Ice creek lodge

A few of us refer to the terrain of ICL as the ‘Alps of the western Kootenays’. I think that helps describe the surprisingly big, open terrain of this 1860m elevation lodge. What it lacks in tree skiing, it makes up for in huge avalanche path runs, peak circuits and alpine bowls. It also captures the Kootenay ski bum vibe better than any lodge out there. It is definitely one of my favourite spots to ski in the world!

Website: icecreeklodge.com

Terrain: ****

Lodge: ***

Snow: ****

Strengths:

• Out the door and you are skiing the goods! You can slide to the door, or a short 200m climb back up to the hut. Home run, Fuckin A, whipping boy…so close to home and so big. A short tour to Fat Daddy Col gets you to Valhalla Provincial Park and some mind boggling craggy wild country so close to home.

• The loop tours are outstanding if conditions allow. Tag peaks and do full circuits at the same time.

• If the conditions are prime, you can hit massive fall line pow runs on all aspects.

• Smaller hut, means smaller group size - 10. Perfect in my mind.

• As with the other Kootenay lodges, the avalanche path skiing is out of this world. Grannies, Blatomshua, Big Bros…pure fall line pow skiing (especially in flat light) doesn’t get any better.

• Owner operated/family run is an awesome part of the experience here.

Weaknesses:

• The hut is simple. Don’t get me wrong, it is so comfy and cozy, but it is bunk style housing, so you better want to party with your homies the entire week. There is a sauna and a bucket style shower so everyone is clean and happy, but they are simple.

• The terrain here would be 5 stars…except the tree skiing/high hazard skiing is a little limited. You can get shut out of the alpine and avy paths if the danger is really high, but it has never really been a problem for me over the years.

• The transfer day is Friday, which can complicate people’s time off.

Why and when to ski ICL?

You are a real skier who wants to shred some wild lines in a wilderness setting deep in the heart of the Valhallas with your core friends. You don’t care for the super plush creature comforts, just hitting the rad lines - peaks, pillows, cliffs, pow and chutes - with enough back at the lodge to be warm and happy. The meadow skipping is good, but really it’s about the rad lines.