COMP- Hut Trip Tantalus Range
Tantalus: is from the root word tantalizing… Many see but few ski!
The Mountain range that everyone sees from Hwy 99 in between Whistler and Squamish! Q. Why don’t more people go there? A. The Squamish river (Huge and hard to cross), low snow line at the base and the rugged avalanche terrain, as well as heavily glaciated terrain keep most skiers away. The area sees many people in the summer for climbing and mountaineering, but with the right conditions skiing here can be amazing. We made the trip happen this winter, 2 days staying at the Alpine club of Canada Jim Harbel hut. Great conditions in terms of stability but not the deepest pow turns! There are soo many nice lines but the exposure and avy terrain reminds us why the climbers and mountaineers flock there in summer. We flew with Black Tusk helicopters and skied all different aspects and faces.We also toured around the surrounding mountains and explored the terrain as much as possible. Basically, if you have the skills, knowledge and training, we don’t need to spell it out. Go check it out! We spent a great night in the Jim Haberl Memorial hut and skied out to Lake Lovely water. The Hut what can we say? What a great tribute to a great Canadian man (Who was the first Canadian to summit K2), among many other amazing climbing and life achievements. He would be proud of this abode. Please see and pay the Alpine Club for details Remember to practice and be experienced in glacier travel, rescue, and very experienced at evaluating avalanche terrain before going to this range in the winter! The glaciers are amazing and the views and tantalizing to say the least. Sometimes you don’t have to go far to find what your looking for… The Greeks myths say you can look but can’t touch, you are thirsty but can’t drink… here’s to the go, the missing link, but we must think…
skiing off Dione East face Ramp.
boot pack to Serratus
Top of Serratus
Nico skinning up the hill
Sunset at the hut
Santi looking at the maps in hut
Another line...
Classic ice fall line off Serratus.