Bugaboos to Rogers

In a country blessed with some of the finest ski touring on the planet, the Bugaboos to Rogers traverse stands above all others. Longer than other classics like the Spearhead and Bow Yoho, the Bugs to Rogers (as it's generally and affectionately referred to) is the most famous and classic of the so-called "grand traverses" - trips too long for the average party to do in one good weather window. 

Some remarkable longer ski traverses have been completed since the first Bugs to Rogers trip in 1958, but none have ever quite captured the collective imagination of skiers like the OG has. The scenery certainly helps, as does the logical route between 2 legendary landmarks, but the fame of the route has been self-fulfilling, and Bugs to Rogers is now firmly established as the pre-requisite tick for any ski mountaineer looking to join the big leagues.

There are multiple routes between the Bugaboos and Rogers Pass, and how strictly you stick to your chosen line will depend on conditions, luck and your ethical strictness. The vast majority of parties aim (understandably) to get from A to B safely via the logical route. In contrast, others insist on following the classic higher route and earning the full tick. Either way, have at it and be safe. 

The route described here is the low route, which bypasses the complex glaciated terrain around the Beaver/Duncan area but still presents numerous technical challenges along the way. This route also avoids the steep terrain on International Glacier - again, your call. The vagaries of route choice and conditions make it tricky to recommend camping spots, so this description covers the entire route and can be broken up as needed.

Regardless of the line you take, this is a huge adventure that will inevitably involve dealing with logistical/weather/snow issues. Pick a weather window that looks decent, but be prepared to be adaptable and, unless you're remarkably lucky, expect to deal with a storm or two.

Glacial retreat means that accessing the Bugaboos in winter without a helicopter is unjustifiably dangerous, so the first challenge of the trip is handing over a decent chunk of cash to one of the excellent heli operators in Golden. They provide exceptional service and are keen to help adventurous folk, but expect a minimum of $500 per person for the flight in. Teams generally land and drop at least one food and fuel cache during the heli flight, meaning that you don't need to carry enough food for the entire trip. The debate of how many caches to drop is tricky, but when we did it, we only dropped one (at the Kingsbury Hut) because there are so many variations to the route that there aren't many spots you're CERTAIN to pass through, and having to detour to reach a cache is annoying and potentially dangerous. The Kingsbury Hut is halfway along the route, and you can be 99.99% certain that you'll pass by it, so it's a logical spot to leave the second half of your supplies. Make sure you put them in a solid wooden box (which you can burn after reaching the cache) to keep rodents/bears/whatever out of your supplies. 

The heli flight is spectacular, and swooping in to land beneath the towering granite walls of the Bugaboos is thrilling. Once on the ground and alone in the wilderness, the first job is to bootpack the steep and challenging snow gully to the right of Snowpatch Spire. It's a tough introduction to the trip, and more than a few skiers—the author included—have questioned their life choices halfway up.

Once at the top of the gully, a leisurely and staggeringly scenic cruise down the Vowell Glacier awaits, and the trip finally begins to feel like a ski traverse! A somewhat spooky-feeling drop into an avalanche-threatened bowl is followed by a short climb up and onto the Malloy Glacier, home to the "cozy" Malloy Igloo - a basic shelter which some skiers use on the first night of the traverse. 

From the Malloy a gentle traverse of the vast Conrad icefield begins, and the ambience changes completely as you leave behind the towers of the Bugaboos and pass through wild and complex glaciated terrain. After a couple of days in high alpine terrain it feels wonderful to drop down slightly at the northern end of the Conrad Icefield and traverse across the deep, tree-filled valley at the southern end of Crystalline Creek.

Cross the head of the creek and then make a beautiful ascending traverse beneath Crystalline Peak to reach a col due south of Deluge Mountain. Traverse around the south-west slope of the mountain and down its west ridge, then drop into the northern branch of Crystalline Creek. Camping in the trees, with a running creek, is significantly warmer and more comfortable than a camp high up, so most teams try to engineer a camp around the creek head. Just be aware of bears waking up in springtime!

Climb up past Snowman Lake, over a couple more cols and then descend the Syncline glacier, north-east of its eponymous peak. At the foot of this is a broad plateau, just below which begins the climb up to Syphax Col. Climb the peak immediately north-east of the col, and drop off the back side of this by drifting gradually rightwards and following a series of micro valleys before pushing back left to the head of Malachite Creek. In a strong field, this is the most spectacular scenery on the whole trip, with Malachite Spire towering above you, and stunning glaciers tumbling down from Mount Syphax.

Soak it all in and then choose your poison - either make the steep climb up to Malachite Col (the final part of which requires a bootpack) and then cross International Glacier, or take the safer but longer option and climb up to Carbonate Col, drop into Bobby Burns Creek, and follow the valley up to the Kingsbury Hut. However you get there, opening the hut door and finally feeling warm, safe, and comfortable is fabulous after four or five days in rugged, high mountains!

From the hut, make an incredibly scenic rising traverse (which includes a short but steep section of descent) to reach a broad col east of David Peak. Drop onto the Spillimacheen Glacier and ski where possible, traverse where required. If necessary, it's possible to drop down to the McMurdo Hut, due north of the Spillimacheen Glacier, but this does add a significant ascent to your trip. If the weather is turning, that ascent will feel more than worth it versus getting caught high up in a storm...

From the north-west end of the Spillimacheen Glacier, make a fun descent down to Silent Lake - a popular and somewhat adventurous snowmobiling area, and one of the few places on the trip where you might see other people. The lake will be completely frozen in ski season, so don't expect to find running water, but it's a lovely spot nonetheless.

From the lake, make a scenic and enjoyable climb up to the blunt south shoulder of Silent Mountain, from where the famous peaks of Rogers Pass appear, and you know you're getting close! The high route goes from Silent Mountain straight down into Beaver Creek, and then up into complex and - at times - serac-threatened glacial terrain, gaining the Beaver Glacier via an ever-narrowing gully east of Mount Duncan. Cross the Beaver Glacier to a col north of Sugarloaf Mountain (reaching the col will require bootpacking and gets steep towards the top), and then descend the Grand Glacier onto the Deville Glacier.

The quicker, lower route of reaching the Deville Glacier from Silent Mountain is to make a loooong descending traverse northwards into Beaver Creek, using height as efficiently as possible to minimise the distance you need to travel when you inevitably hit the valley bottom. The descending traverse takes you through a beautiful burned forest, and the angle is just right for efficiency, so in good conditions, this section is wonderful.

Once in the Beaver Creek valley, head north and then swing round west into the narrowing valley south of Beaver Overlook. In certain conditions, the huge south-east face of Beaver Overlook can shed snow and present an overhead hazard - be aware of this when deciding how close to pass under it and at what time you do so. The valley gets increasingly tight, and you need to stay climber's right of the creek bed, so micro-navigation and efficient route-finding are key.

At around 1650m the valley opens up and the view changes completely, from tight trees to towering peaks. Follow the valley bottom south-west until a rightwards leaning snow runnel appears on the right. Put on boot crampons and climb this (competent cramponers will be fine, but it's firmly front-pointing terrain) to reach lower-angled ground on the Deville Glacier's moraine slopes. Continue up onto the Deville Glacier proper, and join where the high route comes in from the Grand Glacier.

From here, the route is fairly non-negotiable, but one of Bugs to Rogers' most famous cruxes still awaits you...

Descend the Deville Glacier northwards until due east of Mount Topsham, at which point you will find yourself at the top of a cliff band - home to the famous Deville rappels. For mountaineers and climbers, these three thirty-metre rappels will present minimal difficulty, but for those who "only" ski tour, they can be quite a challenge. Make sure that your rappelling skills are up to scratch before the trip, because the Deville rappels are steep (and therefore exhausting with a heavy pack pulling you backwards) and in a wild, remote place where rescue would be challenging at best. Rogers Pass is achingly close at this stage, but give the rappels your full attention and wait until you've finished them before dreaming of those burgers and beers back in Golden!

The first rappel anchor is not well-marked and not in a particularly prominent spot, so describing it is tricky. However, it's a logical spot, and those with an eye for steep terrain and plenty of experience with this type of terrain will find it after a bit of poking around. The change of angle from horizontal to vertical narrows down the area you'll need to search, but it's slightly to the left of the line you naturally come down to reach the cliff, and on the eastern side of a prominent rock. Looking for that anchor is all part of the Bugs to Rogers experience!

The rappels themselves are steep, and the last two are only just possible with 30 metre ropes - make sure you tie a knot in the ropes and exercise extreme caution. Once at the foot of the rappels you'll have a steep and tricky transition to get your skis back on, and then an initially steep but quickly easing slope leads you down into valley beneath the Fox Glacier. There are some serious seracs above the valley, so it's not a super dangerous spot, but it's not a place to linger. Skin out of the valley bottom, through a short section of trees, and in to Glacier Circle Cabin - a legendary hut with a storied history which makes a fitting location for the last night of your trip.

Wake up the next morning and make the steep but skinnable ascent up to the vast expanse of the Illecillewaet Glacier. Cross this and then descend down past Perley Rock to reach the Illecillewaet parking lot where, if you're well organised, you'll have left a vehicle and a case of beers! 

Crack some open and toast the trip of a lifetime.