Ski Holidays Canada are offering a “flash sale” on the Sunshine Mountain Lodge when booked from now until October 15th, 2014 - these are the lowest rates of the season!

Deluxe Waterfall Rooms – Early Season $99* sale “$99* per person including next day lift ticket” 

*Subject to applicable taxes

Conditions:

(1) All bookings need to be made within the Oct 1st/2014 to Oct 15th/2014 Time frame.

(2) Special is only valid for early season Midweek only bookings – November 17th to December 18th /2014 & January 5th to January 29th/2015.

(3) Not combinable with secondary offers.

(4) Subject to availability.

(5) Deluxe Waterfall Category only.

(6) Applicable to new bookings only.

How to book:

Contact Ski Holidays Canada with promo code “SL Flash Sale”:

• http://www.skiholidayscanada.co.uk/ski-contact.htm

All you have to do is follow @HolidaysCanada on Twitter, then retweet (RT) the tweet below and you are immediately entered. A winner will be selected at random this Friday so get your skis on and good luck!

FOLLOW US, RT THIS & WIN a 2012-13 Tri-Area 3-day Ski Pass – Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine. Winner will be chosen at random on NOV 9 @ 10am PST

— rocky-peak Holidays (@HolidaysCanada) November 5, 2012

Some early-bird deals on lodging and lift passes are still available until December 15 2011 – drop us a line if you would like more information on where to go and which operators to use.

Confirmed ski resort opening dates below:

• Whistler Blackcomb - Opened Nov 24, 2011
• Sun Peaks – Opened Nov 19, 2011
• Big White – Opens Dec 3, 2011
• Silver Star – Opened Nov 11, 2011 (Nordic) / Opened Nov 24, 2011  (Alpine)
• Red Mountain – Opens Dec 9, 2011
• Revelstoke – Opens Dec 3, 2011
• Panorama – Opens Dec 9, 2011
• Fernie – Opens Dec 2, 2011
• Kicking Horse – Opens Dec 9, 2011
• Banff Norquay – Opened Nov 3 for weekends.  Opens Dec 2, 2011
• Lake Louise Snow – Opened Nov 5, 2011
• Sunshine Village – Opened Nov 18, 2011
• Jasper Marmot Basin – Opened Nov 11, 2011
• Tremblant – Opened Nov 24, 2011

Please see the latest snow report [PDF]:

http://www.skiholidayscanada.co.uk/snow_reports_2011-2012/SnowReport24Nov11.pdf

The meteorite is en route and Bruce Willis’ gang of pro-drillers are not proving up to the task. We have 24 hours to live and I have some decisions to make. Suffice it to say, my final meal will be steak with every known variety of potato (chipped, mashed, roasted, dauphinoised etc) washed down by gallons of fantastic, robust red wine, but we’ll get to that later. Where will I go? What will I do?

And so we’re off to Banff…

Given the impending death and destruction that is coming tomorrow, I am very much in the “get-up-early-camp” and so The Sunshine Mountain Lodge, which is Banff’s only ski-in/ ski-out hotel, is the ideal place to take a hearty lumberjack-style breakfast. First track’s breakfast allows diners to eat and head out for…yes…first tracks before the punters arrive! We’ll plump for the traditional Canadian breakfast of pancakes, crispy bacon, maple syrup and icing sugar! Isn’t it just wonderful that the restaurant staff and lifties are happy to work and not spend the hours before Armageddon in the bosom of their families? Such is the industrious nature of Banffers!

I did my ski instructor course at Sunshine Village in 01/02 and, to this day, it remains my favourite ski resort – I like to think of it as the back garden of Banff, my spiritual home! To start the day, we’ll grab a chair and do some carving down some of Sunshine’s wide-open pistes. Continental Divide is always a good place to start to get the leg muscles pumping! After that, we’ll hit Mount Standish a few times with runs down black areas; Headwall, Garbage Chutes and Dirty Little Corner – short pitches but super-steep and pretty intense. Before breaking for lunch, we have time to explore Wawa bowl, dropping the cornice (lip!) into Paris Bowl and back through the always-icy Waterfall and a beautiful run through the trees on Shaken Not Stirred!

Now for lunch, taken in Chimney Corner which offers awe-inspiring views over the jagged peaks of Sunshine Village. It is a view that never gets boring! Sticking with the old Canadian favourites, I’ll be dining on Poutine: a wonderful dish of crispy fries topped by cheese curds and a chicken based sauce washed down by some Canadian Dry!

After lunch, we don our transceivers, pack up probes & shovels and we’re off up to Delirium Dive which plays host to, without doubt, the most insane in-bounds terrain in Canada, if not the world. We hit line after line of steep pitch with cliff drops, narrow chutes, wide-open bowls and a ton of fantastic natural hits. The whole area is covered in the lightest, fluffiest powder snow that provides us with endless face-shots as we whoop and holler our way down!

With tired legs, we ski down the final run and end up at Trapper’s Bar. As we move onto the terrace with an après-ski beer, the sun starts beaming and the temperature gauge on the mercury moves up to 25C. What a stroke of luck!

Not wishing to waste too much time, we head back downtown for a soak in Banff’s famous hot springs. There is nothing like lolling around in deliciously hot water to shake off the aches and pains of a tough day on the slopes.

For dinner at Saltlik (arguably the best steak-house in the world!), I will be joined by Billy Connelly, Smithy from Gavin & Stacey, George Best (I know!) and my best-mate-from-home, Jamie. Eva Longoria Parker will play the part of my love interest. She will sit at my side and gaze longingly at me all night. As indicated earlier, I shall be having at least one steak, but probably two, with a blue-cheese sauce and served with fries, roast potatoes, a little mash potato and a large dish of dauphinoise potatoes. The wine will be French, very old and expensive!

After dinner, we’ll party the night away in Hoodoos and Auroras before Eva and I repair to the Presidential Suite at the Banff Springs Hotel for a night that I will never forget.

The perfect day to see in the Armageddon…!

Whistler / Blackcomb

Snow Base: 371cm

Lifts Open: 33 / 38

Runs Open: 200 / 200

Sun Peaks CLOSED

Big White CLOSED

Silver Star CLOSED

Red Mountain CLOSED

Revelstoke CLOSED UNTIL APRIL 16, 2011

Snow Base: 278cm (Alpine)

Lifts Open: 0 / 4 Runs

Open: 0 / 54

Panorama CLOSED

Fernie CLOSED

Snow Base: 386cm

Lifts Open: 9 / 9

Runs Open: 113 / 113

Kicking Horse CLOSED UNTIL APRIL 15, 2011

Snow Base: 240cm (Mid-Mountain)

Lifts Open: 0 / 6

Runs Open: 0 / 137

Banff / Lake Louise

Norquay OPEN UNTIL APRIL 24, 2011

Snow Base: 140cm (Mid Mountain)

Lifts Open: 5/5

Runs Open: 36 / 36

Lake Louise OPEN UNTIL MAY 8, 2011

Snow Base: 187cm (Mid Mountain)

Lifts Open: 9 / 9

Runs Open: 137/ 138

Sunshine Village

Snow Base: 235cm (Mid Mountain)

Lifts Open: 12 / 12

Runs Open: 106 / 107

Jasper

Snow Base: 135cm (Mid-Mountain)

Lifts Open: 7 / 8

Runs Open: 86 / 86

Tremblant CLOSED

Thank you Mother Nature and please keep the snow coming!

Happy Valentines to you all for tomorrow – we’re feeling the love!

Some early-bird deals have been extended until January 15 2011 – not what I would call “early” as we are already well into the season (but best not to complain). Deals include 50% OFF loding at Panorama Ski Resort for stays of 5+ nights as part of a ski package through Ski Holidays Canada. Panorama was sold by Intrawest last year, and the new management at Panorama are really making an excellent attempt with providing tour operators with awesome deals. There is also a scheduled Panorama service from Calgary YYC airport making it easier to get to Panorama ski resort. If you have not tried Panorama – you should make it your next ski holiday destination.

Discounted Banff ski passes are still on sale too. The Tri-Area pass covers Banff Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise. The ski shuttles from Banff currently only pick up from three locations with exception to the Lake Louise ski bus which now picks up at most hotels in Banff. Thank you Lake Louise – we salute you!

Now, what about this fresh snow we’ve been talking about? Here is what we have received at our featured ski resorts in the last 12-24 hours:

• Sunshine Village – 4cm (1.6in) over last 24 hours
• Kimberley – 5cm (2in) over the last 24 hours and it’s still snowing
• Panorama – 6cm (2.4in) over the last 24 hours
• Lake Louise – 6 cm (2.4in) over the last 12 hours
• Fernie – 9cm (3.5in) over the last 24 hours and it’s still snowing
• Jasper Marmot Basin – 10cm (4in) over the last 24 hours
• Kicking Horse – 13cm (5.1in) over the last 24 hours
• Whistler Blackcomb – 26cm (10in) over the last 24 hours and it’s still snowing! MEGA-POW baby!

Okay, now what  are you doing still sat reading this blog post – get out and enjoy and we look forward to any comments you have!

Best wishes for 2011 from Canada-Ski.com!

The Lake Louise Ski Area was the first ski resort to open in Canada on November 5th 2010. Jasper Marmot Basin opened today so too did Banff Mount Norquay and Nakiska which started opening weekends until early December at which time they will open full time for the season.  Whistler Blackcomb is opening six days EARLY on Friday, November 19 at 8:30am.

Opening dates for the rest of our featured ski resorts in Western Canada:

• Banff Norquay Ski Resort – Open for weekends until FRI Dec 3 2010
• Sunshine Village Banff Ski Resort – To open THU Nov 18 2010 / “One snowfall away”
• Lake Louise Mountain Ski Resort – Opened FRI Nov 5 2010 (First in Canada)
• Kicking Horse Mountain Ski Resort – To open mid-December 2010
• Jasper Marmot Basin Ski Resort – Opened SAT Nov 13 2010
• Fernie Alpine Ski Resort – SAT Dec 4 2010
• Kimberley Alpine Ski Resort – “Preview weekend” – Dec 11 and 12 2010
• Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort – FRI Nov 19 2010
• Panorama Mountain Ski Resort – FRI Dec 10 2010
• Nakiska Kananaskis Ski Resort – Opened SAT Nov 13 2010

There are another 37 ski resorts in Western Canada not mentioned here – 11 in Alberta and 26 in British Columbia –> more ski resorts in Western Canada.

For immediate updates on ski news in Western Canada follow @HolidaysCanada for their ski holiday news.

Prices for the bus to Mount Norquay, The Lake Louise Ski Area & Sunshine Village are as follows:

Adult Return: $15 (Included with pass*)
Adult One-Way: $10 (Included with pass*)
Child Return: $10 (Free**)
Child One-Way: $6 (Free**)

*A Tri-Area lift ticket includes the bus trip.

**Children SKI FOR FREE with a minimum purchase of an adult ski pass through Ski Holidays Canada. Up to 4 children can SKI FOR FREE per adult.



This schedule is subject to change. Please speak to the hotel front desk or concierge for exact times.