Mt Cain on Vancouver Island, British Columbia is like something out of a dream or a 30-year time warp. Imagine driving up an old snow-covered logging track and turning the corner to find a cul-de-sac of RV’s, tents, and run-down buildings, a T-bar, and some of the most robust snow totals in Canada. All on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Oh, and it’s entirely run by volunteers. Pretty crazy right?
Mt Cain, run by the Mount Cain Alpine Society, is about as off the grid as it gets, a difficult journey even if you already live on Vancouver Island. “It’s a 16kilometer (30 min) drive from Highway 19 on a road that’s unpaved, full of potholes, and is usually super icy – icy enough to play hockey on,” reads a description on Powderhounds, an online resort resource. “Uphill traffic is permitted until 1 p.m. and downhill traffic from 1-6 p.m.”
Matchstick Productions recently travelled to Mt Cain with Mark Abma, Eric Hjorleifson, and Chris Rubens to see if the mythical little ski destination was everything it’s cracked up to be. Spoiler alert: it is.
