My role as a travel advisor is to assist people in exotic, adventurous or luxury travel. I have assisted people going to Antarctica, the Amazon, Galapagos, South east Asia, Eastern Europe, Egypt in addition to more popular destinations.
Skiing has been my particular passion for over 60 years. I know the Pacific northwest like the back of my hand, and have skied Europe and the USA extensively. We work with major suppliers like Ski.com, Alpine Adventures and Club Med, but also can put together absolutely unique itineraries with attention to all details.
While most people will want to go to Colorado or Utah in the USA, and hit Whistler-Blackcomb in BC, there are big rewards in seeking out the smaller and not so small resorts to be found in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Same thing for BC and Washington, where my local knowledge could make a big difference to your winter activity experiences.
The BC Powder Highway is normally defined as the eight snow resorts dotting the Kootenays encompassing Revelstoke, Golden, Invermere, Kimberley, Fernie, Nelson and Rossland . Sometimes, Big White (Kelowna) and Apex (Penticton) are added as a sop to the western edge sensibilities. Much is written about these destinations, and I would be pleased to assist.
But most people wouldn't have even imagined there are other 'powder highways'. There is much more terrain to explore if you drive the Crowsnest (Highway 3) and just keep heading into the hills east from Hope.
I did just that in early January, 2017......
GIBSON'S PASS
First stop was Manning Park Ski Hill, located at Gibson's Pass in Manning Park. Usually given just a drive by, Manning can be a gem after a powder dump. Sitting between the coastal and interior mountain ranges, it is colder than the Coast but gets significantly more snow than points east.
This was the view riding up the Orange chair after the newly fallen 25 cms was sampled by under 50 riders/skiers on a cold (-18 degree) clear day.
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| stock photo Manning Park Resort |
And the view from snow level.
Pretty hard to dismiss Manning when the conditions are this great. Plus, you can stay at the lodge, eat decent food, right off the highway 10 kms past the summit of Allison Pass. Remember that being within a provincial park, there are amenities such as winter camping, x-country trails, snow shoeing. Oh- another thing. The views are simply fantastic. Looking south towards the USA, Mt. Hozameem and Castle are eye treats equal to anything in the Rockies or the Alps. Manning attracts ski clubs on the weekends and Shawnigan Lake School spends a week there annually. But the rest of the time, the place is just about your own.
Above 3 photos courtesy of Manning Park Resort.
Next road trip, remember to stop there!
APEX ALPINE RESORT
Just down the road past Keremeos is Apex Mountain. Often playing second fiddle to Big White, or, again a drive by on the way to the Koots, there is good reason for Apex to be well loved by locals. A bit drier, they suffer at times from light snow cover, but there is almost always decent terrain to explore.
I had the good fortune to meet up with Mountain Host 'Fearless' Fred Smith, an octogenarian Aussie who has spent 22 winters at Apex- instructing, guiding, training instructors, you name it. He started skiing late, after three solo circumnavigations aboard his 30 something foot sailboat.
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| Fearless Fred
Fred takes his job very seriously, and an orientation run with him means stops at every trail intersection, where he outlines the perils of blind spots, terrain park riders, or hidden hazards. Apex, he points out, underrates its steeps. Blues are actually blacks, single blacks really doubles, and the doubles- well, they are extreme, akin to the 80 plus famous chutes at Kicking Horse.
But Apex also features good beginner/intermediate terrain, and more than adequate hillside infrastructure- with ski in/ski out condos, food and beverage, equipment rentals and repair. You can see signs of pretty high end construction going on everywhere. Another attribute is its elevation- no slouch at 7200 feet, it equals Whistler and being in a colder Interior zone, less subject to the dreaded Pineapple Express which periodically can bring mid-winter thaws right up the slopes. As I write, the temperature is -4 at Apex village, +1 at Whistler (January 20, 2017)
I had skied Apex before, but the Wild Side had not been open, so I was eager to venture down the west facing slopes it offers. I tried the Glades plus Hang 'em High, but conditions were sub-optimal and so I ventured back onto to the more populated groomers like Juniper and Ridge. The steeps will have to wait for a bit more snow.
Another distraction from piste bashing was the chance to watch parts of the Toyo Canadian Series Mogul Event, a cross country invitational attracting top freestyle athletes. The 'new normal' dwarfs the most daring routines of just five years ago.
Apex has a roster of winter events- from firefighter hockey tournaments on the mountain rink to 'Vertical and Vintages' (any excuse to drink wine), with a Brewski for the beer drinkers on another February date.
In addition to the NHL size hockey rink, there is a 1km zamboni maintained ice 'Adventure Skating Looop', tubing, snowshoeing, x-country and night skiing. No wonder Apex is a perennial favourite, and located less than 45 minutes from Penticton and Keremeos alike, draws loyal visitors from the S. Okanagan and beyond.
 BALDY MOUNTAIN RESORT As their logo states, Baldy has been around since 1968, first as a cat-ski operation. It has had a checkered history (they are not alone in this- same goes for Gibson's Pass, Crystal Mountain and others). Baldy closed for two seasons between 2014 and 2016, but opened again under new management and ownership for the 2016-17 season. That they opened so rapidly after taking over was a significant feat.     Their Managing Director is a marketing fireball in addition to being a seasoned hill manager. Joey O'brien comes from a diverse background of participating in the Griffen racing camps at Whistler mid 1970's to running resorts in Alberta and Nova Scotia. A parallel endeavour has been organizing low environmental impact events. He is also more than a fair to middling skier, having hung out and sledded with the Crazy Canucks- the likes of Jungle Jim Hunter and Ken Read.  His mantra of modest promises while aggressively delivering the goods has already sent visitations way upwards. They are now open seven days a week, something he says is critical to building loyalty. As well, the focus is on investment in mountain improvements and building ridership. That, he says, will bring the interest in recreational real estate development, a big component of most mountain resorts. Already there are requests for new lots to complement the 100 plus already built out. A new quad lift (non-detachable, but quite quick) was built less than a decade ago, and I would presume a replacement for the old double is being planned. Certainly, there is the ability to go right to the top of Baldy from the east side, opening up 360 degree descents. They can also extend to a lower altitude within their tenure, as has been done by Big White on their West Ridge/Gem Lake side. Both would add enormous serviced terrain. I enjoyed my day immensely, even though the wind crust made for difficult going off the main runs. I could also see immense potential; the pictures show it clearly. You can ski or ride just about anywhere. For sure, the grooming was top-notch. I had not expected top to bottom runs like Dividend, which rank right in line with the big boys. Baldy has a number of very positive attributes. It has the highest base elevation of any ski hill in Canada, and a peak higher than Big White. It has a huge, and I mean huge tenure that could actually result in a lift-serviced area 25% bigger than Whistler-Blackcomb. The scenery is lovely- in any season. Located above a ranching area on the plateau above Anarchist Pass and some semi-arid terrain east of Oliver, there are two routes of access. So it is an easy drive from Oliver at one end, or only a bit longer from Osoyoos via Highway 3. It is a no-brainer to imagine summer horseback riding, birding and hiking in this area. I enjoyed just about the best hot chocolate in the surprisingly comfortable upstairs bar, and the modest cafeteria puts out legendary burgers with mountains of fries at down home prices. They have equipment rentals and repairs on site.  Actually, the whole operation has a 'down home' feel, with ridiculously low lift rates (I presume to renew interest and build loyalty). People are friendly, greeting you in the parking area. Just imagine that at Whistler! I got a group photo of the 'guys' hanging around- the grader guy who keeps the road open, the fix-it guy who keeps the place running, the old-timer guy who has lived in the area almost going back to the days of the Camp McKinney mines. 
Baldy will need genuine ongoing customer support to thrive, but my sense is that they have the right ingredients- a very good mountain, easier than expected access, good basic infrastructure, including adequate water storage and treatment in addition to their lifts and buildings. They will need capitalization, but a quick perusal of ski areas with grand promises and elaborate drawings (think Hemlock Valley, Revelstoke, Jumbo), but much less on the ground, serve as warning that 'easy does it' might be the best gambit. As the G.M. states: "The investment team is carefully planning the next phases of the project"
I would encourage anyone to avail themselves of all Baldy has to offer.
 PHOENIX MOUNTAIN Their tag line says it all. It may well be the 'best little mountain'. Certainly it is little- with one t-bar and a short rope tow. But the spirit I saw there on a Saturday wasn't little at all. Phoenix is what is called a 'feeder' hill, an incubator for beginners, mostly children, who then graduate and move on to bigger and better mountains. But don't be fooled by this one. It is seriously steep, the kids take to the air, as you can see, and the area is actually a bit of a miracle. This is a snow belt, for sure, and the adjacent Marshall Lake cross country area is so peaceful and pretty, you might have found heaven.   
The trail loops
 
The hill in all its glory!
  BIG RED CATS- ROSSLAND BC  Me- busting up the powder!   View up the hill. Check out the lovely easy terrain. 
Me again!
 Just in case you did not notice how beautiful it is up there on a cold clear day. This is what I wrote about BRC on Tripadvisor:
“A bit of a mixed bag, but v. good skiing”
BRC is a large operation- probably biggest of its kind, and yet is family run. Paula appears to be the 'public portal'- handling the bookings and in the office pretty much 23 hours a day it seems, except when her kids are racing!
I got a last minute spot on an advanced/expert cat, and was genuinely stoked, but worried that at age 67, I would not be able to keep up. Far from it, I fit in and because I did not have a 'buddy', I joined the tail guides and got to ski fresh lines despite that.' In fact, one person, geared to the max with own transponder and shovel/probes.... who surely looked the part, gave up after one run because he was in over his head. BRC had not properly qualified him; he certainly should not have been there, and one other was marginal but improved over the course of the day. The quality of the guides is exceptional, and the logistics well worked out. The terrain is good, but NOT exceptional on our day. Mid-January 2017, there still was not enough snow to cover hazards on some clear-cut terrain, so we stuck to the trees, and many of the runs were short, with fairly tight spacing and steep pitches. BRC's lease is very large, so they can chase powder better than some of the smaller outfits. Compared to, say, Brundage ID with its heated cats and hot lunches in a yurt, this is a no-nonsense, no-frills experience. Expect a sandwich and hot water to drink, but the fruit froze solid, and everyone had freezing feet riding the cat up up for the first run, at -26 Celsius at the staging area. Mercifully, there was an inversion, and it was a balmy -11 on top! They did not scrape the windows, so one could not see out, but after a while, we were happy to just recuperate on the rides uphill. We were on the hill by 9am, and went not stop until 3:15pm. For January, that is a long day. We did about 10 runs, and might have been able to do only 1 or 2 more in a perfect world. Hard to complain about value for money. Going cat-skiing is a crap-shoot, no question. The day makes or breaks everything. But BRC has an excellent track record, with few cancelled days, and a 'rain check' policy that might be disappointing but is the next best thing to refunds. You won't get the stunning scenery of high alpine in the Bugaboos, nor the luxury of an all-inclusive multi-day heli trip from a lodge. But for easy access, lots of snow time, fair pricing, this is hard to beat.
Helpful?
 Thank Peter F
Ask Peter F about Big Red Cats
I'll stick by my review- I think it is fair to say I had a great time!. What a way to end a six day ski trip to the BC Interior. Total distance driven Vancouver return- 1500 kms. Money spent- about $1300. Fun quotient- off the top of the meter!
I invite you to contact me (Peter) at (800) 550-3622 or any of the associates at CruisePlus (800) 854-9664 Check out the website: http://www.cruiseplus.ca |
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