Skier Lynsey Dyer touring with Golden Alpine Holidays, British Columbia; Photograph by Will Wissman

See previous dispatches from the Powder Highway Road Trip >>

A remote lodge trip may be the signature experience of the Powder Highway. Enough of my friends have returned home, minds blown, from a weeklong trip to interior B.C. Few regions in the world are blessed with so much cold, dry snow; and when you’re sequestered for a week surrounded by fine, mountain-loving people who want to shred pow, it’s likely gonna be a REAL good time!

Powder Highway dispatch #6 / Golden Alpine Holidays from Stellar Media on Vimeo.

A ten-day mission to the Vista Lodge in the Esplanade Range proved no different. Just off the Powder Highway are numerous remote lodges. Helis or snowcats service some of the lodges, but several others are meant for good ol’ fashion self-powered backcountry touring.

Golden Alpine Holidays, British Columbia; Photograph by Will Wissman

Golden Alpine Holidays‘ Vista Lodge is part of a system of huts in the area. A few valleys away from Rogers Pass, Vista sits just above tree-line on a bench overlooking the Columbia trench that divides the Selkirk Mountains from the Canadian Rockies.

Golden Alpine Holidays, British Columbia; Photograph by Will Wissman

Every good hut trip has a ring leader to bring all people together. Photographer Will Wissman rallied a group of ten, pieced together from Utah, Idaho, Colorado, and Wyoming—some old friends, a few new—all like-minded souls with a passion for getting out and about in the mountains.

Golden Alpine Holidays, British Columbia; Photograph by Will Wissman

Why Golden Alpine Holidays rocks: Surrounded by Canada’s highest mountains and two national parks, this place is a ski-touring mecca!

Snowfall: The Esplanade range at the northern end of the Selkirks has an average annual snow fall of about 10-12 meters. (Can you say POW!?!)

Don’t miss the terrain at Vista Lodge: Above the Vista Hut, an alpine cirque has a variety of aspects and picturesque vistas. At and below the lodge offers tree skiing and pillow land galore.

Gourmet casual: It’s a special treat to bring in a chef. Good food always tastes better in the mountains after a big day of earning your turns.

What to bring that might not already be on your packing list: Dark Chocolate, mini speakers, essential oils for pillows and the sauna, and ear plugs

Most valuable item in the lodge: Non-slip lodge slippers

Hut highlight: Drinking water straight from the lake and taking afternoon saunas

Golden Alpine Holidays, British Columbia; Photograph by Will Wissman

See previous dispatches from the Powder Highway Road Trip >>

Sun Valley, Idaho; Photograph by Will Wissman

Our journey begins in Sun Valley, Idaho, America’s first destination ski resort (established in 1936).  Inspired by the success of European resorts like St. Anton, Austria, the owners of Union Pacific Railroad thought they could reinvent their business by replacing shipping containers (leftover from the waning gold rush) with passenger cars filled with adventure travelers. The key was to find a location with an ideal climate—beautiful mountains, ample snowfall, and plenty of sunshine. Austrian dignitary Count Felix Schaftgotch was hired to lead the search. After landing in the mountain oasis of Ketchum, Idaho, he sent a telegram back to UPA in New York City claiming he’d found the perfect place.

Sun Valley, Idaho; Photograph by Will Wissman

Every ski area in the Rockies depends on Mother Nature’s offerings, though Her willingness to bear the fruits of winter can be fickle. When the North Pacific begins to churn, Sun Valley locals turn into armchair meteorologists, predicting snowfall patterns for the oncoming season. Some use indicators like the Farmer’s Almanac, while others follow their gut, but there’s still enough mystery to keep us surprised on any given year. Regardless of any hard science to do with ocean currents or mythical cues like groundhogs and their shadows, the jetstream always oscillates latitudinally along the west coast of North America, bringing moist flow up into the mountains to meet cooler air = SNOW! So, as they say, it’s always snowing somewhere.

Sun Valley, Idaho; Photograph by Will Wissman

Sun Valley virtually guarantees quality skiing every year by Thanksgiving Day with the largest automated snowmaking system in the world. After an overnight application of gunpowder, the playing field is smoothed into velvet-like corduroy. Sun Valley is famous for its perfectly manicured groomers, but when the rope drops above the bowls, the powder frenzy begins. And when the local backcountry is in play, Idaho becomes, by far, the biggest playground in the Lower 48. With 10 million acres of roadless turf in the backyard, Sun Valley is the gateway to mountain paradise. There’s plenty of room for backcountry shredders, sledders, and America’s original heli-ski operation.

Sun Valley, Idaho; Photograph by Will Wissman

In 33 years of Sun Valley living, this winter has been one of the best! We were blessed with a series of big early-season storms and we’ve been riding boot-top, bouncy pow with good stability on every aspect at every elevation for weeks on end. But a massive high-pressure ridge has settled in on the west coast, driving any moisture north into Canada and Alaska. With temps dipping below zero and no snow in the extended forecast, it’s a good time to load up our Outside Van—a modernized mini motor home—and start driving north along the Powder Highway. With over 60 powder providers and copious amounts of early snow, it looks like a promising adventure ahead.

Next Week: Powder Highway Dispatch #2 – Nakusp, British Columbia