# Canada and US - where to go?



## Guest (Sep 18, 2007)

Hey all,

I'm making my first trip over to North America at the end of this year, and am looking forward to seeing some snow again soon (I'm from Australia, and we've pretty much hit the end of the season here...)
Just wondering if you might please be able to give me some recommendations for where to go do some boarding? I'd say I'm an intermediate rider - down here, I usually do blue and black runs.

I'm going to be based in Vancouver for 4 weeks - Whistler-Blackcomb is definitely on the agenda...but there are also 3 mountains close to central Vancouver (which I believe offer night skiing/boarding?) - are any of them better than the others for boarders?

Then...I;m heading to Banff - and from what I've read, there are 3 resorts there to choose from? Problem being - I only have 2 days  Which of those would you recommend??

Then a little later, I'm heading over to Quebec, and will be doing a couple of days on Mont Tremblant....

And here's where I need the most advice - I've probably got a couple more days to spend boarding in the US - most likely in Colorado - where would you recommend I go??

Thanks in advance for your input - I can't wait to go!!


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

In the US. Jackson Wyoming, Colorado (probably Summit county for a first timer), Utah (Salt Lake area duh!), and California (Tahoe) would be good spots to hit. If you get time to hit Seattle area resorts do it. They just don't seem to have "ski towns" like the other places mentioned.


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## Slaughterhouse (Aug 17, 2007)

Ok, if you are going to Alberta (Banff) there are a couple of places but if you had to choose go to Sunshine Village and Castle Mountain. Lots of people swear Lake Louise is better than Sunshine but it's a personal preference thing. You will like Castle because it has some killer (literally) terrain. Make sure that you stop by Kicking Horse on the BC side if you are travelling by car but be careful, Rogers Pass is avalanche prone and you won't even know what has just launched your car off the side of a mountain. If you just want to stick to the 3 resorts in Banff (Sunshine, Lake Louise and Norquay) then pick up a "Tri-area pass" which will allow you access to all three resorts for one price. Parking can be a bitch at the big resorts, but at least it's free.


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2007)

Thanks for the recommendations! I won't have a car, so I'll be relying on buses and the like to get me from here to there. I don't trust myself driving on the wrong side of the road (we drive on the left here in Australia!)  

Didn't realise there were ski places around Seattle - where abouts are they?? I'm probably only going to be there for a weekend or so...but if I can fit it in, I will.

Another question, what's the snow cover like in Whistler by the end of November? I'll probably head up around Thanksgiving weekend...what's it usually like around then?


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## Snowjoe (Jul 3, 2007)

Out of the three resorts in banff I would steer clear of Norquay as its the smaller one, when they refer to the resorts as "Big 3" it really means "Big2.5". Personally I prefer Sunshine as I think theres a bigger variety of runs there, and Louise has a reputation for getting pretty icy much more often. However if you ride park hit Louise instead because the park crew at sunshine have no idea what theyre doing and cant build for shit.

Another thing to take into account if your actually staying in the town of Banff is that Sunshine is only 20 odd km away wheras Louise is 60km away, so theres a big difference in how early you need to get up.

Also if you go to Louise you can come and see me


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Being that I am not a Seattle expert, local, or very familiar with the area, let me refer you to snowboard seattle. Baker, Crystal, Alpental, and several others are all within a few hours (to minutes) of Seattle. Snowolf can probably give you some info on this site. Otherwise the sbseattle guys know the area inside and out.


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## Slaughterhouse (Aug 17, 2007)

Yeah, Norquay is pretty lame. What it does have going for it is that if the temperatures drop below -30 Celsius their chairlifts can still operate (Sunshine needs to shut down below -30 because the gondola becomes "brittle"). If you are a strong rider then check out Delirium Dive which is what is known as "extreme terrain" at the resort. You will need the full backcountry ensemble and a friend who is a strong rider or they will not let you through the gate. I always ride alone, though I've had a few offers of a partner...I also need to build my nerve up for it. There is also the Goat's Eye...


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## Snowjoe (Jul 3, 2007)

I'll be honest the dive isnt anywhere near as hard as its made out to be so long as you know where your going, but if you fall your in for a long roll. Then theres wild west off of goats eye which is killer and will eat you up if you dont know where to go. Then silver city, you arent allowed in without the ski patrol seeing you ride, as if you fall here its all over.

If you do go to sunshine this season and want to hit the Dive then let me know, Im near there so I'll be happy to guide a bit, I know the easiest route down.


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## Slaughterhouse (Aug 17, 2007)

Snowjoe said:


> I'll be honest the dive isnt anywhere near as hard as its made out to be so long as you know where your going, but if you fall your in for a long roll. Then theres wild west off of goats eye which is killer and will eat you up if you dont know where to go. Then silver city, you arent allowed in without the ski patrol seeing you ride, as if you fall here its all over.
> 
> If you do go to sunshine this season and want to hit the Dive then let me know, Im near there so I'll be happy to guide a bit, I know the easiest route down.


Sweet dude! I've got a laminated pic of the Dive on my office wall as we speak. There are a few areas that look like a good drop-in point. I've been wanting this for about two seasons now. We will have to kill as many beers as we can after! :thumbsup:


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Oh man that terrain looks gorgeous! I caught a Youtube of one of the drops. Yeah, that is effin' steep, but it doesn't look like anything that can't be done to me. Now do you have to air into everything? It doesn't look that way to me, but for sure there is a lot of it that you do. Got a good pic of what I would consider madatory air here. Damn that has me droolin'. Jackson, Squaw, Crested Butte all have steep assed shit like this. Though I have to say, that cirque might be the most impressive one I have seen. Man, at my old job I had a free trip to Sunshine in the bag. Then I got an offer with a huge pay increase from another department that I couldn't pass on. So the group I was working for wasn't about to award me the trip. I looked at the map and knew I was missing some good stuff, but I didn't realize how good until now...


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## Slaughterhouse (Aug 17, 2007)

killclimbz said:


> Oh man that terrain looks gorgeous! I caught a Youtube of one of the drops. Yeah, that is effin' steep, but it doesn't look like anything that can't be done to me. Now do you have to air into everything? It doesn't look that way to me, but for sure there is a lot of it that you do. Got a good pic of what I would consider madatory air here. Damn that has me droolin'. Jackson, Squaw, Crested Butte all have steep assed shit like this. Though I have to say, that cirque might be the most impressive one I have seen. Man, at my old job I had a free trip to Sunshine in the bag. Then I got an offer with a huge pay increase from another department that I couldn't pass on. So the group I was working for wasn't about to award me the trip. I looked at the map and knew I was missing some good stuff, but I didn't realize how good until now...



Most people that die at Sunshine, die in the Dive. It's not avalanches; it's the rocks. Just the other season a fellow's brains were turned inside out on the Dive first week it opened. It is not the pitch that I'm worried about. It's that long, long tumble with unforgiving rock.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Well isn't that always the case? Pick your lines with care...


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## Slaughterhouse (Aug 17, 2007)

killclimbz said:


> Well isn't that always the case? Pick your lines with care...


So true! :thumbsup:


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2007)

You should definately hit up Lake Louise and Sunshine. I went there in March 2007 and it was the best experience ever in my 18 years of being alive. Ha! You should also try to hit up Silver Star and/or Big White near Kelowna, BC, which is a few hours drive from Vancouver. My best friends are going there and apparently it is sick. In BC there are a bunch of really sweet ass hills, like Fernie, you can try that 1 too. I really hate you because I wish I could do that this winter break but I can't. In Quebec you should also hit up Mont Ste. Anne, it is a pretty good hill considering it is east coast and Jay Peak VT. is not far from MTL (Montreal). Make sure you go out at night in Montreal... Montreal is the best place ever. 
I'm jealous

PS - If I were you I would save the west for last


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## Snowjoe (Jul 3, 2007)

killclimbz said:


> Oh man that terrain looks gorgeous! I caught a Youtube of one of the drops. Yeah, that is effin' steep, but it doesn't look like anything that can't be done to me. Now do you have to air into everything? It doesn't look that way to me, but for sure there is a lot of it that you do. Got a good pic of what I would consider madatory air here. Damn that has me droolin'. Jackson, Squaw, Crested Butte all have steep assed shit like this. Though I have to say, that cirque might be the most impressive one I have seen. Man, at my old job I had a free trip to Sunshine in the bag. Then I got an offer with a huge pay increase from another department that I couldn't pass on. So the group I was working for wasn't about to award me the trip. I looked at the map and knew I was missing some good stuff, but I didn't realize how good until now...


Yeah the dive is fine so long as you pick a decent line, on that video you can see either on the right side at the start a more mellow drop in thats serviced by steps, or on the left when the video finishes a harder entrance but better chute which is pretty easy.









You can see the mellower entry on the right, or in the background the chutes, which you have to hike into. They dont looks overly steep but thats the rock pitch the slope inside that is worse lol. Then you have the cliff band underneath to worry about.

Now a 2 pictures showing some really fun runs at sunshine. 1 marked out and the 2nd unedited so you can see!


















You cant see alot of the dive there though. Fun story, the Warren Miller crew were filming at sunshine, and the team were doing backflips off of the cliffs in silver city, ridiculous. Plus one of the ski patrol was paid to ski the random chute, which is the most ridiculous line ever ha.

Sorry thread got a bit sidetracked.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

All I can say is that terrain looks 'effin sweet. Canada definitely has some of the shiziznit, which I already knew of course. I can imagine that with some decent powder that area is a full on riot. 

Thanks for the stoke! :thumbsup:


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2007)

Ok, I'll come out and say it, I am NOT going anywhere near that run, because I will definitely not make it out alive  And believe me, I do want to make it back to Australia alive, so I can tell my friends how much North American snow kicks arse over the Aussie stuff  

Looks like I'll be hitting Sunshine then, seeing as it gets the thumbs up from so many people! I don't really ride park...yet. I wouldn't mind getting into it, do they offer lessons in basic park skills (anywhere, not specifically in Banff)?

In Montreal, I think we were thinking of Mont Tremblant, but I'll definitely look into Mont Ste Anne too, thanks for the recommendation!!!


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

I would skip the east side (Tremblant) unless you are going to be in the area for other reasons. Spend your time hitting the Western resorts. There are plenty of amazing parks and the freeride terrain kicks butt over the east. 

Otherwise, Tremblant is supposed to be one of the better hills in the east.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Second thing for snowjoe,

What is the backcountry like around Sunshine? Is that near Rogers Pass. I am planning on making a trip there. Originally it was going to be this year, but now I have to wait one more season. Any other backcountry spots in the Sunshine area? I am planning on a week trip with one or two resort days. The rest will be touring. Looking for roadside touring areas, daytrip earn your turns type stuff. Any hut recommendations are good too.


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## Slaughterhouse (Aug 17, 2007)

Here are a few pics of Delirium Dive off the net: I feel my balls sucking back into my body every time I see these but it's got to be done!


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

^^^^Mmmmmm yummy!


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2007)

Little advice if you're on a bus tour i highly recommend sitting a little longer to hit the huge powder that Fernie, BC can provide. The snow conditions are the best in the Rockies, and the line ups are sweet. Another hour or so from there you can tap into Kimberley, BC and I've even slid down to Big Mountain, MT a few times and we had unreal snow there as well, lacks the steep and deep.

Rememeber the short drive to Sunshine and Lake Louise is the only thing they have going for them. But before you make a mistake, picture a million people in the Calgary and area all having the same idea about hitting up the fresh snow 45mins out side of the city. I stood 40mins in line at Lake Louise, and at Sunshine you ass is always in a chair lift. Fernie is twice the mountain of Sunshine or Lake Louise. The only other mountain that touches Fernie, is Kicking Horse, Golden BC (Steep and deep and no word of a lie +30-40min runs from top to bottom snow was amazing in early 2007).


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2007)

One thing about Fernie is that it also likes to rain there in the winter and when it does the snow becomes a crust on the mountain like a shell on an egg. As for Sunshine you have to make sure to keep good speed up on a lot of the runs because there are some pretty flat spots. Panorama is another mountain you might want to check out... they have a sweet bowl on the backside with lots of places to drop in if you hike a little. And if you have the money to spend you can go heli-boarding... here's a shot of the top Commander Glacier in the Purcell Mountain Range


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## Snowjoe (Jul 3, 2007)

^^^^^Yeah tell me about it with the flat parts, kinda spoils alot of nice areas but what can you do. 



> Second thing for snowjoe,
> 
> What is the backcountry like around Sunshine? Is that near Rogers Pass. I am planning on making a trip there. Originally it was going to be this year, but now I have to wait one more season. Any other backcountry spots in the Sunshine area? I am planning on a week trip with one or two resort days. The rest will be touring. Looking for roadside touring areas, daytrip earn your turns type stuff. Any hut recommendations are good too.


I dont know too much about it around there to be honest I had to spend almost every day within the resort boundary. There are exit point around the resort to hike up out of though with some nice runs not too far away, but its hit and miss when the conditions are right because the area around is pretty avy prone, especially when it warms up later in the season.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

^^^Thanks, that is a little info. The bc is always avy prone, it just depends on "how" avy prone, what the terrain is like, and what safe options(sometimes none, stay at the resort) it gives you. I was just looking for where some of those spots might be. 

I definitely plan on hitting Rogers Pass, place looks amazing. It would be kewl to hit up a few other bc spots around Canada while I am out there though. I find that the less known areas can often be the best. It's certainly true of a spot here in Colorado.


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## Snowjoe (Jul 3, 2007)

Like LeafRider said Fernie and Kicking Horse are awesome aswell, you cant really go too far wrong wherever you go. I really like Kicking Horse because its full on steep and pretty dead as far as people go, so you can tear around as you want. Gonna try ride at Fernie a few times this season as my staff pass lets me ride there free, which is a thing of beauty .


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Yeah, I have heard great thinkgs about Kicking Horse and Fernie. In fact I was planning on hitting Kicking Horse for a day during my Rogers Pass trip. Kicking Horse looks like it does some kicking ass to me.


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