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LIFT TICKETS $39, with plenty of youth and senior breaks. Check online for deals.
WHAT’S NEW Chairs on the quad lift have been upgraded for this year.
A new mid-mountain reservoir and seven new snow guns have been added
to the snowmaking fleet.
THE DOWNSIDE Isolation—once you’re in T-Bay, you’re not going anywhere else.
LOCAL SECRETS Mike Forester, a former Rossignol technical rep for the area, recommends skiing Devil’s Dive before hitting the patio barbecue for a beer and a Loch Ness burger.
Loch Lomond Ski Area; Thunder Bay, Ontario; 807-475-7787; lochlomond.ca
Calgary > Castle Mountain
Every weekend, thousands of Calgarians pass by one of the biggest
secrets in the Rockies and don’t even know what they’re missing.
Located about 220 kilometres south of Calgary off Highway 774, Castle Mountain Resort is the jewel of the foothills, known by Southern
Albertans for its constant bombardment of dry Rocky Mountain powder and steep fall lines that challenge any level of skier. —
MB
ANNUAL SNOWFALL 910 cm (29 feet)
LIFT TICKETS $59. If you’re going to make multiple mid-week trips,
consider a mid-week season pass, a bargain at $345.
WHAT’S NEW The Huckleberry triple chair was added last season and accesses
a host of options for beginner and intermediate skiers while also opening
up some backcountry options for those with a taste for adventure.
THE DOWNSIDE Temperatures can get downright nasty here, so be prepared
for real Rocky Mountain weather and wind. Castle isn’t for the timid or the meek.
The access road can be icy, so make sure your vehicle is prepared.
LOCAL SECRETS The T-Bar Pub at the base of the mountain serves frosty pints and grub in a welcoming atmosphere. Make sure to stop by after skiing The South Chutes,
a collection of steep runs with names inspired by the Wild West. “Be sure to carve your name into the table so they know you were there,” says local engineer Brendan Mclean.
Castle Mountain Resort; Pincher Creek, Alberta; 403-627-5101; skicastle.ca
Kelowna > Mount Baldy
Although nearly 40 years have passed since the McKinney T-bar first opened on Christmas Day in 1968, Mt. Baldy continues to have more in common with its predecessor, the Borderline Ski Club, than with most commercial resorts today. Situated just north of Highway 3 in the heart of British Columbia’s desert-and-wine country near Oliver, Baldy offers an abundance of dry Kootenay champagne, ridiculous amounts of sunshine, near-empty slopes and a complete lack of pretentiousness. —
Chris Lennon
ANNUAL SNOWFALL Despite rising above Canada’s only high desert, Baldy receives about 650 cm (more than 21 feet) of snow each winter.
LIFT TICKET A full-day weekend adult lift ticket is only $46; kids seven and under ski free.
WHAT’S NEW The Sugar Lump Quad chairlift, scheduled to open this winter,
will climb 226 vertical metres up Sugar Lump Peak and provide access to
53 hectares of beginner and intermediate terrain.
THE DOWNSIDE Baldy is 165 km from Kelowna International Airport, and is
closed most Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The silver lining? Thursdays serve
up three nights’ worth of snow accumulation and deserted weekday runs.
LOCAL SECRETS Sharen Gibbs, snowhost and Baldy local for 30 years,
spends five ski days a week on the slopes with a few runs in the trees
and recommends the family-friendly Baldy Bar to unwind in the evening.
Mt. Baldy; Oliver, B.C.; 866-754-2253; skibaldy.com
Prince George > Powder King Mountain Resort
Located 195 km north of Prince George in the hinterland of northern British Columbia, Powder King has had no choice but to stay hidden from the mainstream. But while its remote location may keep it out of public consciousness, powder hounds in the know are very familiar with the massive snowfalls and the lack of crowds. Unlike some resorts, you don’t come here for the nightlife or the shopping; you come to ski snow so deep you’ll forget about your day job, and maybe even your family. It’s that good. —
MB
ANNUAL SNOWFALL 1,250 cm (41 feet)
LIFT TICKETS $45. Season-pass holders at many B.C. ski hills receive discounts on day tickets.
WHAT’S NEW A newly renovated 60-room hostel and a host of B&Bs in
the area have expanded the previously sparse accommodation options.
THE DOWNSIDE Only one of the three lifts is a chair. There is no
half pipe or terrain park. As for the food… let’s not go there.
LOCAL SECRETS Just go. Powder King’s 24 runs are nearly empty on a regular
basis. It essentially makes the whole mountain your own powder stash. Enjoy.
Powder King Mountain Resort; Pine Pass, B.C.; 866-769-5464; powderking.com
Comox, Vancouver Island, British Columbia > Mount Cain
Community-run ski hills aren’t known for lengthy vertical drops and waist-deep powder, but at Mount Cain on Vancouver Island, you get more than you pay for. A 16-km, one-way road (up in the morning, down in the afternoon) brings you to an enchanted alpine valley where skiers creak their way to the 1.7-km summit on two ancient T-bars. It’s friendly, affordable and fun… so long as the volunteers don’t all burn out at once. —
Suzanne Morphet
ANNUAL SNOWFALL Last season was powder-choked with almost 50 feet of snow.
LIFT TICKET $36, and less than half that for kids. Seniors and kids under five ski free.
Season pass holders from other B.C. resorts receive sweet discounts.
WHAT’S NEW A second grooming machine ensures great corduroy on the lower half of
the mountain, while a new terrain park challenges boarders with four hits of varying difficulty,
plus rails. New road-clearing equipment means fewer problems keeping the access road open.
THE DOWNSIDE Cain is remote; six hours by car from Victoria and 110 km from the Comox
Airport. Prepare for rustic accommodations with no power or running water, and compost toilets.
LOCAL SECRETS Many private cabins are equipped with saunas. “You just pour yourself into
bed afterwards,” says cabin owner Jeff Jones. Make friends with the locals, complain about sore
bones and hope for an invitation.
Mount Cain; Woss, B.C.; 888-668-6622; mountcain.com
DOWNHILL LOW DOWN
The latest from Canada's (better-known) ski resorts.
—
Allison LeBlanc
Mount Washington Alpine Resort, B.C.
Come towards the light this winter with expanded night skiing. The Whisky Jack Chair is lit, giving the Vancouver Island resort two night runs. Thrill-seekers can get a nightlife, too, in the newly lit Stomping Ground Terrain Park, expanded with additional stunts, rails and fun boxes (
mountwashington.ca).
Whistler/Blackcomb , B.C.
Celebrating its second-snowiest year on record last season, the folks at Whistler/Blackcomb can hardly wait for the first flakes to fall. And with so many new developments in the works leading up to the 2010 Olympics (including the Peak to Peak gondola that will link Blackcomb and Whistler), Olympic fever is
contagious (
whistlerblackcomb.com).
Silver Star, B.C.
Park your Gore-Tex-clad keister on the new Unistar Quad, which gives visitor better ski access to their cars. Need a ski or snowboard refresher? The Snowsports School features new improvement clinics and five-day programs with the Ski Academy
(
skisilverstar.com).
Big White, B.C.
Big White is movin’ on up—Australia’s travel and lifestyle publication, Luxury Travel, ranked the resort as the fifth most luxurious in the entire world (two spots higher than its ranking last year). You can even share your love for Big White’s big fun on its official Facebook group (
bigwhite.com).
Fernie, B.C.
Fernie kept busy this summer, spending the months blasting areas like the Lizard
Bowl and Currie Bowl for better cat access and more open terrain. The resort’s 2,500 acres are also easily navigable with improved signage all over the mountain (
skifernie.com).
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, B.C.
It’s child’s play this year with the launch of Horse Play Corral, a 10-acre area where kids can enjoy contour grooming and trails that duck in and out of main runs. Those tired of the downhill can get level at the Village Skating Rink, complete with a firepit,
warming hut and music (
kickinghorseresort.com).
Lake Louise, Alberta
Say hello to Lake Louise’s newest additions to the snowmaking fleet—three new portable gun towers for better mountain coverage. When it’s time for an après-ski pint, check out the improved Kokanee Kabin, including a larger barbecue area and a new outdoor firepit (
skilouise.com).
Sunshine Village, Alberta
This season, get fitted with the Slopetracker—an arm band equipped with GPS technology that monitors a whole day on the mountain, including top speed, distance travelled and calories burned. Return it to the Sunshine rental shop for a poster-quality printout mapping out your every move on the mountain (
skibanff.com ).
Blue Mountain Resort, Ontario
Canada’s largest snowmaking fleet delivers the white stuff even more this winter. Blue Mountain’s newest pump allows the resort to unleash a total of 13,000 gallons of snow per minute, while 18 new snowblowing towers on Smart Alec (the central ski run) make
for great coverage
(
bluemountain.ca).
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec
It may sound crazy, but Tremblant looks forward to seeing green this winter
season. The resort added some eco-friendly features to its ranks, including a BR350 groomer complete with a Caterpillar engine that produces less CO2 emissions, and new snow guns to provide more efficient production (
tremblant.ca
).
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