We set off from the Fish Creek parking lot, prepared for another uneventful, monotonous trudge, but quickly discovered that this would not entirely be the case. Monotonous trudge, yes, but definitely not uneventful! About a kilometer in, a ski patrol came ripping down the ski-out on a snowmobile, but started slowing down and stopped right beside us - OH NO! My mind immediately jumped to the most negative outcome, thinking we were about to get kicked off the ski-out for some stupid reason and have yet another failed attempt getting up to Skoki this season!! - He proceeded to let us know that the ski-out was indeed closed (NOOOOO!), because a groomer had slid into the ditch and couldn't get out. Luckily the ski patrol was a cool dude though, and said we should still be able to sneak around them and continue on our way (PHEWWW! 😅).

Sure enough, we soon encountered the "distressed" groomer, flipped nearly 90 degrees onto its side, downslope from the ski-out! No clue how that even happens, but there was no way I was sticking around to find out and risk get kicked off the ski-out for real this time! We briefly wished the two fellas good luck, and quickly continued on our way. The remaining hike up to the ski hill was the same as always (it's starting to feel a bit repetitive with this being our fifth time up it in the last couple years...), and with a steady pace we were soon passing through the resort and starting up the trail to Boulder Pass.

As we made our way around the western flanks of Redoubt Mountain, we were accompanied by the sound of birds chirping and the warmth of a bright sun shining down on us - it was really starting to feel like Spring! Views were stunning, with not a cloud in the sky, and I was enjoying the beautiful weather far too much to even think about the trek. Before we knew it, we were standing at Boulder Pass, and having never been out here in winter before, I was surprised to find a set trail - complete with red marker posts! - leading across the entire length of Ptarmigan Lake. Come to think of it, Skoki Lodge would definitely make for an ideal winter backcountry location (and would therefore, have a solid trail leading to it), but for some reason I just never thought of that before...

We took a short breather at the pass, and I found myself gazing across the lake, to Fossil Mountain's surprisingly bare southwestern ascent slopes rising at its conclusion. It's not every day that you skin 8 km into the backcountry, are granted perfectly clear skies, and have the chance to summit a near 3000 m mountain with very minimal avalanche risk...I just had to ditch our original Heather Ridge plan and go for it! Now don't get me wrong, these were by no means perfect condtions to ski Fossil Mountain - as a matter of fact they were exactly the opposite! - but they were the safest conditions you'll find to summit this mountain in winter, and for me, sacrificing the skiing was worth it for the promise of stunning views from the summit. For some strange reason, my dad wasn't as easily sold on the "long, awkward, rubble bootpack towering across the lake", but after a little bit of convincing, I was eventually able to lure him into another one of my big adventures! 😉

As we made our way across Ptarmigan Lake, however, even I was starting to question what the heck we were getting ourselves into 😂...Blue skies definitely make for stunning views, but this also meant that there wasn't a single cloud to block out the intensity of the sun! Bright rays of light reflected back at us from every direction, blinding and boiling us as we sweated our way across a massive field of white - It felt like we were in a literal oven!

It was at this point that my dad realized he was in trouble, frantically digging through his pack to discover that he forgot his hat back at the car...I guess that's what happens when you're used to a drab, cloudy winter, but on a day like today, having some sort of sun protection was absolutely essential if you didn't want to get burnt to a crisp! Since I was the one determined to climb this mountain, I didn't hesitate to donate my hat to the cause, and kept myself protected by layering up with goggles, sunscreen, and a buff to ward off the fierce UV rays! - Not ideal with how warm it was, but like I said, I was determined.

We were really feeling the effects of the sun as we left the main trail (which leads up to Deception Pass), and instead fought our way through the wet, heavy snow, angling towards the base of Fossil's southwestern scree slopes...It came as a major relief to find a singular grove of trees - just barely big enough to provide any usable shelter - and we dropped down behind them to take refuge! These trees turned out to be a real lifesaver, and after a few solid minutes out of the sun, we were able to get our temperatures down, and took some time to refuel for the grind that lay ahead.

When we arrived at the low point between Fossil Mountain and a small, unnamed bump just east of Deception Pass, we continued skinning up Fossil as far as we could, before stashing our skis and starting the 350 m bootpack to the summit. While scree bashing in ski boots can definitely feel never-ending at times, the valley bottom soon dropped out from below us, and it was nice to finally be gaining some noticeable elevation after a long, gradual approach. What was even better though, was the refreshing breeze that comes when you hit a certain elevation, working wonders at canceling out the effects of the sun and cooling us off.

Eventually we topped out on the summit ridge, and all that remained was an easy ~ 100 m ridgewalk east to the summit cairn! As expected, views were absolutely spectacular in every direction, and I was so stoked to be up on this mountain on such a perfect day! I've never experienced such close up views of Mounts Douglas and St. Bride directly to the east, and Redoubt Mountain, rising almost 600 m over Ptarmigan Lake, somehow looked small now! We spent a good half hour relaxing on the summit, but since we didn't have the earliest of starts on this one (and it was already almost 17:00), there wasn't a lot of time to hang around! After a quick dig around the snow-covered summit cairn with no luck locating a register, I left one of my little film canisters, finished taking a few pictures, and followed my dad, who had already gotten a head start back down the mountain.

After retracing my steps along the ridge, I was surprised to look down the rubbly ascent slopes and find my dad, just a tiny speck, already over halfway down - I had some major catching up to do! I quickly started down - almost running! - to close the gap, and while running down snowy scree/rubble in ski boots isn't the easiest thing, I managed to stay on my feet (mostly 😉), and almost caught up to him by the time we arrived back at our skis.

We decided to try skiing right from where we stashed our skis, and although the snowpack was thin and we had quite a few "snow sharks" to avoid, it was fun to make a few turns, and we very quickly found ourselves back at the low point in the ridge that I mentioned earlier. From here our options were to either traverse around the left side (skier's) of the small bump (where we came up earlier), or bootpack over said bump and ski down from Deception Pass. We chose the latter of the two options, hoping that this added vert would allow us to cover more distance in ski mode, before being forced to transition back to skins at the Ptarmigan Lake flats.

We found some nice snow below Deception Pass, and enjoyed a few more fun-filled turns in the golden, evening light, before bombing down the final section to Ptarmigan Lake. Tucking and carrying as much speed as we could, we came to a halt just short of the lake and donned the skins for a long 10 km back to the parking lot...Which actually turned out to be quite a cruise itself! Most of the trail back to the ski resort is sloped downhill - allowing for a good amount of effortless gliding - and before we knew it, we were passing back through the ski resort, switching back to ski-mode and ripping down the ski-out as darkness fell.

I couldn't have asked for a better first summit of Spring! Right in the heart of Skoki, Fossil Mountain has got to be one of the best places to admire this magical area in "snowy season" (can't say winter, because it's technically not anymore 😂)! With so many other scrambles in the area that lend themselves better to the dry months, I would highly recommend Fossil as a ski or snowshoe ascent to experience the year-round beauty Skoki has to offer!

Photo Gallery

The Lake Louise group rises behind us as we skin up the ski-out.

Passing through the Lake Louise ski resort.

Continuing up the heavily-used snowmobile trail to Boulder Pass. Pika and Ptarmigan at left.

Fossil Mountain rises across Ptarmigan Lake, with a couple tiny snowshoers providing scale as they make their departure from Skoki Lodge.

Skinning along the set snowmobile track across Ptarmigan Lake.

Skinning across Ptarmigan Lake, with a unique angle of Redoubt Mountain behind us.

Heather Ridge and Redoubt Mountain rise across the valley as we ascend Fossil's lower SW slopes.

Nearing the base of Fossil's foreshortened, rubble ascent slopes.

Looking back at our skin track through a world of white on a perfect spring day in the Rockies!

Weaving through rocks in our attempt to skin as far as possible up Fossil's windblown SW slopes.

Skinning up Fossil's SW slopes.

Eventually the snowpack became too thin and we were forced to ditch the skis and bootpack the remaining 350 m to the summit ridge.

Incredible views back to Ptarmigan Peak and the Wall of Jericho as we quickly gain elevation up Fossil's steep SW slopes.

Grinding our way up Fossil's windblown, rubble ascent slopes.

Previous footprints (both human and animal!) lead the way up to the summit ridge.

Gaining Fossil's summit ridge, with stunning views back to Ptarmigan, Pika, and the Wall of Jericho towering over Zigadenus and Myosotis Lakes at left, and Cyclone, Pipestone, and Drummond rising over the remote Red Deer River at right.

Erring on the side of caution and staying well below the cornices on Fossil's summit ridge.

Looking out across the corniced summit ridge to Balfour, Hector, Andromache, Noseeum, OXO, Molar, Deluc, Dip Slope, Cyclone, Cataract, Pipestone, Drummond (L to R).

Views back down our ascent valley include, Anthozoan, Brachiopod, Heather Ridge, Redoubt, Temple, Victoria, Ptarmigan, Pika, Wall of Jericho, Hector (L to R).

Incredible close-up views of the iconic duo of Mounts Douglas and St. Bride.

Another look at Mount St. Bride's daunting summit cliffs.

Bident, Quadra, Fay, Babel, Bowlen, Tona, Perren, Allen, Tuzo, Temple, Goodsirs, Hungabee, Lefroy, and Victoria form an impressive skyline across the highway.

Couldn't find a register, so I left a new one!

Douglas, St. Bride, Lychnis, Pulsatilla, Avens, Anthozoan, Brachiopod, Protection, Armor, Bulwark, Heather Ridge (L to R).

Hickson, Sir Douglas, Pulsatilla, Avens, Protection, Armor, Bulwark, Ball (L to R).

Molar, Deluc, Dip Slope, Cyclone, Cataract, Pipestone, Drummond (L to R).

Mount Hector's stunning SE face is impossible to miss!

A plaque sits near the summit of Fossil Mountain, remembering two skiers that lost their lives to an avalanche while skiing Fossil's south face.

My dad retraces our steps back down the summit ridge, in a mind-blowingly beautiful setting.

A closer look, with the Wall of Jericho dominating the backdrop.

Starting back down the long bootpack. (Spot my dad - just a tiny speck waaay below!)

Finally making some turns on Fossil's lower ascent slopes, after being reunited with our skis!

Skiing down the gentle, lower slopes on Fossil Mountain.

Arriving at a small bump in the ridge. Our ascent track traverses below it to skiers left, but we decided to ascend over it on return to lengthen our ski run a little bit.

Bootpacking over a small bump, to gain a little bit more vert, and therefore a few extra turns. 😉

Reaching the top of the bump with Ptarmigan's NE face continuing to impress to the left.

Looking out over Skoki Valley (Skoki Lodge is down there somewhere!), with Ptarmigan Peak and the Wall of Jericho at left, and Fossil Mountain at right.

Soaking in the incredible evening views from the top of the minor bump, with Redoubt stealing the show across the valley.

Skiing down to Deception Pass on the opposite side of the bump.

Brachiopod, Heather Ridge, and Redoubt line up across the valley in the beautiful evening light as we ski down from Deception Pass.

Skiing down from Deception Pass.

Looking back up to Fossil Mountain, and our short-lived ski run, as the terrain flattens out and we switch to skins for a long hike out.

The sun rapidly sets below Ptarmigan Peak's south ridge as we cross back over Ptarmigan Lake.

This is such a cool angle of Redoubt Mountain!

The final hints of sunlight illuminate the mountain tops as we arrive back at Boulder Pass.

Evening glow on Mount Temple as we descend back to the Lake Louise ski resort.

The setting sun briefly lights up Redoubt's NW cliffs as we pass under them.

Ripping down the ski-out as darkness falls.