April in the Monashees
Our Elevated April Package
A new kind of heliskiing experience is on the horizon. During the month of April only, we are offering a pay-per-run, big mountain program that includes lodge accommodations. Ski big spring alpine lines, stretch into the depths of our tenure, and hit the runs our guides have been dreaming about for years, waiting for the snowpack conditions and the timing to be just right. April is gold panning season.
The Motherlode
Heliskiing tapers off after March because skiers move onto other activities, but the reality is that the big mountain opportunities are just beginning to wake up. By early spring, the snowpack reaches its maximum height, filling in hazards and creating safe links through terrain. With good visibility, we land on the highest summits and ridges, laying tracks down the most interesting alpine terrain that spring conditions can offer. With the pay-per-run system, green light days are guaranteed to be worthwhile.
Gold Range
Spring weather sets us up for skiing the steepest terrain in our tenure. The snowpack is more stable than during winter storm cycles, which allows us to access intricate couloirs and chutes that are otherwise too unpredictable. More north facing terrain opens up, we have longer daylight hours and there is a ton of fun to be had exploring.
Spring weather includes fresh snowfall. North facing aspects can be blower, tucked above warmer temperatures and without solar effect. Spring brings squalls and generally more moderate patterns, and without the effect of a coastal climate, we experience more fly days than a typical Alaska trip during the same period.
Corn snow can be found but a more common April condition is orange peel, pockets of windswept snow over a crust at the summit, transitioning into silky, fast slopes that ride smoothly. Skiing the rare spring lines is an experience of a lifetime to be counted by few.
Smash and Grab
Climbers in Patagonia use this term to describe the experience of hanging around El Chalten waiting for a weather window to show up on the forecast. When it does, they sprint to their approach routes – that’s the philosophy behind our pay-per-run program. No time is wasted. We watch the weather, we wait for the windows, we smash and grab the nuggets.
Be A Local
A classic spring day in Revelstoke goes like this: ski in the morning, climb in the afternoon and finish the day with an early evening mountain bike ride – easy to do with our lodge fleet of e-bikes. We're out shredding for the day on green light days, but on no-fly days, you can explore just a bit further into the surrounding Columbia mountains.
No-fly days are filled with adventure, with hot springs a short drive south; crossing Arrow Lake on the free ferry rewards you views of our Monashee gems. Or you can spend a day biking or climbing in the Okanagan, where summer hit's just a little sooner. It's still ON in the Monashees; right through April.
Fool’s Gold
Locals wait years for the right combination of conditions and weather to make their attempts on prized objectives and April is often the month when those big lines are accomplished. Early spring skiing, before the snowpack begins to break down, when the weather is moody and daylight hours are long, with patience and flexibility anything is possible, including amazing heliskiing.
April Fools – the joke is on folks who put their skis away too early.