For those willing to earn their turns, Northwest BC offers incredible backcountry terrain. From self-guided touring routes to guided alpine adventures, the region is home to expansive mountain landscapes, reliable snowpacks, and unforgettable descents.
Whether you’re ski touring or splitboarding, you’ll find opportunities to explore beyond the ski resort while experiencing the solitude and beauty of winter in the mountains.
BACKCOUNTRY SKIING IN NORTHWEST BC
Like Nordic skiing, touring and splitboarding are big on self-motivated reward. Smithers‘ Hankin-Evelyn Recreation Area is well-signed and maintained for self-directed use while guided backcountry ski trips, available from Burnie Glacier Chalet near Smithers are ideal for those looking to experience the sport with an experienced guide in tow. The newly upgraded Dezaiko Lodge near Prince George keeps the spirit of this first-generation backcountry hut intact while offering upgraded creature comforts and exceptional access to great terrain, including snowpack that can get up to three metres and glades that run from treeline to valley bottom.
Terrace‘s Shames Mountain is world renown for its easy access (just take the tow rope to an expansive ridge line) to some of the most incredible back country skiing in the province. Remember to pack your helmet, probe, beacon and shovel, and while not required, having taken at least the Avalanche Skills Training 1 course is highly recommended. Always ski within your ability, and check the local avalanche forecast and know the snowpack conditions before you go. It’s always best to head into the back country with a local guide, or someone who knows the area well.
BACKCOUNTRY CABINS IN NORTHWEST BC
For some, a backcountry hut is more about the journey than the destination. Those keen to link up a week-long excursion hopping from cabin to cabin will find it among the pillowy powder-covered bowls and huts of Sugarbowl-Grizzly Den Provincial Park. Set along the banks of the Kispiox River and surrounded by endless forest and mountains, Bear Claw Lodge is a luxury wilderness lodge that can do winter for the indecisive. Looking to heli-ski? They’ll whisk you away to virgin pow. On the hunt for winter steelhead? They’ll bring you to quiet streams and rivers. Foraging, cultural tours, northern lights viewing, and more? They’ve got that, too. Plus, the lodge is buy-out only meaning it’s exclusively yours for the week.
There’s no need to fight cabin fever in the Northwest. Instead, locals embrace the comfort and coziness that comes with hunkering down for a night—most often by a crackling fire or warm pellet stove—in a snowbound cabin. You’ll find dozens of huts, cabins and lodges in the region, ranging from off-grid and rustic to luxurious and full-service. Ski tour or snowshoe amongst the perfectly-shaped peaks and sub-alpine valleys of the Babine Mountains to the Joe L’Orsa cabin, which sleeps up to 20 on a first-come basis and comes well-stocked with a stove and wood pile. Near Terrace, the 12-person Anderson Cabin offers a similar backcountry hut experience. Winter in Northwest BC means generous snowfall; you can tour or splitboard here well into early spring — there’s no need to ski slushy slopes when there’s pow this good waiting.