RIDING THE BORDERLANDS

A road trip exploring the lesser-known peaks of the eastern Rockies offers up small, characterful towns, whose local sheer-drop chutes, powder-filled bowls and untracked cat skiing backcountry provide an authentic North American ski experience

- ALF ALDERSON

I’m standing atop a snow-plastered ridge in the Canadian Rockies, about to begin my first descent of the day. From my vantage point, I can see vast distances across the range, taking in Fernie Alpine Resort immediately to the northwest, Castle Mountain Resort to the southeast, and, further afield, the peaks of northern Montana. They’re all locations I’ll be skiing in over the next week as part of a road trip that’s designed to avoid the glitz and glamour (and long lift queues) of international favorites like Whistler or Aspen and instead take in some ‘real’ North American skiing.

For the first stage of the trip, I’m touring the Rocky Mountains with Fernie Wilderness Adventures, a local operator set in an old hunting lodge in the Elk Valley. It’s located 14 miles from the town of Fernie, the last five of which are on a snow-covered dirt road — so a four-wheel-drive vehicle is a must.

Straight from the outset, it seems I’ve found what I’m after. Despite it having been at least 10 days since the last snowfall, our guides Josh and Kevin have discovered an area of untracked powder, perfect for cat-skiing (accessing remote backcountry ski terrain in a ‘snowcat’ — an enclosed tractor-like vehicle with caterpillar track wheels, its name a portmanteau of ‘snow’ and ‘caterpillar’) . Together with a group of American and Canadian skiers and boarders, I take on terrain that varies from open glades and gently angled slopes to tightly packed trees and steep chutes. It’s varied enough for all of us to find slopes we’re comfortable with — as Josh puts it, “Choose your own adventure”.