So this is the list of resorts that I'm looking at for next year:
- Fernie
- Red Mountain
- Big White
- Lake Louise/Mt.Norquay/Sunshine Village (staying in Banff)
I reckon a lot of people would ask why I'm not looking at Whistler, and to be honest I'm not sure why I'm not considering it... but right now, I'm not.
So what am I looking for in a resort? Well, in the season gone I got a great taste for riding off piste, so a resort with good snow and good terrain is high on the list. Some of the resorts above also have great parks, which again is a big plus. Quieter slopes are always nice, and, when you're staying with in a group, being close to the slopes can be handy. I should also say that a hot tub would really sweeten the deal...
5 comments:
If you like powder then Fernie is a great place! The town of Fernie is a bit sucky though as there isn't much going on.
Big white is often called Big Whiteout....low cloud could leave you with crappy conditions for your trip...having said that, when visibility is good the hill is great.
Red Mountain is amazing!...Transfer distance sucks, but when you get to the mountain it is well worth it. Stay in Rossland...it's an nice town, but like Fernie there isn't much going on.
For the best all round, Banff is the best choice. Both Sunshine Village and Louise are great hills with plenty of back country and some top parks! Banff town has everything you need, Bars, Night clubs, good restaurants, skate park, cinema, etc etc...and it is only 1.5 hrs from Calgary.
Cheers Darren.
Do you know what the lifts are like at red Mountain? From the small amount that I've read about it, it seems that it's a quiet resort... but is it also true that they don't have any chairs bigger than a 3-man? Does this mean queues?
I haven't been to Big White or Red Mountain yet, but I'd echo what Darren said about Fernie and Lake Louise/Sunshine.
Sunshine is really nice, most of the terrain is above the tree line so there are some nice wide open runs.
Kicking Horse is about 2 hours or so away from Banff across the BC border. It might be worth a day trip. Although they don't always get as much snow as the other places. The town of Golden is pretty small and there isn't much to do there in the evenings. Or at least there wasn't when I was there in 2004.
I just went to Whistler this past February and had a great time on the slopes. Whistler has some awesome terrain and great night life. I was there for 8 days and it snowed at least a few cm each night!
The infrastructure at Red is a little dated and the lifts are old, small and slow...having said that, we didn't queue at all. I guess its because it is really a long way from anywhere that it doesn't get crowded. There is some seriously good riding to be had! We had a mountain guide take us out for the morning and covered a large area. We are definitely going to head back at some time. If you are into your riding then go to RED...if you are more into the party scene then maybe give it a miss.
Thanks for the help guys! Well, it's set now, we're off to Fernie. From all this discussion though it seems like Red Mountain, Lake Louise and Whistler are all must-visits! I've just got to find the time (and the money!)
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