SPECIAL FEATURE: CANADA
Skoki’. A bygone world of kerosene lamps and no wi-fi awaits. With everything we need for two days on our backs we set off, zipping our jackets up against the sub-zero temperatures. To help with the ascent, we attach
grippy climbing skins to the bases of our skis, and I’m soon working up a sweat from sliding my skis forwards and gradually upwards through powder-soſt tracks. The route winds through forests of larch and giant fir trees, where Matt points out a grizzly claw scratch and lynx tracks in the snow (thankfully, not fresh), before opening out into a large alpine meadow painted white with snow. With frosty exhales, I soon start to find my rhythm, copying Matt’s technique of looking up and forward, planting his poles near his toes and pushing forwards from the hip. Originally from Vancouver, Matt
swapped a decade-long career in oil and gas to become a mountain guide three years ago. His passion for the Rockies is contagious — as we travel, he regales me with tales of pine martens (“the
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natgeotraveller.co.uk
most prolific predator in the Rockies”), explains why glacier ice is blue and points out trail blazes, scorched in the trees to help explorers navigate their way. “Being in the mountains and helping people achieve something they previously thought was impossible is the most rewarding thing ever,” he says. My own reward is about to come.
We’ve already made it over Boulder Pass — strewn with rocks — and crossed the vast, frozen expanse of Ptarmigan Lake with its barely visible pole markers. By the time we reach the exposed summit of Deception Pass, my legs are throbbing and my chest is tight from the altitude. But the effort is worth it as we rip the skins off our skis, and enjoy a long, glorious ski down through trees heavy with snow, tantalised by the approaching scent of wood smoke. Aſter a total of four hours, Skoki
Lodge finally comes into sight, its collection of skis outside evidence that I’m not the first to arrive. But no matter. Shaking off the snow, I step inside, where I’m greeted by the warmth of a wood-burning stove, hot tea and the
PREVIOUS PAGE: An ice climber tackles some steep ice in Johnston Canyon, Banff National Park
ABOVE: Lake Louise ski resort
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