If you are looking for an awesome weekend destination to ski or snowboard then look no farther than Kicking Horse Resort. I headed up there last weekend with a crew and had one of the most mind blowing experiences of my life.
Kicking Horse Resort has 4133 vertical feet (1260 meters) and 70 in bound chutes. There are 106 runs if you want to ski kicking horse and endless options for snowboarding on the 2750 skiable acreage.
If you are a beginner or intermediate then don’t let the size of the mountain freak you out. 40% of the runs at Kicking Horse Resort are in the beginner and intermediate class.
If you are advanced or expert then there is plenty of great riding from spine to bowl with 45% of the runs being advanced and 15% expert.
One of the great things if you want to ski kicking horse resort is the lifts. They are fast and smooth. The lift guys and gals are great. There is an eight person gondola that has you to the top of stairway in 12 minutes and it’s a heck of a ride. Plenty to see on the way up and if you want, you can meet some nice people on the way too. There is a lift partway up stairway also so if you don’t want to plow into the level stuff and catch the gondola again you can zip right back up to drop in on the trees. You can see the gondola in the picture and those are the trees you can hit right under it…
There is also another 4 person fixed grip chairlift that will take you up a good spell. The day we were there at kicking horse it snowed. It was incredible. Like a dream. Couldn’t see a thing. Just kept the knees soft and floated. That whole day was spent cutting into trees and getting stuck on flat spots after racking. It was great.
The next day there was still plenty of trackless stuff off the main runs. The lower mountain gets about 252 cm of snow and the summit at kicking horse gets about 700 cm.
Ticket prices: CHEAP! For adults you can ski a half day for $46 or go the whole day for $61. Check the ski pass prices before you go though because kicking horse prices are season dependant.
Where to stay at Kicking Horse Resort: 30 feet from the gondola!
We stayed at the Kicking Horse Glacier Lodge. Located at the base of the Golden Eagle Express Gondola in the heart of the resort. Exceptional views of the Columbia Valley and the Rocky Mountains beyond, or of the village plaza. Self-contained condominiums and hotel room accommodations are available.
All guests have access to the Lodge amenities including on-site hot-tub, sauna, steamroom, and fitness room.
Each unit features a full kitchen including dishwasher, private deck and a spacious living area warmed by a cozy gas rock fireplace. Main bedroom: Queen. Loft: Queen. It was perfect. The front desk staff was very patient considering the condition we rolled into the hotel in.
A side note about the Kicking Horse Resort bar staff. You guys are very patient and thanks for putting up with us. (The food was awesome as well. Go for the yam fries with the steak if you have never tried them.) We had a blast and if we were in Calgary we probably would have been in a lot of trouble.
So final call on Kicking Horse? I had the time of my life. It couldn’t have gotten any better.
Go have fun, thats what fitness is about.
[tags]ski,Kicking horse,kicking horse resort[/tags]
