O, Canada! Come join Ski Buddies as we spend a week skiing/riding interior British Columbia at two of its premier destinations – Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, BC and Revelstoke Mountain Resort in Revelstoke, BC. Both areas are famous for prodigious amounts of light, dry, champagne powder, amazing ski terrain, spectacular views of the Columbia Mountains, and small town ambiance.
Kicking Horse has a vertical drop of 4,314 ft.; alpine terrain of bowls, chutes, and groomed pistes, a high-speed gondola, and several fixed grip quad chairs. The Dawn Mountain Nordic Centre is less than ½ mile from the base of Kicking Horse – and boasts 35 km of trails for all ability levels. www.goldennordicclub.ca
Revelstoke has the largest vertical drop in North America - over 5,600 ft! Skiers and riders of all abilities will find plenty of terrain to enjoy; a high-speed gondola will take you from the base area to mid-mountain. Two high-speed quads access the upper mountain's groomed pistes, fabulous tree skiing, and alpine bowls. Revelstoke Nordic Day Lodge and Mt. Macpherson Ski Trails are a short drive from Revelstoke, and a $4 shuttle is also available to and from the trailhead and day lodge (and leaves from the base of Revelstoke Resort). There are 26 km of groomed trails. www.revelstokenordic.org.
We have booked ski-in/ski-out accommodations at the base of Kicking Horse, and a luxurious log home at the base of Revelstoke. Trip price includes 7 nights lodging, on-mountain apres-ski and apres-ski at our accommodations in Kicking Horse and Revelstoke, and a group restaurant dinner in Revelstoke. Lift tickets are not included: Kicking Horse is on the Epic Pass and Revelstoke is on the IKON Pass and Mountain Collective.
Our accommodations in Golden and Revelstoke have full kitchens and private hot tubs. Bedroom accommodations are single beds, with 2 king/queen beds reserved for couples (or those willing to share a bed). If you plan on dining out after apres-ski, please make reservations well in advance – restaurants in both towns are very busy in ski season (even mid-week). There are dining options at the base of Kicking Horse in addition to the town of Golden. Revelstoke restaurants are a short drive into town.
Canada no longer requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for travel from the US. If that changes, we will let trip participants know ASAP. You still need a passport to cross the border.
This is a driving trip, as there are no good options for air travel to this part of British Columbia. Carpooling strongly encouraged! Drive time to Golden, BC is approximately 9 hours (with an additional hour change to Mountain Standard Time). Check-in for Kicking Horse is on Sunday to give folks a chance to split the drive and arrive at a reasonable time in Golden.
Drive time from Golden to Revelstoke is just under 2 hours. We also regain an hour back switching to Pacific Standard Time. Departure from Golden in the morning, and clear roads, can give you a full day of skiing/riding at Revelstoke/Mt. Macpherson Nordic, or ski/ride another day at Kicking Horse/Dawn Mountain Nordic with a late afternoon/early evening arrival in Revelstoke. Return drive time from Revelstoke to Seattle is just over 7 hours, in good road conditions. The drive over Rogers Pass from Golden to Revelstoke can be very snowy, with potential avalanche control delays.
Itinerary:
Sunday, February 26 – Arrive in Golden! Our accommodations are at the base of Kicking Horse Resort, which is about 8 miles outside of Golden.
Monday, February 27 – Ski/ride Kicking Horse, x-country skiing at Dawn Mountain. Apres-ski at a the base of Kicking Horse.
Tuesday, February 28 – Ski/ride Kicking Horse, x-country skiing at Dawn Mountain. Apres-ski at our ski-in/ski-out home.
Wednesday, March 1 – Transition day to Revelstoke: Ski/ride Kicking Horse, or drive over to Revelstoke in the morning to ski/ride there. Alternative daytrip recommendation is to backcountry ski or x-country ski/snowshoe at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park.
Thursday, March 2 – Ski/ride Revelstoke, x-country skiing at Mt. Macpherson. Apres-ski at the base of Revelstoke.
Friday, March 3 – Ski/ride Revelstoke, x-country skiing at Mt. Macpherson. Apres-ski at our log home.
Saturday, March 4 – Ski/ride Revelstoke, x-country skiing at Mt. Macpherson. Group dinner at restaurant in Revelstoke.
Sunday, March 5 – Return drive to Seattle.
Kicking Horse Ski-In/Ski-Out House
Revelstoke Log Home
