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Grizzly Trees

Glacier National Park (Canada)

A naturally gladed, easily-accessible skier's paradise on the Grizzly Shoulder

Ski Touring Moderate

Distance
5 km
Ascent
796 m
Descent
796 m
Duration
3-4 hrs
Low Point
1.3 km
High Point
2.1 km
Gradient
41˚
Grizzly Trees Map

For a deeper dive into the route and detailed terrain photos, check out the post on Beyond Our Peak: https://beyondourpeak.com/grizzly-trees-rogers-pass-easy-access-powder-turns/

Description

Grizzly Trees, located in Rogers Pass of Glacier National Park, is an incredible naturally gladed area, a mere 1.5km from the Rogers Pass Discovery Center (RPDC). From treeline skiing to pillow smashing, it's got it all! They are four main slide paths that offer excellent skiing with a slope inclination from 25 to 35 degrees. Beware, the name says it all. Those paths were carved over the years by frequent avalanches, clearing trees and bushes. Take great care when travelling through those slopes in the winter. All in all, Grizzly Trees presents itself as an awesome bargain trading a quick ascent for a 650m descent that can easily be lapped in a day.

Starting at the Rogers Pass Discovery Center, the uptrack follows Connaught Creek and crosses a bridge over the creek to gain the north bank. From there, ascend the Grizzly Shoulder, usually overused and slippery. You'll get awesome views of the Grizzly Basin and Connaught Valley guarded by the impressive Mt Cheops. Most of the uptrack is shared with popular routes, Rogers Run and Puff Daddy, forming what's called the Grizzly Shoulder. Grizzly Trees would be well within that realm when it comes to bang for your buck. It's no surprise that the route is extremely popular.

It's also worth mentioning it suits intermediate ski tourers looking to get into bigger terrain as it avoids crossing major slidepaths and consists of challenging avalanche terrain (according to the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale - ATES). One last thing: the south-facing slope get a ton of sun during the daytime, warming up the snow surface and increasing the avalanche hazard - keep that in mind when planning your day.

Difficulty

Moderate

Slopes become slightly steeper at around 25-30 degrees.

Low Exposure (E1)

1 out of 4

Exposure is limited to that of the slope itself. Getting hurt is still likely if the slope is steep and/or the snow is hard.

Remoteness

2 out of 4

Away from help but easily accessed.

Best time to visit

between November and March

Features

  • Cliffs
  • Tree Skiing
  • Single Descent

Equipment required

  • Skins

Similar routes nearby

Guidebooks in this area