At first, skiing in British Columbia was a utopia, something unimaginable that I never thought possible. As a young kid living in Sweden, I got a few copies of Powder Magazine from an American relative who was visiting from Minnesota. I stared at the incredible photos of deep snow and massive trees and read stories about cool little mountain towns in Canada. I pictured myself skiing and travelling there one day. Still, I was only 12, and the ski trips usually went to the local hill.

Fast-forward ten years, and somehow, I became the editor of a ski magazine in Sweden. Suddenly, I could travel anywhere, and someone else paid for it. It was definitely the dream job! One of my first trips in the editor's chair was a three-week-long road trip along British Columbia’s infamous Powder Highway. From Fernie to Nelson via Rossland to Revelstoke, I skied the deepest snow of my life and was utterly hooked. This was better than my childhood dreams ever could imagine!

During the next ten to fifteen years, I would find ways to return to B.C. as often as possible in the winter and summer. Eventually, I met my partner, who is half Canadian and half Kiwi. First, we lived in Sweden together, but in 2017, we brought our skis, bikes, and Siberian Husky Tikaani and moved to B.C.

My new hometown of Terrace, British Columbia, is far from a fancy ski destination and far from anywhere in the central northwest of the province. Terrace is an old blue-collar town with many people working industry jobs and a healthy influx of young professionals who have often been priced out of the Sea-to-Sky corridor or the interior. Others relocated for the quiet pace – and the powder skiing.

So, even if the locals usually spend most of their winters in boots of some kind, you see as many in steel-toed boots as more fashionable, colourful Fubukis. And this is what I love about Terrace and British Columbia in general: the contrasts. They are present in many variables, from the weather to the ski terrain, people, and geography. It keeps things exciting and dynamic.

Terrace is located in the Coast Range and close to the ocean. That means relatively mild temperatures, where massive snow (on average 12 meters!) and significant rain can be seen even in the heart of the winter. With that said, my Fubukis are often used and are the perfect footwear for cruising around this neck of the woods, whether en route to our local ski hill, walking Tikaani or doing errands in town. 

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Mattias Fredriksson - 2024