6 breathtaking views and awesome adventures you won’t believe are less than a days drive from Calgary
If you live in Calgary, you’re actually pretty lucky to! Being able to live in a beautiful urban area surrounded by gorgeous mountains is certainly something to be thankful for. On top of the views, being so close to seemingly endless outdoor adventure and activities are an accolade many cities don’t have to brag about. If you’re looking for outdoor fun while maintaining social distance, here are a few suggested short staycations to consider.
Kimberley, B.C
Hiking & Biking
Let’s start with Kimberley. People love to describe Kimberley as a hidden gem in the rockies – and that’s exactly what it is. You’ll need to turn off the main highway to find this town but trust us, it’s worth the time. Not only can you hike up the ski hill at the resort to take in some of the gorgeous views of the town from the top of the mountain, but Kimberley, like the others above have an array of trail networks in and around the towns. One of the places that is a must do while in Kimberley is the short walk to the Marysville waterfalls, it’s another one of those hidden gems you don’t expect to find so easily and is definitely worth the short trek out to it!
Fernie, B.C
Views from town and the top of the mountain
Next up, is a town that is already many Calgarians’ favourite short trip to make, Fernie, B.C. An easy 2.5/3 hour drive from the south end of Calgary along the Cowboy Trail you’ll drive right into Fernie’s town site, where you are literally surrounded by mountains on all sides. Continue through the town to Fernie Alpine Resort and you will not be disappointed. The views of the Lizard Range from the base of Fernie Alpine Resort are breathtaking enough, but by taking a ride on the Elk Chairlift you’ll get a view of the valley of Fernie, B.C that can’t be matched.
Golden, B.C
Hiking & Via Ferrata at Kicking Horse
Continuing on, let’s go to Golden, B.C, home to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and just a 2.5 hour drive from Calgary’s north side. One of the unique aspects of Kicking Horse is the view of 6 National Parks from the peak of the mountain. And guess what, the peak of the mountain is easily within your reach! Kicking Horse has gondola accessed hiking and dining that offer some of the most stunning views you’ll find. And if you’re looking for something a little more to get the adrenaline pumping, the views from Via Ferrata are intense not just due to the views but due to the fact that you’re dangling off the side of a mountain or the suspension bridge (all while harnessed in of course).
Places to stay along the way
Even though you can easily visit any one of these towns and get back to Calgary in a day, staying overnight is always a nice option to have!
✅ Gorgeous slopeside mountain views
✅ Outdoor patios & in hotel restaurants offering take out
✅ Outdoor pools & hot tubs
✅ Close to all activities & adventures
✅ Convenient and safe – all our suites have full kitchens
Both of our feature properties at Fernie Alpine Resort and Kimberley Alpine Resort feature all of the above, making either location a great basecamp for your quick getaway or longer staycation.
See special offers at Lizard Creek Lodge
See special offers at Trickle Creek Lodge
We realize this can be a difficult time to consider travelling, before heading out on your trip check on the Alberta & British Columbia government website for any guidelines or restrictions at your time of travel. To see what safety procedures and routines we have put in place visit our resort or hotel websites.
Kimberley Alpine Resort COVID information.
Feature Photo by Powder Matt
- Published in News
PSA – Kimberley is Slaying the Scene RN
Now that we have your attention, it’s time to give you the downlow about Kimberley. Don’t worry if you don’t understand our millennial slang, we’ll explain it all in due time.
No matter how much time you’ve spent in this unique place (there’s just something special about a town with only one set of street lights), we can almost guarantee you still don’t know all the Kimberley experiences there are to be had. We don’t blame you, TBH there’s so much going on in this awesome, but unassuming town it’s hard to keep up with it all.
All the feels – friendly, modest charm
What do people think of when they think of Canadians (besides hockey), they think of the word friendly. Canadians are known around the world for being a friendly bunch and Kimberley is one of the absolute best examples of this. At Kimberley, locals and repeat visitors are super passionate about what an amazing place this is, but they aren’t going to be extra about it. If you ask, we’re happy to let you in on our secrets, but if you don’t ask, we’re happy to let you figure it out on your own too.
Get your Canadian on – go to a Dynamiters Hockey game while in town, skate at the skating rink at Trickle Creek Lodge, Snowmobile – tours are run out of nearby Cranbrook.
Wonderfully Non-Conformed
Kimberley is not quite your average ski town – in some ways it is, however in many ways it’s one and only of its kind in Canada. With its distinct European vibe, you’ll feel like you’ve travelled further than you probably have.
Do something different, Kimberley styles – Check out the Ullr Dag fest, an annual ski burning ceremony as an offering to the norse god of snow. Visit the Cuckoo Clock in the Platzl (give it some coin and it will even yodel for you) or attend one of their newer festivals – the Medieval Festival (annually in July).
Food & craft beer scene is on point
For a smaller town, there is a ton of lit AF places to eat and drink. First of all, Kimberley has its very own brewery – Overtime Beer works, a craft beer lovers dream! Other Kimberley dining gems include The Shed, Pedal and Tap, Sullivan Pub and Buckhorn & Main Mountain Eatery. Of course, there are all the usual comforts as well like – Stonefire Pizza, Kimberly City Bakery, Britner’s Fish & Chips, Burrito Grill (and more).
Get turnt – at free après live music at Stemwinder – weekly, The Shed in the Platzl, Overtime Beerworks (just beside the Platzl) and Friday night College nights at the ski resort.
Convenient
A lesser known fact about Kimberley is that it’s actually super convenient to get to. The Canadian Rockies International Airport (YXC) is located under a half hour away from the resort and has major carriers flying in, like WestJet. Many hotels also offer shuttles to pick you up, like Trickle Creek Lodge, Kimberley Alpine Resort’s top Ski in/Ski Out property.
Vacation Goals – Fly & ski all in one day. This can be done at Kimberley since the airport is so close or if you miss day skiing, we have night skiing as well!
Low key popular destination
In the ski resort world, there seems to only two extreme sides to the spectrum – super crowded, or deserted. Well Kimberley has somehow mastered being blissfully in between. While there are a healthy number of visitors to the town at any given time, if you’re skiing there’s a good possibility, you’ll hit a run or two and not see another soul and there’s a great possibility you won’t stand in a single lift line up.
Pro tip – Check out Dorval. Dorval is a forever favourite run of our staff as most people ride right on by it! Our theory is everyone is too busy making their way to the Easter chair to notice this spot and pass it by, but next time we suggest you try it out! To get to Dorval, ski right of the intersection to Dean’s Right and Ridgeway, some of the best attributes of Dorval are – it’s one of the steepest runs on the hill and is only groomed once a week. One of the rarest experiences you’ll have on this run is actually seeing another soul riding near you and if you do, there’s a safe bet they work at the resort or grew up skiing there.
A better Romantic getaway
Even better than Netflix and Chill? Romantic getaway seems to imply hanging out in your hotel room, going out for nice meals, spending quality time with your SO – and all of these are things you can do in Kimberley. But we’re upping the romance game by offering you fun experiences with your bae too.
Couple Goals – try out twilight snowshoe tour at the top of the mountain, topped off by chocolate fondue in the Kootenay Haus. Or go on a Snowshoe S’mores excursion, taking you around Trickle Creek Golf Course with a stop for a fire and smore’s before finishing up.
All Seasons Adventure on fleek
There’s so much to do here, you won’t have time in one trip (bruh….).
Pics or it didn’t happen. Try these Kimberley adventures on for size – Heli skiing, Night skiing, Snowmobiling, Cross Country Skiing, Skating, Hockey, Black Spur Ultra (fall), Round the Mountain (summer), Horseback Riding (summer), Hiking, Biking and don’t forget golf…so much golf!
The downlow on snowfall
If after reading this whole list, snowfall is what it really comes down to when you you’re your vacation choice – the best is still yet to come for Kimberley! Historically, we get most snow during our winter seasons between February and April.
Yaas. That is all.
——–
Millennial Slang Help:
PSA – Public Service Announcement
Slaying – Looking fresh or on point
RN – Right Now
all the feels – A phrase used to describe something that makes you feel good; or having good vibes
Extra – Over the top, dramatic behavior
On Point – fleek (see below)
Lit – When something is turned up or popping
Turnt – Hype for a party
S.O – Significant Other
Bae – A pet name that stands for Before Anyone Else
On fleek – refers to something that’s perfect or on point.
Bruh – Another way of saying “seriously?”
Yaas – An enthusiastic way of saying yes
Photos; Mountain Man Cole, The Shed, Tourism Kimberley
- Published in News
Why Kimberley is your young family’s new favourite destination
I have truly arrived. Most of this sunny Kootenay winter day had been spent sessioning Kimberley Alpine Resort’s marquee kids run, known as the Mascot Trail. After a half dozen laps, I had become intimately familiar with every twist, turn, banked corner, camel bump and kicker that the little Mascot could throw at us. Now late in the afternoon, photographer Steve Ogle and I settle into deck chairs outside the Trickle Creek Lodge lounge in the sunshine, order some cold pints and watch our oldest kids Casey, 6, and Zola, 7, happily lapping the Owl T-Bar without direct parental support. The timeless ski resort classic rock soundtrack that seems perpetually trapped in the 80s – Joe Jackson, Talking Heads, Men at Work, etcetera – sets the après ski mood. I’ll speak for both generations and say that both generations are enjoying this newfound, mutually enjoyable liberty.
I’ll be honest, I had up until now given Kimberley Alpine Resort a pass in my ski travel plans, even though it’s a hill with an interesting past, built by millwrights and other trades people employed at the nearby massive Sullivan underground lead, zinc, silver and tin mine that ran for 92 years until its closure in 2001. My loss as I was to discover during a week in March, when Ogle and I traveled to the East Kootenays with our families to sample Kimberley’s skiing riches. What the resort lacks in bowls, chutes and alpine faces, it makes up for with a respectable vertical drop of 750 metres, long runs (like the 6.4 km long Ridgeway), steep fall line groomers, bump runs and glades that have produced more than its fair share of national level skiers and athletes. This fact is reinforced when we park our entourage of eight one afternoon at Kootenay Haus, a bring-your-own-bag lunch chalet, with a self-serve, pay-by-donation coffee pot, tucked on a knoll between a pair of blue runs and sporting a deck with a jaw dropping view of the Columbia Valley. Displayed on one of the inside walls are the mugs of the many Kimberley characters who have left their mark on the race courses and mountains of the world – Gerry Sorensen, Stan Hayer, Paralympian Josh Dueck, Seven Sumitteer, Pat Morrow, and telemark skier extraordinaire Monte Paynter, to name a handful.
Later that same day we connect with another local Heidi Korven and her skiing family to explore more of the hill. Korven is proud of her town and ski hill; for good reason. Kimberley’s heritage village core has traded in its Bavarian motif for something a little more contemporary with a bevy of new businesses that includes the awesome family friendly Spirit Rock Climbing Centre, a craft brewery, and popular eateries like the Pedal and Tap and Stonefire Pizzeria, all minutes away from the chairlifts. Heidi’s daughters, Sawyer,7, and Noa, 4, make the run call, and we navigate our way to Vortex, a black diamond that funnels down through the Black Forest glades and requires our kids to step up their game from the Mascot Trail. We lay siege to this narrow run, six kids seven and under getting it done. By the time we’re riding the fixed grip Easter Triple back to the summit, après is calling. We finish with – you guessed it – the Mascot Trail and half an hour later are commandeering the outdoor Jacuzzi at the Mountain Spirit Resort and I’m wondering why it took me so long to pencil in a trip to this East Kootenay treasure.
- Published in News
Canadian Rockies International Airport – The mountain airport that puts you in the heart of adventure
Carrying my skis over my shoulder after the last run of the day, the alpenglow stopped me in my tracks. Gazing up, the late afternoon sunlight was fading, casting a gorgeous peach and orange glow on the rocky summits across the valley. Although I had only arrived earlier that day, just like me, they looked rosy, rested and content.
For most mountain adventure seekers, finding an airport within a three or four hour drive of their destination is considered a win. Kimberley BC is nestled in the heart of the Kootenays’ famed “Powder Highway”, and has the Canadian Rockies International Airport a mere 20 minutes away, offering multiple flights daily from Vancouver and Calgary.
Surrounded by the jagged, picturesque peaks of the Rocky Mountain range, adventure comes as a 360 degree view of summits, slopes, forest, wilderness, lakes and more.
Located at an elevation of 3,084 feet and featuring an 8,000 foot long runway, the Canadian Rockies International Airport is small but welcoming, which means less fuss when you land or leave.
When you first arrive, you can’t help but feel the relaxed pace of the area, but only some things move a little slower here. Beyond the small town pace and “slow food” passions of many restaurateurs, the adrenaline that accompanies adventure thrives on the mountains and in the nearby wilderness areas.
Your journey can read like a choose your own adventure novel. Accommodation? The choice is yours: there’s slopeside hotels, condos, townhouses and mountain houses. Ready for an outdoor adventure? There’s four seasons of excitement. When the snow flies, the area is transformed into a winter wonderland. Kimberley Alpine Resort is one of the only mountain ski areas in Canada where you can be on the chairlift within an hour of landing at the airport. From there, choose your passion: Kimberley features 1,800 acres of alpine skiing, with night skiing available and access to a world-class Nordic skiing facility.
While often dubbed as “family-friendly”, the backside of Kimberley Alpine Resort offers powder stashes, steeper fall lines and graded terrain. With fewer crowds and plenty of storms, Kimberley is a secret hideaway for adventurers in the know.
Speaking of secret, ask a local to tell you the best place for a tranquil moonlight snowshoe, where to soak in natural hot springs, sip the best craft brew in the land, eat in a centuries-old barn, glide under the stars on perfectly-set tracks. The only thing you’ll be left wishing for is more hours in the day.
Photos: Mike Byrnes, YXC & The Real McKenzie Photography.
- Published in News
How often should you wax?
Your skis that is.
It’s recommended you wax your skis every 5 or 6 times out. The reason being the base of your ski is very porous (similar to your skin) with lotion (wax) you’ll have a better running surface. This will allow for increased glide over all snow conditions, less leg fatigue and increased speed. The layer of water that is created by the friction between your skis and the snow will wick away from the base of your skis and not get absorbed into the base thus allowing for better glide (even when you’re skiing powder).
Remember the base of your skis is just like your skin, when it’s dry you take care of this by putting on lotion. Hot waxing is the lotion for your skis!
Our Professional tech’s at the ski resorts will be able to take care of this for all of our guests, find them in the Repair area located in the Rental Shop in the base area at Kimberley Alpine Resort. For prices and services offered give our repair shop a call at 250-427-4881.
Don’t forget – if you’re a season passholder use this member benefit to get a free tune up – ‘Buy 2 Get 1 Free – buy 3 full tune ups for the price of 2, includes edge base and side, stone grind, Ptex and hot wax’. Just print off a coupon from the Member Benefits website and redeem it at the resort.
Find out more about why to wax your skis and what a tune up entails on Fernie’s YouTube channel (plus find out what the fancy machine behind Harry is used for too).
- Published in News
Gear up for Winter (check your gear first)
Checking your Ski Equipment now is very important for many reasons, here are the 3 top reasons;
FAQ: I get asked all the time ‘Why should I check my Ski Equipment, as I’m not a great skier and spend lots of time on the beginner slopes with kids…”
My Answer: I always say try these- once you try new skis you are on cloud nine. Technology advancements, ski shape, size are some of the many reasons the new skis really do make a difference. You owe it to yourself as it will enhance your skiing skills, make skiing easier and give you more control on the slopes.
FAQ: I have a pair of skis in the garage- is it okay to use them?
My Answer: The key here is check the bindings- visit your local ski shop or most ski resorts have tune up shops in the rental areas as well. If you live in Calgary visit your local ski shop like the new Sporting Life store located in Southcentre mall to have a pro look at the bindings to make sure they still are in good shape and meet current binding standards.
FAQ: Do I really need to check the condition of the bases and edges of my skis?
My Answer: Now I don’t get my skis tuned all that regularly as I ski mostly in soft, powder snow. But if you are visiting ski resorts that have hard snow or icy conditions regularly then you should definitely get your skis tuned more often.
Have anymore questions? Feel free to ask me through my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook page!
Twitter, Instagram & Facebook – @PowderMatt
- Published in News
RCR Rockies Cards on Sale
Unparalleled Savings! 1st, 4th & 7th ski day FREE & up to $40 (double discount period) savings every time you ski! Plus go Direct to Lift – just by linking your credit card.
- 3 FREE days The 3 Free Days can be redeemed at any RCR Western Resort.
- Cardholders receive their 1st, 4th and 7th ski days FREE and daily discounts every other day.
- Children 6-12 to get their very own RCR Kids’ Club Card FREE of charge. ($5 discount on full-day Child lift tickets at any RCR resort)
- Your Direct to Lift card can be linked to any major credit card at any of our resorts or at the Calgary office.
For more information visit the RCR Webstore. On sale until December 31, 2016.
- Published in News
- 1
- 2