Yep, for me there are two things that signal the arrival of winter around here: The Banff Mountain Film Festival and skiing at Highwood Pass. Unless of course you count cold and snow…that would make four things… but, before I lose you, here’s some useful information:

Most years, the environs of Highwood Pass get decent snow relatively early. By ‘relatively early’ I mean mid to late November, as for ‘decent snow’, well, after a long Alberta summer my standards aren’t too high.

Highwood Pass is within day trip striking distance of Calgary via the scenic Highway 40 (Kananaskis Trail) which branches off of the Trans Canada at the foot of the impressive Front Ranges of the Rockies. The pass is about 70 km south of the turn off. If you start driving downhill and see place names like “Longview” and “Pincher Creek” you’ve gone too far.

At the summit of the pass is a trailhead parking lot. Here the only shelter from the wind, which can be strong at times, is your car or the outhouse. When you ride with friends like mine (who more than likely spent the previous evening drinking cheap beer) it’s a toss up as to which smells better so I like to get the boots on and start moving as quickly as possible.

The most popular slopes for skiing are in the direction of Pocaterra Cirque and Little Highwood Pass. From the parking lot, head north for a short distance then turn left into the trees before losing any elevation. The idea is to contour around a forested ridge which brings you into the more open terrain of Pocaterra Cirque. For the novice this part of the trip is a good introduction to the art of bushwacking. There might be other tracks to follow but no guarantees that those people weren’t lost too. Don’t climb too high, don’t drop too low, be one with the bark, and you’ll do just fine. Once out of the trees many ski opportunities will unfold.

For the Highwood Pass veterans out there who are probably going, “Yeah, yeah, been there, done that”, how about something east of the highway? I am generally of the mind that nothing good ever comes from heading east, but Ptarmigan Cirque and Arethusa Cirque do hold some potential depending on your creativity or state of mental health.

Now some Highwood Pass caveats:

1. Limited Time Offer. The critters in the area have successfully lobbied the government for the implementation of an annual winter road closure on this section of Hwy. 40 (December 1 – June 15). During that time Highwood Pass loses its ‘day trip’ status.

2. Avalanche Terrain. There’s lots of mellow terrain at the pass but there’s also plenty of full-on avalanche hazard. It may not look like a lot of snow but if there’s enough to ski there’s enough to slide. Go prepared, because it’s hard to maintain a tradition when you’re dead.

3. Objective Hazard. The November snowpack at Highwood Pass is of the ‘sans base’ variety. For those of you who don’t parlay-vu de francois that means there are two layers: the snow and the ground. The snow is soft and fluffy but the ground has nasty hard things like rocks and logs. Use caution, you don’t want to be sitting at home in a cast when the real season arrives.

4. Snow? Occasionally I’ve been skunked at Highwood Pass. Some years the snow just doesn’t come before the road closes. But every November I’ll still throw the skis in the truck and drive up just for a look… because it’s a tradition dammit!

Update: At the time this article goes to press there are three weekends left before the road is closed on December 1. There is currently snow at the pass, not enough for turns, but there’s more snow in the forecast!

Tim