Tourism British Columbia – Slope Angles, February 2007

The recent Christmas/New Year’s holiday brought with it record attendance and revenue at many BC ski resorts, thanks to the idyllic combination of fantastic snow conditions (the most ever, at some destinations) and clear, sunny skies. The best is yet to come, with a host of outstanding events and deals forthcoming in the next month as skiers and riders enjoy all that winter in British Columbia has to offer.

If you require additional information on these or other BC stories, please contact Carla Mont at Carla.mont@tourismbc.com
 
Visit Northern BC and Experience Ski & Ride Smithers: Located nearly four and a half hours west of Prince George along the historic Yellowhead Highway, Ski & Ride Smithers is an increasingly popular destination for downhill enthusiasts looking for more powder and fewer people. Located near the quaint Bavarian-style town of Smithers, the ski area offers 300 acres of skiable terrain with 34 runs and a drop of nearly 2,000 vertical feet. And the snow is light and dry – perfect for carving powder turns. The Ski & Ride Smithers "Ski and Stay" Packages offer an ideal way to make some tracks out the mountain. Packages include two night's accommodation, two days of skiing or riding, and drink vouchers – all from just $189 per person.  www.skismithers.com.
 
New Weather Forecast Service for Sun Peaks, Big White, and Silver Star: With the advent of the webcam and regular updates via the internet, skiers and riders have become very discriminating when it comes to determining the conditions at their favourite resort. However, it’s what the weather is going to do tomorrow, or for the foreseeable future, that is the focus of a new weather service offered at Sun Peaks, Big White, and Silver Star. Three retired weather forecasters (with over a hundred years of combined experience) have formed Enviro BC, and are currently providing detailed forecasts for the three Thompson Okanagan resorts. Their expertise, especially when it comes to the challenge of making sense of ever-changing mountain weather conditions, is a great enhancement to the snow report information currently found at all three resorts.  www.enviro-bc.ca; www.sunpeaksresort.com; www.bigwhite.com, www.skisilverstar.com
 
BC’s Mountaintop Restaurants Serve up Fabulous Cuisine and World-Class Views:  Top of mountain dining is truly a unique aspect of the winter ski experience, and several BC resorts combine hearty, nutritious cuisine with views that are truly to die for. At Sun Peaks Resort, the Sunburst Lodge (atop the Sunburst Express) offers breathtaking views across the valley while serving up breakfast and fresh baking every morning, and a hearty pasta bar for lunch. Take part in the First Trax Breakfast and the Torchlight Ski and Fondue held every week during the winter months. Whistler is renowned for its many fine restaurants, but none are higher than the Horstman Hut atop Blackcomb’s 7th Heaven Express (at an altitude of 7,494 ft.).  Grab one of the Hut’s rustic seats and enjoy high-energy menu items like chili, hearty stews and timeless favourite, macaroni and cheese. Located just below the summit of the Powder Gulch Express, Silver Star Mountain Resort’s Paradise Camp offers table-service dining throughout the day to nutrition-starved powder hounds. On certain nights of the week, visitors can ride the Paradise Express heated snow coach to the restaurant for a first-class dining experience. If you prefer the quaint setting of a rustic log cabin, Apex Resort’s cozy Billy Goat Cabin is perched at the top of the Quickdraw Quad. For a speedy snack, feast on a bowl of home-made chili or soup. Panorama Resort lives up to its name and offers amazing views into the Valley of a Thousand Peaks from its Summit Hut at an elevation of 7,800 feet. Groups can even book the entire hut for a special apres-ski fondue. At Fernie Alpine Resort, the brand new Lost Boys Café is accessed via the Timber Express Quad Chair. Warm up with a hot beverage or healthy soups, while taking in the views of White Pass, the Elk Valley, and the town of Fernie from the wraparound deck. At an elevation of 7,700 feet (2,346 metres), mountain top dining doesn’t get any higher in BC than the Eagle’s Eye at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Non-skiers can ride the gondola to drink in the views and savour the fabulous French-inspired menu fare. When the sun comes out, and temperatures warm up, you can even power-lunch on the Dogtooth Patio. In Vancouver, the view of the city and ocean is legendary from Grouse Mountain, and so is the cuisine at Altitudes Bistro and The Observatory Fine Dining Restaurant. www.sunpeaksresort.com; www.whistlerblackcomb.com; www.skisilverstar.com; www.apexresort.com; www.panoramaresort.com; www.skifernie.com; www.kickinghorseresort.com ; www.grousemountain.com
 
Celebrate “Kootenay Coldsmoke” at Whitewater Resort: Even in a province blessed with an abundance of the white stuff, Whitewater Resort near the historic town of Nelson, is renowned for its dry, deep, abundant powder. Join local powderhounds February 23-26 as they celebrate the Kootenay Coldsmoke Powder Fest; a grassroots event that will celebrate terrain, climate, magic, fun and knowledge of backcountry skiing and snowboarding. Telemark and alpine touring skiers, along with backcountry snowboarders, will meet in Nelson for a weekend of skiing, snowboarding, skinning (affixing adhesive climbing skins to the base of a ski to provide traction while moving up the slope), clinics, slide shows, movies and a tall frothy pint. The festival is designed for both experienced and beginner backcountry skiers and snowboarders. Highlights will include educational seminars, a ‘skinning contest’, randonee rally, the “Coldsmoke Village” demo tents and the Kootenay Powder Keg Buff-Eh Dinner, Slide Show and Party on Saturday night.  www.mountaingear.com/coldsmoke; www.skiwhitewater.com
 
Announcing: The First New Chairlift in Thirty Years for Red Mountain: As one of the most historic and revered ski resorts in BC, Red Mountain in Rossland takes its time when it comes to implementing change. However, in the two years since Howard Katkov took over, both locals and visitors are truly thrilled about the exciting changes new ownership has brought. In December, Red announced the purchase of a new Doppelmayr CTEC quad chairlift to replace the old Silverlode chair. This will be the first new chairlift in Rossland in 30 years, and is just one of the big things planned for this flourishing resort community. Construction starts in May and by November 2007, the chair will be up and running, opening up a further 100 acres of novice terrain. Red Mountain Resort currently spans 1,585 acres of skiable terrain with a 2,909-foot vertical drop, and provides 360 degree skiing for all levels. Located in southeastern British Columbia, Red Mountain Resort is an easy two and a half hour drive from Spokane, WA, a three and a half hour trek from Kelowna, and just five minutes from the historic mining and skiing community of Rossland.  www.redresort.com
 
Heliski Holiday Launches on the Web: Trying to make sense out of the many helicopter skiing and snowboarding operations can be daunting, even for the most dedicated web-surfer. Heliski Holiday is a brand-new centralized booking service just launched by long-time industry expert and BC local, Nina Kaufman. Heliski Holiday represents over 25 heliski and heli-snowboarding operators and combines “local knowledge” secrets and industry expertise to assist skiers and riders in getting the very best value and a top-notch experience for their vacation dollar. And the options are endless, as Kaufman notes that “Operators can be located in a remote mountain lodge surrounded by majestic peaks or in the heart of a mountain town where guests can mingle with locals, or situated in a resort setting like Whistler, where skiers can choose from a variety of options.” Kaufman will also offer advice on customizing private heliskiing trips for those who wish to ski and ride with their family and friends, an increasingly popular trend in the heliskiing business. Heliski Holiday includes some of the most respected names in the industry such as Mica Heli Skiing, TLH Heli Skiing, Great Canadian Heliskiing, Last Frontier at Bell II, and many, many others.  www.heliskiholiday.com

January 12, 2007   Posted in: Canada