Hudson Bay Mountain cabin community leads an enviable life
After witnessing and shooting one of the most stunning sunrises of my life from the peak of Hudson Bay Mountain, I was intrigued by the small mountain community I saw on my way up. It turns out there's a handful of people who live on the mountain and whole-heartedly embraced this place.
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I could instantly see why. I spent the rest of the day skiing iconic mountain lines and talking with the cabin-living locals to find out a bit more.
Ski Hudson Bay, Stay Smithers. Grab incredible deals here.
Meet cabin locals: Jason and family
Jason Krauskopf and his family live in a cabin on Hudson Bay Mountain and can literally jump off their back deck into a couple of metres of fresh powder. The amount of snow on this mountain is incredible and I can see why Jason's two boys Toan and Tosh love growing up here.
Jason is the co-owner of Local Supply Co., a gear shop for outdoor enthusiasts in Smithers. You can tell he's woven deeply into the outdoors lifestyle of this community. Jason is one of the movers and shakers here. He lives and breathes the outdoors with his love of skiing in winter and fishing in summer. One of his claims to fame is helping with the designer of the terrain park for youth who want to up their freestyle game.
Finding joy in the alpine culture
At the core of this mountain is the community. After skiing with Jason and his family, I got a chance to do a little exploring of my own. Nearly every person I talked to said they would never leave because they have a deep love for the mountain and close bonds with each other. One snowboarder told me, "You can let your kids run wild on this hill with their friends; its safe. All of our families look after each other."
Of course, the other thing that bonds everyone is their love of fresh snow. And there is no shortage of it here. I was able to ski in knee-high, untouched powder through snow-laden trees, all while slaying some incredible terrain. Best part was, it wasnt crowded and I learned to understand what brings pure joy to the people from Smithers' Hudson Bay Mountain.
Meet Kelly
Nearing the end of the day, I was ready to relax and enjoy the sun setting from Kelly McCormack's cabin. We literally skied to her front door. I felt like I'd just walked into my aunts house because we instantly hit it off. The skies were drenched with colour and over a hot chocolate I talked to Kelly about what she loves about this mountain.
"My husband and I drove around the province and looked all over, and couldn't find anything that spoke to us more," she says. "We were drawn here."
They ended up raising their family here. This similar thread from McCormack is just what I'd heard from others in the communities I visited around northern B.C. The kids came back, is how she described it. Her kids had gone away to university in the city and ended up realizing what a fantastic upbringing they had surrounded by such natural beauty. "My son Jamie said it the best, that people who grow up here have the opportunity to discover yourself through the outdoors."
I have to agree with Jamie and Kelly. Being outside liberates you from the everyday stresses of the big city life, and it helps when everyone else around you has the same philosophy.
If you go
Ski Hudson Bay Mountain and Stay Smithers. Grab incredible deals here: http://www.skiandstay.ca/
Call Hudson Bay at 1-778-693-2979
Looking to get the most out of your visit to Smithers? Make sure to check out Tourism Smithers official website: http://www.tourismsmithers.com/
Fly into Smithers via Air Canada and Central Mountain Air with daily non-stop daily service. http://www.smithers.ca/airport/
For all your Travel Northern BC details, the folks from Northern BC Tourism can help make the planning process smooth. http://www.travelnbc.com
Learn more about what BC has in store for you this winter, search #ExploreBC
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