On Mount Sima With Mavik MacKinnon
If you have ever been in Takhini North on a winter afternoon, you have probably come across Mavik’s “freestyle playground.”
skiing
Winter Fun In The Yukon
We are very lucky to live in the Yukon: we have incredible indoor facilities and the spectacular outdoors.
Off To The Races
Talks of having a ski race, as part of Mount Sima’s pre-season training, were already happening two years ago.
Spring snow-ventures
The Thursday evening of the 2018 Easter long weekend was predicted to be perfect bluebird weather with warm temperatures. The snow had not been the best during the season, so it was time to come up with an adventure.
Feather adventures
It was 7 a.m. on a Sunday in late January. We put all the ski touring equipment in the car while trying to simultaneously keep the three dogs from escaping the vehicle. I introduced myself to Bryan, who I had just met in person for the first time after connecting on Facebook, and off we went …
Steiner aces the rut fluff to win
March 15, 1986 at the men’s downhill in Whistler, B.C. – The Inside Edge Memoirs #1 By the time the 1986 Molson’s World Cup men’s downhill and Super G, aka The White Circus, rolled into town on March 15, 1986 to close out the 85/86 racing season, I was well-established as the first-ever sports editor …
Yukon See It Here: Atticus Baker
Almost every weekend I wake up early just to go skiing. I love skiing. I love storming down steep hills, hitting big jumps and experiencing the feeling of that smooth landing … though I don’t always land the big jumps. I also like racing through the trees and flowing with the trail, no wind blowing against …
Everyone’s heading to shred town
With April right around the corner, Yukoners are getting some spring into their step. For many, it means the bittersweet transition from winter to summer sports. The warm weather wax comes out, the jackets come off and soft, warm snow appeals to most outdoor enthusiasts. It’s here for a good time, not a long time …
He builds them (and they are coming)
Tyler Nichol, originally from Dawson City, has been building parks since he was a kid on the Dawson Dome and has gone from gold miner to a nationally renowned park creator in Canada.
Managing avalanche terrain
Eirik Sharp, owner and operator of The Sharp End: Mountain Adventures, with his extensive avalanche background, is bringing change to how the Yukon manages avalanche terrain.
Making the ‘impossible’ possible
Darryl Tait, from Atlin, didn’t allow an accident slow his passion for freestyle sports. Adaptive Skiing is now part of Mt. Sima training.
Revolutionizing endurance training
“We’re just at the cusp of changing an entire sport, and it’s coming out of a town of 23-thousand people. It’s incredible where we’ve got to,” said Alastair Smith, co founder of Proskida. Current performance-monitoring technology that’s widely available in the sport doesn’t tell you how much you’re producing; it just tells you how much …
Fairweather Skis
The small town of Haines, Alaska, lies near 72 miles of glacier terrain and 15,000 feet below the icy summit of Mount Fairweather, which is the namesake of Fairweather Ski Works. Here is where a small hobbyist’s dream has become synonymous with the ski industry in southeast Alaska. Graham Kraft, 33 (from British Columbia), was …
Oh Les Filles
Yukon Backcountry Skiing’s owner, Claude Vallier, introduces his two girls, Kiona and Heidi, to the world by making a movie of skiing the wild Yukon mountains. “I didn’t really want to make a movie, but after participating in other movies and TV shows, I wanted to show more what I want,” said Vallier. “People always …
It’s ‘snowing’ at Sima!
Every October, Mount Sima starts snow production and welcomes hundreds of athletes from all over Canada for pre-season training in November. Whitehorse, Yukon, is the perfect location and climate to have early snow production to build the national-level freestyle park terrain and have runs open for athletes to practice ahead of the winter competition season. …
Keeping Yukon wild at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
Yukon Wildlife Preserve offers wildlife viewing, school programs, family passes, run/ski/walk events, Yukoner Day and holiday activities.
Yukon Ski Patrol
The Canadian Ski Patrol is a national organization is composed of more than 5,000 volunteers from coast to coast, in Canada, in 59 zones and nine divisions. The Yukon Ski Patrol is part of that non-profit organization providing a variety of services (not just ski patrol) year-round. What does a ski patroller do? The Yukon …
Party at the Hill
Since 1999, Simapalooza has become a yearly tradition for Yukoners to enjoy their local ski hill with a variety of events and prizes. Now in its 19th year, Simapalooza is bigger and better in anticipation for its 20th year anniversary next year.
Top 10 Tips: Backcountry Ski Touring
With the prime backcountry skiing time of spring fast approaching, it’s important to know some safe tips and where to get information before heading out there.
Living With Wildlife: Kylie Campbell
Ski patrolling at Mount Sima reminds us all the time that we live in the wilderness. The elusive lynx was too fast to take a picture, but I captured its large paw prints. On Sunday we had two furry fox friends who were unafraid to say hello and kept us company all day! Camera: iPhone …
The evolution of Icycle Sports
Icycle Sports started in the summer of 1998 by Patrick Plemel in his basement in Riverdale. In 1999 they opened their first location on Wood Street, then had multiple locations until 2006 when they moved to their current location on Quartz Road. Since its inception, it has undergone many changes, including a change in ownership. …
Small but beautiful
Our experience at the Mount Sima ski hill in Whitehorse and some facts about skiing
Big Air at Sima
The Yukon Freestyle Ski Association hosts the Canadian Cup November 23 to 26 at Mount Sima.
Dreamtime, Bourbon Time
I’ve always loved the stories where people slip out of the present and into a different time; kid’s stories like Tom’s Midnight Garden, or the Narnia series, or, in adult fiction, The Time Traveller’s Wife. There’s something compelling about the notion of arriving in another time, unmoored from the present, where the universe bends and …
The Last Ski Race of the Year
Volunteers are gearing up for the Buckwheat Ski Classic. The cross country ski race is on March 25, but starting in early March volunteers were driving up to Log Cabin, B.C. from Skagway, Alaska two times a week to set tracks for the course. The last two years the race was rough – the weather …
Adventure and Great Powder
Interest in backcountry skiing in the Yukon has taken off, especially among tourists, says backcountry ski expert and guide Claude Vallier. Vallier recently published a backcountry guide book to the Haines Pass, to accompany the guide book he produced in 2007 about the White Pass. The books, Haines Pass Backcountry Skiing and White Pass Backcountry …
A Long Race for a Big Finish
Registration is now open for the premiere Yukon Ski Marathon, hosted by the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club. The 50 km race is being held on Sunday, March 5 and begins at Mount Lorne, runs from there to Cowley Lake, then to Wolf Creek, Mount Sima, Harvey’s Hut and finally finishes at Mount McIntyre. For …
May the Force Be With You at This Year’s Hut to Hut Ski Event on Saturday
The EDI Hut to Hut, taking place this Saturday, is a family, social event that aims to encourage skiers of all ages and ability to participate while discovering new trails and three trail huts. Those huts will be heated and stocked with snacks, drinks and special treats. Pat Tobler is a branch manager at EDI …
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Something for Everyone
However, the Koot to Kat Alpine Adventure Race has a list of requirements: a partner, beacon, shovel, probe, communication device (phone or GPS) and the ability to get yourself up and over Mount Ripinski. The Winter Fest runs from Friday, March 3rd to Sunday, 5th. The Haines “First Friday” event also takes place on March …
Skiing With Our Dog
Whitehorse is not only lucky enough to be situated on Canada’s crowning jewel of cross country ski trails, but to have approximately ⅓ of that jewel welcome skiing with dogs! My dog happily wags her tail at the signs of going for a walk: puffy coats, warm socks and bulky mitts all point towards her …
Heading Out? Check it Out!
For many Yukoners, enjoying the backcountry is an integral part of their lifestyle whether they love to ski, snow machine, snowshoe or run sled dogs. They rely on their own experiences and common sense to keep themselves safe. Some have tuned into avalanche forecasts that have been available since 2011 on the Canadian Avalanche website …
Winter Sports Smackdown
So much winter, so little time. With Yukon’s abundance of winter recreation options, how do you choose your sport?
Training Ground
Mount Sima is “the first mountain in North America to have a jump line in.” That’s what Graham Pollock says. He’s the head coach of the Yukon freestyle ski team. A jump line means a skier can take more than one jump in a row while going down a hill. Sima has three jumps in …
Stay on the Trail
“It requires a lot of discipline to stay on the trail – not just the ski trail,” says Gary Bailie, “but the trail of life.” Skiing is definitely a way of life for Bailie, who has been running and coaching the Whitehorse-based youth cross country team the Kwanlin Koyotes since 1999. His hard work and …
It Takes Two
Biathlon is an Olympic Sport that combines two incredibly different competitive activities. Which two incredibly different activities you ask? Biathlon is a combination of a cross country ski race and small-bore rifle marksmanship. In Europe, biathlon is highly regarded with more than 30,000 fans showing up to races. You can consider it the winter version …
Celebrating 30 Years of Cult-Classic Skiing
The force is strong in our northern skiing communities. The Buckwheat Ski Classic has grown significantly to over 400 skiers.
Hitting the Powder
I will try anything once; twice if the first time doesn’t kill me. Which is fortunate, because that’s how many times I had been skiing prior to my lesson at the Mount Sima Ski School: exactly twice. I was 17 and had gone on a “romantic ski date” with my then-boyfriend at the Batawa Ski …
Cocktail Hour on the Tsirku Glacier
I first encountered Campari in 1980 at a hotel bar on Alonissos, a small island in the North Sporades group of islands in the Aegean sea, halfway between Athens and Thessaloniki. Camparisoda was the favourite beverage of a group of northern Italians who returned to the island year after year, and it soon caught on …
Stay Safe in the Mountains
Michelle Christensen follows a routine before she heads to the backcountry for a day of skiing. It’s a safety routine, and it starts in her living room. She checks the weather and road forecasts, and logs into the Avalanche Canada website for trip reports — where skiers post conditions to a forum, like the Yukon …
Red Lantern Pups
The first time out with my new 6-dog team was amazing; everyone acted like they knew exactly what they were doing.
Finishing off the Season with Three Medals
We just finished unloading all the skis, about 80 pairs, in front of the wax room in Newfoundland when a large rumbling sound caught everyone off guard. People dove for safety as an avalanche of snow slid off the roof of the wax room, burying our skis and poles under three feet. Luckily our equipment …
An Epic Ski Day
My first day on Mount Sima — Sunday, January 12 — was so epic. The beautiful landscape, all dressed up in snow, looked like a postcard. It was so fun to hear all the laughter from people coming down as I rode up the mountain on the ski lift. The sky is there for those …
Competing in the Yukon is a Rare Treat; With Cookies
You know you’ve been away from the Yukon for too long when you get off the plane and -15°C feels cold. But I welcomed the feeling, anyway; I missed it. There’s always so much to do when I get home: the woodpile is dwindling; I hadn’t climbed a mountain since November; the ski trails needed …
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Burning Garbage, Outrageous Mullets
The wafting smell of burning garbage drifted through the hotel entrance in Latvia; stray cats roamed the streets. From my window I could watch them hunt pigeons in the town square. I could also see a man with an outrageous mullet, dressed in a trench coat, walk by for the fifth time that day. On …
Racing in Italian Rain
The skiing in Italy was beautiful, until the races started. After a week of sunshine, the weather transformed back into a typical European winter — rain. I haven’t raced in rain much, but if I learned anything this week, it’s that I should start getting used to it. For under-23 skiers there are only three …
Aiming for Sochi, Hoping for Italy
For the majority of skiers, the trial races are the most important of the year. For a few, they’re second only to the event that the trials actually them for. This year we had four races in five days that would ultimately decide the Canadian Olympic team, as well as the World Junior and Under …
Homeward Bound
Rossland is a small ski town in British Columbia – or logging town, I’m not sure which prevails. I’ve raced here once before and it went well, so I was looking forward to another good weekend of racing. I was off to a good start in the sprint. With a mixed field of U.S. skiers, …
Racing Close to the Cut-off
I left home on December 1. My teammate, Colin Abbott, and I rolled up to the airport and ran back and forth, hauling our gear from the truck parked just outside. Thankfully we were faster than the ticket man this time. We approached the Air North desk with no less than six bags to check: …
Boosting Red Blood Cells in Arizona
The in-between seasons: I never know what to do with them. Roller skiing is not an option as soon as the roads are graveled. I’ve had my share of near-death experiences going down Two Mile Hill and South Access without the road being littered with rock and ice. Skiing is also pretty herky-jerky. The sound …
Skiing is a Made-in-the-Yukon Experience
I remember trails that wound through this area before roads came. Now there is always fresh human contribution to the ever-changing landscape.
Skiing: Just You and Your Dog
Skijouring is a fabulous winter activity for you and your dog. You both benefit from great exercise, fresh air and spending time together.
The Nationals and California
The National Championships continued on March 26 with a 15km classic race. Our wax tech, Alain, nailed the skies and the Yukon had one of its best days ever at the Nationals: six medals. I continued racing in top form and made the A final in the classic sprint. I got to enjoy a much-needed …
The National Championships
The Cross Country Nationals are in Whistler, B.C. this year along with the Downhill, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping, Biathlon, and Para-Nordic Nationals. To cap things off, it’s Easter weekend in one of the most popular ski resorts in the world. It’s a busy place to say the least. More known for downhill than cross country, …
Saliva Drooling Down Our Faces
On Wednesday I went the weight room at FH Collins and saw an empty parking lot. It was spring break, but that doesn’t allow me to ditch work. In fact, these days I’m doing as much as ever, if you can call ski training work. After a long, strenuous racing schedule I’ve finally had a …
A Successful Weekend of Races
The Mount Lorne Classic; what an awesome ski race. On trails used by caribou as much as any skier, the course was fast and winding. Skiing those trails takes me back to when I was five years old. Dave Brook would set the track and I’d race to keep up with my peers, shuffling down …
Experiencing the North on Skis
In the early 1980s when Mike Gladish was working for the Canadian Weather Office, in Edmonton, he was given a choice between taking a job in Banff and taking a job in Whitehorse. He chose the latter. “I had just gotten into cross-country skiing,” Gladish explains, “and I heard about the World Cup race that …
Avalanche warnings: What you think you know, can kill you
“You can’t read the Avalanche Conditions Report and make it apply to backcountry skiing,” Jennifer Magnuson warns me. She’s the communication analyst for the Department of Highways and Public Works. She’s talking about the frequent reports they make on highway conditions, specifically avalanches in about four areas of highways known for frequent avalanches. She’s seen …
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Mount Maichen Ski Hill: A Tradition of Kindness
I was disturbed to see a local writer publicly disapproving of how the Mount Maichen Ski Hill is operated. Her article depicts this hill as a poorly run, poor excuse for a ski hill. Strangely, this author is from the very community she defiles. It’s obvious you’re just trying to rattle the Chatty-Kathys, and I …
Don’t be a Weekend (Ski) Warrior
Now that the snow is flying and you’re itching to get out on your skis or snowshoes, or jump on the sleds, don’t get injured by being a weekend warrior. A weekend warrior is a person who is focused all week on work, desk-jockeying for eight hours a day, relaxing in front of the television …
Easing Into winter
OK, so it’s been a bit cold out, the light is going, your skis have cobwebs on them and you can’t find your mitts. Enough excuses already! As I write this, Whitehorse is approaching record snowfalls for the month of November. November is often a month suitable only for the diehards, picking their way among …
A Skier’s Guide to the White Pass
It’s a familiar story – a cliché, really. Come to Yukon for a holiday, get hooked on the place and decide to move here. That’s what happened to Claude Vallier and his wife when they visited the territory from their home in France. “After a couple of trips, we really fell in love with the …
Skiing the Animal Trail
Bison and foxes and sheep. Oh my! The Yukon Wildlife Preserve on the Takhini Hot Springs Road offers all of these and more—and it’s recently added a series of track-set ski trails to give visitors a new way to get up close and personal with the animals. The Wildlife Preserve covers over 700 acres of …
The Little Blue Blur
Have you ever watched downhill skiing on television and caught the flash of a blue jacket running out of frame as the racer gracefully (or recklessly, depending on your take) carves down the slope? If so, you’ve probably caught a rare glimpse of the elusive course crew. The course crew member is a hardy species, …
