I double checked that my snowboard and boots were in my van before leaving the house. These will be my most treasured items for the next four days. I was headed for Fernie, BC, in mid-winter, which means one thing: powder…and the steep lines that the East Kootenay’s area is known for. Oddly enough the shotgun seat in my van is empty and I’ll be arriving solo to spend the next four days with eight complete strangers. I had to be in the parking lot for pickup by five thirty that afternoon. I turned right on a snowy road. My GPS didn’t know where we were headed, but I did. Island Lake Lodge is at the end of this road and I’m going catboarding.

Arriving at the parking lot I see people milling about and a huge red snowcat skiing grumbling down from the forest. I rushed to gather my belongings and triple checked to make sure I had everything. Getting up to the lodge is about thirty minutes and I didn’t want to be that guy at the top missing his boots. I jumped into the back of the cat and grabbed the last seat on the bench. Everyone seemed friendly enough on the cat ride up and people chatted with one another. Inside my mind though, I was quietly sizing people up according to looks and the cities that they came from.  This would be my new crew for the next four days after all, and I was planning on getting in as many fresh turns as possible.

Two large timber framed lodges came into view and the huge snow taxi ride was almost over.  Arriving at the base lodge was more than I expected. I jumped out into the soft snow and was directed towards the Red Eagle Lodge which was a smaller A-frame lodge tucked into the corner of the clearing. I walked past the Bear Lodge, which was the original lodge when the operation started in 1988.  I knew of it from photos and was told it was used as the guest bar and lounge now. I dropped my bags off and immediately walked back over to snoop around it’s legendary walls and have a soda before dinner. I entered to a rousing crowd of what was surely an all-American group: east coast US accents and NFL football on the TV, screams included. I did some more analyzing of potential riding partners and was almost one hundred percent sure that I might be the only snowboarder up there. Not a problem. Dinner was served and finished up quickly. People scattered to their assigned rooms to prepare for an anticipated first day out in the mountains of Island Lake Lodge

Good Morning I.L.L.
My room was ultra comfortable but that didn’t stop me from waking up more than an hour before breakfast.  It was day one after all, and I had some energy ready to unleash on the Lizard Range of the BC, Rockies. Island Lake has seven thousand acres of terrain at it’s disposal; high alpine bowls, steep gladded trees and thousand’s of little secret little features that you couldn’t even dream of, all waiting to be found and ridden. First things first though, everyone in the group, regardless of experience, will go through the avalanche safety training. This includes accident procedure, beacon training and use of the shovel and probe. The guides at Island Lake Lodge do an amazing job with the safety briefing since this becomes ultra important information if the guides aren’t available in a worst-case scenario. It’s a nice feeling when you know that everyone is on the same page and understands the risks in your group.

Getting into the catskiing at Island Lake Lodge you’ll notice nice comfy benches, iPod dock, water-beverage station and a cooler filled to the brim with the tastiest sandwiches and cookies. I’ll get back to this area later and give out some tips.

Riding The Lizard
As it turned out there was one other snowboarder in my group: a Canadian ex-pro windsurfer who just moved back to the country after being in Brazil for quite some time. Once again I was sizing up my group.  Is this guy going to want to ride the same lines as me? This is the first day and let’s be honest, it’s powder and none of us know each other. It’ll be every man for himself. Enough said.

he guides at Island Lake have the terrain on lock down and I was lucky enough to have veteran “Big Steve” as my lead guide. He mapped out an amazing day and we didn’t once see the other group of eight skiers in the other snowcat that Island Lake operates on a daily basis.

Under grey skies we tracked up the bowls and flowed through gladded runs down to the final snowcat pick up at the bottom of Geisha Bowl; a definite leg burner. One of the nice final touches to each day is that the guides radio in beer orders that are sent out to the bottom of the bowl. An amazing finale to the day.

Apres, Island Lake Lodge.
After a day out charging powder and riding fast deep trees you’ll be drawn into the Bear Lodge. You can just feel the energy in the place and can tell right away that it’s got the most character of any of the other three lodges. Island Lake was stomping grounds for many a pro snowboarder; pro riders Craig Kelly, Jason Ford and Jake Blattner, pro photographer Mark Gallup and skier Scott Schmidt were all share holders at one time. The lodge has a definite vibe to it. The main feature is an amazing, one-of-a-kind stone fireplace. The bartending staff will get you going and keep you going into the night if you’re up to it. Watch out for the “shot ski.”

Bed to Breakfast at I.L.L.
Sleep comes much faster after a full day of being out in the snow. Lapping more powder than the average person rides in a season will do this to someone. The morning still brings the same excitement though, and jumping out of bed into the gear is easy.

Breakfast at Island Lake Lodge starts early and the spread is amazing with something for everyone.  There’s lots of space in the main Timber Lodge to join in with others or maybe just relax at your own table to recharge for the day. Pass the syrup!

Back into the Box
The next day brings more terrain and an amazing surprise. We are told that it might be possible to climb into the alpine terrain to the peaks of the Island Lake area.  We float through some thick clouds decorated with a lovely golden hue, right before we break into the blue ocean of the peaks. Nothing but cheers and smiles from everyone in the machine.

We all pile out to take photos and scope the terrain we are about to ride.  At this point it becomes a case of what we can ski as a group. I’m no longer concerned with sizing people up or worrying about who’s the fastest. It’s now more of a team effort and I have nothing but encouraging words for everyone in the crew.  The guides talk over options: steeper lines for some and options for people that just want to cruise and take in the view.

Everyone meets down at the cat after an amazing run down from the sunny alpine and into the misty magic of the Lizard range. An extremely stoked group gets into the cat, revisiting the refreshment area, cooler and the iPod dock. The rides up in the snowcat are tons of fun. Heli ski. This is where you’ll share stories, take care of foggy goggles, laugh and hopefully not cry from leg burn. The drink coolers are located in the back corner of the cat, so if you’re sitting there you’ll be playing bartender. Don’t sit there if your not into being Tom Cruise from Cocktail or if you hit the “shot ski” hard the night before. Next, the iPod dock. If you brought your own playlist and have been planning the music for a month, be prepared to let everyone have there own turn with their music. Get ready to tolerate all kinds of music. The food cooler is just like the drinks. You’ll be throwing sandwiches across to people all day; just remember to save some cookies for the guides.

The snowCat was crawling it’s way back to the alpine and the sunny ocean of powder that lay above it.  The doctor on my left seemed to be skiing faster and more aggressive.  The insurance broker and his retired ski buddy were all smiles and had the Bob Marely pumping on the iPod. The oldest skier in the group that was seventy and had already skied more vertical powder than all of us combined before he was fifty, was ready for anything. The surfy Canadian-Brazilian transplant who turned out to be the life of the cat (and my only snowboarding companion), is ripping.  All these people I had judged as strangers were becoming more and more like my normal crew as each day came and went. It was my turn to request a song and I got the Metallica queued up. I had my eye on a sweet line up top.

Despite The Heat Wave That Had Organizers of the Winter Games Literally Trucking in Snow and Competitors Complaining of Less Than Ideal Conditions, The People at Mica Heli Guides in Revelstoke  B.C. Are Still Enjoying Mountains of Fresh Powder.

Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, March 6, 2010 – Many a sigh of relief was heard in Vancouver as this year’s Winter Games came to a close last weekend. Organizers finally had a chance to relax after weeks of trucking in loads of snow in order to try to maintain some semblance of winter at what will long be remembered by many sports fans as the warmest Winter Olympics in decades. While many fans poked fun at  an event that  has been widely been referred to as a complete fiasco, one competitor even went so far as to display one of her perforated skis during an interview on a well known national television news channel, confirming that it had been damaged before she even reached the starting line, by a rock that was jutting out from beneath the surface of the thin layer of slippery slush.

Meanwhile, the locals chuckled and did their best to refrain from shouting “we told you so” as they found humor in the fact that while temperatures as high as fifty degrees Fahrenheit seemed to come as a complete shock to international fans and members of the Olympic Committee, that sort of weather is actually quite common in Vancouver during this time of the year. So, while some of the world’s top athletes battled it out on inches of slippery slush, many more savvy skiers and snowboarders took to the hills in search of several feet of powder.

Those who visited Mica this season managed to find what they were looking for, and some of them are still getting the rides of their lives at one of British Columbia’s premier heliskiing destinations. In fact, conditions at Mica’s vast backcountry tenure remain so good that the company’s powerful mountain helicopters haven’t seen much downtime since late last November, as people continue to flock here in search of a ski experience that is simply unrivaled.

Nestled on the western slopes of the Canadian Rockies near Revelstoke British Columbia, Mica Heli Ski impressive tenure consists of nearly 180,000 acres of some of the backcountry ski terrain on the planet. Because of its strategic location, this area is consistently home to some of the deepest driest champagne powder in the world, perfect for living out even the wildest of skiing or snowboarding fantasies.

Known as one of the best in the business, Mica Heli Guides uses A-Star and Bell 407 helicopters to speedily transport its guests to some amazing backcountry locations, where they get a chance to lay fresh tracks in heaps of dry champagne powder as they enjoy  run after run of adrenaline pumping Canadian heliskiing. Mica specializes exclusively in small groups  and has a well established reputation for employing only the most skilled and experienced helicopter pilots and ski guides in all of North America.

While other operations have already shut down for the season, Mica’s dedicated staff is still hard at work as excellent ski conditions persist with a snowpack of over two hundred and fifty centimeters and some fresh snowfall in the last week. One thing that makes Mica’s terrain so special is that it is strategically situated between the Monashee and Selkirk ranges, in Canada’s Rocky Mountains. This is an area known for producing exceptionally deep, dry powder, which is a result of moist storms from the west colliding with cold arctic air that blows in from northern Alberta. The ski season here typically lasts through early May and  snowfall often exceeds 60 feet per year.

ABOUT:

Mica Heli Skiing near Revelstoke, B.C. specializes in small group heli-skiing. It is one of three operations in The Island Lake Resort Group, the others being Powder Cowboy snowcat skiing and Island Lake Lodge catskiing near Fernie B.C.. For more information, contact Darryn Shewchuk at  1.877.837.6191 x2002.

One of the Pioneers of Freestyle Skiing, B.C. Native Wayne Wong, Took a Trip to Island Lake Lodge, Near Fernie, British Columbia, Where he Dazzled Fellow Guests With His Awe Inspiring Aerial Antics

Fernie, British Columbia, Canada, February 26, 2010 – Wayne Wong, one of the legendary founding fathers of freestyle skiing, recently paid a visit to his friends at Island Lake Lodge, in Fernie B.C., where he proved that his impressive skills remain sharp, even after all these years. For the people who were fortunate enough to be there, it was amazing to see one of the greatest ski legends of all time still landing many of the tricks that made him so famous in the 70s.

Wong, who is a Vancouver born, second generation Canadian of Chinese ancestry, first made a name for himself in the early nineteen seventies, when he and a handful of other talented hot doggers, which included Roger Evans, John Clendenin, Bob Salerno, and Tom Leroy, helped to develop a style of skiing that the world had never seen before. Despite a good deal of opposition from people who felt that it was too dangerous to be included in official sporting events, freestyle skiing, a sport that Wong helped develop, was eventually recognized by the International Ski Federation (FIS) in 1979.

The sport gained more notoriety and credibility as time went on, The first World Cup Series was held in 1980 and the first ever World Championships took place in 1986. Freestyle skiing was eventually included in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and both mogul skiing as well as the aerial competition were subsequently named official medal events in 1992 and 1994, respectively.

Wayne Wong, who first started skiing seriously when he was just a young teenager in the early nineteen sixties, is credited with being one of the inventors of freestyle skiing. He became a ski instructor at the age of sixteen, in order to get a free lift ticket, and got into freestyle skiing when he was twenty one years old. In 2009, Wong was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame, in recognition of his enormous contribution to that nation’s ski culture.

This February, Wong spent a few days flaunting his moves at one of British Columbia’s oldest and most well respected catskiing resorts, namely: Island Lake Lodge, near Fernie, British Columbia. With a history that rivals his own, Island Lake, which was one of Canada’s first snowcat skiing operations, dates back to the mid 1980s. This world famous ski lodge , which was the first resort in British Columbia to own its own ski terrain outright, sits on roughly 7000 acres of some of the finest ski country on earth, on the northern end of the Lizard Range portion of the Canadian Rockies, in an area known as the Cedar Valley.

The Island lake property, which originally belonged to the Shell Oil Company, is comprised of a magnificent assortment of deep bowls, classic alpine ridges and spectacular gladed tree runs. The terrain is as diverse as it is vast and several of the resort’s numerous runs can be skied right to the door of the lodge itself.

Since its modest beginnings, Island Lake has grown to include four separate lodging facilities as well as a full service spa. It is known for its luxurious accommodations, excellent cuisine and the friendly service of its warm and pleasant staff. Nevertheless, what Island Lake is most well known for is powder. The resort’s terrain is home to some of the best catskiing in the world, and it has something for skiers of every level to enjoy, from amateur enthusiasts to freestyle legends like the world famous Wayne Wong.

ABOUT:

Island Lake Lodge is a back country resort located on 7,000 acres of mountainous terrain near Fernie B.C. Canada, just beyond the Mount Fernie Provincial Park. Island Lake Resorts consist of Island Lake Catskiing in addition to Powder Cowboy Catskiing and Mica Heli Ski.

The Staff of Mica Heli Guides, One of Canada’s Premier Heliskiing Outfits, Reports Excellent Ski Conditions for the Area Surrounding Revelstoke, B.C., While Warm Weather Patterns Continue to Affect the Coastal Areas of British Columbia.

Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, February 26, 2010 – With this year’s Winter Olympics coming to a close, temperatures in Vancouver have been as high as fifty degrees Fahrenheit in the last few weeks, prompting some people to redub the event the “Spring Olympics”, while others joke that the official drink of the 2010 games should be the Slushy. Organizers have been trucking in snow for weeks as heavy rains accompanied by fog and exceedingly warm temperatures have made conditions all but unbearable for the scores of athletes who have gathered here from all four corners of the globe in order to participate in the world’s most important winter sporting event.

But while temperatures on the coast continue to rise, ski conditions in the area surrounding Revelstoke B.C. are holding, making this one of the best seasons ever for Mica Heli Guides, British Columbia’s premier heliskiing outfit. In fact, with temperatures below freezing, a snowpack of nearly three meters and 16 cm of fresh, dry powder having fallen over the last week, conditions at Mica’s vast backcountry tenure simply couldn’t be better. In the words of one guest, who was knee deep in powder just yesterday: “Take the best skiing you’ve ever had and multiply it by 3-that’s what today was.”

Mica Heli Guides is a world class heliskiing company located near Revelstoke, British Columbia, in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, unquestionably the world capital of heliskiing as well as heliboarding. Mica specializes in transporting small groups of skiers and snowboarders into the some of Canada’s best backcountry ski terrain, where they can enjoy their fair share of natural steep fall-line tree runs for snowcat skiing, picture perfect pillow lines, dramatic alpine ridges, deep bowls and adrenaline pumping glacier runs, without having to share the fun with anyone except Mica’s guides and a few of their closest friends or family members.

Mica’s impressive tenure consists of nearly 178,000 acres of phenomenal backcountry ski terrain and encompasses eight distinct valleys that range in altitude between 1900 and 5900 feet above sea level. The unique location of this vast territory, which sits on the Western slopes of the Canadian Rockies, is consistently home to some of the best ski conditions on the planet, with mountains of deep, dry champagne powder falling there each season. In fact, conditions at Mica are so good, so often, that the company’s powerful A-Star and Bell 407 helicopters have an average of only 1.5 down days per season and are in the air almost every day between December and April of each year. Although January is typically one of the best months for catskiing in the Rockies, Mica sees an average of 42-66 feet of snowfall each year, much of which is the result of the winter storms that hit the area in late February and early March.

Skiers and snowboarders from around the globe come to Mica for one reason and one reason only: powder. Because Mica’s tenure is situated on the western slopes of the Rockies, nestled between the Selkirk and the Monashee mountain ranges, it typically gets a copious amount of deep, dry snow, often referred to by skiers and snowboarders as champagne powder or cold smoke. This is the kind of stuff that skiers dream about, and hundreds flock to Mica each year in order to make those dreams a reality.

Because Mica caters only to small groups, the only obstacle for many is being one of the lucky few who actually get a chance to ski Mica’s tenure each season. With a remote, but comfortable backcountry lodge that sleeps only twelve guests, Mica specializes exclusively in small groups and the guest to guide ratio is an astonishing 4:1.

With snowfall deeper and more abundant than ever, 2010 has proven to be a great season for Mica Heli Guides. And with conditions holding and more winter storms expected to hit the Canadian Rockies in March, it doesn’t look like the staff at Mica will be getting a break any time soon.

ABOUT:

Mica Heli Ski near Revelstoke, B.C. specializes in small group heli-skiing. It is one of three operations in The Island Lake Resort Group, the others being Powder Cowboy Cat skiing and Island Lake Lodge near Fernie B.C.. For more information, contact Darryn Shewchuk at 1.877.837.6191 x2002.

A Long Winter Season Has Brought Mountains of Deep Dry Powder to Canada’s Rocky Mountain Range and the Staff of Famed B.C. Catskiing Resort, Powder Cowboy, Is Gearing Up For More Storms, Expected to Hit the Region in Early to Mid March .

Fernie, British Columbia, Canada, February 26, 2010 – While spring is in the air at some of British Columbia’s lower elevations, the snowpack is at its greatest depth of the season in and around Fernie, B.C., and the folks at Powder Cowboy Catskiing report some of the best ski conditions of the season. Furthermore, according to many Fernie locals, more snow is on the way, with some of the biggest storms expected to hit the area throughout the upcoming month of March. The B.C. ski season usually runs from December through April, however, by late February the snowpack is typically quite deep as a result of heavy snowfall throughout the early winter months.

Powder Cowboy, a western themed Catskiing resort, located near Fernie B.C., sits on roughly six thousand acres of prime British Columbian backcountry ski terrain. Although the area includes a wide variety of different environments, it is most well known for tree skiing and happens to be home to some of the world’s most impressive evergreen glades. Powder Cowboy’s tenure offers some steep vertical runs as well as a number of less extreme slopes that are perfect for intermediate skiers.

The resort is situated in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, the catskiing capital of North America, in a mountainous area known as the Lizard Range. This region is known for producing between 40-60 feet of deep, dry champagne powder, annually, which attracts skiers and snowboarders from all around the globe. One reason that Powder Cowboy has recently become such a popular heli ski destination is the fact that it is less expensive and offers more availability than other catskiing resorts, such as its sister operation, Island Lake Lodge, which is typically booked solid for at least a year in advance.

In addition to various snowcat skiing packages, Powder Cowboy also offers day skiing from time to time, allowing the locals to get a taste of some of Fernie’s best ski terrain. Some of the operation’s special offers include a family package as well as an all girl ski tour, which needs to be booked in advance. Every so often, there is a last minute opening and seats are offered at a discount rate.

Powder Cowboy is British Columbia’s only western theme ski resort and it also doubles as a dude ranch during the summer months. Some of the things that visitors most enjoy about this particular facility are the rustic but comfortable accommodations, excellent cuisine and the down home hospitality of its staff.

Powder Cowboy is home the Bull River Guest Ranch, which consists of 10 separate log cabins, eight of which serve as lodging facilities for the resort’s guests. Among these are a recently constructed 4 suite cabin and the newly renovated Honeymoon Cabin. In addition to being equipped with in-floor heating and a wood burning fireplace, each of the cabins comfortably sleeps at least two to four people. There is also a main cabin, called the Big Horn Saloon, which includes a kitchen, dining room, bar and massage rooms, as well as a hot tub and sauna cabin that is also equipped with showers.

While the Guest Ranch itself is situated below the snow line, Powder Cowboy’s tenure is home to a number of high alpine ridges and drops with lines that descend in virtually every direction. Throughout the winter season (December-April), this terrain is consistently covered in deep, dry powder. At present, there is approximately two and a half meters of snow on the ground at 2000 feet. With more fresh powder expected to fall in the upcoming weeks, conditions are perfect for some world class catskiing.

ABOUT:

Powder Cowboy Catskiing near Fernie B.C. boasts 6000 acres of big bowls, steep chutes and is famous for world class gladed tree skiing. The white gold on the Western Rockies is legendary for quality and quantity, with over 10 meters (over 30 feet!) of dry champagne powder falling every season.