Bash0rz

NEver been snowboarding before but 4 of us fancy it!
I know its gonna be expensive but we wanna make it memorable and Canada seems the best place!

Anyone been before? who and where did you book with!

Were looking at the Pan Pacific hotel inparticular!

T4molie

Went to Banff / Lake Louise / Sunshine Village last year thro Inghams.... absolutely brilliant (I was snowboarding)

Beginning of this year went to Whistler with Inghams again but was skiing this time......

Either place you'll love

Andy

EDITED TO ADD: If you're a tall ar$e like me then flight upgrade is a must Tis a long time to be sitting in a cramped space

Markus

Boarding I've not done, but would like to one day, but I'm still learning to Ski

I've heard good things about Banff but I've never been. I tend to go to a few local (Toronto area) slopes such as Mount St Louis Moonstone and Blue Mountain. We're off to a place called Hidden Valley over the new year as well so will report back as to how that is.

Robertio

iTrader: (1)

Not only is it expensive, but it will be painful if you haven't been before. Expect to end up with a huge collection of aches and pains, you may enjoy it, you may not, only by trying will you find out. Look forward to your first drag back up a hill going down is relatively easy, getting back on a tow I found much, much more difficult

Not done what you are planning so can't advise on that, my sister stays in Canada so only really leaves flights for me to sort out.

T4molie

Bash,

If you're up in N Yorks isn't there an Xscape near you in Castleford or somewhere? Me and the missus did the lessons for both ski and snowboarding at the Xscape in Milton Keynes... if you've not done it before then I'd say it's well worth a look

Brendan Hughes

Dear god, how many times do I have to tell people? Banff/Lake Louise. Now shut up and book it.

Oh, and you don't have to bother with lessons beforehand - the instruction, unlike the French, is fantastic.

jonc

Definitely recommend Banff. We went boarding in March, excellent snow and the slopes are well groomed with massive runs for all levels and not crowded at all. We virtually had the some of the slopes to ourselves all day. Also great views!!!! Sunshine Village is where its at
Banff Ski Resort, Canada – Banff ski packages, Vacations, Holidays.

Kevin Greeley

You fall a lot at first so go where there's loads of snow - Canada should be excellent. That way you won't injure your coccyx (very painful) which can take 6 months to recover (mine did anyway).

Good tip is to remember you're on your heel edge or on your toe edge. In between is iffy and you'll probably wipe out.

Warning - snowboarding is seriously addictive

davegtt

You wont find many more places on earth as nice as Banff. Loved the place, didnt do any ski'ing or Boarding, we spent most of our trip in Calgary which again is a nice city. would love to head back over there.

Did some ski'ing at the olymipc ski slope in Calgary where Eddie the Eagle made his mark. We didnt find it expensive either.

Have fun

ChrisB

We thought Banff was pretty naff and tacky when we were there in June, maybe it changes with the snow?

Canmore was a much, much nicer place IMHO.

Norman D. Landing

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the French Alps yet. I've been boarding in Val d'isere, Meribel and La Plagne and all were excelent.

I reckon you'll also pay around £1000 per person less all told for one of those resorts rather than Canada.

GazTheHat

Was just about to.

If you're set on Canada, then Lake Louise/Banff/Whistler are all good. It will be almost too cold until mid-february (-20/25).

If you've never been 'boarding before, i would suggest going to the french alps. You'll have just as memorable time, but save money, wont be stuck on a plane for all those hours, nor have jet lag etc...

I love Chamonix, done 5 winter seasons there, my home from home, so i am biased. But i've been all over the world 'boarding.

You can:

• get to Geneva in 1hr15m for £50 return.
• get a private shuttle for £50 return or rent an EasyCar for about £15 a day.
• ski pass is around £120 for a week.
• accommodation is upto you, depending on how flush/lush you want to be.
• you'll be able to go up Mont Blanc (1/2 the size of everest, which will blow you away)
• there's lots of other resorts in a short distance, should you want a road trip, some included on the pass.
• Has all the terrain you could want, whatever the level
• Great night life, and literally hundreds of restaurants.
• Nice feel in the town, as it's a "proper" town, not a man made resort like others.

106rallye

Like GazTheHat I have lived in the alps for a fair few years over the winter, and I would have to say stay closer to home as well if I were you. Canada is a long way away and dangerously cold in the wrong equipment - another thing you would have to factor in cost wise.

TBH a beginners slope is a beginners slope no need to fly across to canada for one what really matters is the quality of instruction - with this you do have to be careful in France, If you do choose the Alps I can give you a few instructor companies based in the three valleys or Val and Tignes and I am sure GazTheHat can reccommend you some more.

Also Apres ski/nightlife is a big part of the experience and imho its much better in certain resorts in Europe e.g. Verbier, St Anton and Meribel. Than in the states/canada

The attraction of Canada to me is - accessible (and legal!) Heli Skiing, and the bottomless 'dry' powder they get over there - for this i would put up with the long flight, jetlag and the cold!

Hope this helps

Andy

DazW

iTrader: (1)

As said, Banff would be a good start ...but 'locals' go to Fernie

Bash0rz

wow many thanks for the replies!
Already im looking at places to stay in Banff/Lake Louise!

Yes we will be visiting Xscape in castleford! for a lesson or two!

Ive had a look at banff and theres a big old scottosh castle/gotel there!
Called Fairmont? That looks wicked!

Were thinking of going about end of january! -25????

scoobydooooo

yep done those and been to whistler , twice, which is fantastic, it would cost more but val d'isere is not too cheap these days but imho just as good as whistler on piste but not a patch on whistler off piste !! it all depends where one is happiest boarding ! i love both these resorts just as much , but i have been to val d'isere about 5 times now because it is cheaper

Brendan Hughes

Completely agree that Banff in Jan/Feb would be bloody cold for a beginner.

But to me, the key thing was the instruction. My experiences in France and Italy (early 90s) were as follows. There are three levels of instruction; beginner, inter and advanced. If there are not enough people in that group for that session, say a minimum of four, you get bumped up or down a group. The actual instruction consists of a few basics for you to stay on your feet, and then a tour round the pretty mountains. You are not really improved (well, occasionally you get some exercises, when the instructor gets bored of touring), and frankly you Brits are an unwanted inconvenience; the men get pissed every night and the girls are an easy lay and not really attractive anyway.

In Canada, there are 8 levels of instruction; you'll probably go up one each day (and boarding has a steep learning curve). Pay for a group lesson, if no-one else turns up at your level, you get a one-to-one. This happens quite frequently. They work bloody hard at improving your technique.

To enjoy a holiday, perhaps go to France. To learn - I'd say Canada any day.

DazW

iTrader: (1)

End of Jan will be ******* freezing! ...-18 on top of Goat's eye & I wanted to cry!

Remember 'European' clobber wont cut it up there ...you going to need a decent name like Westbeach & that stuff isn't cheap!

Markus

-18 at the top of a hill, pah!



-17 in sunny Toronto

I'd guess that with windchill it was more than -18, could have been up to -26 or higher. A wee bit chilly, but it's a dry cold, far better than the lousy damp UK cold. I came from -16 temps here back to around a max of -1 in the UK and I was really rather cold.

106rallye

Think more icebreaker, Hestra, arc'teryx, patagonia etc. and a RAB puffa for the extra cold ones! you are looking at more than a holiday to the Alps for stuff to keep you warm at -20!

Andy

jonc

I wouldn't wear too thick a coat, it'll restrict movement and give you less options to control your temperatur. You should use layers to keep you warm. A couple of layers of thermals, long johns and socks, light fleece and a thick fleece, and a good quality outer jacket, pants, gloves and hat. I found I got quite hot quite quickly, so at least you can take the layers off if you get too hot and dress accordingly to the temperature outside. The temparatures ranging from -4 to -22 over a 10 stay during early March.

Jerome

A couple of comments:

Chamonix is great except for the queuing for buses to the various ski areas. Having said that, the Vallee Blanche is also incredible (not to mention knackering for less than expert skiers/boarders).

St Anton is best for night life in the Alps, but not a cheap resort and not the best for a beginner.


Markus,

Only -18! You must remember a couple of winters ago when it got down to -35 (-45 with wind chill) in TO. That's just about cold enough for Canadians to notice it's a little bit chilly and to start wearing long trousers.

davegtt

LOL I remember it being -25 in Calgary when I was there, next day it was nice and warm as the Chinook came over

DazW

iTrader: (1)

lol ...the year before i was in Kaprun & there I was boarding in a t-shirt, so it came as a bit of a shock! ...-18 about 200m visibility & most of the snow had been blown off the bloody mountian!

GazTheHat

Easily be that. I hope you've got good gear and determination. If i were set on Canada, it would be a month later than that.

A bruised coxsyx and sore wrists will be in order at the start.

* Best bit of advice, don't lean back!! It's hard not to when you're learning, but you go faster, and it's harder to turn.

davegtt

ohh other good advice, take some lip balm as they'll end up quite sore by the end of the week, its quite dry out there

ChrisB

The ribs at Rip and Richards...mmmm!

Norman D. Landing

Also, dont put bottles of water in your jacket pockets because they break your ribs when you have a nasty spill (from experience, twice, I should have learned the first time!)

DazW

iTrader: (1)

Chris, Did you stay in Fernie? ...haven't been yet, just all the local riders we spoke to in Banff (who all seem to be taxi drivers!) said Fernie's powder was the best in Canada ...but it was an 'armpit' of a town ...although I heard it has been redeveloped?

ChrisB

Yes, we spent a week in Fernie this year, although during the summer (July). Some friends of ours have a property in Fernie which we rented - £250 for a week for four of us It's huge, easily sleeps 10, hot tub etc

Nice place IMHO, pretty quiet but with the essentials (ie a Tim Hortons!). Maybe it's different in the snow, but I wouldn't have thought there's as much night life as Banff. There's a fair bit of new development, especially at the Alpine Resort (maybe that's where the parties are during the winter?). Parts of it still have an old / semi run-down feel. "Our" house was in The Annex side of Highway 3 - you'd see a house that looked amazing next to a bit of an old shack.

There's **** all to do there unless your into outdoor pursuits. Great in the summer for MTBing, walking, rafting etc. We hired a couple of local guides for MTBing - they said snow is the thing all winter, nobody does anything else other than ski or board.

If you fly into Calgary, it's a bit of slog to Fernie. Not a bad drive, just a big boring bashing up or down the highway (I've never seen a road where the central reservation is used to grow straw before!).

If you can afford it, Island Lake Lodge is an amazing setting.

BTW, if you're going to Banff, stop at Canmore and go in the Grizzly Paw pub. They have their own brews and some of them are superb <hic>