Join Uplift Adventures to watch us hiking Turtle Mountain in Crowsnest Pass and discover essential tips on how to travel in the mountains and what to pack for a spring-time hike.
Tip 1. The edges of snow patches have the most ice. Poke around.
Be the most cautious at the edge of a snow patch where ice has formed. You can use your hiking pole or your boots to poke around to see where the ice ends. As we are hiking Turtle Mountain in Crowsnest Pass, we find a few good patches of snow.
Tip 2. Have quality hiking boots.
Your boots should be waterproof and personally, we prefer a really stiff boot. You can do a lot with a quality piece of footwear. If you are afraid to go through the snow because you might get your feet wet, then you need better footwear.
Tip 3. Make good, flat steps in the snow.
You can kick steps in or you can use your heal to drag a good step. As you watch the video of us hiking Turtle Mountain in Crowsnest Pass, you will be shown two techniques on how to make steps in the snow.
Tip 4. Be avalanche aware and watch for overhead hazards.
If you aren’t aware of avalanches, then you need to be extra careful and it is best to take an avalanche course. In the spring, it is common to see wet slabs and cornices releasing that can trigger an avalanche. Rockslides are also common in the spring with freeze and thaw cycles.
Tip 5: Carry some extra gear.
Have layers with you like a good mid-layer, good gloves, a toque, gaiters to keep the snow out of my boots, and ice traction devices.
If you want to learn more about what to pack for a day hike.
Tip 6: Make sure you check for ticks.
The ticks are out in full force in the spring and are looking to attach to a host. Learn more about ticks, how to do a tick check and more.
In closing, thank you for joining a virtual tour of us hiking Turtle Mountain in Crowsnest Pass. We invite you to come join us on a hike, backpack, outdoor course, climb or more around Crowsnest Pass, Waterton Lakes National Park, or Castle Parks. We are your local and professional guides to the South Canadian Rockies.
The music is the background has generously been given to Uplift to use and provided by some amazing local artists. Thank you to Tynan and Shelly Groves for the background music, ‘Lift You Up’.