Ron was right....again

[Brendan]

Hi Guys,

Just back from a month in BC.  Took the IM72 (170) and yes it's a great ski but Ron was right it lacked a bit of "POP".  However tried the Monster 82 (172) - now that is a mind blowing ski.  Had a thigh deep day in Fernie, tried it on the ice at Sun Peaks, wow what a ski, it seems to do everything except super tight SR turns.
For those of you interested here's a very quick overview of some of the resorts I visited.
Sun Peaks - great family resort with some good skiing (my 7 year old's fave.)  Very good imitation Euro village - very firiendly, lots of varied terrain.
Big White - pretty good mountain but the village is soulless.
Fernie - serious wow factor.  Awesome town, incredible mountain, steeps, deep, gullies, glades - this place has the whole package for any advaced / expert.  My pick of BC.  I rank it right up there with Snowbird and other 'fuill tilt ski resorts'
Red - small resort but awesome skiing, especially if you can get a local to take you around.  Lots of secret spots and if you want great skiing and want to avoid crowds, this placeis worth considering.  Lots of steeps and plenty of places to scare yourself silly if you know where to look.
Kicking Horse - didn't grab me.  What to say about a place that realy has only one major lift (the gondola).
Whistler - for all of its commercialism, this place is amazing.  The Disneyland of ski resorts and some awesome skiing.  Looooong runs - ultimate thigh burners.

After a nightmarre knee operation, 2 years ago ( I was on crutches for 8 months,  had to relearn how to walk -  it was only a year ago that I could walk properly) - this was an awesome trip and all the more sweeter to get back in the mouthains - you really appreciate it when it almost slips away.  Thank God I'm back!!

All the best

Brendan

[Barrettscv]

Awsome info, and great news on your recovery.

I have a trip to Calgary during the end of February. I'm considering Sunshine village. It looks gnarly and is less than 2 hours from Calgary. Whats the word on this resort?

Thanks,

Michael

[Dave T]

There are several major ski areas accessible from Calgary.

Nakiska (smaller hill) maybe 1800 ft vertical less than 1 hr.
Mystique (Mt. Norquay) maybe 2200 ft right in Banff - old certified FIS track for slalom - big bumps on Black diamonds
Sunshine Village (3500 vert) - 1hr 15 mins fram Calgary (some locals say 1 hr ) great higher elevation on two mountains (top elevation is about 9200 ft with tree line about 7000ft) -aboslutely great snow.? I spent 3 years on the ski patrol ther in the 70's awesome memories of powder days.
Lake Louise 3200 ft vert- about 1hr 40 minutes (about 30-40 minutes past Sunshine turn off)? a great ski hill when the snow is good.? three sides on two mountains lots of terrain agmonst tredd runs.

Our rule of thumb was: If it was real cold in Calgary (like -20F) look for an inversion and go to Sunshine.? If it was real cold at Sunshine Louise could be warmer.

February should be great conditions are both mountains check the websites
http://www.skibanff.com/
http://www.skilouise.com/index.aspx

Have a great trip

Dave
 

[Ron]

Well thanks and I am very happy to hear you had some great turns! It sounds like you had epic conditions for sure, thigh high pow? That is just too cool!  Brendan, what is your weight? This is a great example of how you don't need 95mm underfoot for super deep pow.  I skied knee-high pow over Christmas in my 82's with no issues and Gary and I just skied 6-8" on our SuperShapes with no problems.

We leave for Steamboat on Saturday, I can only pray to get that much snow   

[Brendan]

Hey Ron,

I weigh 160 pounds and 5'11.  The 82's are awesome.  The only thing I did not mention is that except for one day the snow was much wetter than Utah or Colorado.  I do not know if this is always the case in BC or just the month I was there but I do know that one day it rained in Fernie and at the base they were handing out plastic 'raincoats' - reminded me of Thredbo in Australia.  The week I was in Fernie we got 1 monster dump and 2 other big dumps.  With the wet snow I have to concentrate much more and be on 'my game'.

BC is awesome, remote and wild and if you know where to look a great place to escape the crowds.  Fernie is definitely my pick of BC, however those Colorado high moutain altiudes sure produce some magic powder and my conclusion is that I more likely to return there next year. 

By the way the ongoing RX 8 vs Supershapes debate has me totally intrigued, I really want to try these.  Thanks for the great reviews and info.

Have a great time in Steamboat and may Ullr shower his blessings.

Brendan