Burstall Pass

Journey to Burstall Pass — February 12, 2006
After a successful snowshoe trip up to Chester Lake we decided to hop across the valley and ski up to Burstall Pass. I’ve always wanted to get into some back-country skiing and this was an excellent introduction to it. It was a clear and calm day with a bit of a bite in the air, but once we were moving we were certainly warm enough.

This bright day had a slight dark patch though; as we were climbing up the last hill before we could come tearing back down we passed a guy with a radio and heard a call come over it. There was a snowshoer just one valley north that had been caught in an avalanche. The details are hazy in my mind now, but I remember hearing that he had been near The Fist when the snow started to slide and was partially burried by it. There wasn’t anything we could do from so far away but it was a sobbering message for us to take care for the rest of the day.

Despite the dark patch, or perhaps becuase of the stern warning we ended up having an excellent day skiing.

Don skiing