So I have only gotten to go snowboarding twice so far this winter and neither for very long. I am extremely bummed out and am hoping that Feb/Mar will get me up to the mountains as many times as possible.
Kicking Horse
The first place I got to check out was Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, BC. This was the coolest place I have seen, really I went to Whistler for the Olympics and was more impressed with Golden. First off, the resort is literally a 10 meter walk from the gondola. They provide you with lockers to keep your stuff in, so you suit up and head out to the lifts! The resort itself is really nice, condos with full kitchens, very comfortable. It had three restaurants in the resort, Peaks Grill being my fave. The mountain itself is incredible with a restaurant at the peak and had so many runs. Now, this was my very first time in Rocky Mountain snow and I don’t know if I can ever snowboard in that slush in the Cascades every again. It was so dry and powdery, perfect for long, easy turns. Sadly I only had an hour, and it took my fat butt 40 minutes to get to the bottom and I was exhausted!!
The next place I went was Castle Mountain, close to Pincher Creek. I had planned to meet up with my friend Catie and her husband but had a series of mishaps that made me an hour late. So they
Castle Mountain
weren’t at the rental office. I figured I would potentially spot them on the mountain and off I went with my ipod. There were some great runs, and again the snow was amazing but it was COLD!!!!!! -20 at the base, so who knows what it was at the top. I put in a few runs before I had to go in for a half hour. After that I got in two more and said “Nuts to this!” and headed to the car. It felt like such a waste of time and money but I just couldn’t enjoy myself fully when it was so cold. My little nose had a vicious wind burn on it too. So I am goin to wait a couple weeks for things to warm up a little and try again. Yes I know the snow won’t be nearly as good on a warmer day, but I will enjoy it so much more!
So there you have it, My snowboard adventures thus far. Sadly no pictures, I have to bring my phone next time I go and snap a few shots.
Glad to hear you liked Kicking Horse so much. My friends and I were thinking about taking a trip up there to snowboard this season so I will pass on the good review.
It is so worth it! The runs are amazing and it;s a really cool resort!