skicanada // skicanadamag.com // F A L L 2 0 1 5

Photo: DAN EVANS
Doing
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it Right
BY RYAN STUART
WHY STAYING IN THE
ALPINE AT SUNSHINE IS
AS GOOD AS IT GETS.
L
unch finds me in my hotel
room, ski boots off, sun
warming my face through
the six-metre window.
A snow-cold beer sits in
front of me, while a hand-rolled
wrap falls apart in my lap. Between
bites I watch little black dots arcing
down the runs off Sunshine Village’s
Lookout Mountain, mini waves of
snow spraying off every turn. Closer,
the sound of edges scraping on icy
bits mixes with the slap of P-tex
returning to earth, the rattle of the
chairlift 30 metres away and Taylor
Swift serenading the day lodge.
Lunch at a ski hill doesn’t get
much better than this. No lineups.
No hunting for a seat. No windy
patio that’s not quite warm enough.
No stripping off 20 layers and then
having to put them back on cold and
wet.
Instead, after a morning of carving arcs across corduroy, ripping
soft bumps and hunting for leftover
powder across the giant bowl that
is Sunshine Village, our stomachs
told us it was time for lunch. We
caught one more ride to the highest
lift-serviced point in Canada—the
Divide Chair—and then ripped one
long high-speed, playful run down
the rolling terrain and soft snow to
the base area. Chris beat me to the
hotel door, but I caked him with a
wave of snow, so I won.
With skis in the rack, we marched
up one flight of stairs to our room
and made lunch on our private table.
With the sun shining through the
huge window warming our windscoured faces, we contemplate how
we never want to leave.
————
I’ve stayed at ski-in/ski-out accommodation before but nothing like the
Sunshine Mountain Lodge, which
remains Banff’s only on-hill accommodation. Not only is it right on the
ski hill, but it’s a gondola ride up on
the ski hill. When everyone else goes
home at 4:00 p.m., we’re left with the
hill to ourselves. It’s like being at a
remote backcountry lodge, but with
luxury digs, two restaurants and two
bars. Skiing refined.
It’s almost shocking to realize
we’d only left Vancouver Island that
morning. The plane rose into endless
blue skies that had plagued skiers
all winter, robbing our local ski
season. But just over an hour later
we’d landed in Calgary and it was
winter. Snow covered the ground
and the temperature was well below
freezing. We nearly shrivelled like
tropical flowers until we dug out the
down. Two hours later, and a grocery
and liquor store stop, we were at
Sunshine’s base area and checking
in at the hotel’s reception. With bags
on their way to our room via gondola, we too jumped aboard ready to
ski. It was only 1:00 p.m.
By closing time we had toured
most of the hill. Two runs on Goat’s
Eye Mountain’s gladed steeps, highspeed carving off the Divide and Angel chairs, and a couple of quick runs
through the roller-coaster forest off
Wawa. On the latter we ducked into
the trees near the top to find a natural skier-cross course. We enjoyed
it so much we went back for thirds,
catching the last chair and sliding
right to our door, giggling the whole
way. As Chris bent over to pick up
skicanada // skicanadamag.com // F A L L
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Photo: DAN EVANS
DOING IT RIGHT_
A continental divide pose: skiing
Alberta, seeing B.C.
his skis, I pushed him into the snow and ran.
We had our skis in the ski locker and were on
our way to the hot tub in less time than it takes
most people to ski out to the parking lot. From our
steamy vantage point—our first-day-on-snowmuscles thankful for the break—we looked out on
a completely empty hill. Not even a snowcat. I’d
never seen such a quiet resort.
————
We’re slurping giant Caesars and making a plan
for just how early we should meet for breakfast
tomorrow. “In theory you could get up later and
still catch the first lift,” says Sunshine’s Lindsay
Gallagher.
Lindsay had met us in the Chimney Corner
Lounge and Sports Bar at seven. Until then, we’d
napped, watched some TV and even did a little
work before strolling into the grand restaurant. A
huge stone fireplace anchors the room with a long
L-shaped bar running along one wall and nothing
but windows on the ski-hill side. The lights of the
grooming crew creep across the black mountain,
like glow-in-the-dark spiders.
Soon a feast is underway. Wild game and
Alberta beef dominate the menu. Beautifully
presented, it tastes as good as it looks. Dessert is
liquid and served at Mad Trappers, the on-hill bar.
By the time we arrive, it’s stuffed with employees
dressed for a jungle-themed party. Despite the
isolation of living at the top of the gondola, they’ve
managed to find costumes. Everything from Tarzan and Jane to lions and tigers are in the house.
The bar is hopping.
Several drinks later I’m glad I’m only 30 metres
from the hotel. But before I leave the party, talk
turns to tomorrow. Skiing Delirium Dive is on the
agenda, but not till early afternoon. The morning
is ours and we realize again how staying on-hill
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I start thinking about the
consequences of a fall: the long
tumble down the chute, crashing
into a bunch of rocks and then
into space with who knows
what below.
has its advantages. We
could get up later and
still get to the lifts early.
In theory, anyway.
Sometimes knowing
you can do something
is more important than
actually doing it. We
finally slide into the lift
line at the crack of 10.
“We need to preserve
our legs,” is Chris’s
justification. With only
a handful of days under
our boots and four in a row planned on this trip,
he has a point. And if it had been a powder day,
I’m sure we could have moved faster.
We make up for the late start with a few quick
laps off the Angel and Standish chairs before
meeting up with Kenji, our guide for navigating
Delirium Dive. The Dive is a restricted access
zone: it’s avalanche controlled by the ski resort,
but an avalanche beacon, probe, shovel and a
partner are required for opening the access gate.
At the top of the Divide Chair we pass through
the gate one at a time and then huff and puff to
the 2,730-metre summit and the top of Delirium.
From the edge the massive bowl spreads out below in a tangle of rocky ribs and open shots. Blind
rolls and convexities add to the intimidation. On
the first run we take the chicken’s access—down
a set of loud metal stairs to a sheet of ice hanging
over an out-of-bounds run into no-man’s-land. We
gingerly clip in and slide around the corner and
into Delirium.
Kenji leads the way down the fall-line top
pitches, the soft snow tumbling in front of him
with every turn. I chase after him, swinging my
skis, back and forth. At each break I suck wind,
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while Kenji just smiles. Chris leapfrogs us, setting up for photos the whole way down. Eventually we traverse hard right under a cliffband and
arrive at a short pitch leading to the Goat’s Eye
collector trail. Only a few tracks scar the canvas.
Chris and I don’t wait for Kenji. Starved for powder we dive in.
With just a taste we want more. We ride the
lifts back to the top and this time take a more
direct access to Delirium through a shallow notch
in the top cornice. I look down at a tight and tricky
combo of precision jump turns leading to a steep
couloir called Bre-X. After Kenji shows us how
it’s done, it’s my turn. I sideslip in, make a quick
turn, slip a little more to a rock blocking the route
ahead.
I start thinking about the consequences of a
fall: the long tumble down the chute, crashing
into a bunch of rocks and then into space with
who knows what below. I stiffen up and balk.
Breathe, I say to myself. One step at a time. I can
see the route. Off a little roll, between two rocks,
a quick sluff of speed, a jump turn, short traverse
and then I’m good to ski. Deep breath and I’m off.
I nail the line and start jump-turning down the
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
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Photo: CHRIS BAIKIE
K
Tele in the sun: the author racing to
the hotel for no particular reason.
SUNSHINE VILLAGE
VS. LAKE LOUISE
Banff National Park’s
neighbouring giants
of Sunshine Village
and Lake Louise
remain sworn rivals.
They toss around
competing statistics
and numbers better
than politicians debating platform, trying to
win skiers. The truth
is almost as murky as
Stephen Harper’s
“Action Plan.”
As a guy who
spent his ski-bum
years in the Bow
Valley, let me cut the
crap. I can say they
are both spectacularly beautiful and
fun hills. Both are
worth visiting. But
they are also lovingly
different.
I like Louise for
its long fall-line runs
and abundant steep
terrain. For the same
reason, it’s a tough
hill for beginners
and out-of-shape
intermediate skiers.
At a lower elevation it has plenty of
trees for flat-light
skiing, but doesn’t
get as much snow as
Sunshine.
Sunshine’s rolling
terrain is awesome
for a mixed crew of
abilities and interests. There are lots
of steep runs, but
fewer long pitches.
The mostly wideopen alpine is great
on blue-sky days,
but limiting when it’s
snowing. And parking here can be a
pain when it’s busy,
so if you’re going,
plan to start your
day early.
ARE YOU READY FOR DELIRIUM?
DOING IT RIGHT_
There is nothing black in Delirium Dive, home to some of the hardest
and steepest skiing in Banff National Park. Just getting into the big bowl,
pock-a-dotted with rocks, is double-diamond serious. Not sure if you’re
game? Take this quiz. Answer yes or no to these questions, then add up
your “yes” answers.
chute, thinking of nothing but the task at hand.
Where the rockwalls give way to open snow I
stop and bend over, sucking wind. I love moments
like that, where focus pushes every other thought
away, muted to the sidelines. It’s like meditation
with a hit of adrenaline. Skiing out the bottom of
the bowl, I feel energized.
It disappears once we’re on the gondola. I suddenly feel exhausted. We do one more cruiser
run and then lock up the skis. After the requisite
hot-tub soak and a nap, it’s still too early for dinner. We wander the hotel: hanging in the TV room
where communal movies are shown almost every
night; playing board games and video games in
the lounge; and browsing the gift shop.
There’s something refreshing about having
time on our hands. Usually I’m rushing from one
thing to the next. But here, with everything I need
within a two-minute walk, time goes from commodity to ubiquity—like life before smartphones,
constant updates and five social media accounts
to maintain. Having nothing to do and nowhere to
go feels liberating. And stress free. No long walks
in the parking lot. No road-rage driving. No getting
lost finding the restaurant then waiting for a table.
Whims carry the day.
We finally settle on a drink in the sports bar
side of the Chimney Corner. A hockey game is on
and we drink a beer, killing time. A few guests
start arriving for dinner. Some go to the fancier
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What are you waiting for?
3 or 4You can probably handle it with the right partner
and gear with decent conditions.
0 to 2Not yet. Head to the snow school office in the Mad Trapper building
and sign up for a Delirium Dive training program. They’ll set you up
with the gear, tighten up your technique and lead you down for your
first time.
Photo: DAN EVANS
Photo: CHRIS BAIKIE
Do you own a beacon, probe and shovel?
Does your ski partner?
Can you ski Virgins off the Standish Chair?
What about Farside on Goat’s Eye?
Would you answer “yes” at least three times
for your ski partner?
Eagle’s Nest Dining Room just down the hall, others cozy up next to the fire.
When we finally sit down to eat, we can see the
nightly activity going on outside. For those who
haven’t embraced the pleasures of doing nothing
or have energy left in their legs, the hotel organizes
an evening activity such as a snowshoeing tour,
an interpretive talk, and a bonfire and stargazing
evening. Tonight it’s tobogganing.
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While the kids and parents hike up and slide
down the hill, I cut into a medium-rare, eight-ounce
peppercorn steak. It melts in my mouth as the setting sun turns the ski hill pink. We start planning
our next day, pointing out the runs we want to ski
between bites. Mid-sentence Chris stops.
“I just figured out what’s so good about staying
up here,” he says. “It’s like we got rid of all the
stuff that sucks. It’s skiing done right.”