I’ve just come back from another week in Nova Scotia – the Canadian province I have re-named the ‘Land of Trees and Lakes’ due to the region being smothered in a rich blanket of trees punctuated with cool clear, fresh and salt water lakes.
But it’s not only the lakes nestling round every corner that make Scotia so beautiful - fishing towns, which are really hamlets by UK standards, are quaint and quiet, dotted with candy cane houses all the colours of the rainbow. And Halifax, the capital city, is more like a really chilled town. No one rushes anywhere and everyone has the time to ask you, ‘How ya doin’?!’
But you never hear of Nova Scotia – and certainly not for its snowboarding!
Canada’s second biggest province is eclipsed by the Rockies out West, the Great Lakes of Ontario and of course Niagara Falls, and when people rave about the Fall colours, they are talking about New England further south in the States.
But this under-rated and seemingly undiscovered corner of Maritime Canada was on fire when myself and my Nova Scotian husband paid his folks an impromptu September visit. Early autumn was ablaze with trees singeing as Hurricane Kyle caused their blood red and caramel ginger flames to lick around the province - making our road trips a delight.
Ski Martock
On the way back from Cape Split – a remote point of the Annapolis Valley, up by the Bay of Fundy - we dropped by on ‘Ski Martock’, where my other half worked as a snowboard Instructor for two seasons way back when, in the late 90s. Martock is only 45 minutes from Halifax but has the facade of utter remoteness as other than the tiny resort’s restaurant-bar and nearby local convenience store - there is nothing around for miles…and miles…in either direction, other than the odd house or farm.
But this is the essence and the beauty of Canada.
Martock elevates to a whopping 600 meters with one chair lift and three drag - but there are rails, a ½ pipe, night boarding, and a cross country skiing park. The season runs from late December to mid March and mainly relies on snow guns, thus keeping conditions consistent - and with arguably the best facility management of all, Martock reveals itself as the ‘best skiing in Atlantic Canada (i.e. New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and (maybe) Newfoundland!).
Ski Wentworth
Other ski hills include Wentworth, which also has a terrain park, ½ pipe and night skiing and tends to get the most snow being situated in a valley and on the Nova Scotia snow-belt. Wentworth also has 10km of cross country skiing and several Nova Scotian residents claim it to be the best resort for free-riding.
Ski Cape Smokey
Cape Smokey and Ben Eion are Scotia’s two other resorts and can both be found on Cape Breton Island, famous for whale watching and the picturesque Cabot Trail. Cape Smokey nestles in the Cape Breton Highlands and is the province’s highest resort at 1000m, with all of two lifts feeding 16 runs.
Ski Ben Eion
Ben Eion overlooks the beautiful Bras d’Or Lake and is slightly more accessible near the urban spot of Sydney and in addition to its terrain park and ½ pipe boasts 12km+ of cross country trails – a fantastic way to get the heart pumping whilst breathing in serene and stunning surroundings.
All these resorts are perfect for the novice rider and although expert riders may tire of any one of these in a couple of minutes (!) Scotia is a great place to get your CASI (Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors) Level One - because without the ‘distraction’ of vast/epic terrain, the focus remains on the teaching.
But even if you are an experienced rider, with a great country and western atmosphere, the best radio stations (its rockin’ out on every frequency) and lift tickets at around £15/day - if you combine your riding with a few road trips and take time to admire the wild and open spaces that surround you, making sure you absorb every ounce of the chilled Canadian way – you may find yourself falling victim to the charms of this fruity coloured wilderness and falling in love with Nova Scotia (or indeed a Nova Scotian!) in all its entirety…
Tags: Canada, Nova Scotia, Snowboarding
