Lodge Life: Staff Memories of Winter at Shadow Lake
Marc-Antoine Nadon, Cook/Kitchen Manager
One of the memories I’ll keep of the winter season is the day Sam and I had the objective to summit and ski Gibbon Peak on a Saturday morning after all my prep work in the kitchen was done. We had researched the line and had done some recon weeks prior to ensure that the snow pack was consistent. We felt that day provided the best window. Heading up the trail that morning we passed five parties of lodge guests and explained to them where we were heading and our objective for the day. The sky was pure bluebird. Once out of the trees at Gibbon Pass we could fully see the summit. Uninterrupted view! We headed up the foot of the mountain and found its slope bare of fresh snow – instead there was a sun crust. Our skis came off and “A frames” were mounted on our backs. Quickly learning that Sam was afraid of heights, we carefully made our way up the slopes, with breaks to take in the views — Mount Assiniboine in the south standing out proud. We also noticed in the valley that the lodge parties that had snowshoed up had pitched up camp to watch us gain elevation and soak in the sun rays. The run was a massive bowl that ran from the summit of Gibbon Peak to 500m from Shadow Lake. Gaining more elevation, we realized we wouldn’t be able to summit without being too late to finish getting dinner ready. We ate our lunch 200m below the summit — a hunk of cheese and leftover sandwiches — geared up and skied what must of been the best GS turn I’ve ever had in the backcountry. The snow was just starting to melt and the turns felt like we were skiing in knee deep powder, “corn skiing.” Sam dropped in first. I immediately knew it was an amazing run by the massive “Wooooooooooo” Sam belted out! I waited for him to be in a safe place before I took to the slope. Skiing in bibs and t-shirts never felt so good! With my background as a ski racer, I just wanted to gain as much speed as I could, making my turns longer and straighter. Once together again, we talked about how unbelievable those turns had been. We made a plan to “ski” the notorious shallow lake trees that we’ve come to call “bush skiing” down to the lake and back to the lodge in time for me to start dinner for our guests.
Leilani Roy-Right, Service Team
First of all, I would like to say that I don't do anything quickly. Or rather I do two things quickly: I talk fast and I walk fast. Everything else I do slowly and carefully and I'm not a big fan of high-speed activities. Despite this, I was excited that working a winter season at the lodge would mean that I had the opportunity to ride a snowmobile for the first time in my life. However, when I got onto the back of the snowmobile during the first week of work at the lodge, it felt about as natural to me as riding a horse that is standing in a canoe going down class five rapids. The first feature of the trail is a hill with a bit of a drop to one side. The trail is very wide at this juncture so tumbling off the side would be extremely unlikely unless you were trying to, but my mind assured me that anything is possible. The trail then climbs through some gentle ups and downs until the final three kilometres. At the start of this last section is a long and winding hill. At this point in the ride I felt certain I would either be pitched off the machine or that it would roll off the path and pin me underneath it. Of course neither happened and I arrived with my body in one piece and my nerves strewn along the trail. Needless to say, I won't be joining any sled conventions anytime soon.
Joking aside, this winter season at the lodge has been beautiful. After working here from June through September and watching the transition from late spring to summer and from summer to fall, it has been a joy to see the surrounding mountain peaks adorned with snow. Though the scenery is breath-taking, it has been the guest interactions that have really made this season special for me. Last week, as with most weeks of the season, we played a little "lodge family trivia" wherein fun facts about each staff member are written on a whiteboard and during dinner the guests must work with their table to guess which staff member did what. My fun fact last week had to do with a little motorcycle trip I took while living in Nepal. After the game ended, a couple called me over to speak with them about Nepal as they had both been there more than once and were keen to hear about my experience. It soon emerged that my friend from Kathmandu, with whom I took the motorcycle trip, also knows the couple! It was such a unique moment to stand and feel on the one hand like a speck among the mountains, and at the same time realize how small the world can be!
Darryl Mathewson, Service Team
Working at SLL made me appreciate how beautiful the simplest things can be. The surroundings were so calming and beautiful, it made “lime time on a poo-nicle” resemble a fresh snowfall on Mt. Isabella. Even when given the task of hauling 170lb cylinders by hand up an icy hill, watching the lightly falling snow accumulate like pillows on the pines while resting (and cursing) made it all worthwhile. Bun fun will live on in our hearts, and freezers, forever.
Lodge Lingo Dictionary
Poo-nicle: The highest point of the accumulated poo in the barrel.
Lime time: It's time to throw lime onto the poo-nicle on the washhouse barrels.
Bun fun: When the bread rolls have been freshly pulled from the oven and brushed with butter and salt, and it's time to commit carbicide.
Carbicide: Death by carbs! When all you eat is tasty baked goods and bread.
Brrp: Time to hop on the snowmobile!
$30 bill: The things you would do for money, even if it is fake money.
T-meats: Charcuterie meats for tea time. "T" can be thrown before any word to identify that it’s used for tea time. e.g. T-cheese, t-veg, t-crackers…
Meghan Wagler, Lodge Manager
As the person “responsible” for keeping the heat on, the water running and the access trail skiable, I have been ever so grateful to the weather gods this season for providing us with just the right temperatures and copious amounts of snow. The agreeable conditions allowed me to focus more time and energy on the most enjoyable part of lodge life: the guests! It’s been wonderful getting to connect with the various individuals who glide up to the porch of the dining cabin as strangers and glide away two days later as friends. I’ve especially enjoyed when we had kiddos in our midst. Our hot chocolate budget would invariably get blown on those weekends, but it was well worth it. The lodge seemed to attract some of the most polite and adventurous young people around. Whether it was initiating a snowman building competition, asking for a tour of the poo barrels, or ordering bowls of “just whip cream” for dessert, the kids of Shadow Lake Lodge always seemed to dig up that extra bit of fun that eluded the adults in the group. Please come again and don’t forget to pack your curiosity, energy and zany ideas!
