Its the time of the year when the 'avalanche patch' meets in the Okanagan for the CAA spring meetings where the Canadian Avalanche Association's professional members meet and connect as an professional association to look upon the past season, review the past winter to take stock of notable events, advances in snow science and research papers etc.
For me the most enjoyable component of this is the rock climbing at the Skaha bluffs. The Skaha bluffs is located in B.C., in the southern Okanagan. It was made into a provincial park in the 1990's and has a most unique landscape consisting of a variety of distinctive terrain features, which function together to provide habitat for many provincially or federally listed species at risk, including bighorn sheep, fringed and small-footed myotis, night snake, and Western screech owl. Other notable species include Clark's nutcracker, pygmy nuthatch, red squirrel, Pacific chorus frog, white-throated swift, canyon wren and Western rattlesnake.
*Please note* This photo of Western Rattle snake was taken of me moving it from my rope bag to a safe place where he would not be stepped on or for us to be accidentally bitten. When you encounter these creatures, please leave them alone and please keep your dogs on leash - they are a protected species.
Canadian Rockies Mountain Guides are certified ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guides as well as a professional members of the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA). We live in Canmore, Alberta which is just 1 hr west of Calgary and is the gateway community for access to world renowned Banff National Park - Canada's first national park. Paddy Jerome is the director and founder of CRMG and is a full time year round guide with experience all over Western Canada, the European Alps and as far away as Japan. We provide full service guiding at any time of the year no matter which mountain activity interests you - ski touring, avalanche skills training (AST courses), ice or rock climbing and of course mountaineering. We are a small company and you will be dealing directly with a one professional guide, who is passionate about moving ordinary people through extraordinary landscapes. Our guides have 18 years of guiding experience & are long time locals who specialize in custom fitting a safe and exciting mountain experience that you will not soon forget. We can provide trips that range from people who are highly experienced to people that have never tried backcountry skiing or rock climbing. Your imagination is your only limitation.
This blog contains the thoughts and ideas of Paddy Jerome, ACMG Mountain Guide.