 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi Skids, there is no start of season bash this year, but I've been invited to go again to Kicking Horse, in British Columbia.
The snag is ... the resort will be closed till December 14th 
So I will have to just make do with Skidoo'ing and ice fishing or drive to Lake Louise.
I'm wondering if its worth the spin down to Revelstoke or even up to Jasper.
Has anyone got opinions on these places?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Revelstoke is apparently great. There's also Panorama which is open on 12th. Jasper is a long drive.
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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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Let me know how you get on in Reveltoke - I'm going there for the first in Feb.
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If they have snow Revelstoke is good - well worth the experience and the drive, only takes an hour  from Kicking Horse so long as the pass is open.
How long are you over there for ?
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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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Well I've ridden them all now and then, but I've no opinions yet on how the snow'll be this year.
Jasper is small, great and probably tourist free but not hard core. It's close to some quite good heli terrain. Just a town hill really, worth a day if you're around. I'd head in another direction myself.
Revelstoke is a different kettle of fish. It is much better placed for the snow than Golden. Steep, simple, not very touristy. Probably terrible for beginners or people who like cord or "apres ski". Check out "The Cabin" and the local folk dancing. You could now stay at the hill, but the town's a 10 minute drive away and that's where I'd stay, assuming you have transport. The town swimming pool isn't bad. It's worth watching an ice hockey game if you get the chance for some local colour. There are a couple of local heli operators and I think CMH also operate there. I've ridden Eagle Pass heli in good snow and it's extremely good for daily heli. Driving... 153km in an hour would be a tall order. Lake Louise is an easier drive, and that takes much longer than you'd expect in winter.
Panorama is good for a day if you're passing through. But there are lots of places, places not discovered by package tourists. Get a map, drive... My personal approach would depend on transport: it's tough doing this by Greyhound as the bus times can be ugly. And you may lose your head too In a car you can just drive, stay somewhere, ride, and if you like it stay another day. That's what I'd do. I've never had a problem finding places to stay, this is very early season.
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From their website there's an in house Cat-Ski operation at Revelstoke, which I'm contemplating using, funding dependant.
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Yeah, the interesting bit of the mountain used to be cat-accessed, but the operator was bought out by the resort investors when they did the big expansion (right in time for the "financial crisis"). I think you'll find they also bought out one of the local heli operators at the same time.
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The drive to Jasper is beautiful.
I think its more than an hour to Revey from Golden.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Revvie is proud to boast BC's "favourite sex shop" from 2008. I have no idea if it lives up (or down) to that,
Some years ago I found myself in Jackson Hole, 2 weeks before the lifts opened. I booked a mountain guide for 2 days to show me round the Tetons and I was scared of bears.
A week before arrival they emailed to say they were about to have a mega storm, so I spent 2 days skinning and skiing the most amazing powder. I had to borrow the head guides #2 skis as none of the shops had drilled touring kit.
Awesome.
Kicking Horse would lend itself to some nice self-accessed skiing, Revelstoke also very fine.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Revelstoke is one of the finest resort on the planet if you like off piste, the lift accessed terrain is amazing and the tree skiing at the front is divine
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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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Yeah, I like Silver Star (also Kingfisher heli is down there, say "hi" to them from me).
(Time zones: too subtle even for me and I drive there every year.. 
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Thanks guys for all the info .. really good to get some skiers opinions on the places.
We never get to hear much about the places that are not on the usual tourist trail.
I'm lucky enough to have a good buddy in the same business as me who owns a holiday home just outside Golden, he invited me over there in January for a couple of weeks.
It was a blast!
I've skied in Lake Louise and the Banff resorts before, but this time I got up the Kicking horse hill for a number of days.
He had a crew over from the UK to do maintenance on the house.
As well as skiing we got the sledges out (Skidoos) and blasted around on them for a day (well I pootled and fell off a lot)
The high point was when the local "sled necks" took us way out into the back woods with the skidoos for ice fishing .. I could not believe it.
Well .. he's got to go and do some more maintenance ... and he's invited me back again.
I was wondering weather to go or not as I'll miss the "Pre ski Bash" in Tignes this year.
But I'm thinking ... I may not get the chance again, even if Kicking Horse is closed ... Lake Louise will be open.
But now that you tell me that Revelstoke is well worth it, I'm not going to miss out on that one, I'm not sure if I can afford the cat skiing or heli stuff .. but we'll look into it.
.... You never know.
Now I'm going to read your great replies carefully and digest it.
The plan is to fly to Calgary Thur 27th Nov and fly out on Monday 8th December.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Bones wrote: |
From Revvy, Whitewater isn't too much of a drive and Silver Star is only a couple of hours away too. |
That's on a kind of relative scale! 
It's still a fairly decent 3 or 4 hour chunk of driving from Revelstoke to Nelson and you have to get an inland ferry on the way.
@DrLawn,
are you saying that you will be there early December? - anywhere could/will still be early season conditions at that time so hit or miss, so you might not get to experience much of the off-piste stuff everyone is raving about above.
Up until this week it's been relatively warm. It's pretty chilly here at the moment, but sunny. Hopefully that will bump into a big storm at some point, then you might be looking good.
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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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Cheers stuarth I know its very early ... and most placed don't open yet.
Its just I've been invited along, and it sound sort of exciting.
I know that the distances involved are enormous and it aint like Austria.
Out of interest .. I probably wont have a car ... I'll be hitch hiking .... with the skis.
Yes I am a bit mad, but nothing ventured nothing gained.
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Poster: A snowHead
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You'll often see people hitching from a town to a resort, but I've not noticed longer distance hitching in BC/AB. Perhaps that's because you can hardly stand by the side of the Coquihalla in a storm and expect to get a lift/ survive. So I would definitely research that first. I often drive those routes alone, but no one ever asked me for a lift. Maybe someone else here knows about that.
Greyhounds I know work, although the times are seldom convenient, they're slow, and you're going to pick up taxi fares too as the stations are never in the right place. Maybe skis are easier to transport than snowboards, but I can't self-propel any serious distance. If you're in a place where the resort and the hill are separate (many of them in practice) then you need to get from one to the other. There is often a school bus for that (that's how I used to get to "Kicking Horse" when it was called "Whitetooth"), but you have to share with kiddies who need to get out to service their nicotine addiction, and again the times can be inconvenient.
Hire cars are relatively cheap, although sometimes it's hard to find one with legal tyres (illegal ones work ok almost all the time for careful people). This season I'll probably use a mix of lifts (with people I know), Greyhound for the odd long distance leg, and a hire car for pottering around a mix of resorts looking for the best snow.
It would I think be relatively simple to stick to the Trans-Canadian and get yourself to Lake Louise. The Greyhound runs through there. Local car hire may be significantly cheaper than airport stuff. Rent their smallest vehicle - usually they're all huge, although they don't tell you that in advance of course.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You need a rental car especially if you are looking to day trip anywhere from Golden. Rates at Auto Europe etc aren't too bad.
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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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| Quote: |
But now that you tell me that Revelstoke is well worth it, I'm not going to miss out on that one, I'm not sure if I can afford the cat skiing or heli stuff .. but we'll look into it.
.... You never know.
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Not as expensive as you thing and in Reve not really relevant as the inbounds lift accessed terrain is so good you don't need a cat! Panorama RK heliski do a package that works out about 120 dollars a drop 5 drop minimum!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Your dates will be early season everywhere and so far the base isn't good. Resorts are opening around 1 to two weeks later than last year as its been too warm to make snow. That said, the chill is here and snow arrived and its cold enough to make. Still early season is early season and you should expect rocks etc.
I have no idea but I think hitching is illegal in AB? Which is why you never see it?
Your dates mean if you went to LL you could get both a ladies and mens world cup in. These are fun and have so few people there you can get right up close. Sit in the coffee bar in the morning and you neighbours may well be world cup skiers.
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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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| philwig wrote: |
Hire cars are relatively cheap, although sometimes it's hard to find one with legal tyres (illegal ones work ok almost all the time for careful people). This season I'll probably use a mix of lifts (with people I know), Greyhound for the odd long distance leg, and a hire car for pottering around a mix of resorts looking for the best snow.
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I think what counts as legal in BC changed a bit this year - now M+S marked tyres are also allowed on mountain highways (at least on the sea to sky highway as a load of new signs popped up, to go with the increased speed limit!). Of course that's not to say M+S tyres are going to work any better and I'll be sticking to my proper winter tyres.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Oh, that's interesting - thanks.
Sure, I'd prefer the best I can get, but at least the best I can get is unlikely to be illegal now.
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Hi Guys or Gals ...
I know the sensible thing would be to rent a car and its pretty cheap to rent a car from Calgary for the whole 11 days,
But the guy I'm going with will have a car there already ... but as he's going to be busy on maintenance many of the days I'll have to work it out for myself.
If the hitch hiking dosent work then I'll have to work something else out.
I've hitch hiked on many ski holidays ...
My girlfriend and I hitch hiked to Austria in 1972 for her 1st ski holiday .. she's my wife now
I've just looked up that I can rent a car in Banff very cheap as well so if I really want a car I could hitch down there and pick up a car and drop it off on the way home.
Anyway .. a few of you have mentioned Heli Ski'ing ... now that would be a first for me ...
I can just imagine chatting to the guys down the pub on Sunday ..
"Why weren't you here last week Tony?"
"Ah yea sorry .. I went skiing in Canada .. in a helicopter"
Big spillage of beer
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Now to look at your webcams over there e.. it must be light now!
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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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Ah yes ... its looking brilliant there today ... beautiful sunshine.
Lake Louise is looking particularly good, Just the bushes showing up at Temple lodge.
I'm looking forward to Revelstoke in particular now you guys have hyped it up for me.
I suppose you guys would like to be coming over hear to the Bash in Tignes on 6th December?
Or our European mountains too pussy?
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| DrLawn wrote: |
I suppose you guys would like to be coming over hear to the Bash in Tignes on 6th December?
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Let me think about that for a split second... Guess I'll just have to put up with Whistler
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| DrLawn wrote: |
"Why weren't you here last week Tony?"
"Ah yea sorry .. I went skiing in Canada .. in a helicopter"
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Yeah, you just rumbled my one and only social move. I wait until people start the skiing BS and then eventually let them drag how I spent the last 30 winters out of me. It doesn't work so well if they ask "do you jump out of them". They need to be close enough to the sport to vaguely understand why it's stupidly good, especially for poor boys.
I've ridden helis in Golden. In about 1989 I was there and at the end of the day they'd fly home back down the main piste at what is now Kicking Horse, slaloming the heli down between the trees on the main resort run. That must have been incredibly dangerous, what with no one wearing helmets and all The other thing they did then was close the resort one day a week - I think it was Wednesday or Thursday. So the next day you had two days' worth of accumulation... powder Thursday. Or was it Friday? Nurse?!
Not a lot of snow in Whistler yet: http://www.whistlerrvpark.com/webcam/)
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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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Bit of a mixed bag...
Been very wet the previous few weeks, so quite a lot of snow high up. But also quite warm so if you look at the whistler webcams you'll notice the snowline is quite high up.
It's pretty chilly even in the city this week, so expect they are probably making a ton of snow at the moment.
Kind of like last year a bit.
Nothing on the N.Shore mountains yet.
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I've just been looking at the maps and where the resorts are ....
BC is just so vast ... and its only a little bit of Canada
I think if I were to live my life again ... I think I would emigrate to your neck of the woods.
Its a two hour drive from the house to Revelstoke and a two hour drive to Banff and only just a bit shorter to Lake Loiuse which is closest resorts ... to go further to others would have to wait for another trip.
And you never know they could open Kicking Horse.
At Tignes we would be a bit spoilt just having to clip into the skis and waddle down to the lift.
I've not been to Whistler its on the "Must Do" list of most Europeans, It will have to wait for my next life for me though.
I suppose its pretty easy to get to.
There was a bit in the Newspapers about how great it is at "Red Mountain" ... Lord know how you would ever get there on a holiday though.
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You know it makes sense.
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I've been to Red a few times the answer is Highway 3. Best average skier standard in the world Ime.
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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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Yep, Red is awesome - getting there is a little bit tricky.
I've driven there (via Revelstoke on the way, and Osoyoos on the way back) and it was ok because the snow wasn't all that abundant. Not sure if I'd want to if it was snowing a lot. I've been pondering it again this year and I've figured out the only really sensible winter driving route from Vancouver is probably via Seattle ans Spokane!
I've also flown into Castlegar (aka Cancelgar) which is about 30 to 40 min drive to Rossland - that was a real fun fly through a cloud, down a valley, sharp left and drop straight onto the runway with a mountain at both ends experience! All flights in and out for the next week after we got there were cancelled. Not entirely sure I'd do that again, but have been pondering the smaller plane into Trail.
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Poster: A snowHead
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A bit like resorts themselves, how all that works out is very much weather dependent. If it's like last year, early, then you can drive anywhere (eg Duffy Lake Road) with a 2wd hire car with whatever tyres it happens to have, albeit not strictly legally. And then I've tried to fly from Vancouver to Kelowna and been diverted to Edmonton before now. It's sort of like British Rail: you'll get there, you just don't want to bet too much on precisely when. An appropriate attitude, a book, and ski gear all help.
Getting to/from the city hills in Vancouver is almost always easy Actually getting to Hemlock is generally easy, but we don't want to talk about that in public.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Dave of the Marmottes,
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Best average skier standard in the world Ime
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Interesting. Im th elate 80's, I'd have put that as Argentiere. Sadly, although the standard is not too bad, no longer.
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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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under a new name Argentiere eh?
I went there a few years ago ... it was incredibly late in the season .. some public holiday in May.
I remember it for its particularly spikey pointy bit where you got out of the lift and skied down the edge of a glacier + it was sunny +
we were just about the only people on the mountain.
So your in your late 80's then? ... that makes me a mere babe .. this is my first season with a senior discount lift pass.
I'm guessing you can ski for free then?
I wont be going to Red Mountain this trip .. its just too far away, maybe one day.
I've just had an email from my ski buddy who has the house in Golden.
He says
"I keep meaning to get to Reve but always run out of time, it is steeper than Khmr I am told. Must do it someday."
Well this is going to be the year then isn't it?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Not much at Revy or indeed any official terrain in the resort world steeper than Terminator ridge runs.
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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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Well I had a couple of days in Revelstoke in the end ...
I though it was brilliant.
The ski hill was really good .. lots of steep stuff and hardly a soul about.
I cant understand how you can have that much skiing with just 3 lifts!
I was very lucky, I arrived in via "Ice Road Truckers" from Golden in time for the 8am shuttle to the hill.
I decided as there was no "tour" till 12:30 I would book in for a lesson, and that turned a great day into a super day!
Drew took me out and there was nobody but me .. so its a private two hour lesson.
In the afternoon the tour was .. Drew again. Not a lesson but two great hours.
I was a bit knackered when I got back to the Regency that evening and fell asleep till 10pm.
I had to go out and check the action and "The Last Drop" was the only place doing food still ....
But it was great ... "Open Mike night" on a Wednesday went on till a good respectable 2am when I staggered home alone after dancing my socks off all night.
I got up the hill a bit later that day ... in time for the afternoon tour ... just me & Drew again,
but just as we were getting on the lift another instructor I think his name was Pete had just arrived in town and was about to have his 1st ski of the season.
Epic afternoon even though the sun was not shining, great company, great skiing, great tips!
I learnt a lot that afternoon form this guy from Eastern Canada with 40 years instructing experience under his belt.
Cheers Guys & Cheers Revelstoke ....
Well worth the trip there and the Greyhound trip back to Golden.
Will go again!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hey there Dr lawn, glad you had a good trip. Looks like there's heaps of snow there already. Any hints or tips - eg best glades are........ Etc very much appreciated. Starting to get excited now. 2 months from yesterday and counting.
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Excellent. Can't remember if I said, but one Greyhound gets into that station in Revelstoke at about 04:00. When it's minus thirty, it feels pretty dangerous being out there.
I may get there in a week or two. Whenever I've been before it's been really quiet.
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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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@DrLawn, I'm so jealous. Is Revelstoke worth spending a few days at?
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@DrLawn, i'm there on my own for a couple of days in January. What is the 'tour', and did you organise through the resort website? Might book onto something like that so I don't have to ski on my own
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FAQ
