“The Unknown Path:” Exploring the Birth of North American Ski Mountaineering

“‘The Unknown Path:’ Exploring the Birth of North American Ski Mountaineering”
Art Burrows

Western Canada’s geography defies description. The Yukon’s Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains, a range larger than all of Switzerland, encompass Mt. Logan (19,551 ft.) with its bulk comprising the largest non-volcanic massif in the world. One thousand miles south of Logan, one mountainous region between the towns of Golden and Revelstoke (roughly 11 times the size of Colorado’s 23 ski area combined) welcomes a near-perfect balance of storms, humidity, and temperature. The portion of the Selkirk Mountains within Canada’s Glacier National Park, sprawling around and above 4,364-foot Rogers Pass, is bisected by Canada’s deadliest rail line and the Trans-Canada Highway. With 6,000-vertical-foot relief towering in nearly every direction, this is arguably the center of the most historically-significant ski mountaineering zone in all of North America. This is its story.

Art has been exploring since his mother sent him out the door at age 5 to “go discover something interesting and tell me about it at lunch.” He’s been exploring ever since. Art is the co-author of the iconic visual reference, “Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America.”

What is Wild Perspectives?

ACES’ brand new Wild Perspectives speaker series features exciting accounts of world travel, adventure, and the natural world through stories and visual media in partnership with The Collective and the Town of Snowmass.

From January through March, this speaker series takes place every Tuesday evening at 6PM at The Collective, providing an opportunity for community-building and story-telling that engages Aspen and Snowmass locals and visitors alike.