Of course the Bryant Creek shelter is no secret as it is situated at the midpoint of a major backcountry tourist trade route—the Alberta side of the approach to British Columbia’s Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park and the hedonistic accoutrements to be found there. Consequently, the shelter has a hick-gas-station-beside-the-freeway kind of feel about it; a place to stop only if absolutely necessary...or to fly over in a helicopter. The title photo of this article shows that the only things missing to complete the scene are an old gas pump and a faded “Ice Cold Coke” sign.

A closer look at the map suggested that there may be hidden gems in the vicinity waiting to be discovered (much like the giant Ukrainian Easter egg in Vegreville). Perhaps it was actually worth setting up base there for a couple of days.

The price is right—seven bucks per person per night. Even after being hit with the additional $8/day national park backcountry user - tax - fee - surcharge thing the budget conscious will not feel hard done by. The local gray jays greet arrivals with a friendly, “cheap! cheap! cheap!” And this is what you get: roof, plywood sleeping platforms, wood stove, plenty of damp firewood, dull but sturdy axe, nearby frozen creek, and a rodent-proof outhouse (bring your own papier de toilette).

This would be an extra special trip as joining me was a long lost skiing partner—my wife, Louise. Actually, we used to do this sort of thing all the time, but that was before kids. Since we began procreating, five years ago, she got all self-preserving and risk-averse; but lately she’s been showing renewed interest in backcountry pursuits. The subject of this tour was broached and I was pleasantly dumbfounded (which doesn’t happen often) when she expressed a desire to go. This meant that the underlying philosophy of the trip would change slightly—let’s just say self-arrest ski poles would not be on the equipment list.

So we dusted off the dehydrator and arranged to send our two children, Goldilocks and Red Riding Hood, to grandmother’s house for a few days. I knew that, like me, Louise was looking forward to rekindling the flame. In fact, as I was attempting to get the wood stove going on the first night she came right out and said, “Hey Smokey—try some more kindling!”

The itinerary for our first full day in the area was a big loop taking in Owl Lake, Marvel Pass and Marvel Lake. We started out on the summer trail to Owl but the bush was not all that bad so at some point we deviated from it; either that or this bridge we encountered indicates that budgets cuts at Parks Canada were worse than we thought:



(Note: Louise doesn’t share my good taste when it comes to winter headwear; I call this her Electric Kool-Aid Acid toque.)

Owl Lake was reached in 2 hours. It was the first of many spectacular places we would encounter on this trip:



The terrain surrounding Owl Lake would be a worthy destination in itself. Enticing and accessible alpine bowls can be seen on nearby Mount Turner and Mount Morrison. We stuck to our plan and carried on towards Marvel Pass but I promised myself that someday I’d return to Owl Lake—it looks like a hoot! (Please forgive me for writing that).

Another couple hours of straightforward route finding and we were at Marvel Pass. It was a bluebird day at Marvel Pass and we had enough time to climb higher towards Marvel Peak. As we marvelled at the surroundings one word came to mind (hint: it starts with ‘mar’ and ends with ‘velous’). Here’s Louise heading back down with the impressive east face of Mount Assiniboine looming in the distance:




The superlatives just kept on coming as we got a nice look at the Banff side of Wonder Pass:




The ski from Marvel Pass down to Marvel Lake was entertaining; quite fun with decent snow cover but earlier in the season this would not be the case as it’s a ‘big timber’ slope with plenty of deadfall and such. Getting back to the hut was then a simple matter of skiing the length of the lake.




The only issue is that the lake's about 4 kilometres long. (Due to gravity and the physical properties of water it’s also very flat). This leg of the journey provided the “are we there yet?” component of the trip which, up to this point, had been missing.

The next day we chose another loop; this time circumnavigating Cave Mountain via Assiniboine Pass and Og Pass. Travel on the main trail was fast and we made good time to Assiniboine Pass. We had now crossed into British Columbia and encountered something we hadn’t seen much of the day before—other people. Guests of historic Mount Assiniboine Lodge (and their tracks) were everywhere. They looked well rested and well fed. Whenever we were within earshot we injected words like “sauna” and “duvet” into the conversation so as not to divulge that we were just a couple of lowlanders from Bryant Creek.

Og Pass and renewed serenity were not far off but first we climbed part way up Cave Mountain to get some turns and take in the view of the big mountain again.




No more pictures were shot beyond this point because…well… we had a bit of a tiff; something to do with the line of descent I chose and my definition of what constitutes “harmless slough”. I learned a long time ago that, when backcountry skiing with your significant other, the magic of the moment is a fragile and delicate thing.

Suffice to say that Og Pass is another one of those awesome spacious alpine environs. Checking the map shows that a potentially interesting outing could be permutated using Og Pass, Allenby Pass, and the big south facing slopes of Og Mountain. As they say: so many cats, so few recipes (or something like that).

By the time we got back to the hut marital bliss had been restored. Adding to the good vibes was the fact that a group of new arrivals at the shelter included a visitor from Bolivia so Louise had someone to practice her Spanish on. There’s just no telling who’s going to show up at a shack in the mountains. We spent three nights at the shelter and enjoyed a steady parade of interesting compadres.

The first night it was just us and one other couple. They were former tree-planters who had now taken up their place in normal society. It was no surprise to run into former tree-planters out here; in the backcountry of Western Canada you can’t throw a stick without hitting a former tree-planter (they seem to gravitate towards the bush, even for fun). It’s also not out of the ordinary to meet a couple whose love blossomed in a tree-planting camp; from what I’ve heard it’s a real soap opera—minus the good grooming.

The guest list on night two included a father and son team of tenacious Czechs who now lived in Manitoba where they usually skied on giant frozen lakes. They had spent almost a week skiing around the area on skinny misery sticks hauling their gear in an evil little yellow sled.

Night three got cozy in the hut as the previously mentioned group with the Bolivian arrived plus a team of four enthusiastic backcountry rookies. When we told them about our travels and that it was our third night at the shelter, they were like, “ooh… you’re hardcore”. I couldn’t argue with that.

There was a total of ten in the hut… and then the film crew arrived; a five member team out to test their gear for an upcoming mountain film project; but they stayed outside in their tents …phew. That evening in the hut it was a full-on trilingual gabfest set to the roar of multiple MSR stoves (one of which sounded like it was auditioning for the role of space shuttle engine).

The next morning we checked out and were back in Canmore in time for early afternoon beers on the outdoor patio of a local establishment. Outdoor patio?… in Canmore?… in February?… what’s wrong with this picture? Blame it on the high pressure system that had been parked over the area for so long, causing this temporary snow drought, but also resulting in abundant blue skies and excellent backcountry travel conditions. It had allowed us to cover a lot of ground in a short time while staying at the Bryant Creek shelter—but we had only scratched the surface.

For more information on booking the Bryant Creek shelter and the various regulations associated with enjoying the backcountry in Banff National Park try this link.

Tim