Kicking Horse

Deep powder and big vertical make the Kicking Horse Ski Resort a memorable place to visit. Nestled along the edge of the famed Rocky Mountain Trench, this ski area shares its name with the nearby mountain pass and river. Long downhill runs await skiers and snowboarders coming to this winter venue west of Golden, British Columbia.

Driving here is simple as motorists can use Highway 1 to get to Golden. Several local and domestic airfields can handle regional flights, with Calgary's International Airport receiving International flights 170 miles away in the Province of Alberta. Ground transportation is easier to secure in Calgary than at some of the closer airfields that maintain smaller fleets of vehicles.

Ski and Stay on the Slopes

Guests at the Kicking Horse Ski Resort can kick back after a day on the slopes, with ski-in/ski-out lodging or off mountain rooms. There are almost 20 places to choose from, providing accommodations for nearly any size party or budget. Four dining venues sit within the Village, with an additional grill in the day lodge and yurt near the "Stairway" lift. The best option might be the gondola ride to Eagle's Eye Restaurant, billed as "Canada's most elevated dining" at 7,700 feet.

Kicking Horse has several retail centers offering items for the slopes and off them. The Brand Store, Outfitters, and Performance Renal Centre sell or rent gear and clothing. A General Store provides guests with online shopping and delivery, making stocking up easy. Selkirk Sports and other full-service shops sell, fix, and tune in Golden.

Daycare services allow parents to carve the powder while the toddlers stay entertained (ages 18 months to five years). The Kicking Horse ski area offers ski and snowboarding lessons, with classes divided into adult and kid participants. Sessions divide further into hourly, daily, and multiple session events. Each session or camp focuses on skills ranging from first-timers to advanced skiers and riders looking to improve their technique.

One of North America's Largest

The Kicking Horse ski area has an average annual snowfall of 288 inches, with equipment helping maintain the best quality base through the season. Snow at the resort is powdery, making it the stuff that skiers and riders dream about plowing through as they work their way down a run. Night owls wanting to ski or ride after the sun goes down will be disappointed that everything shuts down at dinner time. That said, there are over 3,400 skiable acres at the Kicking Horse Resort that they can explore during the day, however.

A 4,314-foot vertical drop makes this the six-largest in North America, providing skiers and snowboarders plenty of potentials as they bomb down the trails (brain buckets should be standard gear here). There are over 120 runs on the slopes at Kicking Horse, with advanced and expert trails taking up most of the mountain.

Trails ratings here are green/beginner (20-percent), blue/intermediate (20-percent), black diamond/advanced (45-percent), and double black diamond/expert (15-percent). Those stats draw serious skiers and riders from all over. Five lifts serve guests at Kicking Horse.