The smell of fresh focaccia and the crackle of a late afternoon fire greets us as we knock snow off our ski boots and wander through the tall wooden entryway of Red Mountain Alpine Lodge, CO. I follow my nose, and skate across hardwood floors in my ski socks, plopping down in front of the […]
No matter where you are on the planet, it’s a wonderful thing to wake up to the delicate sound of snowflakes falling. Some places are better than others. Shaking sleep from my eyes at Island Lake Lodge near Fernie, BC, the hum of the snowcat greets us as rosy clouds peeled back their curtains to […]
First published in issue 16.4 of The Ski Journal. It’s 6:30 p.m. at a train station several hours east of Geneva. Barreling up the ramp, we only have a few moments before the doors close as we frantically look for a spot to jigsaw our ski bags. The train, loaded with folks going home from a long day […]
Cheers of “Winner! Winner!” erupted as I dipped into the fluffy goodness. As the celebratory sounds faded, I floated off in the cold smoke of mid-winter snow that had somehow arrived in late March. I smiled and thought to myself, “How the hell did I end up here?” My inbox is a scary place—a constant […]
There’s a mythical claim that the Inuits have over 100 words for snow, but for the folks up at Island Lake Lodge near Fernie, BC, that number is closer to five. Of that number—and you can ask for yourself—approximately four are frantic versions of “mind-blowing powder.” Seriously, I’m only sort of kidding. That’s because the […]
The plan was northern Italy. Snow had been hard to come by in Europe all season, as, after a frenzy of early season storms, the faucet had shut off across the continent. The deeply secluded valley a few hours north of Torino, Italy seemed to be the best last option—a tip from a friend with […]
You know it’s going to be a good day when Steve Kloepzig gets excited. The booming lead guide at Island Lake Catskiing is a study in stoicism—observant and even-keeled, even when delivering his signature one-liners. Kloepzig can account for nearly every one of the operation’s 5000 skiable acres (on 7000 acres of privately-held land). In […]
ABOVE The underground metro system in Pyongyang is the deepest in the world, and for a reason: It’s also designed to be used as an underground bunker in case of attack. She is holding a microphone, big eyes staring straight into mine. “Would you like to sing with me?” she asks. I can’t say no, and […]
Words: Sakeus Bankson. Photos: Colin Wiseman. All it takes to buy a house and multiple acres in Sinclair Mills, BC is $20,000 CDN. That, and an impressive lapel pin collection. There’s not much in the tiny town, located 55 miles east of Prince George. What was once a thriving logging community in the 1950s is now […]
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