From Saturday's Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
Revelstoke, B.C. —
I am falling. No. I am floating. It is fleeting. And it is beautiful.
High above the Columbia River, on Mount Mackenzie near remote Revelstoke, B.C., I am beyond the boundaries of a new ski resort, blowing down a route dubbed Tastes Great. And it does. Deep snow in mid-December billows up, fat pillows of white stuff weighing down boughs of tight, towering balsam firs and spruce trees, darting and dodging through, floating and falling.
Whistler-Blackcomb was the first place I tasted this kind of alpine ecstasy, an adventure extended for an entire winter years later in Austria. Red Mountain in south-central B.C. is also in the league, though the snowfall there is now irregular and the season shorter. As it is in too many places.
But a long and often arduous drive five hours west of Calgary, winter has barely begun even though it seems like the middle of February. A storm is storming, and the fleeting feeling of ecstasy is recaptured, reconjured — and, unexpectedly, improbably, bettered.
"The tree skiing here is friggin ¡K It's as good as it gets," a smiling Paul Skelton„©, president of the resort, says after a run. Then, the Whistler-Blackcomb transplant (as many new Revy locals are) adds, "This is a steep mountain."
It's a very correct, if coy, assessment of the 1,443-metre mountain. But then Revelstoke Mountain Resort„©, opened Dec. 22, resists instincts against hyperbole. Every run — inbounds and out — vaults the place to the No. 2 rank among Canadian ski areas, just behind the Whistler-Blackcomb duo. And it is a raw, wild mountain. Modest humility is the tack to take.
This place, which for years featured just one small and slow double-chair climbing only a short distance up Mount Mackenzie, is a destination known by powder purists worldwide for its backcountry. It leaves visitors to enjoy its wonders in humble solitude, without the trappings of other resorts. Even on a weekend, it can feel almost empty.
But in the 1990s, a Toronto real-estate developer kick-started what would become Revelstoke Mountain Resort — a $1-billion project to create the biggest and best new ski area in North America in more than a quarter-century.
And while the slopes certainly tend towards the difficult, expansion plans include beginners runs far up the mountain, so novices as well as adventurers can enjoy the expansive, blindingly white views.
It is this snow, about 15 metres a year, that is the reason for the many millions of dollars pouring in. Accessible remoteness is what Revelstoke Mountain sells, underpinned by what is fairly called a climate-change real-estate play with plans for 5,000 housing units at the base.
Think: In 20 years, where will it snow? Here ain't a bad bet.
Whether the thousands of skiers who came to opening day bode badly for the emptiness of these snowy slopes remains to be seen. But as in business, one must look where the smart money — and smart people — moves.
In Europe, there's a sinking feeling in the alps as snow disappears (last year, one resort facing bankruptcy was sold for one Swiss franc). And starting with a trickle, circa 2000, there has been a notable migration from the Canadian pleasures of Whistler to Revy.
Founded in the late 19th century when the Canadian Pacific Railway was hammered through the Rockies, Revelstoke is a quaint and quiet town of Victorian homes with a population of less than 10,000. But by late December, 1,400 season passes had already been sold, drawing buyers from B.C., Alberta and as far away as Hawaii, Sweden and Australia.
"When I first came here, I thought, 'Where have I moved to?' But I absolutely love it," says Karleena Taylor, a bartender at the River City Pub. Originally from Australia, the 34-year-old arrived in 2006 after a long stint in Whistler. "Nice people are coming to town. New shops are opening."
Among those new establishments are Kawakubo„©, a "sushi sake steak" joint that brings a taste of Whistler and downtown Toronto to remote Revy. Just west of town, there's also the Great White North Bar & Grill„© — opened by long-time Whistler locals Jason Worby and his wife, Natasha.
Another memory from Whistler, a moose head in a toque emblazoned with a Canadian flag, has been relocated from the famous Dusty's Bar & Grill„©. But no one wants this town to become that town. A wooden sign and an arrow pointing westwards indicate the direction to those looking for more action: "Whistler: 544 km."
In fact, the arrival of a massive new ski area has left some in the region jarred. Housing prices have surged rapidly. And a local report in December told the tale of an elderly woman evicted from her apartment after the heritage home's new European owner decided he didn't want a tenant.
"It's phenomenal what's going to happen. There's dreams out here. But the town is not prepared at all," Harry Lightfoot, 48, says over a beer after a day of construction on a new house in town.
A saving grace is the location of Revelstoke Mountain, about a 20-minute drive up to the base from the centre of town, which probably means that Revy's charms won't be completely torched even as condos and million-dollar homes, some with private helicopter pads, are built at the ski area.
Helicopters. For years, they were the mode of transport for moneyed visitors, the ones with more cash than those on snowmobiles and less interest in hiking up through forests with skins on skis.
And last year Revelstoke Mountain bought a local heli-ski outfit and a Cat skiing operation to complement the inbounds adventure at the resort.
Plans are also in the works to sell an unusual mountain pass based not on one-day access, but on vertical metres — to be spent at the ski area or beyond, accessing runs by hovering helicopter or crawling Cats.
At present, there are two main lifts, an eight-person gondola and a speedy, four-person chairlift, together rising to the second-highest vertical in Canada. Next year, the gondola will be extended to about 1,800 metres and several superb high-alpine bowls — currently reached only by Cat — will eventually be accessible by lift.
For now, those "stuck" inbounds because of a lack of sufficient funds have a bonanza in North Bowl, a quick skip left from the top quad and a wonder of steep pitches, open slopes and tight trees.
On the opposite side of North Bowl is also a trio of tree-skiing triumphs: Roller Coaster, Hot Sauce and Jalapeno are more than enough for an entire day of thrills on the mountain.
But for all the "extreme" terrain, a true showcase of the beating heart of Revelstoke Mountain has to be Snow Rodeo, a top-to-bottom gem that is easily handled by confident intermediates.
Standing akimbo at the top of the mountain, I briefly assess the wonderfully long run before pointing downhill, letting gravity pull me. Snow Rodeo is arguably the single best piste in all of Canada, an epic that never seems to deviate at all from the natural fall line, rolling and rambling all the way down to the bottom.
It's the kind of run that leaves enthusiasts and experts no other instinct but to go right back to the top and do it again. And again. Until, really, either the legs give out or the sun sets. Ecstasy is an elusive emotion; Revy's got it in buckets.
David Ebner is a member of The Globe and Mail's Calgary bureau.
Prev
Interesting read. One thing I definitely can take from that, which doesn't seem to be all that well understood, it the "turning a black into a blue" phenomenom. I'm guilty as hell about this, myself - but I've tried to learn damn quick how to minimize my damage. 
Linear Mode
