 Poster: A snowHead
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We are off to Canada in 3 weeks time and hiring a car and going where the snow is (everywhere by the look of the webcams  ), but one of the resorts my OH is keen to go to is Kicking Horse. We have been skiing for about 10 years, this is our fifth trip to Canada, and in theory there should be no black run (single diamond) that I cannot do, but I am the worlds biggest coward and the word black still worries me . So looking at the trail map for Kicking Horse is giving me the wibblies. Can someone please recommend which blacks we should start on and which I should avoid. It will be the second week of our holiday so will have my ski legs back.
We are going to Lake Louise first and then hopefully (road conditions permitting) up to Jasper in the first week so any recommendations for there would be appreciated too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sorry, I can't think of any run names off the top of my head but I'm sure you'll be fine. It IS a tough hill, it is STEEP and it is POWDERY and you WILL be knackered by the end of the day... and don't even try it if your knees are shot because they're not so much into piste bashing up there (read moguls the size of minis)  .
As you come off the top of the gondola there's a steep blue straight down through the bowl, this would probably be a black at any other resort, give it a whirl. If you like bumps then take the chair up to the left as you come down the hill - lots of bumpy bowls there, if not head down the hill sticking to the left there are some very fast blacks on the left hand side which ARE bashed so they're nice and smooth.
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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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I'm not going to remember names either but I can give you some general tips.
First Alexandra is right - it's a demanding mountain. Mainly this is because you have to really ski top to bottom and although you can ski easy sections, no run is really easy all the way from the top to the bottom.
The shape of the ski area is interesting. The main ridge has three spurs off it pointing towards the base of the mountain. The easier runs tend to drop off the main ridge and into the valleys between the spurs as quickly as possible. These will be fine. The harder runs involve traversing along the top of the spurs before dropping in. I doubt you'll enjoy these.
Lower down the mountain the runs are fine - not dauntingly steep and not narrow but can be very bumpy. If you hate moguls you are unlikely to really enjoy the day.
I was amazed to find that 5 runs top to bottom felt like a very full days skiing...
I think its a great ski area and that you should try a day and drive on if that's enough for you.
By the way, if you are driving around then I reckon you should try to do at least one days cat skiing (heli if you feel like splashing out). You sound like you would be good enough to really enjoy the cat skkiing experience.
Have a good time,
J
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when you come off the big cable car at the top turn right. From there, there are some easy ways down to a little chair lift. You can practice on that for a run or two - up and down from the chair - then rip the sh*t out of it for the rest of the day 
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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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Anniegirl, Like Alexandra, and jedster, say, "It's a tough hill". You say you are the world's biggest coward - not so, that title belongs to me and I must confess that in 10 years of Canadian skiing I've only ever talked about skiing KH. If you really are a coward and your OH is determined to ski KH get him to drop you at Lake Louise on the way.
Best of luck with your trip, you've got some great snow there at present.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Kicking horse is amazing there are basically 2 ridges that most of the runs descend from one is called the the CPR ridge and redemption ridge there are numerous runs that come down from these ridges and the tracks to the runs are just as exciting. To get the best out of the resort try and get a guide if your there for a couple of days. I skied with the director of the ski school, an ex racer and the SCGB rep one of the hardest days skiing in may life. The resort boast the longest vertical in Canada and is a haven for powder.
I will go back for 3 or 4 days but think a week maybe too long the resort is limited in the evenings although Golden is down the road
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Just got back - the skiing at KHMR on a powder day is truly spectacular but as the above posters have indicated it is not an easy mountain. As has been discussed ad naseum run gradings are relative to the resort and single and double blacks at KH are among the toughest I've seen in many places. E.g. many of the chutes off CPR and Redemption ridge are single blacks but look very intimidating from above - not so bad once you are in. Don't expect any grooming. Skiing KH and Lake Louise back to back I would say that a double at Louise would only merit a single at KH and in fact some of the singles at LL would only be a blue at KH.
The lower half of the mountain does have some excellent beginner/intermediate terrain and some widel spaced gentle trees so don't write it off completely.
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fatbob, Fair comments I think. (although I have only spent one powder day there). I agree with Russell that it is not a whole-holiday resort, although I believe there is a decent heliski operation not that far away.
Anniegirl, The stuff of CPR ridge is challenging for the first 200m but then flattens out nicely. There are not sustained steeps like some of those at LL and other places, and the layout of the hill is a bit frustrating, in that you have to go to the bottom to get back up to the interesting stuff fromone of the ridges. Some of the traverses in to the ridge stuff gets a bit lumpy. But there are usually alternate ways down and if you decide you want to go the blue way, you can stand at the bottom and take the photos.
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Thanks for all the information, I am not sure if I feel reasssured or more apprensive  . Is there enough skiing for a couple of days without going onto the blacks? Even if the blues are steeper than some blacks elsewhere psychologically I will happily go on them.
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Anniegirl, Yes.
There are a lot of rather flattish runs on the lower 2/3rds of the mountain and pretty easy ways to get to them. The comment about not much grooming is true. Probably not the best place if you only ever ski corduroy, but otherwise I would be happy to take my 10 year old down 70% of the skiing. Have fun!
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