Catskiing at Island Lake Lodge

How’s this for a powder fantasy — two days of catskiing on virgin slopes at one of B.C.’s premier operations: Island Lake Lodge. This dream became my reality for two days in December on assignment for awesome Canadian travel blog Toque and Canoe. My story will be up on the site soon; in the meantime, here’s a sneak preview of what makes Island Lake special.

The Lodge(s)

The snow cats are cozy too: cushy seats, lots of snacks and lively conversation.

A cluster of timber-frame lodges greets skiers after an evening snow cat ride up a secluded, winding road. The accommodations are anything but rustic —  well-appointed rooms, comfortable beds and gourmet Rocky Mountain cuisine help skiers catch their zzz’s and fuel up for days of shredding the gnar (sorry). The setting is a little slice of Canadiana.

The Views

Gorgeous, isn’t it? The vistas make you feel like you’re on top of the world.

The Lizard Range of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Fernie, B.C. is spectacular anyway, but Island Lake Lodge boasts a trifecta of limestone peaks that stand out. The Three Bears, pictured above, lord over the range and collect all the white stuff that blows in from the west.

The Pow

Fresh pow! Bring it!!

There’s a reason we’re called powder junkies — ski fresh tracks on a virgin slope like this one and you’ll be hooked too. Bonus: you don’t have to be an expert skier. Island Lake Lodge boasts a range of terrain — from gentler, gladed slopes to open runs with steep pitches — and lots of it: there are a staggering 7,000 acres shared between a maximum of 36 guests. The one thing all the runs have in common is powder.

The Après-ski 

Guided beer drinking is part of the package. And a snow flurry every afternoon. Kidding!

The guides at Island Lake Lodge are fantastic: professional, helpful and attuned to skiers’ needs. For example, they snowmobiled a crate of cold beer up to us so it was waiting at the bottom of our final run on Day 1. Nice!

And to make sure you get a good night’s sleep, there’s a custom skot-ski inside Bear Lodge. The days soon take on an enticing pattern: eat, ski, beer, hot tub, eat, shot ski, sleep. The good news? Being powder junkies, we’ll be back!

Nothing says Canadian apres-ski quite like a Burt Reynolds shot ski.