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.
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