S k o k i i i L o d g e B a c k c o u n t t t r r r y S k i i i i i i n g
L a k e L o u i i i s e , , , C a n a d a
Trip No. 0914 Page 1 of 12

Saturday, March 14 through Monday, March 23, 2009
Skoki Lodge, a national historic site, is situated at
7,100’ in the beautiful high alpine of Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lodge is accessible in winter only by skiing or snowshoeing. The area offers spectacular scenery and excellent, challenging intermediate or better first-tracks, backcountry skiing, including skinning up before enjoying your Tele turns. The website http://www.skoki.com
/ does a wonderful job describing and
Len Weiss is a long-time AMC member, a Boston Chapter leader since 2005, and a ME co-leader. He was a participant on the first Skoki ME in 2006. Skoki ME
2009 will be his second leadership; in
February 2008 he co-led an alpine and showing what will be a fantastic winter experience.
Appendix 1 is winter-related FAQs excerpted from the website, and Appendix 2 (not included on AMC web version of this prospectus) is other winter information from the website; please contact leaders for Appendix 2.
We will ski a 7 mile trail from Lake Louise through the Skoki Valley to the historic Skoki Lodge, gaining
1,000’. The stay is 5 days and 4 nights. This a beautiful, renovated log structure built in the early 1930s. The meals and afternoon tea are outstanding, and an excellent selection of wine and beer is available.
The terrain includes breathtaking mountain ridges, alpine lakes, and five adjoining valleys. A variety of day ski tour excursions, depending on ski conditions and
Nordic front country ME to St. Moritz,
Switzerland. He has co-led a weekend xc trip in the Whites. He is an experienced, intermediate skier, preferring backcountry Nordic telemark, using skins to gain elevation, but also enjoys lifts and groomed slopes. He completed Level 1 avalanche hazard training in 2007.
Besides skiing, he pursues mountain and road biking, multi-day backpacking, basketball and rugby.
Linda Moraski has been involved with the AMC for over 10 years. She participant abilities and preferences, will be organized. We will not have a guide and there is the potential for avalanches (see the risks section of the prospectus).
The trip is limited to 10 participants and 2 leaders, who reserve the right to select a smaller number of participants. Once the trip is full, prospective participants may be accepted to a wait list. Minimum age for the trip is
21 years old.
Trip Cost, Inclusions and Exclusions and Finances
The cost of this trip is $ 2,100 per person, excluding air fare currently estimated at $900-1,000. AMC Major
Excursions (“ME”) are run on a non-profit basis, and discovered the outdoors in her twenties and never looked back. Linda takes pride in her accomplishments which include running 5 marathons, biking cross country, hiking to the top of Mt.
Kilimanjaro and other technical high altitude mountaineering excursions in
Seattle and in Ecuador. She sees herself as a role model for those who question their own abilities and enjoys introducing other people to outdoor activities. Linda has led trips to Southeast Asia, Eastern
Europe and France. Last year she co-led reflect considerable investment by unpaid, volunteer leaders in planning, organizing and implementing trips. It is AMC policy that the cost of the trip bears a portion of the leaders’ costs, as well as a factor for the administrative an AMC trip to Bhutan. Professionally,
Linda is a business owner and manages a successful technology staffing company in the Boston area. expenses of the ME Committee. Tipping leaders is prohibited.
The budget for this trip was prepared in June 2008. A significant concern is energy costs; they are high, and highly volatile. The costs of other resources also have exposure.
Airlines, other transportation providers and other vendors may well establish prices that are higher than our budget assumes. If we experience this scenario, any increase will be passed on to you. Likewise, should actual expenses of the trip be less than budgeted, the excess amount will be refunded to you.
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The trip cost includes all lodging, and meals from the dinner, Saturday, March 14, through breakfast, Monday, March 23, except additional lodging and meals caused by travel delays. The Skoki Lodge provides breakfast, lunch and dinner; other meals will be taken at area restaurants, or we will have trail lunches and snacks. Also included is ground transportation to and from the Calgary International Airport (except additional transportation caused by travel delays), and to and from the Lake Louise trailhead, and emergency medical and evacuation insurance (subject to you being accepted on the trip, we will send information on the program offered by the AMC).
The trip cost excludes individual clothing and equipment, airfares, local transportation in Lake Louise, any meals not eaten with the group, alcoholic drinks at the lodge and restaurants, all gratuities, other skiing and sightseeing opportunities, trip cancellation insurance (discussed later), and other personal matters. Credit cards are accepted for your incidentals at the lodge. While gratuities are a personal decision, we recommend bringing cash if you expect to leave a gratuity.
We would like to schedule a pre-trip get together at a location reasonably convenient to all. The cost of that event is not included.
A deposit of $1,500 is required with your application to secure your place. It will be returned if your application is not accepted, or you withdraw before being accepted. The remaining $600 is due on January 15, 2009.
Refunds for a participant’s cancellation from the trip will be contingent on the ability to recruit replacements and/or adjust expenses, and probably won’t be determined or returned until after the trip has been completed.
Itinerary

Day 1, Saturday, March 14 o air transportation from departing city in morning for afternoon arrival in
Calgary, Canada – see separate section on air travel o group assembly at airport o travel by private van to the wonderful Lake Louise Alpine Centre hostel, centrally located near numerous Nordic ski trails
( http://www.hihostels.ca/pm/en/lakelouisehostel.aspx?sortcode=2.22
) o dinner at Centre or local restaurant

Day 2 and 3, Sunday and Monday, March 15 and 16 o breakfast at Centre or local restaurant o explore some of Lake Louise’s Nordic ski trails, gaining group esprit and checking out equipment to make sure we’re set for our trip into Skoki o dinner at Centre or local restaurant

Day 4, Tuesday, March 17 o breakfast at Centre o purchase trail lunch, drinks and snacks o shuttle to and check-in at Ski Louise
(alpine skiing venue) guest services, execute local waivers, and be transported to the trailhead o ski 7 miles from the trailhead to the Skoki Lodge, arriving in late afternoon for tea, check-in, orientation and relaxation o sumptuous dinner
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o après dinner in a cozy, warm environment reading a book, playing Scrabble, engaging in conversation, and listening to one of the staff members share a bit of lodge history; plan next day’s tour

Days 5 through 7, Wednesday through Friday, March 18 to 20 o breakfast served at the lodge; after breakfast, selfprepared trail lunches, drinks and snacks o spend the days exploring the spectacular beauty surrounding the lodge; depending on ski conditions and participant preferences o return in time for late afternoon tea and sumptuous dinner o après dinner in a cozy, warm environment reading a book, playing Scrabble, engaging in conversation, and listening to one of the staff members share a bit of lodge history; plan next day’s tour

Day 8, Saturday, March 21 o breakfast served at the lodge; after breakfast, self-prepared trail lunches, drinks and snacks o ski out from the lodge to the trailhead, and return to the Lake Louise Alpine
Centre o dinner at Centre or local restaurant

Day 9, Sunday, March 22 o breakfast at Centre or local restaurant o pack clothing and equipment o travel by private van to Calgary, with a possible lunch/shopping stop in Banff o stay in a hotel near the airport o dinner at local restaurant

Day 10, Monday, March 23 o breakfast at local restaurant, depending on flight schedules o free shuttle to respective terminals o airline departures back home.
Accommodations
We have reserved three 4-person rooms with private baths at The Lake Louise Alpine Centre. The Centre has some 2-person rooms without private bath. The supplement for a 2-person room, if available, is $100, plus $30 for each person choosing this option.
We have reserved six double rooms at the airport motel.
The Skokie Lodge is primitive luxury. The first floor has a kitchen, dining room, clothes and equipment drying room, and library. There are heating stoves in the dining and living rooms. Our reserved guest rooms, unheated and unlit, save for the windows, are on the second floor (we are not in the detached cabins): Merlin – 4 people; Molar – 3 people;
Deception and Fossil – 2 people each; and Silvertip – 1 person.
The beds are very comfortable, and the down comforters are wonderful. There is no running water or facilities in the public or guest rooms. Guest rooms have towels, ewers and washbasins; hot to lukewarm water, depending on time of day, is available in containers in the
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drying room. Separate “outdoor” male and female facilities are a short, brisk walk from the building.
Unfortunately, the outside sauna, fueled by a wood-burning stove, was recently destroyed by fire. It was a challenge to operate, but well worth the effort.
Depending on alternate room availability, we will try to accommodate individual and couple preferences. Please describe such in your application.
Plan to dress in your ski clothing when you wake in the morning. At the end of the day’s ski, change into your informal clothes and hang your wet clothing and equipment in the drying room.
Meals dietary preferences. Please indicate any in the application.
The Skoki Lodge can accommodate
Air and Ground Transportation
Assuming we are a geographically diverse group, and because you may have many choices and availability in your travel programs, we expect participants to make their own air transportation arrangements. Send the leaders the details of your air travel when you make your reservations. The application makes provision in the event you want us to handle the air travel.
Plan your travel so that you arrive at the Calgary International Airport no later than
2:00 pm MST on Saturday, March 14. Winter weather conditions have the potential to impact the planned arrival of you and/or your luggage. There is a buffer day built into the schedule to accommodate these circumstances. In any event, it is recommended to approach Calgary from a southern United States connecting airport if you cannot fly non-stop. Hopefully, we will all be together with our possessions on a 15-person private van that will leave for Lake
Louise at around 4:00 pm MST; it is a 2-1/2 to 3 hour drive to the Centre, weather dependent.
Should you miss the private van, you will contact the van operator to determine if they have another vehicle going to Lake Louise. If so, you will most likely be able to get on.
There is also a scheduled shuttle service to Lake Louise (in 2008, the last departure was 6:30 pm MST) that is an additional back-up. With the buffer day, you can always stay overnight near the airport, and make the trip to Lake Louise the following day. More information on travel contingencies will be distributed closer to departure.
Clothing and Equipment
It is imperative that you have the recommended technical clothing and equipment, and that you have previously skied with such and are sure of its fit and functionality. NO
COTTON GARMENTS SHOULD BE PART OF YOUR TECHNICAL CLOTHING.
Down insulating layers will work well, in addition to wool, silk, polypro, and fleece. The success and safety of the trip for you and others could be significantly compromised if this is not the case. Feel free to discuss clothing and equipment issues with us before departure. The pre-trip get-together also should be helpful in this regard. We simply can’t afford to find out when we are on the ground in Lake Louise that anyone is unprepared because of their clothing and equipment. While we encourage you to be complete, remember that the more you bring, the more you carry on your back!! Try to keep your pack weight to no more than 20 pounds.
There is a delicate balance to this tipping point. March weather conditions are better than
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January or February, but still can be unpredictable and quite varied, so participants need to be prepared for frigid cold, white-out storms, and bright spring sun.
Your skis at a minimum will need to be metal-edged, wider Nordic backcountry (not
“skinny” cross country). The binding system must be appropriate for the skis (BNCC or stronger). The boots must also be appropriate for the skis, be made of stiff leather/plastic, and appropriate for the aggressiveness of your skiing style. More structured telemark equipment with plastic boots and Alpine touring (randonee) equipment also works. They are more than what is needed for touring, but would be great to have for skinning up and skiing some of the steeper terrain. Full-length climbing skins are a must….we will be beyond the functionality of waxable and waxless skis at times. Ski performance will change with the additional weight of a loaded pack. Skis that glide well when you ski without weight, may well drag when you are loaded. Greater friction will slow you down and require more energy. Although we will experience a variety of skiing environments, practical considerations limit you to one pair of skis and boots. Choose wisely, considering the type of skiing that is most important to you on this trip.
If participants expect to rent any of their clothes and equipment, do so at a merchant in your home area, and use it before the trip to be sure of its fit and functionality. Do not rely on the expectation that you can purchase or rent gear in Canada. There is one high-quality shop in Lake Louise, but the selection of fit and functionality for the nature if this trip cannot be relied on. In 2006, we encountered serious delays in airline luggage delivery, and participants shared gear with each other, and in some cases participants were fortunate to be able to rent some gear. This year’s trip has a buffer day at Lake Louise built into the itinerary to hedge against weather and airline caused delays.
You won’t need much or fancy casual clothing, even if you opt to dine one evening at the spectacular Chateau Lake Louise. Your degree of comfortableness at the Skoki Lodge will be dependent or your body’s cold management system. Some of your technical clothing may serve well as casual, too....you might find yourself lounging in long underwear, a wool hat, glove liners and a down jacket. Besides your ski boots, down booties is the only footwear you will need at the lodge.
Clothing, equipment, skibags and suitcases not coming to Skoki can be checked at the
Centre. There are large storage lockers in the basement; bring a lock.
Trip Difficulty and Required Skill Level
Participants need to have at least intermediate backcountry skiing ability and control, and be in good physical condition. The ski trip into the lodge is 7 miles on ungroomed trails, and you will be carrying your clothing, equipment, lunch and water. You should be able to comfortably control descents over medium pitch ski slopes and trails, and have the ability to turn and stop in ungroomed conditions. Avalanche training and equipment are not required.
We intend to set a pace that will accommodate the enjoyment of all. Breaks and photo op’s are encouraged. Most important, participants need to have a community-based attitude, a sense of adventure and a serious appreciation of the risks presented in a trip of this nature.
Risks and Risk Management
Risk Management - We could be as many as 3 to 4 miles from the Skoki Lodge or trailhead in an emergency; a response may be lengthy. The leaders will develop a management plan that balances the needs of an injured party and the general well being of the group. Leaders will have 2 way radios and a satellite phone while touring. The lodge manager will be aware of our routes and expected arrival times, and sensitive to us being overdue. He has a snow machine at the lodge, and radio telephone to contact helicopter search and rescue. The nearest hospital is in Banff.
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Personal Preparedness – This is a physically and mentally demanding trip, but the rewards are magnificent. We will be in the wilderness. The weather and skiing require individual fitness, strong skills and demonstrated experience in extreme cold conditions. There is the potential to be stranded on the trail; hypothermia is possible. Participants, even if fatigued, sick or injured, are expected to push on if at all possible. Maintaining positive group behavior is paramount; we must be supportive and understanding of anyone having difficulty.
Participants will need to overcome interpersonal differences; unresolved issues should be brought to the leaders’ attention before they have had a chance to fester.
Weather - The trail to the lodge is very clearly marked and can be easily followed even in snowy conditions. But there is some risk that weather conditions will be severe enough or some other factor might force us to alter our original plans. Our intent in these situations will be to involve participants in discussing alternative plans and, as best we can, continue with our backcountry adventure in a safe mode. Participants need to maintain some flexibility in these situations. Final decisions will rest with the leaders.
Avalanche – We will be very conservative, avoiding avalanche-loaded slopes to ameliorate avalanche risk. There are lots of great, safe places to ski in Lake Louise and around the lodge.
Len Weiss has been trained in avalanche awareness, and we will be monitoring local avalanche information, with the assistance of the lodge manager. However, as we venture along, there may be terrain that could present some risk. Final decisions on where we go and where we ski will rest with the leaders.
Altitude - Most of the trip will be spent at altitudes around 7,000 to 8,000’, which usually does not cause altitude sickness. If a group member suffers from the affects of altitude, the first response will be for everyone to return to lower altitude. If the participant does not recover, there is the potential that that member may have to leave the trip. Trip cost reimbursement may not be possible, and you will likely incur additional expenses, subject to the provisions of the included emergency medical and evacuation insurance policy, as well as other insurance you may have.
Participant Application
Please contact a leader to express your interest in this trip. If there is space availability and the discussion of your interests and skills seems to be a good fit, you will be provided for your completion and submission the Participant Application as well as the mandatory
Confidential Health Questionnaire, optional Confidential Supplemental Medical
Questionnaire, and Acknowledgement and Assumption of Risk and Release and Indemnity
Agreement. For the safety and integrity of the trip, and the respect of all participants, it is important that you be completely honest and transparent in describing your experience, fitness, and mental and physical health, and that you bring changes in these areas to the leaders’ attention as soon they occur. Primary concerns are adequate skill levels, skiing experience, physical condition, and clothing and equipment. Once your application has been reviewed, a leader will contact you by phone to discuss your responses, and again about the decision regarding your application. Your deposit check will not be cashed until you are accepted.
You will also be asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire after the trip.
Cancellation Insurance
Optional trip cancellation insurance is available through a variety of programs, including one available from the AMC. You decide on your own, and handle this directly with the sponsor. Based upon your response in the application, and subject to you being accepted on the trip, we will send information on the program offered by the AMC through
Travel Insurance Select, Travel Insurance Services (800-937-1387).
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Communications
We will communicate with the group as necessary, and as we approach the departure date. Feel free to contact the leaders at any time.
Len Weiss : lenweiss@rcn.com
; 617-277-8403
Linda Moraski: lindamoraski2@yahoo.com
; 617-448-8895
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Pers onal
 c i d t r e n d a r d c a i a a d a n
C n c
Please read the prospectus in conjunction with this list.

Technical Clothing
 long underwear top and bottom – no more than 2 pair
 mid- and heavy- weight insulating shirts/sweaters/pants
 nice to have a warm, dry top in your pack at lunch stop
 liner and outer sock combinations – no more than 2 pair
 outer shell jacket with hood and pants
(wind and water proof)
 various weights of gloves/mittens and liners (wind and water proof)
 gaiters that fit over ski boots (if your pants don’t provide adequate protection)
 hats that have full ear protection – no more than 2
 balaclava or neck warmer that can cover your face
Technical Equipment
 backcountry skis
 climbing skins
 ski poles
 ski boots
 slide and grip waxes and tools
 tools for boots and bindings
 3,000 cu” backpack – accommodates both ski in/out and day tours hydration system or water bottles – no less than
3 liters
 sun screen and lip balm with SPF and
UV protection
 sun glasses or glacier goggles with UV protection
 toilet paper
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i o t a i c e d n c y
 m r e u r n s
 h l t h e a i y e e r e p a a s l g s d
 s a r c c e a n u r n s
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toiletries t n c o
, e s t s a c

 ear plugs
 headlamp or flashlight
Group Gear (supplied by leaders; shared carry by group) medical kit
 lock for storage locker at Alpine
Centre
 sleeping bag
 satellite phone and 2-way radios
 repair kit and combo tool
Optional
 smaller backpack for day tours
 binoculars
 stainless steel thermos (for hot trail drinks)
 Tupperware (so you don’t crush lunch)
 journal and writing material
 reading material
 snacks – provided by the lodge, but if you have a preference, bring them
Casual Clothing (at Centre and Lodge)
 personal choice of casual wear fleece/down booties with a Cordura sole
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Appendix 1
Skoki Lodge Winter-Related FAQs
We advise our guests that Skoki Lodge is accessible by an intermediate level trail and is one of the best ski touring
/snowshoe and hiking experiences in the Canadian Rockies.
Avalanche conditions can change frequently and unexpectedly.
Information and updates be can be found at www.avalanche.ca.
Depending on your ability, it takes 3 to 5 hours to hike/cross country ski/snow shoe to Skoki Lodge.
The steepest part of the trail is 2485 metres/8200 feet.
You will not have a guide. Please make sure that you are fully acquainted with the directions provided to get to Skoki Lodge.
We are unable to deliver packs to or from Skoki Lodge.
If you miss the 9:30AM check in, ou will have to still check in at guest services in Whiskeyjack Lodge at the base of Lake
Louise Mountain Resort, then park your vehicle in the Fish
Creek Parking Lot and hike from the parking lot to Skoki Lodge.
The hike from the parking lot to the trailhead is 3 KM/1.9 miles.
Skoki Lodge is a licensed facility, with a variety of fine wines and beer served in the Dining/Main lodge areas.
At time of booking, please advise your booking agent of any allergies or special meal requirements. We will endeavor to meet your needs.
Skoki Lodge and cabins are designated as non smoking areas.
Gratuities are a welcomed reflection of the quality of services rendered.
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