J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by steverandomno

For new beginner stuff, I would check out Decathlon. They have all of the things you need:

Jacket
Salopettes
Gloves
Goggles
Socks
Sun Screen
Scarf/neck warmer

Hire in resort unless it's cheaper to buy:
Boots
Helmet
Skis
Poles

One thing to note - if you do buy any stuff from ebay etc.. be aware that you should still take your boots and skis to a shop to get the bindings adjusted for your weight/height and boot sole size.

Don't bother with the dry slope. You'll fall over and hurt yourself and you'll be put off skiing or won't be able to go on holiday. You'll learn more on your first day of snow school than from multiple visits to a dry slope.

That being said, it could save you some time and get you familiar with the equipment by doing an intro at an indoor centre such as the snow dome. However, it's probably a very expensive option compared with an additional day of snow school when you're on holiday.

Val Thorens is a safe bet at that time of year and you can access the rest of the 3 Valleys if the snow is good. I'm not sure I'd recommend it as a place to learn though. It will be very busy as Christmas approaches.

Consider Le Tour near Chamonix as a good place to learn.

Of course I would suggest Western Canada as the best place to learn, but the cost of the package could be a deal breaker. The plus is that food is generally a lot cheaper and the dollar is very cheap at the moment. Ski pass prices are much higher in Canada than in Europe. However, many resorts have now started to offer packages that include passes to beginner lifts only with lessons and equipment hire included for about the same price as a regular lift ticket. This represents very good value. At that time of year, Sunshine Village / Banff is very snow sure.

Just realized you are both snowboarders! Replace 'ski' for 'ride' in the above :)

Best resorts on the trip for snowboaders in my opinion (often powder with few flat spots):
Lake Louise (esp. back bowls)
Kicking Horse
Fernie
Revelstoke
Wistler Blackcomb (good for everything really)
Red
Silver Star

I'm going to assume that you're interested in Western Canada.

Outside of Whistler, you should probably budget between 80-150 CAD per night for hotels depending on when and where. Whistler can be much more expensive so I would book ahead if you are looking for deals there.

With 3-4 weeks, you could do an amazing road trip with or without Whistler. The conditions around the southern British Columbia (BC) interior and Alberta vary a lot, so it would be possible to follow the snow.

Hiring an RV would be a stretch. They are very popular in summer. However, in winter you will need to have something with very good traction and that can withstand a 'deep freeze' snap of a few -20 to -40 degree c nights which happens at least a couple of times every season. Bear in mind that you will want to be driving into the best ski conditions, which are also the worst driving conditions. You will be covering large distances, so the low efficiency of an RV will reduce any savings you make on accommodation. Go for something small and nimble if you decide to do this option, do some research on winterized RV's, and be sure to understand how to prevent the plumbing from freezing up. Canadream rent winter RV's. I would call them for some advice if you are taking this option seriously and ask them about the pros and cons of winter RV'ing. Note that some places are ralaxed about you parking up a small RV in the winter, other's aren't. So you will probably still have to shell out some money to park and hook up your RV. Many RV parks throughout the interior do not open in winter. It's just not worth the effort for them to clear snow when 95% of their business is in the summer season. Check what's open and what's not before committing to this option.

Don't fall into the trap of getting too obsessed with getting an SUV or 4x4. A decent sized car with winter tires is all you need and will save you a lot in rental fees and gas. Winter tires are a must, despite what some people say about all-season tires. I would rather do a winter road trip in a 2 wheel drive Ford fusion on winter tires than in any SUV with summer or all season tires. Be sure to insist on winter tires from the rental company, especially if you are renting from Vancouver where it isn't standard to fit them in the winter.

On to the skiing...

This would be the ideal road trip...

Fly into Calgary YYC possibly staying a night in downtown Calgary, you could save a lot on your rental by picking it up downtown. This also gives you some time to acclimatize to the altitude and dry atmosphere and allows you to do following days trip in daylight. Most winter visitors to Calgary would head to Banff for a few days. However, you have plenty of time so head south down the Cowboy trail (Hwy 22) that runs north-south to the west of the city. The drive is amazing and gives you a good sense of both the Alberta prairies, the foothills and the looming mountains to the West. Make a quick stop at Lundbreck Falls on the way to Ski Castle Mountain, if the conditions are good. Then, your first main destination is Fernie across the border into BC. You will pass the Frank slide, site of a huge landslide in which half a mountain slid onto part of a coalmining town. The interpretive centre is worth a stop if you have time. Spend a few days skiing Fernie, stay in the town. Then head to Rossland. The scenery on drive is very good and so it's worth doing it during daylight if you need to rest your legs. Spend a few days staying in Rossland and ski Red Mountain, then head to and stay in Nelson to ski Whitewater mountain for a couple of days.

Your next destination will be Revelstoke. A good way of getting there is, after a day of skiing Whitewater, head north on Hwy 31 along Kootenay lake. Stop for a soak at Ainsworth Hot Springs which overlooks the lake. Then stay a night in the Kaslo hotel. The journey the following day also has amazing scenery. It involves some free BC Ferry crossings across the lakes so be sure to check the winter schedule and factor it into your schedule.

Stay in Revelstoke for a few days and ski Revelstoke Mountain resort. It's challenging with about 6,000 ft of vertical, gondola served skiing. If you like ungroomed glades, steeps and large bowls, you will like Revelstoke.

From Revelstoke you can head down to Vernon for Silver Star and/or head via Kamloops to Sun Peaks. From Kamloops/Sun Peaks, you can drive to Whistler Blackcomb via the 99. Try and do this during the week as it gets very busy at the weekends.

For the return leg to YYC, pick up Big White or Sun Peaks if you missed them on the way over. Then take the main Trans Canada Hwy 1 to Golden, BC to ski Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. The on mountain accommodation is very good value here and there is always good skiing to be found somewhere in the resort, with loads of chutes and ungroomed bowls and trees.

At some point you will pass the Rogers Pass visitors information centre on Hwy1 between Revelstoke and Golden. It's free if you show your park pass. This is a very worthwhile and convenient stop to get some historical perspective on the Canadian Pacific railroad, the highway and avalanche control that keeps the highway you have just driven open. There is a great film about this in the visitors centre theatre.

Then you should head to Lake-Louise and then Banff to hit the Banff area resorts of Lake-Louise/Norquay and Sunshine Village. There's a ton of information about these resorts so I won't elaborate further.

It sounds like a lot, and it is, but if you have 3+ weeks it's a realistic proposition to cover all or most of these ski areas.

Other variations include taking in some more scenery via the Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93 N) to Jasper to ski Marmot Basin.

You'll want to pick up a park pass for your car. Figure out if buying the annual Parks Canada pass saves you any money at 136.40 CAD per car. You'll also want to pick up a big cheap shovel (the store 'Canadian Tire' is your friend), some 'emergency chocolate'  and plenty of water for the journeys between areas. Some of the areas away from the Trans Canada Highway have very sparsely distributed services. It's not like the UK, in that you will need to keep an eye on gas consumption and where you can next fill up, that's all. Don't run out of gas in -20 without cellphone coverage and no supplies! (about 40% of driving on this trip will have poor or no cellphone coverage) Someone will come along eventually, but it could be a long time.

Canada is a great place to do this kind of road trip. You will have a blast.

It has always annoyed me that the car hire companies don't fit winter tires as standard or by request at ski locations. Driving on cold and snowy roads with regular or 'all season' tires is a huge safety issue. Many of the employees of hire companies in ski gateway locations wouldn't dream driving to work without them. The fact that this issue is regularly voiced on forums suggests that there is a demand that isn't being met by the large rental companies. Requesting winter tires is by no means a guarantee of actually getting them with your hire car. It can be an inconvenience for some hire locations to make the exception of fitting the tires so will just offer to upgrade or not charge you, as if there is adequate compensation for the additional risk to you and your passengers that failing to fit them creates.

I have always made a point of complaining when getting a car without proper tires in a location in the midst of winter. In my view it should be standard. I have occasionally received a free tank of gas or other compensation as a result. Again this is no real compensation for the increased risk, but the more people's complaints dent their bottom line, the greater the likelihood that the large car rental companies will offer a real guaranteed choice of having the proper tires for the conditions.

Note that in Switzerland they have to be fitted by law, so if you rent from Geneva airport, choose the rental locations on the Swiss side.

MattSki_score wrote:all booked and can't wait now.

Flying into Vancouver then off to Whistler for 4 days then driving to Banff for 4 days then catching an NHL game in Calgary before flying home.

So if anybody body has any tips for ether resort please pass them on.

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Consider shortening your time in Whistler. It's a wonderful resort but it's extremely busy at the weekends and very expensive.

Banff has 3 resorts, Sunshine, Lake Louise and Norquay. All three are a drive out of town. Norquay is the closest and is more of a local hill although it has some fun steep terrain when the snow is good. Sunshine is 20 mins and LL is 45 min drive from the town of Banff where you will likely stay. Being in the Banff national park, not so much as a sign gets built without massive amount of scrutiny. The whole area is uniquely untouched UNESCO world heritage site. You will find amazing scenery at both Sunshine and LL.

The Banff resorts can still be quite busy at the weekends although not on the same scale as Whistler. You will get great conditions no matter what in Jan. Just be prepared for the possibility of some sub -10. Contrary to what many say, skiing in these temperatures can be quite pleasant and -20 is the exception, not the rule. The key to keeping your feet warm is to keep your torso and legs warm. Also make sure you remove your boot liners overnight and in no circumstances leave your boots in the car or you will regret it the following day. You can occasionally get very cold temps at WB too.

You should definitely check out one of the quieter resorts. My favorite is Kicking Horse which is located in Golden, a little over half way in your journey from Vancouver to Banff. You have 4,100 feet of skiable vertical with every type of skiing you might want from steep technical through open powder bowels to immaculately groomed runs. Mid-week (and after lunch if it's a powder day) you might find that you are the only skier on a run or sometimes have a whole bowl to yourself. There are many hikable in-bounds areas in which you will find powder days after a snowfall. There are many other great interior resorts such as Sun Peaks, Big White, Silver Star, Red, Whitewater, Fernie. Realisticaly, you are going to find those too far from your route from Vancouver in the limited time you have. Revelstoke and Kicking Horse are on the way.

Consider the following pass http://mountaincollective.com/ it gives you 2 days at Whistler Blackcomb and 2 days in the Banff resorts and 50% of the ticket price thereafter. It might save you a bit.

Hope this is helpful. You will have a great time.

Admin wrote:

andyhull wrote:Final details sorted for holiday to Niseko Japan and deposit paid. 16 of us going!
I'm a tad excited about this one!

Full trip report required for that one Andy! Although I'll probably have to ban you shortly afterwards on account of dribbling, whimpering jealousy! 8)

You will have a great time Andy.

So much powder. My top tip would be to leave your skis at home???

Ski carriage fees are an order of magnitude more expensive on Japanese legs of many airlines, especially the national ones. There's powder everywhere but the resort terrain is less steep than you might be used to, so it's a bit pointless trying to cope on mid width skis if that's what your used to. Unless you ski something like a Rossi S7 I would hire something as fat as you can.

Also, dining is a bit hit or miss. As a general rule the further from the slopes in Hirafu, the better. It's a while since we went, but I remember J-Sekka as good. The traditional Japanese restaurant opposite the 7-11 style place on the main road through town has amazing Sushi.

What's with all this contrition contagion?

I have no idea what anybody is going on about.