Icebreaker and VPO recently sent me this year’s Merino 260 Tech Base Layer set and paired it with a Merino 260 Quantum Hoodie to test out! Since I received them, I’ve used this gear for a ton of local sports such as running, soccer, cycling, and much more in order to see how well they worked for me. In short, yes they worked great! But in our mild Victoria temperatures (~5°C), I often couldn’t use all of the layers together as I would be just too warm. I needed to find some colder temperatures, so my solution was to head up to the Kludahk!
This obscure trail follows the San Juan Ridge between Jordan River and Port Renfrew, working its way along the undulating ridgelines above gorgeous views of the Juan de Fuca strait. It is definitely one of the best ways to have a snow day in Victoria without a multi hour drive!
I was super excited to test out my new Icebreaker gear - I was expecting the ridge to be below zero with varying temperatures throughout the sunny days that we have had these last weeks! It was definitely going to be a good test of this gear as it all worked together closer to a threshold temperature where I would need to swap layers often... Here's how it went:
Trip Report - Kludahk Trail
JR300 to Tower Cabin - 18 Jan 2025
| Difficulty | Easy | ||||
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| Synopsis |
The Kludahk follows a low ridge above the popular Juan de Fuca Trail, from Diversion Dam to Port Renfrew. It's a great place to find some snow close to Victoria in the winter! |
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| Getting There |
From Sooke, follow the BC-14 to until Jordan River. From there, select a logging road depending on what section of the trail you want to access. We followed North Main until it turns into Jordan Main, and then turned off shortly after that on to the JR300. We followed that road as far as we could in winter conditions towards the trailhead. There are several pullouts available along the road. |
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| Facilities | This hut to hut trail has several cabins maintained and controlled by the Kludahk Outdoors Club (KOC). Cabins have pit toilets nearby. |
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| Fees | Nil | ||||
Katie and I woke up early and loaded the car for our adventure up to the Kludahk Trail. I had yet to be up in the island alpine this winter as we’d been away, and knew little about what snowpack we would see on the relatively low San Juan Ridge. The best we knew from MIN reports was to expect that snow would start somewhere around 850 meters, and that Vancouver Island conditions were generally very crusty due to the lack of precipitation and recent warm air aloft. To be prepared, we packed both snowshoes and microspikes, and set our sights on the eastern end of the trail.
As we approached Jordan River, things were not looking good snow-wise. Views up into the ridgelines to the right afforded no sight of snow at all - neither in the trees nor in cut blocks below. Soldiering on, we turned onto the logging roads and headed up the mountainside. Despite the lack of snow, the day was looking fantastic for a hike - views behind us over the Juan de Fuca Strait were spectacular, with some low morning cloud hanging between us and the Olympic Peninsula in the distance.
Our prayers for snow were answered shortly after turning off the main logging road and onto a smaller spur leading to our chosen trailhead. As we scampered up the steep rocky slope in our 4x4, we began to see pockets of snow in the shadows to either side of the road, and then the road quickly became frosted over from the previous night’s chill. As we climbed through 820 meters the road became snowier until we were following well-developed frozen ruts towards our destination.
Parking the car in a convenient pullout only about 1.5km from the trailhead, we geared up for the day. As the snow was super crusty, we opted to leave our snowshoes behind and proceed with only our microspikes to assist with traction on the icy crust. With temperatures just below freezing and the sun warming my back as I ascended the road, I quickly found myself stripping off my hoodie to try and stay cool. The merino base layers did a great job of wicking away my sweat as I ascended the steep road to the trailhead.
We soon arrived at the trailhead, and plunged away from the road as the trail wound upwards through frozen bogs. The temperature dipped as we became immersed in the dim light of the trees that sheltered us from the early morning sun. Relayering with the Quantum hoodie, the combination of layers did a great job of keeping me warm during photography stops while allowing my body to stay cool when we got going again!
Icy and crusty conditions persisted throughout the morning, which made for easy travel with our microspikes. The thaw/freeze action of the area had created really interesting sloped icefields, as water flowing down the slope had frozen in place. As all the smaller streams in the area were well frozen and the ice was easily supporting our weight, we confidently navigated the icy terrain and made great time climbing up towards Meadow Cabin.
We soon reached Meadow Cabin, our first planned stop of the day. After taking a peek inside the cabin (it was Katie’s first time on the Kludahk) we found a nice sunny spot outside to make lunch. Our MSR Whisperlite stove had water boiling for coffee and pasta in no time! I really love having a multi-fuel stove for cooking in colder temps where most butane stoves suffer.
After lunch, we carried on westwards towards Tower Cabin. The snow was definitely softer and less crusty as we climbed to higher altitudes, with some sections becoming tougher to navigate as we postholed a bit rather than cruising over the top of the crust. Luckily, the postholing was minimal and we were able to still make good time along the ridgetop without snowshoes. Route finding was simple for us today - the lack of precipitation over the last several weeks had left a well-preserved track to follow from previous hikers and snowshoers. This trail can definitely be trickier to follow in the winter after fresh snow as there is minimal flagging along some sections. We always ensure that we are either carrying a downloaded topo map (usually using GaiaGPS) or a paper map.
The afternoon passed slowly as we enjoyed the brisk mountain air and lovely views. We passed a few frozen lakes, as well as several viewpoints looking both north and south away from the Kludahk into the surrounding hills and over the ocean.
Overall the trail was relaxing, as we cruised through relatively level sub-alpine meadows. There are a few exceptions though, as the trail climbs aggressively in and out of several gaps along the ridgeline. I found myself often layering down and up again to manage my temperature as I hiked through the sections of steeper terrain. We meandered along, drinking in every sight we could, finally arriving at Tower Cabin just after 3pm.
At Tower Cabin, we took a longer break for some water and snacks before turning back towards the car. Some other hikers were occupying the cabin, so we decided to set ourselves up at the helicopter pad and soak in the sun there!
With only a couple hours of sun left, we turned away from Tower Cabin and started the return trip towards our vehicle. The setting sun gave a new palette of colour to the trees as golden hour descended on the ridge. We spent most of the way back from Tower Cabin in deepening shadows, as the sun disappeared amidst the trees. Despite stopping a bunch of times for more photos, we still managed to make good time as we made our way back towards Meadow Cabin.
But happily we got to enjoy a few more minutes of sun as we started the descent from Meadow Cabin to the car! The trail turns southwest around the cabin, and we were treated to gorgeous views of the sunset overhead the Olympic Peninsula as we cleared the trees on our final descents towards the trailhead. It was a beautiful way to end a full day. As the snow crust continued to firm up as we descended, we confidently navigated the frozen bogs and made great time on the way down.
We arrived back to the car about fifteen minutes after sunset, and took some time there to relax a bit after our big day before setting off. The temperature dropped quickly as the last vestiges of light disappeared though, so it was time to hop into the car and head home.
I really enjoyed our day exploring on the Kludahk. There’s something so magical about adventuring in the snow! Overall my Icebreaker Tech base layers and Quantum hoodie really impressed me. Despite working hard and definitely sweating during a few of the steeper climbs, the two layers kept me warm all day. These merino layers excel at wicking away sweat to evaporate away from your body, which made it easy to manage my temperature throughout the day.
Verdict:
I was really pleased with the performance of both the 260 Tech base layer as well as the Quantum hoodie! As you would expect from Icebreaker, they both sport fantastic build quality and are built to last. I pushed the gear hard as well on runs and hikes back home prior to this adventure, and they all did a great job wicking my sweat away during harder exertions. I was continually impressed how I could stay cool while working my way up a mountain, but then stay warm in the same layers while spending time looking at the views from the top before I made my way down. They really were the perfect layers for this temperature range, not needing any additional layers to keep me warm throughout the day in the conditions we had.
The 260 Tech base layer top will likely be a go-to item that I reach for weekly if not daily during the winter. The flexibility of this garment was really impressive through all my testing. During the winter in Victoria, I find a long sleeve base layer top makes a perfect outer layer for high exertion activities. I regularly use them for runs with the dog or mountain biking at the local park! Although I found the fit of the medium a little large for my preference (I like base layers to fit quite snug), I quickly forgot about this once I was busy with something. I can’t wait to continue using this garment through the rest of the winter!
The Quantum hoodie was another great item, and I really liked the fit overall! Despite being the same medium size as the Tech base layer top, I found the Quantum hoodie fit a bit closer to my body, being cut a little more trim. It hugged my body just that bit extra compared to the base layer. I didn’t find the pockets valuable other than a place to keep my hands a little warmer when not wearing gloves. The thin material is just too light to restrain anything but the lightest loads, which would lead to the items in my pockets causing the hoodie to bounce along when running or hiking vigorously. This hoodie has thumb loops as well, which I guess is the reason that the arms are comically long. When I pulled down on the sleeves of this hoodie, they would easily go all the way over my hands. I found that the excessively long arms on this jacket just left a bunch of material jammed around my forearms when I pushed the cuff back up over my hands. Luckily, the cuff is snug enough that this extra material doesn’t migrate down over your hands while you are working!
The 260 Tech bottoms are exactly what I’m looking for in a base layer. The medium size fit me great, and kept me warm all day! The only other layer on my legs today was my OR Ferrosi pants, which are a quite thin layer more designed for summer hiking. I’ve used the OR pants all the way up to +40 degree hiking in the deserts of California, so they definitely weren’t the warm layer today. Similar to the base layer top, they worked great to help wick away sweat during the climbs while maintaining my temperature on the descents and during breaks. I basically forgot I had them on throughout the day, and was just warm and comfortable.
I’d definitely recommend these items if you are in the market for a new set of technical base layers for cool and cold conditions! Although I didn’t get a chance to use them skiing yet, I expect they will be a great asset for me both when I’m skinning up and skiing down! I’m very excited to use them soon on our upcoming ski trip to Japan.
Gear Pictured
Below are the links to all our gear that you can see in our photos above. If you are interested in getting anything, feel free to use our affiliate links below! It gives us a small commission at no cost to you!
Ryan’s gear:
Icebreaker Merino 260 Tech Baselayer Top
Icebreaker Merino 260 Tech Baselayer Bottoms
Icebreaker Merino 260 Quantum Hoodie
OR Ferrosi Pants
Ciele Athletics GOCap (Trail Mountain Cut)
Black Diamond Dawn Patrol 25L Pack
Kahtoola Microspikes
Katie’s gear:
Mons Royale Cascade Merino Top
Arcteryx Atom Hoody
Fjallraven Keb Curved Trousers
Cotopaxi Altitude Tech 5-Panel Hat
Osprey Tempest Velocity 30L Pack
Kahtoola Microspikes
Pluto’s gear:
Other stuff:
MSR Whisperlite International Stove
MSR Fuel Bottle
Sea to Summit Alpha Pot (discontinued so we've linked a similar UL pot
Nemo Chipper Seats
Garmin inReach