Rossland, nestled more than 1000 metres high in the Monashee Mountains of south-east British Columbia, is one of Canada’s oldest ski towns and a gateway to vast backcountry terrain. Here, snow piles thick on gabled wooden roofs and a good day is measured in metres of powder. This is where Leah Evans (left), a professional freeskier, cut her teeth as a child weaving through forested trails so dense that she and her friends needed to call out to keep track of each other. “We all had our own sound – a whistle, a yodel, a whoop – to share where we were so that no one got lost,” says Evans.
Nature also sends its own messages. “If there’s snow on the branches, you know there hasn’t been any wind and it isn’t getting any warmer. But as soon as you start to see it melt off, you know there’s a shift. And you have to ask what that means for how you’ll adapt your skiing,” she says.
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Evans founded Girls Do Ski in 2007, a series of women-only backcountry camps created to help others develop this same connection and intuition with the landscape. “It started because I wanted women to have a space to ask questions, take risks and build confidence in the mountains.” Based in Revelstoke, British Columbia (above), Evans offers programs that combine skill-building with mentorship – teaching participants to read the terrain, make decisions and back themselves. “As a woman, there’s a lot of pressure to prove yourself,” she says, “but you don’t have to be the strongest or the fastest. You just have to show up, pay attention and keep learning.”
This philosophy carried her into one of Canada’s most demanding ski traverses – the Bugaboos to Rogers Pass route, a 137-kilometre journey with more than 9100 metres of vertical climbing through some of British Columbia’s most remote terrain. Her April 2021 expedition involved hauling heavy packs for more than a week across glaciers, battling whiteouts and navigating crevasses. “You reach a point where every decision matters – where you have to trust your team and yourself completely. You can think you’re doing everything right and then the mountains will remind you who’s in charge.” What makes skiing in British Columbia special isn’t just the scale of the high country but how easy it is to access it. Thirteen destination ski resorts put you within easy reach of backcountry slopes, with untouched snow just beyond the groomers. “You can find real wilderness without going too far,” Evans says.
The province also receives some of the highest snowfall on the continent, with coastal storms feeding enormous falls of powder year after year. Every winter, British Columbia settles into what Evans calls a “culture of snow”: streets lined by drifts, trees bowing under piles of white and a collective lift in mood as the flakes return. “We’re so lucky. We still get these big snow years – and when it comes, everyone lights up. You can feel it everywhere.”
SEE ALSO: How to See Whales, Puffins and Icebergs Along Canada’s Wild Atlantic Coast
Jill Taylor’s tips for viewing wildlife responsibly
Stay quiet and low
The nearer you are to the ground, the less threatening you seem.
Give animals space
Use binoculars or a zoom lens rather than trying to get too close.
Leave drones at home
They can stress animals, disrupt natural behaviour and are strictly prohibited in some areas.
Choose ethical tours
Look for operators that follow strict wildlife-viewing guidelines, limit noise and keep boats or vehicles at safe distances.
Further west, Whistler Blackcomb – North America’s biggest ski resort, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this season – is built for every kind of skier. Here you’ll find easygoing runs near the tree line, broad intermediate terrain above and high-alpine routes that lead straight to the backcountry boundary. Plan to go even further afield? A new partnership with Wildcat Helicopters runs guests deeper into Coast Ranges glaciers, while the revamped eight-person Fitzsimmons Express chairlift eases the climb from the village. Lift passes now live on your phone, replacing ticket windows and lanyards and transforming the journey from street to slope into one continuous glide.
Across British Columbia, the landscape magnifies what winter can be. Skim above rainforest treetops on a Whistler zipline, pedal a fat bike through Fernie’s old-growth, mush your dog sled across the wide meadows at Sun Peaks, soak in the outdoor thermal spa in Whistler or take a horse-drawn sleigh ride (above) through snow-dusted pines at Big White.
Revel in some of Canada’s highest snowfalls
follow the powder highway and beyond
You’ll rarely find snow on the streets in relatively mild Vancouver, but the North Shore peaks on the city’s outskirts are always dusted white. The new Blue Grouse Gondola lifts you to the alpine plateau at Grouse Mountain (above) in just over five minutes, where 33 ski and snowboard runs cascade towards the city – 14 of them lit for night skiing. But the appeal here stretches well beyond the slopes: the Skating Pond shimmers under strings of fairy lights; snowshoe trails wind through the forest; and the Light Walk circles Blue Grouse Lake after dark, its lanterns marking a glowing path through snow-laden trees.
About half an hour west of Vancouver’s downtown, Cypress Mountain rises to an elevation of nearly 1440 metres, with panoramic views that stretch across Howe Sound and back to the city skyline. The terrain includes both beginner runs and challenging steeps, and from the upper lifts you can see fjords, islands and ocean folding into one another.
You don’t have to go high up to feel winter’s pull. Across Vancouver, neighbourhood ice rinks in Kitsilano, Hillcrest and the West End welcome skaters of all levels during public sessions, with rentals onsite and a steady soundtrack of music. Downtown, Robson Square Ice Rink feels cinematic at night, the glass dome ceiling luminous while the surrounding skyscrapers glitter as you skate laps under the lights.
seek out summits, spas and michelin stars
“The mountains have a language. The more time you spend in them, the more you pick up on it.”
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SEE ALSO: Which BC Ski Resort Is For You?
Two sister properties define Alberta’s grand railway hotel tradition, which harks back to the 19th century. Fairmont Banff Springs (above) – only minutes from the town centre – resembles a castle carved from a hillside, with vaulted stone corridors, arched windows and steam lifting off the heated outdoor pool.
At Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, a 50-minute drive from Fairmont Banff Springs, the lobby leads you right out onto the frozen lake, the peaks rising around it in a soft curve like a natural amphitheatre. Each January, the Ice Magic Festival turns the Lake Louise shoreline into an open-air studio – sculptors carve full scenes from solid blocks of ice that light up in vivid colour at night. The chateau's new mountain-facing Basin Glacial Waters spa (right) invites you to reset with a thermal bathing experience featuring a series of cool pools, saunas and steam rooms – the natural landscape becoming part of the healing ritual.
get closer to winter in the rocky mountains
Step onto a train at Vancouver’s beautiful Beaux-Arts-style Pacific Central Station in the late afternoon and get ready to watch the landscape transform in front of you. The city slips into river flats, then the walls of Fraser Canyon tighten around the tracks as pine trees climb higher with every curve north. By morning you’re at the edge of Jasper National Park, waking to the first wash of sun as it turns the Rockies pink at their tips.
This is VIA Rail’s The Canadian, a transcontinental route linking Vancouver and Toronto (below), running nearly 4500 kilometres and passing through five provinces. In winter it feels like its own small, moving world, with dome cars topped with wraparound glass offering uninterrupted views of the snow falling around you. Dinner in the dining car brings hearty meals cooked onboard (think rack of lamb or maple chicken), while Prestige Class sleeper cabins are insulated and air-conditioned and offer more space, with their own washroom and shower, a couch that converts into a fold-down bed facing an oversized window.
Continuing east past Edmonton, the landscape widens into prairie, a flat sweep of snow and long horizon with vivid blue skies. Winnipeg is the junction: transfer to the separate line north all the way up to Churchill to experience the wonder of the northern lights and polar bears, or continue east to Toronto. Here, the longer winter nights beckon after-dark fun in the form of ice skating outside Toronto City Hall, thrilling sports games – both the NBA and NHL are in season at Scotiabank Arena – and elevated dining at the city’s many celebrated restaurants (including 14 with Michelin Stars).
Watch a frozen landscape unfold by rail
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Skiing or snowboarding through fresh powder is just the start of a Canadian winter odyssey. Beyond the slopes, spectacular train journeys, grand hotels, dog sled rides and exceptional cuisine await across this vast country.
British Columbia
British Columbia
Rossland sits along Canada’s famed Powder Highway – a 1000-kilometre circuit through the Kootenay and Selkirk ranges that produces long-lasting powder and vast, ungroomed terrain. It features eight exceptional alpine ski resorts, numerous heli- and cat-ski operators and more than 20 backcountry lodges. Pacific Ocean storms push inland until they break on these peaks, dropping a dry, feathery powder that settles deep and lingers in sheltered glades and high alpine bowls. The road winds through charming mountain towns shaped by that snowfall: in Fernie, skiers drift into cafes straight off the hill; in Nelson (right), woodsmoke curls above side streets lined with galleries and gear shops; and in Kimberley, timber balconies and Bavarian-style façades give the village a distinctly European flavour.
Further north-west of the Powder Highway, beyond the city of Kamloops, Sun Peaks is Canada’s second-largest ski area, with 1780 hectares of terrain ideal for families.
A recent AU$6 million upgrade in snowmaking technology supports an earlier November opening and keeps coverage steady throughout the season. For the kids, there are two new adventure zones: Moose’s Cabin, a miniature walk-in lodge tucked among the trees, and Foxes’ Den, a twisting route marked by ski-through archways. At the base, a stone walkway peppered with fire pits is the latest addition to the resort’s charming ski-around village, where cafes and patios sit right on the snowline.
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“The mountains have a language. The more time you spend in them, the more you pick up on it.”
Vancouver, British Columbia
In a city with 12 Michelin-starred restaurants, gastronomy is a year-round sport. At AnnaLena (above left), the ever-evolving tasting menu draws directly from Vancouver’s surrounding waters and soils, whether it’s charcoal sablefish with chanterelles or elk tartare. Each January and February, the Dine Out Vancouver festival transforms the city into one of Canada’s largest culinary events, with hundreds of restaurants – including some award-winning kitchens – creating fixed-price menus and one-off collaborations to celebrate the winter bounty.
At Granville Island’s Public Market, chefs and locals cross paths as they pick up smoked salmon from Longliner Seafoods or truffle-studded pâté from Oyama Sausage Co. Crates of knobbly squash, earthy mushrooms and greens line the aisles, while halibut, spot prawns and clams rest on shaved ice at the fish counters. For a change of pace, Circle Wellness (above) – just beyond the market – is one of the city’s most unique spaces: a private, self-guided thermal spa made for unwinding. Soak in a cedar tub, meditate in a sauna pod with salt walls radiating gentle warmth, dip into a cold plunge and then rest on a floor of heated river stones.
Banff & Lake Louise, Alberta
Cascade Mountain feels like it's been painted onto Banff’s sky – a sheer face of snow-clad rock rising above the town’s main street in Banff National Park. Stand at the corner of Caribou Street and Banff Avenue to capture a snapshot of the iconic view, then turn your attention to the streets around you: Banff Avenue runs straight towards the peaks, while Bear Street is tucked just behind it – both buzzing with bars, small galleries, cafes and shops. Park Distillery is an easy port of call, with copper stills behind the bar, spruce-tip gin on the menu and locals perched by the windows, while Bear Street Tavern, a few steps away, turns out steins of Alberta craft beer and sourdough pizzas.
The Bow Valley Parkway is a scenic route that connects Banff to Lake Louise, curving between rock walls and open winter meadows where elk graze. Twenty-five minutes north-east, Storm Mountain Lodge sits tucked in spruce on the route towards Kootenay National Park. The cabins are hand-built with deep verandahs and woodstoves crackling inside. Savour a menu featuring all-Canadian ingredients at long timber tables inside the main lodge: think bison tartare, arctic char and wild mushrooms paired with vintages from nearby regions. A further 15 minutes up the road brings you to Baker Creek by Basecamp, where cosy private chalets have snowshoe trails starting right at your doorstep. By day, hit the slopes at nearby Lake Louise Ski Resort and at night, get cosy under dark, starry skies.
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Get closer to winter in the rocky mountains
Vancouver, British Columbia to Toronto, Ontario
The towns of Banff and Lake Louise sit about 50 minutes apart, linked by the Bow Valley Parkway or the Trans Canada Highway. The Bow Valley Parkway features two natural rest stops: Moose Meadows, where you may spot elk, and Castle Junction, a pullout with panoramic mountain views. Prefer not to be behind the wheel? Roam Transit buses run regularly between Banff and Lake Louise – or if you’re travelling with luggage take the Brewster Express. Discover Banff Tours offer guided trips along the route, including a stop at the frozen waterfalls of Johnston Canyon. The nearest aviation hub is Calgary International Airport, a 90-minute drive from Banff National Park.
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"you can find real wilderness
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