ESCAPE TO A WILDERNESS LODGE

Rustic yet refined, Journeyman Lodge is a great destination for snow lovers, set amid pristine sub-alpine splendour. A 14-kilometre journey on cross-country skis (or snowmobile shuttle, if you prefer) from the nearest driveable road, Journeyman offers a cozy wilderness getaway or the gateway to backcountry adventure — take your pick.

Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures (CCWA) and Whistler Olympic Park (WOP) form a partnership known as Ski Callaghan, featuring cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. If WOP, which hosted the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, can be said to represent the front-country, ski-racing side of Nordic skiing, CCWA would be the more old-school, backcountry equivalent.

Visitors can reach the lodge via a groomed trail that winds uphill to Callaghan Lake Provincial Park and through the woods for the final 5 km to their destination. There, guests are treated to what the company calls “rustic-luxe” accommodation, fine dining and down-home hospitality. If you stay more than one night, you can explore more groomed trails near the lodge or venture out on backcountry gear onto any number of routes that are often laden with prodigious amounts of ungroomed snow.

Guests who arrive early at the base area can also reserve lunch at the lodge. However, because of COVID restrictions, both the capacity for lunch and overnight accommodation availability is limited this winter.

Those skiing into and out of the lodge in the same day should come fully prepared with food, water and sufficient clothing, said CCWA proprietor Brad Sills.

“I think we’re going to have participation way above normal. It’s just one of the few activities that people can feel comfortable doing (in COVID times), because once you’re out skiing, you’re relatively safe from transmission,” he said.

Visit callaghancountry.com.