BOU AVENUE
Hidden Lake
Opting for a relatively easy and
non-committing day, Zosia Zgolak and I skied to Hidden Lake behind Lake
Louise Ski Resort in Alberta's Banff National Park on 30 January 2021.
Normally only used by backcountry hikers/skiers or guests of Skoki Lodge,
the Fish Creek trailhead was strangely overflowing with resort skiers on
this day perhaps because many of them wanted to avoid the traffic
gridlock at the resort's main parking lots. In any case, Zosia and
I soon left the circus of people behind us and found some quiet solitude
as we climbed the groomed ski-out to the Skoki trailhead near Temple
Lodge. As usual, the trail to Skoki Lodge was well-packed, and we had no problems
reaching the turnoff to Halfway Hut and Hidden Lake. We
subsequently followed a convenient broken trail all the way to Hidden
Lake. Initially, we were planning to explore the south end of
Richardson Ridge to the west, but upon arriving at the lake, we were more
attracted to the gentle lower slopes of nearby Ptarmigan Peak. From near the lake, we spotted some conspicuous rocks--Zosia
calls these "Sea Lion Rocks"--sticking up on the skyline above the lower
slopes, and we aimed directly for them. The climb to Sea Lion Rocks
was pretty easy, and because the steeper slopes above were wind-scoured
and rocky, it was just as easy to stop here and turn around.
Zosia and I removed our climbing skins at
Sea Lion Rocks and proceeded to ski back down the same slopes we came up.
Unfortunately, the bases of my skis were tarnished by residual skin glue,
and I had a lot of difficulty getting any glide. Of course, the
shallowness of the slopes did not help, and it was very frustrating
having to make an effort to propel myself downhill. Somehow, I
managed to follow Zosia back down to Hidden Lake, and I fared a little
better once we regained our up-track. On the way out of the valley,
I stopped once to scrape some of the residual glue off my skis, and that
was enough to at least get me back to the main trail at the Halfway Hut
turnoff. From there, the undulating ski back to the Skoki trailhead
went a bit more smoothly since I was better able to maintain momentum on
the slicker track, and my glide problems were all but forgotten on the
final fast downhill run of the ski-out.
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The Fish Creek trailhead is normally only used by backcountry enthusiasts
or Skoki Lodge guests, but on this day, it is crowded with resort skiers
for some undetermined reason. |
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Zosia passes a couple of warning signs for people venturing beyond the
ski resort boundary. |
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Zosia meets a trio of ski patrollers
as she takes the turnoff to Hidden Lake. The patrollers would
also be venturing there to check on some wildlife cameras.
In the background are
Pika Peak,
unnamed, and
Ptarmigan Peak. |
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Mount
Richardson dominates the background as Zosia enters the valley
leading to Hidden Lake. |
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From near the edge of Hidden Lake, Zosia begins climbing open slopes
below Ptarmigan Peak. |
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Zosia calls these conspicuous boulders "Sea Lion Rocks". |
This is the view across the valley from Sea Lion Rocks.
At right is the high point of
Richardson
Ridge.
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Sonny and Zosia pose together below the south face of Ptarmigan Peak. |
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Zosia skis down open slopes back into the valley. |
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Hidden Lake is completely frozen and snow-covered on this day. |
Redoubt Mountain fills the background as Zosia skis out of the
valley.
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Total
Distance: 18.5 kilometres
Round-Trip Time: 5 hours 59 minutes
Net
Elevation Gain: 729 metres
GPX Data |