Finding Comfort in the Cold
How a community of outdoor enthusiasts at UBC are building bonds and making memories in the backcountry
On a brisk mid-November morning just before sunrise, a group of 25 sleepy, yet spirited members of the UBC Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC) departed the city in search of solace and snow-capped peaks. Whether they were embarking on their first overnight hike, or this was just another weekend in the backcountry, each member was filled with the anxious excitement about what awaited them.
The trip would take VOC members along the Phelix Creek Trail north of Pemberton to the VOC maintained Brian Waddington Hut. The hut is located at the edge of Long Lake and surrounded by the peaks of Mount Aragorn, Shadowfax, Gandalf and Peregrine.
The VOC is a student-run club at UBC made up of outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, backcountry skiing, climbing, mountaineering, paddling and numerous other outdoor activities.
Trip leaders, Ivan Fediaev and Matthew Drenth organized the hike, bringing together experienced VOC members and first-timers for a backcountry trek that would include spending the night in a hut and the opportunity to try astrophotography.
Drenth is a fifth year Mechanical Engineering student and though this is his final semester at UBC, he has no intention of leaving the VOC after graduation. “It’s how I met my friends,” he said.
After transferring to UBC during the Covid-19 pandemic, Drenth found it hard to meet new people. Then he found the VOC, a place he could pursue his interest in hiking and skiing, while also meeting like-minded students. Now, Drenth has been on “too many trips to count,” and thanks to the help of other members, has learned how to backcountry ski, scramble and climb.
Fediaev is studying Computer Science at UBC and joined the club to pursue his passion for outdoor adventure. When he first joined the VOC Fediaev was shocked that students just like him were organizing these arduous and potentially dangerous trips in the backcountry. “It was a mind-blowing thing for me that students like us could go out into the backcountry with other students guiding them.”
Now Fediaev has plenty of backcountry experience , including hiking, backcountry skiing and climbing — he even plans to climb the Squamish Chief this summer.
From front to back: VOC members Odette Lecasble, Ivan Fediaev and Felix Dorn.
From front to back: VOC members Odette Lecasble, Ivan Fediaev and Felix Dorn.
Felix Dorn posing with a snowman made by VOC members on the Phelix hike.
Felix Dorn posing with a snowman made by VOC members on the Phelix hike.
After about four hours of driving, the group reached the Phelix Forest Service Road (FSR): the first challenge of the day. Only one of the five cars that left Vancouver earlier that morning had enough clearance, four-wheel-drive, and proper tires to attempt driving the FSR. Anton Afana loaded his Ford Escape with five people and nine backpacks before making his first attempt up the road. Afana carefully maneuvered around potholes, large mounds of clay and gravel, and a small rockslide, managing to make it two kilometres up the road before the snow became too deep. Afana repeated the process three times to ensure everyone made it as far along the road as possible before beginning the trek to the hut.
The Phelix Creek Trail is only about four kilometres in length, but with the added distance of the FSR the hike to the hut was approximately eight kilometres in total. Fediaev charged ahead, blazing the path for those coming behind, while Drenth and a few other more experienced members stayed at the back to ensure everyone reached the hut before sunset.
After a steep and slippery section of the trail, the hikers emerged from the trees and into a clearing surrounded on all sides by towering snow-capped mountains, with a rushing river cutting through the otherwise snowy landscape. In the distance, across the frozen Long Lake, was the Brian Waddington Hut.
For what the hut lacks in amenities, it certainly makes up for in character. The only source of heat is a wood stove, there are no sinks or showers and everyone must use the washroom in the outhouse behind the hut. For those who have never slept in the backcountry this might seem like a miserable place to spend the night. For everyone in the VOC — this is backcountry luxury. In the hut you can find a guitar, a deck of cards, maps displaying nearby peaks and leftover canned goods from previous overnight stays. A photo of the hut’s namesake, Brian Waddington — a former VOC member who died in an avalanche — hangs on the wall.
After the VOC arrived, the hut came to life. Members shared stoves and meals, while swapping stories of previous experiences in the backcountry. First year UBC student Joseph Chiao played "Yellow Submarine" on the guitar. Drenth passed around a bottle of Sambuca, while Fediaev made apple cider to share. Then, as the skies cleared, Fediaev led a group outside to attempt to capture photos of the night sky. Alex Levy — a third year Biology student on his first VOC trip — tried to capture the perfect group photo with the mountains and the stars in the background. Despite the frigid conditions, everyone stood happily in the snow, laughing as Levy attempted to get the lighting just right.
The next morning, four experienced VOC members, including Drenth, Afana, Ketan Desai and Ben Sommerfeld awoke at 4:00 am to attempt to summit a nearby peak named Mount Frodo. Equipped with ice axes and snowshoes, the group trudged through the darkness, the only light emitting from their headlamps. After about 500 metres, the group decided to turn around, due to dangerous conditions. On the way back to the hut, Desai slipped while crossing a river and his boots filled with icy water. For Desai, the trek back to the cars later that morning may have been uncomfortable, but his icy toes were well worth the price of memories made in the backcountry.
Desai is no longer a UBC student, but he remains a VOC member because of the relationships he has made in the club. He has formed some of his closest friendships in the mountains, all starting with his first VOC trip, also to the Brian Waddington Hut — a significant part of the community the VOC has built.
As the last group of hikers returned to their cars later that day, VOC members were already planning their next adventures together.
Afana spoke excitedly about planning the club’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration at the same hut. Fediaev encouraged two exchange students, Odette Lecasble from France and Felix Dorn from Germany, to buy student passes for Whistler, promising them each a ride to the mountain. Lescable, Alex Vacca and Peter Dasiukevich made plans to meet at the UBC Aviary — a student climbing wall — the following week. Whether they were new to the VOC or not, everyone was now a part of a tight-knit community.
“There’s something for everyone,” said Drenth “ It’s a really friendly and open community.”
Thank you to Ivan Fediaev, Matthew Drenth and all of the VOC members who welcomed me on this trip. It was a pleasure being able to capture your inspiring community.
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