning and water for dinner that night. We arrived late and nearly in the dark to Baker Lake. Instead of making the mound for a snow cave, we just utilised a snow bank and dug into it. Still quite a bit of work, but not nearly as much. Took a break halfway to make dinner, i.e. pour hot water into freeze dried meals. I couldn't even stomach it, I was that drained. It was a prominent reminder to listen to and obey your body's needs. I went back to shovelling for a while, let the few bites settle and after a little distraction, I felt much better. 

Baker Lake, with a ponderous layer of snow and Fossil Mountain ruling the heavens in the fading light of nightfall. 

Snow cave bedroom #2. Less work and a pretty nice view of Brachiopod Peak in the stark morning light. 

Another cozy sleep left us feeling rested and restored for the final leg of our trip. It was a gorgeous bluebird sky and the snow was sparkling in the hot sun. The day began with travelling the length of Baker Lake and climbing up to Ptarmigan Lake. We decided to climb up to Deception Pass again to ski down it. I literally skied shirtless it was that warm. Quite refreshing and exhilarating. Then it was winding back through the trees to the ski resort and out! Pretty amazing and eventful trip. Camping at Merlin meadows is a safe and sensible option to practice winter camping, as if shite hiteth thy fan, there's civilisation just up the hill from you. And it's still winter camping into May, when the days are getting longer and warmer. Not to mention it's a quiet camp in a magnificent location. 

Skiing from a little ways up the Fossil shoulder down Deception Pass

 

Trip course travelled; 

• 13.9km to the lodge from Fish Creek parking
• 1.7km to Merlin Meadow campsite 
• 2.9km from MM to Merlin Lake
• 8.1km between MM and Baker Lake
• 3km from Baker Lake back up to Deception Pass
• 11km Deception Pass back to parking
• TOTAL: 43.5km (maybe 45km with the extra past Merlin Lake)