Guided Yurt to Yurt alpine traverse

I'll be offering a guided yurt to yurt trip on Friday March 26 to Monday March 29. This is a classic ski traverse available for up to 8 people. Starting from the summit of Wildhorse Peak we ski to Qua Yurt on the first day. Depending on conditions we will either ski to Yurtopia or shred some lines around the Qua Yurt. The last day we traverse from Yurtopia to the Whitewater Ski Resort. The rate is $595 and includes all food, transport into Qua, transfer of luggage to Yurtopia and out, guiding, and lots of great skiing. This trip is available for individuals and couples. If you have a larger group interested in this traverse contact me directly for other possible dates.

Donate to the Environment Fund

Yurtopia Yurt operates on land owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Every year we contribute to an environmental project in the Wildhorse Catskiing terrain. For every dollar in donations received Ymir Yurts will donate five dollars. A tax deductible receipt is available on request. You can contribute online or by calling 1-888-488-4327.

Ymir Yurts now accepting bookings for Winter 2009/10

We are now accepting bookings and showing current availability at the Ymir Yurts
Prices have once again remained the same as last winter. We continue to offer the best value for powder skiing anywhere from 20-50 per day. We offer remote backcountry accommodation for ski touring groups of up to 8 people. Yurtopia Yurt is accessed by snowcat or helicopter for 7 day bookings. Qua Yurt is available for 4 and 5 day bookings accessed by ski touring and snowcat or helicopter. A small cabin is also available for groups of 2-4. The skiing this winter promises to be phenomenal. Guide available for your group to make the perfect vacation. Email for more information or call 1-888-488-4327 to talk to Trevor.

Animal Tracks

In the fall as the snow moves down the mountain we see a couple of moose moving down the valley. During the winter we rarely see any tracks as the snow is so deep and many animals are hibernating. As the weather warms up and the snow starts to firm up we start seeing more tracks. Martens are the most common, a few mice, then rabbits. Once in awhile we will see some bigger tracks - perhaps a bobcat or similair. We did have a pack rat at Yurtopia for awhile but no longer. Sara and I followed these Wolf tracks from the valley bottom near Yurtopia over Wildhorse Pass and down towards Ymir in March. I had heard the wolf howling in the fall. In late April we saw large cougar prints ( the same size as the wolf pictured above ) with a young cougar on the same route as the wolf.  There was also a pair of younger moose wandering the lower valley. It is pretty neat in the spring as you see everything that is going on.

Yurtopia

It's been a little while since Yurtopia was mentioned on this blog. The old canvas yurt detoriated a couple of years ago and was replaced with a permanant circular building. Regular 2x6 construction, foam insulation, kerosene and propane heat. The terrain around Yurtopia is still amazing for ski touring.

Google Earth

Last spring Google Earth images for the terrain around the Yurts became hi-resolution which is amazing for examining the terrain from home. I have also created little Qua Yurt .kmz files and Yurtopia Yurt .kmz files which you can download by clicking on the links and they will open Google Earth ( if installed ) and fly you through the terrain showing you the skiing potential in a way that will astound you.

Tranport to the Yurts

The last couple of winter's we have used snowmobiles to transport skiers from Ymir to our snowcat up in the mountains. This winter we are moving to these fine looking vehicles. They will be outfitted with bench seating and we will cruise along the snowy country roads. It takes us about 30 minutes to go from breakfast at the Ymir Palace to loading skis on the snowcat 20 km away.