Skiing Island Pow at Mount Washington Alpine Resort

Looking for an alternative resort this winter without road closures or security checkpoints? Craving untracked pow without the masses on your heels? Grab a Lucky Lager and enjoy Vancouver Island's destination resort.

Location

Skiing Island Pow at Mount Washington Alpine Resort

By Vince Shuley

Photos by Emily Serrell

Skiing on Vancouver Island has been on my radar for years. I had first heard of Mt Washington when I spent a season at Mammoth Mountain a few years back. I worked there with a friendly Canuck who went by the name of Skiing Ian. Ian worked as an instructor at Mt Washington for six winters.  “It’s no Mammoth or Whistler” he explained, “But they get a ton of snow”. 

Yep, the only Canadian resort to trump Whistler’s legendary coastal snowfall is right across the Georgia Strait. And the locals know it too. Some describe Whistler’s storms as ‘leftovers’ after the low pressure systems have dumped their most fruitful bounty on the Vancouver Island Ranges.

More snow yes. But what’s the quality like? Mt Washington’s summit tops out at 1588m, meaning a warm weather system will more than likely rain out most of the mountain.  But the difference between rain soaked ‘skudge’ and endless face shots can be a matter of a just few degrees.  Anyone who skis coastal BC can appreciate this fact.

“It can get wet, but if all I ever skied was elephant snot I definitely wouldn’t live here” says Mt Washington PR representative Brent Curtain, who resides with his wife and kids in nearby Courtenay.  “I’ve had powder days at other resorts, but this is where I’ve had the deepest days, and lots of them”

I’m riding the Boomerang Chair which services the Outback on Mt Washington’s backside. The Outback is a relatively new area which opened due to a demand for more challenging lift serviced terrain. As I look around I’m reminded of mid mountain playgrounds like International Trees on Whistler and Fraggle Rock on Blackcomb. There are chutes, ice falls and cliffs with launch pads that beckon.  Looking above, the boundary area of North Bowl sits directly behind the summit and is littered with menacing cliffs and tight avalanche paths. Mt Washington’s Ski Patrol has marked this area as possible further expansion of the resort’s boundaries.

The mid week crowds are pretty thin around here, despite it being a knee deep powder day with sunny breaks. The Islanders are a laid back lot and don’t seem too fussed about fighting for fresh tracks.  There’s always plenty of pow to go around at Mt Washington.

And that’s the biggest difference to skiing on the Island. Not weather or terrain, but the people.  The skiers and riders don’t take themselves too seriously and no one fools themselves into thinking that they’re ‘progressing the sport’.  Islanders are happy with a day of epic tree skiing followed by a round of Lucky Lagers. At the end of the day workers and locals retire to Courtenay where they have all the facilities of an established city and all the nightlife they need.

So if you’re looking for a resort that’s not interrupted by the Olympics or you’re just looking to for a laid back place to make some deep turns, sample some of the Vancouver Island’s finest at Mt Washington.

For more resort info go to www.mtwashington.ca

For accommodation info go to www.discovermountwashington.com

 

 

 

 

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