 Poster: A snowHead
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Has anyone been to Panorama in Canada? Following this years snow disaster in Europe I'm taking the family there towards the end of March, What's it like?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi Bob,
Try the snowheads link below
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=493181&highlight=panorama#493181
If you need any other info or photos on Panorama just ask or pm me. I was in Panorama January 2006 for over two weeks and had a fab time, snowed nearly every night and also managed to get trips further afield to kicking horse and the banff resorts.
For a family ski trip you will all enjoy the terrain, if the snow is good make sure you get into Taynton Bowl.
Hope this helps
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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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is there enough to do for 2 weeks ? seems small compared to Banff. We went over near panorama last year for a snowmobiling day out. Powder-X, well expensive but a great day out
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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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stevev, probably not enough to do for two weeks, thats why I made sure I got out and about to other resorts whilst basing myself in Panorama. For me I was happy enough and it was good to be skiing powder nearly everyday. You can also heli-ski from panorama and kicking horse/banff and kimberly are all driving distance in my opinion. I didn't snowmobile whilst I was there but from speaking to people who did snowmobile I should have taken a day off my skis to do it, but I just didn't want to lose the slope time.
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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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Sorry to be down on somewhere and to offer the opposite view to Alpinebullit but a couple of season's back we booked in a 3 day ski & stay package at Panorama. We left are 1 day - despite paying for 3 days. The conditions were truly awful, ice pretty much top to bottom of mountain. Panorma has extensive snow making - pretty unusal in BC - also produce a few ski racers - what do ski racers like - ice. In fairness the whole of BC had been hit by very mild and wet weather for a period of around 3 weeks from late Jan. The resort was a resort as in a bit like butlins for skiing. Didn't do it for me. Look at Fernie, far better. see
http://www.waynos.co.uk/ski/can2005/PicGen.asp?DayNumber=423
this is from my trip to BC in 2005.
I went to canada expecting endless powder days - I certainly didn't get that in the 6 weeks I was there. Still had a great time and loved Canada to bits, just wish it was a bit closer.
Just as europe is having a mixed season so can Canada. And by the way Europe is not that bad. I'm planning on going out around Easter to Val d'Isere and or Austria (St Anton / Schladming) I'm confidient the conditions will be fine as they are now.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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waynos, no probs, your quite right a mixed or poor season can happen anytime, anywhere!! I forgot to add, when speaking to the locals when I was in Panorama they said it was the best conditions that they had had in a long time (possibly a decade). I can fully understand your recommendation of Fernie. I just seem to love everything about Canada 
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We had a last-minute cheapy to Panorama some years ago - the year they made a big fuss about the opening up of the Taynton Bowl: although there was so little snow the bowl didn't open all season! I beleive now the very steep drag lifts up to the summit have been replaced with a chair.
If there is enough snow then the area would probably be fine for a week, and there are (were) trips organised to other resorts which you can take advanatage of to fill two weeks.
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Bob, I've just come back from Panorama and conditions there are fantastic. Anniegirl is right that the place can get icy, though, as the typical weather pattern is for extended periods of sunshine interspersed with occasional large dumps of snow. If your trip coincides with a sunny period, the groomed runs will start to get pretty polished over time.
You can escape the worst of the icy conditions by choosing your runs carefully. The runs on the right hand side of the trail map catch the sun, so they'll be pleasantly soft in the afternoon but treacherous in the morning. In particular, avoid Millenium on an icy day - it's fabulously steep but but a steep icy run isn't particularly pleasant for most people.
I think that Panorama's reputation for ice is overstated, though, as nobody in their right mind travels that far to play on the tiny number of (admittedly icy) groomed runs that the resort has to offer. To enjoy Panorama, you have to love bumps, trees and steeps - and you'll find plenty of all of these without any ice if you tackle the huge number of ungroomed runs. In particular, don't miss the Taynton Bowl and the Extreme Dream Zone as these often have the best of the snow - but be careful when you first ski in those parts as there are plenty of rocks and cliffs that you'll want to avoid.
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Bob, we had a week there a few years ago. It's a modestly sized area but with something for everyone, including quite a lot of in bounds off piste. As others have said it has a reputation for ice; we found some, nothing drastic, but it was Easter, so we couldn't complain. Canadians are (understandably) fussy about their snow and will turn their noses up at what the rest of us would consider excellent conditions.
The drawback for me is the resort. When we were there, it was pretty dull, with little or no choice of bars or restaurants. I'm not a party animal (to put it mildly) but I like a bit of variety. I confess that I don't like dedicated resorts; soulless places as a rule and Paorama is no exception. The nearest town is several miles away and didn't look exactly exciting. Things may have changed in the years since we were there.
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