Mount Gardner Ski Touring

February 6, 2025

Bowen Island is usually not thought of as a skiing destination, mostly because it doesn’t really get snow. However, in February 2025, a storm caused snow to fall at much lower elevations than typical. This opened up some new areas for skiing. Mount Gardner, the highest point on Bowen (elevation 727 metres), seemed like one such option. 

The ferry was not running due to a mechanical issue, so everyone headed for Bowen had to board a water taxi. With my ski gear, I got some very confused looks from the other passengers. The crossing was very bumpy thanks to the strong arctic outflow winds. 

There was snow all the way to sea level and I could start skinning on patchy, icy snow as soon as I reached the Crippen park trail. About half of the path was skinnable. There was about half an inch of powder just off the trail. Along the way I passed several locals walking their dogs and got some more confused looks.

After walking around Killarney Lake, I reached the official Mt. Gardner trailhead on Mount Gardner Road. Luckily, the logging road had not been plowed and there was still quite a bit of snow left, even at 130m elevation.

There was about one or two inches of powder covering the road, and a skin track could easily be set, although there were a couple scratchy sections on the steeper parts. There were some boot tracks in the lower part, but no one had made it all the way up the road, and the snow was unouched for the last half. 

I stayed on the road as long as possible, but the party ended around 500m when the route became a trail. The narrow trail and deadfall made this section harder to navigate, but I could still skin up most of it. Rocks and logs had to be avoided. 

I went to both the north and south summits, with the crux being the steep gully before the north summit. It took some effort to drag the skins up here, but I managed it.

Once on top I enjoyed the views of the Sunshine Coast and Lower Mainland blanketed in snow, a view not often seen. 

The south summit was uneventful, as usual. I took the bypass route around the north summit and found myself at the start of the road. Here the party began. I took the skins off and glided downhill on what was actually a decent amount of powder. At the start the road was clear, apart from my skin track and the tracks of some sort of animal. It wasn’t knee-deep powder but it was more than Bowen Island usually gets!

The lower half of the FSR had a lower amount of snow and had seen some use by sledders. I had to put skins on about ⅔ of the way down to avoid scratches. Once at the start of the pavement, I a-framed the skis and walked back through Crippen Park to Snug Cove, avoiding one local’s angry small dog on the way. After a short break to admire the sunset at the beach, I returned to the dock and took a water taxi back to the mainland. 

It ain’t Whistler, but I still got some good turns. Was it worth it? Probably not, although I think it would be a decent cross-country skiing route while the snow lasts.