In the quiet hours of February 20th, 2003, something truly strange hovered over Smithers, British Columbia. I found myself captivated by an unusual experience shared by a local resident, who was awake with her baby just before dawn. She had a commanding view of the rugged Hudson Bay Mountain and its vast ski runs. It was there, amid the stillness, that a bright, fast-moving light suddenly crossed the mountain, only to come to a complete stop over one of the largest and most famous ski runs known as “Cold Smoke.”
This light was not ordinary. It shone with a stark, blinding white core tinged with an orangy glow, moving faster than any helicopter or small aircraft familiar to her before abruptly halting in dead center of the run. The eeriness intensified as she described a subtle clicking sound emanating from its direction, a noise amplified by the mountain’s acoustics, turning the silence into something uncanny.
The object lingered motionless for approximately five minutes, during which time the distant rumble of an approaching train filled the night air. As the train passed, the mysterious light simply faded away – only to reappear about an hour later at exactly the same spot. Her pet cat, sensing the strangeness, perked up and stared intently towards the window, as if acknowledging the presence of something beyond the ordinary.
Intrigued, IReached out to Smithers Ski Hill, learning that early morning grooming was in progress across four runs that week, including Cold Smoke. However, there was no explanation for the light’s long journey: it had travelled nearly three kilometers over rough terrain before its silent stop. The size of the light, described as about half the size of her thumbnail, elliptical and intense, added yet another layer to this mystery.
What truly puzzles me—and many who hear this story—is the dual appearance: two distinct sightings separated by an hour with no noticeable movement during the second, wrapped in the dead calm of a winter night. Was it a trick of light from the grooming machines, or was it something far stranger, something hovering in the cold Canadian sky that night, elusive and silent?
This is a story of light and sound, mystery and silence, a glimpse into the unknown right above the peaceful snow-covered ski runs of Smithers. And I, like you, wonder: What was that enigmatic circle of light that came to rest, quietly commanding the night before vanishing into the shadows?