Video & Images: Steller Sight and Sound

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Beyond the pillows, film lines and crazy nightlife you expect from Whistler, are some hidden monsters. There are deep, dark north faces hidden throughout the Coast Mountains that hold some lines that rival anything on the planet for size and complexity. But they don’t give themselves up easily—there are no guidebooks to take you to these lines, no one keeps track of who’s skied what or who did it first, and you’re probably not going to find the few dozen rugged souls who know their whereabouts sharing beta. You’ve got to earn these turns yourself. There’s an apprenticeship needed to take the time to learn the remote corners of the range and to move safely out there as a small team. That education includes learning to be confident moving seamlessly between technical sledding, touring long days, climbing and being able to ski anything. The Coast Mountain Range is as big as the Alps, but there’s almost no roads, lifts or towns. Just getting to these lines will take everything you can throw at it.

I think the beauty of the Coast Range is in its mystery. When we first came across the line in this video, we had no idea it existed or if it had ever been skied … we didn’t even know if it topped out. Today, I still don’t know if we were the first, or the last, to ski it and that really doesn’t matter to me. I think the reward is in the commitment, in the learning, the personal growth, and in the sense of discovery it takes to find and ski these lines. So don’t ask me where to find it. The possibility for adventures in these mountains is infinite, go find yourself in their hidden depths.