Matt Ruta 
Last week I bailed on an objective close to home because the approach was too heinously melted out. Then, the other day, Kieran and I pulled the plug just above the bergschrund on the north face of Mt. Andromeda because the snowpack was far too wintery and unstable. Can’t win, apparently. So yesterday, Chris and I thought that maybe west was the goldilocks aspect and set off from Lake Louise towards Mt…. Read More
There aren’t that many aesthetic lines left in the Bow Valley highway corridor that don’t have a ski story attached to them. But as far as we could tell, Mount Bell’s east face was one. Every skier who drives the Trans Canada has probably seen it, glowing in the morning light as it suddenly appears through the trees just west of Castle Junction. It looks big, exposed and kind of technical, with… Read More
It’s a funny feeling when a line you’ve stared at for years suddenly pops into shape. Ideas are easy but the execution can be much harder, and it’s always a mix of excitement and a sort of workmanlike restlessness as the full scope of the project finally comes into view. All those little details to iron out. At least, that’s the way it feels if it’s interesting enough. And, tucked away on… Read More
Today I’m unpacking my pack onto the floor so I can show you what’s in there. People always seem to be curious about what gear I’m using and why, and I know I’ve gotten a lot out of reading other peoples’ gear lists. Plus it’s a great way to plug Ski Uphill, who in addition to being my friends and ski partners, have supported me since they opened. I’ll link to products… Read More
I consider myself lucky to have had very few close calls in the mountains. At least, that I’m aware of. But this story starts with one of them. In late November of 2017, I’d finally made plans to ski with Kieran for, if not the first time, the first time without it being some kind of group event. We’d been orbiting around each other for a while, and I was stoked to… Read More
Not many peaks in the Rockies can boast two classic couloirs – but Mt. Burgess sure can. On new years day, Joel, Chis and I skied the iconic and technical north couloir. Later that same month, we came back for the much more moderate south (having swapped Chris for Kieran due to work requirements). My buddy Luke Seed has the only other mention of this line that I can find on his… Read More
I’ll go ahead and call it – the northwest couloir on Mt. Burgess should be a classic. (In fact, both couloirs on this peak should.) It overlooks and is visible from an iconic location, it’s steep, it’s technical and it feels wild. Joel had skied the line once before, but Chris and I were experiencing it for the first time when we set off from Emerald Lake Lodge on a claggy New… Read More
Oh, the north face of Chancellor Peak. If there’s one line that’s called to me above all others it’s this one. Visible from the ski hill and various other vantages around Golden, it’s a wall of white, smeared across an imposing rampart of peaks which seem to pierce the eastern sky. Add its location, in a wild, seldom visited valley in an utterly overlooked corner of the park and anyone who knows… Read More
I’m a sucker for an interesting bit of mountain history. Both fortunately and unfortunately, here in the Rockies, much of the history of even the most famous ski descents has gone unrecorded. But, when it does turn up it’s often presented in a wonderfully elusive, fragmented way. A forum post here, an aside in a climbing guidebook there, maybe a blog post or two if you’re really lucky. It’s modern folklore of… Read More
Ah life; lately it really hasn’t afforded much time for typing up trip reports. But here’s the first in a long pipeline, from back in April. It was my season opener for quality missions in the Rockies, after a frigid winter full of annoying avalanche problems. The problems were still there, mind you, this just happened to be one of the first days on which we puny skiers weren’t likely to trigger… Read More
Matt Ruta 