Across The Top of Canada: The Ultimate Arctic Adventure
Celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary on a private summer solstice adventure where you eat, drink and see the best that Canada’s Arctic has to offer.
Oh Canada, you don’t look a day over 54,749! This year Canada is celebrating its 150th birthday with free entry to its national parks, festivals, all-out parties, and a few over-the-top endeavours. Case in point, this multi-stop Arctic adventure—called, fittingly, Across the Top of Canada—for just 60 people via private jet.
The weeklong journey is the brainchild of Eric Pateman, founder of Edible Canada, a national food community that includes a Vancouver-based bistro, retail concept and culinary tours. “Edible Canada has always been at the forefront of culinary travel in Canada, and for the 150th we wanted to do something epic, something that had never been done before,” says Pateman. “We really wanted to go coast to coast but touch down in places that offer unique experiences and stories, and opportunities for our team and the guests to interact with local communities.”
The $11,995 trip, which begins and ends in Vancouver, will take guests aboard a private 747 jet to quaint towns and First Nations communities, and the vast and rarely explored landscapes of Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nunavut, Northern Territories, and Yukon all the while exploring and learning about the art, culture and foods that define the country and its people.
Pateman says the traveling chefs will bring ingredients and techniques from their regions to share with local chefs in each city, and in turn the local chefs will share unique ingredients and stories that are relevant to them. “We will be experiencing the midnight sun and the bounty that we serve must touch as many aspect of Yukon life as possible,” says Yukon chef Carson Schiffkorn. “I think the challenge of this journey will be in trying to highlight the regions we are visiting, authentically, deliciously, historically while looking back at the past and ahead to our collective futures in the Canadian Food experience,” adds chef Ned Bell, who will join the tour from Vancouver.
Food may definitely be a huge part of the journey—guests can even volunteer to help prepare meals, if they so wish—but there will be plenty of other activities to partake in, from fishing and hiking to photography and wellness sessions. Joining the chefs is a team of four concierges dedicated to making the trip personal for everyone, as well as a master mixologist from Fairmont Hotels, and a master distiller. A wellness coach and personal trainer, Catherine Roscoe Barr, will lead meditation and yoga sessions, as well as other active pursuits. “The goal is to get everyone moving, mindful and energized in some way most days, so guests can have wild amounts of fun and still feel well,” she says.
What else can you expect during the journey? Eating, yes, but also experiencing the Midnight Sun. “We will have almost 24 hours of daylight for the entirety of the trip,” says Pateman, “so there will be lots of opportunity for exploring, playing a round of midnight golf and so much more.”
