Agents Available 7am-6pm MST Call 800-908-5000Español Marque 800-359-0747
Hello:
Wondering if anyone could provide any feedback (positives and negatives) of Fernie, Kicking Horse, Sunshine or Lake Louise...I've heard the base can be thin at some of these. Basically which one would you suggest.
Thanks,
Smaze
Smaze,
If you've read some of my other forum replies, you might think I'm a broken record. However, I can't emphasize it enough. If you'd really like to get the low-down on these resorts, give us a call. Our Ski.com agents have traveled to each of the 75 destinations we sell and can tell you all of the intimate details. 1-800-778-8589.
For what it's worth, I don't think you can go wrong with Fernie, Banff or Lake Louise, but a Ski.com agent will absolutely be able to figure out which one would be the absolute best for you.
Dan
I have skied all these resorts, some more than others. Here is my take. Note that I am a semi-expert skier, and love the Double Ds, steeps, and deep bumps.
Fernie: Only skied there once. Excellent terrain. Most of the extreme terrain requires extensive hiking. They usually get ridiculously huge amounts of snow. This hill is on the warm side of the Rockies.
Kicking Horse: Un-believable. Very easy access to extreme terrain. WARNING: most of their runs are marked as easier than they really are. They seem to get enough snow. The gondola can be a bit of a bottle neck, but there are other ways to access significant amounts of the hill. This hill is on the warm side of the Rockies.
Sunshine: Nice hill. Lots of snow. 2 notes. Their Goats eye mountain is fairly bare until into January. Because it is in the national park, they can't remove natural obstacles; this means they need more snow than most hills to get to a adequate level. That said, their snow cover is better than average. Sunshine has a very wide range of skill level terrain, including some of the craziest in Canada. Access to extreme terrain is reasonably easy (not nearly as easy as Kicking Horse).
Lake Louise: A posh hill. Snow is often artificial (snow making machines), and icy. No truly extreme terrain. Good range of skill level terrain (other than extreme). This hill is also in the national park, and has the same issues as Sunshine, but without as much natural snow.
If you are in this area, don't over look Panorama. It have huge vertical, excellent snow, and fairly easy access to extreme terrain. (Don't stay near the bottom of the hill if the snow down there is bad. There is always good snow up higher) This hill is on the warm side of the Rockies.
Titus Andronicus