Surf Quebec Posted August 18, 2021 Report Share Posted August 18, 2021 Hi, Still hesitant to commit for a snowboard trip to Aspen because of covid, borders, refunds,... Never been in Alberta or BC, what would you recommend for a first trip ? Looking for wide carving trails ( like Snowmass if possible). Would bring my sofboots also in case. What do you suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted August 18, 2021 Report Share Posted August 18, 2021 Big White or Sun Peaks. Of the two, I prefer Big White. They both have a wide variety of terrain, with plenty of groomers. They do get a lot of snow so bring your softies in case you get a pow day. One nice thing about both of them is that you can rent a true ski-in/ski-out condo on the hill. Use owner direct or VRBO, you'll get a better deal than through central reservations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pow4ever Posted August 19, 2021 Report Share Posted August 19, 2021 why look for imitation(Snowmass like) when you can have the real thing Surf Quebec: i hear you. stay safe and do what you feel is best/right. Hope we get to ride together soon my friend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted August 19, 2021 Report Share Posted August 19, 2021 (edited) Red Mountain would be the closest thing I can think of to Snowmass, in terms of size. Revelstoke. Another vote for Sun Peaks. Do you want to travel around, or stay in one place? Edited August 19, 2021 by Allee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted August 19, 2021 Report Share Posted August 19, 2021 Sun Peaks is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf Quebec Posted August 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2021 @AlleeI would like to travel a minimum, I'll take a plane to go west but if I can avoid to rent a car that's even better, but I'm open to all options right now. David, without uncertainty at the borders, I would be in Aspen riding with you, hopefully next year ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted August 20, 2021 Report Share Posted August 20, 2021 Never realized Red was that big, for some reason it’s been in my head as a quirky smaller hill with crazy off-piste terrain. I’ve been wanting to go there for a while. Closest airport is Spokane, WA about 2.5 hours. They run a shuttle, not sure if that will happen this year. Lots of info on their website on how to get there via various routes. Big White or Sun Peaks are easier to get to, they are both about 45 minutes from the airport (Kelowna or Kamloops respectively) and shuttles are available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted August 20, 2021 Report Share Posted August 20, 2021 Most important lesson about travel in BC is " You can't get there from here." Every destination is a trip on it's own. Roads connect destinations but not usually as directly as they do here in the east. The "Powder Highway" was a marketing ploy to make it seem more natural to spend a day driving between destinations. You can fly to Calgary and shuttle to Sunshine, Lake Louise or Norquay. Interior resorts usually mean you staying put. You could fly into Calgary and do a south to west route and hit places like Castle Mt. Pass Powder Keg ( Tbar Only) and Fernie another day and you could hit Whitewater (Nelson) then next day Red Mt (Rosland ) They are unique in that they are not crowded by east coast standards but have awesome terrain . My personal preference is to scout out new resorts on skis and then hit choice terrain on Skwal or Alpine board. It costs more in time and money to visit off the grid resorts but i find them more rewarding as the years pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted August 20, 2021 Report Share Posted August 20, 2021 (edited) ^^^ This. You can have a ton of fun if you have a car, but if you don't, you're pretty much stuck on a hill in the middle of nowhere - with limited food options and basically no nightlife. Nearly all the BC hills are a decent drive from the nearest towns. Lowrider's option of Banff makes a lot more sense in that case, given that you're in town with a bunch of things to do, and shuttle access to three hills. Plus if you talk nicely to the locals someone will take you to Nakiska, and if you rent a car for one day you're only an hours drive from Kicking Horse, and not much further to Panorama. Buy a RCR discount card to save on the day passes, and that would make a great week to 10 day trip. If you really want to stay out somewhere then Sun Peaks would be my pick. It's got enough terrain to keep you amused, it's a wonderful carving hill, and it has a small village at the base with enough food that you won't be eating the same thing every day. I'm assuming that you're not loaded and Whistler is way out of the price range, lol. Because that's the ultimate western destination, if you want terrain and can swing the cost. (Although I just looked at Whistler, and if you could use an Epic Pass back home, that might be an option ...) Edited August 20, 2021 by Allee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted August 20, 2021 Report Share Posted August 20, 2021 45 minutes ago, Allee said: ^^^ This. You can have a ton of fun if you have a car, but if you don't, you're pretty much stuck on a hill in the middle of nowhere - with limited food options and basically no nightlife. Nearly all the BC hills are a decent drive from the nearest towns. Lowrider's option of Banff makes a lot more sense in that case, given that you're in town with a bunch of things to do, and shuttle access to three hills. Plus if you talk nicely to the locals someone will take you to Nakiska, and if you rent a car for one day you're only an hours drive from Kicking Horse, and not much further to Panorama. Buy a RCR discount card to save on the day passes, and that would make a great week to 10 day trip. If you really want to stay out somewhere then Sun Peaks would be my pick. It's got enough terrain to keep you amused, it's a wonderful carving hill, and it has a small village at the base with enough food that you won't be eating the same thing every day. I'm assuming that you're not loaded and Whistler is way out of the price range, lol. Because that's the ultimate western destination, if you want terrain and can swing the cost. (Although I just looked at Whistler, and if you could use an Epic Pass back home, that might be an option ...) I actually like Sun Peaks and Lake Louise more than Whistler. However, Lake is really weird with no accomodation on the slopes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf Quebec Posted August 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2021 Thanks a lot for all advices! I'll check all the suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted August 20, 2021 Report Share Posted August 20, 2021 Whistler is super pricey, crowded and has a significant chance of sucking due to rain. And as a carving hill, it’s not so hot. I’d love to be there when conditions are good but so far I am 0/2. Lake Louise is one of the prettiest places in the world. Sunshine is also great. If you’ve never been to Banff definitely consider going. Fly to Calgary, shuttle to Banff, there are free shuttles to the hill from most hotels. If you can get to Kicking Horse you should go but that is decidedly not a carving hill. Bring an all mountain board or a softie board for sure. Big White has a variety of restaurants/pubs, an on-hill grocery and booze store, and more than enough terrain to keep you happy for a week. I prefer it to Sun Peaks but they are pretty similar in general concept. Upside to Big White or Sun Peaks compared to Banff is on-hill accommodations and generally better snow. Terrain wise it’s a toss-up: the BC hills are better for carving imo but Louise/Sunshine have more technical terrain if you want to challenge yourself. Kicking Horse has insane terrain as well. Banff also has way better scenery, much better off-hill stuff (restaurants, clubs, shopping, hot springs, site-seeing etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 You can't do it all in one visit make a realistic plan and hope for good conditions. Remember altitude has it's own attitude towards some people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted September 10, 2021 Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 As a foreigner, these days I fly in, hire a car, and go where the best snow is. Early season Whistler's pretty reliable; Banff I tend to favour later in the season. I'd add to the above: Whistler and Banff are the two real "destination resorts", so you could go there without transport and be fine. They also have the best food out of all these. There are a couple of good hotels there, but mostly you pay more for accommodation here than other places: the "value" isn't great. With "Banff" you're doing busses or driving around: the hills are a way away. Whistler is a bit of a "circus" or "zoo" which is either good or bad depending on your perspective. As alluded to, it's coastal so it gets a lot of snow, and as it's coastal sometimes it's warmer than you'd like. Translation: expect rain at lower levels, but the off piste gets "reset" every day or two. All the other places are more "town hills". Big White/ Silver Star are slightly different as they were developed for a lot of Ozzy tourists, so they're somewhere in between. They're not fancy places with dancing and stuff - if that's your thing go to Whistler. The restaurants have been pretty limited during my trips Hotels are always cheaper in the smaller hills, and there are fewer "wannabe" people there so often the powder lasts longer. Revelstoke has "the biggest sex shop in the west" which may tell you all you need to know. Or not. Last time I was there, there was one decent restaurant in the place, but that's not why people go. Golden's not dissimilar. Smaller places like Panorama and Kimberly are fun too. Sometimes I'll drive through and stay a day in each place, moving on after riding. I don't really have a favourite; to me any ski resort is excellent when the snow's "on" and garbage when it isn't. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted September 10, 2021 Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 I've only been to Panorama a couple times, the snow sucked both of those times, as in the whole upper half of the mountain unrideable level of suck. It's just in a crummy location, snow-wise. I'd love to be there in good conditions but as I need to plan my vacations considerably in advance I won't risk it. Big White and Sun Peaks are about as reliable as it gets, conditions-wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf Quebec Posted November 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2021 Big white is looking good! I guess locals don't staying in the village, i've browsed the website,there seems to be only one food market in the village, any one can confirm if it's easy to do groceries in the village? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted November 22, 2021 Report Share Posted November 22, 2021 You can get limited groceries in the village but you are better off shopping in Kelowna before you go up the hill if you can. If you are flying in then taking a shuttle I know there’s at least one shuttle that offers a chance to do that. Alternatively you can rent a car for more flexibility. If you are traveling alone then the shuttle makes sense. If with some friends a car might be cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackaddict Posted November 22, 2021 Report Share Posted November 22, 2021 On 9/10/2021 at 8:34 AM, philw said: Revelstoke has "the biggest sex shop in the west" That's not quite right... Spice O' Life advertises as "the best little sex shop in the west"; it's not very big at all. I buy all my vape products there and my marijuana seeds, and of course strap-ons for my girlfriends... And there's no shortage of restaurants here, though there might be shortage of staff. While it's true that Revelstoke doesn't have the widest runs or the smoothest terrain in BC, the carving here is just fantastic. No one shows up when there's no fresh snow and I have the whole mountain to myself many mornings with miles and miles of perfect soft corduroy. We have many steep, challenging groomers and plenty of mellow blue cruisers too; long runs that seem to go on forever, and some of the shortest lift lines around. Again, not the widest runs in the province, but massively wide by Quebec standards (I grew up riding Mt. Blanc and Mt. Tremblant, so I know what you're used to @Surf Quebec) and plenty wide for my 195s. Be warned though, this is where all the snow lands and there's a decent chance it'll snow everyday while you're here. (First world problem...) I can just about guarantee that you won't see any ice or rocks or crowds though. There is a hotel on the hill, 15m from the gondola. The village is small but there are three restaurants plus two bars and a liquor store, and there's a shuttle to town (10 minute ride). Shuttles are also available from the Kelowna airport and there's a bus from Calgary everyday. Come ride with me! It gets lonely up on the hill as the only hard-bootin' freak around and there's always more corduroy than I can destroy on my own... 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted November 22, 2021 Report Share Posted November 22, 2021 There’s also more than one decent restaurant in Revy, the town has expanded its tourist offerings quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf Quebec Posted February 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2022 Thanks again for all info. A friend (Carvinator) and I will be at Big White February 12 to 19. Hope to meet and ride with local carvers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf Quebec Posted March 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 Feedback on Big White A friend and I were at Big White February 12 to 19, we were staying at the Inn at Big White, so ski in/ski out. We rode 6 days, sunday to fryday. It was planned to be an hardboots trip, it turns out to be 1.5 day in hardboots (3 half day) and 4.5 days in softboots. It was quite warm, around -4celsius in the morning and +4 celsius in the afternoon. On 119 trails, around 50-55 are groomed. My only other destinations outside Quebec is Aspen (4 times), Big White grooming is not as nice as Aspen grooming. It snowed 3 nights up to noon. So, on mornings whithout new snow, we were able to carve til noon, after that it was too soft and we were switching to sotfboots. We saw only 1 hardbooter during the 6 days. I did not had much experience riding softboots before this trip (4-5 days )but I enjoyed riding in the woods and hors-piste. There is a feeling of liberty in softboots that I do not feel in hardboots. Big White had less snow this year than previous years, it was funny to hear the locals complaining about the ice... what ice !!!! Come ride at Mont Tremblant or Mont Saint-Anne, you'll see what is ice Locals were easy to talk to and very friendly Crackaddict came to Big White to ride one day with us. Overall Big White offers a lot of different trails but you should bring hard and soft boots to enjoy the mountain. I sure liked my snowboard trip! Thanks to all who contribute to this thread. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 Glad you had a good trip! I don’t think there is anywhere that surpasses Aspen grooming… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf Quebec Posted February 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2023 My buddy and I are in Panorama this week. What a great carving mountain! A lot of wide runs and great grooming. Not a lot of snow, locals are telling me it's not a great winter for snow in BC. No other hardbooter and the staff is asking if it's a ski or a snowboard...very surprised as it's a great carving mountain . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted February 7, 2023 Report Share Posted February 7, 2023 I’ve been there twice, not much snow either time. From yours and other reports I think it’s the norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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