Village Squire, 1975-12, Page 40t44
Put yourself in this picture and ski the great untracked in British Columbia this winter. [Canadian
Government Office of Tourism Photo.]
chairlift, some 7,000 -feet in length and
1,600 -feet vertical rise, there were open
areas, moguls, rooms for the ever-present
kite. flyers, and gentle swinging slopes
inviting' slow and easy turns.
It was my first trip to Kimberley in
winter, and I wondered why. I had heard
much ahout the ski hill, rumors that it was
wide, long, had night skiing for more than
a Wile on the T -bar, was only two miles
from the city, and that the entire city had
gone Bavarian in the past few years. What
a pleasant surprise! The rumors were true.
And I'll be back this year to sample the
new triple chairlift to the north howl. It will
open up, aci ording to area manager Doug
"Sherlock" Holmes, 710 acres of new ski
slopes and even a.new beginner area on the
top of the mountain.
From Kimberley, it is a short distance to
othe.: Fast Kootenay areas. Drive north for
an hour and you are at Radium Hot
Springs, where helicopter skiing on the
nearby glaciers combines with swimming
in the hot mineral pools, year-round, and
accommodation in the Radium Hot Springs
Lodge, to make a perfect relaxing ski
holiday.
If helicopte. skiing seems too much, or
it's weathered out, there is nearby
Panorama Ski Hill. Just north of Radium,
Hans Gmoser operates his Canadian
Mountain Holidays helicopter skiing
weeks, and in conjunction, Radium Lodge
offers helicopter skiing along with regular
slope skiing at Panorama, 19 miles away.
With its new chairlift, Panorama will boast
a 3,100 foot vertical drop, with skiing
lasting well into April.
Last year, we hiked to the powder ridge
which will be served by the new chair.
Superb! Panorama also has what I would
call the best glassy -smooth beginners'
slope without congestion, and with a
simple platter lift, that I have seen
anywhere in western Canada.
East Kootenay country is dotted with hot
.,nineral springs, and another ski area has
been built at Fairmont Hot Springs, where
a beautiful lodge and full dining facilities,
complement the skiing and outdoor,
year-round hot springs swimming.
Kite flying is the big activity here, and a
kite flying school is rapidly gaining
converts. Two years ago I was coerced into
trying barrel stave skiing at Fairmont,
during the annual Barrel Stave races. It's
wild! A new kind of hot dogging! But kite
flying..'. they're still trying to convince me!
Good roads connect all of these areas,
. and it's easy to make a quick trip slightly
east into the Lizard Range and ski at
Fernie's Snow Valley -for a day. Snow and
more snow, plenty of sunshine and so few
people on the hills.
Fernee is another of the small cities that
has a ski area practically on its outskirts,
just three miles down the highway. Skiing
in Lizard and Cedar Bowls is fantastic, and
served by two T -bars that lift you 5,600 feet
above sea level.
The Fast Kootenay areas are all served
by Cranhrook airport in southeastern B.C.,
and each one has a,Ski Bird package priced
so moderately that even with air fare from
Vancouver, the price per person, sharing
twin accommodation is most reasonable.
Other Ski Bird 'packages from Pacific
Western Airlines feature' skiing at the
Okanagan areas of Silver Star at Vernon
and Big White at Kelowna, and Penticton's
Apex Alpine. There is also a Ski Bird
package for Tod Mountain at Kamloops
and another for cross-country skiing at the
108 Mile Ranch, where 65 kilometres of
trails run through open and wooded
Cariboo countryside.
When you can have accommodations,
transfers from airport to hotel to ski hill,
lift tickets, a welcome party, skiing on
uncrowded runs, beginning at S72 per
person for five days and nights, it has to be
a bargain. You've: fount the 'white gold'!
For further information on skiing in
British Columbia, contact the Canadian
Government Office of Tourism, 150 Kent
Street, Ottawa K1A 0H6
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`.CAGE SQUIRE/DECEMBER 1975, 39