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Day Two at Revelstoke was a totally different experience. Snow fell during the night and throughout most of the next morning, although not a lot, it made a difference and freshened things up. We left this morning for Nelson and will tackle Whitewater and Red Mountain while in this neck of the woods. One final word on Revelstoke though, the mountain has enormous potential, vast wicked terrain and undeniable vertical that won’t disappoint but it has hit a few financial speed bumps of late and due no doubt to the current worldwide financial crisis. Unfortunately it’s understaffed, the facilities on the mountain are incomplete and lacking in various areas, namely toilets and good signage! The new section of the Gondola is a great addition and allows one to park at the base area and no longer drive up to the day lodge as per last year, having said that there is a lot of incomplete construction at the base area and ones first impression of this resort is all a bit shambolic. Substandard guest services, no signage, porta loos that we thought were for the construction workers but as we discovered were for the paying guests! The new detachable Quad ( The Ripper )  installed this summer is great but it’s in an area away on it’s own that requires a tedious traverse to and from unless you’re capable of skiing into it via The North Bowl Area above, which is a free riding double black diamond area with marginal snow conditions this year. Overall a great ski hill that has massive potential, we didn’t see it at it’s best due to the lack of new snow, they have big plans for the future but with he current economic climate my feelings are that they will struggle and that the grand plan will take some time to come to fruition, none the less a wicked ski hill but not quite the overall glossy package that its pretending to be in its marketing package, a must visit but don’t expect too much in the way of frills or service. Revelstoke is a great wee party town, friendly and with some good bars and an excellent Sushi joint opposite The Regent Hotel on 1st street. We stayed in a nice well priced B&B ( The Inn On The River ) a short stroll from downtown with wonderful views of the mighty Columbia River.  The Goat.

WOW! Revelstoke lives up to it’s reputation and without exaggeration. We’re here in Revelstoke and skied the much anticipated new resort today. No fresh snow unfortunately but the grooming was impeccable and the terrain challenging. Boasting North America’s highest vertical and in it’s second season, Revelstoke is still in it’s early development stages and with much construction underway, some stalled. With big plans for new lifts that will open up further terrain currently only accessible via a cat skiing operation that is based at the top of the gondola. With very few skiers around this is a mountain that certainly tests ones nerves as well as ones skill, the terrain available requires a big mountain ski with big mountain legs. We ( 8 year old included ) skied non stop from the top of  The Stoke Chair to the base of the gondola today on a black run that totaled 5620ft / 1713 meters, it took 25 minutes and longer to recover! Tomorrow will involve a tour of the backcountry and the new North Bowl area accessed from the top of The Stoke quad chairlift, courtesy of an old ski patrolling buddy now working as a heliguide for CMH and living here in Revelstoke; I just know it’s going to hurt! Off to Nelson on Tuesday with Whitewater, Red Mountain and some Cat Skiing in our sights. Thankfully Southern B.C is now starting to pick up some of the regular snow that has been falling in Montana and the Northern US.  The Goat.  

We arrived here at Silverstar Resort yesterday from Big White via Vernon. They have had 37cm of new snow fall here in the past 7 days with 27cm of that falling in the last 72 hours!Upon arrival here at Silverstar you would think you had stumbled onto a large Hollywood film set as the architecture is unbelievably unique, a classic mixture of an old gold mining western town with a good dose of Disneyland mixed in, with a vibrant colour scheme consistent throughout the village, condos and private homes this is one resort you won’t forget. Silverstar prides itself on being a very family friendly resort with loads to offer all ages, a wonderful village atmosphere, ski school and a great selection of bars, resaturants and a wonderful Swiss Bakery with custard squares to die for!The skiing here on the front side consists mainly of Green and Blue Runs with a mixture of not so difficult Black runs thrown in for good measure. With five chairlifts servicing the front side there is plenty to keep everyone of all abilities happy and all the usual village amenities and ski shops at hand.Be warned, Silverstar has a Dark Side, known as The Black Side or Putnam Creek, this is not somewhere you want to accidently stumble into via a wrong turn at the magic carpet! A high speed detachable quad accesses some outrageous terrain that consists of Black and Double Black Diamond runs that are so long they almost make you cry, there is one blue run  - Eldorado which is 8km long and is basically a feeder back to the lift. This area is renowned for its excellent powder, shear vertical, massive bumps, steep narrow chutes and tree skiing, the runs have names to match too - Three Wise Men, Headwall, Freefall, Holy Smoke and Chute 5 to name a few that tested me today. This is no place for the faint hearted or those that can’t look after themselves, there are warning signs that state there is no easy way out!Overall this resort has it all, enough to keep the family and the hardcore happy, with it’s sister resort Big White near by there is no need to venture much further afield with the family and as in all Canadian resorts the service is efficient and super friendly!  I’ll be hard at it tomorrow trying to cross off the what’s left on The Dark Side before venturing up the road to Revelstoke where the real work begins and the nerves really get tested by all accounts.The Goat.  

Apex Mountain Resort is in good shape! Like most Canadian resorts, they haven’t had snow for more than 2 weeks but this resorts isolation and low skier numbers has been it’s saviour. The terrain here is awesome, with only two chairs and a T bar accessing some extremely well groomed runs on the front side with decent vertical ( 605m ) very friendly locals and good reasonably priced food right on the hill!I skied some steep / narrow double black diamond chutes cut through the trees this afternoon, to my surprise there was some really nice boot top wind transported snow to be had, these runs have been closed for the past week due to instability and opened just this afternoon, very timely as no one else seemed interested in venturing of the groomed runs.The other bonus here at Apex is that there is no one here. I / we can’t have seen more than 75 skiers all day, we constantly skied straight onto every lift all day! With new snow in the forecast this resort will only get better, a real hidden B.C gem and worth checking out if your into steeps, trees and powder.The Goat. 

Thanks to Sarah for all the really helpful advise on Skiing Whistler. It is great when you speak to someone who has lived and skied there with first hand knowledge. That Amsterdam cafe was a real cool spot - after a hard day. Our accommodation was more than expected - only 3 mins away from the chair lift. Our friends who used another agency found themselves 20mins out of the main base area. Look forward to our trip again this season.

Cheers

Kimberley & Family.

Yes snow too has arrived at Panorama Resort in British Columbia, Canada.  So start waxing the skis and boards and get ready for powder in Canada!!

Hi guys… Whistler Blackcomb will be hiring heaps of Kiwis through IEP’s Work Canada Winter Job Fair. Anyone between 18 and 30 years of age is eligible for the program and the visa. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A STUDENT!!!!!

And there are more awesome Canadian employers coming to IEP’s Canada Job Fair (www.workcanada.co.nz):
• Kicking Horse
• Grouse Mountain
• Panorama
• Fairmont (Whistler, Jasper Park, and Lake Louise)
• Canada Olympic Park

There are heaps of jobs to choose from… Lifties, Snow Maker, Cook, Server, Front Desk, Room Attendant etc etc.

Make sure you don’t miss out… Interview slots are filling up mega fast this year! www.iep.co.nz for all details.

Yes you may have heard you can use your RAL season pass to get free skiing or boarding at Copper Mountain and Winter Park ski resorts in Colorado,USA.It does’nt just stop there you can also get 50% off day lift passes at Kickinghorse Mountain,BC ,Canada.Some money saved on lift pass expenses can go further to having the ultimate holiday experience.

What great incentives at some excellent resorts,we have just recently come back from visiting all three resorts so if you have a question contact us or drop by our store at 333 Remuera Rd,Remuera,Auckland as we have been lucky enough to stay at all three resorts and can tell you all about the accomodation and the layout of the resorts.

Hi there, if you would like to work at Panorama Resort this year, take a look at the International Exchange Program’s website, www.iep.co.nz.  
Also have a look at Panorama’s site - they have a jobs link on their homepage, www.panoramaresort.com. 

 Have fun!

The Team at Ski Traveller

If you are a full time university or TAFE student, and you’re interested in working at Whistler, this is for you!  Have a look at the International Exchange Program’s site, www.iep.co.nz, and read up on the 12 month version of the J1 visa.  IEP is working in partnership with Whistler Blackcomb, and they’ll be coming to New Zealand July 29 - August 5, 2008, visiting Queenstown, Christchurch, Auckland and the Mt. Ruapehu regions.  Whistler also has a list of current job opportunities on their site, www.whistlerblackcomb.com/jobs.  Good Luck!

The Team at Ski Traveller