Travel to Canada

A snowHead

Also in late season I can imagine the bit near the bottom at KH where the gondola starts gets a bit soft/icy/naff but others who know better might be able to tell you more. Up high it should be good though

A snowHead

Note KH closes on 16th April which is earlier than Sunshine and Lake Louise

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Sadly we’ll be back home by the 16th April!!

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@TommyJ, that should be fine then, go and enjoy it

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@TommyJ, imo an intermediate is not going to get the best out of kicking horse. However, there is definitely enough intermediate terrain for a fun day out. So why not go for a day, at worst you have some new views and long runs (vast majority of the time you will be skiing all the way to the Gondola so 1200m very).
Wiley coyote is the best blue groomed run. Kicking horse is great also, but rarely groomed so check the report. Show off (groomer under the Gondola) is classed as blue, but quite steep, best done earlier in the day as can get icy as it gets skied out (although maybe so late in the season less of an issue). There are some easier routes from top of stairway chair into Feuz bowl, which I would try and do at least once. At worst you ski down the ridge and don't like the look of any routes and can drop back towards the bottom of stairway chair. If you fancy a hike T2 has some pretty mellow skiing.

Edit: also boo the grizzly bear might be out of hibernation by then, the Gondola goes over his inclosure.

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Thanks so much for the tips. Family won’t ski as much as I do - so may go over there on one of their off days

I’m not worried about Boo being out of hibernation. It’s being out of his enclosure that worries me. Reckon I would ski a double black if persuaded by a hungry grizzly

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@TommyJ, the bus from Banff gets there about 9.30am so by the time the bus driver goes in to get the lift passes and then you actually get going it will be more like 9.45am, bus leaves at 4pm so I think there would be plenty to keep you occupied until then.

The Feuz bowl easiest bit to get in is off the traverse path (clearly visible when going up the Stairway to Heaven chair) but that’s as steep as it gets from that direction. Don’t bother going up the staircase at the top of the Staircase chair, that will be too much for you from what you’ve said, that will be a steep drop in (plus it was really really rocky last week due to lack of snow cover). Go down the traverse path and look over the left side, once you are in there then it doesn’t get any steeper on the way down, quite a long descent to the bottom.
Like @boarder2020 said, if you don’t like the look of it you can go right off the traverse and you’d be back at the Stairway chair soon enough.
I had a great time there in 2020, it was just ok last week because the snow cover was poor compared to usual. Still got some brief fresh tracks on though!

After all it is free

@VolklAttivaS5, are you safely back home now? We leave 21 Feb. I bought some Arterix Mits to go over my Hestras Eh oh!

@lynnecha, yes thanks I came back on 26th.
I’ve got some Hestras but not the leather ones, mine are synthetic so can be washed. I wore some inner gloves inside the inner mittens inside the Hestras. That seemed to work well and it wasn’t even that cold when I was there!

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@PisteQueen, oh yes that’s right the temperature dropped considerably the day after I got back! It was cold enough for me when I was there (-6 to -15 C) so if I go to Banff again I will go in March like the first time.

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My thumb got frost nip a few years ago and I really suffer. I just came back from three weeks in Tignes any my leather Hestra mitts with liners just didn’t do it. It was about minus 20 at the worst. I’m not looking forward to it being any colder… Eh oh!

@lynnecha, I found I could feel it in my thumbs even with the extra liners.
Have you tried Hot Rox? They are a bit heavy to put in a mitten really but I’ve managed it with it on the fist side temporarily. They bang out quite a lot of heat. Most of the time I have one in each chest pocket of my mid layer puffy switched on high. The toasty torso helps with the thumbs and I sneak my thumbs into the palm bit of my mitts when on the lifts sometimes Very Happy

You know it makes sense.

Here's the link for Highway 1 closures. Note that these affect mainly from BAnff/LAke Louise to Golden. When the road is closed the traffic bumps onto Highway 93, and that can make that tricky if conditions are bad. Highway 93 can be great, but it is also remote. So its worth packing emergency gear to get you through a night

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A snowHead

I see on the Ski Big 3 website (on the early bird special deal) it’s all booked up last couple of weeks of Feb already. Came up with no availability. I don’t think that happened in previous years this early on.

It’s cheaper to go end of Jan early Feb than it is in March but apart from the temps being a bit warmer potentially is there any disadvantages of going in March? It’s not like Europe where you can get soft slushy pistes in March I can’t see that being a thing in LL or Sunshine, anyone got any feedback on mid to late March skiing in Ski Big 3?
The obvious advantage is by then all the rocks are covered and then some so the free ride areas will be much more filled in.

A snowHead

@VolklAttivaS5, we’ve only had slush when we’ve sneaked back for a week in Early May.

Been going 3rd week of Feb until mid March since 2005.

Usually combination of hardpack (esp LL) and deep snow (more likely at SS). Never slush or soft snow.

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@lynnecha, cool, I thought it would be very unlikely. First time was 24th Feb departure date and it was colder actually than the other week was but of course it was abnormally mild for the time of year last month (until last week of Jan)

Best thing was there was way more terrain open and no rock scrape noises on or off the piste.

I notice Air Canada fly to Calgary from Heathrow every day next winter I thought it was just Wednesdays and Saturdays.

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@VolklAttivaS5, people have said March is often the snowiest month.

Try Spring skiing sometime- only middle 3 or 4 hours in the day- but the mountains are stunning in the spring. The smell and the light are divine- lots of sitting outside in the evenings.

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@lynnecha, yes I think it is actually because first time around I had a lot of powder days in that holiday (as in fresh snow overnight quite a number of times during the fortnight)

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@lynnecha, which day of the week do you usually fly?

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@VolklAttivaS5, usually Tuesday. LHR to Calgary.

After all it is free

@lynnecha, I have done Wed both times but since a Mon is available I think I will do that instead!

@VolklAttivaS5, we like coming back home earlier in the week- gives time to get organised somehow

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@lynnecha, I went back to work the next day (got home about 3pm on the Thursday) but that was a bit of hard work actually.

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VolklAttivaS5, Most of our trips we've done a mid week leave return weekend, although sometimes arrival Uk has been the Monday. - Week day flights tend to be cheaper, which off set the extra accomodation costs

Usually gone back to work next day too - the whole week isnt usally good, but you get through it eventually Toofy Grin

One year had 3 days before work - was just as bad as didnt really try and get back into any regular sleep pattern

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Have booked next year end of Feb for 3 weeks on the 45% off deal.
Went for Monday this time. Can’t book the flight yet but Jan flight prices are slightly cheaper on the Mon Tues or Thurs than the Wed. Fri Sat Sun is a bit more with it being the weekend.

Locals refer to ‘Magic March’ - the next mix of and temps and snow cover.
Pre kids we went twice in March. Both times still what I would call ‘winter’. Mountain temps below freezing and plenty of snow.

Since the little one started school we’ve been in April. It’s always been fine. Once it was quite warm and spring like in the valley and a little slushy on the lowest slopes at the end of the day. Other times have been pretty cold, and quite snowy.
Either way I would guess they are a month or so behind the Alps.

This is for Banff - Whistler may be quite different being lower and nearer the coast

You know it makes sense.

Sounds ideal then, 26th Feb I’m off. Next year, not this one.
Worth booking it now since the rest of Feb was already snaffled.

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VolklAttivaS5, Sounds great - something to aim for - just the waiting game now then, for the flights

A snowHead

Skied several times in Banff, including Jan/Feb. In those days when I was a lot younger and more enthusiastic, and still had salopettes and warm trousers under! More recently we’ve only been at Easter, with my race pants and my usual single fleece under my jacket, and couldn’t understand how I could be so cold when it was -15C!

Does LL still offer private First Tracks lessons at a bargain price (I think it was 110 CDN for 90 mins)? Or was that a late season special offer for mid-March on? I got some excellent lessons then.

A snowHead

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Is it worth getting some Can $. Are the mountains contacless ?...... not really looking forward to the Mountain restaurant situation tbh..... First time there but, I do like a good lunch!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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The thing to note is in the UK contactless is contactless because the amount is the amount. If you tip anyone in the UK you leave coins at the end on the table. No need to press any buttons at all on card machines (unless it’s over £100). Last month when I was in Banff etc if you buy anything in a restaurant or bar the machine asks you first if you want to add a tip or not, and if so how much in $ or % so before you do the ‘contactless’ with card or phone you have no option but to press buttons on the card machine to sort the tip bit out.
Didn’t matter to me but for people expecting pure contactless it might do.

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I say one thing for entering Canada compared to 4 years ago, it's so much better with the entrance form being done on screens near customs rather than the old paper form, it was very quick and I was waiting for my luggage within 5-10 minutes after walking off the aircraft.

After all it is free

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