If you’ve ever ridden Kicking Horse, a fantastic resort outside Golden, British Columbia, you know that there are all sorts of hike-to options waiting for those in the know. And aside from radical inbounds terrain, the side-country touring options are endless as well. But only if you have the right equipment (ie skins, probes, shovels, etc.).
Stéphane Boisvert didn’t have any of this gear. He dropped into an area known as Canyon Creek, a super-fun tour just outside the resort’s boundary. But make no mistake, Canyon Creek is full-on backcountry. You can’t walk out and find a road or hook up with another lift. It leads to more, vast B.C. backcountry. The only way out is back up the way you rode down, either via bootpack or a simple skin back to the boundary line with splitboard or touring skis. The area has sucked in many unknowing skiers and riders, and some have even lost their lives.
Boisvert, a Quebec native, didn’t know the severity of what he was getting himself into. He followed a creek for six days until he was finally found by search and rescue. And he lost a limb to frostbite because of it. Here, he shares his harrowing story with the Canadian media outlet, the National Post. You can find the write-up, here.
