Puff Daddy
A pillowy goldmine of a run with more than 1000m of powdery falline descent
Difficult Ski Touring
- Distance
- 6.2 km
- Ascent
- 1 km
- Descent
- 1 km
A steep descent into the lesser-known Ursus Valley and the Bruins Glacier
Ski Touring Difficult
For a deeper dive into the route and some detailed terrain photos, check out the post on Beyond Our Peak: https://beyondourpeak.com/video-peak-north-face-exploring-new-territory/
If you’ve been to Rogers Pass, you’re probably familiar with Video Peak and its hugely popular route down the SE face. To change things up, here's a description of the route down its lesser-known north face.
The ascent takes you up Connaught Creek to the well-travelled Hospital Bowl. Follow the undulating moraines to the bottom of the Video Peak SE Face. Put in a few switchbacks up the face and gain the usually faceted and wind-scoured ridge. Traverse the ridge to Video Peak. The bootpack may require boot crampons. Once you've reached the peak, enjoy the views of the Connaught Valley to the south and Ursus Valley to the north. It's absolutely jaw-dropping!
To set yourself up for the descent, scramble or ski down the rocky ramp to the west of Video Peak. Earlier in the season, it may require a short belay. The descent takes you through a rocky hourglass-shaped run that opens into a sheltered alpine bowl. The upper slope is typically quite wind-loaded so be cautious around the potential wind slabs. The route leads you to treeline glades above Ursus Creek which I don't recommend trying out. To avoid a valley bottom descent through thick Selkirk bush, it's best to traverse across the NE ridge separating the previously skied bowl from the Bruins Glacier. Head up the glacier to the south and gain the famous 8812 Col. Ski down 8812 Bowl, a large alpine bowl to the bottom of the Connaught Valley. Then, follow the luge track back to the parking lot.
Difficult
Serious gradient of 30-38 degrees where a real risk of slipping exists.
A pillowy goldmine of a run with more than 1000m of powdery falline descent
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Entry Level Steep Skiing
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6 routes · Ski Touring
7 routes · Ski Touring