2019/2020 CANADIAN ROCKIES THREAD

[mntlion]

also banff ski swap Oct 10/11 AND 17/18

And calgary swap is NOT happening. I think banff sale might be a bit busier then last year.

[nickinbc]

also banff ski swap

Be almost as interesting seeing how social distancing works at a ski swap as in the gondola line on a powder day.

[pano-dude]

Locals week at KHo. Free pass for everything, including biking up until Friday. You just need a license with a Golden or Area A address on it.

Wow, nice to see a resort give back to the locals.


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[mntlion]

snow up high in banff, lake louise, pano, marmot etc.

[goldenshowers]

Wow, nice to see a resort give back to the locals.


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They do it once in the winter and once in the summer, this was the first time they allowed you a whole week to choose when to use the pass and included mountain biking. In the past, it was only one specific day and sightseeing/hiking only.

In continued tradition from Ballast Nedam days of ownership they still offer a locals pass price.

They also have the Summit Fund which funds various projects around the community (school playgrounds, hockey teams, cycling club). I believe this program is currently on hold due to the covid.

Once a year, staff clean up garbage along the entire road from the Columbia River to the ski hill.

All and all, in addition to being one of the community's biggest employers, they do lots of good too!

[skiitsbetter]

The no grouping-up thing will be interesting. skinning to Goats Eye or Temple will probably be a key strategy on powder days. Otherwise lift capacities should be able to handle it once everyone is up there. RIP Fernie, Kicking Horse, and Revelstoke skiers. Someone will crank out a bottom to top lap at Panorama while their buddy waits in a gondola line at KHMR. Castle's capacity shouldn't be changed too much if there's no pairing up. Whitewater will be back to where they were with summit as a double.

[goldenshowers]

Prepare for some serious slack/backcountry jongage. Be leery of who lies above you this upcoming season more than ever. Time to head farther and deeper in to the abyss for solitude and bliss.

[OffStandish]

SSV's posted their operational plans for the winter and it pretty much looks like business as usual for the lifts and gondy, except for the mandatory masks. Lodges will have a few more restrictions. If LL is similar, things might not shape up to be too bad.

https://www.skibanff.com/explore/new...-winter-season

[himavan]

Morning lines at SSV will surely suck. I was there the last couple days before the shutdown and was not prepared for the gondola lineup (i.e. didn't get in early enough). Will have a weekday pass at LL this winter (and a work sabbatical!). Looks like the new summit lift is all in. I'm not looking forward to the traffic, snowboarders and snow bikes up top, but my quads will be thankful.

Can anyone tell me about westbowl? I've never been in that zone. What's the terrain like? Any idea how far out the new resort boundary will go and will everything in between be open? Is the access back to the lifts going to be well below top of the world?

[teamdirt]

Access back is mid Olympic chair( ie: dubbed Star Wars all these years if u have heard of that) Same terrain as rest of mtn, no different...just more available terrain on pow days. Nothing to get to excited about, it’s been skied to moguls for decades....

[Shorty_J]

Found an email in my junk folder offering mountain collective passes at par... advertised at $489 but you get charged $370 USD so mine came in at $503 today... close enough.

I made a little spreadsheet and if you only use 5 free days (there are 10 possible just at Canadian resorts) and compare that to having a louise card, it's almost break even at that 5th day.

Even if you bought it and only went to louise and sunshine all year it's a better deal than the louise card on the 10th day.

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[pano-dude]

They sent out an email to pass holders that they will not be doing bonus weekends due to the time schedule they have for getting the list service crew in for their annual inspection /overhaul

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There was no lift maintenance happening on the mile 1 all week before or during the long weekend. Resort was busy with people just wondering around with nothing to do.
It seems more and more the upper Management does not want to succeed in summer operations while All other resorts are pouring money into summer ops. They lost 2 long term trail builders half way through the summer and did not even try to keep them.
But they have put all the snow guns out on the runs already and were quick to Instagram the fresh snow on Sunday.....

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[teamdirt]

There was no lift maintenance happening on the mile 1 all week before or during the long weekend. Resort was busy with people just wondering around with nothing to do.
It seems more and more the upper Management does not want to succeed in summer operations while All other resorts are pouring money into summer ops. They lost 2 long term trail builders half way through the summer and did not even try to keep them.
But they have put all the snow guns out on the runs already and were quick to Instagram the fresh snow on Sunday.....

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shhhhhh- the investors group are filthy rich and only golf, they don't give two shits about mtn biking on sept long weekend...don't act surprised...if u want to protest those mansions surrounding Grey wolf are the 12-18 different investors that own the mtn.......

As for the snow guns-Early season on snow training Facilities for international clients has been and still is one of there biggest winter incomes....guess we will see how that pans out with covid but my guess is they will be able to come and train as long as they quarantine upon arrival...

[Shorty_J]

Wasn't Pano overrun with higher than normal mtb riders this year?

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[mntlion]

Wasn't Pano overrun with higher than normal mtb riders this year?

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yes, busier, but not overrun

but also started later, ended eary (no sept) and only open 5/7 days

[pano-dude]

Wasn't Pano overrun with higher than normal mtb riders this year?

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The entire Columbia Valley was over run with MTB riders this year.

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[dufferdan]

shhhhhh- the investors group are filthy rich and only golf, they don't give two shits about mtn biking on sept long weekend...don't act surprised...if u want to protest those mansions surrounding Grey wolf are the 12-18 different investors that own the mtn.......

As for the snow guns-Early season on snow training Facilities for international clients has been and still is one of there biggest winter incomes....guess we will see how that pans out with covid but my guess is they will be able to come and train as long as they quarantine upon arrival...

I was at the resort the week leading up to Labour Day and the week after, worked remotely from our place there. Given the late date of Labour Day, it was going to be tough to get enough folks to make it pay. The weekend prior was almost crickets. I did however, do several long mountain bike rides out past Hale Hut and back and down around Lake Lillian. Lots of mountain biking to be had Labour Day.

I know several of the owners, one I worked with as long ago as 1990. They are passionate about the mountain, but because cash shortages come from their jeans, they have to have a solid business mentality and sense of sustainability. One of the owners paid well into 6 figures to have Stumbocks widened and it is one of the best cruising runs on the hill now. Owning the mountain is a passion for most of them, certainly the guy I know well, but they are business people first and have to have an eye on sustainability. They do invest in the hill aggressively. For the last 8 or 10 years crews go to different areas of the hill and glade aggressively to open up new terrain over the summer. The “lawn mower” they bought last year to cut down all the underbrush before the snow flew really opened up the cruising runs on Founders Ridge. They added the Discovery Chair which took a huge load off of the mile 1 as it moved beginners to their own area.

A lot of good things have been done by the current ownership group. The mountain is a far better destination and facility than it was a decade ago. A lot of that has come fronm the vision and investment of the current ownership group. I could point to a lot of other resorts in the region that have been largely stagnant the last 10-12 years because the owner won’t invest ahead of the revenue (ME owned resorts perhaps???).

The owner I am friends with, btw, doesn’t golf and has never played Greywolf. But he is a passionate skier. I do believe he mountain bikes and hikes though.


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[crashidy]

I was out there the other day and biked from the base up to hopeful. They have cut another run on the west side too. Definitely doing work. Golf course had their best year ever, lots that have sat vacant for years are getting built. Looked to be some new snow guns out and about too. That and the best conditions I've had on moose pow all year

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[pano-dude]

I was at the resort the week leading up to Labour Day and the week after, worked remotely from our place there. Given the late date of Labour Day, it was going to be tough to get enough folks to make it pay. The weekend prior was almost crickets. I did however, do several long mountain bike rides out past Hale Hut and back and down around Lake Lillian. Lots of mountain biking to be had Labour Day.

I know several of the owners, one I worked with as long ago as 1990. They are passionate about the mountain, but because cash shortages come from their jeans, they have to have a solid business mentality and sense of sustainability. One of the owners paid well into 6 figures to have Stumbocks widened and it is one of the best cruising runs on the hill now. Owning the mountain is a passion for most of them, certainly the guy I know well, but they are business people first and have to have an eye on sustainability. They do invest in the hill aggressively. For the last 8 or 10 years crews go to different areas of the hill and glade aggressively to open up new terrain over the summer. The “lawn mower” they bought last year to cut down all the underbrush before the snow flew really opened up the cruising runs on Founders Ridge. They added the Discovery Chair which took a huge load off of the mile 1 as it moved beginners to their own area.

A lot of good things have been done by the current ownership group. The mountain is a far better destination and facility than it was a decade ago. A lot of that has come fronm the vision and investment of the current ownership group. I could point to a lot of other resorts in the region that have been largely stagnant the last 10-12 years because the owner won’t invest ahead of the revenue (ME owned resorts perhaps???).

The owner I am friends with, btw, doesn’t golf and has never played Greywolf. But he is a passionate skier. I do believe he mountain bikes and hikes though.


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I agree with all your points on the new ownership.
Summer market could be so much larger if they would just do it. They were so close to being a leader when they put hangers on the Champagne chair and started developing Alpine trails only to shit the bed operationally and not hire enough staff to run it(or that was the reason they came up with).
If they took that 6 figure money and put it into the summer operation the resort would be second to none and money would follow.
Now they are not allowing the fasted growing segment of biking (ebikes) because the lifties are to weak to lift them off the rack and complained. Instead of figuring out a way to handle the heavy load(which is no different than a 10year old DH bike) they take the easy route.
They cancelled the Enduro motorcycle race too, it brought in a couple hundred people who all stayed at the resort and ate at the restaurant in the off season when revenue is tight. The event was run by the local moto club with no effort to the resort.
The same organizer has an in with factory Husqvarna, and they were doing product testing etc on the mountain, they filled rooms and restaurants for a couple weeks, marketed the area world wide. Guess what? They no longer come here, More lost revenue.
The summer operations crew has done an amazing job with very little support, I am grateful for them and what they have done but unfortunately they are tired of the lack of support from above and some have moved on to other operations where they are appreciated.




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[pano-dude]

I was out there the other day and biked from the base up to hopeful. They have cut another run on the west side too. Definitely doing work. Golf course had their best year ever, lots that have sat vacant for years are getting built. Looked to be some new snow guns out and about too. That and the best conditions I've had on moose pow all year

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You're lucky the trail closure nazi didn't catch you. There has been a senior management person sitting at the bottom of certain trails giving heavy lectures about how the resort is closed and they don't want people accessing the trails. Yet they are promoting the hiking trails as open????

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[crashidy]

Ha really?! First I've heard of that. Based on strava it looks like they all get hit daily haha. Man if they marketed that hopeful hike to the old fucks and ran the chair for a couple hours they could make some bank. So beautiful up there.

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[mntlion]

for people who dont ski much in the rockies or travel a bunch

https://www.skibig3.com/mountain-collective-pass/

$500 CND

2 days each SSV, LL, Pano, Reve. All other days 50% off

[mntlion]

and come to banff this fall?

https://www.banfflakelouise.com/TasteForAdventure

[dufferdan]

I agree with all your points on the new ownership.
Summer market could be so much larger if they would just do it. They were so close to being a leader when they put hangers on the Champagne chair and started developing Alpine trails only to shit the bed operationally and not hire enough staff to run it(or that was the reason they came up with).
If they took that 6 figure money and put it into the summer operation the resort would be second to none and money would follow.
Now they are not allowing the fasted growing segment of biking (ebikes) because the lifties are to weak to lift them off the rack and complained. Instead of figuring out a way to handle the heavy load(which is no different than a 10year old DH bike) they take the easy route.
They cancelled the Enduro motorcycle race too, it brought in a couple hundred people who all stayed at the resort and ate at the restaurant in the off season when revenue is tight. The event was run by the local moto club with no effort to the resort.
The same organizer has an in with factory Husqvarna, and they were doing product testing etc on the mountain, they filled rooms and restaurants for a couple weeks, marketed the area world wide. Guess what? They no longer come here, More lost revenue.
The summer operations crew has done an amazing job with very little support, I am grateful for them and what they have done but unfortunately they are tired of the lack of support from above and some have moved on to other operations where they are appreciated.




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I think they get there. I agree, get two if not three chairs running in the summer and it would be epic. I have no clue about the e-bike issue. That could get figured out, some things take time. Lots to deal with this year, so I give them a bit of a pass. Next year...maybe not...


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[pano-dude]

Ha really?! First I've heard of that. Based on strava it looks like they all get hit daily haha. Man if they marketed that hopeful hike to the old fucks and ran the chair for a couple hours they could make some bank. So beautiful up there.

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Yup, sitting at the bottom of Sanchez last week nabbing staffies who were doing quick laps.

They have marketed it in the past on this weekend called the Tamarack walk, charged $100 a pop for hikers to take 2 chairs up and down. Sold out every day.

Bike park manager runs into road blocks every time something is proposed.

Finally raining this morning, winter like conditions forecasted for the High country. I have one more load of firewood to get and then the sled deck goes on.

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