West Canada & Rocky Mountains

The ultimage ski & roadtrip in Canada (Alberta & British Columbia)

Canada, the dream of every skier. Skiing in the best powder snow in the world! For more than 15 years we have explored several ski(touring) and heliski areas in Alberta and British Columbia and we have selected the best ones for you. The possibilities are endless and snow is abundant. Up until now we have never been disappointed. If you are dreaming of snow covered woods, great ski areas and original Wild West towns, then Canada really is the place to be.

Skiing in Canada means first and foremost a lot of soft snow, powder snow. Especially British Columbia with places like Golden and Revelstoke in the Columbia Mountains are famous for it, whereas the Rockies in Alberta are colder and dryer. If you are dreaming of snow covered woods, great ski areas and original Wild West towns, then Canada really is the place to be. Wintersport in Canada is a very special adventure. There is tranquillity, space, beautiful nature, the Canadians are friendly and service is of a high level, without being overdone. 
Mountain and ski guide Edward Bekker, a bit of a Canada-freak himself, planned this trip with care and used his more than 15 years' experience of skiing in Canada. He will also be your guide, driver and tour guide on this trip. 

The good thing is that not only great skiing is part of this programme, but also a fantastic round trip which gives you an excellent impression of this vast and beautiful country. 

KLM will fly your directly from Amsterdam to Calgary, famous for its Olympic Oval where Dutch ice skater Yvonne van Gennip won three golden medals in 1988. Nowadays Calgary is “booming” because of the oil production in the province of Alberta. 

Edward will pick you up from the airport and the big, comfortable Chevy van will drive us to the west. During the hour and a half drive, 110 km, to your comfortable hotel in Canmore, we will be facing the impressive Rocky Mountains. From the hotel we have a beautiful view on the Three Sisters. Just sit down and relax, enjoy a drink and dinner and do the pre-material check. After an early breakfast, we make sure the equiment is all right and ski-canada-1001 we start skiing in the known and perfectly prepared ski area of Lake Louise, a 40 minutes' drive away. We might see a moose or wolf on our way. We are not just skiing on the ski slope, but also off-piste. There are fantastic runs between the trees and also steep shoots. The views are stunning and the snow quality is usually excellent. At the end of the day we will visit Chateau Lake Louise and we will make ourselves at home in our hotel and enjoy and relax in front of the big open fire place. Canada at its purest. The next morning we head for Golden, BC, appr. an hours' drive. Here, in the Columbia Mountains, there is an average of 10 m of powder snow per year! The relatively new ski area of The Kicking Horse is situated above Golden, with its endless off piste and freeride possibilities! We will for sure have a good time and will practise the so-called treeskiing which is important for heliskiing. Via the high Roger's Pass (1330m) we drive to Revelstoke for a 3-day heliski experience. And this is in the end why you go to Canada. In good weather we fly to powerful, high glaciers with a superb view of numerous mountains all around; in less favourable weather and when it is snowing, we enjoy the challenging treeskiing in often very deep snow between giant Red Cedar trees. On return, snacks will be waiting for us in the hotel which is fully equipped with an outdoor hottub, sauna, skishop etc. Don't miss an evening out in Revelstoke. The nice mix of hardcore skiers, snowboarders, skidooers and lumberjacks ensure a great atmosphere. Revelstoke has been working hard on a modern lift system including a resort and has by far the largest difference in height (vertical) in the whole of North-America. It offers a good alternative to a down day, when the heli is not able to fly.

After the heliskiing, there are several options, depending on the circumstances. This part of the trip has deliberately been left open and Edward has a good nose for last minutes. One option is to ski on the Stoke, with great descents up to 15 km and 2225 altimeters, possibly combined with going up on climbing skins and exploring the backcountry. Another option is to say goodbye to Revelstoke and to make a beautiful skitour on the Roger's Pass or in the Rockies around Banff. After the exciting heliskiing, it is nice to relax while skitouring. On our way back, we will stay another night in the lodge in Lake Louise and do some skiing from there or we can go to Sunshine. On the final day we will be driving to Calgary before boarding our flight back to Amsterdam.

During this trip we will be staying the nights in specially selected cosy motels and guesthouses, often provided with an open fire place, hottub and sauna. The Canadians are known for their friendliness and the Canadian food is surprisingly good;
the BC Salmon and the Alberta Beef are favourite among fish- and steaklovers, and that is for a reason.

This ski trip to Canada is an unique experience with plenty of highlights. Do not miss it!

Frequently asked questions

Should I be a superskier to participate in this trip? No, it is important however to be able to descent in all sorts of snow without constantly falling. The big difference with skiing in the Alps is that there is a lot more soft powder snow in Canada. An unexpected fall won't harm too much, it is not like falling on icy snow on a steep slope in the Alps. Europeans are less experienced in treeskiing and skiing in deep snow. It is a matter of getting used to. Just do it, it is great!

What level of fitness should I have? You will need a high fitness level in which stamina plays an important role. Skiing on slopes, running and biking is a good preparation.

Will the focus be on skitouring? No, the focus is on skiing. For touring we will start from a lift area and sometimes the side of the road if there are great descents from there. There are never crowds of people in the lift areas (except in the weekends) and there is no pushing at the lifts. When touring (optional) from a lodge, things are quite relaxed: the breakfastbuffet is ready, everyone can pack his/her own lunch and we leave when we feel like leaving, there is no rush! Should anyone prefer to read a book and not join the tour, then that is no problem. On return, snacks and drinks are avalable and the sauna is hot.

What about the "Champagne Powder"? These are words everybody uses in the Netherlands. Champagne powder is a very light powder snow which can be found mainly in Colorado and Utah when temperatures are low. Skiing in this type of snow is only fun after heavy snowfall. If not, you will easily go through and feel the hard layer underneath. In West Canada there is also light snow falling in the Rockies. Often it is very cold because of the influence of the great plains of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the east. But usually snowfall is not heavy, meaning you might hit a pebble or two in Lake Louise (after all these are the Rockies...). Heavy snowfall occurs in BC, between Vancouver (Whistler, at the sea and humid, sometimes rain) and Golden which is situated west of the Rockies. We are talking about the Interior Mountains like the Selkirks, Monashees, Kootenays, Bugaboos, Purcell Mtns etc. This is why all heliski companies are located in BC. This snow is often light, especially when the snowbelt from Alaska passes by but it can also be wetter, thus heavier. With our wide skis this is no problem and what's more, feeling the snow splash against your body is great. Champagne is for drinking!