Ski Stop #14 of 42 - Hudson's Hope Ski Association

 Ski Stop #14 of 42 43 - Hudson's Hope Ski Association

When we were in Chetwynd, we heard a little rumour that there was a ski tow on Portage Mountain near Hudson's Hope - Cree, Beaver, Métis, Dënédeh land. We had done extensive research about ski hills prior to embarking on our journey, but somehow this one had slipped under our radar. We were incredibly lucky that we were still in this part of B.C., so we had to look into it, right?

We travelled 135 kilometers. Sure enough, there is a Hudson's Hope Ski Association with a handle tow on Portage Mountain, twenty or so minutes out of Hudson's Hope up Canyon Drive. And we were so glad we found it. We chatted with Felix Pietila who has reformed the ski association society and is working on plans with a small group to resurrect the place and get it back operating. Locals first got the ski area running in 1998, but it has been generally closed since 2016. They still use the Chalet at the top of the hill for little functions and some families still find ways to have fun on their slopes, but they hope to get it fully useable again for a little skiing in the winter and mountain biking in the summer.

We arrived later in the afternoon to their parking lot and quaint ski chalet warming hut, which is all at the top of their handle tow and ski runs. The view from there stretches out across Williston Lake, which covers 1761 square kilometres making it the largest lake in B.C. - by a long shot. 

There wasn't much snow there for us and we were dodging brush - but the snow they did have was pretty good and we got some good turns in. We ended up skiing until the sun started to set, and then headed down and around the end of the lake to have dinner at the stunning log-built Williston Lake Resort. Owner and chef Barbara Bolliger's food is certainly worth the trip.

We loved the fact that we found this little ski hill. For our Skädi Tour, looks like it is now going to be 43 ski areas in 42 days!! You can see the video recap of our day here - set to Wildflowers by The Wailin' Jennys. You can hear more of their music at www.wailinjennys.com, and you can listen to the entire Skädi Tour Playlist of Canadian artists on Spotify: Skädi Tour Playlist.