March 11, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Skiing & Snowboarding
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Inspired by a North America-wide Burton contest that encouraged growth and participation in women’s snowboarding, seven friends and I embarked on a six-mountain, seven-day snowboarding tour of northern BC in February 2009. The fifth hill we hit was Hudson Bay Mountain in Smithers.
We were once again blessed by fabulous sunny weather at Hudson Bay Mountain. (We couldn't have ordered better weather for all the photos we were taking at each mountain – seven blue bird days in a row!)?
When we arrived we saw a lady snowboarder sporting one of our tour ‘Shred the Gnar‘ hoodies we had shipped to the mountain before we left home and we were once again given a great welcome.
With only the afternoon to ride we loaded up on the chair and rode down to the T-bar and enjoyed zero wind, a nice treat for us Terracites who like to visit our nearest mountain neighbours from time to time.?
It was ladies ski day at Hudson Bay Mountain so it was fortuitous that we were there on the same day. We met up with some long lost friends from the snowboard industry and ate a delicious lunch in the lodge.
Hudson Bay Mountain wins our award for best menu in the north - those spicy burritos were fantastic and the menu offered lots of unique options. We also really enjoyed the live music in the chalet (which is a gorgeous building, by the way) and were super impressed with the attention to detail at the hill. It was a real treat to see how much was happening at Hudson Bay Mountain!
The highlight of the day was getting a chance to ride the new Rotary Trail to Town - a ski-out that goes right from the top of the mountain all the way to the Smithers townsite.
Two women on our tour, Tara and Sarah Z, are both Rotarians in Terrace and were really excited to see what a terrific asset to the community their sister clubs in Smithers helped create. The wide groomed run winds its way down the mountain all the way to a wide open field. It was a fantastic way to end the day.
Folks at Hudson Bay tell us lots of the young folks will take the bus up to the hill then ride down to get picked up by their parents. That's pretty awesome when you're a teenager with no drivers’ licence. And loads of fun when you're an adult and don't feel like driving 24 km down the access road!??
A huge thank you to the Hudson Bay Mountain crew for great hospitality! And a special thanks to the great staff at Hudson Bay Lodge hotel in Smithers who graciously provided us with accommodations on our last night of our big adventure. (Oh, and the pub and menu at Hudson Bay Lodge is fantastic with great service too!)