Nelson, British Columbia is a hidden gem inhabited and visited by different people with a common passion for snow culture. Paul DeFelice is one of those people. As a skier for Warren Miller in the ‘80s, he admits to overlooking the beauty of Nelson. “It was a slow evolution to realize what was here and then I was still here for like 10 years as a ski fanatic,” he says. “I knew the people at the hill, but what was going on in Nelson, I didn’t care!” His interest in the little ski town peaked when he felt there was catching up to do. The only trick was how to survive in his new town.



“I knew nothing about the pot culture when I came here,” he continues. “But then I’d gotten a taste of the snow, I’d been heli skiing, and that’s when I became aware pretty quickly that everybody smoked pot. That’s how you get by in this town!”



After gaining an understanding of B.C. culture, and meeting the people passing through who came to smoke pot and ski, DeFelice opened his center for Cannabis activism.



Holy Smoke Culture Shop was intended to be a smoking sanctuary for the community, designated by the Church of the Universe as the Holy Smoke Mission of God. It was a business venture for DeFelice and two friends after restoration work in Nelson ended. His dread locks didn’t make any more enemies than his head shop: Coffee and cookies for sale aside pipes and papers. And then drug dealers started hanging around outside.



“There was a squatter in a tent selling pot, there was a gang of five youths selling pot, coke, crack, and E by the bench, there was a lone bike courier pot dealer who also stole people’s money and was known as a grow ripper and also known to carry weapons,” says DeFelice. He also says the local police were aware of open dealers but didn’t see it as threatening so in response he hung a huge sign outside the shop saying, “No Dealing In The Park Please.” He says, “the final straw was an American kid who set up his lawn chair with a cooler right outside our entrance and sold pot, mushrooms and beer to anyone of any age”.



It was at that point when Holy Smoke started selling weed to rid Nelson of drug dealing drifters. “We started off just allowing a person we trusted to sell pot in a corner of the cafe to adults only. It was better pot and better weight at better prices with no rip offs,” DeFelice. This weeded out the seedy, visiting dealers. Eventually Holy Smoke started selling marijuana right over the counter.

This went on for about a year, with Holy Smoke filling two needs for the community: good quality weed, and a safe environment free of rogue dealers.


On July 15, 2006, DeFelice and the other Holy Smoke owners were busted for trafficking marijuana. Rather than deny the conviction outright, or fight it by every means possible, including trying to have the warrant thrown out, DeFelice did something unprecedented: He plead “necessity.” Similar to self defense, the Holy Smoke defendants claimed they were doing more good than harm. In short, his defense claimed that prohibition did more harm to society that good

“The ‘necessity’ defense was our lawyer’s idea,” says DeFelice. “It was an argument he’d always wanted to raise and in his words he thought ‘these are the people, this is the place, and this is the time to do it.’” DeFelice and his defense attempted to prove that by selling high quality cannabis, Holy Smoke prevented the sale of drugs to minors and regulated the trade.

DeFelice lost the case, and was sentenced to one year in prison—a preposterous sentence for the crime he was convicted of in Canada. He appealed the conviction, and lost, then appealed the sentence.



Post trial, DeFelice spent three days in the Nelson lockup then two days travelling, “handcuffed and shackled in the back of a paddy wagon,” to Kamloops Regional Correction Centre with an overnight stay in the Kelowna local jail. DeFelice served five days in a maximum-security prison before his appeal was finalized.

In May of 2010, DeFelice finally had his sentencing hearing. The one-year prison sentence was reduced, and DeFelice received a nine-month conditional sentence otherwise known has house arrest. The judges ruled he is not allowed to consume alcohol or use illegal drugs, or leave the province unless given special permission.

DeFelice’s reasons for starting Holy Smoke were as viable as why he started to sell. Such testimonies leave anyone on the fence about pot prohibition reasons to analyze the fallacies in the anti-pot argument. The story of criminalizing a man who wants to enjoy nature his own way, meanwhile harming no one, is a North American archetype; this is the case with skier Paul DeFelice.

By Amber Clontz, Powder Magazine

Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, located in BC’s remote Northwest, has long been renowned for providing the deepest, most reliable, snowpack on the planet and as we know, all that deep fluffy stuff doesn’t fall from blue skies… It Snows up there and it’s reliable.

With all that snow comes some inevitability difficult flying conditions. To keep you ripping powder, NEH is proud to offer snowcat back-up with all of our heliskiing packages. Now, when the snow is falling hard and it’s lying deep in the trees, you’ll be enjoying some of the finest, deepest, powder skiing/boarding available thanks to our snowcat back-up. Ski/board every day of your package – guaranteed!

Their catskiing area was created out of some of the best tree skiing terrain and encompasses over 6,000 acres, that’s nearly the size of Whistler and Blackcomb ski areas combined. It offers everything from steep trees to pillows and open bowls with an average run length of over 2,000 vertical feet.

Should the weather clear enough to fly while catskiing, the helicopter will simply pick you up and you’ll continue your day of deep powder skiing without interruption. Or, while heliskiing annd the weather turns for the worse,you’ll be snowcating. It’s the best combination imaginable - Heliskiing/boarding perfected!

Click here to book your heli/cat trip now!

Most skiers can barely survive the off-season down time, waiting for next winter’s first snow to fall. Watching old ski movies on loop… beach-lounging with race boots on… or running up and down stairs to stay fit. Luckily there’s a better remedy for those in the know, it starts with an ‘S’, and ends with ‘outh America’. You following us? And luckier still, Extremely Canadian has your back like nobody else, with four different ways to experience the Southern Hemi’s most legendary ski destinations this summer; Las Lenas Argentina, Portillo Chile, and Ski Arpa Cat-Skiing in Chile.

Las Lenas and Portillo have long been hailed in the freeskiing community as the best destinations for Southern Hemisphere big mountain shredding. With exotic culture, endless steep terrain, long couloirs and huge alpine bowls, there’s enough to do down south to keep even the most hardcore coming back year after year. Which is exactly what Extremely Canadian has been doing since 2001, dialing in all the best resorts and lines along the way so that you can get right to the goods. They’ll take care of the logistical junk show that South America never fails to bestow; you focus on the skiing, steak, and wine.

2 countries, 2 resorts, 1 cat-skiing operation, endless lines, and a crew of keen big mountain skiers and riders. The roster for this year’s trips includes:
• Las Lenas, Argentina: Aug 21-28, Aug 28-Sep 4
• Las Lenas Youth Camp: Aug 21-28
• South American Triangle – Las Lenas, Portillo, Ski Arpa: Sep 1-11
• Chile Sampler Extension – Portillo, Ski Arpa: Sep 4-9

These trips combine the fun and adventure of big mountain skiing with the warm and vibrant culture of Argentina and Chile… rivaled only by the sub-culture of riotous skiers Extremely Canadian has come to expect on their annual pilgrimage.

Extremely Canadian combines tactical steep skiing coaching, technical improvement, avalanche awareness, and a heavy dose of fun to provide a safe and truly unforgettable experience.

Oh the trip details and transfers? That’s Extremely Canadian’s job, not yours. Book a trip and they’ll do the rest. In a place like South America, that’s the only way to go. Enjoy.

For a good time call 1.800.938.9656 or visit www.extremelycanadian.com

Winter is far from over at Whistler Blackcomb after a powerful March storm dumped 60cm/23 inches of snow in the last 48 hours, priming the slopes for an epic Easter long weekend of skiing and riding. The 2009.2010 season has become Whistler Blackcomb’s third snowiest winter on record with over 1,340 cm or 44 feet. The second snowiest season is only slightly higher with1,416cm/46.5 feet of snow.

“Our snow base is more than 350cm/11.5 feet and conditions could not be better for this time of year. The snowpack is deeper than normal and we’ve received plenty of fresh snow with this recent storm,” says Doug MacFarlane, Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Manager. “All of this snow sets us up really well for winter-like conditions this long weekend. We’re also looking at a great base for spring skiing, which will continue through to May 24.”

With freezing levels remaining relatively low throughout the week, skiers and riders will experience mid-winter conditions. Nearly 100 per cent of Whistler Blackcomb terrain is now open - including the men’s Olympic course, the Dave Murray Downhill. Crews are gearing up to open the Women’s Olympic Downhill course in time for the Easter long weekend. Day skier parking operations and lift access have also returned to normal.

Skiing and riding is available at Whistler Blackcomb to May 24. With the Easter long weekend ahead, there are plenty of great lift tickets and lodging deals to be had. Deals and packages are always available at www.whistlerblackcomb.com.

I expected the snow to be white and untracked and it was. It was the other white tracks that were a complete surprise.

On the first afternoon of our heli-ski trip we encountered high avalanche and poor flying conditions and were grounded at the lodge. Not to sit on our asses, we located fishing gear and went looking for Terrace’s famous Steelhead Trout. This is where we met the other white tracks.

Three large white wolves appeared on the riverbank adjacent from where we were fishing and they remained until we left hours later. They sat and watched us with an intense curiosity, perhaps deciding if we were to be dinner. Some locals spoke of having seen these beautiful creatures however most of those we spoke to were envious of our sighting. Despite a valiant effort to catch Steelhead we returned to the lodge with a frozen Coho and a few pictures.

From the banks of a cold wet river the snow conditions improved and day two was and exceptional powder day. It also was St Paddy’s day and we enjoyed Leah’s shot-ski, many fine party hats and fine conversations.

One fine conversation centered on the Bell 212 that was shuttling our group of six skiers. The rebuilt 212 had been in Edi Amin’s fleet of three. At the time when he was tossing his tormentors from these 212’s Dave, our adventure guide, was living in Uganda and watched this 212 fly overhead many times. He was fortunate not to fly or to be invited to dinner as Amin has a reputation for consuming his guests.

The next two days offered bluebird skies and stable snow conditions and we skied to our hearts content. In the evening great meals were waiting and the local nightlife in Terrace kept the partiers happy while the others rested their legs.

By the end of our four days we skied a whopping 70,000 vertical of deep untracked powder. Northern Excape offers unsurpassed hospitality, great ski terrain and a small group experience. Many thanks to our excellent guides, the lodge staff and our new Teddy.

To for information on Northern Escape click here.

Head has introduced its new powder munchers for 2010/11. With an unruly appetite for big trips in the steep and deep winter wonderlands. Say hello to Alice when the dust settles around the new, floatatious Rocker geometry.

Ready to rock: With Carlos, Jimi, Jerry and Johnny HEAD refines its line of powder guns for those «big dump» days, when Mother Holle spills a little too much powder. This quartet, who’s names and killer designs were inspired by some of the biggest Woodstock legends, was exclusively developed with deepest powder pleasures in mind. Featuring the new HEAD Rocker construction with reverse camber and an extra long rocker offering floatation to waste. At the same time the shorter back rocker guarantees maximum stability when landing. This season HEAD is going berserk with the new and super fat Carlos. Freeriding is all about being free. Especially in the choice of models. With these four genuine Big Mountain performers HEAD has the perfect powder gun for any deep snow condition in 2010/11.

With a width of 125 mm Carlos 125 is the new guy in the band. So wide, the ski could easily pass as a snowboard when waiting in line at the cable car. The new Rocker construction will tempt riders to use Carlos as a floatation toy on water in the summer. Carlos is the powder flagship in the fleet that lives for psychedelic snow conditions.

Hello Skiers,

I would like to sincerely thank the many friends, colleagues and guests that wrote to express your concern for us here in Chile since our very powerful earthquake. We greatly appreciate your friendship and your expressions of empathy.

I can inform you that, over all, Chile is doing well and is actually a country very well prepared for these type of natural events. There are very high seismic engineering standards and strict building code practices legislated, as well as a very well prepared response action plan in place.

The great majority of structures in Santiago and indeed in most other areas of the country have received, no to very insignificant damage, especially considering the magnitude of the quake. The most severe damage being received in and near the Conception area. Here the buildings and rural areas have been very severely affected. Some coastal towns have also been severely affected due to the Tsunamis that were generated and landed within the hour after the initial quake.

I can say from first hand experience that as my first big earth quake, it was quite an amazing and personally very interesting natural phenomena to go through…..
Life in the country is returning to a more normal rhythm again despite receiving another very powerful aftershock early this morning.

I made a visit to the Puma Lodge site last Wednesday to review the situation and can happily report the construction so far completed is in perfect condition in all aspects. With the only noticeable changes occurring on the road, where some small rocks had released onto the road surface, but nothing that was not movable by hand or greatly impeded the access.

As some of you have already learned, due to some issues that have arisen with our contractors, we have made the difficult decision to delay the completion of Puma Lodge until November of this year. We feel this is the best course of action to take to ensure that we are able to provide you with the very best Heli Ski experience available and deliver to you a product that we will be extremely proud of sharing.

This will be our final season operating from what has been our base location of the Hotel Termas Cauquenes for the past 4 seasons. This Swiss owned and operated hotel is renown for its excellence in gastronomy. Skiers are provided with very comfortable amenities that include quality ’skier’ massage, single or group hot pool facilities for relaxing in after a long day of big vertical and deep powder skiing, games room, an excellent selection of wines, etc..

Attached are a few pictures of the lodge construction progress and of the Hotel Termas Cauquenes for those of you who may be interested in viewing either.

More new and updated information will posted on our website in the next several days, so please have a look.

Looking forward to hearing from you and skiing with you in the coming austral season.

Sincerely
Mark H. Jones
http://www.chileanheliski.com/

Whistler Blackcomb is currently experiencing deep winter conditions with the latest system bringing 53 centimetres (21 inches) of snow to the area. This brings the total snowfall count for the season to 12 metres (39 feet), putting this winter on track to be the third snowiest on record.

“What a great way to kick off the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games with a winter wonderland village and snowy mountains for all the Paralympic athletes and visitors to experience,” says Stuart Rempel, Whistler Blackcomb’s Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales. “The snow conditions are absolutely incredible right now, and there is a palpable excitement in the resort as we return to our role as world-host during the Paralympics. With more than two months left in our season, and great post-Games deals to be had, there’s no shortage of time and reasons to head to Whistler Blackcomb.”

Whistler Resort will be alive with the excitement of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games through March 22. Free concerts will take place daily in the Village as part of Whistler Live! and tickets are still available for many of the Paralympic events, starting at just $15 per ticket. Each night, Whistler Medals Plaza will light up Whistler again for the medal presentations followed by a concert. Admission is free and gates open at 5:30pm.

The Environment Canada forecast is calling for another 20 to 35 centimetres (8 to 14 inches) through tonight, followed by another frontal system early next week bringing up to 45 centimetres (18 inches) through Tuesday.

With all this new snow, the backcountry avalanche advisory is currently considerable to high. It is recommended that on-mountain guests remain inside the ski area boundary and be aware of the risks and requirements associated with backcountry travel.

Skiing and riding is available at Whistler Blackcomb to May 24. Great accommodation deals and packages are always available at www.whistlerblackcomb.com, plus visit the web site or whistlerblackcomb.com/mobile for the latest snow conditions, live temperatures, live lift status, weather forecasts and backcountry avalanche advisories.

Powder should not exist in a Rain Forest and time travel is impossible. My how one’s perception can change with a visit to Mount Cain on Vancouver Island where the impossible is true and time stands still.

We all know that T-bars are out of favour, especially for boarders, and resorts have gotten rid of them? Wrong. To begin with Mount Cain is not a resort, it’s a ski hill and yes, there are only T-bars and they are nice and slow and ensure the powder doesn’t get skied out!

Out houses, do resorts have out houses in the base area? No. But ski hills did years ago and places like Fernie still have out-houses in the Alpine and Mt Cain has many. Skier visits are 7000 and that’s for the year, right? Wrong. 7000 visits is for the season which averages about 170 skiers per day on Saturday and Sunday, the only days the ski-hill is open other than holidays. Aussies serving lifts, NO. The lifties are all volunteers as are all of the other work positions. The ski-hill is operated as a not-for-profit society for the surrounding communities and families in the North Island.

My friend Adam who is a employee at Whistler called Mount Cain the “anti-resort” and yes it does not meet any definition of resort, which is a good thing for some. My urban friends took their kids to Mount Cain and they vomited at the smell of an out-house and felt threatened by the local trailer park. I grew up in Eastern Canada with grandparents who only had an outhouse and ski-hills which had trailers and home made lifts. Today’s kids are growing up with Whistler as a standard: valet parking and sushi everywhere. I questions the expectations and values our children are developing at our swanky resorts.

Mount Cain’s tag line is “The Best Powder On The Island” and it is. It could be tagged the only powder on the island. With only 170 day skiers the powder lasts and when is snows mid-week nobody is there to track it out. And when the snow does get tracked, simply traverse to another bowl and hike out. Don’t expect the deep and dry of the Rockies however is is decent by a Rain Forest standard.

In my opinion Mount Cain is not for everyone however those who do get to go there are in for a very special treat. It’s a skiers mountain with great terrain and a decent snow pack. For a look at the roots of our favourite pastime and great skiing I highly recommend the trip “up-island” as the locals would say!

photos by S. Fowler

click here for website

As I drove through a seemingly endless thick fog layer on Hwy 3 I reminisced my many powder days in Fernie and wished for good fortune on my current adventure. These memories helped justify driving past the many ski operations between the Coast and Fernie. They included the all-mighty Whistler, the interiors many ski hills and the Powder Highway’s mega collection of powder options. Being ensured powder is always a gamble however I knew that Fernie would be the most reliable choice, as always.

My powder adventures in Fernie began in the early 90’s at Fernie Snow Valley and Island Lake Lodge, the local snow-cat operation. I skied the many powder bowls on my “210’s” and immensely enjoyed the terrain. In those years powder was not a commodity, it was plentiful and ironically, most vacationers wanted groomed corduroy. The skiing public had not experienced the pleasure of powder; it could be painful on long skinny skis. In was during the 90’s that the invention of fat skis make powder skiing enjoyable for all. There also was the invention and proliferation of snowboards that were created specifically for surfing POW. As if overnight, everyone started playing in the powder.

Fast track to global warming or whatever is affecting our snow quantity, coupled with the masses looking for that floaty powder turn; powder had become the skier’s commodity. Fancy lifts and big vertical were available everywhere however powder had become the new sought-after. That was when Fernie became a whispered name, a secret among friends, and a destination for core powder riders. In those years Fernie didn’t attract many shoppers or foodies other than the spouses of the true powder seekers.

Fernie’s ski history changed shortly after being discovered by powder seekers. Locally owned Fernie Snow Valley was purchased by a resort tycoon from Calgary and soon renamed Fernie Alpine Resort. Three new bowls were opened with two new lifts and condo’s shot up everywhere. Fernie locals were concerned that their powder days were numbered. Skier traffic increased but fortunately the new lifts spread it over more terrain and preserved the wilderness powder experience.

The powder that made Fernie this haven is produced by storm systems that develop in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Northern Oregon. The predominant Southwesterly flow chugs across the near desert like terrain of central Washington and Idaho before slamming into the Lizard Range of the Canadian Rockies. A lack of significant mountain ranges between Fernie and the coast ensures that the storm arrives with a full payload of dry powder. Once the system reaches Fernie it seems to churn like a great spinning vortex dumping powder throughout the entire area. Storm systems can come overnight and in the past, have dropped as much as 100 centimetres before morning. A good storm cycle grinds for up to four continuous days before dissipating, usually to be followed by sunshine and then the next cycle.

After midnight I pulled into Fernie’s Park Place Lodge, a locally owned boutique hotel in the heart of the town, and had a good nights sleep. The sound of pro-patrollers launching avalanche bombs was a great way to begin my day. In my many years of skiing Fernie I know many skiers and with a few phone calls I had a group of locals to ski with, and that we did.

Run after run of untracked powder was awaiting us–steep lines in open bowls and through perfectly spaced trees. Lizard Bowl, Easter Bowl, Curry Bowl, Cedar Bowl, and Fish Bowl filled our days, and day after day the great skiing continued. Fernie has the goods, time and time again; the legend is real. I look forward to my next powder trip to Fernie!