winter


Winter Sports

You’ve probably heard of British Columbia’s famous “Rocky Mountain champagne powder.” Well, the same weather systems that dump that stuff over on the eastern side of the Province cross through the western side first. Situated on the east slope of the coastal range, the mountains around Smithers intercept and then chill masses of humid Pacific air – the result - heaps of wonderful dry powder falling on area slopes. Yet, because Smithers lies in some proximity to the Pacific, its winters are not exceptionally cold. What a combination – deep powder without bone crunching temperatures!

As a result of this serendipitous combination of weather and location, our area boasts a terrific variety of winter sports activities. A downhill ski area on Hudson Bay Mountain is located right outside Smithers. Cross-country skiers can skate or glide on a total of 76 miles/110 kilometers of groomed and tracked trails in three areas in the vicinity. Numerous trails lying both inside and outside Babine Mountains Provincial Park provide opportunities for backcountry skiing and snow-shoeing for everyone from the novice to the expert. Several ski-in cabins are available for the truly adventurous for overnight trips. At Canyon Creek, your family or group can stay in comfort while enjoying ready access to all of these activities. You can also cross-country ski or snow-shoe right out the door in our meadow while looking for wildlife such as moose, lynx, fox and wolves or for such avian specialties as Great Gray, Saw-whet, Northern Hawk, Boreal, Northern Pygmy and Barred Owls or Willow Ptarmigan, Hoary and Common Redpolls, Red or White-winged Crossbills and Three–toed or Black-backed Woodpeckers.

If you are interested in learning backcountry skiing and/or winter or avalanche survival skills, we can put you in touch with one of our local experts who will provide courses in all of these subjects, including telemark and alpine touring skiing.

Similarly, contact us to get information about guided activities into Babine Mountains Provincial Park and other local wilderness areas. To make arrangement for your winter visit, contact us.