Northern Rockies/Alberta Calgary Area 2018/19

[Mike Rogers]

So, February started off with a huge dump of of snow...and then it got REALLY cold.
The extreme cold caused delays in openings and limited operations....a source of frustration for tourists and locals alike.
March is starting the same way, with bone-chilling temperatures in the forecast this weekend.

Generally speaking, February felt like a dry month. It was certainly dry in the northern part of the region, with Banff (Sunshine), Louise, and Kicking Horse receiving only small amounts of new.

The south fared better, and I was able to ski fresh snow every weekend this month, with some creative traveling.

For the weekend of the 9th and 10th, we planned on skiing castle on the Saturday, and fernie on the sunday. Unfortunately, it was too cold to run the upper lift at castle on the 9th, so we drove west to Fernie that morning Same story there. We drove west again and tried Kimberly for the first time ever....and were greeted with 7 inches of new snow....sweet! On the 10th we skied Kicking Horse and tried out their new terrain, Ozone (home of the FWT). It was pretty great!

We made our return to Castle the following weekend, and were greeted with 30 cm of new snow, on top of another 40 that had fallen the in the days prior. It was an excellent day...and temps were tolerable. We finished the long weekend with 2 days at Fernie where we met up with fellow Pugskier, @blah.

We skied 55cm of new snow last saturday in fernie...and it was warm again. The temps cooled off on Sunday, but we were still able to enjoy the leftovers.

As March starts, another southern storms is foretasted, with Castle looking the most promising. The -30 degree weather will be rough though.

So, not a bad month. We has a surprising amount of powder skiing for what feels like a drought.

I am ready for spring, or at least seasonal, temperatures though.

 

[blah]

So, February started off with a huge dump of of snow...and then it got REALLY cold.
<snip!>
I am ready for spring, or at least seasonal, temperatures though.

Be careful what you wish for...

This
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/accuweather-2019-canada-spring-forecast/70007533
seems to indicate a big spring warmup. Hope they're wrong! If only for selfish reasons of my late March trip back up.

 

[Spelunker]

I have a trip planned to banff, lake Louise and revelstoke from 3/8 to 3/17. Slightly concerned as every time I've checked the forecast there seems to be little to no parcipitation. Wondering what sites everyone uses for weather forecasts for the areas mentioned?

 

[Stacks]

Late March should be a great time to visit!

What sort of recommendation are you looking for?
Nightlife/Banff- life?
Skiing at sunshine?
Skiing elsewhere?
Non-ski outdoor activities?

I'm happy to share my perspective.

For skiing, a trip to Lake Louise is a good idea...at least for a day. If you are looking for steep skiing, consider a side-trip to Kicking Horse.

Thanks a lot, keen to try a few other places and was also considering Panorama? My partner is a lower end intermediate and has had knee surgery after a ski accident so has lost some confidence and I was wondering if KH would be a little too much. My daughter went there and loved it.
Not so worried about nightlife but any other good non-ski activities you can recommend?
Also do have an equipment question - I've got the Fischer Ranger 108s and Fischer ProMtn 86s which ski should I bring in late March? Was leaning towards the ProMtn and hiring fat skis if it dumped?
Was also considering buying some skis if there was going to be good sales on that time of year though I realise stock might be limited.
Thanks again, for your help.

 

[blah]

Better option: get a double bag for a little more than the price of a rental and bring both pairs of skis along:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/202597996319

To get a sense of what the various resorts in the rockies and kootenay region offer, you can also check out the facebook group that many on this board have used to post realtime conditions reports and pictures

https://www.facebook.com/groups/318963042161123/?ref=share

Thanks a lot, keen to try a few other places and was also considering Panorama? My partner is a lower end intermediate and has had knee surgery after a ski accident so has lost some confidence and I was wondering if KH would be a little too much. My daughter went there and loved it.
Not so worried about nightlife but any other good non-ski activities you can recommend?
Also do have an equipment question - I've got the Fischer Ranger 108s and Fischer ProMtn 86s which ski should I bring in late March? Was leaning towards the ProMtn and hiring fat skis if it dumped?
Was also considering buying some skis if there was going to be good sales on that time of year though I realise stock might be limited.
Thanks again, for your help.

 

[ADKmel]

Right now I'm at 32,000 Ft flying to Calgary we are going to ski as many areas as possible in the week we are there.
I will report back.
I have my Z-90's with me.

On our non skiing list-
Not much yet so will be following here for ideas.
We do want to check out the Fairmont was told the Spa is divine or maybe it will be just drinks and look at the view.

 

[blah]

I have a trip planned to banff, lake Louise and revelstoke from 3/8 to 3/17. Slightly concerned as every time I've checked the forecast there seems to be little to no parcipitation. Wondering what sites everyone uses for weather forecasts for the areas mentioned?

The individual websites of the resorts you're planning to visit usually do a good job with 3 to 4 day weather forecasts.

Here's a site that will take you through the emotional rollercoaster because it changes so often
https://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Fernie/6day/mid

https://spotwx.com
Is good to check 1 or 2 days before

 

[zag]

I have a trip planned to banff, lake Louise and revelstoke from 3/8 to 3/17. Slightly concerned as every time I've checked the forecast there seems to be little to no parcipitation. Wondering what sites everyone uses for weather forecasts for the areas mentioned?

I'm heading to that way Wednesday. Starting at Fernie then working our way up and back to Spokane.

Not as a rule but often Fernie does well in March and gets significant more snow than forecast when temps are appropriate and the northern resorts are dry. has to do with the way the air mass gets trapped in the lizard range

 

[ADKmel]

It's been brutally cold since I arrived Friday night. Saturday it never got above -15F!!! Mt.s all opened late (10-11am) We ended up driving to Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise to scope out the lodges to find best parking, bag storage etc. Drove into Banff, LL and did exterior looks at The Fairmont and other sights. Then we drove up to Emerald lake and walked around. This place is beautiful. Took a bizzilion photo of the magnificent Mts. Today it was still -18F so we drove up to Peyto Lake and hiked into over look of the lake and glacier VERY worthwhile. Short walk (take ski poles) We drove a bit further this is in Jasper National Park, Mts come down to the highway LOTS of people skinning up the Mt sides for some back country skiing, many snowshoeing or XC skiing on frozen lakes. 11am temps got to zero we went to Lake Louise to ski
Great Mt. Surface more like back East, frozen hard packed, a bit slickery but still plenty of snow around. Skied the entire Mt and had a good time temps got up to 10F (heat wave) Tomorrow we'll go to Sunshine

Peyto Glacier

Men's Downhill (lower portion) Single Black

 

[Spelunker]

Not looking very promising. At this point I'm considering cutting my losses and bailing on this trip. Taking a week off work to ski "hard pack" is just not something I'm willing to do.

 

[Mike Rogers]

It's been brutally cold since I arrived Friday night. Saturday it never got above -15F!!! Mt.s all opened late (10-11am) We ended up driving to Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise to scope out the lodges to find best parking, bag storage etc. Drove into Banff, LL and did exterior looks at The Fairmont and other sights. Then we drove up to Emerald lake and walked around. This place is beautiful. Took a bizzilion photo of the magnificent Mts. Today it was still -18F so we drove up to Peyto Lake and hiked into over look of the lake and glacier VERY worthwhile. Short walk (take ski poles) We drove a bit further this is in Jasper National Park, Mts come down to the highway LOTS of people skinning up the Mt sides for some back country skiing, many snowshoeing or XC skiing on frozen lakes. 11am temps got to zero we went to Lake Louise to ski
Great Mt. Surface more like back East, frozen hard packed, a bit slickery but still plenty of snow around. Skied the entire Mt and had a good time temps got up to 10F (heat wave) Tomorrow we'll go to Sunshine

Bad luck with the Cold. March is usally pretty safe, but this year has been a strange one. It has been dry and cold for almost 5 weeks now. It looks like the cold is breaking though. I hope you have better luck for the second half of your trip.

Throughout this cold snap, we have been skiing the more southern resorts. Fernie is typically a bit warmer...still -25c at 9AM, and they have been getting more snow. They've had 3 feet of fresh in the last 10 days. The weekend was cold and clear, but with new terrain openings and a few side country laps, we were skiing mostly powder. The resort itself is generally soft above the elk chair. The groomers are in good shape, and there are only a few spots with ugly, icy bumps....the kangaroo run off Haul Back was bad, and I would imagine that "freeway" in the Lizard bowl would also be rough.

If you head down that way, let me know, and I can tell you some locations were you should find better snow.

I'm ready for the cold to leave though. Would love to hit the northern hills, mostly Kicking Horse, maybe Louise, soon!

The icefeilds parkway is a nice side trip for a non-skiing morning.

 

[Mike Rogers]

Thanks a lot, keen to try a few other places and was also considering Panorama? My partner is a lower end intermediate and has had knee surgery after a ski accident so has lost some confidence and I was wondering if KH would be a little too much. My daughter went there and loved it.
Not so worried about nightlife but any other good non-ski activities you can recommend?
Also do have an equipment question - I've got the Fischer Ranger 108s and Fischer ProMtn 86s which ski should I bring in late March? Was leaning towards the ProMtn and hiring fat skis if it dumped?
Was also considering buying some skis if there was going to be good sales on that time of year though I realise stock might be limited.
Thanks again, for your help.

If you can only bring one ski, the ProMtn might be the better choice. I think most skiers would prefer this ski at Louise and Pano to the Ranger 108, but many people ski on 108s in all conditions. So it's a preference, but I would be inclined to bring the narrower ski.

Ski sales can be a bit hit of miss. Canadian shops don't seem to have the end of season fire sales that American shops to, but equipment in Canada is generally less expensive thanks to a weak Canadian dollar and an unwillingness to price skis higher than a certain threshold. My favorite shop in Banff is Monods, but most are pretty good. Vallhalla Pure Outfitters in Canmore is great, and if you are interested in backcountry touring, stop by SkiUphill in Canmore. The guys who run this shop are great, and are always up for a chat.

I think Pano is a better option for an intermediate...it has a lot of cruisers. Kicking Horse is steeper, but there's enough intermediate terrain to keep an intermediate skier interested for a day, at least. The snow is usually better at Kicking Horse....

Snowshoeing and cross-country (or back-country) skiing are good for off days. A snowshoe walk around the meadows at Sunshine could be very nice on a sunny day. I recommend driving up the Icefield Parkway. Spectacular scenery.

For higher end eats, The Post Hotel in Lake Louise (cheaper at the pub (the Outpost) and Truffle Pigs in Field are good. If you go to Golden, the Cedar House is good for a higher end place.

There's good coffee at the Whitebark Cafe in Banff and Bluebird Cafe in Golden. Lake Louise doesn't have a fantastic coffee shop, but the baked goods at Laggan's make a good breakfast or snack.

 

[ADKmel]

Not looking very promising. At this point I'm considering cutting my losses and bailing on this trip. Taking a week off work to ski "hard pack" is just not something I'm willing to do.

Don't do that.. A bad day skiing is better than working. If you haven't been here it's just amazing. Part of the hard pack is the temps haven't been above 0C in quite a while.
It's well worth it, even if no fresh- The back bowls still had plenty of dry powder (thanks to the cold)

 

[Stacks]

If you can only bring one ski, the ProMtn might be the better choice. I think most skiers would prefer this ski at Louise and Pano to the Ranger 108, but many people ski on 108s in all conditions. So it's a preference, but I would be inclined to bring the narrower ski.

Ski sales can be a bit hit of miss. Canadian shops don't seem to have the end of season fire sales that American shops to, but equipment in Canada is generally less expensive thanks to a weak Canadian dollar and an unwillingness to price skis higher than a certain threshold. My favorite shop in Banff is Monods, but most are pretty good. Vallhalla Pure Outfitters in Canmore is great, and if you are interested in backcountry touring, stop by SkiUphill in Canmore. The guys who run this shop are great, and are always up for a chat.

I think Pano is a better option for an intermediate...it has a lot of cruisers. Kicking Horse is steeper, but there's enough intermediate terrain to keep an intermediate skier interested for a day, at least. The snow is usually better at Kicking Horse....

Snowshoeing and cross-country (or back-country) skiing are good for off days. A snowshoe walk around the meadows at Sunshine could be very nice on a sunny day. I recommend driving up the Icefield Parkway. Spectacular scenery.

For higher end eats, The Post Hotel in Lake Louise (cheaper at the pub (the Outpost) and Truffle Pigs in Field are good. If you go to Golden, the Cedar House is good for a higher end place.

There's good coffee at the Whitebark Cafe in Banff and Bluebird Cafe in Golden. Lake Louise doesn't have a fantastic coffee shop, but the baked goods at Laggan's make a good breakfast or snack.

Many thanks for the good advice.

 

[Decreed_It]

Taking two trips to this area in March - St. Patrick's Day weekend to Banff and last weekend (March 28-April1) to Kicking Horse and Fernie. Hoping for some snow, when we planned all this (the last weekend was a surprise, slot opened on a buddy's trip and I was able to backfill) we figured this area would still be prime as more southern areas in the US would be moving squarely into spring conditions. Funny how Mother Earth laughs in the face of our snow plans. I am not/cannot be a powder chaser, have to plan things well in advance, so you just take what you get I guess!

For current conditions, assuming no fresh snow or couple days old - what skis would you guys recommend from Banff Sports? Whatever the main rental shop is associated with Big 3. I'm thinking something mid 80's to 90's underfoot. My normal all mountain ski is Enforcer 100 in 185, not bringing them along this time.

 

[Mike Rogers]

Taking two trips to this area in March - St. Patrick's Day weekend (Banff) and last weekend (Kicking Horse, Fernie). Hoping for some snow, when we planned all this (the last weekend was a surprise, slot opened on a buddy's trip and I was able to backfill) we figured this area would still be prime as more southern areas in the US would be moving squarely into spring conditions. Funny how Mother Earth laughs in the face of our snow plans. I am not/cannot be a powder chaser, have to plan things well in advance, so you just take what you get I guess!

For current conditions, assuming no fresh snow or couple days old - what skis would you guys recommend from Banff Sports? Whatever the main rental shop is associated with Big 3. I'm thinking something mid 80's to 90's underfoot. My normal all mountain ski is Enforcer 100 in 185, not bringing them along this time.

You didn't find good snow in Fernie? It's a bit of a funny hill, it definitely hides stashes. Cold though! It has been almost a month since I have been to Kicking Horse

https://www.facebook.com/groups/318963042161123/

As for skis, I'm not sure.

I would bring the enforcer 100s,as I think they would be fine on the on Louise's backside.

My "skinny" ski is the blizzard bonafide, with the moment deathwish (112 underfoot) as a soft snow ski, and on3p billygoat (116mm) as my powder ski. I clearly have a wide ski preference, but I have the luxury of following the snow in our region (and if inbounds is lousy, there is always touring).

It looks like the enforcer 93 is available at the shop. It might be a good choice if your focus is off piste.

On the mountain, Lake Louise carries the Brahma....a good choice for harder days. They also have the Kendo.

Sunshine only offers Salomon to rent, but they should have all the popular models.

 

[Decreed_It]

You didn't find good snow in Fernie? It's a bit of a funny hill, it definitely hides stashes.

Sorry, I wrote that poorly, haven't been yet so nothing 'found' or not . . . yet . And Fernie - we'll be in the area but not the actual resort (doing some Cat skiing thing). Good tips on the skis - all good options I'm familiar with, if not skied on.

Oh and, I'm not on Facebook so appreciate the info here!

 

[dovski]

If you can only bring one ski, the ProMtn might be the better choice. I think most skiers would prefer this ski at Louise and Pano to the Ranger 108, but many people ski on 108s in all conditions. So it's a preference, but I would be inclined to bring the narrower ski.

Ski sales can be a bit hit of miss. Canadian shops don't seem to have the end of season fire sales that American shops to, but equipment in Canada is generally less expensive thanks to a weak Canadian dollar and an unwillingness to price skis higher than a certain threshold. My favorite shop in Banff is Monods, but most are pretty good. Vallhalla Pure Outfitters in Canmore is great, and if you are interested in backcountry touring, stop by SkiUphill in Canmore. The guys who run this shop are great, and are always up for a chat.

I think Pano is a better option for an intermediate...it has a lot of cruisers. Kicking Horse is steeper, but there's enough intermediate terrain to keep an intermediate skier interested for a day, at least. The snow is usually better at Kicking Horse....

Snowshoeing and cross-country (or back-country) skiing are good for off days. A snowshoe walk around the meadows at Sunshine could be very nice on a sunny day. I recommend driving up the Icefield Parkway. Spectacular scenery.

For higher end eats, The Post Hotel in Lake Louise (cheaper at the pub (the Outpost) and Truffle Pigs in Field are good. If you go to Golden, the Cedar House is good for a higher end place.

There's good coffee at the Whitebark Cafe in Banff and Bluebird Cafe in Golden. Lake Louise doesn't have a fantastic coffee shop, but the baked goods at Laggan's make a good breakfast or snack.

FYI End of season sales in Banff are great but don't start until later March early April. FYI I buy all my skis in Canada as pricing is typically 20-30% cheaper dollar for dollar than the US plus the exchange rate. Typically you can get end of season deals in the 30-50% off range, but you have to be there at the end of their Season which in Banff goes till late May. All the shops want to clear out old inventory so they can have new stock the following season. You can also get pretty good deals on demo skis which also get sold at the end of their season. The other time to buy skis in Canada is on Box Day (the day after Christmas) which is the Canadian/British post holiday sales day kind of like our Black Friday. You can get some crazy good deals on Boxing Day. My personal favorite shop in Banff is Ultimate Sport they have a great selection of high end skis and they are employee owned.

 

[dovski]

You didn't find good snow in Fernie? It's a bit of a funny hill, it definitely hides stashes. Cold though! It has been almost a month since I have been to Kicking Horse

https://www.facebook.com/groups/318963042161123/

As for skis, I'm not sure.

I would bring the enforcer 100s,as I think they would be fine on the on Louise's backside.

My "skinny" ski is the blizzard bonafide, with the moment deathwish (112 underfoot) as a soft snow ski, and on3p billygoat (116mm) as my powder ski. I clearly have a wide ski preference, but I have the luxury of following the snow in our region (and if inbounds is lousy, there is always touring).

It looks like the enforcer 93 is available at the shop. It might be a good choice if your focus is off piste.

On the mountain, Lake Louise carries the Brahma....a good choice for harder days. They also have the Kendo.

Sunshine only offers Salomon to rent, but they should have all the popular models.

I would recommend that you check out Ultimate Sports for ski rentals or demos they have a great selection of skis and their service is excellent. If you are skiing within the resort I would recommend a good all mountain ski in the high 80 to low 90s width. Remember when it does snow their you get that lovely Champagne powder and you do not need fat skis to ski it In April it can get warmer though not always and that is when you may want to consider a wider ski. FYI I ski an Enforcer 93 and that is what I am bringing with me to Banff in April (if massive snow is in the forecast I may also bring my Enforcer 110 just because it is a super fun ski not because I need it

My favorite time to ski Banff is spring as it is typically sunny and they usually have great snow. This year we will be spending 9 days there and skiing Sunshine, Lake Louise Norquay and Revelstoke. I grew up in Edmonton so love bringing my family back and re-living the memories of my family vacations as a kid

 

[ADKmel]

Today was glorious at Sunshine!! What a Mt.!! We hooked up w/ a Mt Tour if you're 1st timer highly recommend. We had a great tour our guides separated the group after 1.5hrs and we had a private tour at a faster pace and it was Superb! The surface was much better than at LL yesterday, the Temps were higher so was perfect soft packed powder (western style not eastern) There also was much better coverage in the trees, bumps,steeps at Sunshine. Locals all say Mid March is best storms so you should be good. I've been skiing my Z-90's and My Friend on her Sin 7's w/no problem. We've both skied our skis on 12" fresh (Taos 3wks ago)