Planes, trains and automobiles
Go skiing, but let someone else do all the driving
One of the big drawbacks for skiers and snowboarders living in Edmonton is the distance to the Rocky Mountain ski resorts.
Of course, for the truly dedicated downhiller, the long drive is not a deterrent, but it can become a bit of an issue when Sunday evening rolls around and we have to drive home after a weekend of skiing, boarding and partying. That’s when the alternative methods of getting to and from the hills become very attractive to thousands of Edmontonians.
And it’s why ski bus tours began operating more than 30 years ago. Tammy DuChene-Bos, owner/manager of newly created Canadian Xtreme Adventures, says people flock to bus tours every weekend for the convenience, safety and to be able to socialize.
“People are finding more and more that it’s always fun driving to the mountains, not so much when coming home tired,” she says. “Buses are not as risky as jumping into your minivan and driving. Even if you’re just going to Jasper for a day and back, you’re exhausted. Then, if the weather changes, you’re dealing with road conditions.”
Tod Caton, founding partner of Backside Tours, which purchased Downhill Riders last summer, said there are two main reasons people take the bus to ski or snowboard.
“One, it’s easy, it’s safe, someone else is doing the driving. Second one is price. We can do it cheaper than yourself.”
It’s not just buses that can get people to and from the hills. Via Rail runs its Snow Train between Edmonton and Jasper on weekends and WestJet offers flight deals to get skiers and boarders to the hills around Kamloops, Kelowna and Vancouver Island. Both offer package deals with or without accommodations.
Bus tours are mainly weekends — head out Friday and return Sunday evening — and they run to all the mountain resorts, from Jasper and Banff to the B.C. interior.
For those interested in oneday runs to the mountain, Magic Bus, which has a number of weekend packages as well, has been offering its popular one-day trips for more than 20 years.
“This year has been pretty outstanding,” said Magic Bus’s Bruce Perry. “Every bus we’ve had to Marmot (Basin) so far has been sold out. Louise has been very strong … it’s outstripped what we did last year by a good margin.”
Bus tours have changed over the years. Once reserved almost exclusively for young adults who partied as hard as they skied — and sometimes caused endless problems on the buses and at the hotels — tours are now more family oriented.
Now, unless the bus is booked entirely by one group, most tours are alcohol-free, a stark contrast to past years when large groups of young adults, already drunk, would pile off buses into resort hotels to continue their partying. Eventually hotels became less eager to play host to the tours. That’s one of the reasons Backside purchased Downhill Riders, which continues to operate under its existing name.
“Backside is more into the newer market. Some of that older market with Downhill Riders … it was pretty extreme partying … developed a bad reputation with hotels,” explained Caton. “Our approach is we’re a ski tour company that puts skiing first, but we recognize that socializing is a key component of the weekend.”
While Magic Bus is totally alcohol free, Canadian Xtreme will offer drinks depending on the clientele.
“If it’s a school group, naturally it’s non-alcohol,” said DuChene-Bos. “If it’s a company or group, it’s controlled. The alcohol is purchased by us and we provide up to four drinks per person. It’s not bring-your-own-booze like in the past.
“Families, the resorts, bus drivers, guides, hotel operators, everyone is better off because you don’t have people out of control.”
DuChene-Bos has been in the snow industry for most of the 27 years she’s lived in Edmonton and this year, after 16 years as general manager of Downhill Riders, she decided to ski out on her own and form Canadian Xtreme Adventures.
“I had some new ideas I wanted to implement and the owner of Downhill Riders was losing interest, so rather than taking over, I decided to start a new company.”
All her guides have first aid and criminal checks, so they can take any type of tour, including seniors and schools that have specific requirements about staff.
Where the buses go depends on demand. And demand is often determined by snow conditions, although hype also plays a role. The newer and much hyped resorts at Golden and Revelstoke have become increasingly popular, despite their distance from Edmonton.
“Those are two destinations the market is responding to,” said Caton. “Revelstoke has had a lot of hype, but it’s not the most convenient, seven hours from Edmonton.”
But it offers five-star accommodations to go with its challenging vertical and amazing snow.
Not many Edmontonians are eager to drive the distance to Revelstoke or Kicking Horse at Golden, making buses even more attractive.
“Come off the hill, especially on a cold day, that nice warm coach sitting right outside … with warm lattes is looking pretty good,” said Parry. “Someone else is driving home, you’re not white-knuckling it. Instead you’re cuddling with your son or daughter watching whatever family flick we’ve picked.”