A world of powder

Island Lake Lodge sits in a pristine, protected wilderness that offers some of the best cat-skiing in the world

by Marie Milner — February 14, 2013

Log timber ski lodge, capped with snow, with mountain background

1 of 2The lodge at Island Lake Catskiing, near Fernie, B.C., sits in bright moonlight with the Three Bears peaks in the background. — Aaron Whitfield Photography

Brightly-clad snowboarder gives a smile and a thumbs-up sign as he leads a small group through deep snow, up a steep slope high in the mountains.

2 of 2Spencer Francey of Chase Winter Productions leads a group up the mountain near Island Lake Catskiing. — Mike McPhee photo

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Island Lake Catskiing, just minutes from Fernie, B.C., is set on 7,000 acres of privately owned land in the Cedar Valley, which is part of the Lizard range on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The majority owner of the land, Patrick Callahan, also owns Mica Heliskiing in Revelstoke, B.C. According to the local official community plan, 97 per cent of the Cedar Valley territory is set aside as a nature preserve.

Bear Lodge, the original structure at Island Lake, was erected in 1988 by Dan McDonald, Rod Pendlebury and Dale Bowman. Ownership has changed and three additional lodges have since been built, and the resort’s fame has grown along with its square footage. It has twice been recognized by National Geographic Traveler Magazine for its unique character and authenticity.

Winter visitors to Island Lake Lodge leave their vehicles in the lower parking lot and access the resort by a 10-kilometre, 25-minute ride via snowcat, a roomy and comfortable vehicle that runs on tracks, like a tank. Instead of chairlifts, it is snowcats that deliver skiers and boarders to the backcountry.

International attention

By the early 1990s, Island Lake had become an important hub for all that was exciting in person-powered snow sports—not just in British Columbia but in the world. Following a steady stream of international skiers and snowboarders drawn by stories of unparalleled backcountry powder, the media flocked to Island Lake, and a torrent of astonishing photographs and videos resulted, attracting even more media attention.

Some of the famous skiers and snowboarders who become shareholders when the resort changed hands in 1995 were Scot Schmidt, Craig Kelly, Jake Blattner and Jason Ford. Renowned snow-sport photographer Mark Gallup also joined the ranks of the shareholders.

A book of memories

Island Lake Lodge’s director of sales and marketing, Mike McPhee, recently decided to make use of the thousands of photographs in the lodge’s archives. He enlisted the collaboration of Gallup, who now resides in Fernie, and the two have produced a book to mark the 25th anniversary of Island Lake Catskiing.

Bears Above the Valley, published by Oolichan Books in Fernie, memorializes the history of Island Lake Catskiing, documents the evolution of non-competitive skiing and snowboarding into media-worthy activities, and showcases the memorable characters who made the changes happen.