Which resort in Canada for first ski season?

A snowHead

Hey all, I'm planning on doing my first ski season this coming winter. I'm packing in my job and heading to Canada. I'm looking for some advice in choosing a ski hill to go for the season.

As a quick background, I'm in my mid twenties and have two weeks of skiing done in the French alps. While I am a beginner, I'm looking to progress a lot over a season. The main thing I'm looking for in a resort is good skiing but would also like someplace with a a bit going on.

I have some money saved but would need to work at least part time for the season.

I've been looking into Fernie, Banff, Revelstoke, Kicking Horse and Rossland. At the moment Fernie and Revelstoke are top of the list. Whistler doesn't appeal to me due to the high cost of living and crowds.

I would love to hear advice on which resort would be best for a season, particularly the availability of accommodation and work and the quality of terrain and nightlife. It would also be great to hear comparisons from anybody who has been to both Revelstoke and Fernie.

Cheers
Tom

A snowHead

Revelstoke would I think be a good choice. It has the benefit of being a real town, as opposed to a resort town. There fore I'd expect employment options to be better.

Oh yeh, and the skiing is pretty awesome too Smile

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Leaving aside Banff which is something different all 4 of the places you mention are great places, real towns rather than resorts.

I wouldn't say any of them are particularly beginner friendly, but if you're young and athletic you'll develop big skills on the terrain available. Don't know how Revy has developed in terms of ski bum community but the town is a bit strung out away from the hill whereas Fernie has a longstanding international ski bum population. All are pretty isolated if you don't have a car and get a bit of cabin fever. Assuming you have a work visa there will be seasonal work available everywhere but usual rules apply - get there early pound the pavements etc etc. I suspect Rossland and Revy have a bit less than others due solely to my perception that there were a lot of locals working as lifties.

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For a bit going on it's Banff (if you've ruled out Whistler). Fernie is too small (town) KH is too serious for a 2 weeker ro really progress and small town, Revelstoke is too trendy. The issue with Banff is the commute but Norquay to begin, graduate to Sunshine and LL for end of season.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Banff also has major issues with accomodation being in a NP. I don't think non-workers can really rent long term accomodation there independently and lots of locals seem to actually live in Canmore which is even further from the big ski hills. While it's a stunning place location wise I'm not sure it would be high on my list as a ski bum town.

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Firstly I would say "I wish it was me", secondly I would say "tough choice"...

I know you have said that whistler doesn't appeal to you but it does have a few things going for it than the smaller resorts don't have. The first one is the number of employment opportunities. There are 100's of hotels, condos etc that need people and plenty of shops. Secondly, it has a huge variety of terrain so you could progress easily without having to struggle (initially) at the beginner unfriendly places like Revelstoke. Thirdly - it has a great transport system meaning that you can live out of centre and there are still plenty of buses going back and forward to get you home and back - every 15min I think. I'm talking 20min bus ride, not and hour or anything stupid like that. I spent a season there back in 2003 and had a fantastic time. Yes, it can get busy around the holiday periods and on the weekends but otherwise I never really recall waiting very long in lift lines for more than a minute. Also it does get tracked out pretty quickly - but you will learn where to find the good stuff with a bit of local knowledge. There is plenty going on, all the time. Yes, it might be a bit more pricey than other resorts but if you get lucky it doesn't have to be ridiculously more expensive. For example, I volunteered at a mountain restaurant for the season for one day a week (Sunday) and got a free ski pass in exchange. So there is a huge saving straight away. Its a bun fight for the jobs and accom at the start of the season but once you get set up your away laughing.

I also spent 2.5 months at Fernie back in 2006 - this is completely different to Whistler! The town is very small and laid back to be honest I would say the employment opps would be pretty slim pickings. There are not a lot of hotels, condos around - there are quite a few but no where near the scale of Whistler. The skiing is great, although if you are a beginner it could be a bit tricky at first but I wont worry about it and there is plenty of terrain to advance on to. There are very little crowds - even on a powder day. Most of the time there was about a 20sec wait for the lift! I think this is because it is kind of in the middle of nowhere! You could prob find a place to live pretty easily there but bear in mind the transport to and from the ski field is not all that good. There is one bus every 30mins and it isn't all that cheap either. Most of the time I hitch-hiked there and back - everyone does it. I never had a problem. From town to ski field is about 10mins. There are some good bars around and you will get to know everyone if you are there for a season. As I said it has a very different feel to Whistler - more of a "real skiers" place to go. I liked it and I would go back.

As for Revel and Kicking horse - I have never been there, however a mate of mine was at Revel a few seasons back. He loved it and couldn't really say a bad word about it. As with Fernie it is a small town with limited employment but he managed to get a job ok. The terrain is more geared towards intermediate/advanced. Also getting to the hill and back can be a pain I have heard. Good snow, and lots of it. It is def a place I want to get to.

Banff would be a good spot but there is one major issue which is travelling to and from the ski fields. If you live in Banff then it is a pain in A to get there and back. I think a season of doing that would drive me mad. Also it doesn't tend to get as much snow as Fernie, KH or Revel.

Big white could also be an option however it is very small. The village is tiny and everything there is over priced - prob worse than Whistler as they have a very captive market. It is 40mins down to Kelowna to get to "normal prices" for food etc. Its ok for a few weeks but I don't know if I would want to spend a season or several months there unless I had a car. Also it gets A LOT of fog.

I guess it really depends on what is most important - employment or skiing. If you have plenty of money and work would be "good" but not a must then I wouldn't consider Whistler. Between Revel and Fernie- well, that's a hard one. Just be sure to make your mind up early so you can get an early bird season pass. It will save you around $400CA.

I wish I had the chance to do a season trip again....

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Nightlife in Canadian ski resorts is nothing like European ones....far more laid back.
Have you looked at Sun Peaks at all. A real gem and 3rd largest ski resort in Canada...bit of a secret to UK folk.

After all it is free

spud, Lets keep it that way.

Revelstoke may be a town but it's not a big one. There didn't look to be a lot going on when we were there (late-ish Feb.

Skiing looked to be pretty good but conditions unusually poor when we visited (it had thawed then refrozen - not typical!).

I'd say Whistler would be a better seasonal destination. Also much better logistics all round (i.e. Vancouver) when you get cabin fever.

Why Canada though? Lots of interesting U.S. options. Or Europe. or Japan. ??

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Just checking that you have your working visa in hand? My daughter wanted to do the season in Canda from December but missed the few working visas which were isued (all gone by Macrh from memory). My understadning is that the next batch wil not be issue until into 2014. Apologies if you say you have one but I couldnt see it.

If you would like info on the sites I used for my daughter's failed application i can dig them out.

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collinstommy,

Kicking Horse (Golden) and Rossland aren't places I'd recommend without going there first.

Rossland is very charming but is one street and has one watering hole, the Flying Steamshovel. I was stuck in Rossland not skiing as I broke myself when I was there and went crazy.

KH is not a beginner friendly place and is quite limited unless you just want to charge chutes and pretty scary double black terrain. Vibe is kind of lame.

The best place for nightlife is (depressingly) whistler. It is the complete package, and full of ski bums. There are pros and cons about that.

The best for skiing (imo) is Revelstoke, it is very much a town rather than a resort. I've heard that work is hard to come by there. Powder doesn't get tracked out in less than an hour like Whistler does. Nightlife is ok but a bit of a sausagefest.

snow reports

Thanks for all the replies guys. Some great info!

chrisJersey, I should have said that yes I have a 2 year work visa. The visas for Ireland were snapped up in 3 days but was lucky enough to get one!

under a new name, I've ruled out the US as I don't have a work visa. As for Europe, well Europe will always be there when I come back. (Currently living in London)

Banff sounds pretty good but the distance from the respective ski hills puts me off.

BMG, Thanks for all the info. Work is not a absolute must, I've have a decent amount saved. Whistler seems like a place where you could burn through a lot of cash in a short space of time. If I were to reconsider whistler, what time would you recommend getting there for to find accommodation and a job?

I'm not a party animal but would like a few nice bars to hit up. Fernie seems decent from what people are saying and also seems to have some mad terrain.

I reckon Kicking Horse is a bit extreme for me. I'll knock that off the list as well as Rossland.

I'll have a look at Sun Peaks, havn't heard much about it yet.

I have a buddy who did a season (his first ever boarding) in Revelstoke and said the hill was brilliant. He did say though that they called it RevelBloke due to the lack of females!

I would be interested in hearing from somebody who has done a reason in Revelstoke. The ski hill seems brilliant but haven't heard many reports on what living there is like.

You know it makes sense.

I think Fernie is a good choice. Not just a resort. Good hill, with varied terrain and there is loads of learning to be gnarly terrain to learn on before you get into the gnarly terrain

2 year work visa sounds fab

What's your day job?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

gryphea, 2 year visa is pretty sweet alright. Currently working as a software developer. Hoping to move to a city after the ski season and get some employment in my field.

A snowHead

Nelson is a fair bit bigger than Rossland, but just about close enough (if you have a car) for red mountain (if you can get up the hill from trail), though Red is best for when you can make the ost of the terrain . Close to Whitewater which is cool but small. That area (like Revelstoke) is also home to various catskiing and heli operators so a bit going on.

I think I'd chance Revelstoke too if you wanted something different. Bit of a truck/train stop (though I think the rail bridge just burnt down!), but nice mountain an nice enough town.
Never been to Fernie, so can't help there.

Whistler is predictably Whistler, but that's not necessarily all bad, and is pretty quiet in the week. If you are looking to be on the west coast for work then Vancouver is certainly going to be a better place to be than Rossland, Nelson, Revelstoke, Kelowna, and possibly Calgary for a software type, though guess you can always relocate after the winter.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

collinstommy, If you are looking at Sun Peaks the season pass for this winter is on sale now and goes up $200 at the end of May.
Having season pass gets you 25% off a day ticket at other resorts except Whistler.

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spud, Fortunately I think hockey is brilliant, though the Canucks seem to have mastered the art of being pretty good in regular season only to be completely and humiliatingly stuffed by lower ranked teams immediately in first round playoffs. I forgot the other feature is the annual visit of BC/DC - Western Canada's favourite tribute band. Don't know whether Hell's Belles, their all female competition tour up there.

I've wintered in both Whistler and Fernie and TBH probably enjoyed the nightlife more in Fernie, more people you knew, less of the big queues to get into bars and clubs plus the pool was easier to get to than the gym & pool in Whistler from where I lived. It's in Canada's favour I think that there isn't as much of the Dick's Tea Bar twattishness nightlife scene.

[Context - I am probably now in the demographic known as past it old git, despite my Doctor What like gyrations on the floor of the nightlife emporium formerly known as Le Garage at some point this season. I blame a blow to the head.]

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Spent two winters at Kicking Horse in their early days (2nd and 3rd year of operation).

Plenty of great skiing for all ability levels.

You'll come back a better skier.

Town is low key, but real.

Loved it.

After all it is free

Mike Pow, low key? My piano doesn't have enough keys clearly!

Great skiing, but I'm not even sure it qualifies as a town. Not even a village.

Maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention, to be fair...

under a new name, you talking about KH resort (basically one condo building & a few dispersed chalets) or Golden, railroad town with a few pubs, stripper Mondays, at least one street of shops and a micro cinema?

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don't forget hockey night!!

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Been to all of those lots of times....

Revelstoke
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Revvy is great, but there's only one restaurant you'd want to eat twice at, and it's hard to find decent coffee. It's a real place with real people. The resort suffered from the real estate crash.

The riding is ****** brilliant, the snow is the best (it's in the right place), and the heli is excellent. But when I say the riding's brilliant, with two weeks under your belt... you'll probably hate all of it. It's not a beginner's resort. You'll find that the runs you are happy on are cat tracks, crossed by these huge steep lines.

There is a town swimming pool, and an ice rink, both of which I like but which aren't as sexy as the uk equivalents. It's well wrapped up overweight people in a cold climate. The Cabin is a slightly hip bar (owned by the local Burton rep, who rips pretty well too), and has 10-pin bowling right there. It's pretty much next door to the folk dancing (strippers) - that's what you have there. Plenty of dope about.

Yeah, I like it a lot, but there's *nothing* "going on". As a bloke, you really need to take your own with you really. Actually I was there a couple of years ago with a very pretty male TV presenter who did pull at the local hockey, so there are local women if you're famous enough...

Golden
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Golden's on the wrong side of the mountains so the snow's good but not as good as Revvy. Back in the day I'd get out to the hill (used to be called Whitetooth, now called Kicking Horse) using the school bus which ran out from town. Again having the resort and town separate means you need to know how you'll get about. Golden's more substantial than Revvy and it's on the Trans Canadian, so it's a bit more cosmopolitan. A bit.

Whistler/ Banff
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They're both zoos, although Whistler is worse and Banff isn't a single place. Whistler is the only co-located resort/ town of those you listed.

Fernie
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A bit like Revvy but with slightly wetter snow and a bit more developed. Riding wise it depends a lot on the snow conditions - when it's good then there's plenty for experienced riders, otherwise it's just a small hill of which there are plenty. Like Golden it's been slightly discovered by UK tourists now.

snow reports

Try Jasper, Marmot Basin. Good for beginners with a decent amount of green and easy blues to work on basic technique running right up to some serious double black diamond stuff you would be mad to try on a first season. Like everywhere in the West accommodation can be a challenge for sensible money and being in the NP, its a short bus ride from town.
I have not been to the resorts in the East but I suspect many of the accommodation and daily travel issues may be much easier there.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

What I like about Canadian interior towns is that none of them try to be like Whistler (Banff excepted but that's been a tourist trap since the railroad was invented). The closest European analogy I'd make are some of more towny places like BSM or Briancon - "yeah we got skiing if you like that sort of thing but what you really should check out is the awesome elk jerky from the butchers"

A snowHead

Spot on fatbob

A snowHead

fatbob, yup, KH resort, not Golden.

Golden did not attract. Great skiing though.

collinstommy, I'm still not quite sre what the allure of Canada is, unless you are considering the use of a small CTD to wipe it fom the planetface after your season? I'd still look at Europe, myself, or maybe Japan. Learn a new language, etc.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

under a new name,
See the work visa bit above perhaps? (though admittedly Canada probably isn't the best place in the world for engineering unless it involves building something, chopping it down, or digging it up wink

)
As a place to live all year round it is quite hard to beat.

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For those in a similar situation for next winter here is an update on where I went.

Funnily enough after dismissing Whistler I ended up going there in the end. I got a call off a buddy who was going there for a season with an offer of a room so went with the easy option.

Its been a great first season. While conditions at the start of the season this year have been poor it really picked up in the second part of the season. Much of what has been said in this thread and others is true. The resort gets tracked out incredibly quickly however if you get to know some locals who know the terrain you can find fresh snow on most powder days. Skiing with a long term local will improve your riding fast also.

The amount of terrain here is insane. I've so much left to explore and I've done 70+ days here. There is something for everything, plenty of beginner terrain, massive amounts of intermediate terrain and plenty of more difficult stuff if you know where to look. As a place to go for a first season, in my opinion it is a good one. There is an easy progression from groomers to easier tree runs, to steeper stuff. That said I think if you go to somewhere like Revelstoke you will progress onto the steeper terrain, just the first few weeks will be tough.

As BMG said the transport links are great. Plenty of jobs here, so much so that you could easily change jobs if your first one doesn't take your fancy. I applied for 3 jobs and got offered all 3.

The housing situation was very tough this year. It was a total poo-poo show in Oct/Nov to try and find a place. If you arrive in the summer or September you are looking at paying $500 for a shared room but any later and its going to be closer to $600/$700.

Grocery shopping is expensive here as is ski pass, rent etc. That said there are plenty of jobs here. Hotels work typically pays between $13-$16 an hour which in most cases will be enough for rent, bills, food and a few nights out a week. If you can score a job that pays tips you can earn even more. The mountain pays minimum wage but you can get into staff housing which is very cheap.

The town itself is great. Lots of pubs and restaurants. Although there is a large seasonal workforce it doesn't seem that big a place. You will you find yourself constantly bumping into people you know so it does retain that small town feel in some respects.

A few of my friends here have rode in Revy. From what they say it seems to have an amazing hill. If you were looking to do a season somewhere, and looking purely for the skier/boarding perspective I think its hard to look past a place like Revy. The fact that most of it is advanced terrain would not put me off. If you are riding everyday you will progress quickly. Whistler however has more going on than Revy. You also have the bike park in the summer here. Both have their merits.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Lets see if I can resurrect this thread...

Thanks for the post tommy (if you still read this forum). I recently got granted a working visa for Canada and am considering doing a season out there. Similar situation to yourself - 26 years old and fancy a break from the rat race!

Did you stay on for a second season? What type of work would you recommend trying to find?

I've always thought Banff would be my resort of choice but pretty open minded.

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just back from panorama hols . quite a few brits on resort staff there . staff accomodation in panorama itself . invermere is local town about 20 min drive . loads of rentals in local paper columbia valley echo .

Help!!

Which resort in Canada for first ski season?

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