 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
I will be travelling from Kelowna Airport to Revelstoke and back at the end of Feb next season. There will be me, my wife and my 3 year old daughter. I cant decide what the best option will be in terms of transportation - i.e. airport transfer or SUV hire.
First question - what is the drive like - are there any mountain passes to negotiate or is it an easy drive on good highways?
What will this route be like to drive if a big storm hits?
Are hire vehicles in BC kitted out with winter tyres as standard?
I've driven quite a bit in the Alps and in the US Rockies so have some experience driving in the mountains in snow. However, I've also been caught out whereby I thought I was getting a 4x4 with winter tyres and in actual fact the vehicle had neither. It was "all wheel drive", which I understand is different from a 4x4 and handled very poorly in snow - I would not want to be in a situation where I have a car which is unsuitable with my daughter in tow.
Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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nickr, I haven't done it but when I was planning to visit a pal in revelstoke he recommended coming from kelowna rather than Calgary as there was a pass on the Calgary route. If it was me after a long flight I'd still be getting a transfer especially with a three year old in tow.
I did one from Calgary to Banff and although it would have been all right to drive it was -40 at night and a car would have needed either a garage or a block heater to survive the night.
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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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Rogers Pass, on the Trans Canadian.
Kelowna airport is nice and small, when I was last there a couple of years ago you couldn't get expresso: don't expect too much.
I've driven that route and didn't really notice it. It's no different from any other driving in BC. So that's either trivial, or pretty technical depending on conditions. All the highways will be covered in snow when it's snowing, although they're regularly ploughed. You're mostly driving on packed snow, but it's got sand on it. If you can't get through, just wait. It happens, but not that often. Take gear (eg ski clothing) so if you crash or break down you won't die. They close the Trans Canadian (highway 1) now and then, but not for long - it's a main route.
I have also done that trip on public transport. Get a cab from the airport to the Greyhound station, hang out for hours in the next-door hotel, then catch the bus from YLW to Revelstoke. I got in at about 04:00. In those temperatures you'd probably die quite quickly outdoors in Revelstoke once the bus drops you off, so you need to know where you're going and how you'll get there. The Greyhound is sort of for poor people, although I've never had any trouble there, the stations aren't fancy and it's a bit basic. Out of hours there's no "station" in Revelstoke, it's just you and the roadside.
>Are hire vehicles in BC kitted out with winter tyres as standard?
No, they are not. I've been doing this for years and it's always a problem.
The big companies won't hire you chains or let you put them on, although you can of course get chains for about $50, and those make you legal anywhere (even if you don't use them, if you see what I mean). I can't remember if the bits of highway you are looking at require you to carry chains in winter - they probably do. You can google to find that out. If you don't have chains you will probably get away with it if you know how to drive or just because it's not that bad. On the other hand I often pass lots of overturned cars.
Hire a 4WD if you can, or check out local hire companies (not multi-nationals), I have heard rumors that they may have better gear. It may be cheaper to hire from YLW than bigger airports. Chances are they only have large vehicles - I always hire the smallest and sometimes get a huge van as they don't do small. In Vancouver 4wd vehicles generally can't be obtained at short notice - you have to book way in advance. Also they charge stupid prices for those.
Your US experience sounds similar to BC, in terms of 4x4. Even vehicles which look like 4WD often aren't, and the Indian call centres are useless - I doubt they know what snow is. They will happily hire you a car and give you a map to get to a place you can't legally get to at that time with that vehicle. Note that hire car laws vary state to state.
I'm not familiar with shuttle services on that route, but it may be worth checking out. Bear in mind though that they are no better at getting through blocked roads than any other vehicle. In my illegal 2wd hire car I've occasionally driven past Greyhound or tour busses stuck on the Sea to Sky highway.
Revelstoke is a great place, although it's pretty hard core. It's not really a resort. If you don't have a car, then you may have a local transport problem there, as the hill and the town are not in the same place. Unless you're happy with what's at the resort. There is a town bus up there I think, or you can hitch with the locals, who will mostly be smoking interesting substances.
I've never had to use a block heater, although the locals use them. Hire cars seem to survive. Drive like a local though: don't use the handbrake, or it'll freeze on overnight. You will need to buy screen wash which you can get cheaply at the gas stations.
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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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jbob, we'll be travelling after having had a week in Big White, so we wont need to worry about a long drive after a long flight - done that before and it is tough!
philwig, thanks for that, lots of good info there. Seems its a bit of lottery really. The drive itself sounds fairly straight forward, but we might need chains if there is a storm, but we cant get any off the rental company - this seems crazy! Would be made a lot simpler if the hire car companies simply put winter tyres on the cars and provide chains.
As it stands I feel like I'd be taking a gamble hiring a car because I cant be guaranteed the right vehicle or the right equipment from the rental co's. Rubbish!
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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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nickr, hire a 4x4, you wont regret it - should take you about 3 hours unless weather is really bad. We did it the other way, stopping off at Silver Star for a day skiing first. Mostly on good highways, dont remember any serious passes.
The route from Kelowna to Vernon is really picturesque and an easy drive. Vernon to Revelstoke is good too - if you like driving then you should be fine. When we did Revelstoke to Vernon, they had just had the biggest storm in 3 weeks the day before ad the roads were still ploughed and reasonably clear.
As philwig, says a car may be advantageous when in Revelstoke as its certainly not a resort as such. Dependant where you decide to stay you will either need to get to the hill or go out for dining, and to see some local sights.
Go for the upgrade option on the SUV, standard size is a lot better in performance than the intermediate, even if you dont need the space. We managed to get a brand new Grand Cherokee tihs year  mucho fun in snow, handled well and wasnt slow - all relative to suv's obviously.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bones, we've booked the trip through Frontier Ski and we're staying at Sutton Place on the mountain. If it was just me and Mrs R we'd have stayed in town but it'll be a lot easier with childcare (which is in the hotel) for us to stay on the mountain. With regards the car - we've been offered a good price for a 'premium SUV' which would be a Chevrolet Suburban or similar - I'm not sure how that compares in terms of size / performance to other SUVs?
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Dead easy - no Rogers Pass, up to Salmon Arm and along Highway 1 to Revy. Vis can get a bit sketchy if there's a storm blowing on the lakes but make sure your washer bottle us full and there isn't a lot to go wrong provided you drive like it's Canuckistani winter not Euro summer.
Suburbans are massive. Reg size SUV would be fine for most purposes.
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nickr,
You can get rentals from Kelowna airport with winter tyres, I had an escape from there that did several years ago. I did have to insist and wait a while for them to sort it out as despite booking it, they still tried to not give me one. I did point out the folly of hiring cars in winter that can't actually be driven out of Kelowna due to the winter tires/chains rule (as noted above you can't put chains on a rental generally). Also it had a windshield damage clause; ie you pay for a new one if it gets any chips - when you see the road to Revelstoke (particularly the highway 1) in winter you'll see that it was a miracle that we didn't get dinged!
Mostly the drive is straightforward but the narrow bits at the highway 1 bridges are quite exciting when you have a logging truck coming the other way, it is snowing, and the headlights on the car are just token efforts!!
You'll probably want a car in Revelstoke also, so might want to discount the public transport/shuttle idea as the mountain is a little way from the town.
If the snow is bad enough that you need chains, give your head a shake, and think about where you are, and how much you really need to get to/from Revelstoke.
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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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I've driven from Sicamus to Revy quite a few times and have got stuck whilst they blasted chutes around the lakes. Its not that common though and way less likely to shut than Roger's Pass; we were also only there around 4-6 hours I think. but do bring snacks, drinks and take your 3 yr old to the loo in Sicamus!
SUV may not be all wheel drive. You may not need an AWD, but if you want one ask for it. Agree with stuarth, if the snow is that bad the road may well be closed due to the chutes
Modern cars should be OK without a block heater , but sounds like you'll be parking inside anyway. I would actually rank the winter tyres as more important than the AWD.
REvy has quite a nice public pool and your 3 yr old may want an evening there.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Gone ahead and booked the Suburban (or similar) - of course the rental co. cant guarantee the exact vehicle type or that it will have winter tyres.
As stuarth, says, if it doesn't have winter tyres when we pick up we'll just have to insist and argue with them until it gets sorted. If the roads are in bad condition or closed, I guess we just have to be sensible and accept we might have to stay the night in Kelowna and get to Revelstoke a day late. Better late than stuck in a ditch or worse!
gryphea, I've seen photo's of the swimming pool - it looks absolutely brilliant. Cant believe such a small community have such an amazing pool. It's on the list of things to do for my daughter, along with learning how to ski (well, as much as a 3 year old can ski)
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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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I took photos of that swimming pool, for a magazine. That's kind of funny, as they didn't mind at all, where as when I did a shoot *outside* a UK swimming pool, the manager came out to accuse me of child abuse. I politely suggested he call 999 if he thought a crime was being committed, and he crawled back under his stone.
The pool has a fun little climbing wall too. The ice rink is also worth a visit. You probably won't need to bother with the local "Folk Dancing" show. "The Cabin" is owned by the local Burton rep and has 10-pin bowling plus other stuff going on.
You'll probably have an argument with the hire company, but it'll work out, people do it all the time.
For learning to ski, well the ski school is probably excellent - the Big White and Silver Star ones are at least, and they really take care of kids, or at least they appear to. They have a big travelator lift on the nursery slopes which is probably good for that. Overall the resort is a bit steep for beginners, and the nursery slopes are kind of at the bottom. But it's generally quiet and very civilized.
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And obey the slow signs on some of the blue slopes, otherwise you'll find yourself doing a downhill stylee air!
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You know it makes sense.
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Ski school at Big white is great as is the one at Silver Star, kids loved both if its cold they go out ski a bit then come back for hot chocolate and to warm up and then back out. The road to Revelstoke is ok most of the time, check the weather channel it gives information on the state of the road and expected road conditions. Suv is worth it as if not equipped with winter tyres they often have snow/mud tyres they are deemed ok by the police if stopped. You can get snow tyres but its a struggle, but you will need them on the carpark at Revelstoke even if you dont need them on the roads! The only time we have had a car damaged in 20 yrs of skiing in Canada was on the carpark at Revelstoke. Not a good place for beginners or timid skiers .
Book accomadation a long time in advance as there are not many places to stay. Avoid the cheaper motels as at the weekends lots of groups who are there to go snowmobiling in the back country. The corridors are were the parties move to in order to spread out when the rooms are to small.
Its cheaper to buy chains than to hire them for more than 2 weeks.
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FAQ
