A dreamy Powder Highway trip

A legendary powder hunt

Western Canada is home several of the world’s finest ski resorts. From the breathtaking views, to the 75+cm powder days, to the fun ski town vibes, it’s an amazing place for your ski bucket list.

With so many great ski spots, it can be hard to decide where to go on your trip.

We’ve got the answers! This trip will take you to the four best ski spots in Western Canada. If you’re excited to tackle some big mountain terrain, this is the trip for you

Whistler Blackcomb

No Canadian ski trip would be complete without a stop at Whistler Blackcomb. Despite some of the negative publicity around lift lines and Vail’s operational takeover, Whistler Blackcomb will always be King. With a mind-numbing 8,171 acres of skiable terrain, dozens of Alpine Bowls, Olympic groomers, and endless glades, nothing beats it.

To mitigate some of the crowds, we highly recommend flying into Vancouver on a Sunday evening and heading up to Whistler for a Monday ski day. Whistler’s immense popularity means very long weekend lift lines, when locals and tourists are hitting the slopes at the same time. We recommend planning your trip so you’re at Whistler Blackcomb during the week.

You’ll also want to ensure you buy an Epic Pass by the end of November if you’re planning to make a trip. Same-day lift tickets at Whistler are up to $300 CDN, but buying an Epic Pass can get the cost around $80 per day.

Here are a few can’t-miss runs on Whistler Blackcomb:

  • North Side of 7th Heaven: 7th Heaven is our favourite lift on Blackcomb. Most skiers will turn right at the chairlift and head down a variety of blue runs, but for extreme skiing, turn left.  You’ll find yourself in Secret Bowl, which typically has some of the deepest snow on the mountain. For highly advanced skiers, take a run down the Saudan Couloir, the steepest marked inbounds run in Canada.
  • Peak Chair: One of Whistler’s most famous chairs, the Peak Chair goes straight to the top of Whistler Mountain. There are several black diamond bowls here: Whistler, West Bowl, and Bagel Bowl. Skiing Whistler Bowl is a great way to start a powder day, you can get a few great laps in before the snow gets tracked out. After that, head down to West and Bagel bowl, those are our favourite spots on Whistler.
  • Gemstone Bowls (Spanky’s Ladder): The Spanky’s Ladder is the best spot on Whistler. There are three main bowls, Ruby, Diamond, and Sapphire, and one bowl at the start of the run that feeds into the rest, the Garnett Bowl. All are marked double black. For advanced riders, the Ruby Bowl is a great place to start, as it’s the easiest to navigate. The Diamond Bowl has the steepest terrain, and is also fairly easy to access. The Sapphire Bowl is the hardest, entering it requires navigating a chute, and there are cliff hazards everywhere.

If you’re looking for fun in Whistler outside of skiing, the Village will have it. Whistler’s nightlife is as legendary as its’ skiing. Whenever you ski out to Whistler Village, you’ll be greeted by Longhorn Saloon’s outdoor DJ every afternoon. All sorts of après spots in the village will be open well into the early morning. Check out our Après blog to learn more. If you’re looking to save energy for the slopes, there’s plenty of comfortable hotels with hot tubs to unwind and hit the sack after a crazy day on the mountain.

Revelstoke

Skiing at Revelstoke

After a couple days at Whistler, we recommend taking a day off to drive to Revelstoke. GoogleMaps will suggest you drive through Highway 99 to Kamloops, but this road is sometimes not maintained in winter. Be prepared to loop back through Vancouver to get to Revy.

Revelstoke has frequently topped Whistler in ski ranking lists, taking the #1 spot in Canada in 2021 on many lists. Revelstoke is famous for boasting the most vertical in North America, at 5,620 feet (1,713m). You feel the vertical when you’re on the mountain, every run is long and varied.

Here are our favourite spots:

  • North Bowl: This is the main alpine bowl at Revelstoke. After getting off the Stoke Chair, it’s accessed by a short hike bootpack to the left of the lift. To enjoy every foot of vertical Revelstoke has to offer, you’ll hike to the top of SubPeak and enter the bowl from there.
  • Kill the Banker: This run goes directly under the main gondola, and is an amazing way to ski out for your last run of the day. Under the Gondala you’ll have lots of fun options for jumps and freestyle. If you want to stick more to the glades, go to the nearby Conifers of Narnia run, and enjoy the untracked powder hiding in the trees.

Our go-to partner for accommodation in Revelstoke is the Copeland, check out their rooms here!

 

Kicking Horse

Kicking Horse

After a few days at Revelstoke, you’ll venture deeper into the Powder Highway to Kicking Horse Resort. This two hour drive will take you by some of the most stunning spots in the Canadian Rockies, including Glacier and Yoho National Park.

Kicking Horse is the most advanced mountain on this trip, and it boasts some of the most intense terrain our team has ever skied. It’s the host of the annual freeride world tour, so it’s reputation is well known among expert skiers.

The mountain has a unique layout. There are several major alpine bowls, and only one gondola and one alpine chairlift. Every bowl except Crystal Bowl and Bowl Over requires a bootpack to get to. You’ll typically end up skiing a long, 4,000 ft-of-vertical run from the top of the bowl back to the base. This is an awesome way to ski, giving you the best combination of bowls, glades, and groomers.

For expert skiers, you’re in paradise. Above these bowls are 85 double-black diamond chutes, with a ton of incredibly fun and steep entry points. If you’re looking for a black diamond bowl instead, stick to Crystal, Feuz, and Bowl Over.

Here are our favourite areas in Kicking Horse

  • Ozone Peak: This is the peak that Freeride World Tour skiers shred annually. It’s an incredible chance to follow the ski tracks of some of the world’s greatest free skiers.
  • Stairway to Heaven: Take this lift up, and then climb the literal “staircase” to access the steep and fluffy snow in Whitewall and Feuz Bowl.
  • Super Bowl: For a short 5 minute hike, you’ll typically find a to of untracked snow, even a couple of days a powder day. There’s lots of black diamond terrain in here that’s great for more cautious advanced skiers.

After you finish up at Kicking Horse, we recommend driving an hour south and spending a night at Radium Hot Springs. The naturally heated water will be a great way to give your legs a break before the last leg of the trip.

Banff Sunshine

Banff Sunshine

The last iconic destination you’ll want to hit on your ski trip is Banff. Along with Revelstoke and Whistler, it’s world-renowned, and should be a main stop on your trip. The magnificent views, wide-open terrain, and legendary freeride areas make Banff Sunshine the best stop in the National Park.

Banff Sunshine is spread out on three mountains. We recommend spending your time on Goat’s Eye and Lookout. From the top of either mountain, you’ll have wide open, Alps-like bowl and groomer skiing.

For skiers looking for more, go off the backside into Delirium Dive and Wild West. These freeride areas Banff Sunshine’s pride and joy. Entering them requires avalanche training, a full set of avi gear, and you have to ski with a partner. The patrol team does an incredible job mitigating avalanche risk, but risks still persist.

Delirium Dive and Wild West have some of the most incredible skiing in Canada. You’ll have an endless section of steeps skiing, chutes, and cliff drops to choose from. As patrol takes a couple days to do avalanche control, you’ll also find dry, untracked powder here a couple days after a storm. It’s a skier’s paradise.

Once you’ve finished up at Banff Sunshine you’ll drive around two hours to Calgary International Airport. Our team will meet you there to take the vehicle from you, concluding your unmatched one-way ski trip through the best ski resorts in Canada.

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Did this itinerary get you itching to book a legendary ski trip this winter!

With our awesome winter adventure vehicles, we’ll be ready to take you safely from slope to slope. Click here to book your vehicle.

Want help planning your own custom ski trip? Contact us here, and we’ll help you plan a ski trip of a lifetime.