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Canada- But which resort ???

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi all Very Happy
I have just been trawling the net for ski hols for Jan 2009 and found some pretty good prices for Canada.Also been looking at La Ros....

I'm just not sure which resort though. We are 3rd week skiers/boarders ,and a bit of a mixed bag really. My OH is a confidant skier happy on reds, I am more cautious and happier on blues at the moment. Our teenagers are pretty good at boarding already and daughter tackled a black a couple of weeks ago.

So, any suggestions with regard to a good all round resort ?
My daughter says that Banff will be too cold,but when I checked Whistler/Fernie I see that rain isn't uncommon ?
We would also like as close proximity to the slopes as possible.
Am I asking too much ?
Any advice appreciated Madeye-Smiley
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
have a look here for some views on Whistler and when to go

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=38765

Banff is lovely but it will likely be as your daughter suggests and
Quote:

We would also like as close proximity to the slopes as possible.
is not Banff as you have to get on a bus to get any skiing done ranging fro 10/15 mins (Norquay) to 20 mins (Sunshine then 20 mins on the gondola) or 40 mins (Lake Louise)
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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?
Silver Star in BC. Lovely village with plenty of ski-in/ski-out accommodation and great skiing for a family holiday.
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carla, Welcome. Personal experiences of Canada.

Whistler: Big and interesting, can be rainy. May be a year or two too soon for you and you might want somewhere a bit smaller.
Fernie: Long Transfer, can be rainy in some years (I had an awesome time there this year) perhaps better for higher level skiers than your level?
Kicking Horse: Great Hill... for advanced skiers for a few days.
Banff: (sunshine, Norquay, Lake Louise) Can be cold anywhere Jan>March, Have to bus everywhere but Snow more consistent (less brilliant days but less crap days perhaps).
Mont Ste Anne/Stoneham : Scenic but freezing and less quality snow.
Marble Mountain/Humber Valley - not worth crossing the Atlantic for.

cannot advise on smaller BC hills

basically go west for rain and east for ice so stay in the Rockies if you can.

You can stay in Lake Louise and have a 5-10 minute bus ride to the hill (Deer Lodge, Post Hotel, Lake Louise Inn), and that might tick the right boxes, but be very quiet for the teenagers. But if you are going anywhere in North America, you have to be prepared to dress warm sometimes.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Mmmmm.Thanks guys. rolling eyes

So,maybe it's a little too soon for us to head to North America. I hadn't really considered it as an option until I saw the prices on Inghams ,then thought why not !!!

Back to the drawing board then. Maybe La Rosiere/La Thuile .

I just can't make my mind up !
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Hmm 3 week teenage boarders can ride just about anywhere so I wouldn't say any resort is too advanced for them & maybe a controlled ski area is better then them dabbling off piste somewhere in Europe where snow safety may be a more material issue.

Also although everyone on snowheads knows La rosiere is the finest ski are on this planet (and possibly this universe) I would bet that on average western canada will have fresher/deeper snow cover in mid-late jan. Everyone has their own personal biases as to what they are looking for in a holiday so only you can ultimately decide.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
carla wrote:
We are 3rd week skiers/boarders ,and a bit of a mixed bag really. My OH is a confidant skier happy on reds, I am more cautious and happier on blues at the moment. Our teenagers are pretty good at boarding already and daughter tackled a black a couple of weeks ago.

How keen are you to progress? And how fast do you learn?

Apart from Whistler and Lake Louise, many of the Canadian resorts are pretty restricted if you just want to burn down a few blues. But they're great places to stretch yourself a little, not least because of the high quality and reasonable cost of tuition. We've had some fantastic family holidays in Panorama, but you'd need to be willing to take some lessons on bumps to get the most out of the place. That might be perfect for some adventurous teenage boarders, though.

Having said that, you might be better off with another year or two in Europe before you start to spend the extra that a Canadian trip would cost.


Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Mon 7-04-08 22:09; edited 1 time in total
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
carla, Kimberley might fit the bill for you.
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carla wrote:
Hi all Very Happy
I have just been trawling the net for ski hols for Jan 2009 and found some pretty good prices for Canada.Also been looking at La Ros....

I'm just not sure which resort though. We are 3rd week skiers/boarders ,and a bit of a mixed bag really. My OH is a confidant skier happy on reds, I am more cautious and happier on blues at the moment. Our teenagers are pretty good at boarding already and daughter tackled a black a couple of weeks ago.

So, any suggestions with regard to a good all round resort ?
My daughter says that Banff will be too cold,but when I checked Whistler/Fernie I see that rain isn't uncommon ?
We would also like as close proximity to the slopes as possible.
Am I asking too much ?
Any advice appreciated Madeye-Smiley


Big White and Silver Star would fit your bill. Go for 2 weeks and spend a week at each even - only a 2 hours transfer between 2. BW is a perfect place to get better, with some really nice groomers, and SS will challenge anyone as well as being lots of fun. Both have excellent on-hill accommodation - ownerdirect.com is my usual plan of attack.

Same applies for Sun Peaks, but it's a little further from anywhere else, so harder to do 2 places. Transfer the same time, I imagine.

Whistler would work too - the rain thing is completely overrated, and you'd be very unlucky indeed to see any/much in January (it does rain, but I had rain at 2800m at Hintertux 3 weeks ago - it's called weather. In about 50 days at Whistler, I've seen it rain twice). I personally have little idea why people go to Banff in January - there's a reason it's low season. It can be incredibly cold, it hardly ever snows, and conditions are on the 'firm' side. I guess it won't rain though! March/April are the months for Banff/Lake Louise. I suspect Whistler would be pricier than other options.

As for cold, you could get serious cold temps anywhere in January. Just more likely in Banff/Lake Louise ...

Lots of pics/reports from last two season from all these places on my blog (see sig below), if you dig around.
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Big White and Silver Star would be my recommendation too. Plenty of suitable skiing and the ski-in ski-out it hard to beat in Canada. If you have a week in each, then a seasons pass bought by september helps reduce overall cost. Only problem is the need to change flights in Calgary or Vancouver (or drive up - our option).
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I'd recommend Big White as well and it also has a pretty good boarder park, if your teenagers are into that. Sun Peaks also lays on a twice weekly transfer between BW and Sun Peaks, takes about 2 1/2 hours, if you wanted to try there. Although I haven't been to Silver Star I think it might be better than Sun Peaks for boarders. Nearest airport to Sun Peaks is Kamloops. Again you'd need an internal transfer to Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary etc. We've done it a couple of times booked through Ski Independence. No probs. The airport at Kelowna (to get to Big White) is having its runway extended to accommodate transatlantic flights - should be in time for next season maybe but I don't know which airlines will go there or when tickets will be sold. Will be much better though when there's no longer a need for an internal flight.
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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.
carla, as the others say - don't give up on the idea. There are great places to try. The quality of tuition is - as Jonny Jones says - a selling point. I guess it is probably your own skiing needs which determine where you end up.
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carla, Banff can certainly be seriously cold in Jan, but it's easy enough to dress for it. As has been mentioned, there is no slopeside accom in the Banf area (there is actually one place, but it on it's own). However, driving from town to hill is nothing like the Euro experience; roads are big, cleared and empty, and parking is adequate. I enjoyed driving up to the mountain each morming. There is a good bus service, but I'd recommend a car.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Go to Whistler, we are just back and had a great time. Snow in the resort pretty much everyday and very little in the way of crowds even over Easter weekend. We went with mixed ability and my 5 year old managed all the blues including Peak to Creek and the well groomed black that is the Olympic Mens Downhill Course (Dave Murray) so I do not think you will be overwhelmed. Instruction was great. The variety of beautiful wooded runs is excellent, easily the best I have encountered and I have skied most of the large Euro resorts. The only downside is the time difference ~(8 hours) and the poor range of mountain catering.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Matthew Way wrote:
Go to Whistler, we are just back and had a great time. Snow in the resort pretty much everyday and very little in the way of crowds even over Easter weekend. We went with mixed ability and my 5 year old managed all the blues including Peak to Creek and the well groomed black that is the Olympic Mens Downhill Course (Dave Murray) so I do not think you will be overwhelmed. Instruction was great. The variety of beautiful wooded runs is excellent, easily the best I have encountered and I have skied most of the large Euro resorts. The only downside is the time difference ~(8 hours) and the poor range of mountain catering.


You've picked a great season to go in late March. Still basically winter in this part of the world (although that spring may arrive by the weekend), and the conditions are wonderful everywhere.

Remember, ski days are shorter in Canada than Europe, so people go up the hill to ride, not indulge in haute cuisine. Eat quick, ski hard and enjoy the world class dining in the village afterwards Madeye-Smiley
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
cathy wrote:
Although I haven't been to Silver Star I think it might be better than Sun Peaks for boarders. Nearest airport to Sun Peaks is Kamloops.


Silver Star has a couple of long flattish traverses that boarders don't like, getting over to and then around the ridge at the Puttnam Creek area. There's some great terrain in there tho. So even tho I like 2 planks on my legs, I suspect Sun Peaks has a more consistent fall line that boarders prefer. Dunno about parks and that type of stuff tho?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
gortonator wrote:
Dunno about parks and that type of stuff tho?


There is a big park at Silver Star - half pipe, rails, jumps etc.
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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?
richmond, I agree that Banff's cold is not too daunting and that the driving is fun (moose spotting!), but it rarely snows in that area in January. Hence it gets hardpack on piste and is typically somewhat rocky off-piste as the base isn't deep yet. You'll likely get mostly cold, sunny days, which is nice, but the conditions, IMHO, are nowhere near the best that Canada has to offer in January. March/April is a different matter ....
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carla, I think Whistler would have more to keep your teenagers happy. Younger teens can do Ride Tribe which is teens ski school and older teens have got plenty of terrain parks to hang out in (if that's their thing) There's also the Tube Park which is good fun for everyone. There's also plenty of retail therapy to be had and several spas as well as a good selection of bars, restaurants and nightclubs. If you prefer smaller and quieter then Silver Star would probably suit better. It doesn't have much in the way of shops and restaurants and is pretty quiet on the nightlife front from what I've seen. Of course maybe that's a good thing and you'd be able to keep more of an eye on those teens!

Whistler can get the odd bit of rain in the village at any time of the ski season but we've never felt it to be such a big issue. We had one morning of rain in the village when we were there for 3 weeks this January but it was snowing higher up and a bit heavy going. However, by next day it was amazing. Very Happy We've been to Whistler 11 times (once for 3 months) and we still haven't tired of the skiing that it has to offer. The village is convenient for the mountain and there's an excellent shuttle bus service if you're in the north end of the village or higher up in the upper village. Matthew Way is right in that the on mountain catering isn't outstanding (and I didn't think Silver Star was any better) and the time difference takes a bit of getting used to. However, there is plenty of choice in the village for dinner from good value to gourmet.

The tuition is great and the Ski Esprit lessons are very popular. We've certainly done our fair share of Ski Esprit! Very Happy Also they run Supergroups for all levels of skier where you get one instructor for 3 students. The prices for tuition are usually 40% cheaper in January too during the Discover Whistler period (also April) so you save an absolute packet for both Esprit and Supergroups. veeeight is a supergroup instructor and he would be able to answer any questions about that.

Anyway, sorry for rambling on. I guess I'm biased! Very Happy I know where I'm going next season.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Another vote for Big White / Silver Star. Great places for gaining confidence on-piste and learning to ski/board powder. Both are ski/in out villages and temperatures are not too chilly. Rain is also very unlikely. No crowds either. I'm missing it now Sad
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My only experience of Canada was on my honeymoon in Nov/ Dec 2004.

We stayed 8 nights in the Chateau Lake Louise (5 min bus ride to the ski area) which has a great position on the Lake. Very comfortable hotel, but reasonably priced. Then we stayed 2 nights in the Sunshine Inn (The only ski in/ out hotel in the area). This was the highlight of the trip with first tracks before the hoards arrived from Banff on the busses. 40 person hot tub as well. 2 nights was plenty though as there was nothing else to do and you could get cabin fever.

We choose Lake Louise as we needed somewhere snowsure at that time of the year.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
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Another vote for SS had a great time there and the locals were very friendly, Nice little compact village and great terrain.
I would make it weather dependent on where I went in Canada some seasons it is just thin even Fernie.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
We too are new to skiing. Learned on dry slope in Scotland in Jan/Feb this year. We have just returned from Banff 3 weeks ago. Sunshine village is absoluetly fansastic with great ski school and instructors. The snow was also fabulous. By the end of 3 lessons at Sunshine my 10 year old daughter was managing a few black runs, but I can only manage easy blues (which there are plenty of). Apparently, according to our Instructor the skiing has been good since the end of November. We enjoyed Sunshine so much that we have already booked to go back at the end of December. By the way Sunshine Village also has it's own accomodation, but you are limited in getting out in the evenings as it is accessed from the Gondola.
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avril, Welcome to snowHeads Very Happy
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carla, the temp reads cold but it isn't as cold as you imagine it would be... just because its such a dry cold. There's usually a week in Jan with a couple -40 days...
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Quote:

the temp reads cold but it isn't as cold as you imagine it would be... just because its such a dry cold. There's usually a week in Jan with a couple -40 days...



That's cold. I've hit one or two of these days in the Banff area (one day at LL they couldn't start the lift until the sun came round to warm it up). You need to be careful with exposed skin because a frostbitten nose is not something you want! - I usually try and avoid going there in January.

That said, for a group with your experience, I'd strongly recommend Banff as an area with a lot of variety and some great instructional programmes (I strongly recommend the Club Ski programme).
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