 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
Me and a few friends are planning a 2 week trip to Canada flying into Calgary and going to the various resorts nearby.
Planning to book flights in the next few days, the dates we were looking at were last week of February (that's w/c 23rd) into first week of March (w/c 2nd).
Just wondered if there was anything like North American school holidays (??) or any other reason why those dates might not be a good idea?
Thanks!
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 11-03-15 15:22; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thanks! Just the ticket.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Those dates look fine: My trips usually coincide with spring break, but I've never found that to be a problem.
- The kids are all in the park, anyway.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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bobmcstuff, should be ok then. Earlier in season it can be really cold and I think the lifts stay open an extra half hour further into the season. Might be worth checking. With the better exchange rate it will be a lot cheaper too
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'm looking at roughly that time of year and flying with Airtransat, so Wednesday flights for me. I'm looking at 2 weeks the first in Revelstoke second in Banff, either from Weds 11th Feb to the 25th, or from the 18th to March 4th. It seems I'm either going to be including Easter or Family day for Alberta and Ontario. Does anyone know which would be the busier one and therefore best avoided? My gut says avoid Easter.......
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rogg,
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It seems I'm either going to be including Easter
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Easter in at the beginning of April, this year, so neither of these dates will clash. - Easter's not a big thing in North America (although it's more observed in Canada than in the US).
When I've been in Canada at Easter I've not found it to be hugely more crowded (I doubt whether Revy ever gets crowded).
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Generally it's quiet then - mostly the season's over really.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Bad time to go to Canada is during the winter, it's freezing cold.
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Sorry, I'm a dumb ass, I misread the linked schedule of dates and slid Easter back a month. I guess my best bet is to fly on the 11th and miss family day.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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OPS dates are great;
rogg, I would try to avoid Banff for family day weekend, the days to avoid are the sat and sunday. The monday seems to be much less busy. I don't know but suspect revvy is OK on those days
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Flights now booked for dates in OP, flying out Saturday 21st and back Saturday 7th (arrive home nice and jetlagged on Sunday for work on Monday).
We were planning to go to a few different resorts there and generally have a look around, also know people in Calgary so will probably have a couple of nights at the end with them... So if you were doing that trip, what would your itinerary look like?
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My itinerary would include for at least either Kicking Horse or Fernie (or both) with maybe a side trip to Pano depending on snow. Whilst you are staying at your mates I would include a day trip to Nakiska.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hi,
So we've booked flights ages ago but not any accommodation...
I'm thinking we'll be staying in Banff for at least a few days (I've heard really good stuff about Banff) and drving to the nearer resorts for day trips (apparently it's not worth staying at Sunshine for example). Kicking Horse and Fernie definitely on the list.
Guess my question now is - does anyone have any mid-priced accommodation suggestions in Banff? Not wanting to stay anywhere particularly fancy but not wanting to slum it either, unless it's crazy expensive. We're going to rent a truck too so parking nearby would be handy... I'm assuming it won't be difficult to get accommodation on those dates even if we don't book miles in advance? Hopefully that's not too naive...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Hey bobmcstuff, I'm in Banff from Monday 23rd feb to the 2nd Mar, staying in the Caribou Lodge. It's quite a nice hotel, clean, friendly staff, not too pricey, onsite underground parking and one of the first stops in town on the really good shuttle busses to the ski areas. If you're booking the cheapest price we could get was via Canadian Affair, booked room only, cheaper than tripadvisor/trivago/bookings.com or any other site and cheaper than by booking direct with the hotel.
I liked Banff, nice town with loads of restaurants and bars for a wind down. Favourite hill was Sunshine, I particularly liked the South Chutes when they opened over on the Goats Eye area. Lake Louise was good for cruising. Didn't really feel the love for Norquay.
Fernie is well worth a visit. Great hill and a nice 'real' town. Worth trying to get to a hockey game if there's one on. 
Enjoy the trip and if you fancy hooking up for a beer or a slide (with a snowboarder), cool. I'm also in Revvie for the 7 days before.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Banff national park pass will be needed for each day your in the park in a car. Unless you are not going to stop in the park. I dont know how much it is and I think you would be better off getting a pass for the car rather then one pass per person. I haven't been to that side to ski for about 10 yrs but I know you need a park pass for all the national parks in Canada.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Last time I was there we stayed at the Voyager Inn, on the right just as you head in to town. Certainly nothing fancy but nicer than a hostel and pretty cheap. Still walking distance in to the bars too.
Fernie is epic, did a season there so can't rate it highly enough. It's probably a little far to go for a day trip though from Banff, about 4 hour drive each way from memory. Kicking Horse is great too. If you want to experience really local skiing, try Castle Mountain on the way back from Fernie to Calgary, super little ski hill.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hi bobmcstuff .. Here's my version of the itinerary
I think your flying out on a Wednesday with AirTransat ... that great. I prefer them to BA, rent a car via Canadian Affair, its cheap and has the best insurance (you have a 50% chance of cracking a windscreen)
Stop at the Caribou Lodge as indicated above .. I managed to get a room for two of us a couple of weeks for $80 ... $90 with breakfast .. nice spa with good company. The bar is not bad.
Make sure you visit "Wild Bills" its just a short walk or even shorter free bus ride, you'll dance your socks off with delicious babes.
Ski all three, get warmed up on Norquay then Sunshine so I would recommend two nights at Banff ... that gets you out of there before the Friday night when the prices go up.
Make sure you do the drive up to Lake Louise on a beautiful sunny morning, it is one of the most jaw dropping spectacular views in the world.
Find somewhere a bit cheaper to stay in Lake Louise (I've never stayed the night) .. they also have a Friday night torchlight decent with a lot of Rock & Roll.
I should mention .. make use of the free guiding service at all these resorts .. you will have a much better time being guided around and shown the best runs by these great people who do it for free .
They run these tours twice a day at most of the places.
Your next stop should be Kicking Horse where you will also have a great time. I don't know where to recommend to stay in the town of Golden for your sort of trip but there are plenty of places there.
I'm lucky enough to get invited out there (see the link below to "Gods Back Yard")
Then another two hours further on you'll get to Revelstoke, its brilliant skiing .. I cant believe it has only three lifts! (They are in a different time zone by one hour and 50 years)
They tell me that the view on the way is also brilliant, but I hitched a ride in the dark with the "Ice Road truckers" and came back on a late Greyhound too dark to see again.
The other week was the first time I'd been to Reve ... but it wont be my last,
I stayed in the middle of town at the Regency, but there are loads of other places.
While you're there you must visit "The Village Idiot" for beer and "The Last Drop" for more beer and live bands and very dancy girls.
They do the free tours at 12:30 each afternoon in Reve.
After that your on your own .. I suggest you enjoy the best and it will be time to come back before your know it.
If you have any spare time getting back to Calgary before the flight, you should visit the "Cross Iron Mills Mall" near the airport. Especially "Bass Pro Shops" .. you'll understand once you've been there.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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PS .. I would not bother buying that pass unless they stop you.
This usually only happens as you drive up the entrance road to Lake Louis Resort.
Just plead ignorance .. Who told you?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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They can also stop you for park passes on the road to Sunshine. I'd buy one anyway, its the way they keep the parks going and pay for all the wildlife stuff etc.
I pay VAT which is monstrous when I visit UK, its only 55 in Alberta so chip in for a park pass.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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They check the car parks for cars without park permits its ok when its snowing. Don't go saying you lost it as then they will ask for the receipt you were given!, We got stopped a few years ago. I was driving with in the speed limit (just) no one else was asked about what I had drunk, nothing as it was the 2nd day of the trip and the first time I had driven the car. Park permit requested along with licence, passport,renral docs.
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I'd only bother booking ahead accommodation for Friday and Saturday nights then busk other dates short-term as you feel like it. There doesn't look to be any really trashy accommodation in Banff anyway and it's only a matter of how close you want to be to the town centre.
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May be worth booking accommodation at Revelstoke if you are planning to stay there.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks for all the advice guys - particularly for confirming that not having booked accommodation is OK 
We'll probably book some places just for peace of mind, but need to confirm everyone's preferences. 3 of us are on the same flight over but another guy is joining us from somewhere else (already stateside for work or something) and potentially not for the full 2 weeks, I need him to get his poo-poo together and tell me when he's going to be joining us...
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Quick question about hiring a car from Calgary:
Do you need snow chains/winter tyres, and if so do they come with them as standard? Struggling to find good info on the actual car hire websites so thought I'd just ask here...
Secondarily if you can recommend a good place to hire something big enough for 4 blokes plus luggage, I'm currently looking at Enterprise and seems good value (980 CAD for a 7 seater minivan for 2 weeks). We will want to insure more than one driver if at all possible. All 4 of us over 25.
Thanks!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hi@bobmcstuff, we put our winter tyres on in October and have them on until May. I think they make a huge difference and so pretty much essential. Unfortunately, they don't come as standard on hire cars. You won't need snow chains.
When my family come to visit from the UK they just do an online search for the best deal. Last summer they hired from Enterprise and it seemed like a pretty good deal. Interestingly, Enterprise seem to have different cars and deals depending on whether you make the booking the UK website or the Canadian one, or so my friends found last year. Funny, you'd think it would be a global booking system.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Today would be a bad day to go to Whistler I think! 
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We hired a Kia AWD last January from Calgary as part of our ski safari package. It came with all weather tyres rather than winter tyres but it was amazing, it coped with compacted snow & ice easily (in temperatures of down to -35!) We didn't use snow chains. It was billed as a Jeep Cherokee or similar I think and took the 3 of us and all the gear easily ( 2 skiers & 1 boarder), it may have struggled with four people and all the stuff but that's what we'll try to make do with next time we go. We may just have to pack it better!
Make sure you get a brush/broom and scraper though.
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You know it makes sense.
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Just a quicky for the Canada regulars -is it me or does it seem generally unseasonably warm over there? I might have to rewax with all temp rather than the cold wax i put on the other day.... 
I'm sure it's all fine at the top of the hill and I'll have a great time (Revive and then Banff), how are conditions generally? Is the warmer weather pattern due to break soon? a general 1 week to go update would be great.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Mon 9-02-15 12:15; edited 1 time in total
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Conditions aren't great. It has been ridiculously warm here, certainly the weirdest year since we got here in 2007. Generally not enough snow in the rockies. Off to Fernie this weekend and its due to rain hard a lot and will have rained all the way up the mountain. Bit tricky as I'm volunteering at base level and I know I'll get soaked through.
Not sure how it is further west.
Its possible the rain in Fernie might be snow elsewhere
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Poster: A snowHead
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| gryphea wrote: |
Not sure how it is further west.
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Warm and wet 
Looks like another "sponsored by Goretex" weekend for me too
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Back from a less than 24 hours in Fernie. it was ridiculously wet that we (daughter's ski team and families abandoned). So so wet, all the way to the top . They lost 4 inches of snow overnight and have only 4 inches left at base. B netting put up the day before just fell over
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Well above freezing at Mt Baldy today, and forcast to stay above freezing overnight for the next 5 days at least. Still, one of my old ski mates in Whistler tells me he has only gone out/up there 1 day so far this season, so at least we're fairing better here in the Okanagan, we have a good base, 100+cms at Big White, Baldy, Apex, so the snow should last. Off piste today featured Elephant Snot, AKA, Sierra cement and, for my old cronies in Aviemore, high test Cairngorm powder..  
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks chaps, not exactly what I wanted to hear, but hopefully it'll cool after this warm spell. Wigglies for Revelstoke seem to suggest that It's warm for a couple of days, cold for a couple after, then a bit warmer before cooling again on the 16th, which is the day I fly. Doesn't look too bad there on their webcams, which I notice are all strategically placed at the top of each of the lifts. I think from their Facebook comments they're not doing too badly, although I appreciate Facebook=free advertising. Sunshine looks like it's holding snow ok...... I hope. Lucky I got a new goretex shell really.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Apparently its been snowing a lot at Sunshine this past couple of days. Think I'll go on Thursday so will post an update then. I was in Louasie last weekend , Friday was icey, 4 inches snow overnight and then it was great
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks @gryphea, we are Banff regulars and are leaving on 23rd for our annual two weeks. Was wondering how it was holding up - any further info gratefully received!
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Had great days skiing at Sunshine today. Plenty of snow. Still slightly too warm as snow got heavy on goat's eye this afternoon. A few rocks in the south side chutes. Best day this season I reckon.
Very weird though- in the car park, which was plus 3 when we left, we saw parked cars that had slid into each other over the course of the day because of the ice. Never seen that before, and apparently it happened the day before. My car was fine!
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Very encouraging. We tend to spend the whole day on Goat's eye when we ski at Sunshine - really like the quietness of it. One of my favorite places. We tend to do 2:1 LL to SS but love it all. Let's hope for a little more snow over the next two weeks....But we have never managed not to find some good skiing, even in May!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@lynnecha, I tend to do roughly the opposite - 2:1 SS to LL. funny.
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@gryphea, I was fifth through the South Chutes when they opened the gates after a big storm 3 years ago. Great memories of that area. We had to do the boot pack up because they opened the top gate first, well worth the 30 minutes of sweating to get it though.
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