The Combine Forum banner

Advice needed for good family skiing places in Alberta

4K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  Transaxial 
#1 ·
Does anyone have any experience or recommendations for a good place to take your family down hill skiing in Alberta. My kids are 8-14 and the youngest two have never skied. Is there place that you like that is reasonably priced and has good training programs for kids. Any advice would be appreciated. We are hoping to find a place that is within a days drive to get to. Thanks SouthernSK
 
#3 · (Edited)
Powder King is $65 for lift tickets. but its two days drive for you. On average the best snow in North America.
Fernie is good (but expensive)and close to you. Lots of places to stay on the hill.
Lake Louise is good too.

Nakiska fortress and sunshine are not the best but are cheaper and would be fine for beginners. Not sure how they are this year but they get icy if it's warm out.
Jasper marmot basin is good too.
Never been to sun peaks Kimberly big white or kicking horse but I've heard they are all good too.
Powder King is the best though.
 
#4 ·
Closest is fernie it's expensive, but probably the best ski resort. Kimberly & panorama are smaller and cheaper but further. I liked both of them. Sunshine is ok, but you can't stay on the hill which I like to do.

3 years in a row we r going back to fernie, I actually just booked the kids lessons last night.
 
#5 ·
Disclaimer: I'm not the skier in the family, I've been once to Big White before we had kids, the bunny hill tried to kill me. I've destroyed my knees from sports, standing on concrete all day, and one particular incident involving a Case 930 and a Graham/Holme plow. Let's not go there.
This time last year we visited some friends near Lethbridge, and we all went to Castle Mountain. It's not hyper developed, like Banff or Lake Louise, and not out of reach as far as driving time, etc. We noted campers and RVs in the parking lot, which we thought we would do next time. My wife put the older two in lessons, there's a magic carpet for beginners, the lodge was reasonable and had a ample food. Next time I'm there I'll bring my snowshoes and take the little squirt for a hike.
Last weekend some friends invited us to go to Nakiska, it had been warm and Chinooking here for the week prior, and it was foggy/icy north of Calgary. My wife was also battling a nasty cold, so we didn't go, but the pictures our friends posted showed good conditions and bright sunshine, despite the reputation of icy slopes.
Check out Castle, it's probably the closest hill to where you are.
 
#11 ·
No worries, sir. I thought maybe you found some super-highway I didn't know about. I got panicky, and wasted my morning trying to sort out what I knew vs. what I thought I knew. Then the coffee wore off and I returned to normal function again.
 
#12 ·
Lots of options. The only one I'd absolutely rule out is Nakiska. It may occasionally have good conditions but normally its icy concrete. Once your kids learn to ski they may enjoy that kind of "snow" but I'd learn somewhere else. We started our kids out at Bragg Creek which is really close to Calgary but not much of a hill. Our kids were 6 and under at the time.

If it was me I'd go to either Westcastle or Kimberley. Westcastle can be miserably bloody windy but its a great hill and not particularly expensive. Kimberly and staying right on the hill is still my favorite spot but its maybe not the best place for beginners to start out. Sunshine has the advantage of a huge amount of terrain which opens the possibility that the beginners and the advanced skiers can both have a great day. The crowds can get tiresome but if you rent your gear off the hill its manageable, assuming you are renting. On the US side we have had a lot of fun at Bridger Bowl and at Big Sky. Even allowing for the anemic Canuck buck I think your lift tickets will still be cheaper on the US side but accommodations might eat up any saving. I've never had a good time at Fernie but I may be in the minority there.

The bottom line is that it likely doesn't matter where you go as long as you insist that everyone takes lessons. And I mean everyone. The advantage of lessons is that you will get stuck in a group of similar abilities so nobody will be waiting for anyone. And like the sign at Bridger says, "amateurs teach amateurs to be amateurs." We used to put everyone in lessons in the AM - including mom & dad. Then in the afternoon everyone could ski together and enjoy themselves. Another advantage of lessons is that the instructors will take you to areas of the hill which are suited to the abilities of the lesson group. At at big hill just knowing where you can ski enjoyably can be a huge asset.
 
#18 ·
Snipe beat me to the suggestion of Hidden Valley at Elkwater. You can't compare it to mountain resorts but for first timers it is a nice little hill. Little not referring to length of runs but to number of runs. That is where I taught my daughter to ski and it is more than enough challenge for even older kids for a couple of trips anyway. Knowing where you live Southern SK, you could even drive home after a day of skiing if you wanted. Mountains are pretty intimidating for some their first time out. Where ever you go, have fun and enjoy that time with your family! It passes so quickly!!

Google says 400km 3hrs 44 min
 
#16 ·
we have been to fernie, whitefish, kimberly, lake louise, sunshine, jasper, etc, and our preference has always been fernie or whitefish. They almost always have great snow and have on hill accommodations which especially with kids is in my mind a no brainer. We just got back from fernie last week and conditions were great. The other nice thing about fernie, whitefish, and kimberly, is that being a little further south than lake louise, in our experience the temperatures are usually much milder which can be a double edged sword, because sometimes on the lower mountain you can get a little bit of rain which isnt fun, but still better than 30 below. I have found that for beginner and intermediate skiers whitefish may have a more diverse area of the mountain to ski, Maybe not more beginner and intermediate area but a larger portion of the mountain with some of each. Either way if you have never been to either before both are amazing places. We have been to fernie the last two years, if we go next year I would guess we would go to whitefish just to change it up.
 
#17 ·
Staying on the hill is extremely good advice - particularly so with kids. Being able to get rigged up in the condo and come back home for lunch is wonderful. Buying food on the hill can be wicked expensive and making lunches the night before is a PITA.
 
#20 ·
No matter where you choose to go with your family, make the effort and go. We took our kids as they were growing up, sometimes 2 or 3 times through the winters. Our kids are grown now and they still ski with us , and now they started taking grandkids (the best part), it's great family times and a total change of scenery and mindset from the prairies!!! It's a bit of an effort to go but it will pay family time dividends and memories for years to come!!!! Have a great vacation!
 
#21 ·
Can anyone comment on the type of runs castle mountain has? We will need something more suited for beginners with green runs unless my kids pick it up fast. Is there any lights or night sking at Castle mountain there is none at hidden valley. My wife has looked into castle mountain and hidden valley at Elk water and we are trying to sort out which would be better for us. If anyone has comments let me know.
 
#23 · (Edited)
new info

All the best to you and your family SSK! Hope you have a fun trip. After 4-5 trips to Hidden Valley (it is on the north slope of Cypress Hills on the Havre hwy) my daughter and I made several trips to Castle mountain. I would rate it a decent ski hill. There are lots of good green and blue runs and it is easy to ski right to the lodge at the bottom of the main area. There is quite a little community of private housing there right along the runs to the lodge at the bottom. We talked about what it would be like to buy a little cabin there and do more skiing instead of all the other distractions we have in our lives. Never did. There is also some double black diamond areas there scattered across the far reaches of the mountain. Ask me how I know!! LOL. Because of location I think it is worth a try for beginner family. Like anywhere assuming the snow is decent. I skied once at a hill southeast of Great Falls maybe an hour. The snow was great and few people. As I recall it was worth a look sometime but crossing the border today may be too much hassle. Have fun!

Showdown MT is the ski hill I am remembering. Very good reviews for family and consistently good snow. For beginners over 7 they have a deal for $27 for lift tickets, rentals and lessons if you bring a can of Mountain Dew!! It is SW of Havre so would still be a hike for you.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top