Troll Resort steals my heart with fresh snow and friendly people
Quesnel, B.C. – When I heard I was going to ski a mountain resort mysteriously named Troll, I knew this place was going to be different from other ski hills. It became my mission to find out what made it so unique.
As the story goes, a man named Lars Fossberg and his wife, Astrid built this place from the ground up in 1972., so it's no wonder Troll has pretty deep roots in the Quesnel region. To this day, the resort is still run by the family. Lars daughter, Hildur and her husband, Lars Sinclair operate the hill that has 527 metres (1,729 feet) of vertical and reportedly, the world's second largest T-bar. It's always so cool to find out facts like this.
Unplug and dive into another world at Troll. Get planning...
Meet Hildur
Hildur Sinclair was the first person to greet me at Troll and I was also greeted by smiles and a warmth of this tight-knit community.
"What we do is create joy for people, create a space for them to come and experience joy," Hildur said. "Troll is a special place in a lot of people's hearts and it's where they have a lot of fun, laugh and play. I think that's super important nowadays – to be able to get out and just experience nature and fall in the snow and youre not plugged into anything. That's what we do here."
I couldn't agree more.
Hildur's love of her staff is so easy to see. In fact, they aren't staff, they're more like family. Apart from running the mountain operations with her husband, Len, she embraces anyone who is part of her team at the mountain. She'll cook for them (and I'm talking about huge and amazing meals) because it gives her happiness, knowing everyone is well fed and happy. Everyone seems to bond around the community dinner table here. The sense of community within the lodge at Troll is like nothing I've ever seen before – and that includes the heart-warming fact that nobody is busy looking at their phones.
A hill full of life
I instantly noticed the connection between people and the mountain. The collective passion for getting people and kids on snow was one of the highlights of my trip.
And about that name?
Originally it was Hildur's aunt who suggested the name to Lars. In traditional Norwegian and Scandinavian folklore, the Troll is a mystical and mythological creature. Lars loved the idea of calling the resort Troll. For Hildur, it fits the ski hills philosophy that skiing should evoke be fun and put a little magic in every day.
Meet Beat
You might know Beat from the TV series, Timber Kings. I was fortunate enough to get to meet him face-to-face and ski some fresh lines with him. Riding up the T-bar with Beat, we struck up a conversation and I asked him why he loves Troll and what he would miss if he had to leave.
"You wouldn't get me out of this place. I would miss the people the most, as well as the ability to completely disconnect. Here, I can truly disconnect from the world, as the internet and even cell service is tough. That is what I love. I love what I do and I love the people surrounding me and this is a small community we all love to call home."
Thanks Beat for inviting me into your community and reminding me of the important things in life. I'll see you all again soon.
To the people of Troll Mountain, you have my heart. XO
If you go
Troll is found around the middle of the Barkerville Highway and as you are travelling to Troll, you definitely should stop in the City of Quesnel. Learn about the many adventures available here too at Tourism Quesnel.
Troll, Quesnel, the District of Wells and Barkerville are destinations along the famed Barkerville Highway (aka Highway 26) – all within the Cariboo Regional District found at Cariboo Regional District.
Discover more about winter fun in Northern B.C. at #SkiNorthBC
Follow us on Facebook and get all the news on snow happenings in Alberta and B.C.
Like Our Facebook Page
