We made a special trip to the North Island to visit Mt Cain during Backcountry Fest! We camped in the parking lot in the bed of our truck with our dog Jasper.
We enjoyed dinner at the lodge and, of course, skied a lot in bounds and out of bounds. The snow was heavy and difficult to turn in, so we did our best.
This video shows the terrain in the West Bowl and East Bowl. It also has some rarely seen footage of me skiing.
We’ve been going to Mount Cain long enough that I’ve learned how to do things as easily as possible. We made sandwiches at home before we left and brought lots of snacks. We had a cold breakfast of cereal and milk. And then we hit the easy button and enjoyed dinner in the lodge.
One of the things I love most about Mt Cain is all the interesting people you run into. We were invited to join our neighbors’ fire Saturday night, as the kegs in the beer garden had frozen. And the DJ moved inside. We sat around drinking with several young guys we would have probably never ordinarily talked to. They worked ski lifts and cleaned hotel rooms, lived in small towns on the island, and were probably half our age! They had done some of the adventure/guiding programs in BC, so we got to learn about those programs too. It was really cold for the island, around -10C, so the fire was essential! The company was a nice bonus.
How to make your next adventure a safe one
Carrying and usually using chains to travel up the logging road to Mount Cain is essential. We saw one truck in the ditch on our way down.
Backcountry winter travel requires avalanche training and gear. Just because you can see other people skiing out of bounds doesn’t mean it’s safe for the next person. Mount Cain recently had a serious accident, so avalanches can and do happen on the island. Check out Avalanche Canada to learn more.
Discover more from We Belong Outside
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
