Ogden Bench

BOU AVENUE
Ogden Bench

With low avalanche danger predicted for 31 January 2026, Zosia Zgolak suggested heading to British Columbia's Yoho National Park for a ski tour of Ogden Bench near Sherbrooke Lake. The treeless ramp below the east face of Mount Ogden is a popular ski tour, but Zosia was mostly inspired by Vern Dewit's 2025 trip report where he included tagging a distinct high point at the top of the ramp. With recent unseasonably warm temperatures throughout the region, I had some misgivings about ski conditions, but for lack of any better ideas, I agreed to Zosia's proposed trip.

Starting from a plowed parking lot (51.44153, -116.35156) at The Great Divide Lodge, Zosia and I muddled our way over a big snow bank and immediately passed through a metal fence gate before settling into a long and steady climb up the trail to Sherbrooke Lake. It took us about 1.5 hours to reach the south end of the lake which was frozen and snow-covered. At this point, the route leaves the summer trail and crosses to the northwest side of the lake. Fortunately, a large group ahead had already broken trail for us, and we would follow in their tracks for the remainder of the ascent. The large group had done all the hard work of laying down a reasonable ascent route through the thinning trees above the lake and up Ogden Bench. All we had to do was follow in their tracks, and although the countless kick turns began to get a bit monotonous, this was offset by the jaw-dropping scenery that was unfolding around us as we climbed higher. It is worth noting that most of the ramp is prime avalanche terrain, but true to the avalanche hazard rating for the day, we did not see a single sign of instability in the snow pack. Upon reaching the high point of Ogden Bench, we stayed only long enough to snap some photographs before transitioning for our descent.

By the time Zosia and I were ready to descend, the big group ahead of us had already disappeared down to Sherbrooke Lake, and with the exception of two other latecomers, we pretty much had Ogden Bench all to ourselves. Zosia was a little unnerved by the steepness of the upper slopes, but she skied well enough to get down without any spills. Meanwhile, I was fighting a bit of an upset stomach and felt winded almost after every turn. The flat light also did not help, and at times, I felt like I was skiing in a whiteout even though the visibility across the valley was good. When we reached the trees at the bottom of the ramp, we took a more direct line down to the lake. Zosia seemed to thrive here as she methodically weaved back and forth between the trees while I was just thankful that I did not fall into a tree well. We eventually popped out of the trees and could relax a bit as we skied back across the lake. When we regained the summer trail at the south end of the lake, we slapped our climbing skins back on for a bit of an uphill climb before finally removing them for good. Descending the last 2.5 kilometres back to the trailhead was both exhilarating and terrifying as we struggled to control our speed while swooping down the narrow and winding trail. I had one small wipeout along the way but could have easily had many more. Our one consolation was that the snow was excellent in spite of the mild temperatures, and this was also true for the entire trip from top to bottom. In any case, the sense of relief was palpable when we finally made it back to the parking lot and put this challenging ski tour behind us.

I think the lodge is permanently closed.

Zosia begins the ski tour at The Great Divide Lodge parking lot.

Still have another whopping 660 metres of elevation gain from here to Ogden Bench!

Zosia skis across Sherbrooke Lake with Mount Ogden on the left. Also visible on the right horizon are Mount Niles and Mount Daly.

	Zosia (barely visible at bottom right) makes her way up through light forest below the impressive east face of Mount Ogden.
	The route follows a line close to the edge of the trees ahead.
	Zosia climbs up the skin track right under the east face of Mount Ogden.

With all this sunshine, this would've been the prime time to ski down from the top.

The skin track can be seen zigzagging up the steep slope ahead.

	Zosia ascends the final steep section before the top.
	Zosia reaches the high point of Ogden Bench. Behind her is one of Mount Ogden's northern outliers.

I was too tired to notice them as I plodded up to the high point!

Mount Niles (far left) and Mount Daly (centre) capture all the attention to the north.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak

	Zosia and Sonny give thumbs up on the high point of Ogden Bench (2464 metres).
	Zosia descends steep slopes below the high point.
	Beyond Sherbrooke Lake, some of the more easily identifiable peaks to the southeast include Mount Niblock, Narao Peak, Mount Victoria and Mount Huber.
	Sonny navigates through the trees above Sherbrooke Lake. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Zosia makes her way back toward the south end of Sherbrooke Lake.
	Skiing back down Sherbrooke Lake trail is quite challenging even with good snow conditions. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Total Distance: 14.2 kilometres Round-Trip Time: 7 hours 50 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain: 882 metres GPX Data