The search for memorable experiences has always motivated Chris Winter to go further than most. On a crisp morning in April 2001, in remote coastal British Columbia, Winter stood alone atop an unnamed face, guarded by cornices and steeper than anything he’d ever seen, frantically shaking a Polaroid snapped just moments before from the back seat of a helicopter. Legendary photographer Paul Morrison and filmmaker Christian Begin were on the other end of the radio in a convoluted conversation, trying to get Winter into an exact position on the face. A few minutes later, Winter was in position. Morrison looked through his viewfinder one last time, and the 16mm film began to roll. Winter dropped in, trying to control his 195-centimetre-long Head Monsters on the chalky 60-degree slope as he blindly pointed toward the valley bottom.
This now famous line is called The Morrison Hotel (not from Paul Morrison’s iconic shots that day, but from a mainstream Seth Morrison film segment years later), but it should have been named the Winter Hotel after this epic first descent. “It was a fall-you-die proposition,” says Winter. “I’ve never skied anything like it and never will again.” But rather than bitterly festering at the snub for all these years, Winter shrugs, viewing the line as just another notch in his well-worn belt of personal achievements.
Winter views himself as an artist, meticulously crafting new experiences. Typically, an artist possesses attention to detail, hyper-awareness of their surroundings, self-reflection, and a continual drive to broaden the horizons of others. All attributes that the 52-year-old Winter wholeheartedly applies to every pursuit. An experienced architect with a self-admitted aversion to social norms, the Whistler-based Winter has forged his path as he transitioned between professional skier, mountain biker and entrepreneur, depending on the season.
Early in his career, he was enthusiastic about unique opportunities as a member of the global Head Skis freeride team. Winter competed in (and won) extreme skiing contests; entered a big air event dressed as a nun in New Zealand; backflipped into Blackcomb’s Couloir Extreme — the steepest downhill race in the world; and competed in Alaska’s Arctic Man — a downhill ski race where skiers, mid-course, are towed behind a snowmobile at 145 kilometres per hour to slingshot into the final descent.
As entertaining as these asides were, Winter saw the immense value of appearing regularly in the media. Leveraging his passion for travelling to unexplored regions, Winter worked on developing his writing skills, became a contributor to Powder Magazine, and soon skied fresh lines in unheard-of destinations like Romania and India with the top shooters in the industry, who relished his hard-working, ‘hike it again’ attitude.
But often, carefully honed skills are not enough, and in 1997, while filming with the well-known American ski film company Teton Gravity Research, disaster struck in the form of a blown ACL.
Many would have spent their rehab time on the couch, but Winter wasn’t idle. With a keen eye for opportunity, he developed two businesses during his downtime. The first was Zero Ceiling, a not-for-profit that connected disadvantaged youth to personal growth through ski opportunities. His second brainchild was Joyride, a small but influential gathering in Whistler for the fringe, at the time the sport of mountain biking. Within a few years, Joyride evolved into Crankworx, the largest mountain bike festival in the world.
Winter’s passion for cycling was nurtured from a young age. He was born to adventurous parents who, beginning in 1972, ran summer road cycling trips through Europe as a summer business from teaching high school in rural Ontario. The Winter family spent months traversing the beautiful secondary roads and unexplored corners of France, Italy, and Switzerland.
Each trip — a pre-internet logistical work of art — allowed for sensory experiences by travelling slowly, finding hidden gems, and earning every mile. “My bike was so heavy, and I was so light that I had to stand on the pedals so I didn’t fall over while climbing through the Alps,” chuckles Winter. Those early trips may explain his enduring affection for long, punishing missions in the saddle.
As opposed to skiing, mountain biking was new and fresh and provided endless possibilities for adventure. While guiding a spring ski trip to Switzerland in 2000, Winter had a lightbulb moment upon meeting passionate Swiss rider Francois Panchard. “There were chairlifts up the Rhone valley, trails everywhere, and no one around. It was like one giant bike park that no one was riding!”
True to form and based on blind faith, Winter didn’t hesitate to launch a boutique travel company—Big Mountain Bike Adventures. That inaugural friend’s trip led to ten consecutive summers spent in Switzerland developing and refining singletrack itineraries throughout Europe and guiding new clients—a process that harkened back to days spent pouring over maps with his parents as a child.
Big Mountain Bike Adventures took off slowly, but Winter was a logistical wizard and skilled clairvoyant for future trends. “WTF was I thinking back in 2001?” laughs Winter. “The idea was at least ten years ahead of its time.” Growing on a shoestring budget and utilizing his extensive network of media contacts, Winter drew potential clients through adventurous tales and epic photos of his trips in magazine features. Today, his company is a global tour leader with highly sought-after mountain bike trips to bucket-list destinations like Africa, Iceland, Greenland, Nepal, Peru, Costa Rica, and all over Europe. Utilizing local guides whenever possible, Big Mountain Bike Adventures employs three full-time staff and supports 25 guides globally.
Creating unique experiences feeds Winter’s soul and his family. A purveyor of self-reliant travel philosophy, Winter is as comfortable with a freeze-dried meal in a chilly alpine hut as sipping wine at a high-end French restaurant. His success has enabled him to continue his philanthropic work through a foundation called Share the Ride, which donates bikes and skills camps in Africa and South America.
Winter has always retained his youthful fascination for new, unique experiences with a playful mischievousness. He cherishes special moments and values the human connections they create — not just with clients or friends but increasingly with his family of four. Adventure has always been a pillar of Winter’s life, but these days, he is keeping his skills sharp as a private ski coach/guide but more so to shred with his kids — Ella (13) and Ethan (10) — and to pass on his secrets to a life well lived in the presence of mountains, friends, and new experiences. www.ridebig.com
