About May Globus
Vancouver City Editor May Globus is obsessed with the sartorial and all that surrounds it: art, design, culture, music and film. Oh, and she really likes writing about it, too. A left coast girl at heart, her Sweetspot finds just might show why the westside really is the best side.
I'm such a west coast girl at heart.
I run, bike and hike — and, yes, I grew up spending every winter weekend on a local mountain. Fondly, I remember kids' ski school, working my way up the ranks to Blue Bomber (meaning blue runs only and no snowplowing allowed, unless you wanted the other kids to make fun of you). For Vancouverite kids, usually one of the first hobbies you pick up involve a pair of Rossignols or a Burton board.
Our province has some of the best snow in the world, some of it just 40 minutes away from downtown. Then there's the powdery stuff of the interior — oh boy, it's good to be knee deep in it.
In homage to one of my beloved pastimes, here's why skiing and snowboarding is a dream in beautiful British Columbia.
Short commutes. Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain and Mount Seymour are no more than 45 minutes away from the city. Plus, all BC mountains — like both Panorama and Revelstoke Mountain resorts — offer ski-in, ski-out accommodations. That way, you don't have to trudge far after a long day on the hill with aching quads and a left boot that's starting to feel a little too tight for your liking.
There's more to the mountains than skiing and boarding. Snowshoeing, tubing, sledding and ice skating are worthy alternatives to the original two, and Sunpeaks Resort has dogsledding as well. And there are things to do for those who prefer to spend a wintery day sans skiis, like shopping in resort villages and sipping on hot chocolate from Moguls Coffee House.
Fresh tracks. So much of the fun in skiing and boarding comes with the ability to find a new path. You may know a run like the back of your hand, but there's always a set of trees that needs exploring or a random jump to hot dog off from. It helps that hills keep it fresh, too — I hear Fernie has a new lift and over 22 new runs. And new runs deserve a new kit and gear, right? (That's what I'm telling myself, anyway.)
Two words: apres ski. This includes either mellowing out at Scandinave Spa in Whistler with its hot and cold pools and eucalyptus steam room or grabbing a beer at the GLC. Or both.
A friend and I, at the peak of Sunpeaks. Need another day like this!
For more information on BC's mountains, check out www.discoverBCski.com.