Partnered up with Canada West Mountain School, we booked a private group of 6 StokeSisters for a weekend of learning how to winter camp up at Paul Ridge, Squamish’ beautiful backyard.
Winter camping can push people out of their comfort zone quite a bit and can also get quite dangerous if not well prepared. The weather can change fast in the mountains, and on top of that we are right at the ocean here. Storms rolling in will hit the Squamish mountains first and that can lead to a LOT of precipitation and for the same reason some warmer temperatures. Milder temperatures are definitely favorable for winter camping, but very heavy, wet snow, or even rain, can make things tricky.
Know which gear is essential, which are the non-negotiables for winter camping. In cold temperatures, an injury can get serious much faster than in summer. On top of the injury, hypothermia will be the next threat to deal with. Maybe it is stormy and help can’t come right away.
To make sure no one felt overwhelmed before the trip even started, we did a 2hr zoom meeting 1 week before the trip. All the questions were answered, concerns discussed, we got to see each others faces which was great since everyone booked as a single person. We also planned our logistics on how to get to the trailhead. The first obstacle is the logging road up ring creek which is not always plowed and turns into a mess real quick since lots of people heading up there.
We ended up carpooling us 7 in 3 cars and left the other cars behind in town. The 3 cars had chains and were able to get up that road.
When we jumped into the cars it was pouring rain, hard to believe we are going to sleep in snow caves that night. The snowline was right at the last bit of the logging road so we had to put chains on. I know this can be intimidating and there is definitely a couple of tricks to it, but with a super supportive and keen crew having your back, this was no issue at all. Slapped the chains on like we’ve done it a hundred times before and up we went to the trailhead in some slushy Squamish powder.
Next challenge! Backpacks! HOW do we get all our gear into/strapped to/dangling off of our packs? Most packs were kind of ready to go, but when it is GO time there are always a few more pieces that were not accounted for and mess up the tidy-looking pack. We shuffled around for a bit and not too much later were sliding uphill on the skin track. Happily chatting aching under our heavy packs.
At that point, the rain had turned into big snowflakes and we were back in full winter mode. A couple breaks for water, snacks, and adjusting layers, and 1.5 hrs later we arrived at our home for the night.
A pristine, untracked hilly meadow, perfect to set up camp. No trees, so no overhead danger for our tent/snow caves, and close to the Red Heather Shelter. We didn’t use the cabin at all but were grateful for the outhouse right next to it. It made it easier to keep the high-traffic area clean.
We shoved some snacks into our bellies, put all our layers on, and got the shovels ready. After a quick intro on how to build a snow cave, everyone was shoveling. And shoveling. And shoveling. And the sun came out, layers were flying, and we played some music which helped with the hours of shoveling the fresh powder. Besides 3 snow caves for 6 people, we also set up a communal tent which we used for cooking and hangouts, lots of chatting, giggles, and story sharing.
The fact that we had 20cm of fresh, surprisingly light powder (for Squamish) on the ground, some broken skies, and breathtaking views, made us shovel a bit faster. Right in time for sunset, we were back on our skis, skinning uphill to explore the ridge a bit and get a chance to warm up before we tuck into the tent to cook dinner.
Even though the whole group was SUPER keen, and brought all the gear discussed, everyone got pretty wet building the snow caves. Which is equivalent to cold and in the backcountry you never want to try to “get warm” – you want to “stay warm”. It is hard to get warm again once cold.
Our little sunset tour brought us up the simple terrain slopes of Paul Ridge, with amazing views of the mountains around. Everyone was in awe and shuffled silently along, admiring our perfect backyard. Since sunset tours have the nature of being late in the day, they barely happen on a day tour since at that time you kind of want to be back in the car, making sure there is some buffer time before dark in case something happens. But if you have set up camp with some cozy shelters to come back to, this is the time to do it!
Sun set right when we reached the top of the ridge and we enjoyed some joyful powder turns down the meadows in some sparkling powder, sliding right back into camp. Everyone was clearly tired after this big day, but with big smiles on their faces after this glorious finish from mother nature.
A big shuffle started again, the last task of the day to get into cozy camp clothes, collect all the cooking gear, and gather in our cozy kitchen tent.
It got a bit messy with all the different types of stoves, some scarier than others. But we managed to not burn down the tent! Everyone brought their favorite dinner which gave a great overview of what is out there for options. We will put a list together, those recommendations are gold considering how many different brands and kinds are out there. The last thing you want to happen is to sit in the backcountry, very hungry after a long day and your meal doesn’t taste good.
Very soon after dinner, everyone disappeared into their snow caves to avoid getting cold again. Everyone brought little tea candles to use in the snow cave to make it extra cozy and give some warmth too (maybe more for peace of mind 😉
Before I crawled into my sleeping bag, we had to deal with a deflated sleeping pad. When setting up a snow cave, it needs some air holes in the ceiling. The 2 girls had forgotten them and when they tried to put those in with a probe, they tripped, poked the probe in too far, and stabbed and punctured the sleeping pad inside the cave. Well, sh** happens. Luckily I brought an emergency bivy which helped to insulate from the ground. No big deal!
Lucky us, the next morning we woke up to another 10cm of fluffy snow but slept in a bit since the previous day was a big one and we really had no rush to head out with sunrise. Moreover, we were there for the experience and to learn, and that works best with a rested body and mind. Also getting up in a snow cave is quite some effort. It takes some courage to finally get out of your warm sleeping bag, battle with your very likely frozen ski boots while you notice you REALLY have to pee now, and put on all the gear since sliding out of the snow cave will get you snowy and wet for sure. Then gather the food we hung up to protect it from critters and bears to finally make the first cup of coffee. From then on the day gets easier again!
A little later we all found ourselves back in the communal tent, everyone happy they had survived the night, some comfier than others, but all over everyone had a good experience.
After a nice long Sunday breakfast, definitely feeling everyone’s relief of having survived the night, we were back on our skis, skinning up the ridge again. We found a nice spot for some avalanche rescue practice and got everyone’s avalanche rescue skills sharpened. We dug a little pit to have a look at the snowpack and analyzed the avalanche problems that were pointed out in the avalanche forecast.
The reward was fresh turns all the way back into camp, again.
After a quick lunch, we started to pack up and break camp. Which again included a bunch of shoveling to leave as little evidence as possible that we were there, and put it back into its natural state.
The ski out was super straightforward, with nice fresh snow all the way down, we were back at the cars for 3pm, perfect timing!
I would like to mention that EVERYONE in this group was so super keen, friendly, open, and most important, so STOKED!
It wasn’t easy to shovel for hours on end but no one got discouraged, everyone was supporting each other no questions asked, and the vibes were amazing.
Sleeping out in the cold, literally on ICE is intimidating. Snow caves are small spaces, and it is easy and normal to get a hint of feeling claustrophobic, at the same time being with a person plus a full group of people you have never met before. While out of your comfort zone.
This is a big accomplishment by itself PLUS at the same time keeping the spirits high. I was very impressed and had such a good time meeting you all. WELL DONE, THANKS!
STOKED!
Hope to see you out there!
Mel
Stoke Sisters 
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