Citadel Pass

My first visit to the Rockies was in the summer of 2003, Aki and I doing a backpacking trip to Mount Assiniboine via Sunshine Meadows.

I wasn't in very good shape back then, and I recall on the hike out being quite concerned about making it back to Sunshine Village in time for the last bus down to the parking lot (otherwise, we'd have about 6 more kilometres to hike). The most difficult part of that hike out was getting up to Citadel Pass, and that day has been a source of mental strength on days when I find the going difficult.

Starting to skin up the ski-out

We'd been back to Sunshine Meadows since, but never all the way to Citadel Pass, so when Greg decided to organize a ski tour to the area, we jumped at the opportunity.

It took a while to escape the sound of gondolas

Skinning up the ski-out took about 1h45, and after a short break at the main lodge, we continued up the resort in the shadow of the Strawberry chairlift. We managed to not collide with anyone, and once we were at the resort boundary, the world was a much safer place.

Resort boundary, with Mount Assiniboine and Quartz Hill off in the distance

The route to Citadel Pass is composed of gently rolling hills and lightly forested slopes. It's quite a peaceful tour, with great views towards the Kootenays and Mount Assiniboine. Being in the sun, the temperature felt quite nice, although in the shade things became uncomfortable quickly.

Some interesting peaks to the south west, probably in Kootenay National Park

Quartz Hill looked like a great place to go powder hunting, although its distance from the resort boundary was a bit long. We'll definitely have to come back sometime to check these slopes out.

A massive cornice hanging off of Quartz Ridge

By the time we got to the end of Quartz Hill, it was apparent that we were running out of time and that a tour all the way to Citadel Pass would end up with us arriving back at the car around sunset. We made the decision to turn back and enjoy the elevation we had gained up to that point.

Skiing down some slopes below Quartz Hill

On our way back, we followed the summer trail a bit more closely, which allowed us to avoid some of the trickier gladed parts. The best part was that I didn't have to use my skins on the entire route!

Back to the madness

Getting back into the resort is always a bit of a shock, as you're surrounded by pristine wilderness and quiet for most of the day, and then all of a sudden you have to avoid collisions with snowboarders who haven't earned their learners' permits yet.

Overall, a beautiful day with great company. We didn't make it all the way to our target, so next time we'll need to start a bit earlier.

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/169428603/3101909