The Key Hole

The Kokanee Glacier is a remote chalet located on Kaslo Lake in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, B.C., north of Nelson. The hut can only be booked by a lottery system, through the Alpine Club of Canada. Week-long bookings are the standard in winter. Fly in & fly out is by helicopter out of Nelson. All trips in this area start & end at the cabin. This route requires good visibility due to the high alpine glacier that must be crossed. Also, good stability is required as the couloir can be 40+ degrees at the entrance. From the cabin, head east towards the Slocan Chief Cabin & gain Smuggler's Ridge above the Slocan Chief. Climb the ridge until you can skirt across the slope, underneath the Pyramid. Continue traversing underneath the Battleship. Climb up the slope on climber's left (east side) of the Battleship until you gain the glacier. The top of the Battleship is a great place for lunch or phototography. The best view in the park, to be sure! Continue up the glacier by heading to the southeast towards the summit of Mt Kitchener (marked by a large repeater tower). From here, follow the ridgeline until you find the entrance of the couloir just below the summit of Esmarelda Peak. The entrance is marked by a wooden cross. Alternatively, hugging the Giant's Knee Caps on its eastside will provide a more direct route via a bench, to the entrance of the Key Hole. The entrance can be steep (40+ degrees) & icy. Most years, the ice & rocks will require a few kick steps until you can reach the good snow below. Once in the couloir, the slope averages around 35 degrees. The couloir is short but soon opens into a very wide open alpine bowl. The run down to Kokanee Lake is epic! Lots of fresh snow for even the largest of ski groups. As you descend, trend skier's right & aim for the southside of Kokanee Lake. If you reach a gully, you have gone too far. Do not drop the gully or any slope farther north of it...you will get cliffed out! Once you reach the lake, it's an easy 2-3 m flat ski back to the cabin. Enjoy!