Southern BC interior 2017/2018

[kootenayskier]

Re: Family day.

Bumber for businesses.... but I am personally pleased that its going to be one less weekend of no parking and line ups.

Sure the lineups are a little longer on holiday weekends, but the tourists here (Red) are clueless, stick to marked runs, and I’ve been skiing fresh lines bell to bell. Just heading out the door for another 30cm, minus 15 degrees C, howling northerlies, and a full day of powder in the trees.

[Kulharin]

The better conditions have moved south now, the taps have turned off in Revy after 50km/h N winds savaged the mountain; we only got a dusting from the last system where totals are closer to 30cm of new snow for the mountains south of us. The snow is pretty wind scoured now here. Seems anytime we get good snow this year its followed by powerful winds or a warm up immediately, but fortunately we haven't had to wait long for new snow to reset the mountain... this time however we look to be moving into a long cold, dry period.

And If the snow is good then Stoke to Mid mountain is pretty amazing. I usually warm up with one stoke lap then ski stoke to mid... Great terrain in the mid mountain if conditions are good. Skiing to the very bottom though of the lower gondola is only something I do for the last run... If snow ain't great on the lower half I stick to Stoke and Ripper chair.

Conditions are more often than not less than ideal on the lower half of the mountain, so when it's good I take full advantage of it. But yes we absolutely do need a 3rd high elevation lift... unfortunately the current owners won't be building one in the forseeable future.

[kootenayskier]

Balls deep and blower at Red yesterday.

[cmcrawfo]

The better conditions have moved south now, the taps have turned off in Revy after 50km/h N winds savaged the mountain; we only got a dusting from the last system where totals are closer to 30cm of new snow for the mountains south of us. The snow is pretty wind scoured now here. Seems anytime we get good snow this year its followed by powerful winds or a warm up immediately, but fortunately we haven't had to wait long for new snow to reset the mountain... this time however we look to be moving into a long cold, dry period.

And If the snow is good then Stoke to Mid mountain is pretty amazing. I usually warm up with one stoke lap then ski stoke to mid... Great terrain in the mid mountain if conditions are good. Skiing to the very bottom though of the lower gondola is only something I do for the last run... If snow ain't great on the lower half I stick to Stoke and Ripper chair.

Conditions are more often than not less than ideal on the lower half of the mountain, so when it's good I take full advantage of it. But yes we absolutely do need a 3rd high elevation lift... unfortunately the current owners won't be building one in the forseeable future.

Your updates are always kinda depressing, even when you have good news to report.

.... I like ur style.

[robnow]

Sure the lineups are a little longer on holiday weekends, but the tourists here (Red) are clueless, stick to marked runs, and I’ve been skiing fresh lines bell to bell. Just heading out the door for another 30cm, minus 15 degrees C, howling northerlies, and a full day of powder in the trees.

I said pretty much the same in the Rockies thread, as busy as Saturday and Sunday were at Fernie, all punters and was skiing fresh lines bell-bell both days. Everywhere got hammered with the wind Saturday night but Fernie really reaped the rewards with full on refills and even though Saturday had about 30cms, Sunday was skiing a little better due to the more supportive snow over last weekends rain crust.

[grinch]

Nice day at rmr in the sun. Touch of wind but not too bad of a bite. All that fresh from the last dumps were pressed pretty good apart from direct south(reverse loaded). Wind even got down quite a bit below tree line. Funky crust everywhere. Nice styrofoam turns on the hill

[paulster2626]

But yes we absolutely do need a 3rd high elevation lift... unfortunately the current owners won't be building one in the forseeable future.

Why is that? No money, or shitty owners, or something else? With one more chair somewhere - anywhere really - that place would be balls-to-the-wall awesome. Just to cut down on traverses/cat tracks and being able to lap the same zone over and over in a fairly vertical line would be killer.

Lets start a gofundme!

[Caucasian Asian]

This might not be the best place to post this, but fuck it, I don’t care.

This kid left a house on Burfield Drive at Sun Peals at 2am Saturday morning, and didn’t make it home. His house was about a 10 minute walk. He hasn’t been seen since.
RCMP and SAR were called and were on scene with dogs, helicopters, and drones searching for him, but there are still no signs of him. SAR has suspended their search for him.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[cmcrawfo]

Why is that?

Because it just doesn't make sense in the near future. It never did. These concerns were pointed out before they broke ground. And the shortcomings of the resort have been common knowledge since its inception... but the place has stoke in its name, high snow banks, and an industrial vibe..so it was easy to lure the bro-brahs there on lofty promises of being the next whistler.

[cmcrawfo]

I hope that kid is just partying some place... been a bad week for lone males at interior ski resorts this.

[DanoT]

Because it just doesn't make sense in the near future. It never did. These concerns were pointed out before they broke ground. And the shortcomings of the resort have been common knowledge since its inception... but the place has stoke in its name, high snow banks, and an industrial vibe..so it was easy to lure the bro-brahs there on lofty promises of being the next whistler.

^^^QFT. The original owners hired Al Raine as a consultant and he advised them to not proceed with the project. (For those who don't know, Al is married to former Olympic and WC Champion Nancy Greene and was instrumental in the early 80s for the success of Whistler-Blackcomb).

Al's main reasons for not recommending RMR:

1. The size and scope of the development was too large for a small town like Revelstoke.
2. Revelstoke is too remote and hard to get to.
3. Base elevation too low
4. Not enough intermediate "family friendly" terrain.

#4 is the real killer as it is mostly families that buy second homes in ski country and lack of intermediate terrain can't be fixed by more lifts or better road or air access. And then the real estate developer/owners go and price real estate higher than Whistler!!!

OTOH we are the beneficiaries of owners, with no ski industry experience and more money than brains, who decide not to listen to hired experts.

[grinch]

I’d be interested to see their returns, or is it losses at this point. I was surprised the last few days. Pretty cold. No real lines . Both the lodges and bars were completely packed. I never go in the mid mountain lodge and only occasionally hit the restaurant/bar at the base for wing night(20wings/$8 and a big beer/$8.75). Really cold(for Revy)mid week and everything is over full.
Also , went up the lift with someone from the companies head office. He said they’re building another hotel next year and hinted at a possible additional lift the following year. Personally I have zero complaints as is. I really don’t have to look too hard to find fresh almost any day

[jmars]

Looks like I’m going to have some time off for just shy of 2weeks in 12 days (just got word)....with that said I’m thinking of driving around and hitting the mtns in your fine land.

I was in Revy 3 years ago now on a horrible season and I’m hoping to not recreate that if possible. I know no one here can guarantee perfectly awesome conditions but how is early March typically? I can go where snow is which is nice but I’d also like to experience some resorts and eviroments new to me so bouncing around the powder highway is high on my list.

Any thoughts or help would be great.

Thanks in advance

[cmcrawfo]

If you are mobile and flexible it will work out.

[grinch]

Looks like I’m going to have some time off for just shy of 2weeks in 12 days (just got word)....with that said I’m thinking of driving around and hitting the mtns in your fine land.

I was in Revy 3 years ago now on a horrible season and I’m hoping to not recreate that if possible. I know no one here can guarantee perfectly awesome conditions but how is early March typically? I can go where snow is which is nice but I’d also like to experience some resorts and eviroments new to me so bouncing around the powder highway is high on my list.

Any thoughts or help would be great.

Thanks in advance

I’ve been known to jinx things so I’ll just say it’s fairly consistent as far as good conditions. It helps if your schedule is flexible. Between Revelstoke/rmr, golden/kickinghorse, and Lakelouise the temperature varies a fair bit. On average golden is 5ish degrees colder than revelstoke and the lake is another 5 degrees colder than golden. Revy gets more snow than golden but they have a lot more north facing aspects so it may/may not last longer and load more. Lake gets less than g town but it’s good terrain and good coverage this year. Follow the snow and/or temp. Red, whitewater and fern or are great options too and can really get hammered . Can also get warm and rain there. Maybe a touch more susceptible to the rain than revelstoke because they’re south and lower elevation but not always. The best is probably the one with the best dump atm

[jmars]

Thanks Grinch...WW and Fernie are high on the list. Looking to leave the 48 and doing some homework now...I like windshield time so I’m wide open on where to go. I jinx most things so I get it

[grinch]

Thanks Grinch...WW and Fernie are high on the list. Looking to leave the 48 and doing some homework now...I like windshield time so I’m wide open on where to go. I jinx most things so I get it

Word. Throw a pm if you’re rolling thru Revy . Do some laps eh

[jmars]

Thanks, on my to do list for sure.

[sparkletarte.]

I.m out this season so can.t show you stuff at ww but if you have q,s i can answer them. March can be super awesome with a deep base and lots of snow. two weeks tho you.ll get something good somewhere. It.s been an excellent season so far. Three metre base now, my fav.

[jmars]

Thanks guys, I loved the taste I got of your enviro...conditions may have been low tide when I was there last but that’s how it goes. Fingers crossed I can get a good read on the weather bc I’m not feeling the 48 during this time of freedom

[Kulharin]

From what I've been told Revelstoke started seeing returns and profits in 2014/2015 season; prior to that they were operating at a loss... Increased visitors, a pick up in real-estate and the mountain coaster have helped. In most cases if it doesn't snow there are no lines... 15+ cm overnight and the morning will have long lines mid-week and worse on weekends. They had planned to build a shorter lift between the top of the 2nd Gondola and the ripper chair that would have serviced some great high elevation beginner and intermediate terrain, which holds the snow very well... It would have also created a 2nd lift to access from the Gondola and a way to the ripper chair that didn't depend on the Stoke Chair. They even cut the lift line for this prolly 6-7 years ago... but then never built the lift.

But the owners are pretty awful when it comes to facility and infrastructure investment; all hype, propaganda and excuses... plus they are now extremely butt-hurt with the town of Revelstoke for approving an adjacent hotel/real-estate development... though the majority of interior BC ski resorts have been stagnant for 10-15 years in terms of development. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure the only interior resorts that have seen any meaningful terrain/facility/infrastructure improvements have been Fernie, Red and Whitewater.

[LeeLau]

J/grinch. RMR is now cash flow + after going bankrupt twice and wiping out their debt. Altho it remains to be seen if anyone will lend them significan $$ to throw at more capital expenses after getting burned.

Local contractors remember getting the 60c on the dollar from the gagliardi citiots so there's warranted caution.

Edit. Kulharin beat me to it

[TahoeJ]

If Revelstoke had better access besides flying into Kelowna (or Calgary and driving 5 hours), that place would take off like crazy, regardless of it not being all that family friendly. Easily one of my (new) favorite mountains. You locals should probably appreciate the lack of investment to a certain degree. Maybe we can divert some of the money they're trying to pour into Squaw. :-)

It did surprise me how little lodging there was near the actual resort, although I guess the drive back to town is only 7-10 minutes.

[thefortrees]

Personally I have zero complaints as is. I really don’t have to look too hard to find fresh almost any day

As an out of towner/tourist to Revelstoke on occasion, I agree with you! Add more lifts and it gets tracked out that much quicker - I love the vibe and the skiing at RMR as is. I feel like there's always a way to navigate the lines on "crowded" days, and despite the traverses back to the lifts, I always leave the place with tired legs - still get in a ton of vert!

[paulster2626]

With all this talk of how shitty Revelstoke is, I'm still having a hard time convincing myself that last week's trip wasn't a looooot of fun even without new snow and "icy" conditions.

As far as I'm concerned, the remoteness makes it a sort of mecca. Talk with people in other towns and Revy is legendary - everyone wants to go there.

I mean shit, I'll take lift lines like this all day everyday: