Video Peak

Video Peak sits above the Connaught Creek drainage in Glacier National Park, accessed from the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre via the Connaught/Balu Pass uptrack and then the Hospital Bowl/Hospital Gullies skintrack. From the valley, most parties trend up the north side of Connaught Creek to avoid major slide paths off Cheops, then cut left into the Hospital Bowl drainage and on toward the broad SE face and NE ridge of Video Peak. Expect an obvious, well-used uptrack in most conditions; early season it can be brushy and awkward through the lower forest and gullies.

The classic line is the SE face: a big planar alpine slope above Hospital Bowl that skis best when it has filled in and smoothed over the underlying rock bands. The upper face is open alpine terrain with no islands of safety; it is a prime avalanche start zone and often hosts stiff wind slabs and cornices along the summit ridge. Careful snowpack assessment, wide spacing, and avoidance of convex rolls are key. When the SE face is tracked, many parties drop a slightly more southerly aspect or link to 8812 Bowl via Bruins Ridge for additional laps.

Below the alpine, you rejoin Hospital Bowl and then one of the Hospital Gullies back to Connaught Creek, finishing with a fast, low-angle runout along the valley skintrack to the Discovery Centre. The gullies funnel overhead hazard from the surrounding walls and can carry large debris; choose your line conservatively in elevated hazard and be wary of terrain traps. This whole zone lies inside Parks Canada’s Rogers Pass Winter Permit System, so you must hold a valid winter permit and confirm that the Connaught/Hospital Bowl/Video Peak areas are open before heading out.

Ideal timing is mid-winter to early spring when coverage is deep and the face is well filled, with either a stable storm slab regime for powder or a solid overnight freeze for corn on the solar aspects. The tour is popular and often busy after storms, which helps with an established track but also means managing other groups above and below you on the face and in the gullies. Full avalanche kit, strong route-finding in complex alpine terrain, and current Avalanche Canada and Parks Canada bulletins are mandatory. For official access and permit details see Parks Canada – Ski touring in Rogers Pass.