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travel / adventure / guides / winter 2005
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BY MARTY McLENNAN AND LES MANLEY
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARTY McLENNAN
A photojournalist and a pro mountain
guide
share secrets about Canada's 10
sweetest
places — where it's still
about the snow
Our culture may celebrate the individual,
but it is astonishing how rare the occasion
when we describe
something as "unique" or "distinct." It
sometimes feels
as though life's rich and varied
experiences are being
streamlined, homogenized and reduced
to a big-box store
full of lowest common denominators.
Take skiing, as a case in point.
Over the past 20 years,
regional hills where we've plied
our favourite winter trade
are one by one being converted into
supersized, one-stop
shopping resorts. Once celebrated for
their quirky, quaint
or unspoiled offerings, they are more
likely to house an
expensive salon in the base lodge than
boast a hand-cut
trail through the woods. In the many
places we've seen
and conquered, the business of skiing,
not the thrill of
riding, now comes first.
Diogenes wandered the countryside
of ancient Greece
looking for an honest man. We, too,
have criss-crossed our
country committed to finding ski areas
with soul. The great
Cynic may have known his search was
in vain, but we have
in our possession a treasured list of
classics where it's still
possible, with a pair of sticks and
a box lunch, to enjoy the
fundamental wonders of the snow.
Now, we want to share them with you.
Yukon |
British Columbia |
Alberta |
Quebec
YUKON
MOUNT SIMA
Whitehorse
Soul secret: Feel-good family vibe
It doesn't get better than this: small, local and co-operatively
run. Opened in 1993, the solid Whitehorse community has
transformed the flanks of an unassuming mountain into the
official venue for the 2007 Canada Winter Games. Among
the area's 12 runs and casual indoor facilities, skiers get the
first-class comforts of warm friendship and hot chili.
Telephone: (867) 667-SKIS (7547)
Web site: www.mountsima.com
BRITISH COLUMBIA
KIMBERLEY ALPINE RESORT
East Kootenays
Soul secret: The old, the new, and a howling, winter sky
Want a Rocky Mountain high for your family without the soaring costs and dizzying crowds? Head to the East Kootenays, where an old mining community's ski area hooks up with a locals' scene with first-class amenities. Kimberley's slopes top out within tree level, so everyone can get that big-mountain feeling withoutthe high-altitude headache. Better still, each lift has a beginner run that
winds down to the base lodge - so everyone can enjoy
the entire mountain and nobody gets lost. At night,
campfire singsongs get help from frothy hot chocolate
and howling huskies.
Telephone:
(250) 427-4881
Web site: www.skikimberley.com
top
SHAMES MOUNTAIN
Between Prince Rupert and Terrace
Soul secret: Backcountry blast
Since 1990, Shames Mountain has been the jumping-off point to Canada's most incredibleand accessible backcountry. It has a modest three-lift ski area - double-chair, T-bar and hand-tow - but is big on snow, with some 12 metres annually. Adventurous riders (heading out of bounds) buy a one-ride lift ticket and boot-pack it up from the top of the "tee" for the sheer thrill of carving a vertical descent spread over 3,150 hectares of terrain.
Toll-free: (877) 898-4SKI (4754)
Telephone: (250) 635-3773
Web site: www.shamesmountain.com
top
MOUNT CAIN
North end of Vancouver Island, near Woss
Soul secret: A labour of love
Mount Cain is hard to get to, is closed all week, has
no artificial-snow technology, generates zero profit
(usually less than zero) and boasts an ancient base
lodge where guests take turns washing the dishes.
Despite
its "drawbacks" (and perhaps because of
them), this co-operatively run ski area defines the
spirit of the sport. Lots of snow accumulates all week,
there are great runs, and it's home to incredibly
friendly people who have really friendly dogs! The
day starts early, as somebody's got to shovel
out the snow-covered lifts. Don't forget your
manners, because this may be the only resort in Canada
where cussing can cost you your lift ticket.
Toll-free: 1-888-668-6622
Telephone: (250) 949-SNOW (7669)
Web site: www.mountcain.com
top
KICKING HORSE
Golden
Soul secret: World-class Canada
Kicking Horse is the mountain for the pure skier. Developers
recently transformed prime helicopter ski country into lift-accessed
paradise in this fantastic location in the Dogtooth
Range. Expect wide open bowls, chutes and glades down
1,260 metres of heart-thumping vertical, with 97 marked
runs, first-class amenities, breathtaking views and
nary a lift line.
Toll-free: 1-866-SKI-KICK (754-5425)
Telephone: (250) 439-5400
Web site: www.kickinghorseresort.com
top
WHITEWATER
Nelson
Soul secret: Skiers unite!
Think bluebird skies, 12 metres of deep powder annually,
a laid-back atmosphere andhand-cut glades. For more
than 25 years, Whitewater has stood as the antithesis
to the mega-resort, offering only three lifts — two
double-chairs and a hand-tow — to skiers. There
are no roomsfor overnighters. Instead, you have to
sleep in Nelson, 16 kilometres away. But skiers don't
care about frills when there are thrilling fall lines
and some of the best bowl skiing in the nation.
Toll-free: 1-800-666-9420
Telephone: (250) 354-4944
Web site: www.skiwhitewater.com
top
ALBERTA
LAKE LOUISE
Banff National Park
Soul secret: Skiing perfection!
Yes, it's situated in the heart of picture-postcard
Canada, but Lake Louise boasts more than just mind-blowing
vistas. It shoulders some of the bestbowls and finest
wide open cruisers as well as one of the superior learning
slopes in the country. Throw in great base-lodge facilities
(a necessity, since it gets cold out there), modern
lifts and reasonable rates, and you know why Lake Louise
continues to top everybody's list.
Toll-free: 1-877-253-6888
Telephone:(403) 264-6074
Web site: www.skilouise.com.com
top
QUEBEC
LE MASSIF
Charlevoix Region
Soul secret: Pin-head paradise on the St. Lawrence
The pearl of the Charlevoix offers Eastern Canada's
highest lift-accessed peak, complete with some of the
steepest patrolled slopes and best views in the province.
Now a National Alpine Ski Training Center, the area
draws the best Québécois skiers, who
flock to the mountain for its challenging topography, très cool
scene and prime location on the banks of the St. Lawrence.
Don't miss the Rendez-Vous Télémark
in February.
Toll-free: 1-877-LE MASSIF (536-2774)
Web site: www.lemassif.com
top
OWL'S HEAD
Eastern Townships, near Mansonville
Soul secret: Hinterland close to home
Owl's Head is an inviting and family-owned and
styled retreat at Quebec's fourth highest skiable
mountain. Short lift lines, friendly locals and terrific
views over Lac Memphrémagog are guaranteed.
Toll-free: 1-800-363-3342
Telephone: (450) 292-3342
Web site: www.owlshead.com
top
LE VALINOUËT
Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean
Soul secret: Quebec au naturel
Six metres of annual snowfall mean 100 percent natural
coverage at this exceptional ski area in central Canada.
You can expect a little bit of everything for the family,
since the Valinouët's 27 runs, three of
which are in the woods, offer an exceptional learning
section for kids, well-designed ski-school slopes and
challenging glades for the expert skier.
Toll-free: 1-866-260-8254
Telephone: (418) 673-6455
Web site: www.valinouet.qc.ca
top
Ski pals Marty McLennan
and Les Manley recently explored the peaks
of Argentina's Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego
in search of snow and soul.
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