 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I would still go to Silver Star there are some Double blacks on Putnam Creek side at SS and its so busy!! You could always book a one day or half day heli trip through the resort. Make sure you book a 4x4 and you will have to pay extra for the compulsory snow tires!! 
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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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mountainaddict, Book your accommodation for Revvy early as its New Year - they dont have that many beds in the town and fill up fast. People often have to drive in from nearby towns 1 hour+ away. A decent 4x4 is a must for this type of trip obviously, they usually com with winter tyres fitted as standard.
Not skied with Mustang but roadtripped round there 3 years ago, decided Apex was too far out the way but went to Red and Whitewater instead. All your mountaians are easily driven to after skiing each day, unless bad snow stops you - then all you need do is stay where you are.
Enjoy it its a great area - the route from Kelowna to Vernon is great along the lake, fab scenery 
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If you are going to do Apex (which is near Grand Forks iirc), then you may as well go a bit further out of your way and do Whitewater and Red Mountain (particularly Red Mountain), as I believe Apex is quite small to make a special effort for.
I assume you are flying into Kelowna, in which case Silverstar and Revelstoke are pretty much on your way to Mustang. Still not quite made it there, but personally I wouldn't bother driving the other way out of Kelowna to go to Big White either (unless you do go to Apex in which case you'll be passing it).
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| A decent 4x4 is a must for this type of trip obviously, they usually com with winter tyres fitted as standard. |
Probably not.
When I rented a 4x4 in Kelowna I booked one with snow tires (a very good idea) otherwise it will likely as standard come at best with all seasons which is not the same thing, and when I went to pick it up the rental car company didn't have one and wondered why I wanted them despite it being BC law to have them or chains (which rentals don't allow!) on the mountain highways 
Also they had a crazy policy on the windscreen which essentialy means if it gets chipped you buy a new one. This doesn't seem too bad until you see the amount of grit they put on the highway - my car gets at least one or two per winter and the sea to sky doesn't seem as heavily gritted as the trans-canada highway.
If you do go to Nelson/Rossland from Revelstoke, the drive is pretty easy as it is all low down by lakes. You do need to do a short (free iirc) ferry hop, so time it right
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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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Cool - I think I'd go with Mustang or Valhalla from my research if I was going catskiing in the area (have tried to do the odd day on standby but never really worked out so far with weather).
Revy - best way of finding lines is finding a friendly local & don't get caught out trying to go beyond boundaries - there are some sketchy drainages that people regularly seem to get stuck in overnight. I'd definitely recommend Red & Whitewater too in the general area and that makes a decent loop drive. Nelson is pretty funky (for Canada) to visit too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Consider visiting Fernie, BC. Fernie Alpine Resort, Island Lake Catskiing, Fernie Wilderness Adventure.
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| stuarth wrote: |
| If you are going to do Apex (which is near Grand Forks iirc), then you may as well go a bit further out of your way and do Whitewater and Red Mountain (particularly Red Mountain), as I believe Apex is quite small to make a special effort for. |
Apex is actually near Penticton - so 100 miles or so from Grand Forks. Fun for a couple of days (probably no more) but it's south from Kelowna, so probably in the wrong direction if you're aiming for Revelstoke.
Of the two nearest to Kelowna, Silver Star has more steep runs than Big White, but Big White has more open bowls - so take your pick based on what you like to ski.
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| Okanagan wrote: |
Apex is actually near Penticton - so 100 miles or so from Grand Forks. Fun for a couple of days (probably no more) but it's south from Kelowna, so probably in the wrong direction if you're aiming for Revelstoke.
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Well 100 miles is near in BC terms 
(I think I was thinking of Phoenix, which is probably a lot smaller)
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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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Thanks for the very useful responses so far. Cheers!
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| Consider visiting Fernie, BC. Fernie Alpine Resort, Island Lake Catskiing, Fernie Wilderness Adventure |
We went to Fernie two or three years ago. Snow wasn't too good there (rain/slush on bottom half of mountain in February) but did two days' catskiing at Fernie Wilderness Adventures which was fantastic. Also skied at Castle Mountain (excellent) and Pass Powderkeg (tiny, quaint and very friendly).
Did consider Island Lake for the December 2012 trip but plumped for Mustang Powder so that we could ski some new areas.
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mountainaddict, Revelstoke = MIND BLOWN. The place is amazing, if the pow is good you will not need to book Heli or cat skiing as the inbounds terrain is equal to anything the heli or cat will give you. The north bowl area has some super variety of terrain between moguls, groomed and trees as a warm up and thats just what is under the ripper chair. The back bowls are accessed via a short traverse or hike and are amazing. Griely bowl never gets tracked out and is worth the extra effort to ski it. There is a bit of a long ski out but if you pick the right route it will be really interesting.
Apres the bar at the bottom of the resort does incredible Guinness and decent food but it is pricey.
In town the Village Idiot is your only man super pub with great atmosphere.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
| A decent 4x4 is a must for this type of trip obviously |
 Er, which is it?? We managed with a normal car - Crowsnest Pass and all - for our trip to Fernie. It would seem that we would have no nountain passes to cross to get to Revelstoke from Kelowna? Is it just potential snowfall that's the issue?
Also confused about winter tyres. Will they, or will they not, come as standard on a car hired at Kelowna Airport?
And is that correct about chains not being permitted on hire cars?
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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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mountainaddict, 
Wow, proper road trip enjoy it! Looking forward to seeing some photos on here.
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mountainaddict,
There is potential for way more snow between Kelowna and Fernie and the road shuts way more often then the crowsnest pass. Revie to Kelowna is not the worst stretch, its the Revie to Golden bit.
We were stuck 1 hr or so east of Sicamus once when the closed the gates for avalanche control on the gullies around the lake. We were stuck for quite a few hours.
I would really prefer to have at least winter tyres for a road trip in Dec. It could be very cold and winter tyres have much less stopping distance in the very cold on non-snowed roads.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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mountainaddict,
You are right- I don't mean fernie
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Poster: A snowHead
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mountainaddict, I've driven Revy to Vernon in a snowstorm and even Rogers Pass in a whiteout on 2wd with M&S tyres. If you're going regular 2wd I'd look for the best tyres I could find (& go back and swap vehicles once you've scoped them if necessary) then go and supplement with cables from Walmart/Canadian Tire etc. If it's a choice between not moving or sliding on a downhill pitch without cables you'll pop them on and sod the stupid rental rules.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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mountainaddict,
Chattercreek sounds a little unfair. They would ose a few days a season, so I guess that's why they do it.
The really avalanche prone bit is Revie to Golden. However around the lakes between Revie and Sicamus are some steep chutes and they blast these; so they have gates and road closures too. When we were there there was no snow at the time , but snow was due and so they were shutting it to blast to make sure when the snow did come that the road would be safe.
We were stopped at Griffin Lake and I think the chutes were around three valley lake. Can't remember how far along the winter gates are at the Revie end. But the gates are right by Griffn Lake at the eastern end
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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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gryphea Thanks for the further info. Fingers crossed that we don't have any road closures when we have to meet the catskiing trip....
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| Chattercreek sounds a little unfair. They would lose a few days a season, so I guess that's why they do it. |
Unfair on us? Or them?! On us I think. As I recall, it cost the two of us about $1200 (+ cost of extra night at hotel + meals) to spend an extra night in Golden. Meanwhile, the guests who were trapped at the Chatter Creek lodge had a free day of waist deep powder, gourmet food and a night's stay - all at our expense. We accept that that was their policy but think it's all wrong. The bottom line was that we couldn't afford to waste over $1200 - we could have had flights and accommodation in the Alps for a week for that money! As a result, we'd now never take a chance on any catskiing that relies on heli access.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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fatbob - Would definitely consider the chains option if necessary - though dread to think what would happen if we were involved in an accident with the chains on..... 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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mountainaddict,
Definately unfair on you. Also seems like a weird long term business plan.
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I did 6 days with Wildhorse Catskiing and Powder Mining Co. in January - fantastic! It's a small friendly operation run out of Ymer BC, not far from Nelson/Whitewater. The group I was invited by have skied all the cat operations in BC and settled on Wildhorse as the most fun and best value. Stay at the Palace in Ymer, it used to be the town brothel during the 1870 gold-rush days - now a lovely guest-house!
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"Also confused about winter tyres. Will they, or will they not, come as standard on a car hired at Kelowna Airport?"
We prebooked and paid for a 4x4 from Kelowna airport. When we arrived with skis it was obvious we intended to visit the ski resorts so they told us there was an extra charge and it was $10 +tax per day. They told us it is illegal to drive on mountain roads without snow tyres between November and April. We did a bit of driving ( Sun Peaks/ Whistler/Silver Star/Big White/ Sun Peaks/ airport ) and having done similar trips we opted for the 4x4. (The Fraser valley canyon in snowy conditions... it would be nice if they put a crash barrier along the side............ )
We stayed near Revelstoke 3 yrs ago and needed 4x4 to get from the B+B to the skiing, it sleeted without stopping for the entire 4 days we stayed and the roads were "interesting!"
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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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| Quote: |
| They told us it is illegal to drive on mountain roads without snow tyres between November and April |
The BC Government website indicates that certain signposted roads require winter tyres or chains between October and April. Here's the link:
http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/popular-topics/faq.htm#winter_tires
It would seem that rental 4x4s may not necessarily come with winter tyres - eventhough they are twice the price of a normal hire car. On that basis, we may now just go for a normal car and specify that snow tyres are required
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mountainaddict, this is the one thing that really winds me up about visiting Vancouver in winter. Also, some rental cars which are presented as SUVs are 2 wheel drive, so you end up with a big car which handles badly and has no grip in snow. Awesome (as they say in Canada)!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Arno wrote: |
| mountainaddict, this is the one thing that really winds me up about visiting Vancouver in winter. Also, some rental cars which are presented as SUVs are 2 wheel drive, so you end up with a big car which handles badly and has no grip in snow. Awesome (as they say in Canada)! |
Yup had one of those, didn't really check it out too much at point of rental as it was a free upgrade from a regular wagon which had a puncture but discovered the flaw trying to get up a mild ramp on a powder morning. Looked good though.
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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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| Quote: |
| Some rental cars which are presented as SUVs are 2 wheel drive |
Spotted that on some hire websites - though some do say that they are 4 wheel drive....
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| Arno wrote: |
| mountainaddict, this is the one thing that really winds me up about visiting Vancouver in winter. Also, some rental cars which are presented as SUVs are 2 wheel drive, so you end up with a big car which handles badly and has no grip in snow. Awesome (as they say in Canada)! |
To be fair to rental places in Vancouver, for most people most of the time in most of greater Vancouver, you don't really need much more than all-seasons in Vancouver as it doesn't snow that much lower down and is generally relatively warm. Even driving to Whistler there were probably only 2 or 3 weekends where winter tires were really needed (though I personally wouldn't drive up there in the Winter on all-seasons) and only once were the police were actually checking.
BTW when the rental place tries to convinvce you all seasons are winter tires, they are not. Winter tires have a mountain and snowflake on, unless they really are winter rated all-seasons just have M+S (according to the BC government guidance, Winter tires must have the former, and if you have a crash in winter on a mountain highway without them or chains, then the onus is on you to prove your tires were really equivalent somehow, good luck convincing icbc of that! )
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You know it makes sense.
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stuarth, I've been up there in the bus when they were only letting people with proper winter tyres or chains through. i guess we get a little spoilt with rentals in places like Switzerland where winter tyres are standard
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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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| Quote: |
Also they had a crazy policy on the windscreen which essentialy means if it gets chipped you buy a new one.
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If you hire a car overseas for more than 10days over a year it's generally cheaper to buy stand alone hire car excess insurance than pay the daily rate for the excess waiver from the hire company. As an added bonus the third party policies often cover the windscreen, tyres, underbody and roof that are generally excluded on the hire companies waiver. You do have to pay out for any damage and then claim back though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
If you hire a car overseas for more than 10 days over a year it's generally cheaper to buy stand alone hire car excess insurance than pay the daily rate for the excess waiver from the hire company
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Yep, already got an annual policy - about £80 to cover me and AN Other named driver. Touch wood, never had to use it....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Just email Alamo or Dollar at the airport who are the likely suspects for who consolidators like Holiday Autos use (at least never Hertz or Avis IME). Whether you pay extra might depend on the specifics of the individual contract but it shouldn't be a totally alien question given that they are the main airport for the Okanagan ski resorts. I have never found a cheaper price than through a consolidator for North America probably because of the bulk deals they do.
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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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Cheers fatbob!
| Quote: |
| Just email Alamo or Dollar at the airport who are the likely suspects for who consolidators like Holiday Autos use |
But rather strangely, neither Holiday Autos nor Alamo list Kelowna in their Canadian destinations list. Seems a bit odd
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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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mountainaddict, The two facts might be related. National maybe (same company as Alamo at least in US)?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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At the airport you'll find Avis, Budget, Enterprise and National.
If you can't find a uk one, then Wheelsabroad.com is a Canadian consolidator which does list Kelowna Airport as one of the pickup locations.
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Thanks Okanagan and thanks again fatbob I'm sure we'll sort something out before December - exactly six months to go!
Best price so far - both for 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive - is with Auto Europe, which is (another) agency. I think I'll e mail them directly and ask them what's what with snow tyres - no mention of them in their booking information/conditions....
By the way Okanagan, if we decide to include Sun Peaks in our trip, is there anywhere nearer than Kamloops to stay? We're looking at one or two nights in assorted locations - so assuming that main resorts won't want us for short stays in a peak week. Not a problem though - we'll be happy enough driving to/from reasonably priced chain hotels in places like Kelowna, Vernon, Sicamous, Revelstoke and (if necessary) Kamloops.
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mountainaddict, Sandman a reasonably respectable Canuckistani chain with good BC footprint. Non chains can also be good or you stay with pro skier Chris Rubens at the Cheeky Beaver B&B in Revy. I tend to just go by Trip Advisor these days.
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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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mountainaddict,
Pretty much everywhere in Canada does rentals by the night.
I would stay in resort at Sun Peaks if you can. Get to do pond skating, chill out etc
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| gryphea wrote: |
| Pretty much everywhere in Canada does rentals by the night. |
+1 There isn't the same Saturday-Saturday week at a time ski holiday culture that you get in most European resorts. Ask them for a short stay midweek and they'll bite your arm off.
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FAQ
. Five resort ski days as well. Can't wait - only six months to go!
)
