Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Road tripping with my two favourite allies; fully loaded we've got snacks and supplies… Red Hot Chilli Peppers
With Fernie sadly behind us, we picked up a car in Cranbrook for the BC ski road trip. We had Steve L along for part of the way so it was a little interesting trying to pack all our luggage and a very tall man into the back of the car (apparently a Ford Focus is in the mid sized category!). We managed to get it all in, but all three of us were slightly oddly bent for the trip to Banff.
The road from Cranbrook to Banff is very pretty and quite spectacular. Unfortunately for us it was dark so we didn't see much! I was on animal patrol in the front seat, concentrating hard on the road, watching out for the beady eyes of moose, deer and elk. Hit any of those and the car you're in will pretty much be a write-off! Lucky for us we only encountered a few deer on a high roadside embankment. In fact, that was the only animal encounter of the trip, which was good but also bad, since I still haven't seen a moose!
Our first ski resort stop was Sunshine. We were all very excited on the gondola ride into the resort, chatting away to some locals about the best runs to hit. But things quickly turned sour for one in our group. On his last day in Fernie, Tim damaged his skis so had rented another pair while his were being fixed. With a far more aggressive side cut than his usual set, he was finding them hard to handle. Sunshine was no longer sunny!
Steve and I enjoyed ourselves though. The snow was quite nice and the terrain reasonably varied. I think our only qualm was that some of the runs were a little short. The only place to get in some long runs was Goats Eye, but it was windy up there and the snow wasn't as nice.
On the second day we headed to Lake Louise. The tables had turned. Tim was having a marvelous day with his newly repaired skis, while Steve and I battled through some icy chunk. The snow was definitely better at Sunshine the day before, but I could see how Lake Louise could be better if it weren't so icy. I still enjoyed the morning though, challenging myself, practicing bumpy moguls and ungroomed heavy snow trails. By the end of the afternoon though, the only ice I wanted to see was in my cocktail at apres-ski! Which, by the way, is well catered for at Lake Louise!
Steve left us the morning of the third day to head back to London. Tim and I pushed on to Golden to ski Kicking Horse. We'd heard that it was a steep resort with lots of difficult terrain, so I was a little nervous. Even more so when we dropped into the first run, a blue to warm up. It was pretty much a vertical drop for the first couple of metres, with a few moguls thrown in. I just kept thinking, "if this is what they rate blue then a black must be outrageously crazy!". It seemed to be a one off though and in the end the resort turned out to be one of our favourites; mostly due to the fresh snow and the flat glades off the top of the Stairway to Heaven. It was also a great resort in that there's lots of hard stuff right near easier stuff. So skiers of different levels can sort of ski together, in full view of each other. The only issue I have with the resort is that there's only one gondola to get to the top where the bulk of the runs start from. It can get very busy. We mostly skipped the queue by hopping in the singles line and riding separately.
We had a fantastic dinner in the evening after skiing Kicking Horse. If you're ever in Golden its worth checking out the Kicking Horse Grill. We had a three course meal special and the food was devine. Eggplant pockets filled with tomato, basil and feta to start. Lamb chops with a pesto sauce and freshly grilled veggies for main. An apple and cinnamon cheesecake with toffee and chocolate spikes for dessert. I was one happy camper!
Our last ski day was spent at Revelstoke. It's a great place to ski if you're at the top of the mountain, but not so great for a beginner. Mostly because the low elevation of the resort means that most of the beginner terrain is slush or non-existent! Technically the lower portion of the resort was open, but skiing was not recommended. Given the huge bare patches they really should have closed lower mountain. We had fun though, testing out our skills on tree runs and bumpy stuff. If the snow's good down to the bottom, this is an awesome resort. Sadly this season it's a little lacking. Its definitely worth a look in though, if you're passing through. As far as I know, it's the only resort in Canada to offer heli, cat and chairlift skiing from the one base.
Today we packed up all our gear and loaded it into the focus for the final leg back to Cranbrook. We were treated to glorious sunshine as we drove through the Roger's Pass (much better than the fog of the day before!). The mountains soared above the road. I felt very small in our very little car.
We stopped at the Lussier Hot Springs on the way back. Its definitely the best of the hot springs on that route, with natural looking pools next to the river. The stench of sulfur was very strong, but the pools were hot and the scenery very relaxing. After a brief soak we headed on to Cranbrook airport. Next stop Vancouver!
- comments