Gin Peak-Hanging Lake Backcountry Skiing

After a few weeks of warm temperatures, we had some excellent snowfall, and I was looking for a beginner-friendly backcountry skiing trip. FATMAP’s Vancouver’s Top Beginner Ski Touring Routes list includes Gin Peak via Hanging Lake.

Most of my backcountry ski trips have been on North Shore mountains, and I wanted to explore further. So Gin Peak seemed like a good option at just under 12 km round trip with about 1160 m vertical. Jesse had been there a few weeks back, but the conditions were not great then, so he was interested in going back with some fresh snow.

Weather and Avalanche Conditions

Most weather models forecasted a clear day for Sunday, and the freezing level was around 500 m. In terms of the Avalanche Forecast, it was Moderate-Moderate-Low (Alpine-Treeline-Below Treeline) with a note to watch for wind slabs.

Whistler Olympic Park – Callaghan Valley

On Sunday, January 22, Jesse and I met at St. David’s Church at around 6:45 am and carpooled from there. From the church, it takes about 1.5 hours in regular traffic to reach Whistler Olympic Park in Callaghan Valley. Including a stop on our drive, we would have arrived around 8:30 am – just when the gates opened at the park. But it was a busy day with many people going to Whistler for skiing. So whenever the lanes merged along the Sea to Sky highway, it was stop-and-go traffic.

We finally arrived at the gate just past 9 am. Jesse had already purchased the Backcountry Access pass the day before. Given the weather forecast, I assumed it would be busy, but surprisingly it was not. Not at least at the parking lot.

Around 9:30 am, we geared up and headed to the Neverland (cross-country) Trail. Soon to the right was a sign for Hanging Lake Trail. Once on the trail, we did a beacon check.

It is less than a km to the Hanging Lake Winter Trail trailhead. There were a couple of sections where we had to step over the stream or get more creative. Jesse was already making plans to jump over these on our way back.

Hanging Lake Winter Trail

The first km to the trailhead (947 m) was relatively flat at less than 80 m elevation gain. Once we got on the Hanging Lake Winter Trail, it got steeper, and the elevation gain was about 470 m over the next 2.6 km to Hanging Lake.

There were a few more exciting creek crossings till we got higher up on the trail. 

Just over an hour into the trip, we came across a group waiting for an individual struggling on a steep section. I thought, soon, it was going to be me, but I made it up okay. I guess skinning up to Pump Peak on Mount Seymour in crusty snow conditions does help. 

As we made our way up, Jesse would take some alternative (i.e. difficult) tracks thinking, “Why not?” and I was like, “Why?” At this point in my evolution of ski touring, I am still trying to get up the mountain the easiest way.

It took me almost two hours to arrive at Hanging Lake (1405 m). I was tired, and we took a 20-minute break. After fueling up and having some chai, I felt better. We checked the time, discussed our options and decided to continue toward Gin Peak. 

Gin Peak (1803 m)

We crossed the lake and then got on the direct trail that other skiers had gone up. Initially, we thought about going up the moderate slope through the trees and gaining the ridge. But the direct approach was alright, and we continued on it.

Higher up, we had a great view of Gin Peak. 

The previous day, I had a really good day of skiing at Grouse (25+ km, 5100+ m drop), and I used my backcountry setup for the first time at the resort. I was likely tired from this effort and was slower on this trip.

I was unsure about heading to Gin Peak, which seemed like another 30-45 minutes away. So I took a short break and had some water. It was 12:30 pm, and we still had four hours to get back to the parking lot before the gate closed at 4:30 pm. We decided to continue.

It took only 20 minutes to reach the Gin Peak summit. It was a beautiful day with some fantastic views.

Descent

After a long break, we transitioned to ski mode and started our descent. Some skiers descended down the North/North-West side of the peak towards Rainbow Lake. However, it seemed a bit steep, so we decided to head down on the South side (same as your ascent). 

Then we unintentionally started skiing down towards Rainbow Lake. Once we realized we were on the wrong side of the ridge, we started traversing west. It was my second time skiing on powder snow, and it felt good. 

Jesse had already reached the low point and was getting ready to skin up to the ridge. I was just a few minutes away when my left ski went in, and I crashed. I felt pain in my left ankle and knee. For a moment, I was unsure if I could ski out. Eventually, I got down, transitioned and started skinning up to the ridge. 

We took the skins off at the top of the ridge and started skiing down to Hanging Lake. I was cautious as I couldn’t trust my left knee/ankle movement. Once at the edge of Hanging Lake, I boot-packed up to the high point and started the descent.

Just past the big boulder field, we went more to the (skier’s) left and lost the trail. We ended up on the wrong side of the creek and in some steep terrain. We took off our skis, got down the steep section and then traversed in the direction of the trail. 

It was a slog. Jesse wished he had his snowshoes while I was getting good at balancing poles in one hand and skis in the other to trudge through the snow. Crossing the creek was probably one of the trickiest parts, but we safely got back on the trail. 

Skiing down the trail, I managed to jump into a creek. Jesse was confused and asked why I didn’t stop or change course. I said, “I just saw the creek and went in.” I used to do it with trees; this time, it was a creek. Just a progression in my backcountry skiing. 

Thankfully, I didn’t further injure myself and climbed back to the trail. On my way down, I also managed to break part of the heel piece on one of the skis. Given my (lack of) performance, G3 might sign me up for product testing. 

It took me almost the same time to ski down from Hanging Lake to the Parking Lot as it had taken me to skin up the same section. One of the reasons I had taken up backcountry skiing was to save time on the descent. I might have to come up with another reason to continue backcountry skiing.

At 4:25 pm, we were at the parking lot. Once the ski boots were off, it was painful, and I was limping. Since the trip it has been a week now. No fractures based on the X-ray, but I am in the queue for MRI. The ankle and knee pain has reduced, but I am not back to normal yet. A few more days of rest and I should be back on skis to entertain my friends.

Overall, the Gin Peak-Hanging Lake trip is a moderately difficult backcountry skiing trip, and I won’t necessarily put it on the beginner list.

Territory Acknowledgement

I want to acknowledge that this trip took place on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the St’át’imc (Stat-lee-um), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Líl̓wat Nations. I commit to learning about Indigenous peoples and issues and making reconciliation an ongoing effort.

Source: Native-Land Pronunciation Guide: First-Nations.info

Resources:

Backcountry Basics: G3 University | REI Beginner’s Guide

Route Info: FATMAP

Whistler Olympic Park: Backcountry Pass

Avalanche Canada – Forecast | Avy Savvy – Online Avalanche Tutorial | Recorded Webinars

Weather Forecast – SpotWx | Yr.No

AdventureSmart – Trip Planning

If you are in Lower Mainland, check out British Columbia Mountaineering Club (BCMC) for trips and courses.

Disclosure: The links I have shared in the post and under the Resources section are not Affiliate Links.

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