Winter
wonderland

Riding the rails and surrounded by rugged countryside covered in snow and a million Christmas trees, plus a view to the top of the mighty Canadian Rockies – nothing could be finer. Bev Malzard reports

I don’t know why I like snow so much. As a born and bred Sydneyite, my DNA only shows sunshine and beach culture. But the first time snow and I met, mid winter in England years ago, I saw the whiteness, saw the purity and heard its particular silence and I was hooked. Not exactly having Miss Smilla’s feeling for snow, my expectations of what Canada could dish up in December were very high indeed.

Being beamed up to the top end of the world in search of snow is getting easier. With a direct flight from Sydney to Vancouver it seemed a short trip. We landed in Vancouver early in the morning and were greeted by a bitter cold and grey day, a smattering of sleet but no snow.

To readjust my melatonin levels I walked around the city for most of the day watching pre-Christmas shoppers jostling for space along the main shopping precinct that was festively decorated. Santa was coming to town.

With jet lag coming in king tide waves over me, I had to leave the city for a bed so I could dream of tomorrow’s snow.

The next morning we left Vancouver behind with nary a farewell and headed for the resort town of Whistler.

Under two hours’ driving and we had passed through lightly urbanised countryside, lakes and then a little bit of white started appearing on distant mountaintops. We began to see the road rise up as the car began to climb. The mountain ranges were standing to attention, covered in a thick blanket of snow in front of us.

This is such a beautiful place. There was no sun peeking through to put the shine on a snowy day, but just glorious monotones of texture that were like nature’s winter fashion statement. White and grey and black are the new white, and grey and black!

We checked into the seriously glam Fairmont Chateau Whistler Hotel, ditched our bags and got out amongst it all. Not having a clue about ski runs, the sport of skiing, snowboarding or anything else people do on the ‘slopes’, I immersed myself in people-watching and crunching my way around the snow-covered ground. Heaven on a white stick!

The activity in and around Whistler is busy with all ages of people either going up the mountain to ski or coming down from a fantastic ride on one of the many grade-rated slopes.

With our faces tingling from the crystal sharp air we wandered in to dinner amid the elegance of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Hotel to eat fine food, sip mellow wines and be comforted by a blazing open fire.

The next morning we rushed to make the 6am ski lift to the top of Whistler Mountain to have breakfast in a large cafeteria-style restaurant. We filled up with pancakes and eggs to fortify ourselves for a special Whistler adventure. There was a huge crowd of people milling around, getting ready for their particular down-the-mountain-any-which-way activity while a small group of us sheepishly headed for the ‘snow limos’. For my money, these are the best vehicle invention since the bicycle. They are one person sit-up sleds, where you park yourself, get wrapped in a blanket, feet tucked in and a fit young man steps up behind you, stands on the sled that is balanced by two skis and pushes off to take you down the mountain at a great rate of knots.

There was a bit of sniggering and nonplussed looks from the serious ski crowd, but hey, who cares? It was an amazing and vigorous ride down the mountain. Swishing and curving down the gleaming white surface of the slope I felt as if I was being transported to a heavenly Formula 1 experience without the noise – and even though I wasn’t in the driver’s seat I was a brave and willing passenger.

The ride lasted for 30 minutes but the thrill of the ride still makes my heart skip a happy beat.

Tired and happy we headed back to Vancouver to stay in yet another splendid Fairmont Hotel - the Fairmont Vancouver, an institution in the city if not the country. Stopping by for an indulgent silver service afternoon tea, it was not an easy task to leave the building for sightseeing.

We cruised around town and through the famous Stanley Park that is nudged by Burrard Inlet and houses a brilliant collection of First Nation totems. In fact there is much carefully preserved history, practical and emotional, of the aboriginal legacy of this part of Canada. The hardy pioneers get a big look in too with excellent museums in the city.

Various precincts show their individuality and Gastown is one of the ‘cool’ areas, reinvented after a monumental fire in the late 1800s; an existence as the city’s skid row for several decades and a show of confidence and refurb led a major return to respectability in the 1970s.

We departed the hotel at sparrow’s and didn’t even get a chance to say a goodbye ‘woof’ to the hotel’s mascots, two friendly Labradors that hang around the lobby waiting for pats. We made our way to the train station while the city snuggled under its bed covers and snoozed through our departure.

The station was packed with people who shouldn’t have been as cheerful at this time in the morning. It was hilarious. The energy and adrenaline was palpable and as this was the launch of the season’s Rocky Mountaineer (Winter Train) everyone seemed to be squealing.

This was to be the beginning, for me, of one of the most wonderful experiences amid mountains and snow that I could have imagined. I wanted snow. And I was about to get it.

We filed out of Pacific Central terminus with its early 20th century facade and stepped aboard the Rocky Mountaineer for a two-day journey. The entire ‘ground’ staff lined the platform and waved us off.

When you buy a ticket on the Rocky Mountaineer, you are not merely buying a train ticket; you are buying a trip of a lifetime, one of the most romantic train rides in the world. We were embarking on a trip from Vancouver through to Kamloops and then on to the mountain resort town of Banff in the Canadian Rockies. This train trip has been choofing along for 100 years and we were taking our first step of the next 1000km. The track route will take us through the cold, eerie colour of a wintery Canadian morning. And as the day begins to open up there are intermittent glimpses of blue sky but it quickly gets whisked away by fat clouds that have staked the entire sky as their territory.

From now on the cliche of ‘winter wonderland’ has become the truth of what I see out of the glass-domed upstairs of the Gold Leaf cabin. This is the premium way to ride the rails of the Rocky Mountaineer. The recliner seats are super comfy, and the double-decker cabin affords almost uninterrupted views, staring up to the sky and the monumental mountains.

Lunch or late brunch is set for two sittings and when it’s time we head downstairs to a charming dining car with stand-to-attention white starched tablecloths, and a menu to tax the mind of someone who has trouble making choices. The food is excellent and there’s lots of it. A classic lunch on a classic train.

Two stewards who were great ‘hosts’ looked after us. Their commentary didn’t smother us and take up every viewing hour. They were amusing, friendly and warm, and shared their knowledge with us on a need to know basis – that’s when we wanted information or they wanted to share their favourite locations and stories with us.

As it was hibernation time we didn’t spot any bears. Sighting a few animal tracks in the snow seemed to excite many passengers but hey, seen one set of tracks you’ve seen ’em all.

We had been organised to attend a lumberjack show in Kamloops but our train arrived in Kamloops a few hours behind schedule due to a rockfall on the track. Shame about the lumberjacks but by the time we made it from the train, to a bus, out of the bus and into our hotel we were all ready for bed having experienced a short sharp slap of a freezing Kamloop night. Brrrrr!

Clambering all aboard the Rocky Mountaineer next morning we were excited to learn what the day would bring. The mountain area around us had taken on a bigger and bolder aspect. The dimensions had changed so much. Giant fir trees lined the track along much of the journey and they also decorated the sides of the steep, craggy hills that sidled up to the base of the mountains. Dollops of creamy snow topped the mountain ridge peaks and the sheer size of them, from what was starting to feel like a toy train, was awesome and mesmerising.

The train wound tightly through the passage that had been carved out by man and nature and every corner turned opened up more of the mountains.

Every now and again the train would hold back to slow motion for picture taking, and strange, inhospitable areas would throw up a straggly old bridge or a collapsing timber building, only held together by snow and good luck.

As we go in and out of Rocky Mountains hypnosis we come to, and hear our hosts tell us of the eccentric and brave pioneers who planned and built this train line. Stories that are almost unlikely are laughed at, stories of coincidence and premonition intrigue us, and true, recorded tales of how rivers and ridges were explored and tamed are fascinating. Anecdotes keep the history of the train alive and make us feel part of an old journey.

This stretch of the train trip has us climbing high into the Rocky Mountains, and we’ve already seen Hell’s Gate in the Fraser Canyon where the Fraser River narrows into a 33 metre wide gorge through which 91 million kilos of water rush every minute. The frozen Fraser and Thompson Rivers run together for more that 3km – looking like a cubist painting.

We spent as much time as we could out on the viewing platform but poking one’s head out led to freezing, crying eyes and a low tolerance of the fierce cold. There’s still a soft twilight, then we descend into the darkness of the tunnels.

We enter an engineering marvel when we head into the incredible Spiral Tunnels in Yoho National Park. Train enthusiasts will be thrilled to witness this achievement.

What was thought to be impenetrable was conquered and mountains have been moved and cut through to make the western Canadian route of the first transcontinental railway. What a journey! We are now at the beautiful town of Banff and can see our hotel, the Fairmont Banff Springs’ turrets peeping above a thick forest of snow-covered fir trees. This is the dream hotel and we are about to leave the train and head to another beautiful reality.

We have choofed through Kicking Horse Pass, Shuswap Lake, Salmon Arm and Crazy Creek, gone past Mount Robson, the big kahuna of the Rockies at 3954m, and have crossed the continental divide. We’ve tried to capture the beauty and splendour of the canyons and mountains with our cameras from the cabin and the open-air viewing platform, pretty good but nothing like what has been imprinted on our minds. And it’s all about the mountains and, let me tell you, size does matter.

Travel facts
Getting there: Air Canada flies non-stop to Vancouver daily from Sydney with new Boeing 777 aircraft. Executive first-class has flat beds in privacy pods. Tel: 1300 655 767 or

Visit: www.aircanada.com

Accommodation: Treat yourself to a stay at a Fairmont hotel. There are two Fairmont hotels in Vancouver and one in Banff.

Visit: www.fairmont.com

The train: The Rocky Mountaineer rail journey is one of the great train rides in the world. The Kicking Horse route, from Vancouver to Banff and Calgary, is one of three routes. The two-day rail journey is priced from $968 (double occupancy) in Red Leaf Service or from $1756 (double occupancy) in Gold Leaf Service. The Rocky Mountaineer website has packages that include a one-night stay at the Fairmont Banff Springs. For independent stays, Rocky Mountaineer can organise nights at the Fairmont in Vancouver.

Visit: www.rockymountaineer.com

Activity: Don’t miss out on the Sno-limo at Whistler. Visit www.sno-limo.com for information and look at the videos of the amazing journey down the mountain.