Here's How To Ski Canada's Legendary Powder Highway
They call it the Powder Highway but a better name might be the Road to Awesome. The southeastern flank of British Columbia, known as the Kootenay Rockies, is said to have the highest concentration of ski options in the world: downhill, backcountry, cross-country, cat, heli. You can even ski in the dark, as I discovered, and with a bellyful of grog.
With eight major ski resorts dotting a circular route through the Rocky Mountain and Columbia ranges, and opportunities for everything from ski paragliding to skiing alongside dog sleds, it’s almost too much snowy fun for one intrepid adventurer to manage. That's why I spent a week sampling the best of the Koots and came away with this plan de pow:
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Golden BC
Two hours east along Canada’s Highway 1 takes you through stunning Glacier National Park on into the Purcell Mountains, the home of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. On powder days – and the region gets an average of 60 feet of the white stuff each season – there’s no finer place to be. Kicking Horse is known for champagne powder, a super-light, ridiculously fluffy variety that's caused by low temperatures and just the right snow-liquid ratios. Don't overthink the science. You have to ski it to believe it.
The standout feature at The Horse is the gondola that whisks skiers from the base to the 7,700-foot peak in 12 minutes. That’s a major benefit, particularly on cold B.C. days like the subzero ones I weathered. From the summit, it's either a meandering cruise down long green runs like It's A Ten or facing down fear itself on double-diamond adrenaline-pumpers like Local Motion and Whistle Blower.
Maybe it's the remoteness of the resort but the skier quality at Kicking Horse is high. People don't come this far for the après. From the top of Golden Eagle Express, it's a 20-minute hike along a ridge to Terminator Peak, where double black runs are within the boundaries of the resort but still hair-curling. The term you hear is "slack country" skiing but there's nothing laid back about carving turns down Crazy Legs or Unnecessary Roughness after a good dumping. It's all the backcountry thrills but with a traverse at the bottom that eventually leads you back to the base.
Nearby Golden is a perfect little ski down that plays well in the cold. There's ice fishing, ice climbing, ice carving and ice cold beer. Whitetooth Brewing Company is the Plan B career for a local teacher and scientist who now focus their attention on lager, rye ales and excellent IPAs. Their new tasting room is a perfect place to recover after a day of pounding pow. If nothing else, get yourself a classy beer vessel.