To celebrate our 15th year of sharing the stoke out here in the Coast Mountains, this issue looks back at how life has changed around here over the past decade and a half, and how it has stayed the same. People are still finding their purpose out in the mountains, crews are bonding over good times (and bad), and every pow turn still feels timeless.
That first issue of Coast Mountains was slim—just 16 pages of stories and photos backed by 16 pages of ads. Many of those advertisers are still with the mag today, and so are a lot of the photographers, writers, artists, and athletes. And that is huge—Mountain Life wouldn’t be here without our friends and neighbours, and we’re incredibly grateful for the kickass community that has taken root and grown along with this magazine. Thank you all.
Beyond that, I think the most important thing we’ve learned this past decade-plus is that regardless of how long we’ve been here, we don’t have a “right” to anything in the mountains. Instead we all have an “obligation.” We need to protect and respect these areas in homage to the incredible lives we’ve been given here. We need to acknowledge those that have come before us and consider those that will play here after we’re gone. The rule of the wild is to leave it better than we found it. We need to aim for that.
The rule of the wild is to leave it better than we found it. We need to aim for that.
So maybe this is the year to join the crew at Protect our Winters Canada. To become a member, take some action, donate some money— all the above. Especially if you want to keep busting powdery pillow fields for the next 15 years and beyond. We’ll see you there… –Feet Banks
In this Issue:
Healing in the Kingdom of Granite and Snow: Shut in place due to COVID travel bans, local skiers and snowboarders find themselves going deeper, both into the mountains of their home, and the states of mind required to shred them after losing two key members of the backcountry community. Taylor Godber explores ideas of strength, submission, presence, and healing alongside some of the Coast Mountains’ most dedicated troops.
Communist Powder: A decade ago, it felt like a hail-Mary— could the ski/snowboard community in Terrace, BC actually save their local hill by forming a co-op and buying it? Does a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit model work over time? Feet Banks checks in to see if ski hill communism really can bring powder to the people. (Along the way he finds some of the deepest snow of his life.)
15 Years in the Valley – A visual timeline of a decade and a half of growth, depth and chaos in the Sea to Sky corridor.
Trailblazer: Myia Antone – At 24, she’s the youngest ever recipient of the Tim Jones Community Achievement Award for her dedication to making recreational sport accessible to Indigenous women, but Myia Antone’s strongest passion is these days is the revitalization of the Skwx̱wú7mesh language.
Lifer: Jon Turk – Best known around here for his regular Mountain Life column, Jon Turk has authored over 35 adventure and environmental textbooks over the past 5 decades. After completing what he calls his final book, Turk digs into the power (and pratfalls) of myth and storytelling throughout
human history. All while tracking lions in the remote African wilderness.
Backyard: Overexposed – Local ski icon Chad Sayers is well known a smooth, flowy ski style that’s landed him on a number of magazine covers, big adventures, and ski flicks. But he’s just finished a book about the ins and outs of life as a globetrotting professional skier putting everything on the line for over a decade in the spotlight.
Plus: Vegan seafood, Brett Tippie’s endless pow turn, the future of snowboard construction, a story about Quebec!?, and all the good times, quick wit, sharp photos, and healthy living that’s gotten us this far.
Check the issue online here or grab a mag at all the usual awesome local spots.
