SPECIAL FEATURE: CANADA
winning smiles of managers Ed Griffith and Vanessa Cartwright. “It takes someone special to come
here,” Vanessa says, showing me to my room, which is furnished with a soſt single bed and a wash basin and jug. Evening falls, dusting the sky with
stars, and the table is laid for dinner, candles aflicker. I wolf down duck confit, mushroom truffle risotto, spiced red cabbage and a peach and blueberry crumble, swapping stories with other guests. The lodge has capacity for 27 guests, but there are just 12 during my stay. Among them are a mother and daughter on their sixth visit, a pair of ‘liſties’ (ski resort workers) and a Californian couple on honeymoon. “We chose to come here to get away from the crowds,” the newlywed wife says. “I love exploring and finding my own tracks. It makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world to have ever skied there.” I see just what she means the
following day, when Matt and I cross- country ski through miles of untouched powder and unexplored trails — and in the entire day of skiing, we don’t pass another soul. As we ski back to civilisation aſter two days in the backcountry, I can’t help feeling that the scale, stillness and wildlife of the wilderness is good for the soul. But you don’t have to travel deep into
the wilds to experience backcountry Banff. A 40-minute drive southeast of Lake Louise, Sunshine Village is a ski resort that can also be explored on snowshoes, with guided trips making it easily accessible for beginners. And halfway between Lake Louise and Banff town lies Johnston Canyon; its plunging waterfalls noisily crash and cascade in summer, but fall silent in winter, frozen into twinkling otherworldly blue-white curtains that are perfect for ice climbing. Which is how I find myself 100ſt up
a wall of water that’s stopped in its tracks, hanging on with two ice axes and crampons on my feet — trying not to think about how tiny the people below me look. Thankfully, the rope I’m attached to is in excellent hands. My guide, Barry Blanchard, is one of North America’s top alpinists who has ticked off some of the world’s toughest climbs. He’s so accomplished, Hollywood sought him out to advise on the making
of movies Vertical Limit and K2. “I’ve gotcha,” he calls reassuringly from the foot of the waterfall, tightening up the belay as I try to thwack the axe into ice above my head, kick my toes in and shiſt up. Two hours earlier, our packs heavy
with equipment, we had hiked the one- and-a-half-mile trail to the Upper Falls, passing camera-wielding tourists who stared at us curiously as we climbed over the fence into the climbing area where only a few intrepid folk venture. Today I’m one of just 12 climbers — mostly locals — experiencing this magnificent natural wonder from such an up-close perspective, and I feel privileged to be on this side of the barrier instead of looking at it from the viewing platform with everyone else. Barry starts me off on a smaller
section, calling out tips as I go (“Heels down. Hips in. Axes up and close together.”) before deeming me ready to attempt the main waterfall. My first hack into the ice sends chunks of it flying to the ground. I bash my knee. My shoulders begin to burn and my legs start to shake. But slowly, with Barry’s encouragement and more than a few wobbles, I make it to the top, feeling positively euphoric. The view is spectacular — snow-
dusted trees framed by a powder-blue sky above, and cascades of water, frozen in time, below. “Ready to abseil down?” Barry calls from below. Just like backcountry skiing, this has been a great workout, totally exhilarating and wild. I lean back, and prepare to return back down to earth.
MATT POINTS OUT A GRIZZLY CLAW SCRATCH AND LYNX TRACKS IN THE SNOW
ESSENTIALS Getting there & around
AIR CANADA flies from Heathrow to Calgary, from £500 return. Alternatively, British Airways flies from Heathrow to Calgary from £501 return.
aircanada.com ba.com Rates at Skoki (
skoki.com) start from £133
($230) per person per night. How to do it
YAMNUSKA MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES runs ice climbing half and full-day programmes from December to mid-March, from £96 ($165) per
person. WHITE MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES offers guided snowshoeing trips in Sunshine Village from £52 ($89).
yamnuska.com.
whitemountainadventures.com
When to go
The ski season in the Canadian Rockies is one of the longest in North America, running from early November until late May.
skibig3.com
Produced in association with BANFF & LAKE LOUISE TOURISM.
banfflakelouise.com
Adventure September 2018 51
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