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Clouds of power (page 3)
Satisfy your urge to slalom and schuss
at Canada’s snowiest snowsport resort
By Masa Takei with photography by Darryl Leniuk
We drop into the West Basin and head for the Boomerang quad, which is shaped like, well, a boomerang as it arcs up one side, over the crest, and down the other
side of the mountain. Getting off at the ridge crest mid-station puts us at the Outback, the feisty double-black-diamond glades covering more than 160 hectares
worth of north-facing terrain.
But Stuart has something else in mind. We traverse across and under the basalt cliff faces of the North Bowl and soon we’re boot packing up onto Burnt Ridge
before following it to the northeast. At some point we ski off the edge of our trail maps. “We’re definitely in the backcountry
now,” says Stuart, standing at the top of a steep, treed pitch. He drops in for some achingly beautiful telemark turns,
swooping in and out of a cloud of powder. He appears to have overestimated our skill (or perhaps we have oversold ourselves). I take off and barrel right past
him, upside down and on my back.
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SNOWY STRATHCONA BECKONS
Getting there Strathcona Provincial Park is at the very heart of Vancouver Island, between Campbell River and the Comox
Valley. Both communities serve as main access points to the park. To first reach the island, you can fly or take a ferry from the mainland.
For ferry schedules, go to www.bcferries.com. Strathcona Park Lodge is 42 kilometres west
of Campbell River — about six hours from Vancouver, five hours from Victoria, and three hours from Nanaimo (including ferry times).
You can also drive up scenic Highway 28 from Campbell River, which takes about 45 minutes.
Staying there Along with the Alpine Chalet at Mount Washington, Strathcona Park Lodge has a variety of cottages
and chalets dotting the Upper Campbell Lake waterfront, roughly 30 kilometres north of the mountain. For reservation
and room information, go to www.strathcona.bc.ca. For other
hotels and bed and breakfasts around Mount Washington, go to www.britishcolumbia.com.
Playing there The Strathcona Park area offers all the adventures you’d expect to find at a provincial park. Mount
Washington is the most popular destination for winter activities. There are more than 60 alpine trails for skiers and snowboarders
to explore, day or night. Once you reach the peak from one of nine lifts, you are awarded a spectacular view of mountain
and ocean scenery. Paradise Meadows is popular with crosscountry skiers and snowshoers. In summer, mountain climbing,
ocean kayaking and wildlife watching with Campbell River Whale Watching are available, either for family fun or for more
ambitious explorers.
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NEXT DAY, we find that our reputation has preceded us. We meet with Shawn Quinton, an affable guide who immediately
takes pains to assure us that tonight’s overnight ski tour into Strathcona Park will be undemanding. From our starting point
at the Raven Lodge, the heart of the Nordic ski centre five minute’s drive from our cabin, we meander through forests and
across lakes, linking portions of the crosscountry trails through Paradise Meadows toward Forbidden Plateau. The plateau is
the “historical home of skiing on the Island,” according to Philip Stone, author of the definitive skiing and snowboarding
guide to Vancouver Island. “Forbidden has given countless Islanders their first experiences of alpine and x-country skiing.”
We stop for lunch on the north shore of Lake Helen Mackenzie and contemplate the benevolent mound that is Mount
Elma, our modest objective for the day. We cut straight across the lake and climb up the forested sub-alpine pass, weaving a
route through the yellow cedar, fir and mountain hemlock festooned with snow and old man’s beard. After a reasonable
amount of exertion, we’re rewarded with an expansive view of Mount Washington and the Meadows below. On our way back out, we link up with another party to share
their camp for the night.
On our final morning, Darryl and I shirk breakfast cleanup and make a dash back to the resort for an appointment
with Tobin Leopkey, Island native and founder of one of the Island’s elite ski schools, Section 8 Snowsport Institute. A
ski instructor and graduate of the Canadian Outdoor Leadership Training program who is spoken of in reverential tones by our
other guides, Leopkey had offered to do what he could to revamp our technique. I harbour doubts about how far he can get
in a single afternoon, but we’re keen for him to try. Back from eight years working at Whistler Blackcomb, he extols the virtues
of his home mountain as we head for the lifts: a quiet hill, reliable snow, almost never icy, and an unpretentious, down-to-earth
feel. In the background, the classic rock sounds of Thin Lizzy wail from the lodge speakers. “You’ll see more people with
one-piece suits and straight 205s tearing it up here than anywhere else,” he says.
Over the next several hours, Leopkey runs us through our paces, doling out advice in digestible doses, giving us
focused exercises. Something clicks and I manage to link a few turns with what feels like decent style. Even Darryl, who
has been berating me throughout the trip for having unphotographably bad form, allows that I’m “looking much better.”
Finally, Leopkey asks if we’re ready to get our revenge on the steeps of the Outback. One of its punishing chutes
allows Darryl and me to pass with only a mild paddling. At the bottom, we raise our arms in modest triumph. By the time
we lean our skis on the rack back at the Alpine Lodge, we must acknowledge that Leopkey has performed a minor miracle.
The least we can do to show our appreciation is to buy the man a beer. After brief debate, we decide not to bury it. His skills
have already been tested enough.
Magazine and screen writer Masa Takei’s interests include outdoor adventure, travel and subcultures. Photographer Darryl
Leniuk specializes in shooting adventure sports, such as kiteboarding, mountain biking and skiing. Both are based in Vancouver.
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