Hello,

I'm planning on heading up to the cabin at Watersprite this upcoming Sunday/Monday. The weather report is looking a little gnarley and while I'm an experienced backcountry hiker, I haven't spent much time in the backcountry during the winter. We're planning on bringing our snowshoes and are expecting quite a bit of snow, but I'm wondering if anyone has been up there within the past week/could let us know what to expect. Is the trail well-marked/easy to follow in the snow? Are there any additional hazards beyond what we would find in the front-country that we should be prepared for? 

Thanks in advance!

Sara 

Hi Sara,

Saw this post a little late; it's Tuesday so I'm assuming you've already made a decision. I'm replying in case you're deciding to go at a later date, or in case anyone else is reading this and wondering the same thing.

I haven't been up there recently, but I assume there is quite a bit of snow at the higher elevations. In winter (starting now), this route is subject to avalanche danger and the winter route is NOT the same as the summer route. The winter route avoids some but not all avalanche terrain. The winter route is NOT marked the same way that the summer route is. Folks wishing to travel to Watersprite, either via the summer route in these early season conditions, or via the winter route in proper winter conditions, should have adequate training and experience (AST1 at the absolute minimum) to travel in this type of backcountry terrain. 

Avalanches aside, there are other hazards to be concerned about that you would not find in the front country. Inadequate snow coverage on creeks, for example, which is especially a concern on snowshoes. 

Hi Marlaina, thanks for your post! Just an update in case anyone else is planning on going up, we got back from Watersprite yesterday. I believe we took the winter route as I believe that's the trail the BCMC has been building/maintaining after deactivating the summer route due to too much foot traffic putting pressure on the ecosystem (although please do correct me if I'm wrong). It rained/sleeted the entire way up on Sunday and most of the snow cover had washed away or turned to slush, but there was about a foot of snow at the cabin. We hiked up with our snowshoes on our pack. In some places, the way up was extremely slick, particularly over the boulder fields and the final scramble to the lake; microspikes would have come in handy. The rain turned to snow overnight on Sunday and it snowed most of the way down on Monday. Quite a bit of snow had accumulated overnight, but it wasn't cold enough at the bottom for snow to start accumulating. We needed the snowshoes for about 2/3 of the hike down. The creeks were running high with all of the rain/snow, but not high enough to be difficult to cross, although I imagine that could change very quickly. I did look into avalanche risks before we went (on avalanche.ca), but the forecasts don't start until the 23rd of November, and again, there wasn't much snow accumulation. I am planning on taking an avalanche safety course before doing any further winter backcountry trips. Thank you again for the advice!

Hey Sara,

Good to see you're thinking about avalanche and safety. Glad everything went well this weekend. I believe the winter route is in the valley bottom, so you were probably on the summer route still. Makes sense in the early season, though soon it'll not be so safe. Check out the BCMC trip schedule for upcoming AST courses at a discounted price, just for members. The snowshoe/mountaineer version is currently full, but we'll be posting another set of dates soon! Enjoy your winter.

Marlaina

BCMC Courses & Camps Co-Chair