Archive:Mel's 26-27 March 2011 Joffre Snowshoe

Synopsis

This scenic area surrounding Garibaldi Lake is the heart of Garibaldi Provincial Park. Within a small radius are such outstanding natural attractions as the Black Tusk, Panorama Ridge, Helm Glacier, the Sphinx, Guard Mountain, Garibaldi Lake, the Table, Sentinel Glacier, Sphinx Glacier and Castle Towers.

I've been to Sphinx Hut aka Burton Hut by the summer routes, but never during the winter across the lake. No better time than the present and the lake should still be good and solid into March.

• Why is this Beginner Friendly? - this trip is beginner friendly in the sense that beginners to backcountry and we will be happy to teach and wait for them, not in the sense that it is easy or safe. If you can walk, you can snowshoe. See the VOC definition of beginner friendly Here.

Skills Required

• Can walk (if you can walk, you can snowshoe! You might resemble a funny penguin for the first 400m until you get the hang of it quickly.)
• Avalanche know how - must know how to use a beacon, please ask if you don't
• General fitness and/or willingness to suffer

Route

Driving: Turn right off Hwy 99 just after you cross the Rubble Creek Bridge, 37 km north of Squamish or 19 km south of Whistler onto a paved road that leads 2.5 km to the Garibaldi Lake parking lot.

Trail from Garibaldi Lake parking lot to Garibaldi Lake and Sphinx Hut

• Estimated Length: 12 km
• Suggested time: 5 to 6 hours one way (maybe more)
• Elevation change: 900 metres

This well graded trail climbs and switchbacks through stands of giant Douglas-fir and Western Red Cedar before leveling out at the top of the Barrier. This part might be sort of boring and will probably take 5 hours, don't despair! Then we'll go past the campgrounds and to cross the lake to reach the Sphinx Hut. The views will open up here and you can marvel at the beauty for another hour while shuffling through flat non-threatening terrain because you're going to be watching the scenery and not where you're going.

• Barrier Civil Defence Zone - The area below and adjacent to the Barrier, a geological feature upholding Garibaldi Lake is considered hazardous. Although imminent danger is unlikely, special regulations are in effect to make you aware of the potential danger and to minimize the risk to life and property in the event of a slide (including avalanches). Posted signs identify the Civil Defence Zone. Do not camp, stop or linger while travelling through the Zone.

Please also take a look at awesome map of the area around Sphinx Hut. We're taking the Rubble Creek trail.

Gear Required

Remember, the VOC has lots of gear for rent in the clubroom. There are lots of ski packages, Avalanche packages, ice axes, packs, harnesses, helmets, etc... available in the clubroom.

Check out the gear lists on the wiki for a backcounry ski trip here: Gear lists. Below is the generic one for a ski hut trip for a starting point. Please use your own judgement to add or omit items on the list. If you're going on snowshoes, make an appropriate substitution for snowshoe equipment where you see skis.

Personal items are in regular font, shared items are in italic font

Essentials

• water bottle (at least 2L, unless you know yourself)
• headlamp and batteries
• sunscreen
• sun glasses and/or goggles
• map
• compass
• backpack
• pocket knife
• whistle
• lighter and/or waterproof matches
• first aid kit
• Toilet Paper

Clothing / Equipment

• warm jacket (fleece or down)
• long underwear (top and bottom)
• toque / hat
• mitts / gloves
• weatherproof jacket (goretex or coated nylon or softshell if weather is forecast to be sunny)
• weatherproof pants (goretex or coated nylon or softshell if weather is forecast to be sunny)
• hiking poles?
• gaiters (optional if your pants have an integrated snow cuff)
• warm pants (fleece or down)
• insulated booties (optional)

Food

• Lunch and snacks x2
• Breakfast x1
• Dinner x1

Sleeping

• sleeping bag
• sleeping pad
• ear plugs, because somebody will snore (optional)

Cooking and Eating

• bowl, spoon
• Stove with fuel. If using white gas, for each person bring 150 mL
  • May use hut stove if available
  • 300mL to run each lantern
• Pot and matching pot gripper
• Toothbrush
  

Ski hardware

• ski helmet (optional) (most climbing helmets do not protect from frontal or side impacts and are not acceptable substitutes)
• skis (must have touring bindings that allow the heel to be free) or a split snowboard
• skins for going uphill. They must fit your skis and have reasonable glue. Test them.
• bindings. Applies particularly for splitboards.
• poles
• boots to match your skis or snowboard - there are many different kinds of binding interfaces. Make sure to test that both your boots fit into your bindings before the trip.
• ski repair kit
  

Avalanche Safety Gear

• 457kHz avalanche transceiver (with batteries, tested in advance)
• shovel
• probe
• snow saw (optional)
• rutschblock cord (optional)
• loupe (optional)
• crystal card (optional)
• CAC Avaluator card (optional)
• CAC Public Avalanche Bulletin Printout{{#if:0|
  

===Climbing Gear===}}

• ice axe
• harness
• belay device
• carabiners
• rope
• prussik cords

Pre-Trip Meeting

The pre-trip meeting will be 6:30pm Wednesday, March 23 in the clubroom before the banquet.

It is important that everyone comes to the pre-trip meetings since this is where trip details, rides, food groups will be sorted out and questions will be answered for everyone. If you are on the waitlist, come to the pre-trip meeting and you'll probably get a spot. Conversly, if you are on the list and don't come you may lose your spot, unless you contact the trip leader (Mel) and a driver to make your own arrangements.

Leader Sign-up (experience level, snowshoe or ski, avalanche level, vehicle)

1. Mel Tan (been to Sphinx, snowshoe, AST1, preferring not to drive but could if we don't have enough cars)
2. ... contact Mel before adding yourself to this

Participants Sign-up (experience level, avalanche level, vehicle)

• Currently only accepting snowshoers, unless a leader-type shows up on skis and want to break trail.
• Limiting it to 6 participants for sanity sake, pending more leader-types.

	Signup Closed
	This is the sign up and organization page for an old trip. It already happened on 26-03-2011. Please do not sign up for it.

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2. ...
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6. ...

Wait List (experience level, avalanche level, vehicle)

• If the sign-up list has reached 6, put your name here. Don't despair, you can probably come if you come to the pre-trip meeting. If you have a car (add it below too), you'll be bumped up.

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Vehicle List

If you have a car, put it down below (even if you're on the wait list) and how many people you can fit. Rides will be sorted out at the pre-trip meeting.

1. Car 1 (# of people, leaving from ...)
   • Passenger 1
   • Passenger 2
   • Passenger 3
2. Car 2 (# of people, leaving from ...)
   • Passenger 1
   • Passenger 2
   • Passenger 3