Lying next to the ever-so-popular McGill Shoulder, Christiana Glades is a forgotten gem of a route offering excellent tree skiing through untouched, old-growth forest. A cruisy 2.75km approach along the Bostock Creek Trail gets you to the base of Christiana Ridge from where you can do 700-meter powder laps. While the terrain is a little mellow, it’s just steep enough to carve some sweet turn even when the going gets DEEP. Really, it’s the perfect objective for storm days when visibility is minimal and snowpack stability, sketchy.

Related: Ursus Minor Trees, Rogers Pass: Epic Glade Skiing

Report from January 5, 2021

We assembled a big crew: Rosalie, Steph, Kaitlin, Mia and Rigel. With Revelstoke’s pandemic unemployment rate at a record high, it seems everyone and their dogs are out ski touring. And you know what: it’s the ideal winter for that. Relentless snowfall and cold temps have provided a constant refresh on the slope of Rogers Pass – which leads to a common problem. Snowpack stability was questionable at best after our week-long storm cycle. Having very little intel on the conditions, we decided on skiing Christiana Glades, an area new to me.

After checking that the Bostock winter restricted area and its associated parking lot was indeed open for the day, we left the warmth of our vehicles for the mild cold of the outdoors. We toured along the Bostock Creek Trail, a gentle, handcrafted path that follows the valley bottom all the way to Bostock Pass. While we didn’t tour its entire length, you could reach as far as Corbin Peak if you desired so. 2.75km along the trail, we veered right off the trail, ski-skinned downhill, and crossed Bostock Creek over a series of pillows, conveniently bridging the gap of moving water.

We were now at the base of the Christiana Ridge, the start of the Christiana Glades uptrack. We followed the creek’s west bank until we found a wide-open gully piercing through the Selkirk bush defining the lower boundary of the ridge. We ascended the gully to a lovely clearing, peppered with tasty pillow lines and bordered by magical old-growth forest.

We raced past the clearing while I noted where the pillows – to be sent later in the day – were located. Soon enough, we were touring through the old-growth, a preserved snapshot of what it used to be eons ago. Our ascent led us through a band of denser trees that eventually dumped us into yet another clearing that seemed to offer some all-time skiing.

All in all, we ended up climbing along the border of the Fidelity Winter Prohibited Area until we could no longer go higher. At that point, the WPA wraps around the ridge, prohibiting further uphill travel. This is where the Parks Canada staff conducts snowpack assessments. We call it Parks Canada’s private ski area.

After a short lunch break, we dug a full snow profile to assess the stability of the upper layers of storm snow. With no apparent weakness, we transitioned for the descent. The snow was excellent: light, dry champagne powder.

The descent route was super straight-forward. We simply followed down our uptrack, hitting pillows left and right when possible. With that good of snow, the crew was absolutely ecstatic. I wished we could have gone for a second lap but the sun was getting a little low. Days are short in early January.

After the 700-meter descent, we arrived at the base of the ridge and crossed Bostock Creek at our previous spot. A quick skin up the east bank got us back on the trail that led us to our vehicle. All in all, we all thoroughly enjoyed the day of mellow, powdery skiing in the Christiana Glades.

Statistics

For more beta on my adventures, check out the Route Map. This online map interface is a repository of my ski touring and mountaineering adventures. Simply follow the rough trace!