If we could choose only one resort to hit while in the British Columbia/Alberta area, we would definitely choose Kicking Horse. Of course, it all depends on the snowfall and storm systems because fresh snow will make or break any experience no matter where you are. We had such a blast at Kicking Horse and it was just like we remembered.
The bridge to get to the mountain.
Hank loves after skiing walks.
Our camp spot for a few nights.
The terrain at Kicking Horse is fun and there are plenty of options to scare yourself all over the mountain. The first two days we skied, there was fresh snow overnight and the third day, there wasn’t any fresh snow but we were able to get into some terrain that hadn’t opened the two previous days.
Low visibility this trip but the skiing was fun.
We were even lucky enough to experience a luxurious night in the Glacier Lodge at Kicking Horse in the base area. It was so nice to get out of the camper, do some laundry, get in a hot tub, and take showers. The view out our bedroom window was breathtaking and a view we could get used to waking up to.
View off the balcony early in the morning with the moon setting.
If there could have been two things to change while we skied at Kicking Horse, it would’ve been to have freezing level a bit lower and to have some decent visibility. Of course, those things are out of anyone’s control so we made due. It was unfortunate that the visibility was so bad because we felt a little bit restricted on what we would do or ski because at times you literally couldn’t tell if you were skiing up a slope or down.
If you are not lapping the Stairway to Heaven Chair, you have to ski all the way down to the base area and get back on the Gondola. This would be a really fun and long run if the freezing level was much lower. When the freezing level is around mid-mountain, it makes for some interesting skiing and extremely wet clothing when there is precipitation (skiing in rain is just weird).
Feuz Bowl is extremely fun and there are so many options to drop in that it takes a while to get skied out. While we waited for that to open, all the terrain right under the Stairway to Heaven Chair is extremely fun to lap (Redemption Ridge)! One benefit when there is no visibility is that there are parts of that that no one skis because they can’t see that it hasn’t been skied! They are short runs but they are really fun.
Once you move over to Feuz Bowl, the bowl or chute of your choice is a blast and then it’s the long haul down to the base area. Like I mentioned, on a dry powder day this run would be a good time.
Terminator One and Terminator Two add to the excitement of exploring Kicking Horse and we were able to get over to T1 on the third day. It’s a decent hike up to the summit but on a powder day, totally worth it. T2 unfortunately never opened while we were there but it sure did look like some of the best skiing we would’ve had on the trip. High alpine bowl that had been untouched the last few days seemingly had our names written all over it. We were bummed that they didn’t get it open but there is always next time!
On top of T1, with T2 in the background.
That upper bowl is T2 untouched.
On day three, we were really hoping that Whitewall would open, which is basically the upper portion of the Feuz Bowl. It hadn’t been skied in days and we knew it would be incredible. We heard that it would be happening around noon. It was about 11:30 when people started lining up at the stairway. We got in line and we were about 10 people back from the front.
It was freezing standing in line and our feet and fingers were fading quickly. We knew it would be worth it, but we also knew it could still be a couple of hours. After maybe 40 minutes of standing in line, the hike opened! Just a short hike to the top and we dropped into untouched snow. It was by far one of the best lines that we had had at Kicking Horse. It got pretty chewed up quickly so we were lucky to have been so close to the front of the line.
We didn’t have a problem staying in the small parking lot across from the resort’s main lot. It was just a short walk to the Gondola and it’s places like that that make us feel pretty lucky. While we didn’t really get to see the sun (it made a quick appearance one morning but then quickly went away), we skied some incredibly fun terrain. Kicking Horse lived up to the expectations and memories we had had from our previous visit.
The view from our camper bedroom window.
With the MAX Pass, you receive 5 days of skiing at all 39 participating resorts! They even have options like add-on passes, which is what we did for our Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus. For more information, visit the MAX Pass website.
