 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello Everyone.
My name is Chuck Gorton and i am the owner of Canadian Powder Adventures. I thought I would start a post to share some of my knowledge of Western Canadian Skiing in case anyone had any questions. As well as creating a good forum for information sharing of the area. Not sure how much interest there will be but having skiied here my whole life i have some good information to share, and thought i could also learn some more. I grew up skiing in Northern BC (a snowy gem called Powder King), then lived in Vancouver/Whistler for a couple of years, then in Canmore (Banff Resorts), and now make my home in Golden, BC (Kicking Horse resort). Through my own adventures and work with my company i have skied most of the resorts in Western Canada. Let the forum begin. Questions/Answers/Comments?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chuck Gorton, hello & welcome to  !
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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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Hello Chuck Gorton,
Have you got any snow yet?
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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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Hi Chuck
Thanks for coming back and making an effort after the spamgate incident. How's Revy MR development doing -everything in shape to be operating this season?
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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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Chuck Gorton, Hi Chuck, welcome back. Any developments in the pipeline for KH? I'd also be interested to hear how Revelstoke is doing? I can see the makings of a great future road trip. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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There is about a foot of snow up high, freezing level looks about 2000m from my window (base of KHMR is 1400m, top is 2448m for reference). I talked to Revelstoke this week. For this year they are going to have a gondola, a chair, and a catskiing operation. Their website will be updated in the next few weeks, whatever that means. I think it will be great skiing they are really just getting things going really. Called the resort and no one was in, they called me back!
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I was in Whistler earlier this week and the mountain biking is still going full blast. Small amount of new snow up high but lots still left over from last years huge winter. They have started construction on the tram which is going between Whistler and Blackcomb. It looks crazy. The tower is 75m tall and towers above the huge cedar trees in the area.
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Welcome Chuck, Mrs 1G & myself will be in BC for three weeks from mid Jan '08. we've been a couple of times before (5 weeks '05 & 2 weeks '06) so we know how the land lies.
The plan is to pick up a hire car in Vancouver then have a wee roadtrip wherever the snow takes us, not sure if we will get as far over as KH, but might well contact you if we do.
We plan to have a day or two in Vancouver hopefully getting up to Grouse Mountain & Mount Seymour but we also need to shop, a visit to the excellent Mountain Equipment Co-op is a must, but top of the list this year are new ski's and boots.
We had a succesfull visit to west 4th Avenue? a few years ago and picked up a couple of bargain boards, is this the place to go for ski's or even better, can you point us in the direction of someone who will have a big range of stock and give us a good bootfitting? In other words where do you shop in Vancouver?
Looking forward to the winter, we've seen some snow on the ground in Scotland already.
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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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There are lots of good shops in Vancouver and Whistler. Suprisingly i have often found prices in Whistler to be as good or better than in Vancouver, i just picked up a pair of Rossignal Squad's, 07 for a friend for $500. Comor, Westside, and most of the places on 4th are all good places in Vancouver. As for boots, i strongly suggest Surefoot in Whistler. They cost $100-200 more but in my opinion are worth it. They take an image of your foot, match the boot characteristics you want, then punch and shape the boot to fit your foot, and then guarantee it for life with any future adjustments costing nothing. To be honest i am not the biggest gearhead and don't keep up the new skis every year. This year i am having a custom made pair of carbon fibre skis made by someone who lives in Golden.
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Hi Chuck,
How about the miriad of smaller resorts that make up much of the skiing in BC? You seem to be concentrating on those which hit the british market - any reason?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Chuck Gorton,
Do yo know where Beaver Creek Lodge is? I was there in 2004 and thought it was an amazing place.
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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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It's just where i am located now, what people have heard of, where the skiing is, and easy flights in and out. I used to have a trip which went exploring and we couldn't sell it. As you see from most of the talk on snowheads people are interested in going where they have heard of because they believe it is the best skiing. They do not want to go to some unknown place which no one knows. Risk on a holiday is not what most people want, although it often offers the greatest rewards. Having said that when people phone about custom trips I like to suggest powder hunting (following the snow and having great skiing, although maybe not the best accommodation) and visiting some of the smaller resorts. International flights are now starting to come into Kelowna so we are going to do an interior tour, hopefully it will be up on the website soon. Also if you only have a week you don't want to spend it in a car so landing reasonably close to your destination is very attractive. Of the many little resorts that make up BC, Powder King (not the greatest terrain but the snow, wow), Whitewater, and Red are definitely 3 of the best. I have also heard great things about Ski Smithers and Shames although have never ventured out there. As for why the British Market? In general the Brits and Europeans are used to coming on trips similar to ours while our American and Canadian guests are more independent and book more backcountry day guiding, not entire holidays. I was also born in Manchester and all my relatives live in the UK so maybe there's a soft spot there. We are in a niche market and there are very few companies in Canada doing what we are (especially backcountry guiding from the ski hill). Within the niche we try and offer different trips to cater to our guests requests. okay i am shutting myself off, way too much stuff here.
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John Boy,
I have never been to Beaver Creek Lodge. Are you talking about the Beaver Creek in Colorado? There is a Beaver Valley where i live which has a lodge, not the place i assume.
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You know it makes sense.
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Chuck Gorton,
No, it is in BC. I was there while at Lake Louise. Did some ski-dooing. Maybe I have got the name wrong. I will check it out.
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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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| Chuck Gorton wrote: |
| I was also born in Manchester and all my relatives live in the UK so maybe there's a soft spot there. |
must be something about Gortons born in Manchester and moving to North America for the skiing 
Definitely aiming to get up to Revelstoke and KH this year, so we should have a beer!
Red is my fave hill in interior BC - it's the best tree skiing I've ever had. An amazing number of lines to explore ...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Where's best for a week/road trip from Fernie?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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DaveC,
Depends on how much travelling you want to do. A pretty awesome loop is to go Southwest from Fernie to Red mountain in Rossland, then up to Whitewater in Nelson, then North to Revelstoke, East to Golden (Kicking Horse) and back to Fernie. If that is too much driving for you in a week either hit the two Southern mountains or the two more Northern. There is also a great little mountain called Castle which can be really good sometimes about an hour Northeast of Fernie. Snow patterns their tend to be very different from the ski area to the West. On occassion Panorama can also have good skiing and is a good family hill. If you are looking for any more details let me know.
Cheers
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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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| DaveC wrote: |
| Where's best for a week/road trip from Fernie? |
Depends where the snow is/will be in the next week. Follow the snow ....
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Welcome to snowheads Chuck,
Would you recommend anywhere as a good family resort where the kids can have some fun, but the big kids can get some powder in???
Cheers,
Greg
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi Greg,
Most of the hills in the area cater to families and many are adding tube parks and play areas, some have daycare but not all. Sunshine resort near Banff has a lot of beginner and intermediate terrain and receives the most snow in the Banff area. It also has Delirium Dive which is a large North facing, steep bowl that can only be accessed if you are wearing a transceiver. This is largely just to keep the traffic numbers low not because of avalanche danger. As a result Delerium Dive often has great snow even when the rest of the resort is lacking. Staying in Banff you could also check out Lake Louise and Kicking Horse resort (where we are based) which are both within driving distance for a day of skiing (or there are daily buses).
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What are the snow conditions likely to be like the last week of March/first week of April in Banff area compared to Whistler? (I know that snow conditions are unpredictable year to year but just to get an idea) Had been planning to go to Whistler but we're mulling over other North American resorts now as have missed the cheapest flights to Vancouver (oh to be organised!)
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Whistler will probably be wet and warm end of March time - first time we went mid march and it rained in resort most of the time freezing point was nearly at the top of the mountain so the snow was the best slush I ve seen. friends have skied Banff area at Easter and had no problems at all .
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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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Kicking Horse is great... Superb terrain.
However is Chuck Gorton your real name.
And has anyone else skied the run marked "Box Car" ? (3rd last colouir on CPR)
Its pure comedy - not helped by the fact the narrow entrance is blocked by a sappling pine tree - ha ha. 
Totally unskiable, but in a funny way.
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Blitz,
If you like spring skiing and warm conditions i would go to Whistler, if you prefer drier slopes i would go to the Banff area. In general anywhere in Western Canada that time of year South facing slopes will be slushy while North facing slopes probably still offer good skiing. Whistler will still be good skiing up high, the ski and snowboard festival is around that time, maybe a little later, and is a great spectacle although a little crowded. Big free concerts every night.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Haggis Trap,
Yes my real name is Chuck Gorton, if you want a picture to go with the name you can log onto my website, or you can google me. The 3rd last slope which you refer to as Boxcar is known as the Y shoot by the locals, and rarely skied from the top because as you point out its just not that skiable. There is however a great ramp into it called "Suckers go Right", and there is a cliff drop to the left of it (which i happened to ski first) called "Psychos go Left" (i wouldn't recommend it).
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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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As a note we have received our first real snowfall of the year, 30 cm in the alpine in the local area, apparently up to 80cm in the Revelstoke area. We should be skiing in no time at this rate. Yahoo.
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Hey there,
Yeah, no doubt that KH has some great terrain.
Couple of years ago that we visited - my mates were doing a season in Golden.
We skied Suckers Go Right a couple of times - and seem to remember the entrance being very exposed.
And also some out of bounds nice lines in Rudi's (xmas chute & toilet bowl?)
There is a decent wee guide to KH off piste here...
Sure you have seen it before - but other might appreciate it
http://www.skiinggolden.com/north/
Doug.
p.s Boxcar is still a bit of an in joke amongst our crowd 
Cant believe its actually a proper marked run.
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You know it makes sense.
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Between years two and three KH got 50 new runs but didn't actually open up any new areas they just went on a rampant naming mission, and thus boxcar and others.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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No comment, i have a business relationship which i don't want to jeopardize. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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KH is a great skiers mountain.
And will be interesting to see how Revelstoke develops as well...
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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 think it will be similar. They have a great guy as the operations manager, a real skier who was in charge of the avalanche program at Kicking Horse for some time. It makes such a difference to the product when you have people that actually ski in management positions. You would think that is an obvious connection but not to everyone.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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blizt,
I've visited Banff at that time of the year many times. Conditions are usually great, although if it's warm it can get a sloppy at the bottom (download by gondola at Sunshine rather than take the ski-out). You'll be fine at altitude, though.
I've been there when there have been some big dumps at that time of the year, and you won't have problems with rain, like you can get lower- and mid-mountain at Whistler.
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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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We have skied and love Sunshine, and Lake Louise, and we have had some great days at Norquay.
We are off to Whistler in March for a couple of weeks. For the following holiday we are looking at Sunpeaks or Big White/ Silver Star.
Any opinions/recommendations? We are 2 keen upper intermediate skiers and 2 double black diamond snowboarding teenagers. Alice did Delerium Dive last year aged just 14 without any problems! They still enjoy cruising and tree runs. Would a few days at Sunpeaks/Big White & Silver Star cater for all of us?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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paul.kin, it certainly would. I have never skied Sun Peaks so can`t comment but BW and SS will definately meet your needs. Silver Star has lots of great cruising runs on the frontside to get your ski legs and build your confidence. On the back of the mountian (Putnam Creek side) you have two fantastic blues mixed in with all the double blacks - Gypsy Queen and Sunny Ridge. For a bit of a challenge there are also some great gladed blues in the Silver Woods area. For upper intermediates there are lots of lovely challenging black diamonds.
For your crazy snowboarding kids the double blacks off the Powder Gulch express would be fab... if a little bumpy in places for boarders. The Telus Park Snow park is also awesome fun and very well equipped.
http://www.skisilverstar.com/home_showSection_ID_70.html
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That sounds awesome. Thanks for your quick reply. Now,-very keen to try Siver Star. Can you recommend any hotels?
Also do you have any advice for us to get the best out of Whistler this winter. The kids love Sunshine Village so much they were not keen to go elsewhere - but I'm sure Whistler must be great and a much bigger area?
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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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Great News about the snow in BC.!
What's so great about coming to Alberta and B.C. compared to Europe ( we have skiied in Italy Switzerland and France) is that you are pretty much guaranteed great snow. Clearly there are also other excellent resorts after the Big3 and Whistler. I can't see us returning to Europe again.
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We're heading to Panorama this winter - by reputation, probably the least snowy of the Alberta / BC resorts, but still pretty good compared with much of Europe. Does anyone know whether it's started snowing there yet?
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FAQ
) , Silver Lode etc etc.
