Skier, guide, and educator Brennan Lagasse hit the road earlier this winter for a 2,000-mile journey from his home in Tahoe to way-north British Columbia. Here's what he discovered along the way.
Words by Brennan Lagasse
With one of the slowest starts to winter in recorded history across the American West, it was time for a road trip. Up north, legendary locales like Kicking Horse, B.C. broke records for December snowfall with Shames Mountain, way up in Terrace, B.C. logging well over 300 inches before the New Year.
We left our home in Tahoe, drove through Nevada, and continued on into Idaho, where we got a tour in at Brundage and checked out Schweitzer. It’s all good snow albeit at low tide. As soon as we cross the border into Canada the snowbanks start growing. We celebrate the uphill policy at Kimberly Alpine Resort. What a gem of Southern B.C. My daughter, Mika, at age 7, has likely her best ski tour to date. With Golden on the mind, we continue north.
Mika and Brennan scope lines in Kicking Horse.
My wife, Jillian, and I were in Kicking Horse years ago, shortly after the mountain opened. It blew our minds then, and being back with Mika does the same in a new way as she has another breakout day, this time scouting lines and lacing turns on their relentlessly steep terrain. It’s a big push that night, but thanks to a full moon, it’s an empty drive of alpine dreams through Jasper National Park.
With the sunup we venture into nearby Mt. Robson National Park with light fluffy powder, a beautiful waterfall tour, and inspiring mountains around every corner. We visit Chun T’oh Whudujut, a park that helps protect a portion of the only inland temperate rainforest in the world. Incredible cedars. Who knew Prince George would have such an amazing noodle house and a gym where Mika could drop in for a parkour class as we’re passing through?
This sign officially welcomes you to the Kootenays.
We’ve officially left the interior. Arriving in Smithers. I wish we had more time; this place is a treasure. But only a few hours later we finally make it to our intended endpoint: Terrace. It’s a push, but the stoke is high and we’re just in time for a bluebird Sunday session at Canada’s first co-op ski area in Shames Mountain. The hill is only open Thursday-Sunday so we’re lucky to get a day in together before the family heads home Tuesday.
Part of how we rationalized making this trip happen was Mika, Jillian, and Snow the dog could drive up one-way and fly back in time for school. I would drive the van home afterward. Thankfully they made it out just as another storm rolled in and my time living in the Shames parking lot began. That one day we had as a family was the only day I got to see the incredible surrounding terrain of Shames as the approaching storm was another monster just like they had been getting all season.
Mika, age 7, shows the rest of us how it's done.
The family nailed it, and a week later after they left, I was still living in the Shames parking lot wishing they’d come back so I didn’t have to drive home. At Shames, it’s $5/day to camp in the parking lot and they even have a comfy outhouse to accommodate guests. If you have a pass at another resort, a lift ticket costs $50 and then your next days are $25 each. Touring when the mountain is not operating, Monday-Wednesday, is $10/day. The food available in the lodge is delicious and affordable. All of this is to say if you’re the type of skier or rider who’s hopeful that the soul of skiing is alive and well somewhere, it’s here. This is the the place you want to experience and they are more than happy to share it with you.
En route to the mountains; Anne Leonard and Alex Choquette on a typical day at Shames.
It’s no surprise that beyond the incredible skiing and touring access, there’s a whole lot of amazing ski people here, too. Every day at Shames, I met a new favorite person. At the start of the day loading the lift, on the bootpack, in the skintrack or in the parking lot after skiing. I thought I would be somewhat isolated staying here for a week solo. I was wrong and it turned into one of my favorite ski trips not just because of how special the community run co-op is with its spectacular mountains, but because of those who call the place home and share its energy.
Mattias Fredrickson, Anne Leonard, and Alex Choquette made the trip extra special. Did I mention I really wanted to stay? The skiing was chest-to-neck deep at times. I knew there was a ferry leaving for Vancouver Island. It was my chance to knock a few hours off driving and check out another special spot. At least that’s what I rationalized, because I had to get home at some point and leaving Shames was not easy. Eventually, a ski tour in the Great Bear Rainforest brought me to the moist green coastline of Price Rupert and the B.C. ferry terminal.
The best cafe in Prince Rupert is undeniably Cowpuccino's. Not too far from Totem Park and on the way to the ferry.
After the all-time Terrace blower storm, things got warm. On Vancouver Island it rained to the top of all the mountains. It was a trip to go from such deep snow up north to my first solar ski of the season off the ferry. That said, Mt. Cain is another complete gem. Well worth the visit to check out a place with only two T-bars surrounded by a lifetime of mind-blowing terrain.
The island is special. I pull the rare card to skip a day on snow and give it to the wild south coast for a day of surf and visiting the old-growth temperate rainforests located on Pacheedaht First Nation Land. I’ve long appreciated the work of the Ancient Forest Alliance and getting to visit Fairy Creek was highlight of the trip, the site of Canada’s largest act of civil disobedience in defense of the trees. On these kinds of road trips, there’s magic and direction waiting around every corner.
An evening ferry brought be back to mainland Canada and across the U.S. border that night. I was still a few days from home with some friends to visit, a few more snowy-surfy adventures to tap into, and a pair of busted headlights on the van. But it was all good. Twenty-four days owning time on the road, always grateful for a little help from Bob Weir and the Grateful Dead to just keep truckin’ on.