Party Pace & The Power of Connection
How communities are connecting over ski touring in Whistler and the Fraser Valley.
Written by Cam Fenton. Photography by Oisin McHugh.
It’s still dark when they gather at the bottom of Blackcomb Mountain. Snow from last night’s storm crunches under their boots while the air fills with the misted breath of dozens gathered in the pre-dawn cold. In the distance, they can hear snowmobiles revving up as ski patrol and lift operators prepare for the day ahead.
There’s a tearing sound as climbing skins are removed from backpacks and pulled apart. Buckles click, and levers turn as boots are tightened, loosened and switched to walk mode. An energy bar wrapper crinkles as someone downs a rushed breakfast.
Headlamps on, it’s time to move. The first Dawn Patrol event of 2026 is off.
For Justin Vadeboncoeur, the idea was hatched in 2024. At the time, he was working at Escape Route, chatting with his friend and colleague Oli Kennedy about the challenges of building a ski touring community in Whistler.
“Whistler being as transient as it is, there are a lot of newcomers, there are a lot of people getting into touring,” he explained. They wanted a way for beginners to find their footing, both literally and figuratively, in the sport, so they started organizing events. It was small at first, events in the shop “for people to just come and socialize”.
As the buzz grew, they began considering taking things onto the snow.
Vadeboncoeur and Kennedy envisioned “a run club, but for ski touring.” Something that would be accessible, safe and welcoming for new and experienced skiers alike.
“That's how the whole idea of what is now dawn patrol started,” he said.
Last winter, Mount Waddington Outdoors took over the former Escape Route location and relaunched the program as the Dawn Patrol Club in January 2025. It ran every other week throughout the winter, drawing around 40 people to each event. Similar numbers appeared on January 7, 2026, at the first event of this season.
“There were a lot of familiar faces,” said Vadeboncoeur. “People were saying things like ‘oh, hey, I haven't seen you since last winter’. There's a community.”
The key, Vadeboncoeur explained, is to make the events as accessible as possible.
“This time of year, we start in the dark, but as soon as we start, everybody's smiling,” he said. “People show up with or without friends and end up chatting the whole way up…we call it party pace.”
When posts about the Dawn Patrol showed on Mount Waddington’s social media, the response from the Fraser Valley was almost immediate. Comments poured in asking about doing something similar in the valley.
The challenge, Sam Waddington explained, is that unlike in Whistler, the Chilliwack shops aren’t a few steps from the base of a ski area. The hour-plus drive to Sasquatch or Manning Park presents challenges. So too do the operations of the ski areas, which, unlike Whistler, don’t have clear policies or routes for uphill travel outside of their operating hours.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people working on building community. Earlier this year, Chilliwack-based ski tourer Willem Hergesheimer launched the Fraser Valley Backcountry Ski + Splitboard group on Facebook.
“I made the Facebook group in November and got a few hits,” he said. Things started slowly. At first, only about 15 people signed up. But, as Hergesheimer explained, “once we actually started getting snow, the stoke started getting a little bit higher for touring in our area”.
Today, the page has more than 200 members. It’s been used by people looking for touring partners, and by Hergesheimer to organize a series of beginner weekend outings to places like Zoa and Mount Kelly.
“Just short, easy, pretty chill tours with some beacon and companion rescue practice,” he said.
It’s a good start, but for Hergesheimer, there’s still a long way to go when it comes to building a stronger backcountry skiing and splitboarding community in the Fraser Valley. He often sees people looking beyond the local mountains to areas such as Whistler or Rogers Pass.
“Sometimes our local touring scene doesn't really focus on our own local zones and how important and how special they are,” he said. “They’re extensions of the North Cascades, which on the US side is one of the most treasured backcountry zones that exists.”
Hergesheimer hopes his group is a small step toward building a community that recognizes how much great touring there is in the Canadian North Cascades. And, as that community grows, so too will its ability to advocate for access. Maybe, even helping to make something like the Dawn Patrol series happen in the Fraser Valley.
“That’s something that's come up in the trips that we've been on and at the on meet up for drinks,” he said. “It's come up every single time, [people] want to find something like the Dawn Patrol out our way”.
Resources:
RSVP to join the next Dawn Patrol event in Whistler
Browse photos of past Dawn Patrol events
Join the Fraser Valley Backcountry Ski + Splitboard Group on Facebook
Not sure where to get started with backcountry skiing or splitboarding? Take an AST-1 course with Ascent Guides.
Need gear? Visit our shops in Whistler or Chilliwack, where we’re stocked with the latest gear and staffed by backcountry enthusiasts ready to help you get dialled for the season.
