 Poster: A snowHead
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ok i am planning next year now. looking for a good canadian resort (maybe). any resorts i should look at or avoid.
i like long runs, powder,
i dislike crowds 
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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 anything with decent lifts is going to have crowds as they don't buid them unless they can fill them.
However, Whistler non weekend, holidays and big powder days is OK and definitively has the other bits you want. I keep looking at other places but can never seem to go elsewhere as the Pedestrian village (easy walk to lifts), reasonable airport transfer and huge mountains are all better than elsewhere.
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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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Fernie in January 2008 was empty when we there but then again it was 35 below  The lifts were painfully slow though.
Have not been anywhere else but you might want to watch what happens at Lake Louise as it appears to be a disaster at the moment. I am sure it will be sorted out by next year... although I am not so confident those guys will get their jobs back which is a disgrace from what i have read.
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Sunshine81, do you not mean Sunshine Village? Lake Louise is fine
graeme, if you want powder the best thing would be to travel and be prepared to be flexible. You could fly to Calgary, rent a car and have a number of ski hills between 2 and 5+ hours away.
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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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Loads of canadian resorts are uncrowded, especailly through the week
Why don't you go and play in the thompson/Okanagan? Do a big white/silver star/sun peaks combo?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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graeme,
We did Lake Louise, and then Jasper and then back to Sunshine - best and quietest was definately Jasper - great snow but not a massive ski area - did us well for 4 days though. I would certainly tour - there are so many options.
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| Jake43 wrote: |
Well anything with decent lifts is going to have crowds as they don't buid them unless they can fill them.
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Not true KH and Revy can be deserted mid week bar the local ski bum crowd etc
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fatbob, But that is because they are harder to get too. After I 9hour flight I don't want to do loads more traveling too.
Whistler is the size it is because every one from Vancouver can get there in 2hrs and Seattle in 4ish. Hence busy weekends and powder days.
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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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Jake43, what is an extra hour or two on the transfer when you're spending nine on a plane anyway?
Please keep going to Whistler
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Bones, I've waited in pretty lengthy queues for both but when weekends and big powder days have combined. Still, no complaints
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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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scotia, I bet , we planned it so we hit them during the week so deffinately no complaints 
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I would try fly to Calgary then fly to Kelowna. Hire a 4X4 and then you have Big White/ Silver Star/Sun Peaks/ Revelstoke within 3-3.5 hrs.
There are several small resorts as well, Apex, Mount Baldy, and Crystal Mountain.
We have been visiting this area of BC for about 10 yrs now, yes the flight’s long and then there’s the transfers as well but it has taken us longer to get to France on several occasions.
We make the journey part of the holiday we so fly into Calgary have a meal at the airport. Then we fly on to Kelowna pickup a car and drive about 15 miles and stop at one of the golf resorts with a good restaurant and a swimming pool (keeps the kids happy). A 2 bed condo costs about the same as 2 rooms at one of the road side hotels.
When we switch resorts, we pack up everything leaving the bags in the condo having made certain it’s ok to do so or we move the bags to the rental office. Pack the food in the car then ski until after lunch. We eat lunch retrieve the luggage and drive to the next resort. The last night finds us back at the golf resort ready for the short drive to Kelowna in the morning.
I book everything on-line - flights (watch for sales on flights inside Canada), car, condos. Lift passes - we buy a season pass for Sun Peaks as we are normally there for most of the time. Then by showing the pass at other ski resorts you 25% off the cost of a day ticket for resorts in BC and Washington State, except Whistler. Other tips try going to Costco they often sell 2 day tickets for nearby resorts but not the ones that are closest, i.e. Kelowna for Sun Peaks and Revelstoke pass, Kamloops for Big White and Silver Star. Yes we use our UK Costco card, have not had any problems yet.
If you book a condo then the agency will be able to get you discounted tickets ask them when you book.
Queues in resort: Friday and the weekend only, whereas mid week it’s “who is that on MY piste!” Presidents week (half term) busy all week but nothing compared to French resorts in Feb. Queues are orderly and when its busy the lifties sort the queues in to 4/6 or however many seats there are they add in singles to make up the numbers to fill the chairs.
If it snows there is powder often for a couple of days if you like tree skiing then you could get an extra day or 2 of powder.
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You know it makes sense.
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I wonder what the queues are going to be like in Whistler the week of 19 Feb. Unfortunately one of my friends has to go during university break, so needs must.  I've been before at that time, ages ago, and can only remember that the queue to get up the hill in the morning was fairly long. Oh well, not a lot I can do about it...
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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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After Jasper, and then Banff for 3 years in a row - including Family Day and St Valentine's Day coinciding in 2009 - I would be surprised if anywhere over there were terribly crowded, certainly if you are used to France . . . Over that "busy" weekend at Sunshine, we sometimes needed to wait, say, 5 minutes in a queue (and the locals complained about it!).
As joneski said, the lifties manage the queues well, ensuring chairs are full when it is 'busy', but are more relaxed when it is quiet; and singles lines are there to be used - we love them!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Hurtle wrote: |
| I wonder what the queues are going to be like in Whistler the week of 19 Feb. Unfortunately one of my friends has to go during university break, so needs must. I've been before at that time, ages ago, and can only remember that the queue to get up the hill in the morning was fairly long. Oh well, not a lot I can do about it... |
At least there'll be queues! (instead of the "free for all" mob...)
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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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abc, good point!
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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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abc At least there'll be queues! (instead of the "free for all" mob...)
This is one of the best bits organised lines with merge in turn and a singles line to fill lifts to capacity all the time. Compared to a French funnel free for all and the chair taking 3/4 capacity as people in groups want the chair to them selves. Its refreshing how it just works - oh and the happy lifties that like to chat.
Hurtle, If you are talking about our halfterm this will not effect Whistler much as we are not a huge contribution to their total numbers at any time of the season. The time to avoid are the American "bank holidays"
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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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Jake43, the week that Hurtle is going to Whistler is also Presidents week so there probably will be lots of Americans.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Oh dear that is the worst week possible.... no doubt we will find out how bad after the event
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Jake43, I was actually talking about Canadian university break - my friend teaches at McGill.
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graeme, you won't find queues in Panorama, and, although it receives somewhat less snowfall than neighbouring resorts, the fresh stuff snow hangs around for days in the Taynton Bowl. A few years back, in the week of President's Weekend and the Alberta school holidays, I was cutting regular fresh tracks for three days after a snowfall. It's worth noting that, like almost all resorts, the runs nearest the village can get busier on a peak weekend; that's no problem, though, if you ski elsewhere on the mountain.
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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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As above - if you want to chase powder then rent a car and plan on being flexible.
No Canadian resort (expect perhaps Whistler which I've never been to) can compete on size with Alps Mega resorts so you can ski the majority of the runs in a couple of days so good to be able to move around a bit.
Driving times can be fairly long. Almost never have to queue, the worst I've seen was Kicking horse on a powder day but nothing compared to memories of being Meribel late in the day and trying to get back to Courcheval....
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