Tryst Lake Chutes and Super Slope

It's the beginning of spring, which means it's time to start looking for those sheltered slopes and northern aspects.

I haven't spent much time in Kananaskis Country this year. The snow conditions haven't been great for touring, with lots of wind, the occasional rain, and not enough snow in many parts.

As Super Slope is one of the few challenging-level terrain tours I haven't done yet, I figured it would be a low commitment day for exploring and maybe getting some turns.

Heading towards the gap between The Fist's shoulder and Tent Ridge

The parking situation at the mouth of Commonwealth Creek was busy, as usual. It was a beautiful bluebird day so we didn't mind.

Tryst Lake

When we arrived on the ridge between Tryst Lake and Commonwealth Creek, we ran into another group that recommended we ski the chutes first, and then ski down Super Slope at the end of the day. This suggestion provide to be excellent as the snow in the chutes (which face north) was fantastic.

The Fist

The snow was so good, everyone but Ian decided to get a second run in. Ian decided to take a nap.

Ian getting comfortable

The chutes reminded me of the chutes along CPR Ridge at Kicking Horse, except without all the traffic. They were steep but well covered and the snow was fantastic.

Our second run into the chutes

After our second run, we skinned back up to the ridge, woke Ian up, and then skied down Super Slope. As it was south facing, the snow was not as good due to several sun crusts. It was a lot of work doing jump turns through the chunky blocks.

Crusty Super Slope

When we arrived down in the Commonwealth Creek valley, we could see lots of tracks on the other side. There are a lot of skiable lines in this valley, and we'll be back again to do some more exploring.

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/169764440/3101909