Tres Hombres lives up to its hype.
Finally got my chance to ski Marmot Basin’s newest area, located just a short uphill hike off the Paradise Chair, and yes, it is as advertised: steep and tough; long and tiring. But it’s also wide and open, which helps to take some of the bite out of its intimidation.
The area opened several weeks back but the media got to tour it during a Jasper in January event last weekend and, if I may say so, it was worth waiting for. As one who loves Knob Hill, and occasionally ventures into Charlie’s Bowl, Tres Hombres offers a combination of both with added length.
“Marmot has always had that reputation for being a great family hill,” Brian Rode, vice-president of marketing and sales says. “it has good terrain, it’s less crowded, it has lots of variety. We’ve had lots of good expert terrain, but it hasn’t always taken the same focus as maybe some of the other areas, so people haven’t noticed it as much.
“So Tres Hombre adds that dimension to Marmot, that advanced skier or that skier who really wants challenging terrain, get off the main trials type of experience, now they’ve got it in spades.”
Tres Hombres is steep, which will please the expert skiers and boarders. They can stand at the top of the small cliff, look almost straight down and then jump in.
“That market isn’t the biggest market, the advanced, but it’s an important market that influences other skiers and snowboarders in what they aspire to do,” said Rode, himself unable to enjoy the skiing these days after a skating accident. “And you don’t have to be a super expert, but you need to be a strong skier or snowboarder and you have to keep your head on your shoulders, you need to think. You need to be aware of your surroundings and know that even though you’re still inbounds, go with a buddy and take the necessary precautions.”
Those who may be less inclined to just jump in – like myself -- can ease in from the side.
There are several entry points, from jumping off the edge straight down, to sliding in from either side or sliding down a track to the far left for a lower, less steep entry.
It’s taken Marmot a number of years to get permission to open the area, but they’ve been studying it and actively managing it since 1987, learning how the snow packs in and what happens under different weather patterns.
“The snow definitely blows in there. It gets a lot of blow-in and that’s part of the challenge for the management program for that terrain,” explained Rode. “You may only get 10 centimetres of snow (on the rest of the mountain) and have a 30-cm deposition in Tres Hombres, because it’s all going to pillow in there. So, this is the challenge for the safety team and the avalanche control team. They have to monitor that very closely, every time there’s a snowfall.
“It’s north facing so it doesn’t get direct sunlight … so when you start looking in late April or when things are getting warmer you’re going to go over there and still have winter-type snow conditions.”
There is, however, one significant drawback to Tres Hombres – getting out. While it’s a short hike into the top and a challenging ski or ride down, it is an intimidating ski out to exit the area. The ski out is narrow, with rolls, the occasional rock or tree root to avoid but, fortunately, a number of runouts to help visitors control their speed or avoid those who have fallen or stopped in front of them.
“Trying to get out of any off-piste terrain it’s not going to be a groomed cat track,” said Rode. “So, people have to go in prepared. The ski out is short. You’re not hiking it, but you need to be aware (ski in short distances, use the runaway trails to monitor speed). Take your time.
“What’ll happen is as the season goes on and we get more snow in there it’ll be much easier to manage and manicure the ski out. Right now, because we haven’t had a lot of fresh snow the last few weeks, it gets used and it gets difficult, but as we get more snow it’s going to naturally flatten out the rolls and widen it.”
JASPER IN JANUARY GETTING UNDERWAY
Meanwhile, this is the first weekend of the 29th annual Jasper in January festival, a two-week event the offers discounts throughout the town, on Marmot Basin lift tickets and features a variety of events.
Marmot offers $20 off adult lift tickets every day.
Not into skiing or snowboarding? There’s the chili cook-out and other food activities, Wine in Winter, a dance social, street party and fireworks and a ton of other events to keep everyone of any age busy.
For a complete listing of events, go to: jasperinjanuary.skimarmot.com
