Ski British Columbia's Interior Peaks

Europe may be steeped in over a century of ski culture, but for wilderness and solitude, few countries beat Canada. Find the mother lode in British Columbia’s interior, which sees some 50 feet of annual snowfall, mountains that few people have ever skied—let alone laid eyes upon—and an astonishing dearth of crowds.

"Golden, Revelstoke, Fernie, Kimberly—this whole zone in interior B.C. is chock full of great ski resorts," says Dueck. Take Revelstoke, for example: It has more than 3,000 acres and a thigh-burning 5,620 vertical-foot drop from summit to base, the biggest in North America.

Of course, that’s only one resort. Interior British Columbia is also full of cat-skiing operations, heli-ski operations, backcountry huts, and road-accessed backcountry ski guides for any persuasion of skier or snowboarder. Dueck’s favorite? Chatter Creek, a cat- and heli-skiing company based out of Golden.

"In my experience, Chatter Creek has everything you could want," says Dueck. "It’s got big mountain lines, it’s got chutes, it’s got cliffs, it’s got lots and lots of pillows, and they get an abundant amount of snow. I’ve been there three times now, but I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what their tenure has to offer."

Plan This Trip: Chatter Creek offers cat-skiing and heli-skiing vacations. Resorts in interior British Columbia include Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, Fernie Alpine Resort, and Revelstoke Mountain Resort.

In 2012, at Powder Mountain Catskiing near Whistler, British Columbia, Josh Dueck became the first paraplegic skier ever to land a backflip. Though his main love is pushing the boundaries of big-mountain skiing as an adaptive athlete, Dueck also holds his own on a race course. In 2010, he won a silver medal for Canada at the Paralympics, and in 2011, he won gold in the mono ski cross at the X Games.