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March 9 Beautiful sunny sky's today and maybe one of the cooler days we have had for a long time it seems. Especially going up the Stairway to Heaven Chair, it was actually cold. This is what winter is supposed to be like. With the nice dump of snow from yesterday it was a real treat skiing the fresh snow in the sunshine. I went with a few friends and a guest, Jeff for a few runs. We had alot of fun in Feuz Bowl. Jeff is getting ready for a week of heli skiing so this was a good work-out for him. Feuz Bowl was definitely the best snow on the mountain. Here is video.
March 8 Snow!!!! Yes it has been a long wait but we finally got a nice snow-fall. Not a big dump but 8-10cm or more during the day. Strange actually. The snow was deeper about a quarter way down the mountain than at the top. I went into double-header and found about 10cm or more of untracked snow about 3pm. No-one on the hill and no body was going down double-header. More snow is expected off and on in the next week. Here is video.
March 2 No new snow to report but it was sunny and warm today. Coverage is still remarkably good considering we haven't had a big dump of snow for awhile. You have to look hard, to find any rocks. Some of the entrances into some of the chutes are a little tricky but other than that, lots of fun. I went into Feuz bowl for three runs today with some of our guests and found it, the best snow on the mountain. Even found some untracked snow. It was obviously a little heavy but still nice. Here is video from today.
February 28 Olympics are over!! Wow what a finale. Couldn't have scripted it better if you are a Canadian, at least. Sorry(yes we say that all the time) if you are from the US. No Church Service or video today since I was watching the game. I will try and get back to routine tomorrow. Snow is still fine at the top. Some flurries off and on. Hopefully now that the Olympics are over, we can get back to a normal winter...
February 24 New Snow at Kicking Horse!! Not a big dump, but about 3-5 cm at the top. I went up for a few runs a about 10.30 and even a few cms made a huge difference. The coverage here has been great but the new snow softened up things dramatically. The bumps are still big, but you can hang on, through them over over them or around them. Warm temperatures around 0C at the top. Supposed to keep snowing off and on for the next few days. Tomorrow night is a Wine-Master's dinner at the Eagle's Eye Restaurant featuring the best of BC Wines. I just got the menu and it looks great, featuring Portabello Fettuccine, Smoked Duck and Tenderloin. They are doing a great job at the top this year. Big win yesterday by the Canadians in hockey at the Olympics. The women in the 2 man bobsled were the story with two medals. Can't remember the last time, Canada has won two medals in same event. Maybe they haven't! I went up for 3 runs and enjoyed them alot. Here is video.
February 11 Managed to get a few more cm of snow, which was great. Warmer temperatures too. About 0C for most of the day with a few flakes coming down off and on. I went up about 1.30 for a couple runs and ended up with a couple guests from Australia, Bill and Helen. They have been coming to Vagabond Lodge for the past 3 years. We made a run into double header and then bubbly and and the Kicking Horse. All fun. We have a full house and basically everyone here are return guests. Great folks. Here is video.
February 9 The weather is changing!! Actually got a few flakes of snow throughout the day. We haven't had any snow for about a week which isn't normal here. The coverage is great. No rocks or anything like that, but the bumps are getting a bit big in some spots, especially in the narrow chutes and entrances. But once you get in, no problem. I made a couple runs in the afternoon. The first was down bumbly which has been groomed down the middle recently. The sides are bumpy but nice snow and the middle had a nice dusting of snow. I then went into double-header and it was fine. A few big bumps near the bottom of the run when it gets abit steeper. Sharp edges are nice to have this time of the year. Snow is predicted off and on for the next week or so. Here is video from today.
February 7 Strange weather today. Cloudy until you almost get to the top and then it was gorgeous sun. Snow is holding up great despite not having any new snow for about a week. Great coverage. Some of the traverses are showing rocks but you can easily avoid them. My first run was down bubbly which was nice despite no visibility. It was in the clouds but I stayed close to the trees and no problem. Then I did two runs into double-header which is the furthest runs to the south on the resort and the snow was still really nice. We had our Sunday Ritual "Church Service" where a group of us, mostly locals, few guests and anyone else who wants to join grab a few beers in the best bar in the Rockies in the Eagle's Eye Restaurant at the top of the mountain. Michael, the manager and our waitress Stephanie did a great job taking care of us today. Always a nice way to end the day and the week. We have a busy week coming up at the Vag with a bunch of return guests which is always fun. Looking forward to it and sounds like some snow coming too!! Here is our video from today.
February 1 We had about 5cm of new snow which softened things up nicely. Weather staying warm..about -1C and a few flurries throughout the day. No lift lines and plenty of skiing. I went up with a few friends about noon for a couple runs. With the new snow, the bumps have softened up and the groomers had a nice layer of new snow on them. Went for dinner to Corks next door with some guests and neighbours. New chef has really put together a great menu. Good stuff.
January 31 Nice light snow-fall for most of the day. Not huge amounts, but probably about 5cm or so with temperatures around -1C. I didn't get to the top today. It was the annual Huckleberry Loppet Cross Country ski race at the Nordic trails at the Resort. They had over 120 people of every age group show up and it was just a perfect day. Little children went 1km, to the more competitive races going 20km. And they can motor. The Cross country trails here at Kicking Horse are fabulous and are a hidden gem. But every year we have been here they are getting more and more popular. Great break from the downhill skiing and especially on days when it may be a little busy on the slopes, you can get away from the crowds and go for a 3km loop. They have loops for every calibre too. Here is video from the Loppet.
January 30 We are starting to get some new snow. Weatherman has been predicting it all week but I believe it when I see it. And I am seeing it. Starting about noon or so and decided to make sure it was snowing at the top too. And yes it was. Coverage is great as it is, but always nice to have some powder!! Not sure how much we are going to get. Wait and see. Supposed to snow off and on for the next few days. I made a couple of quick runs ..quality control. Works for me. February is always one of our busiest months but we still have some rooms especially in the early part of the month and then at the end. Here is video from today. It's pretty short but it will give you an idea of conditions.
January 28 Went skiing for a couple runs yesterday. Same as the day before, so no new video. Great sunshine at the top and cloud-cover as you get almost to the bottom. Supposed to be snow coming over the next week. Nothing huge, but from what I can see, few cms everyday. Saturday
is "Ski for Haiti Relief Efforts" here at Kicking Horse. Good
stuff. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has established Saturday, January
30th, 2010 as “Ski for Haiti Day” at the resort and has committed
to a monetary contribution to earthquake victims in Haiti. For every lift
ticket sold on Saturday, January 30th, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort will
donate one dollar to the Canadian Red Cross. All donated funds will in-turn
be matched dollar-for-dollar by CIDA to support ongoing relief operations
in the disaster area. Donation boxes will also be set up in the Day Lodge
and at Canyon Creek Outfitters.
January 26 Beautiful
and Sunny at the top today at Kicking Horse, and cloudy at the bottom.
Obviously the key was to stay at the top. Snow is really nice all the
way down to the bottom. Even some spots where you can find some untracked
powder. The groomers later in the day get a little slick but nothing serious.
No-body on the hill. Aussie day ...congratulations to all our Australian
Friends. Made a couple runs with some friends on the mountain and some guests. Really nice off Stairway to Heavan into Crystal Bowl and ended the day in Feuz Bowl. Founds some deep powder but pretty heavy stuff but I made it through. Reminder of Wine-makers dinner this weekend and also the 14th Annual Huckleberry Loppet is Sunday! It's really a fun event and is for any age and ability. There are 1, 4, 8, 11, and 22 km distances and lots of prizes. Register www.zone4.ca . Mass start is at 11 am. Here is my video from today.
January 25 A few flakes coming down most of the day. Probably 3 or 4 cms at the top. Not a lot, but enough to soften things up nicely. No-body on the hill so, lots of skiing to be had. I made a couple of runs with a home-owner, Keith and his friends from England. We did a cruiser for the first one and then went into "Double-Header" for the second. And that certainly was the best. Kicking Horse has a Wine-Makers dinner Friday at Eagle's Eye featuring Fairview Cellars wines from the Okanagan. This is a really good winery. Low-key with not a lot of marketing. But ask anyone which is one of their favorites, and they will almost say every time, Fairview. $90 per person for gourmet dinner, wines and live music. Should be a good time. We have a package that also includes accommodation. Here is video from today.
January 23 Fun Day yesterday. I didn't get out today although it looked like a great day with beautiful sunshine. We had a big group from Ski Independence, a company that specializes in ski trips out of England wrap up their stay with us with a fun ski race. There were close to 40 people in the group. And they had a blast and hopefully enjoyed Kicking Horse and Vagabond Lodge. I managed to put together a video of their race.
January 21 A big day for the town of Golden. The Olympic Torch made its way to Golden. First stop in BC, after its cross country journey. I didn't make it downtown for the actual torch relay. But I understand it was a great success. They had a nice reception at Kicking Horse with the Premier of the Province and other polities in attendance.Big announcement by the Premier for the future of the Resort. The new 40 year masterplan with the provincial government was finally approved. This means the resort can continue to expand. Hopefully we will have some new lifts soon and more development. Great fireworks display and torch run, down the mountain prior to the fireworks. Nice party. Earlier in the day I did manage to get up on the mountain for a run. The snow is still really nice. And for the most part the sky's were blue-bird. Here is my video of my run
January 20 I had a nice treat yesterday. I went Heli-Skiing with Purcell Heli-Skiing which operates out of Golden. Rudi Gertsch has operated Purcell for 37 years and does a fabulous job. We have a number of guests each winter who go Heli-Skiing with Him. We had a great group including a young American from Colorado, German family and a couple of Japanese gentlemen. We did 4 runs in the Purcell's which are the mountains west of Kicking Horse. Rudi has a huge area he uses and can find some great powder. First run was a bit flat. Not much definition when you get off at the top of a mountain. But the day got better and better. The tree-skiing especially was amazing. Our guide Daniel showed us the dangers of getting stuck in a tree-well and the importance of always having 2 people ski together through the trees to watch out for each other. The avalanche danger is pretty high right now and they go through a great educational before we go skiing on the process of operating beacons and searching for someone who is buried. Scares the hell out of you but it is important. You could see slides all over the place but Daniel did a great job of putting us into the safest possible spots. Nothing is ever 100% safe heli-skiing but you certainly feel safe going with them. Great day. If you are ever looking for that something special for yourself, We recommend Purcell Heli Skiing. Here is my video.
January 18 More New Snow at Kicking Horse. A few cm's came down in the morning and with the snow from the last few days(33 cm on Friday) another great day on the slopes. No crowd, still fresh powder to be had. They opened White Wall late in the day for the first time this winter. These are double black diamond runs where you have to jump off a cornice to get in. And when they say :"Double black Diamond" They mean "Double Black Diamond. Looking forward to a big group staying with us starting tomorrow from Ski Independence Tour Company from Scotland. Might have to have a wee dram with them. Olympic Flame comes to Golden in a couple days. Big Excitement.
January 17 It has been quite a weekend of skiing/snowboarding at Kicking Horse. Certainly the best skiing in the Canadian Rockies right now after getting over 50 cm in the past few days and today some more snow was coming down off and on. A group of us get together every sunday for a gathering at the Bar at the Eagle's Eye Restaurant commonly called the Copper Ridge Run to pray to the Snow Gods and have a few beers. Only a few!! It seemed to have worked. Lots of fun.
January 15 Best skiing of the year today. It was an epic day at Kicking Horse. Woke up to a white-out blizzard that lasted all day. By late in the afternoon I was skiing powder past my knees. I ended up making a couple of runs with friends of one of my sons, Clay and Jay. One snowboarder and one skier. We had a lot of fun especially when I told them they would be on my video on my blog. here is video.
January 13 Weather cooled off a bit. Still about 3C though. But the clouds lifted and the sun came out for the most part. Glorious day. I went up about 12.30 for a couple runs and had no idea what to expect. Well it turned out to be pretty nice. Still some untracked powder and when it is sunny, who cares?? In a few spots the snow was knee deep, coming down CPR ridge into Crystal Bowl. I found the snow on the south facing a bit heavier but still a lot of fun. Hill was really deserted. I went into Feuz Bowl and I felt like I was on a deserted island. Bottom of the hill had hardened up but that was expected. They need to get the groomers out and hopefully they will tonight. Snow expected off and on in the next few days and that will soften the bottom part up. Here is video from today.
January 6 Gorgeous day here at Kicking Horse. About -13C at the top but with the blue-bird skies, you didn't even notice the cooler weather. Still amazing there was fluffy fresh snow. Made a run with Keith, a friend from Golden, into Double-Header. Once you got into the shade, the skis got a bit sticky with the cooler weather. I need some wax. Some guests from England have been staying with us for a couple weeks and they were skiing for the last day. I put together some video of Cathy's last day on the slopes. Supposed to be some snow coming next week.
January 3 It was a crazy and good New Years at Vagabond Lodge. A lot of great people who stayed with us. Guests from Texas who have already booked to be back next year at the same time, guests from Australia, Canada and England. Good times!! January is a great time for skiing at Kicking Horse. Great snow normally with cooler temperatures which means nice and light and fluffy. I went out for a couple runs today. We have a group who get together at the Eagle's Eye restaurant at the top of the mountain every Sunday. We call it "Church Service." We have a beer, a few laughs and then head down the mountain. Here was video from today.
January 1 2010 Happy new Decade!!! Yesterday was a record setting day for skiers at Kicking Horse. I didn't get out. Today, a small crowd. I guess lots of hang overs. It snowed during the night and woke up to about 6 or 7 cms of fresh snow and it snowed most of the day. I went out about 10am with my youngest son Shane who is a great snowboarder. We had a blast finding powder everywhere. Here is video.
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