 Poster: A snowHead
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We've got Calgary flights booked for early Feb 2016. The plan is a road trip of resorts plus some some daily catskiing near Fernie. This will entail driving a big anti-clockwise loop into British Columbia and back - via Canmore/Banff; Kimberley; Fernie; Sparwood; and Pincher Creek.
I have never knowingly had snow tyres on cars out of Calgary but have just come across something online saying that BC requires them by law on some roads between October and April.
A quick search on the Avis website (I've had snow tyres on an Avis car out of Kelowna) draws a blank - snow tyres are seemingly not an option with them.
So the Q is, will snow tyres be required by law for the above route? If so, does any Calgary rental company provide them?
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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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M+S or all season tires available on Canadian rentals are not real snow/winter tires but are legal to drive.
We have done Calgary - Banff - Lake Louise - Kicking Horse - Panorama - Kimberly - Fernie - Calgary on Enterprise rental safely, It was not snowing though.
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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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Thanks void - but do Calgary rentals come with M&S tyres?Have so far trawled through Hertz, Alamo and Budget sites for a rental from there but no reference at all to tyres of any sort.....
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@mountainaddict, @Bones, How long will/did your respective trips take? I'm hoping to do something similar in the next couple of years (have skied Whistler and Banff before).
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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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Tom Doc, Ours was a 2 week trip first time around, 8 mountains and around 1600 miles approx. of driving.
Next season, all being well will be looking at 17 - 18 days trip, ski areas to be considered are in the planning stage. We basically bypass Banff as we did a trip there year before the road trip - this gave us the idea, and don't need to repeat Banff.
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@mountainaddict, I have rented 4x4s from Calgary on several occasions and always had tyres I assume were at least M+S as they worked perfectly well in both light and deep snow. Much of rural Alberta has near-permanent winter snow cover, and I doubt the rental companies would want their cars spinning off road because they'd skimped on tyres.
If in doubt, I would dirextly call the relevant rental desk at Calgary airport.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Bones, @mountainaddict, WE too have stayed at Aspen Grove. It was great.
I would call about rental tyres. I wouldn't be happy driving without tyres that cope well with low temps
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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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@Bones, thanks. I was thinking around 2 wks, but probably less mountains - I'd like to be able to spend a 2 or 3 days at each. I think!
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Tom Doc Due to other ski trips and a long Australia trip last summer I am low on annual leave. So, although we would have liked a longer trip, we are doing 10 nights in Canada, with 10 days'skiing if all goes to plan.
Some bargain digs coming up with the strength of the £ vs the $CAD. As the catskiing is expensive, we're looking at using motels, which has always worked out fine in the past. (Rooms from £40 in some sleepy towns on our route!)
It'll be a fair bit of driving - but broken down into stages and with 5 nights in Fernie in the middle (for 3 days' catskiing and two days on piste).
Not a problem though - we usually do single weeks for skiing so 10 nights will feel like a long trip. And we once went to Banff for a week in Feb half term, which was well worth it.
Think I will start ringing the Calgary car hire desks to check about the tyres - better safe than sorry  .
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Good luck with that. The last time I tried their help desks were all in India, and by the sounds of it it was a part of that place where snow isn't frequent. So I was soft-soaped with garbage.
In BC something changed last year and I was rented, for the first ever time, a car with snow tyres. Previously I'd struggled with this. I think the law means that (like Quebec) they can't rent you illegal cars any more. There was a time when they're rent you a car in Vancouver to drive to Whistler, and give you a map to tell you how to get there. The car had no snow tyres, and you could not fit chains (see rental agreement), so it was in fact probably illegal to drive there, depending on precisely how you look at it.
I think it's not a problem now, but talking to an offshore call centre won't help, you need to talk to a local. You don't need a 4wd, they have ploughs and stuff, I've been perfectly happy in rwd or fwd cars for years. Sure, a 4wd will drive you more stupid places, if you're up for it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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If you look on the web you can find the phone number for the rental desks at kelowna airport. We use discount number to ring Canada.
try and get a 4x4 so much safer on the winter roads. The staff try to help one year we rejected 4 cars before we drove away. Check the windscreen for chips and cracks before you drive off we got charged for a screen one year when an existing chip became a crack.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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^+1
Also requested a car with snow tyres at Kelowna Airport and had to wait quite a while. Was actually discussing that same issue with a colleague here yesterday and noting how it is hard to get far from Kelowna without going on a mountain highway which then means you need winter tyres (or M+S since recently).
Also second the stonechip thing, though there is so much gravel on the roads in places you can't see the markings, so I was amazed/relieved that I managed to bring the car back without a stonechip!
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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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Calling into BC sounds like a great idea. Skype out also is very cheap for that.
Kelowna Airport = the real world. Kamloops is similar - good places.
Never had any stonechip issues, but I always photograph my hire cars (I don't pay the waiver fees).
When you return the car it will be covered in dirt.
They usually try to upgrade you, but especially in the wilds there they seldom actually have any actual small cars.
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FAQ
. After ascertaining that that could adversely affect BC, I am hanging fire on accommodation until nearer the time...So nothing booked for Pincher Creek yet. Have stayed there before though - at the Super 8, which was fine. Will have a look at your recommended B&B though if you give me the details.
), followed by Kimberley, Fernie, the catskiing, Castle Mountain and then Nakiska on the morning before we fly home.
