MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Fall 2017

SUMMER 2017 ML BLUE 43 W e hang a left off Highway 95 and follow a logging road for 17 scary kilometres into the mountains; on the first kilometres a sign reads, “Oncoming Trucks Have Right of Way.” The final three kilometres twist tightly along the mountainside, the left side going straight up, the right going straight down into a deep ravine. There is nowhere to pull over to avoid an oncoming logging truck. Thankfully there are none. Combine all this with a building snowstorm and the question, “Is this worth it?” comes up a few times. But upon seeing Lussier Hot Springs we know it is. We have it all to ourselves. Changing into our bathing suits on the snowy rocks beside the thermally heated spring-fed pool is difficult, but once we’re in, all the aches and pains of travel melt away. And jumping in the snow-melt-fed river is a beautiful way to revitalize. This truly is a special place. We’re just beginning a three-generation ski trip. My wife, son and I flew to Calgary, picked up Grampa and are heading to Fernie and Kimberley for a week of skiing. Thankfully, Grampa isn’t your average Grandpa. He isn’t a normal 60-year-old and when it comes to skiing, he’s as passionate as they come. When he gets on the snow he absolutely rips: tight trees, steep moguls, icy slopes, it doesn’t matter. When he hops on the chairlift at the bottom, he’ll no doubt say, “that was awesome,” even if it wasn’t. If he wasn’t my in-law, I’d still ski with him whenever possible. Our seven-year-old Taj has never really skied in the mountains. We ski at Blue Mountain on a bi-weekly basis, and we’ve done a couple trips to Vermont and Quebec, but we’ve never skied really steep slopes. Or waist-deep pow. My wife lived as a ski bum for years in Fernie. She went to high school in Kimberley and the whole trip is a bit of a homecoming for her. She’s excited to ski the big mountains again and to show them to our son. After drying off, we head further into the Kootenays, with Fernie as our end goal. Unfortunately, we end up driving from Elko to Fernie on a closed road during the biggest snowstorm the area has seen since 2013. At night. It’s terrifying. The winds howl, and in places there are whiteout conditions that make us question whether we’re driving backwards or forwards. We manage to catch a convoy of other people crazy enough to attempt this pass, so we follow their tail lights cautiously. There are a couple positives to this storm though; one is that we can’t see the sheer cliffs dropping off to our right side, the other is that there is tons of snow in Fernie. We travel for just over an hour at 30km/h and arrive healthy and ecstatic in Fernie around 11pm. In the morning we wake to over 100 centimetres of fresh snow. The town is ecstatic. So is the resort. I’m jonesing to get on the first chair but it’s a logistical impossibility; Grampa needs to go to the lodge to put his boots on and my son doesn’t like his vitamins. Eating one is an ordeal that takes so long I have to literally bite my tongue to maintain a patient demeanor. But we’re still blessed with fresh tracks when we finally get up the lift. Fernie really is an incredible mountain. With five bowls that open up at different times depending on the weather, snowpack and the whim of the ski patrol, you can get into as much trouble as you want here. It gives an incredible sense of being in the mountains. Multiple chairs including Polar In the morning we wake to over 100 centimetres of fresh snow. The town is ecstatic. So is the resort.