 Poster: A snowHead
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| jedster wrote: |
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Screw all that! I just have a 10 sec ski from the condo down to the base gondola and up onto the main mountain lifts in under 5 mins. Not a smelly armpit or lift queue in sight Once you get used to that regime there's no going back!
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If you are based in the UK you can't really argue you ski in the Rockies for convenience! |
Well that's why we go for a month at a time. The only extra inconvenience over going to Banff is a 40 min internal flight from Calgary to Kelowna. It is a bit of a pain, but soon forgotten.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Objectively - if anyone can be objective  - what's the pros and cons of Big White against Banff? (I guess that's a bit cheeky as Banff actually equals Lake Louise plus Sunshine...)
I'm an InsideOut level 6-7, wife likes cruisey blues and ski hosts rather than lessons (?!), and I have two under-10s who can't yet parallel ski. We'd go for up to 2 weeks either at Christmas or Easter. Should I clearly choose one rather than the other?
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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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| uktrailmonster wrote: |
| Screw all that! I just have a 10 sec ski from the condo down to the base gondola and up onto the main mountain lifts in under 5 mins. Not a smelly armpit or lift queue in sight Once you get used to that regime there's no going back! |
Indeed...
Hence I love the Avoriaz (Portes du Soleil, France) setup where if you stay in a Falaise apartment (especially with ground floor exit), you walk out the door, step in to your step-in bindings, and slide off down the first run of the day (Proclou) with no lifts whatsoever. 
I'll be doing precisely that this April.
To beat that, you'd have to sleep in a hammock at the top of a slope, with feet still in boots/bindings/board, and then fall off it in the morning - or perhaps some kind of Wallace & Gromit bed-to-ski mechanism.
Anyway, despite the luxury of ski-in/out in some resorts, I'd still be happy for a hotel room in downtown Banff - and would prefer it to anything closer to Sunshine or Lake Louise, but each to their own.
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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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| Orange200 wrote: |
Objectively - if anyone can be objective - what's the pros and cons of Big White against Banff? (I guess that's a bit cheeky as Banff actually equals Lake Louise plus Sunshine...)
I'm an InsideOut level 6-7, wife likes cruisey blues and ski hosts rather than lessons (?!), and I have two under-10s who can't yet parallel ski. We'd go for up to 2 weeks either at Christmas or Easter. Should I clearly choose one rather than the other? |
Hmmm, for such a family trip I'd lean toward Big White and stay in the village. Banff is more suited to the intermediate and teens upward type of group, i.e. nightlife at night, and a big choice of ski area (albeit via bus).
What grabs you about Banff? Big White seems tailor made to your needs.
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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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Only familiarity  Got sent there once in a TO last minute deal, and liked it so much I went back.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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^ seems like a good reason to try out another resort.
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Big white/ silver star /SunPeaks split big enough villages with stuff like tubing/skating in the evenings for the kids. Bowling alley, tubing, skating, and climbing wall in silver star. Transfer resort to resort via airport shuttle bus.
Great ski school 4 per class. Fly with air canada book through to kelowna. Catch bus to resort.
Look at season passes in low season as Sun Peaks pass was 8 days skiing to break even and 25% off day tickets at other resorts. It gets you money off ski school lessons and rentals in the resort. This year got us 50 % off lift tickets at Whistler!! Cheaper than an edge card.
Not all accommodation is ski in, ski out but it's close.
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| Orange200 wrote: |
Objectively - if anyone can be objective - what's the pros and cons of Big White against Banff? (I guess that's a bit cheeky as Banff actually equals Lake Louise plus Sunshine...)
I'm an InsideOut level 6-7, wife likes cruisey blues and ski hosts rather than lessons (?!), and I have two under-10s who can't yet parallel ski. We'd go for up to 2 weeks either at Christmas or Easter. Should I clearly choose one rather than the other? |
I'll try to be objective, I have skied in Banff/LL, but back in the mid 90's and I'm sure it's much busier now. I really enjoyed the skiing in LL, but it's all a bit inconvenient with the bus rides, especially if you actually stay in Banff. We also have 2 under 10s and the advantage of genuine ski-in/out is hard to overstate. The kids ski-school in Big White is amazing too. It's close to being the perfect family resort, which is why we settled there and bought a condo. Christmas or Easter would work for you at Big White, but you may find Christmas a bit marginal for snow base in some years. This year was no problem at all, but the previous year was touch and go. But then the same goes for Banff early season. Having said that I've been to both resorts at Christmas many times and it's more often than not fine - especially compared to Europe!
Sorry I should have mentioned that the vast majority of pistes at Big White fit your level perfectly and the ski hosting is pretty good too.
Also on a 2 week trip you could do Big White and Silver Star for a week each, they are only about 1 hour apart. Silver Star has more steeper terrain, which is something to bear in mind. It can be a plus for some, a minus for others. But at your level there is definitely more suitable terrain at BW.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Wed 9-03-16 14:01; edited 2 times in total
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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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| crosbie wrote: |
| uktrailmonster wrote: |
| Screw all that! I just have a 10 sec ski from the condo down to the base gondola and up onto the main mountain lifts in under 5 mins. Not a smelly armpit or lift queue in sight Once you get used to that regime there's no going back! |
Indeed...
Hence I love the Avoriaz (Portes du Soleil, France) setup where if you stay in a Falaise apartment (especially with ground floor exit), you walk out the door, step in to your step-in bindings, and slide off down the first run of the day (Proclou) with no lifts whatsoever.
I'll be doing precisely that this April.
To beat that, you'd have to sleep in a hammock at the top of a slope, with feet still in boots/bindings/board, and then fall off it in the morning - or perhaps some kind of Wallace & Gromit bed-to-ski mechanism.
Anyway, despite the luxury of ski-in/out in some resorts, I'd still be happy for a hotel room in downtown Banff - and would prefer it to anything closer to Sunshine or Lake Louise, but each to their own. |
Yeah I liked Avoriaz too for its ski-in/out convenience. What are the crowds like these days? I haven't been there since the late 80s and I don't remember doing much queueing.
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