Keith's Hut Ski Trip, Cerise Creek

This weekend was surprisingly lively at Cerise Creek, the hut hosted over 15 skiers, snowshoers, and even a friendly dog. It was a great crowd, making the atmosphere warm and social despite the chilly weather. Definitely some fun people to hang out with!

We kicked off the day skinning right from the parking lot. Snow coverage on the trail was solid, but not quite enough to safely cover the creek crossing near the moraine. To avoid the creek, we ended up traveling just below the summer trail, which was a good call and saved us from getting wet feet.

The trail was well broken in by previous visitors, so the skin up to the hut was smooth and enjoyable. The classic Cerise Creek vibe was alive and well, and the shared stories around the hut made the trip all the more memorable. Looking forward to the next visit!

                         

First day, we did two laps on the Joffre shoulder, above the hut. It was very windy and the visibility was poor, we stayed below motel 66 before dropping down back to the hut. We had a few great turns and some tree skiing as well. My ski got delaminated and I had to McGyver  with some duct tape from Adrien.

Day two, we went back up to the shoulder for another lap and decided to go to Vantage bowl. On the descent, while traversing in the wind loaded slope of the moraine, Ben broke a wind slab avalanche. Adrien and I were skiing behind him.  I was terrified watching everything  behind and beneath Ben's breaking in a big block avalanche. It was enough to scare the group, so we decided to turn around  and just play above the hut.  We skied down onto the north side of the valley along with other groups.

Skiing out back to the car was horrible. A lot of alders and big boulders poking out below the moraine.

This is the last time I saw Alex in a good mood.