The Mountain Trek luxury boot camp pushes you to be your best

Mountain Trek’s website boasts its spot as a “luxury hiking and wellness retreat.” Travel + Leisure awarded it the No. 1 International Destination Spa in 2016. Spafinder’s 2016 Global Wellness Travel Awards named it the “Best in Canada.” And Conde Nast Traveler’s 2018 Reader’s Choice claimed it as the No. 9 Top Resort in Canada.

Located in Ainsworth, British Columbia, the all-inclusive resort is centered around the exercise of hiking with the trails nestled in the background of mountain scenery. The resort might also belong in the oxymoron awards for being a “luxury boot camp” resort. Yes, the food is delicious; the hikes are set against mountain scenery and the fitness classes are fun. But, make no mistake­—this is a boot camp.

Rise and shine every morning at 6 a.m. sharp. By 6:20 a.m., it’s time for a protein shake before sunrise yoga. This is before the daily up-to-four-hour hikes. The first day seems daunting and may be a preview to a long week ahead. On the second day, guests are already several hundred feet up, perfecting hiking posture. And in case you were wondering— all of this goes down without caffeine or sugar. 

Ironically, at the end of the six days, it will feel like it flew by; because, at the same time, it truly is a luxury spot. It’s quite obvious why Mountain Trek wins awards. Among the many amenities, they do your laundry, cook all your meals (while catering to every person’s individual food preferences/allergies), clear your plates and make your beds. Drinking out of any sink in the resort is welcomed because the water is fresh and clean via UV sterilization. Guests stay in private bedrooms in the lodge, each with an ensuite bathroom. Meals are eaten together in the large dining room where the back door and glass walls look out to a mountain view of the 100-kilometer-long Kootenay Lake.

It is a getaway packed with luxury, nature, friendship building and memories made. It is hard to find a guest who doesn’t say it isn’t the best (and rewarding) experience. The goal is to build wellness and learn tips and trades to move forward with a healthy lifestyle, and it just happens to be by immediate immersion.

After morning yoga, hikers are sent off with snacks and lunch in measured portions to begin the varied treks. Dinner is served before the evening fitness class, where dinner calories are consequently burned. Classes vary every night to target different muscles whiling encouraging fun. The evening ends with a much-needed massage, natural hot springs, sauna or steam room visits, or just some quiet time. Get some rest and burn more calories while sleeping. Bedtime is at 10 p.m. Electronics use is at a bare minimum at Mountain Trek, and the internet (not that there is much time to check anything) also shuts off at bedtime. No late-night Netflix binge-watching here! However, sleep is truly coveted, so there really isn’t any desire to check out the latest flick.

Mountain Trek understands fitness levels vary during the hikes, and everyone is able to gravitate toward a group per individual skill level. Group one will go the fastest and farthest; group two is a close second; with group three keeping a pace that is still challenging for them. The guides, who rotate between groups each day, coach and motivate throughout each hike. Most have park ranger or extensive hiking experience and love to show off the local trails. Mountain Trek encourages rest and relaxation as well; so, if staying behind one day to sit outside on the lake is what is needed, lunch and snacks are provided to accompany a day of quiet.

Aptly described as a luxury boot camp, the submersion into nutrition, healthy sleeping, detoxing, stress relief and calorie-controlled cuisine (that not only includes variety but is also healthy and delicious) provides a week or two of feeling strong and healthy with weight loss, muscle building, and no bloating. Measurements are taken upon arrival and before departure, so the proof is in the numbers. Every day includes a seminar about a health topic to learn that it’s really about incorporating a lifestyle, not making it a quick fix.

After week from the fresh air at Mountain Trek, it feels as though they are on to something. It’s the “luxury boot camp” jumpstart needed to reboot.