Thatguy

I may be relocated to Calgary this spring/summer and was wondering if any locals use this and wheres the closest/best place to go ride, and how far away?

roremc

For mine the Lake Louise is best when it turns it on. Plenty to check out:

Lake Louise
Sunshine
Norquay
Castle
Nakiska
Fernie

and beyond that:

Revi
Panorama
Kicking Horse
Kimberly

Enough to keep you interested for awhile.

Poutenen will give you the lowdown on driving time as he is in Calgary.

__________________
So many runs so little time.

Justin

Pano, norquay, and kimberly don't get a lot of good reviews, which is why i haven't gone. So many great places to go anyway. I actually haven't been to castle (driven by) but i hear great things and plan to check it out this year.

I don't care for Nakiska unless it gets pounded with snow. Then the monster glades are fun.

Sunshine has great snow and is close.

Louise has a better park and longer runs but not as much snow and it gets icy faster than ssv.

Kicking horse is super steep.

Revy has great trees and snow.

aubzobot

Lake louise is my fav. Theres a bus that leaves at seven and puts you there at 920. If you're a park rat, hit up COP, 15 minutes from downtown, they'll have a decent park.

chupacabraman

Everyone always forgets about Castle... one of the best hills in the country if you like steeps (but snow is variable, could be 100cm blow in, or just grass)

poutanen

Jeez man use the search button!!!

I'm on the North end of Calgary so driving times are a little longer.

Nakiska 1:10
Sunshine 1:30
Lake Louise 2:00
Kicking Horse 3:15
Fernie 3:30
Revelstoke 4:30 or so
Kimberley 4:45

For resorts within a daily drive I like Lake Louise the best. Nakiska has a bad name but for groomers it's quite good. All lifts are high speed and the pitch up top is consistently steep for carving. I was in the glades yesterday and there was about 8" of fresh in there. It gets tracked out badly though so glades are only worth it during/right after a powder dump.

For a longer drive my favorite (so far) is Fernie. A lot of the hill is off-piste alpine style bowls, so there's lots of space, it doesn't get tracked out, and there's always a powder stash somewhere if you look hard enough. It does get more rain than the rest though, so timing is crucial. I've actually rode there in the rain and had a pretty good day.

Heard great things about Castle but AFAIK all the lifts are slow. That's a big downer for me as I'd rather be shredding than sitting on a lift.

Heard great things about Kicking Horse so we got it on our pass this year, heading there once they open up!

Would still like to make it to Revelstoke at least once this year. Biggest vert in North America I'd like to see it at least for that experience.

I've been to Kimberley and it's decent, but there are some glaring problems that will keep me away until they're fixed. On the front side, ALL of the runs filter down over a narrow (probably 75 foot wide) bridge and then down a chute to the base of the lift. This is a horrible way to do things, as that area is constantly clogged with beginners sliding sideways and pushing all the snow off. It turns into a skating rink and then you've got noobs and ice in a restricted area. The back side is actually decent, there is more off-piste style terrain than Nakiska, however they are all slow lifts back there. I CAN'T STAND slow lifts...

I've been to COP once and asked for a refund an hour later (didn't get the refund but lesson still learned). My idea of fun doesn't include standing in line for 10 minutes to ride a 5 minute chair and then board down for 30 seconds. Yes the park is fun, and I suppose with no lift lines/midweek it could be a fun way to spend a couple hours in town, but it just didn't offer me anything for my riding needs.

NOW SEARCH NEXT TIME! MY HANDS ARE TIRED!

chupacabraman

I wouldn't bother with Revy... most of those hills are better and closer for you. Seriously though, it is getting pretty "busy" - this will probably be my last year with a season pass.

poutanen

Isn't there a big expansion plan for Revelstoke? Or is that on hold for now? Come on it can't be THAT busy being so far away from any major city... I think you're just trying to keep us rude Calgarians away!

legallyillegal

revys out of money again

__________________

THERE ARE SPECIFIC REASONS AS TO WHY I AM MORE LOCAL THAN YOU

GOD IS DONUT

chupacabraman

I suppose busy is a relative term, but getting too busy for me. That's why I bought a sled and sone more touring gear
Even the lift accessed backcountry around RMR is getting "tracked out" often.
Was up Frisby Ridge snowboarding/sledding yesterday... A foot of blower ghost dust on top of 2ft or so of dense base, so pretty decent. Must have been 20-ish Alberta plates up there already...