I love the backcountry! The amazing views, fresh air and endless mountaintops that leave me breathless are just a few of the things that make me feel at home there.
It's also the place where I can access amazingly deep powder on my sled or sled/ski and tour on my skis to untouched lines that make me giddy just thinking about it.
I have many favorite zones throughout the Sea to Sky corridor and I have to admit it's hard to leave them to test out some other place.
However, to me, snowmobiling is all about the adventure and when I received an invite to hook up with Greater Vancouver Powersports, a local Ski-Doo dealer, at their annual Grizzly Lodge ride, I was pumped.
Grizzly Lodge, originally built in 2004 as a Cat ski operation, is now run by Adam Trainer as a snowmobile haven. Located deep in the heart of the Shuswap Mountains in the southern Interior of British Columbia, the gorgeous, 12,000-square-foot lodge has every luxurious amenity that you need to enjoy yourself, but the real magic is the 120 square kilometres of riding terrain that has an annual snowfall of more than 30 feet.
Our group arrived on a Friday morning and after dropping off our extra gear at the lodge and checking in with Adam on current conditions and secret powder stashes, we were off.
Within 10 minutes of leaving the lodge we were in the high alpine, and even though it was snowing hard the visibility was great - gotta love the dry interior. We broke into smaller groups and myself and four others dropped down into some cut blocks that were over-the-hood deep. The snow was light and it seemed these stashes just went on forever, because really they did.
After a wicked day we retreated to the lodge for an awesome hot tub with beers and a great dinner.
The food, ambiance, and view out every window was awesome. Each night after riding all day in untouched powder our group would sit down to a delicious meal and talk endlessly about the amazing day and terrain. Of course we would determine the crash of the day and that person would have to buy a round at the new bar Adam set up.
Then there were more beers and shooters and the tomfoolery went on into the wee hours - hey, we're sledders!
The next morning we awoke to sunny skies and two feet of fresh powder. I was on my new 2012 Ski-Doo Freeride and we spent all day in the tight trees carving and boondocking until we were out of fuel.
If you're looking for a wicked getaway with family or friends then check out Grizzly Lodge or any one of the other amazing lodges around B.C.
There is nothing like getting up in the morning and hopping on your sled and riding sick powder all day - and then doing it over and over. Info: www.grizzlylodge.ca.
Adventurer Dave Norona hopes you get out into the mountains in 2012 and enjoy them the way you love too! Dave's travels are supported by Columbia Sports, Ski-Doo and PowerBar.
