Northern Rockies/Alberta Tell me about Panorama Mtn Resort

[x10003q]

I lucked into a spot going to Panorama - flying via Air Canada out of Newark landing in Calgary 4-4 and flying back out of Calgary 4-10. We are driving to Panorama where there is a 2br booked at the base of the resort near the gondola. I have visited Banff/LL in the summer, but I have never skied in the area. I am beyond excited. My last ski trip west was Feb, 2020 to Jackson Hole. We have Ikon passes. I would love any tips/info about the skiing/weather/food/Air Canada or anything else. TIA!

 

[scott43]

Big vert single pitch top to bottom. Not the most snow typically. No real base stuff to do. Invermere is the closest real town. My wife's been and loved it, it's like eastern groomer skiing but huge vertical so it suited her. I keep meaning to get there one day.

Air Canada, I mean, lots of bad press but really they're not bad.

 

[freeskier1961]

Was there about a month ago decent cover, had new snow lots of vertical
try view of 1000 peaks run

 

[Jilly]

Paging @Lady_Salina she just came back!!

 

[scott43]

Dunno what the weather looks like but that drive can be no joke in heavy weather. My wife had a suburban with snow tires and she was worried about getting stuck. And she's driven around Nwfld in winter several times!

 

[noncrazycanuck]

If your in daylight and the weather is nice do a loop and see more.
Shortest quickest is Calgary -Castle Junction to Radium, but going via Golden is not much longer and adds Yoho and Lake Louise to the drive.
I'd do both if you can. Watch out for wildlife.

 

[Nathanvg]

Big vert single pitch top to bottom. Not the most snow typically. No real base stuff to do. Invermere is the closest real town. My wife's been and loved it, it's like eastern groomer skiing but huge vertical so it suited her. I keep meaning to get there one day.

Air Canada, I mean, lots of bad press but really they're not bad.

Scott gives a good summary. I'll add that there is a lot of good off piste too. Taynton area is huge with full 4k vert. Extreme dream zone is nice too with over 2k vert.

Crowds are also extremely low due to only 4 lifts. Essentially there are runs near those 4 lifts as well as several other pods of runs that are at least a half mile from any lift. I love these far off pods each of which is over 3k vert.

 

[Lady_Salina]

April 4th to April 10th is very late season for Panorama so it will be full spring and anything is possible at that time of year from low coverage to a freak spring storm and everything open.

It was beautiful last week. They had 2 plus feet of snow the week prior and it finished up on the Sunday as we arrived on March 2. Skied March 3rd to 9th. Panorama reminds me of Taos snow in mid season thought I've only been to Taos once so going on hear say, but lots of trees and bumps with good coverage but not tons powder though occasionally get hit with a nice powder blast. They don't get the powder of the powder highway resort but they have always had full coverage when I have been there.

Even this year with the scarce snow fall in many of the west's resorts Panorama had all runs open most times I checked and Tayton Bowl. They have great steep tree runs up top, Sidewinder Glades, Hide away, tree time, Fat Chance, Trigger, Gun Barrels right off the top lift. So with the snow refresh there was good coverage. Lower on the mountain we hit Delesale the first two days as our favorite run with some grass and small soft pine bit sticking out the top but it was beautiful snow with full coverage, no obstacles. There was no new snow again by the time we left, we had pretty much all blue bird days but found nice snow every day.

We paid for the Monster X cat on Thursday and Friday for a couple runs (you can buy 4 and use them over two days or share them with 4 people, 4 rides is $89.00). We found it took an hour to do a run, get the lifts back to top and then take the Cat back to it's far drop off in Tayton bowl. Second day I skied out to the farther Ridgeback and found it about unskied at the top with beautiful soft snow but 2/3's down it was getting warmer and you could feel the snow change from softer to more set up and almost a sun crust, but not quite it was still a lovely ski. If you like off piste skiing I highly recommend venturing in to Tayton bowl along with all the tree runs off Stumbocks from the summit lift. I was concerned the first day about cliffs in Tayton bowl but shouldn't have been, they are visible, and the steepest parts at the very top had some sketchy cover (all areas with real steeps ski the snow not the rocks, keep you eyes open there is great turns to be had).

They do have GREAT well sloped groomers and beautiful consistent green/blue groomers on the bottom 1/3 first chair which are great fun to warm up on in the morning before venturing up the next two chairs. Sunbowl is a wonderful blue black area for some playful skiing and we did see a Linx running down there one morning. It is a mountain for skiers, not night life though there's a little pub bar down the bottom and up top there is one where you can grab a few drinks après and play a little pool if you want. The hot pools up top are well worth an afternoon soak if you want to plan a half day ski one day or you can go sit in them in the evening but I enjoyed a leisurely afternoon in them.

The full resort is pretty close to ski in / ski out. You can get the bare necessities but it's not a shopping meca, there is lots of hot tubs scattered around and the condos are very reasonable. We enjoyed wine and euchre in the evenings. Always have a great time there and there is plenty of skiing and terrain to satisfy everyone in your ski group from Intermediate to expert. The almost 3000 acres and 4200 plus vertical is very well divided in all levels of skiing and if you are adventurous and haven't Heli Skied before you can try to get on stand by with RK Heli ski out of the resort for a 1 day trip. might post photos later. Go have a good time but it will be spring skiing in April.

 

[x10003q]

April 4th to April 10th is very late season for Panorama so it will be full spring and anything is possible at that time of year from low coverage to a freak spring storm and everything open.

It was beautiful last week. They had 2 plus feet of snow the week prior and it finished up on the Sunday as we arrived on March 2. Skied March 3rd to 9th. Panorama reminds me of Taos snow in mid season thought I've only been to Taos once so going on hear say, but lots of trees and bumps with good coverage but not tons powder though occasionally get hit with a nice powder blast. They don't get the powder of the powder highway resort but they have always had full coverage when I have been there.

Even this year with the scarce snow fall in many of the west's resorts Panorama had all runs open most times I checked and Tayton Bowl. They have great steep tree runs up top, Sidewinder Glades, Hide away, tree time, Fat Chance, Trigger, Gun Barrels right off the top lift. So with the snow refresh there was good coverage. Lower on the mountain we hit Delesale the first two days as our favorite run with some grass and small soft pine bit sticking out the top but it was beautiful snow with full coverage, no obstacles. There was no new snow again by the time we left, we had pretty much all blue bird days but found nice snow every day.

We paid for the Monster X cat on Thursday and Friday for a couple runs (you can buy 4 and use them over two days or share them with 4 people, 4 rides is $89.00). We found it took an hour to do a run, get the lifts back to top and then take the Cat back to it's far drop off in Tayton bowl. Second day I skied out to the farther Ridgeback and found it about unskied at the top with beautiful soft snow but 2/3's down it was getting warmer and you could feel the snow change from softer to more set up and almost a sun crust, but not quite it was still a lovely ski. If you like off piste skiing I highly recommend venturing in to Tayton bowl along with all the tree runs off Stumbocks from the summit lift. I was concerned the first day about cliffs in Tayton bowl but shouldn't have been, they are visible, and the steepest parts at the very top had some sketchy cover (all areas with real steeps ski the snow not the rocks, keep you eyes open there is great turns to be had).

They do have GREAT well sloped groomers and beautiful consistent green/blue groomers on the bottom 1/3 first chair which are great fun to warm up on in the morning before venturing up the next two chairs. Sunbowl is a wonderful blue black area for some playful skiing and we did see a Linx running down there one morning. It is a mountain for skiers, not night life though there's a little pub bar down the bottom and up top there is one where you can grab a few drinks après and play a little pool if you want. The hot pools up top are well worth an afternoon soak if you want to plan a half day ski one day or you can go sit in them in the evening but I enjoyed a leisurely afternoon in them.

The full resort is pretty close to ski in / ski out. You can get the bare necessities but it's not a shopping meca, there is lots of hot tubs scattered around and the condos are very reasonable. We enjoyed wine and euchre in the evenings. Always have a great time there and there is plenty of skiing and terrain to satisfy everyone in your ski group from Intermediate to expert. The almost 3000 acres and 4200 plus vertical is very well divided in all levels of skiing and if you are adventurous and haven't Heli Skied before you can try to get on stand by with RK Heli ski out of the resort for a 1 day trip. might post photos later. Go have a good time but it will be spring skiing in April.

Thank so much!

 

[Lady_Salina]

Just an FYI, someone sent me this one today, this was my brother and I in Tayton bowl after we skied down to almost where you join in to the regular lift serviced hills. Good coverage, lots of fun skiing if it's still open when you get there.

 

[Lady_Salina]

Okay i'm going to post a few more photos of our time out there this year and last year. I used to go to Panorama annually with my children as it's a big mountain with all runs leading to the small village where my children could ski and not get lost and it NEVER has a crowd. Longest line I have ever waited in for a chair lift at Panorama is maybe 5 rows of people in front of me on first chair up in the morning. Please if you go and love it don't spread the word. It's too far from Calgary to make an easy drive, keep going to Lake Louise and sunshine to get the goods....That's all fine.

Panorama photos with the off piste


That's a series of photos from this year and last year with shots of the hot pools, the tayton bowl, the top of the summit chair and some of the nice groomers (they groom their groomers very nicely). I'd have posted photos here but it's too difficult to shrink them all and then upload them one at a time.

 

[x10003q]

Okay i'm going to post a few more photos of our time out there this year and last year. I used to go to Panorama annually with my children as it's a big mountain with all runs leading to the small village where my children could ski and not get lost and it NEVER has a crowd. Longest line I have ever waited in for a chair lift at Panorama is maybe 5 rows of people in front of me on first chair up in the morning. Please if you go and love it don't spread the word. It's too far from Calgary to make an easy drive, keep going to Lake Louise and sunshine to get the goods....That's all fine.

Panorama photos with the off piste


That's a series of photos from this year and last year with shots of the hot pools, the tayton bowl, the top of the summit chair and some of the nice groomers (they groom their groomers very nicely). I'd have posted photos here but it's too difficult to shrink them all and then upload them one at a time.

Thanks again. The photos are awesome!

 

[dbostedo]

Please if you go and love it don't spread the word.

You're doing just a terrible, horrible job of following your own advice.

 

[Kyle]

So, ugh, how was RK Heliski? Which package did you choose?

 

[Lady_Salina]

So, ugh, how was RK Heliski? Which package did you choose?

RK is fine in my world. My brother did the 5 run and I was on the waiting list. I've gone with them in past and skied lots of powder over my career so felt it way more important he get on. He had a blast as did I when I've gone, it's pretty exciting and really does leave you with a high at the end of the day wanting more. When we owned time share there as my kids were growing up a few with us would go with them every year and I never heard anyone complain. I have done steeps and trees with them, now that I have my own avi certs and such I think I worry more than I once did though and feel I can find enough powder my own way without the heli ride and someone else in charge. My brother got in on his Birthday and it was awesome he was able to go. Had I been there he'd have had more photos. There was Considerable Avi chances due to a weak layer in February from a melt freeze and over two feet of snow the week before he went and the conditions had just lowered from Very high to Considerable. The terrain he was in did reflect that happening but it was still great, unskiied powder, little less steep I believe then he would have had at another time. One of the issues with booking Heliski days is you can't predict the conditions a year out and lots can affect where you can go and where the heli copter can get in to. But being there and seeing if you can get on standby was always a great answer to me. Or I guess if you can afford the multi day Heli ski vacations you would get more chances for the best conditions. His were pretty nice.