Back to Revelstoke for a minute....
Hello Jim2 from Maine...I am the Friend from Canada that Jim1 from Kansas mentioned in Post #2.
As I said, I have not skied there but hear a lot about it from skiers that I chat with all around Canada, and read about in our ski media.? Basically, the vibe around Revelstoke is that it is today what Whistler was in its early years.? Revelstoke has only been operating for four years, but is attracting a lot of attention from expert skiers looking for challenging steep terrain, and lots of it.? There is more buzz about this place than any other in Canada at the moment, at least in the expert off-piste skiers community.
It has definitely had some growing pains, and is still in the development stage of its growth.? Cravheater's comments from his visit there where impressions from only their second year open.? Grooming was said to be spotty and poor, they only had a couple of lifts running, trail development was incomplete, and other infrastructure construction was still in progress, and intermediate and beginner terrain was almost non-existent.? But apparently they have come a long way in just two years since then, and things are much more civilized there now, and getting better every year.? It may still have an untamed Wild West feel to it, but that appeals to many.?
It attracts a lot of the young twenty-something fat ski crowd, which I suppose can be off-putting to those of us middle-aged folks (senior-citizen, in Gary's case
) used to more gentrified resorts, but it gives the place a kind of youthful energy.?
OTOH, if you are looking for a skiing challenge, it may be quite an adventure.? They have North America's highest lift-serviced vertical at 5,620 ft, 3,121 acres of fall line skiing, high alpine bowls, 13 areas of gladed terrain and more and more groomed terrain every year (not sure how much, though, but I hear they are developing a lot more intermediate terrain to make it accessible to a wider variety of skiers). They are also apparently the only resort world-wide to offer lift, cat, heli and backcountry skiing from one village base, which gives you access to a total of 515,000 acres of terrain.? And, they have 50 feet of annual snowfall!? As I said, the terrain is steep and gnarly....lots of challenge to be had.? Big boards mandatory.
If that sounds like it could roll your ski socks up and down, then go for it.? I can assert with confidence, that we Canadians are a pretty friendly bunch, and the westerners especially so.? And if you ski in a tutu, we may look at you with a twinkle and a grin, but we won't chuck you off a cliff?
.? Let us know if you make it there.
BTW, if you want to go up to that general area, but are looking for a more established resort with more variety of terrain for all levels of skiers, then there is no shortage of great places to ski up there.? Within a few hours drive there is Lake Louise, Sunshine (Banff), Norquay, Nakiska, Panorama, Kicking Horse (read the article in the recent Ski Magazine), Fernie, Red, Whitewater, Castle Mountain, and Marmot, and probably a few others I have missed.? A little further west there is Sun Peaks, Big White, Silver Star, Kimberly, and of course, Whistler-Blackcomb.? Lots to choose from.? All top-notch, world class skiing.?
Hope this was helpful.....and let me know if you have any more questions.
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