TIME TO CARVE OUT SOME OUTDOOR FUN
Here's what's happening at your favourite ski and snowboard resorts in Alberta and British Columbia, writes Daniel Austin
LAKE LOUISE
The World Cup skiers have moved on to the next stop on their tour, but the snow at Lake Louise has stuck around. The Banff National Park resort has been blessed by one of its best early season snowfalls and it didn’t slow down this week. The mountain was hit with 10 cm of powder in the past week alone and that brought the season total to 276 cm in the back bowls. The best way to take in everything Lake Louise offers might be the Lake Louise Plus Cards. For only $109, guests can enjoy three days of skiing and snowboarding at any of seven resorts, plus $20 off lift tickets on all subsequent visits. www.skilouise.com @SkiLouise
NORQUAY
Spending a day skiing or snowboarding in the mountains can be expensive, especially for families. Luckily, Mount Norquay is offering a Family Package this season that makes it a whole lot easier on the wallet. For $149, the Norquay Quality Time Family Package gets two adults and two children on the slopes for a day at the Banff resort. Once there, guests are going to be greeted by great early season conditions as the three cm of snow that’s hit the mountain in the past seven days has brought the season total to 89 cm. www.banffnorquay.com @MtNorquay
COP
Temperatures in Calgary may be soaring well above what we’re used to for this time of the year, but we all know that won’t last forever. Over at COP, the folks at WinSport have a bunch of runs open and are offering up a couple holiday season deals that will have skiers and snowboarders rushing to the hill. In particular, the Four-for-Three Hill Ticket Pack does exactly what its name implies as anyone who purchases three lift tickets gets a fourth day on the hill for free. www.winsport.ca
NAKISKA
Already famous for its skiing and snowboarding, Nakiska decided to diversify a little bit this year. The Kananaskis resort has added an extensive network of snowshoeing trails this season at mid-mountain, meaning that those of us who are a little less inclined toward speeding down the steepest slopes can still enjoy a crisp winter day outside in the mountains — rentals are available, too. There should be lots of snow, too, as Nakiska has been hit by five cm of the fluffy white stuff over the last week and 122 cm so far this season. www.skinakiska.com @SkiNakiska
MARMOT BASIN
This year in Jasper, they’re talking a lot about Tres Hombres. You can’t really blame them. The new, north-facing and treeless slope offers 18 hectares of new terrain for skiers to explore, including powder-filled bowls and chutes that will test even the most advanced skier. New terrain like that just doesn’t open up all that often at a well-established resort like Marmot. The mountain has also been blessed by some unreal early season conditions as 202 cm of powder has blanketed the slopes so far with 11 cm over the last five days alone. www.skimarmot.com @MarmotBasin
KICKING HORSE
It’s basically amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. For the last month or so, skiers and snowboarders have been watching the snow pile up at Kicking Horse, but haven’t been able to rip down the slopes. Fortunately, the Golden, B.C., resort is finally ready to let guests attack the powder. Kicking Horse is officially open for business on Friday and Mother Nature has ensured opening weekend should be something special. The mountain has been pounded by 20 cm of snow over the last week alone, bringing the season total to an astonishing 427 cm. www.kickinghorseresort.com @KickingHorseMtn
FERNIE
Mother Nature isn’t messing around at Fernie this year. Already, the B.C. mountain has been blasted by 293 cm of powder this season and the 34 cm that’s fallen over the last week means there’s plenty of powder to go around. With Fernie and its sister Resorts of the Canadian Rockies mountains already getting mid-winter conditions, skiers and snowboarders should look into the RCR Rockies card, where guests get their first, fourth and seventh day on the mountains free along with discounted lift tickets on all other visits. www.skifernie.com @SkiFernie
PANORAMA
The wait’s over. On Friday, Panorama is finally — finally! — turning on its lifts and letting skiers and snowboarders ride up the mountain so they can tear down the slopes at the Invermere, B.C., resort. The best part? This year there’s a whole lot of new terrain to explore. Panorama has added a new area with four double-black lines and 128 acres of new terrain in the Taynton Bowl, meaning the longest run at the resort now stretches for an astonishing 6.4 km. It’s all covered in snow, too, as the alpine snow depth is at nine cm at the summit and 20 cm in the village. www.panoramaresort.com @panoramaresort
REVELSTOKE
There are no surprises here. Yes — of course — it’s been snowing a whole lot at Revelstoke. The B.C. mountain has been hit with incredible early season conditions this year and the 50 cm of snow that fell on the resort over the past week brought the season total to an awesome 401 cm. That’s crazy, even for a resort that typically gets hit by more snow than anywhere else in Canada. For skiers who know they’ll be making lots of trips, Revelstoke is offering a three- or five-day vertical card that’s exclusive to Western Canadians. The pre-loaded card offers serious discounts on days on the mountain with five-day cards offering lift tickets for as little as $73 for adults. www.revelstokemountainresort.com @revelstokemtn
KIMBERLEY
Lots of snow in November means lots of smiles in December at Kimberley Alpine Resort. The folks at the B.C. mountain have been counting down the days until Saturday, when Kimberley is officially open seven days a week for skiers and snowboarders. With 16 cm of snow falling over the last week and 175 cm blanketing the mountain already this season, guests might want to plan to ski right into the evening and Kimberley is accommodating that desire by keeping its night skiing hours open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday throughout the season. www.skikimberley.com @SkiKimberley