The Brian Waddington Hut is in a stunning location near Pemberton British Columbia. Situated up Phelix creek and on the shores of Long Lake and is the perfect place to ski tour. With a capacity of up to 40 people and can be quite crowded on the weekends but a great place non the less.
Heading out to the Brian Waddington Hut
It was a long day of driving as we crossed the border into Canada and made our way towards the Brian Waddington hut. We arrived at the parking lot at around 2p.m. and were on a race against the sunlight. Bashing our way though 10 km and about 1000 meter up Phelix Creek we made in into the upper valley just as dusk was setting in.
Skinning through the valley we knew we were close to the hut but not exactly how far. Every minute we moved in the light would be 5 minutes in the dark so I kept a brisk pace. Like most trips I guessed it would be 10 minutes but than would think 10 more minutes, this would go on for the next hour.
Once at Long Lake I finally realized we were close to the Brian Waddington Hut but it was on the opposite shorelines. As the name suggests it was a long lake and I made it to the hut just before dark.
A person at a time our group showed up to the hut happy to be done with the long slog. By now it was dark and a bit hard to figure out what to do the next day. There was one other group staying there so we briefly chatted with others before heading to sleep.
Ski Touring Mount Frodo
The next morning we woke up to partly cloudy skies. Not knowing exactly were to go we decided on ski touring to a face that was close to the Brian Waddington Hut. Packing our bags we were soon out checking the snowpack and happy to find great quality snow along the way.
Skinning up the slopes we were surround by beautiful looking mountains. Deciding that Mount Frodo had a nice looking North facing slopes we decided it was the place to check out snow conditions.
Making our way up onto the ridge we traversed over to the face before dropping in. The weather started to clear and we were able to looking deeper into the Coastal Range.
From the top of Mount Frodo I spotted a nice looking area the next ridge behind the hut. It would make a perfect area for taking laps but we would need a full day to make the most out of it.
We made our way down Mount Frodo one at a time careful not to sluff each other out but finding great snow. Once done we decided to head back to the Hut.
Afternoon Lap on Mount Peregrine
After resting at the Brian Waddington Hut for a little while Louie Dawson and I decided to head back out for an afternoon mission. It was still light out as we skinned up Mount Peregrine. Putting in steep switch backs we could tell the snow was going to be great.
We rode back down the ridge as the sun was lighting up the face. The clouds had moved out and the weather was going to be great the next day. Once back at the hut we looked over maps and made some loose plans as groups started filling into the hut. Soon the place was crowded as it was the weekend but people were kind and it was nice to chat with other groups about plans for the following day.
A Full Day off the Backside of the Brian Waddington Hut
The next morning Louie, Elliot and I made it out of the Brian Waddington Hut at first light. We had the plan to make the most of the ridge we saw in the distance the day before.
Once making it to Frodo Ridge we came up with a game plan of lines to ski, enjoying the sunrise in the high alpine. Elliot wasn’t feeling well so he decided it was best to turn back.
We decided the best thing to do was to put a nice skin track through the lower trees. This would be a safe route before skinning up to the col. We would ride the face to the left and reuse the skin track as much as our legs and daylight would allow.
Louie and I skied down into the valley before we quickly put on our skins and started pushing up the valley. We were careful to lay a skin track that wouldn’t get worse throughout the day.
Once on the ridge we used old photos to spot the separate lines. One after another we would drop in one at a time and ride back down to the skin track. There was no one else out there and we had the area all to ourselves.
In total we rode 4 laps before doing our final one back to the hut. We had found amazing lines and great snow with a well laid out skin track.
Back at the Hut
Making it back to the hut we were exhausted. The sun was nearly gone and we arrived to an even fuller hut. That night we hung and a bit too much alcohol was consumed. We payed for it throughout the night and the next morning.
We woke up groggy with a horrible hangover and a long exit in front of us. Soon we had full packs and were making our way down the valley and back to the forest road. Once there it was a direct descent back to the car and we were heading back to Washington.
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It was amazing exploring the area around the Brian Waddington hut and having a kind crew. Most of us barely knew each other but everyone was very kind. The skiing was great but man did we drink a little bit too much. Hopefully I’ll make it back to Canada as the hut system there is world class.
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