Skogan Pass

Elevation: 2073 m
Elevation Gain: 780 m (cumulative)
Skogan is the unofficial, but widely used, name for the pass which separates the Kananaskis Village from Dead Man’s Flats. The name “Skogan” was originally applied to the pass by skier Don Gardner, who spelled it “Skogen.” Skogen is a Norse term which describes a magical forest filled with elves and trolls. In the late 1800s, a foot trail over the pass linked the Bow and Kananaskis Valleys. Today, the pass serves as a powerline right-of-way whose access road grants easy access for mountain bikers and cross-country skiers in the summer and winter, respectively.
My Ascents:
December 28 2020
Trailhead: Ribbon Creek
GPS Track: Skogan Pass

With a little bit of time off over the holidays, Brianne and I decided that we were long-overdue for a date day away from our beloved, but also monstrous, children. Since our last date, over 3 months ago, we’d been working and parenting around the clock. With so much energy focused on careers and meeting the (sometimes absurd) needs/wants of our children, we both NEEDED/WANTED a day away. Happily, my parents were also keen to spend some time with their granddaughters. We may not be allowed to ask Grandma and Grandpa over for dinner but, mercifully, we can still ask them for babysitting! Talk about WIN-WIN! 🤣

With restaurants closed and social gatherings banned, normal people would find their date options somewhat limited. Fortunately, the mountains are still open (and that suited us just fine)! Hoping to take advantage of a recent record snowfall, we therefore ventured west into Kananaskis Country for a cross-country ski date.

Of course, the trail that I picked for my date day with Brianne was the longest one around (note that it doesn’t even fit on the trail system sign)! Since we hadn’t had a date in over 3 months, I figured that we should make the most of it (in terms of kilometers and elevation gain). Setting off from Ribbon Creek, we followed the “Hidden” trail, passing the base of a very busy Nakiska ski area on our way towards, much quieter, Skogan Pass! (Photo courtesy Skierbob.ca)

As though my date wasn’t eye candy enough, early views of Mount Collembola also served to motivate me as we navigated the complexities of the lower trail system.

Moments after Brianne expressed a desire to see some wildlife, we almost skied right over this tribble! Ask and ye shall receive!

Much of the lower trail system is in the trees with fleeting views. Fortunately, light adult conversation (diptheria, tetanus, pertussis etc. 🤣) helped to pass the time as we skied through the forest. Higher up, however, the eyesore powerlines ironically provided much better views of the mountainous surroundings!

The Skogan Pass trail was nearly deserted but, based on frequent tracks left in the freshly groomed snow, we were probably sharing it with a pair of wolves!

Brianne happily winds her way towards the pass under Mount Collembola’s long winter shadow.

LEFT: As the cool afternoon shadows overtook much of the landscape, we were glad that we’d picked a ski with so much elevation gain so as to stay warm!
RIGHT: Brianne manages a “smile” as we continue ever-upwards. Without knowing it, she’d signed up for the biggest cross-country ski of her life (in terms of distance and elevation gain). Fortunately, this gave us ample time to enjoy each other’s company. We may live together but, with 2 young daughters, it sometimes feels like we haven’t had an adult conversation in, well, over 3 months!

Near its namesake pass, Skogan Peak finally comes into view to the north.

After 11 km and 3 hours of “date”, we finally reached our goal: scenic Skogan Pass. Looking out over the Bow Valley for the first time all day, we whooped and celebrated with hot tea and a frozen Kit Kat bar. Talk about treating my lady…

Skogan Pass’ powerlines bisect the view of the Bow Valley’s iconic Three Sisters (Faith, Hope and Charity).

The TransCanada Highway winds its way through the valley below towards Canmore.

Mount Rundle stretches from EEOR above Canmore to the massif’s summit over Banff.

Cascade Mountain is an iconic Bow Valley landmark that doesn’t look like Castle Mountain AT ALL.

Grotto Mountain (center) and Pigeon Mountain (right) rise up to the north of the pass’ powerlines.

Mount McGillivray rises up beyond the rolling hills that surround the pass.

While the powerline right-of-way provided the day’s best views, its towers and cables also marred the magnificent mountain scene. Hoping for a powerline-free panorama, I post-holed into the woods for a few minutes and discovered this magnificent view of nearby Mount Collembola.

A powerline-free panorama (taken about 50 m to the south of Skogan Pass)! Click to see larger.

LEFT: The Three Sisters are even prettier when there's not powerlines in front of them!
RIGHT: My date patiently enjoys a cup of hot tea while I posthole all about with my camera…

Skogan selfie: On a date, that featured many high points, this was the literal one (2073 m)!

As the winter chill began to sink in, we finished our tea and turned our attention towards the best part of the Skogan Pass ski trail: the descent!

Volcano Peak (left) and Fisher Peak (right) appeared through the powerlines as we turned our ski tips downwards and held on tight for a ride that was 625 vertical meters in the making.

Mount Kidd glows in the late afternoon light while Brianne readies herself for the section of the descent that is unofficially refered to as “the Screamer” … 😱 🤣 ⛷️

LEFT: After a wild 1-hour descent and surviving “the Screamer,” Brianne did the unthinkable; She fell for the first time all day while attempting to take off her skis in the Ribbon Creek parking lot. Sadly, I wasn’t fast enough to capture the fall on film but I did get the sheepish (or should that be “Goatish” 🐐?) grin that she flashed in its aftermath…
RIGHT: With pubs and restaurants still closed due to public health measures, we opted to enjoy a celebratory beverage in the parking lot under Ribbon Peak’s watchful eye.

After a wonderful, RESPONSIBILITY-FREE day with a wonderful date, we packed up and started home, refreshed and eager to catch up with our little girls monsters. As you can see from the video below, that reunion really reinforced the NEED for kid-free date days! Ah, it's good to be home! 🤣

KIDS...