[simage=3862,200,n,left,] Being in Calgary, we looked for a local version of our annual Vancouver/Coast Mountains nordic ski trip to the Journeyman backcountry lodge. We discovered Shadow Lake Lodge and easily persuaded our friends Garth & Mandy and Al & Elspeth to join us from Vancouver. The Redearth Creek trail to the lodge is a nice easy gradient (easier than the Journeyman) – it climbs about 420 m over 13 km. This was more challenging that we thought because the temperature was around +1 celsius and the fresh overnight snow was really sticky and clumpy. We essentially walked to Shadow Lake Lodge wearing skis (no glide).
The lodge had a fabulous afternoon tea available as we arrived. We enjoyed a wood-fired sauna and roll in the snow before a great dinner, including superb vegetarian option.
On the second day we did the short ski to Shadow Lake – given the fresh snow it was impossible to strike out far across the lake and break a trail on our track skis. Then we snow-shoed up to Gibbon Pass, a nice steady climb of 460 m and 6 km round trip. The snow was falling almost all day. Another sauna and another fantastic dinner. It snowed all evening, and on Monday morning we woke up to clear skies, and took the opportunity to ski to Shadow Lake again – beautiful and great views of Mount Ball.
We skied out – a lot of fun and in this direction we had some good glide all the way back to reality.
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