Ski Canada
Canada’s ski resorts have a reputation. A really good one. There is a huge amount of amazing snow in Canada, and with it’s big mountains and beautiful scenery, it is a popular destination each year for tourists and Australian’s on working holidays alike. Most resorts have impressive lifts and facilities, and with the exception of Whistler and occasionally Banff, are generally very quiet with almost no queues for lifts.
The most popular Canadian resorts are located in the western-most provinces, British Columbia and Alberta. Whistler-Blackcomb is an enormous resort with so much terrain, you can spend many days even weeks there without seeing the same terrain twice. After holding the 2010 Winter Olympics, the resort stamped itself as one of the world’s premiere snow holiday destinations. It is accessed from the beautiful city of Vancouver, and is a short 2hr drive from town. The resorts ‘village’ is more like a mini city, with all the facilities you would need, a multitude of bars, pubs, clubs, restaurants and entertainment venues are found everywhere.
Other resorts in the BC province are Big White (one of my personal favourites), Silverstar and Revelstoke. I have spent 2 seasons in Big White, the mountain is just big enough that it has challenging terrain and a decent village to keep you occupied when the weather is poor, but also it is small enough not to draw the massive crowds, so you generally are skiing/snowboarding runs with no one else on them. The snow is excellent too, as Big White is located in a ‘desert’ climate, the snow is really dry, typical ‘champagne powder’ stuff. Big White and Silverstar are only a couple of hours from each other, and both can be accessed through the city of Kelowna, which has flights from Vancouver and Seattle. It is a 4-6hr drive from Vancouver, depending on conditions.
Driving further north-west and towards the Rockies, there are a few advanced/expert mountains to be found. Revelstoke used to be a heli-skiing resort but has since developed a gondola and a few lifts to open up their terrain, and it is a treat. Revelstoke Mountain Resort boasts North America’s greatest vertical at 1,713 metres (5,620 ft). The place is huge!
Also in the area is Kicking Horse, another great challenging resort to check out.
Further down the road you venture into Alberta and it’s most famous ski town, Banff. Sunshine Village is a short drive from the town of Banff, and up the road is the very picturesque Lake Louise, a must to check out.
If you’re up for it, heli-skiing and cat-skiing is huge in Canada. TLH heli skiing is a great place to start.
Get in touch with us should you want to find out more about Canadian snow holidays. Stay tuned for more info soon, and make sure you check us out on Facebook.
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