Black Jack Ski Club And Talus Hill

BOU AVENUE
Black Jack Ski Club And Talus Hill

Zosia Zgolak and I had originally made plans on 25 December 2021 to do some backcountry skiing at Kootenay Pass, but when a maintenance worker warned us about the possible closure of the highway due to heavy snowfall, we quickly moved on since we did not want to risk getting trapped there. Instead, we drove to Rossland, British Columbia and visited the Nordic ski trails at Black Jack Ski Club. As a bonus, we were able to take advantage of the club's "Ski for Free on Christmas Day" promotion. Much of the trail network is confined to a narrow strip of land which parallels nearby Highway 3B, and although a variety of loops are possible, we stuck fairly close to the main thoroughfare known as "Gibbard's" since it was track-set and did not require much trail-breaking. While this trail eventually connects with a biathlon trail network further north, we only went as far as Gibbard's Cabin before turning around. On our return ski, we opted to take "Roger's Route (Aqueduct)" which is a narrower and less-traveled trail. Partway back, an older couple going the other way warned us that the south end of the trail was a mess and so difficult that "even experienced people were falling down!" As we would find out later, a short section of trail was indeed churned up a bit by some sort of snow vehicle, but we had no serious trouble skiing through here. In the end, we never did figure out where the couple's purported difficult section was as we cruised back to the trailhead with ease.

	Zosia is encouraged by the abundance of snow at Black Jack Ski Club's trailhead. Behind her is Rich Thorpe Cabin.
	Black Jack Ski Club is also home to Thin Air, a seasonal 18-hole disc golf course. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	The snow is very deep off-trail.
	Zosia visits Torresan's Cabin (1131 metres).
	Running water still flows alongside the main thoroughfare known as "Gibbard's".
	Zosia arrives at Gibbard's Cabin (1270 metres), her turnaround point for the day.
	For the return ski, Zosia takes the less-traveled "Roger's Route (Aqueduct)".
	Despite a lack of far-reaching views, the ski along "Roger's Route (Aqueduct)" is most enchanting.
	Total Distance: 11.1 kilometres Round-Trip Time: 3 hours 25 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain: 217 metres GPX Data

After our visit to Black Jack Ski Club, Zosia and I drove to the village of Warfield to check into our hotel there, but we were not yet done for the day. We took a short break before heading out again to try and hike up officially-named Talus Hill which overlooks both Warfield and the nearby town of Trail. On my phone's map application, I spotted a trail snaking up the hill's south side, and I hoped that it would be straightforward enough to follow despite the waning daylight and an abundance of snow.

From Highway 3B/22, turn north onto Tennyson Avenue near the west end of Warfield or about 200 metres west of the Petro-Canada gas station. Drive north for 450 metres and veer left onto Wordsworth Avenue. Drive for another 260 metres until the road ends at a parking lot for an apartment complex. There are some limited visitor parking spots here; otherwise, park on the nearby street. The trail to Talus Hill starts behind a "No Parking" sign along a fire lane on the west side of the apartment complex.

As luck would have it, Zosia and I discovered that, despite heavy snow cover in the area, the trail to Talus Hill had already been broken. I suspect that locals climb this hill year-round and perhaps even daily. In any case, we had a very convenient path to follow all the way to the top of the hill, and although the slope is alarmingly steep in places higher up, we enjoyed a fairly trouble-free ascent. I imagine that the views from the top on a clear day would be quite nice, but given the snowy weather and overcast skies that evening, it was probably just as well that we ascended in growing darkness. After taking a requisite photo on the high point, we promptly retraced our steps back down the hill. While the glow from the nearby town lights provided sufficient illumination for Zosia to hike down, I turned on my headlamp because I am such a klutz when it comes to stumbling in the dark. Fortunately, we had no mishaps on our descent, and we subsequently wrapped up our eventful day with a nice Christmas dinner back at our hotel.

Thank goodness there's a broken trail!
The trail to Talus Hill starts behind this "No Parking" sign.

Pretty much the extent of our views on this day.
The trail winds its way past some frosty trees.

An already broken trail makes it easy to be in good spirits!
Zosia is still in good spirits despite the growing darkness.

Possible avi hazard with more snow...
The terrain gets steeper higher up the hill.
Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak

Merry Christmas! Zosia and Sonny celebrate Christmas in the dark on the high point of Talus Hill (947 metres).

O Canada! This flag is situated just below the top on what is likely a scenic viewpoint.

Would be worth coming back here on a clear day for the views. Total Distance: 2.6 kilometres
Round-Trip Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Net Elevation Gain: 240 metres
GPX Data

	The trail to Talus Hill starts behind this "No Parking" sign.
	The trail winds its way past some frosty trees.
	Zosia is still in good spirits despite the growing darkness.
	The terrain gets steeper higher up the hill. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Zosia and Sonny celebrate Christmas in the dark on the high point of Talus Hill (947 metres).
	This flag is situated just below the top on what is likely a scenic viewpoint.
	Total Distance: 2.6 kilometres Round-Trip Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Net Elevation Gain: 240 metres GPX Data